NOVEL NEXT Chapter 14 - Behind the Scenes (4)
A group of delegates from the Rhône-Alpes arrived a few days later.
I welcomed them in the reception room of the estate.
There was no knight present, just a maid of honor and another maid. I greeted the maid of honor of Rhône-Alpes first.
“You must have traveled a long way.” “By the grace of Viscount Eric, the journey was not difficult.”I used
「Leer Emotion」
on them.
In case there were any unusual people in their midst.
But the information about the lady’s sentiment seems suspicious.
Karin Rhône-Alpes (20 yr/o)➺ Third daughter of Count Ferrand.
‘If she’s the daughter of the Count of Ferrand, then she’s certainly the Countess of Rhône-Alpes, Why did she disguise her identity and follow us?’
After dismissing everyone. I rose from my seat and bowed to Countess Karin.
“It is a great honor to meet Countess Karin of Rhône-Alpes, renowned for her intelligence and beauty.” “Uh, how?”she asked.
Startled, Countess Karin interrupted, and her maid coughed beside her.
“Ahem.”Despite looking incredibly embarrassed, Karin spoke nonchalantly.
“Oho, apologies. I didn’t think anyone would notice.” “Madame, your good looks are hardly concealed by a maid’s dress.” “My goodness, that’s the nicest thing I’ve heard in a while.”The right amount of flattery goes a long way toward making a good impression.
Settling back into my seat, I leaned back comfortably and sipped my tea.
The other lady-in-waiting’s eyebrows wiggled at the sight, but I didn’t care.
We’re both rude to each other anyway.
“By the way, how important is this matter that the Madame herself has come?” “I believe we need to speak to the Viscount on behalf of the amity of Rhône-Alpes and Marseille.” “Amity. Is this a change of policy?”A jab at the maneuvers to undermine Marseille.
“Hmph, you’re being difficult. When conditions change, so do methods.” “Then what method do you plan to show me?”Countess Karin leaned forward and spoke,
“Count Rhône-Alpes has a daughter.” “We only know of two.” “The second of them, a child named Anna, is brought in marriage to the Viscount.”‘A marriage alliance? Why?’
I racked my brain, trying to figure out the intent.
‘Does she realize that Westphalia has abandoned Marseille, that there is that much better management?’
After a moment’s thought, I concluded.
‘Nope. They are mistaken. They think Westphalia is pushing me hard to prepare for war.’
Looks like that piece of crap I threw worked.
I held back on my response. If I had given too much information, Karin might have noticed.
“It’s only been a month since my coming-of-age ceremony.” “Is that a refusal?” “Let’s call it a reservation, because, as you know, I must also consult my mother, Countess Laurian of Westphalia.” “The Viscount’s mother is Marie—”He interrupted Karin,
“My mother is Countess Laurian of Westphalia.” “…”This implies that if I were to enter into a marriage of alliance with the Rhône-Alpes, the Westphalian family could take my head off.
Which, of course, was not true.
Whoever I marry, the House of Westphalia wouldn’t care.
“It’s tough this year, I’ll try to reach out next year. I’ll blend in as much as I can and be as invisible as possible. Let’s see if we can get a favorable response.” “I understand what you mean.”This tactic stalls for time while pretending to coordinate with Rhône-Alpes. After all, they’re not likely to keep playing games once they’ve established mutual favor.
However, after the marriage alliance, there’s no telling what tricks Rhône-Alpes might try again.
The longer it takes to delay the marriage alliance, the better.
‘A marriage alliance should benefit both parties in the end, and I don’t think Karin doesn’t realize that.’
What else was on her mind, I wondered.
“But a marriage alliance… what benefit does the House of Rhône-Alpes hope to gain?“
Countess Karin replied with a smile,
“It’s about joining forces for stability and development, and of course, Rhône-Alpes also wants to reduce friction with Westphalia and increase mutual understanding.”Karin’s answer was as straightforward as if it had been written by an AI.
She’s not going to divulge the whole story. But that doesn’t mean I should let it go.
‘Now, tell me honestly.’
When I stared at her without answering, Karin looked a little flustered, and then pondered.
After a moment’s hesitation, she spoke carefully.
“Well. We will share ports and facilities that will aid in the economic development of the Rhône-Alpes. We will also cooperate in the development of the boreal forest, and pledge to support each other if necessary. I’d like to make it a condition that these two things be spelled out in the ‘Alliance Agreement’. Is that enough of an answer?”It was no secret that the Rhône-Alpes were after the port of Marseille, but this was the first time I’d heard that they were also interested in the boreal forest.
There are three fiefs in the southeastern part of the Kingdom of France that border the boreal forest.
Marseille, Rhône-Alpes, and Dijon.
Of these, Marseille and Rhône-Alpes were the first to explore the boreal forest.
‘They want to expand their lands, and if we don’t make an alliance, they might really invade.’
I nodded and asked one more question,
“So, how does that change things for Marseille?”Countess Karin smiled and answered,
“Marseille will gain a powerful ally in the marriage alliance with Rhône-Alpes. This will allow for stable growth, and the amicable relationship between Rhône-Alpes and Marseille will send a positive signal to the neighboring estates.”The same answer again.
‘What. Is this person a real AI?’
Again I stared at Karin, but this time she didn’t say anything. Which means there’s no particular interest in Marseille.
Throughout the ramblings, I tried to grasp the meaning of the lines.
‘Even if the neighboring fiefs try to take Marseille by storm, the mighty armies of Rhône-Alpes will protect it. Is this what it means?’
If the alliance agreement was as Karin suggested, Marseille would gain nothing from the alliance.
Instead, Marseille has nothing to lose.
To give you a better example, it’s like being friends with the biggest guy in town. We help him with his work and get paid fairly. But that’s it. He never buys you a single meal.
I thought,
‘This is not going to be easy. I’ll have to find another way.’
I said with a sigh,
“Oho, I see your point, but as I said, it’s not my decision to accept this marriage alliance. It’s up to my mother to decide, and I’ll make sure to tell her.”Like I said, I’m just putting it off for now.
Countess Karin nodded and smiled.
“I would appreciate it if you would do that, and I hope we can get through this safely.”That was the end of the discussion about the marriage alliance, and I spent the rest of the time with Countess Karin in light, casual, and pleasant conversation.
Then the time came for Countess Karin to leave.
“Ah, if in the future you enter into marriage alliances with other estates, you will have many more wives. Have you considered that?”She said with a smile.
“Of course. Given the important position I am in, one or two marriages will not be enough.”Marseille may not be an important place in the context of the situation on the northern continent, but it’s a key location for Rhône-Alpes. It’s a base from which to reach the ocean.
“It reminds me of the old saying, ‘No lips, no teeth’.“Geographically, it means that without Marseille, the Rhône-Alpes would suffer.
“Oho, but even without lips will not kill you.”Marseille might be valuable, but without it, things would be fine.
‘Karin Rhône-Alpes. I can never get enough of her. She’s smart, but she doesn’t seem to do any real useful work. If we ever make enemies with Rhône-Alpes, she’ll be on my list for assassination.’
When I was silent, Countess Karin rose to her feet without answering.
“I will report to Count Rhône-Alpes that our espionage has worked well, and the rest will be up to Viscount Marseille.”Rising from my seat, I said,
“I take it, then, that you’re done with all this fiddling.”Countess Karin, who smirked at my warning against fooling around, bowed.
“Of course, Viscount Marseille.” “Oh, and what about Henry Bron?”Asking what would be done with Henry, who was the acting administrator of the estate.
“We’ve decided to send him to the Palatinate liaison in five days, though we don’t mind if he doesn’t arrive in the Palatinate.”Karin smiled.
I chuckled when she commented that it didn’t matter if I swooped down on Henry.
Henry, Rhône-Alpes’ spy, would be beheaded as soon as the relationship between the two estates changed.
Karin’s final words as she left the reception room were,
“I hope to see you again next time.”“I’m looking forward to it.”
And since it would be absurd for a Lord to send a maid out the door, he didn’t bother to leave the room.
Meanwhile, on the way back to Rhône-Alpes.
Countess Karin asked her maid of honor,
“What do you think of Viscount Marseille?” “He has the sense, means, and the ambition. A worthy lord for a Viscount.” “Is that so?”And the head maid spoke with a solemn expression.
“If you were to become an enemy, he would be the first person you would kill.” “Hahahah, I thought so indeed, but what if he becomes a friend?” “Then he’d be… a good neighbor.”
Countess Karin’s eyes narrowed at the answer.
‘Enemy or friend, we’ll see. Viscount of Marseille!’
It was unknown to either party that Eric and Karin had similar ideas.
Henry Bron
As acting lord administrator of Marseille, he was assigned as liaison to the Palatinate.
The administration threw him a ceremony and even provided him with a carriage, so he traveled in comfort.
A servant in the carriage asked Henry.
“Why did you leave your family behind in Rhône-Alpes?” “I’m going to parties every day, and how can I meet free women if I have a wife and children with me?”The servant was dumbfounded. Even free women have eyes.
“Hmm. I’ll have to find maids to take care of the housework when I arrive.”Said Henry, then added,
“Pick the prettiest ones you can find.”The servant almost cursed at him.
Beauty has nothing to do with being a good housekeeper, and I don’t think pretty girls would hang out with a guy like him because he’s crazy.
‘No way, I wish a bandit would show up and cut his head off.’
A servant fantasizes about his frustrations with his employer. The coachman stopped the carriage and uttered a word that sounded like a thunderbolt.
“Bandits!”‘Heck, boy, have I gone nuts.’
The servant clutched his head, wondering if he had caused the bandit to appear.
Henry grumbled in disbelief at the sight.
“What are you doing? Take out our money bag. Let’s pay a fair price then leave”In most cases, bandits would just take the money and let them pass. If the bandits extorted too much, they would be hit back with the blade and lose a lot of money.
So Henry planned to pass by with only five or six silver coins.
The servant got out of the carriage and stepped forward, with the silver coin in his hand.
Terrified, he shakily approached the bandit.
“Here… Si– silver coins.”Without saying a word, the bandit took the silver coin in his hand. He drew his sword and walked quickly back to his horse.
“Huh?”Ignoring the servant’s ignorance, the bandit opened the carriage door and stepped in.
Henri looked furious and surprised.
“Who are you… What are you doing here, Axe—”Recognizing the bandit, Henry’s words were cut short by a sword.
Tuck, Swoosh—His head was cut off and rolled on the floor.