CH 85

The conversation with Helene that morning ended ambiguously and unsettled because class was about to start. In order not to accidentally blurt out something unnecessary about Claudia, it would be better not to talk too deeply about this incident.

As a result, it doesn’t matter if the rumor that I made Claudia bow down in apology goes away on its own. From the start, I didn’t have any status or position in this academy, so it makes no difference if I gain a bad reputation or two now.

Besides, it’s not as if everyone swallowed the contents of that bulletin without question. From my experience, about half of the students don’t want to get involved and just watch from afar. A quarter also have doubts about the contents of the bulletin, but it feels like they don’t point it out or raise their voice because they don’t want to earn any hostility with the quintet.

The remaining quarter is the group that actively supports the quintet. I don’t know if it’s because they want to flatter them, or because they simply don’t like me. Either way, I think about 75% are either skeptical or uninterested in the bulletin’s claims.

I just don’t have any clear allies. I don’t know what they think in their hearts, but at least there is no one who clearly expresses and shows support for me. It’s probably because most people don’t want to be on the losing side.

I don’t think I’m losing, and I don’t intend to lose, but from the people around me, I’m an isolated loser at school who’s being bullied.

But even if they think I’m losing, they shouldn’t normally be hostile to me. Even if I’m just a dummy, I’m still Ludwig’s fiancée, and maybe, by any chance, I might join the ranks of the royal family. Ordinarily, would you go out of your way to pick a fight with someone like that or be hostile to them?

The three-quarters who are uninterested or unwilling to get involved are probably thinking about that, too. In the unlikely event that I marry Ludwig and become a member of the royal family, they should be thinking about the consequences that will bounce back on them in the future. So what is with the remaining quarter?

Aren’t those the people who are sure I’m not going to marry Ludwig? If you know that I won’t be a royal bride in the future, you don’t have to worry about that. You have to think about hostilities towards the Carruthers Margraviate, but they may think that there is nothing wrong with being hostile to a rural margraviate whose engagement was broken off by the royal family.

Hence….. they don’t just passively think that I’m a dummy fiancé and my engagement will be annulled in the future, I wonder if they’re trying to actively make it happen. It makes sense if you think that’s why they’ve come up with such hard-line measures.

Even if they are hostile to House Carruthers, they will drag me down from my position as fiancée and make someone from their faction become Ludwig’s fiancée, instead. If it succeeds, it’s worth betting on it even if it means making an enemy of the high-ranking nobles in Carruthers. And because there is a chance of winning, such a bet can be made.

The results of the investigation haven’t come out yet, and it’s just my speculation, but it seems that there are various connections behind the scenes.

I definitely want the quintet to do their best. If my engagement is annulled, it’s a development that I even I want. The only problem is that it would be unbearable if I were to be blamed and even punished then. If it’s just amicably breaking off the engagement and getting engaged to someone else, then please, go ahead.

Today, even though I feel like I’m being looked down upon by the people around me, I spent the entire day at school thinking about such things.

Today I went straight home without incident. I’m going to go talk to Father right away.

“What do you wish to know about the Lingerburg family?”

I visited his office and got permission to enter, then Father asked me that suddenly. Is this a reminder to finish my business quickly? I have no intention of interfering with Father’s work by talking at length, so let’s get straight to the point.

“Yes,” I said. “I heard that House Lingerburg has been under the custody of the Nassam Duchy since they moved to the capital. Is that what Father and King Wilhelm intended?”

Since my father is one of the parties directly involved, there is no need for extra steps and naval gazing. Since I also had misunderstandings with Katharina and Claudia, it would be better to ask him straight away what I wanted to hear clearly and concisely.

“No…” Father said. “I was thinking of having them join the Carruthers vassals working in the royal capital. King Wilhelm said that it would be fine to keep them under Duke Kreff’s protection. It was ultimately decided that the Duke Nassam would care for them. The decision was neither mine nor His Majesty’s.”

I see. They don’t seem to be able to tell me specifically who that third party was, but it seems certain that it’s neither Father nor Wilhelm’s ideas.

It would be appropriate to leave the Lingerburgs to the Carruthers vassals in the royal capital, as my Father thought. There are vassals dispatched from Carruthers territory to work in the capital because there are also important contacts there. If House Lingerburg were added to that list, they would have been able to keep the perpetrators of Nikolaus’s murder in check.

Or, as Wilhelm tried, leaving them in the care of Duke Kreff would not be a bad idea, either. If Dietrich, the prime minister of this country, gives his protection, you couldn’t get your hands on his wards. Having Rutger near Alexandra bothers me, but other than that, I don’t think it’s a bad idea.

Then why was it necessary for Duke Nassam to take care of the Lingerburg County, a retainer of the unrelated Carruthers Margraviate, even to the point of rejecting those plans…?

A hypothesis emerges here. Does Duke Nassam drive a wedge in for a future confrontation with the House Carruthers? It’s taking advantage of the chaos within the Carruthers territory and keeping the Lingerburg County at your fingertips.

If Duke Nassam acted in anticipation of opposing House Carruthers, the value of the Lingerburgs would be immeasurable. You can get inside information, or you can bring them onto your side and then return them to Carruthers territory as infiltrators.

Even if House Lingerburg never betrayed House Carruthers, when the confrontation between House Nassam and House Carruthers surfaced and intensified, suspicion would be cast on House Lingerburg among the Carruthers vassals. If that happens, it may lead to self-destruction due to internal strife.

This is an illusion. There is no evidence. But everything is too connected. On the other hand, if it’s so blatant, I think it’s because there’s someone is guiding it all…

If there was some kind of conspiracy in the first place, when did it start? Is it possible that Nikolaus’s assassination is also connected to that?

It is useless. I can’t get my thoughts together. Rather, this is my fantasy rather than an idea. It’s no different than a bulletin board paper trying to fabricate a conspiracy theory.

“Father… did you think that was a good idea?” I said.

I wonder what Father thinks. I know he’s not the kind of father who would say, “It doesn’t matter who protects them.”. But I can’t help but ask. Is it because Alexandra is involved? It seems that I’m not thinking calmly right now.

“It was not a good idea,” Father said, looking quite angry. “But, in noble society, nothing is so simple that it can be decided by just one person.”

It’s the first time I’ve seen Father get so angry because of my words. Even he’s worried about the Lingerburgs. And he is wary of the influence of the Duke of Nassam spreading to the rest of the Carruthers vassals.

Even so, Father and even the King, Wilhelm, cannot decide everything on their own. If the opponent has prepared carefully, there will be times when you will have to accept the conditions without resistance.

Yes, if the opponent was prepared and meticulous. And how prepared were they for this? No need to think about it. If it was the opponent who set it up from the original culprit of the crime, you can prepare for what happens after that. The one who was set up could not openly resist and had no choice but to wallow in the trap.

Even if you know that there is a trap ahead, for example, if an opinion has already been decided within the majority of the seats of power, no matter what you say later, everything will be certain. If you win over the majority of the nobles at the meeting, you will be able to get through even the most unreasonable things.

It is not good for the royal family to bear the burden of taking care of House Lingerburg. Instead, let the Nassam Duchy take care of them. It sounds good. It would be good to create a suitable reason for not entrusting them the Carruthers Vassals in the royal capital. The sudden death of the former Head of the House remains mysterious, so just in case, let’s secure them in a House without suspicion and perfect security.

In a roundabout way, there may be a culprit inside the Carruthers Vassals, so it means that the Duke Nassam, who has no influence on them, will take care of the Lingerburgs. People around them would probably think that there was a discord within the vassals if they were to criticize the decision.

If you argue that there is no such suspicion, then you would be told to prove it by entrusting the Lingerburgs to Nassam, even temporarily. If it is proven that this is not the case, House Lingerburg will be returned to the protection of House Carruthers, and there will be no reason to forcibly refuse.

To begin with, if the majority already supported House Nassam’s argument, the opponents would have to explain the basis of their refusal and convince the majority once more.

It’s really annoying. I really hate the aristocratic society. I didn’t want to get involved in such a swirling world of conspiracies. But if Alexandra is involved, I can’t decide to ignore it and say I didn’t know about it.

“Alexandra is a friend of mine,” I said. “Even if she and I make an enemy of the Nassam Duchy, I will be involved in this matter.”

I said it bluntly in front of Father. I have no intention of asking him for permission. This is a decision. If Alexandra is involved in something, I’m not going to keep quiet and watch.

“I just told you,” Father said. “You can’t decide everything with just one person… are you going to do it even if the House Nassam and House Carruthers go to war?”

“Even if there is an all-out war against the Nassam Duchy!” I said. “A person who disrespects his friends and his vassals has no right to sit at the top. If you are going to abandon Alexandra and the Lingerburgs, then both you and I should step down from our positions as Heads of Houses.”

I stare straight at Father. He might laugh at me and say it’s idealistic child’s nonsense. But if he doesn’t have any ideals or values and continues to be Head of the House for so long just for self-preservation, he should withdraw as soon as possible and hand the reins over to the next generation. I don’t just tell Father to do that. I will step down from being the Head of the Caan Knighthood with him. I can’t say anything like this without that kind of determination.

“………… I understand,” Father said. “Then do as you wish with the Lingerburgs, Flora. However, openly confronting the House Nassam is the last resort. It is true that a lord should not abandon his vassals. But, a lord should also not put hundreds of vassals, and thousands upon tens of thousands of civilians at risk all for the sake of one vassal. Remember that.”

That’s right…. I’m especially close to Alexandra, so I’m probably not acting calmly. Considering the other vassals, it might be a mistake to tell all the other vassals to march to their deaths for the sake of House Lingerburg.

Even I don’t want to force myself to stand up against House Nassam. But if that were to happen, this is like a declaration of determination to face it with a resolute heart. I want to do it as peacefully as possible.

“Thank you, Father,” I said.

“… If that’s all there is to talk about, then you may leave,” Father said.

“Yes. Thank you for your time,” I said.

I said my niceties and left. Ordinary parents wouldn’t leave things to their children that might cause conflict with a duchy. My father entrusted me with important matters that would decide the fate of House Carruthers. So I have to live up to those expectations.

Calm down a little. If we were to think about how to confront House Nassamwith the blood rising in my heads like now, it really could lead to an all-out war. First of all, I have to calmly, surely, and safely take Alexandra back…

It’s as if solving one problem creates two more problems, and the troubles never goes away. Life can be like that. But I can’t say it’s too troublesome. I will definitely restore Alexandra’s freedom!