CH 286

Georg can’t understand what’s going on. He was informed that his older brother had caused a dispute with another House, and was picked up by that other House’s servants, and now he was brought before a large mansion, no, rather a grand palace in a town that had been developed in an impossibly short time.

Even though this is beyond his understanding, when he meets Viscount Caan, the Lord of this Grand Palace, it turns out to be his little sister who he just saw off a little while ago.

It makes no sense at all. Is he dreaming? It was not unreasonable for Georg to think so.

“Shall we calm down a bit and talk? Please, relax and feel welcome,” Flora said, gesturing to a seat.

“Ah, yes…” Georg said, taking the offer.

He sat down and was amazed at how comfortable the seat was. The quality is different from the furniture in their house. Everything in their mansion is worthy to be owned by a margrave, but here the sofa, the table, and everything else is of a different level of quality altogether.

It’s strange when you think about it. Regardless of whether this is a knighthood or a viscounty, in either case, the family status is considerably lower than that of a margrave. Nevertheless, the quality is clearly more overwhelming than that of a margrave.

“This tea is made in my territory. Please, have some and enjoy it,” Flora said.

And as he looked at the tea being served in the meanwhile…

“It’s red?” Georg asked.

The color is clearly different from the green tea he usually drinks at home. Not knowing what to do, he turned to Flora, who picked up the teacup and took a sip after enjoying the aroma. Georg also tries to imitate her.

“It’s a taste I’ve never had before,” Georg said.

He had the sense this tea was a different kind. But that doesn’t mean it’s bad or unsuitable. He was just surprised by the unfamiliar taste and aroma.

“Please add sugar or milk as you please,” Flora said. “We also have lemon tea and apple tea, but we only serve it plain or mixed with milk, so please choose whichever is easier to drink.”

Flora dares to explain while showing a sample of everything. She does everything first so Georg can imitate her and keep from embarrassing himself, he thanks his sister for her thoughtfulness in subtly setting an example for him. He tried it with sugar, he tried it with milk. He is surprised at the mellow taste when he drinks it, although it has a strange color.

“It’s delicious. Was this made by you, Flora?” Georg said.

“Yes,” Flora replied. “But, Lord Georg, as I’ve said before, here I am Viscount Floto von Caan and you are another noble.”

At that… Georg took another look at his sister before him. She is certainly dressed in the viscount’s formal attire. This means that the person in front of him is, indeed, the viscount herself.

Georg is the second son of a margrave, but he does not have a peerage. Besides, Flora is also the eldest daughter of a margrave and is supposed to be in the same boat as him. And Floto has the title of a viscount. In that case, he should be treating her with respect as a separate noble.

However, this other person is also the sister he’s so familiar with, which gives him a strange feeling. His etiquette is formal, but he inevitably speaks with familiarity.

“Umm, uh…” Georg said, “I don’t really understand how these all connect or how one caused the other, so… could you explain that for me?”

At first, Georg was overwhelmed by the territory and the mansion, but the person sitting across from him, though dressed as a viscount, was still his younger sister, so he calmed down a little. Maybe he should have taken a long break and had some more tea. He listens calmly, trying to grasp the current situation.

“Indeed… I don’t know where your understanding starts… but I suppose we can go from the very beginning,” Flora said.

And Georg was surprised by what he heard.

The story of Viscount Floto von Caan was astonishing. Flora is engaged to Prince Ludwig. For saving him from a violent predicament with a monster, she was ennobled and granted a knighthood, and through discussions between the royal family and theirs, a portion of the Carruthers Margraviate became the Caan Knighthood, hence the forest north of Carruzan was now Caan Territory.

This alone is full of surprising new facts. Normally, such a claim would be unbelievable. It’s strange that even though she’s engaged to the third prince, it’s not made public. Besides, Georg hasn’t even heard of Flora saving the prince and being ennobled. And it’s the first time he’s heard that their father had ceded territory.

But it’s probably not a lie. To be so bold as to invoke the names of royals, princes, and margraves all but says explicitly that this is true. Even if you lie like that, it will soon be exposed. Moreover, if you lie about an agreement with the royal family or a margrave’s family, it will be a serious crime.

There is no reason to lie like that, and there is no way you would do such a big thing even if you were prepared to be punished for a serious crime. Hence, it should all be true.

Furthermore, Flora engaged in a naval battle with the Kingdom of Hollant, connected all the free cities under an alliance, and took control of Goslant Island, then hence she was promoted to a baron and was given a barony near the royal capital.

It’s like it doesn’t make sense. But it’s okay. If that’s the case, Georg has no option but to process all this. It’s a waste of time to try to poke holes in each new claim one by one right now. First of all, he will listen to his sister’s story in silence and listen to her continuation.

The talk continues, and this time there is a conflict with the Kingdom of Polsky in the east. Due to the siege of a free city controlled by Flora, she was forced to participate in the war with Polsky, and with the military might of an expedition composed of the Carruthers and Caan allied forces, Polsky surrendered. Flora said she was promoted to a viscount and given the territory taken back from Polsky and became the Lord of the Caan Knights Nation.

It’s true, their parents are on an expedition somewhere right now. It’s not a lie, as many of the Carruthers Vassals also participated in the expedition. He didn’t know where they were going on the expedition and what they were doing, but he feels like the stories all fit.

There is a question as to why House Carruthers, the Cornerstone of the Northwest Defense, is forced to go to war with Polsky, in the East. There are many other things he would like to discuss, but he will leave it at that for now.

Ultimately, the town of Caanburg has developed to an unbelievable amount in just a few years, and a mansion that can be thought of as a grand palace has been built, and it seems that the owner of that mansion is Georg’s younger sister, Flora, rather Viscount Floto von Caan.

The development of the town, the buildings, the interior decoration, the furnishings, the quality of this new tea, the carriage that came to pick him up, the retainers and soldiers, it is obvious that none of this is a joke.

“As Flora Charlotte von Carruthers, I apologize to you, Big Brother Georg for keeping such important details to myself,” Flora said. “However, for now, I must speak to you as Viscount Floto von Caan.”

“I… agree…” Georg said.

He feels a little pressured by Flora’s power. The intimidation that oozed out of her represented the path Flora had walked so far.

Those who have grown up in warmth and comfort do not possess such ambition. Perhaps Flora has gone through a lot and polished herself in the battlefield and from the pressure of her surroundings, so she has acquired that much of a presence.

“Then let’s get to the point, shall we?” Flora said.

“Okay… I meant, of course, let us,” Georg said.

Though he was still a little overwhelmed by his younger sister, Georg listened, and his expression changed from his peaceful and calm attitude before to a more serious one.

Georg sighs as he sits in the room he was guided to after. This is the room where he was told to stay at Manor Caan for today.

“I did not think my elder brother was this stupid…” he muttered to himself.

The sentiment only became stronger and stronger. After that, it was what he heard from Flora, no, Floto, and he had to laugh dryly after recalling it all.

It’s really not a situation to laugh at. Friedrich acted violently and outrageously in the territory of another family and committed a number of unacceptable crimes.

Each one is not a very serious offense. There are only lower-level crimes such as eating and drinking without paying and assaulting the residents. It’s still illegal, but it’s fine if you pay compensation for the items consumed or any property damage that occurred on the way, and even if a nobleman inflicts a little violence on a commoner, it won’t be a very big crime.

It’s an abuse of power, but if the accused nobles say, “I only did it because a commoner did something that damaged my honor as an aristocrat.” most of the minor injuries will go unpunished.

But the problem is that it was done in another House’s territory. If it was within their territory, they would have been able to dispel this much trouble. The people of the fief will also avoid making a fuss and settle it out of court. But this time it was done in another noble’s territory. And it quickly became a dispute between noble Houses.

Luckily this time, even if it might not actually be fortunate, the other party is their sister, and they both agree that they don’t want to make that much of a deal of it. However, it’s not a problem that can be solved with silence. This has become a problem for Margrave Carruthers and Viscount Caan. It’s not a matter to settle quietly.

“What have you done, Elder Brother…?” Georg mutters as he lies on his bed.

The only good thing about this time is that all of this commotion lead to Georg finding out what his parents and sister had been keeping a secret. But the price he paid for this knowledge was far too great.

It would be easy to say that it was Friedrich who was at fault and Georg had nothing to do with it, but as an aristocrat, that would not work. The actions of your relatives are considered the actions of the entire House. He wondered what was going to happen next.

His brother was the eldest son and Acting Lord. In that case, Georg should ask their parents for judgment here. However, their parents are far away in the Kingdom of Polsky, no, rather the Caan Knights Nation, so it is not easy to contact them. Flora said she would send a letter, but considering the round trip, he doesn’t know how many more months it would take for them to come back.

What are they going to do with their eldest brother till then? Are they going to keep him under custody while entrusting him to House Caan? Will House Carruthers take him into custody, instead, and put him under restraint? Georg cannot decide on his own. Still, as long as it’s a problem with another House, he can’t help but refrain from making a decision as he lacked authority.

Georg smacks his lips over the dinner served, enjoys a delicious dessert afterward, has tea after that, and then he slept soundly in a soft bed.

(Huh? Honestly, this should be a dire situation… but somehow I’m enjoying my life here…)

With that in mind, Georg fell asleep.

Georg enjoyed the hospitality of House Caan yesterday, but Hell awaits him today. First of all, Georg will meet with Friedrich together with Viscount Floto. After having a delicious breakfast, he is frustrated by the discussion that awaits him.

He doesn’t think that his brother will listen to what Georg says so easily. Friedrich wouldn’t believe him if he told Friedrich about Flora or the nature of this territory, to begin with. It doesn’t matter if their eldest brother believes it or not, but he still has to explain it to some extent.

“Well then, Lord Georg… shall we go?” Flora said.

“Yeah… I mean, yes, let us,” Georg said.

He still doesn’t know how to speak to his sister. Considering her as Viscount Floto, he must speak with respect. However, he can’t do it well even if he is suddenly told to treat his sister of more than 10 years as a noble with a higher position than himself. The same is probably true of Friedrich. The more Georg thinks about this situation, the more depressed he feels about the future.

“Georg! Are you betraying me, too?!” Friedrich yelled from his cell. “You idiotic bastard! You know what will happen after you do this to me!”

After hearing his elder brother’s first words, Georg felt slightly dizzy. He has to explain all this to his brother now. Well, he probably wouldn’t succeed, and it might be useless to do so regardless.

But he can’t say he won’t try, either. Thanks to Viscount Floto’s courtesy, they’ve managed to get by with just this much trouble, but normally, you wouldn’t have been able to get away this so lightly if you caused this much trouble for another noble House. If you don’t understand something as basic as that…

“Elder Brother…” Georg started, “I didn’t know anything either… but it’s not something you can get away with through a claim of ignorance. First of all… let’s talk with Viscount Floto von Caan.”

He proposed a discussion with Flora, seeing as she was still dressed in the viscount’s formal attire. But, Friedrich only started yelling even louder.

“Don’t you dare mock me! What in the hell are you saying, a viscount?!” Friedrich yelled. “You bastards, know that I will remember this! I’ll not forgive this insult! I’ll expel you both!”

You can hardly speak sensibly to him. Flora left after that, either because she was fed up with their eldest brother who yelled so much, or because she thought there was no point in talking to him anyway.

Now alone with Friedrich, in the coming days, Georg tried to talk to him many times, persuade him, and finally managed to have a few reasonable discussions. Even so, he didn’t listen to him, and even if Georg said the truth outright, Friedrich would not believe him.

“Haa…” Georg sighed, “I have to try to persuade Elder Brother today, as well…”

Since it is the responsibility of House Carruthers, Georg had to do it himself as a family member. Since the other party is House Caan, in other words, Flora, this is allowed, but if they could have gone normally, the proceedings would have been far direr. Still feeling depressed, Georg tried to go to Friedrich’s solitary confinement cell and was surprised when someone called out to him from behind.

“I suppose you’re having difficulty getting him to understand?” he said. “In that case, I’ll take over.”

“Huh?” Georg asked. “Fa-Father?!”

And when Georg turned around, he found his father months earlier than he expected to speak to him again.