CH 8

Meeting of Ministers

Translated by KaiesV

Edited by KaiesV

Early August. The Clanetta territorial capital of Amyn received startling news from the royal capital. Rumors of Clanetta’s rebellion are said to be spreading throughout royal capital

As if in response, there was a report that the Countess of Jungk, the leader of the Eastern Knight Domain, and his faction had accused Eliza of being the ringleader of the rebellion to the royal family, and Clanetta’s chief advisors held an urgent meeting.

The main members of the vassalage were all present at the long desk in the conference room. Their ages varied, but they were all in love with Eliza as a person. This meeting was also not convened by the dukedom, but was gathered by itself from all sides of the territory as soon as it heard the news.

The two sides easily agreed on the measures to present to their master, Duke Daniel, including a strong protest to the Yunks and other accused families and a claim of innocence to the royal family, but they were split down the middle on what to do if the royal family were to accuse the Yunks and others and summon Eliza for an inquisition.

「The princess is a traitor?! Has Jungk’s guts gone crazy? If the royal family ever offers to hold an inquisition, and such, we should not accept it!」

「But in addition to Jungk, the accusations were made in the joint names of a number of Eastern Knights. We can’t just ignore them.」

「No matter the number, it’s a fact-free complaint! That bastard, dares to present our Princess to the Inquisition with impunity!」

There have not been many inquisition cases against nobles in the long history of the kingdom, let alone against ordinary subjects.

This was because when disputes occurred between nobles, the nobles or merchants who had a beneficial relationship with both parties often mediated and settled the dispute between the parties. The long history of the aristocrats complicated their interests.

And when the royal family intervened, the nobles whose testimony was deemed unjustified were almost always punished for their meddling. For these reasons, it was only detrimental for the nobles to fight each other openly.

Therefore, even though it was still conceivable that rumors of harassment would be spread that would make it difficult for the culprits to be exposed, it was unexpected for the overlords that Edmond would accuse them of this. In some cases, this could lead to his own strangulation.

「Not so! You must make your case in a dignified manner and prove that it is a false accusation. You are the one who is so bloodthirsty that you would make the Princess’s position worse!」

「What did you say!?」

The meeting went wild. The chief ministers, who believed that their own plan was the best for Eliza, did not give an inch, and they emphasized their own arguments as if they were about to grab each other.

Among them, there was one warrior who was muffled and silent. He is the Knight Commander Marcel, a strong man with gray hair and reddish-bronze skin. Since the family was saved, he, like Emily, has sworn absolute loyalty to Eliza. In order to gain the power to protect the princess, he continued to make achievements, and finally, at the young age of over 40, he had risen to the rank of Knight Commander.

「Marcel-dono! What are your thoughts on this? You have always said that the sword of the princess is not a shield.」

「That’s right. Knight Commander Marcel, of course you should reject the unfair inquisition.」

「No, the proper course is for the princess to make her case openly!」

When both sides turned the water on Marcel, he began to speak in a grave tone.

「It is not up to me to decide that. Neither are you. I trust the judgment of the Duke and the Princess and will do my best to support them. I only offer my opinion when I feel that the two of them are in trouble.」

「Isn’t now the time? Even if it bothers the Lord, it’s loyalty to give him what he wants!」

One of the overlords bites Marcel, who refuses to express his opinion. The others nodded and condemned his attitude. Marcel exhaled heavily, looked them over, and began to speak tellingly.

「As you all know, this rumor is a big one that has been going on for several months. The research into Clanetta by the enemy, which would have been done beforehand and in between the maneuvers, would be considerable. This accusation, too, would only be decisive if they could find some basis for the accusation.」

「You’re right. That’s why we’re discussing countermeasures like this!」

「It is too late to work on it now. Besides, it’s already done.」

「What do you mean…」

He continues to speak quietly, but a little proudly, to his chief advisors, who look at him quizzically.

「When she learned of the existence of the rumor, the princess already anticipated such a situation. Therefore, in addition to investigating the source, she was already looking for ways to counter the accusations and to fight back against the instigators.」

「Ohh, as expected of the Princess.」

「After all, she is always looking ahead. But she would have answered any questions we might have asked…」

The chief vassals are impressed by the wisdom of the esteemed princess, but regret that they would have preferred to rely on her if they could. However, they were surprised and delighted by Marcel’s subsequent words.

「Do you remember what the Princess asked you when this rumor started?」

「Of course. How could we forget the words of the Princess?」

The words of one of the chief ministers were met with agreement from all over the place. They had a clear image in their minds of Eliza’s assessment of her own reforms and her endearing request to be told of any concerns.

「I also learned for the first time the other day that our beloved… It seems that what she casually asked us is useful for this measure. Gentlemen. The Princess never disparages us. She kept it confidential and listened to us.」

「The Princess took regard of us that far……」

「The heart of the Princess who called us her treasures has not changed since she was a child.」

「We must protect the Unsullied One! Marcel, there must be something we can do even now. If your daughter is a noble serving the princess, you may have some idea of what I’m talking about.」

「That’s—」

「From there I will speak directly to you.」

The chief ministers became more and more fascinated with Eliza, and eagerly asked Marcel what they could do to help. Just as he was about to open his mouth, the door to the conference room opened and a beautiful golden girl in a pure white dress appeared, to whom they were as loyal as their Lord.

◆

When I entered the conference room, the chief ministers were surprised at my sudden appearance, but they all immediately rose from their chairs and welcomed me. Then they stood upright, waiting for me to speak. After making sure Emily, who had been following me, closed the door, I slowly spoke up.

「I heard voices, so I took the liberty of entering. Gentlemen. Thanks for going out of your way to get together for me.」

「We are very sorry to hear that from you. We, too, will do our utmost to break the adulterous plans of Jungks and others!」

「We, the Clanetta vassals, are willing to go anywhere and accomplish any difficult task for the Princess.」

「Together with my daughter Emily, I will protect the princess.」

One after another, the chief ministers announced their intentions and offered their assistance.

「Thank you… Now then, will you do me a favor for you people?」

「Anything!」They nodded to me as they said so and began to talk about future strategies. My voice, struck by their loyalty, was laced with a slight tremor.