Chapter 100: 101

Calm down. Keep calm. If you rush here and make a mistake, everything will be ruined. What I’m thinking may not be so out of place. It’s hard to say that everything is perfectly connected. First comes evidence. Nothing can be done without collecting evidence.

But how am I supposed to gather evidence of an incident from so many years ago? This is also the royal capital. I don’t think I have time to go to Carruzan to investigate now. Even if I went to Carruzan, there’s no guarantee that there would be any strong clues. It might be worth investigating, but it’s not a good idea for me to leave the royal capital now.

A letter……. that’s right. Should I send a letter to Ignaz, one of my guard captains? I don’t know if it will help, but now I should try anything if there is even a slight chance it’ll work.

I have no choice but to bet on one possibility in the royal capital. There are a lot of people in the royal capital, so it’s perfect for hiding. There is a possibility that the people who fled Carruzan are here now, in order to get lost among the crowds and lose their pursuers. Of course, if they knew that Alexandra and Kaspar would come to the capital, they might not come to the capital themselves to avoid the connection. This is a bet. I, who know their faces, have no choice but to look for them in the royal capital.

“Princess Flora, is there anything else you want to ask?” Dietrich asked.

“Huh? Ah…” I said.

Oh no, oh no. I was lost in thought. This was still the King’s private room, facing Wilhelm and Dietrich. It would be rude to remain silent and I have to thank them for providing the information.

I don’t have anything more to ask, do I? I don’t know when I’ll be able to see the King again. If you have any questions, you should ask them now.

Hmmm… hmmmnn… none at all? The rest would be about Ludwig at most. I won’t hear much more about the Lingerburgs.

“Right,” I said. “I have nothing more to ask about House Lingerburg. Thank you for the information.”

Originally, there should have been things that they shouldn’t have been saying so easily about other families. However, these two secretly taught me. Well, the culprit is probably Wilhelm’s inability to control the Second Queen Amalie or the fact that House Lingerburg is originally a vassal of House Carruthers, so it’s natural to give the involved parties information.

“Are you certain you don’t have more to ask about House Lingerburg?” Wilhelm said.

I do have more. It’s not exactly a question, but an offer to speak is an offer to speak. It’s just hard for me to say out loud.

“Eh… well…, that’s…” I said.

I can’t help but look away. I’m not suited to be a noble if I can’t do this kind of bargaining at all. I’m not suited for sales or groping about during a negotiation. I’ve learned some of it as a nobility’s education, but I don’t think it’s something that can be learned by book learning… even if you can learn a little bit of bargaining, I think it’s important to have a natural sense for things like this.

“Don’t hesitate to say it,” Wilhelm said.

Huh… if you’re going to force it… I’m going to do it! I’ll say what I want to say anyway!

“Then… I don’t believe this circus 1 is something I want to get involved with…” I started.

Wilhelm and Dietrich looked at each other and then nodded at me.

“Tell us,” Dietrich said.

“I wish to hear as well,” Wilhelm said.

I have to say it because I was urged to go ahead. I will prepare myself to say something quite dangerous from now on.

“Right now, both the northwestern countries and the Kingdom of Frasia are in a lull,” I said. “It’s not good to ignore it forever, but the Western Border is not an urgent issue. In contrast, I hear there’s quite a lot of smoke rising from the Southeast.”

“Nuh…” Dietrich choked.

“…” Wilhelm went silent.

The two look at each other. But, they don’t say anything. I guess they’re urging me to keep going.

“In the unlikely event that the defense of the Southeast becomes full of holes like a sieve, there is a risk that the royal capital will be attacked immediately after,” I said. “Of course, I do not think that our Kingdom of Ploiss is so weak enough that it will totally collapse from an attack of that level, but preparations are necessary. Even if there is no blood relation, ‘Even if the engagement must be canceled!’, the northwestern border will not even shake. For the sake of national stability, Ludwig’s wife should be from a powerful southeastern House, should she not?”

All right! All right! I said it!

There are no signs of war around Carruthers territory at the moment. And I appealed that even if I am not blood-related to the royal family, I will not be hostile to them. In contrast, the southeast is currently in the midst of smoldering territorial disputes and other conflicts. Controlling the southeast will be an important task for the royal family of Ploiss, as well.

Speaking of influential House in the Southeast, there is only the Bayen Duchy. No, there are other influential families, but securing a blood-relative relationship with House Bayen, who have an heir close in age to Ludwig and have strong connections with the Principality of Aust, will contribute significantly to the Southeast Border’s defense.

Of course, these two aren’t stupid either. They must have already thought of things that even an amateur like me could come up with. In the first place, Helene was the top candidate for engagement because she would become a good card to play in the defense against the Southeast’s current issues. On top of that, since my engagement was already decided, it might be useless to point it out now.

But if I, the fiancee in question, say all this to you, wouldn’t you reconsider? And I appealed that even if the engagement fell out, I wouldn’t hold a grudge.

I wondered what it would be like and glanced at the two of them.

“…………”

………… Was this too dangerous after all?

The two are silently looking at me with conflicted faces. I’m too scared to say anything. Could it be that I said something bad?

What should I do? What in the hell should I do? “I’m just kid~ding!” will not work… oh no. I may have picked a fight with the royal family.

“I understand your feelings well, Flora…” Wilhelm said. “Let us both continue to give our all so that both our families can develop mutually and improve our relationship.”

“…… Huh?”

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What? I don’t quite understand what he means. When he says he understands how I feel, does he understand that I said I didn’t want to marry Ludwig even if I said it in a roundabout fashion? Even so, if the two families have a good relationship, does that mean that they will break off the engagement peacefully?

Oops! It’s bad if you keep silent. Let’s say our farewells and leave. If you stay longer than this, you might get in trouble.

“Thank you for listening to a young lady’s words and for your special consideration. I am truly humbled by your taking time for me today,” I said.

“Uu… hmm,” Wilhelm went.

“Well then, good day to you, Your Majesty Wilhelm, Your Grace Dietrich,” I said.

I got permission to leave the room, so I quickly escaped. My feeble heart can’t stand it if I stay in a place like this any longer. I quickly ran away from the room and fled the inner palace, too.

Wilhelm and Dietrich let out a sigh while staring at the door Flora exited through.

“Hmm~nnnn…. This is terrible…” Wilhelm said, touching his beard as he mulls it over.

“Terrible, indeed…” Dietrich said. “It seems that our princess is quite furious…”

“Hmmnnn…” Wilhelm continued to hum.

The first matter about Ludwig and Rutger inviting her to lunch is not a big deal. It was nothing more than Flora reprimanding the two of them. Ludwig and Rutger must have acted in such a way to please Flora, but it was in vain. They are still young and not used to dealing with women. A failure of that magnitude would be a matter of youthful folly.

Rather than that, the problem is after, the matter involving House Lingerburg. It’s not something you can laugh off.

As Flora pointed out, House Lingerburg came under the custody of Duke Nassam because they were involved in the power struggle of the royal family. If Ludwig and Flora get married, the Carruthers Margraviate will throw their weight behind Ludwig. If House Carruthers were to join Ludwig, their power and influence on his faction would have immeasurable benefits.

Naturally, the Second Queen’s Faction, who intends to battle for the throne, wants to crush the powerful aristocrats who support Ludwig, who they consider their enemy. Hence, they tried to drive a wedge into the Carruthers’ Vassals by leaving the Lingerburgs in the hands of the Nassams. Originally, that was what Wilhelm had to stop.

However, as a practical matter, Wilhelm was unable to stop the Second Queen’s Faction and the Nassam Duchy. House Carruthers was embroiled in a dispute over the right to succeed to the throne, and House Lingerburg was used as a tool for it.

She must have known that she would be embroiled in a power struggle when she became Ludwig’s fiancée. However, if her vassal’s House, whose safety should have been ensured by the royal family, was now dragged into a royal power conflict and abused by others, it was no wonder Flora was angry.

Wilhelm and Dietrich promised to shelter House Lingerburg in the royal capital in order to build a better cooperative relationship with House Carruthers. However, they broke that promise, and now Lingerburg had become a tool in a political dispute. This is undoubtedly Wilhelm and Dietrich’s fault.

Even so, an ordinary person would not say such a thing in front of the King and the Prime Minister themselves. However, Flora clearly brought up the matter in front of Wilhelm and Dietrich. She just now clearly told them exactly what was going on. And the words after that express Flora’s anger.

Flora seemed to know a lot about the situation at the Southeastern Border. Unconfirmed information has come in that the Principality of Aust is planning to take in the nobles of the Southeast from Ploiss and cut down their power.

Even though the information network of the royal family and the prime minister has just submitted it as unverified information for the sake of promptness, Flora pointing out that so clearly means she may be holding more detailed and reliable information.

“Princess Flora’s insight and information network cannot be underestimated, can it…?” Dietrich said.

“Indeed…” Wilhelm said.

But that’s not the point. Flora wanted to give Ludwig to the daughter of an influential noble House in the southeast. It’s the same as Flora telling them she’d break off her engagement to Ludwig.

What Flora was trying to say wasn’t that she was familiar with the situation in the southeast, or that she was trying to teach them how to suppress the southeast. Flora said in anger, “I’ll pretend there was no marriage proposal with the royal family who didn’t properly protect the vassals entrusted to them.” And Flora has the right and the power to say so.

When House Carruthers said they would hide House Lingerburg in the royal capital using only their means, it was the royal family who offered to shelter them, instead. They thought it would be advantageous in various ways if they could earn favors from House Carruthers by taking advantage of the Lingerburg incident.

However, as a result, they blundered and were outplayed by interference from Duke Nassam, who was entrusted with the Lingergburg’s custody instead. Carruthers had already said they would attend to the matter themselves, they let someone else take over for them, and now the Lingerburgs were completely snatched out from right under the royal family’s noses. Little wonder House Carruthers is so furious.

And they can’t say just say, “Flora is just a young girl, what weight do her words have?” What Flora has brought is immeasurable. The specialties and products of the Caan Knighthood are already indispensable to the Kingdom of Ploiss. Her ability to develop a forest that had nothing to its name into a bustling town in just a few years is also admirable. If Flora becomes an enemy along with House Carruthers, it will be a massive conflict for Ploiss, one that cannot be compared to a war with the Principality of Aust.

Even if only Carruthers rebelled, it would not be possible to overthrow the Kingdom of Ploiss. However, what is worse for Ploiss? That the Bayen Duchy colludes with the Principality of Aust and launches a rebellion, or House Carruthers joins forces with the Kingdom of Frasia to launch a rebellion with them, instead…?

There’s no need to think about it. If House Carruthers colludes with the Kingdom of Frasia and the border is breached, the nation will suffer an existential crisis. They’re confident that they can fight off Southeastern hostility even if Duke Bayen allows the Principality of Aust to march freely through their territory, but they don’t think they can win against the Kingdom of Frasia with House Carruthers as its spearhead. 2

“Even so, she’s a lady of great courage, isn’t she?” Dietrich said.

“That she is,” Wilhelm said. “How strong must she be to say all that to our faces and still stand proud.”

In front of the King and the Prime Minister, Flora didn’t seem to be moved at all, even though she threatened to break off her engagement to the prince if they didn’t properly deal with House Lingerburg. Just how stubborn could she be that she could say so much so quietly and indifferently? If they were in her place, they would not have been so confident or brazen.

And they can’t blame Flora. Flora’s anger is justified, and she deserves to feel and express that anger.

“Now… what is the best thing I can do for my daughter-in-law?” Wilhelm said.

“Isn’t it better if Prince Ludwig marries a powerful House in the southeast instead?” Dietrich said. “I would welcome Princess Flora to our family.”

Dietrich spoke in a tone that could either be joking or serious. Of course, Dietrich is serious. Flora doesn’t have to be Rutger’s wife, but Dietrich wants Flora to join House Kreff, even if just as an adopted child.

“Don’t count on it,” Wilhelm said. “Even if she doesn’t marry Ludwig, Flora will be my daughter-in-law. I will not yield on this.”

“Hahaha! She’s like the Third Queen now, isn’t she?”

While the two were talking nonsense, they were thinking about how to get rid of the Kingdom of Ploiss’s cancers.

Footnotes

Original word was “matsuri,” as in “festival,” but I thought this was a more familiar term for English speakers. Please remember that Margrave Albert von Carruthers is quite literally the one man singlehandedly foiling all Frasian invaders. Give him an extremely good reason to turn against the country and side with his daughter and sympathetic foreign invaders, and the border won’t be full of holes like a sieve, it may as well no longer exist as a defensive line, and could also become an entrenched forward base with an incredible economic machine behind it.

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