Episode 174
Emperor Leopold laughed contentedly. Princess Helena, the bride sent from Jacador and now the wife of the Young Marquis Alvici, would serve as an excellent hostage if the need ever arose.
“In addition to the compensation, they say they are sending iron ore and textiles as a thank-you for saving the Prince’s life.”
When the Emperor dismissed the hardliners, the faction favoring peace with Jacador spoke up excitedly.
“With this level of sincerity, it’s as if Jacador is bowing its head to our Vianteca!”
Emperor Leopold leaned his chin on his hand and spoke.
“So, they want us to overlook the fact that assassins were running wild on Vianteca soil in exchange for all this.”
“It appears so.”
“Very well. Send some of the money to the House of Rosana as a consolation. After all, it is compensation for the death of their youngest daughter.”
The Emperor laughed, satisfied with the thought of showing off his generosity to the Duke of Rosana. Finally, he gave one last command before ending the meeting.
“Call the Duchess of Howard to the capital. I haven’t seen Lia in a long time, and I miss her.”
The nobles reacted quickly. The Emperor had openly praised the Duchess and even used a private nickname.
“My heart ached when that child left for the North. Flint has such a short temper, I worried Lia would suffer. If only they had held their wedding in the capital, I would have lent them the Imperial Palace. Then perhaps the Duchess could have reconciled with her father.”
The Emperor went on for a long time. By saying such things in front of the nobles, he was essentially declaring that the Duchess of Howard would be the new star of high society. As a result, praise for the Duchess began to spread like wildfire through the capital.
“Duke, Duchess. A decree has arrived from His Majesty the Emperor.”
The messenger was the Deputy Chief Chamberlain, a high-ranking official from the palace. The Howard family welcomed him warmly.
The decree praised the success of the recent conference and the strengthening of the alliance. Then came the official summons: a direct call from the Emperor for the Duchess to come to the capital.
After reading the decree, Eliano slid it over to Flint.
“I cannot send you to the capital alone,” Flint said after checking the contents. “I will go with you.”
Eliano nodded readily.
“Good. Let’s go together. You deserve credit too. After all, you were the one who stopped the monsters.”
Flint wrote a reply stating that he would accompany his wife as her husband. The Deputy Chief Chamberlain took the letter and returned to the palace.
The monster “overflow season” was approaching in the North. Before they left, they needed to ensure the defenses were strong enough to keep the territory safe even while the masters were away.
While Flint was busy with his duties, Eliano studied the trends in the capital. Her informants sent various pieces of gossip. Sometimes she laughed, and other times her face turned very serious.
Currently, she was having tea in the drawing room with her newly appointed lady-in-waiting. Eliano had hired an additional maid to protect Jane, who had been clashing with Eliza. She chose someone who would distract Eliza so much that she wouldn’t have time to bully Jane.
The new maid was Veronica Heiron. However, Veronica did not look happy at all about her new position.
“Your Grace, why did you make me your maid?”
Veronica’s face was full of complaints she couldn’t hide. Eliano sipped her tea and spoke.
“You once said becoming my maid was the greatest honor. Should I pretend this never happened?”
“Ah, no! If you do, my brother will definitely force me into a marriage.”
Veronica looked gloomy, but also relieved. She frankly admitted that she took the job to escape a forced marriage arranged by her brother.
“Selling off his own sister just to build a connection with a powerful family… how can he be so cruel?”
Veronica was furious. If not for her father’s protection and the Duchess’s offer, she might have truly been sold off to a third son who wasn’t even the heir to a house!
“Your Grace, it’s so unfair. Why should I be the fertilizer for my stupid brother? If I had been born first, the title of Young Marquis would be mine, not that idiot Oscar’s.”
Oscar Heiron was the eldest son of Count Heiron. Even though he had been an adult for a long time, people still didn’t call him “Young Marquis.” He was considered too immature to inherit the glory of the Heiron borderlands.
In contrast, Veronica was so talented that people lamented she wasn’t the firstborn. Her spear skills surpassed her brother’s, and her teachers praised her intelligence. However, she was the second child, and there was a six-year age gap between her and her brother.
“My father’s vassals said if I were only two years younger than Oscar, they would have supported me.”
In Vianteca, the eldest child usually inherits regardless of gender, but there was a way for a second child to take the title: if the firstborn left the family through marriage.
“I could do so much better. Oscar is just old and incompetent. If he becomes the successor, the Imperial family will surely take away our title.”
Eliano listened quietly before speaking.
“You should realize that the only reason Oscar hasn’t seen you as a threat is because you are six years younger than him.”
If Veronica were older, she would have been married off long ago. No matter how dim-witted Oscar was, he would have noticed the ambition of an older sister.
“I’d rather be seen as a threat and fight him fairly! I am confident I would win! It’s frustrating that I’m not even given a chance just because I’m the younger daughter.”
Veronica wanted to bypass her brother and become the heir. No one took her seriously except her father, Count Heiron, who noticed her ambition and worried. He was the one who secretly asked Eliano to take her in as a maid to keep her safe.
“But look at the result. If it weren’t for me, you would have been married off to become ‘fertilizer’ for your brother’s career.”
Eliano knew how Veronica’s story ended in her previous life. Driven to despair by a forced marriage, she eventually assassinated her brother, ruining her relationship with her father. The Count died of shock, and although Veronica became a famous and capable leader, she was haunted by the lack of legitimacy and her past crimes.
“Assassination isn’t the only way. You have to be smarter than that.”
Veronica was terrified by Eliano’s words. Lately, she had been thinking of how to get rid of her brother, though she hadn’t made a plan yet. She was still too young and soft to actually order a family murder.
“Your Grace, then please share your wisdom with me. How can I peacefully remove my brother?”
“There is no way to remove something ‘peacefully.’ If you try to break the rules, things get loud. If you are afraid, stop now. I will find you a better man to marry.”
“I’m not afraid. And I don’t need a great man. I’ll just marry someone obedient and moderately smart.”
Eliano laughed. That was very much like Veronica.
“Veronica, do some digging. Surely your brother has a flaw?”
In the previous life, the reason Veronica finally committed the assassination was because of her brother’s evil deeds. Oscar Heiron had fathered an illegitimate child with another woman. When the mother brought the child to him, he killed them both to hide the scandal before marrying his fiancée.
That fiancée had been a niece of the former Duchess of Howard and the daughter of Count Russell. Count Russell used his influence to make his son-in-law the heir.
Eliano couldn’t tell Veronica all of this yet, but she could give a hint. The thought of Oscar killing his own child was sickening. She didn’t want a man like that serving Flint in the future.
“I will introduce you to an information guild you can use for your investigation.”
Veronica looked skeptical. “But Oscar… his only crime is being born first and being stupid. He doesn’t have moral problems.”
“That’s unlikely. If you shake any rug hard enough, dust is bound to fall out.”
Eliano smiled at the deep-in-thought Veronica and changed the subject.
“Veronica, come with me to the capital. Help Jane with her debut into society.”
“Of course, Your Grace. Leave it to me.”
“Since Eliza won’t be going, you must help her well.”
Veronica giggled at the news that Eliza was staying behind. It would be a bolt from the blue for Eliza, who was desperately waiting to return to the capital’s social scene.
As expected, Eliza protested as soon as she found out.
“Why am I not going to the capital?! I won’t bully Jane anymore! Please take me with you, please! Your Graaaaaace!”
