Spoils of War Duchess

Chapter 19

‘Visiting her room will definitely spark some bad rumors.’

Especially considering the housekeeper, Masha, who was eager to find any reason to undermine her.

‘Besides, what would I say if I met her? Apologize? What about Rinia then?’

His steps halted as he searched for Ethel.

His mind felt tangled and chaotic.

He wanted to apologize to Ethel, to belittle her, and there was another strange feeling he couldn’t quite identify that made him hesitate.

‘Sigh, let’s just go back.’

He eventually turned around.

Even if he met Ethel, there wasn’t much he could say, and looking for her now might only cause her more trouble.

Still, feeling frustrated, he went to the backyard where the training grounds were.

The cold winter wind seeped into his shirt, but it felt refreshing.

“Ha…”

A long sigh escaped, turning into mist.

‘What am I even doing?’

He asked himself while looking at the dark backyard.

Being the captain of the guard and the Emperor’s bodyguard posed no problems.

Reorganizing the mercenary guilds under his command and integrating them into the Empire’s military forces was also going well.

After the downfall of the Lancaster Duchy, the other three major families seemed to be scheming behind the scenes, but they were quiet for now. Strengthening their power to oppose them was also progressing step by step.

Working solely in the palace wouldn’t make him feel this suffocated or troubled.

However, maintaining and managing this household was an entirely different matter.

‘This is why I didn’t want titles or a mansion. Taking care of Rinia alone is troublesome enough.’

A clicking sound slipped out between his teeth.

Though the Emperor had strongly insisted, he could have refused the title and land if he had firmly stood his ground.

But the Emperor had used an irrefutable logic to persuade him.

“You need to be a symbol for the mercenaries. Those who have given up on life halfway need hope to live properly.”

That wasn’t all.

“Only if you become a new power can you protect them from other power-hungry figures eyeing the Caliope. My giving you this high title has a purpose.”

It was impossible not to succumb to the Emperor’s persuasion.

‘Damn Emperor. His tongue is as slick as a snake’s.’

In the end, he became the new power protecting the Emperor, just as the Emperor had wanted. Though he still had much to learn, the Emperor didn’t seem particularly concerned.

“You’ll eventually accept your fate, Laszlo. Just like I had to accept mine.”

He remembered Dimarcus’s friendly smile as he said Laszlo would never live like a noble. But Laszlo couldn’t agree.

‘I don’t even know what to do with Rinia, so what fate are you talking about?’

It felt unfair to accept this situation as fate. He was merely stuck with troublesome matters due to the Emperor’s schemes.

Regardless, since he couldn’t just drop everything, he had to handle what was in front of him first.

‘I guess I’ll have to get another tutor recommended within the guards. I’ll make it clear to Rinia that this is her last chance. …Maybe if I send her to the party wearing an expensive necklace, those loud hens might be a bit more careful?’

Laszlo thought of the easiest solution, not considering his own lack of experience in social gatherings.

—

“Hoo…”

The middle-aged man exhaled a long puff of cigar smoke, making the red carpeted drawing room hazy.

The man, whose silver hair and pale blue eyes gave a cold impression, savored the lingering taste of the cigar on his tongue and said,

“Hm, as expected of Vinkov, the quality is excellent.”

“No matter how hard Van Rybel or Mirabar try, they can’t match the cigars from Vinkov. Personally, I prefer this ‘Olga’ brand the most.”

“Thanks to Marquis Tolein, I got to know a good product. I appreciate it.”

“Not at all. The ‘Moldyva’ you smoke, Marquis Winblair, is also a good product.”

No one in this room regretted seeing a fifty-rington cigar burning away.

Only the heads and heirs of the three families, once known as the four great families of the Pisfera Empire, were present here.

As the atmosphere warmed up with cigar talk, Marquis Tolein subtly brought up the main topic.

“By the way… everyone is aware of the social atmosphere since the victory banquet, right?”

“Ah, those who blindly follow the trend never change.”

“Let’s use the correct term. They are simply cowards.”

There was no need to go back to the previous Emperor’s reign. Before the Lancaster Ducal House was exterminated by the Emperor, the power had leaned towards the four great families.

Many nobles leaned on the power of the four great families, among which the Lancaster Ducal House had so much influence that they nearly became royalty themselves.

“The fall of the Lancaster Ducal House so easily is the root cause. Seeing a house that seemed more solid than the royal family itself be annihilated by the Emperor scared everyone.”

“It was unexpected. We didn’t think they would be overpowered by the suppression forces like that. We thought they’d at least hold out until the end of the year…”

“Exactly. If they had held out until then, who knows how the situation might have changed.”

The Lancaster family was finally defeated around two months ago, on October 15th. If they had only managed to endure until the end of the year, they could have regained their strength during January, when all fighting is prohibited by the laws of the Asker religion.

But Isaac, the Marquis of Winblair, had a different perspective.

“Even if they had held out until then, could we have supported the Lancaster family? With the stigma of ‘treason’ hanging over them?”

At those words, everyone fell silent, only making ‘ahem’ sounds.

The Lancaster Ducal House’s attempt at independence was not just due to their overconfidence in their power but also their belief in ‘tradition.’

Historically, when a ducal house’s power grew too strong, the royal family would recognize their independence. Rather than having two suns in the sky, they would choose to reduce the empire’s territory.

However, the new Emperor Dimarcus, seeking to restore the royal authority that had crumbled during his father’s reign, labeled the Lancaster Duke’s bid for independence as ‘treason’ and attacked.

“Once labeled as ‘treason,’ public opinion cannot be favorable. The risks of failure are too high.”

“Knowing this, he immediately branded the Lancaster family’s plans as treason. Besides, calling it treason justified indiscriminate oppression.”

Thus, the remaining families hesitated to extend a hand to the Lancaster family. While they hesitated, Dimarcus, led by Laszlo Chrissus, completely crushed the Lancaster Dukes.

“They underestimated the young Emperor too much.”

“They disregarded the Crown Prince who roamed the battlefield. Surviving in that place proves he’s no ordinary man.”

They had to admit they underestimated Dimarcus too much.

“But who could have anticipated such behavior? Abandoning royal pride to ally with a mercenary…”

That was the most critical move.

The Emperor didn’t just use the ‘Mercenary King’ once and discard him; he absorbed him as a close aide.

“No one thought the Emperor would ally with him, so we didn’t think to investigate the mercenary guilds. We were utterly blindsided.”

Everyone in the secret drawing room wore bitter expressions.

“They’re birds of a feather. Not only do their actions resemble each other, but their appearances too…”

“They’re both beastly. Living a life in the trenches of war, what would they know of dignity or refinement?”

Dimarcus had black hair and golden eyes, while Laszlo had black hair and light brown eyes. Both had large frames fitting of knights, giving them a similar impression at a glance.

“If they were just obedient, who would care how they look or how coarse they are? The problem is, they’re not.”

Isaac pointed out coldly.

Unlike the previous Emperor, who was easy to manipulate, Dimarcus intended to rebuild the Pisfera Empire from the ground up. Any attempts to placate him that deviated from his goal were futile.

The three major families, who had wielded power and acted like kings, disregarding imperial law, saw Dimarcus as a thorn in their side.

However, after realizing that Dimarcus possessed enough power to overthrow the Lancaster Ducal House by enlisting Laszlo, they knew they had to move much more cautiously than before.

“In any case, we need to replace the Emperor. As long as Dimarcus sits on that throne, we will continue to decline.”

“But if we step forward, we’ll just become the next targets, like the Lancaster family. We must use the smaller fry until the right time comes.”

Listening to this, Isaac raised his eyebrows slightly.