Chapter 18: Civil War Era - The Blue Knight (2)
In the guest room of the Duke's mansion.
"I've issued an order of silence. Please, don't worry too much."
Upon hearing my words, Eris awkwardly smiled.
"I wish you'd treat me like you used to."
"If that's what you want. Don't worry too much, Eris."
As soon as I changed my tone, Eris' eyes widened in surprise.
After blinking her purple eyes a few times, she opened her mouth.
"Did you know all along, Young Duke?"
"...Yes."
Hearing my answer, Eris let out a bitter laugh and then turned her gaze to Frank, or rather, Sir Beaumont.
"What? That's impossible. Was I that obvious?"
"Cough, I don't think that's the case."
Eris looked at me with a highly skeptical face and then sighed.
"How, or rather since when? Was I completely deceived by a fraudulent contract?"
"No, that's not it. I knew you were a princess, but I had no intention of announcing it or exploiting it. I intended to keep all the promises I made to you."
Eris looked quite wronged, but I felt the same way.
Before my return, until the Church delved into Eris' past, no one had recognized her as a princess.
It made sense since she was a child until just before the civil war, and the late king, who favored his concubine, had kept her well hidden.
Thinking about it now, her distinctive appearance and her congenital sensitivity to sunlight probably made the king even more protective.
In the first place, the Duke was an unbelievable monster for instantly recognizing a middle-aged man with a bushy beard, who he had just been seen wielding a sword on the battlefield, as a former royal guard.
My plan was to introduce her as a patronized artist and, if the Duke tried to exploit her divine power upon discovering it, to send her to Christine before that. How could I have anticipated that he would recognize her as a princess from their very first meeting?
Eris, with her unique translucent purple eyes, stared at me and then let out a small sigh, seemingly in agreement.
"Right. If I wanted to avoid trouble altogether, I wouldn't have accepted your offer from the start, and since I also hid my identity, it's not just your fault. So, what does His Grace the Duke want?"
"He intends to announce the existence of Her Royal Highness the Princess and rally the remnants of the First Prince's faction."
Naturally, this decision does not include Eris's consent, who is halfway confined under the guise of protection.
"The Second Prince has already ascended the throne as King Louis. What meaning is there in announcing my existence now? Since my mother was not of nobility, I even lack legitimacy compared to King Louis."
That's right.
Honestly, announcing Eris as the Third Princess, who even lacks legitimacy, won't immediately benefit the First Prince's faction.
But that's the story for the entire First Prince's faction.
The current core of the First Prince's faction was Duke Lorraine, a close aide of the First Prince. The First Prince may have died, but his faction remains strong and holds the highest authority.
And the Duke, authoritative and power-hungry, was not secretly pleased with the situation where Duke Lorraine, who handled the main forces of the First Prince's faction, received more attention than him.
However, the story changes if the Lafayette family publicly declares they have the rightful heir to the throne.
"...Eris, you suspect that if you're proclaimed the heir, the Lafayette family could seize control of the faction."
Eris grimaced, clearly disliking the idea, and then added something I hadn't said.
"So, they plan to make me a puppet queen and marry me off to you, Young Duke, to become a family that produced a king?"
...Well, could that be the case?
"Don't worry. It's just what the Duke thinks for now, and nothing's been decided. He wouldn't risk the life of Her Royal Highness the Princess just for an internal power struggle."
The Third Princess disappeared just before the civil war, and now she's barely remembered as someone who once existed. A completely forgotten royal.
So, rumors about the Third Princess could be dismissed as mere gossip, but the moment Eris is publicly declared as the Third Princess entering the succession war, there's no turning back.
Then, not only would King Louis and his faction definitely try to kill Eris, but more importantly, a revolution would break out.
The moment Eris is declared a contender in the succession war, both she and the Lafayette family backing her become prime targets for the revolutionaries.
The right time to reveal Eris as the princess is only after I've established connections with the revolutionaries and when the revolutionaries agree to coexist with some royals and nobles.
Now is definitely not the time.
After listening to me, Eris looked at me quietly and then smiled awkwardly.
"It's a strange feeling. I should be highly suspicious of you right now, but somehow, I trust you a little."
"Really? Could that be the power of your divinity, or maybe your origin?"
"I'm not sure. I like to think my hunches are usually right, but if it were as convenient as a prophet's power, I wouldn't be in this situation."
Eris smiled bitterly for a moment, then returned to her usual bright expression and playfully said,
"I've fulfilled my promise to win the hearts of the people, and I'll continue to do so. So, as promised, I ask you to protect me. It's curious, even though you know my identity, I still find myself trusting my sponsor."
I responded to Eris's words with a wry smile.
"That's the plan, Your Royal Highness. Or should I say, Eris. It's comforting to hear your intuition trusts me. Honestly, I was a bit worried."
"...The moment you say that, I start feeling worried too."
"That's how it is with life. If we could be certain everything would work out, how easy it would be."
That's what makes the world, but...
Before my regression, I was blindsided by something I couldn't have anticipated. This time, shouldn't I return the favor, hitting back where I couldn't before my regression? Isn't that only fair?
***
Late evening.
I stood in a dark room, holding a candelabra.
It's a room seldom entered by anyone but me, so it's usually unlit.
The light from my candelabra revealed a portrait that had been shrouded in darkness.
It showed an elderly man with white hair, yet looking robust.
The 5th Count of Toulouse, Xavier de Toulouse.
The old man in the portrait, wearing armor and holding a sword, smiled confidently.
He was my maternal grandfather, a true warrior who favored a subordinate known for his remarkable martial skills.
What would he say about the current Duke if he were alive?
I took a step back.
The candlelight now illuminated the portrait of a woman with a kind and nostalgic smile.
The 6th Countess of Toulouse, Yuria de Toulouse.
She married the knight favored by my grandfather and gave birth to me.
My mother helped my father, Hubert, before he took the Lafayette name, to create the myth of the "Blue Knight". But she died heartbroken and neglected after her son lost in the knight's tournament to a commoner.
Slowly, I reached out my hand, almost touching the portrait.
There's no warmth in the painting. Even if I touched it, it would remain so.
Lost memories are warm, but there's no way to find that warmth in reality.
As I withdrew my hand and clenched it into a fist, a knock sounded.
"Young Duke, it's Dumont."
"Come in."
Baron Dumont entered the room.
"His Grace the Duke is looking for you, Young Duke. There's a meeting about the civil war and Her Royal Highness the Princess' situation."
"Understood, let's go."
As I turned around, the Baron was gazing at my mother's portrait with a distant look.
The Baron, who had served the Toulouse family for a long time, even before the birth of the Lafayette Ducal family.
His words from before came to mind.
'Seeing you, Young Duke, grow up so splendidly, I feel I could meet Miss Yuria without any shame.'
Before my regression, I had failed to recognize what kind of man he was.
Defeated by a commoner and treated like trash by my father, I was too engulfed in self-loathing and helplessness to notice the people around me.
That's why, even after my regression, I doubted this man who had served my maternal family for so long, simply because I didn't know him well.
"I'm sorry for everything, Baron."
"...Pardon?"
The bewildered face of the Baron, a rotund gentleman who hardly looked capable of mounting a horse, let alone as a noble of a knightly kingdom, was quite amusing, and I couldn't help but let out a chuckle.
"Let's go. This time, I'll trust only you, Baron."
"Ah, yes, yes. Trust only in Dumont!"
He might not look very reliable, but in this moment, he was indeed the best ally.
***
In the meeting room.
The Duke sat at the head of the table, surrounded by the vassals and retainers of the Lafayette family.
Amidst the anxious faces of all the retainers, the 'Blue Knight' Duke glared at me with sharp eyes.
"The existence of the princess must not be announced?"
"Yes, Your Grace. There's little to gain and much to lose."
The Duke glared at me intensely before finally letting out a scoff.
"You've grown up a lot, Pierre. To think you'd dare to contradict what I say."
"Offering counsel to Your Grace is also part of my duty as a member of the Lafayette family."
"Hahahah, hahaha...."
The Duke let out a low laugh.
It felt like the prelude to a storm, as the seated vassals swallowed nervously.
"Fine, I'll hear your reasons. But remember, you'll also have to bear the responsibility."
The Duke, struggling to contain his fiery temper, glared at me with blazing eyes.
If not for my recent achievements, I probably wouldn't have even been given the chance to speak.
"Already, the First Prince's faction and King Louis' faction are irreconcilable enemies. As long as they aim for our destruction, we have no choice but to unite and resist King Louis' tyranny. Do you think not proclaiming Her Royal Highness the Princess as the heir will prevent the First Prince's faction from uniting?"
"...."
The Duke twisted his lips but didn't counter.
"Realistically, our faction's immediate goal should be resistance, not outright victory. We need to weaken King Louis and his faction's forces as much as possible and bring them to the negotiating table. Introducing a new heir to the throne will only strengthen their war effort and unity."
The Duke looked at me with evident displeasure and then spoke dismissively.
"Your point is valid, but if we establish the Third Princess as the heir and oust King Louis, that would be a strong claim to legitimacy."
"Regrettably, Your Grace, that argument only holds if ousting King Louis is feasible."
"How dare you discuss defeat in front of me!"
The Duke, well into his fifties, roared like thunder.
Not just the vassals, but even I felt a chilling sensation run through me at his fearsome, magic-infused shout.
Cold sweat ran down my back.
But, having started this in front of all the vassals, backing down now would mean the end.
If there's no way back, the only option is to push forward.
"We couldn't clinch a decisive victory even when His Highness the First Prince was alive.
Including Lumière, the capital, and the northern territories, Your Grace knows that it's impossible for us to achieve total victory."
That's not really what you want, is it?
"Isn't what Your Grace truly desires not just a pretext to rally the First Prince's faction, but rather to usurp the faction's leadership from Duke Lorraine by establishing the Third Princess?"
"And what if that's true?"
"It's dangerous, Your Grace. As I've said, it will only instill a sense of crisis in King Louis and his faction. Just for the sake of control-"
"What do you know, who has never stood on the front lines! I was the main force of the First Prince's faction on those battlefields! I was always at the forefront, won the most victories, and was the most feared by our enemies! And yet, some incompetent pig pretending to be a Duke meddled in our affairs, swaying princes and nobles, ruining the war!"
In the Duke's eyes, madness and fury swirled like a storm -
"If I had led them, this civil war would have ended in victory long ago! The only thing I lacked was the lineage to lead them!"
In the wake of his outburst, long years of frustration and thirst for power flickered.
What had driven him to such a sense of deprivation?
After all, he was standing in a position usurped from my mother.
"Then, Your Grace, do you truly believe that by establishing Her Royal Highness the Princess, those high-and-mighty Duke Lorraine and other high nobles will bow down to you? It would sow the seeds of discord instead. You don't seriously think that marrying a bastard princess would solve all issues of authority, do you?"
"You! You worthless thing, how dare you lecture me! I built the name Lafayette! How dare a parasite like you! If I take the princess as my wife and ascend as king, know that I can disinherit you and make another heir!"
"Indeed, Your Grace."
"What?"
"I said, go ahead, Your Grace."
The vassals, who had been anxiously watching the Duke's overpowering anger, were all staring at me, mouths agape.
Even the Duke, who had been in a rage moments ago, was taken aback by my response, and I naturally curled my lips into a smirk.
"But would that be wise, Your Grace?"
My mother had passed away, yet the Duke had not taken a new wife.
Because he dearly loved my mother? He had countless mistresses and never made an effort to conceal them.
He was utterly ashamed of me, his son, who had been defeated by a commoner in a knight's tournament. He even went so far as to confine the knight who defeated me, claiming I had disgraced our family's honor.
Yet, he appointed me as the lord's deputy. Because I was his firstborn son? The only heir?
If he could, he would have taken a new wife and chosen an heir more to his liking.
"This land belonged to the Counts of Toulouse long before it became a duchy."
Everything he had, this land, was initially left to my mother by my maternal grandfather.
The loyalty of Baron Dumont and other vassals was not to my father, but to the Counts of Toulouse, handed down from generations.
"And now, with my mother gone, I am the Count of Toulouse, Your Grace."
Without me, he is just a knight with the empty title of Duke.
That's why, despite treating me like trash, he couldn't completely cast me aside.
Before my regression, when he was in the domain, I was too young and intimidated to even grasp such a fact. By the time I understood this, the Duke had recklessly died from the plague.
The great 'Blue Knight' Hubert de Lafayette. A man so obsessed with his greatness and pride, he demanded to be referred to as the great Blue Knight in his title.
A man who only remembered the discrimination and resentment he faced because of his origins, never considering what he received.
"Your foundation, Your Grace, was built by my maternal grandfather, Xavier de Toulouse, and lent to you by my mother. Your esteemed reputation was built on the blood of the Toulouse soldiers."
The man who claims his achievements were solely earned by his sword, his gains being only the title of 'Blue Knight' and the dukedom.
A title higher than a count but not quite a duke, a vague status with no attached lands, merely an honorary title.
Even the highest honor he received was just a name given to a knight, not the 'Blue Knight' nor anything else.
To him, installing a puppet princess as queen and becoming king himself must seem like an opportunity to obliterate a lifetime of jealousy and inadequacy.
"You, you dare to threaten me now?"
The Duke's eyes bulged with rage, but the fierceness that seemed ready to draw a sword at any moment subsided.
"I simply stated the facts, Your Grace. Moreover... I highly doubt whether Your Grace could continue the war as now without me. Right Baron Dumont?"
"Uh, yes? Ah, yes."
Baron Dumont, who had been sitting dazedly, suddenly got up and handed the documents to the Duke.
As the Duke looked over the documents with his mustache twitching, I casually opened my mouth.
"This is last year's tax report for the duchy, or rather, the Toulouse region. You may not be aware, Your Grace, but it is woefully insufficient compared to the military funds you demand annually."
Until now, as the acting lord, I could be berated for anything. If the domain's income was insufficient, it was my responsibility to make up for it, whether through plundering, levying taxes, or whatever means necessary.
"With the plague spreading and the southern region becoming the main battlefield, you should worry about the reduced income from the estates. Even if you establish Her Royal Highness the Princess and become the core of the power, can you secure military funds?"
The Duke, seething with anger, looked like he wanted to devour me.
No matter how much he shakes with rage, he's the one who's been living lavishly on the frontlines for years, draining the domain.
He even managed to break the engagement with the ally Aquitaine family by only taking their money under the guise of an alliance.
"What about you, then?"
I took out some documents I had prepared from my pocket and handed them to the attendant.
The Duke, after receiving the documents from the attendant, widened his eyes in shock and started to tremble.
"How dare you embezzle money from my domain?"
"You misunderstand, Your Grace. Baron Dumont, who has been overseeing administration, will confirm it. How could the struggling domain's income generate such funds to send to Your Grace for military expenses?"
The Duke turned his head sharply to look at Baron Dumont, who flinched but nodded in agreement.
"Young Duke's words are accurate, Your Grace. You can verify it with the domain's financial records."
What the Duke held was a deposit certificate from a bank operated by the Aquitaine family.
After borrowing money personally from Christine, I bought a massive amount of raw materials, which I then sold to Abyss Corporation post-industrial revolution, generating substantial funds.
I entrusted that money to the Aquitaine bank, allowing Christine to manage a portion and using another portion for the military, still leaving a significant deposit.
Money replicated?
At this moment, I'm truly grateful for those demons at Abyss Corporation.
"If Your Grace continues to ignore my legitimate rights as the Count of Toulouse and decides everything for the domain unilaterally, then I will renounce the Lafayette name and leave the domain."
"What are you blabbering about?"
"Then, I will go to King Louis, ask for my rights to be restored, and offer my deposit as military funds. I imagine those desperate enough to continue the civil war despite their poverty will find my offer quite tempting."
But I doubt if the Duke can handle the vassals and retainers properly after casting me out.
"You, you, you...."
At this rate, the Duke might burst a blood vessel in his eye.
That would be problematic. Despite being a pitiful man consumed by jealousy and lust for power, the Duke is a formidable knight, renowned as the kingdom's strongest.
I wouldn't want a person who should be leading the charge on the battlefield to suddenly die of a heart attack or something similar.
"Of course, as a blood member of the Lafayette family, such treasonous actions are somewhat against my will."
I extended my hand to the Duke, who was trembling with rage, glaring at me as if to kill, yet unable to lunge at me.
"So, the great 'Blue Knight' Hubert de Lafayette, Your Grace, please give up this pointless competition for prestige. Let Duke Lorraine bear the brunt of the enemies' hatred."
This way, the revolutionaries' hatred would also shift toward him, and we can simply switch sides to the revolutionaries at the right time.
"If you agree, I, Pierre de Lafayette, Count of Toulouse, will faithfully provide financial and military support as your ally. Of course, this assumes that Your Grace will show me the respect befitting an ally."
Otherwise, he can keep his hollow title of Duke and try to wage the war alone, appeasing the disloyal retainers who have lost their reason to be loyal.
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