Interlude 2: Compassion for a Confidant, Duty to the House
Within the royal castle, in the Inner Palace.
A certain noble lady, chosen to become the wife of the crown prince-to-be, had been ordered to reside there. From the life she had lived as a daughter of the grand ducal family, she now began her new life as a semi-royal (fiancée) and future member of the royal family. The king's words (proclamation) that day was swiftly carried out by the
chief lady-in-waiting of the harem, assigning her a room befitting her new station.
The room was named the Crown Princess’s Office.
Compelled to dedicate the knowledge and wisdom she possessed to this nation, she stood quietly by the ornately decorated window, her gaze fixed on the beautiful courtyard of the royal castle.
In her eyes, a deep shade of anguish surfaced, revealing a trace of pity for the person she was about to meet.
A heavy decision lay before her—she had no choice but to let go of someone who had long been her shadow, her trusted confidant. It was not because her confidant had committed any transgression or harbored ill intent. The circumstances simply no longer allowed her to remain by the noble lady’s side.
Unable to even heave a sigh, the noble lady kept her gaze fixed on the courtyard, her fresh, beautiful face clouded with unease. She pondered endlessly on how best to deliver the news.
---
The confidant, a “friend" of the noble lady, hailed from a high comital family. By rights, she should have been registered as the successor to the house. But a tragic incident altered her fate. While traveling with her family, their carriage was attacked by a mid-size monster. Her parents, the former high count and his wife, were killed, leaving her as the sole survivor. She escaped with her life, but not unscathed.
A flaw deemed fatal for a noblewoman—a wound that could not be ignored. With the head of the family deceased and the daughter of the primary wife gravely injured, teetering between life and death, a successor to the high count's household became an urgent necessity. Recognizing the gravity of the situation, the noble council, under the pretense of stabilizing the high count's estate, appointed the deceased head's younger brother to inherit the title of high count under the pretext of ensuring the stability of the high count’s territory.
The young woman was severed from the high comital family. Had she been of age and uninjured... she might have inherited the title as a high countess. But the reality left no room for such outcomes. Within the powerful military-aristocratic circles, allowing a prolonged power vacuum in a high comital family of their standing was a matter of concern even for the upper echelons of the national military.
Having lost the powerful protection of her family, bearing a grievous wound, and losing her perceived value as a noblewoman, she was effectively stripped of her standing within noble society. Had she remained in the high comital family after losing her position as the heir, her fate would have been bleak—either treated as a burden within her own house, sent off to a convent as a nun, or married off as a second wife to an aging noble...
But her fate was even crueler than that.
She was removed from the family register of the high comital household, left with only her noble status, effectively becoming a lost soul without a place to belong. ...For her, there was nothing ahead but a bleak future.
---
It was the noble lady who felt pity for her—a woman who had been all but severed from her own family home.
Having been close companions since childhood and well aware of her exceptional intellect, the noble lady directly petitioned her father, the grand duke, to allow her to keep the young woman by her side.
The grand duke, too, harbored concerns about his beloved daughter's future. As the eldest daughter of the leading grand ducal house and a lady possessing remarkable virtues, he often worried about the path her life would take. Despite his position near the pinnacle of the nation's nobility, he was acutely aware of the limited scope for her to establish herself within the kingdom's rigid societal structure.
Thus, the desires of father and daughter aligned.
The young woman was taken in by the grand ducal household. In addition to her training as a noblewoman, she was also prepared to serve as the noble lady’s shadow. She was treated as an honorary sister by the noble lady and as a shield of flesh by the grand duke, tasked with protecting his beloved daughter.
Possessing internal mana on par with someone from a high comital family, she enrolled in the Magic Academy as the noble lady's attendant. Her exceptional intellect, rare even among the elite, was focused and purposeful. She took great pride in being by the noble lady's side, and the noble lady, in turn, accepted and cherished her presence.
Those who were aware of the circumstances felt a certain resignation. If only she could have been elevated as the rightful heir and assumed the title of high countess... as her intellect was so sharp and her heart so full of pride that it inspired such dreams in others.
Even the grand duke, the noble lady's father, harbored similar thoughts. Yet, changing the current reality was nearly impossible. Instead, he decided to provide her with special education. While she was still enrolled at the Magic Academy, he used his own influence and power to have her take the qualification exam for the position of a high-ranking lady-in-waiting in the royal harem, ensuring she could live her life as his daughter's close confidante.
With her exceptional intelligence and dedication, she passed the exam as a high-ranking lady-in-waiting, earning the rare approval of the chief lady-in-waiting. Under normal circumstances, she would have served as the noble lady's personal attendant (confidante) for life, supporting the great treasure of the grand ducal house without fail.
--- However, despite everything…
The Second Prince, destined to become the husband of the noble lady, had committed a grave misstep. To those who saw clearly, he had perpetrated the crime of high treason. Surrounded by the dazzling sons of high-ranking noble families and a glittering circle of acquaintances, the Second Prince plunged into a dark abyss alongside them.
The issue that the grand ducal family was concerned about was the matter involving the high comital family.
The designated heir to the Minister of War had been among the Second Prince’s close aides. Worse, the very individual acting as his hands and feet was the high comital family's heir. These individuals had committed high treason—those who either committed the act, failed to stop it, or encouraged it. All of them would be punished according to the gravity of their crimes. This meant that the high comital family was also one of the families of criminals.
Revealing the high treason publicly would lead to chaos throughout the kingdom, severing the bloodlines of countless noble families. Not only fools, but even capable individuals connected to them would be "uprooted." To shield her confidante, the noble lady employed all her wisdom. In place of the Second Prince, who had committed the offense, she would remain emotionally concealed regarding her feelings to the First Prince—her new fiancé—and propose a "solution" to bring about the resolution of the crisis.
To cover up the high treason, it was decreed that the Second Prince would live his life in permanent seclusion, a decision made on that day, at that place, at that time. Those connected to him were also sentenced appropriately by the king. Each house was expected to manage the repercussions in accordance with their responsibilities.
Yet, there were still a number of individuals who lacked reason. For these individuals, it was arranged that the Prime Minister would employ every possible scheme and tactic within the Prime Minister's office to handle them.
In order to minimize the political chaos within the kingdom and prevent foreign forces from gaining influence, while gradually stripping away the power and wealth of the "foolish families (those who lacked reason)", the Prime Minister proposed land transfers—a bold strategy that involved altering the territorial holdings of each noble family, disrupting their power bases.
Wealthy lands would be exchanged for impoverished ones, strategic locations for remote outposts. Where revenue flowed effortlessly, new domains would demand that lords personally shoulder expenses just to maintain governance. The intention was to force complacent nobles into diligence, whether they liked it or not.
Their replacements were the diligent allies of the First Prince. They were appointed to critical locations, prosperous farmlands, key trading routes, administrative and financial departments, diplomatic posts... and military leadership.
Those with a weak sense of duty to the kingdom were distanced from the king, while those who embodied the noble pride and the honor of being a bulwark—a commitment to the kingdom and its people—were brought to the fore to establish a new foundation for governance. The First Prince consulted with the Prime Minister, who then presented the proposal to the King. This plan, which could be considered a cunning strategy, was officially proclaimed as national policy.
Deep in her heart, the noble lady felt relief. Her friend, her sister in all but blood, would remain safe and by her side.
―――― § ――――
"I’m sorry. I "know" about your feelings. I know you worked to shield your dear sister from harm. But thanks to one great fool, all your efforts were undone."
"What has happened?"
"The high comital family’s head and heir abandoned their house. In response to their reassignment to the frontier, they claimed "they wished to entrust the family to its rightful heir," and some members who had been lurking in the noble council exploited a loophole in the system to accept it. ...I can’t even begin to apologize."
"Th-that’s..."
"The rightful heir to the high comital family is her. And the ones who let this happen are the allies of those in charge of the noble registry, the Management Registration Institute. The application has already been accepted, and the period to contest it has passed. To protect themselves, the former head now calls himself a derived Law Robe Count and remains in the capital. Meanwhile, the so-called heir attempts to curry favor with me. What should I do about this?!"
"......So, it’s final then?"
"I’m sorry. As punishment for the Minister of War, the families that participated in this farce will be reassigned to strategic areas near the borders, which are considered important for the country’s defense. The high comital family is also among those affected."
"I understand... but it is so terribly cruel..."
"The specific reassignments will be decided after consultation with the Prime Minister and the Minister of War, considering everyone’s capabilities. However, the decision has already been made that the high comital family’s military will follow their high countess to the new territory."
"...So it means holding both the position of military commander and governor. Only someone with resolve and pride can handle such duties.”
"Exactly... it's not that. If anything, I feel an increasing sense of apology. Just as she was about to officially demonstrate her strength as your aide... But such is also the way of nobility..."
""...It cannot be helped.""
--- From both their lips escaped the very same words.
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