Vol 2: Chapter 16
Each person at the table was from a higher-ranked house than “Earl.” Those who the young lady has met — most of them were probably children of a lower-ranked house than Earl, so the young lady has never faced anyone’s malice in this way.
(Heart rate rising, increased sweating, rise of body temperature… My lady, don’t get anxious.)
Such information came back when I checked the young lady’s state with 【World Ruler】. Well, maybe I didn’t even need to check it. The young lady’s expression was frozen.
「…House Sillys create friction in the noble society?」
The young lady tried to be polite, but her voice came out rather chilly. It was as cold as the Earl’s – making me think, “Like father, like daughter.”
Lady Charlotte took a breath, hesitating, but soon pitched forward.
「Y-Yes, that’s right! You are not going to say you haven’t heard the talks going around, right? House Sillys not holding a territory despite being an Earl and being heavily involved in central politics is also called “arms merchant who eagerly awaits dispute”–」
「Miss Charlotte!」Prince Kluvshrat raised his voice.
The band music breaks off, as if in response, and the hall falls silent.
「…A daughter from the prestigious House Phrase believes in slanders thrown around by people with ill-will?」
Prince Kluvshrat is not only kind-looking in appearance but his heart is also kind, I thought. I didn’t know if his voice was trembling because he was angry, or afraid of the reaction of the people around him for raising his voice — but it is a fact that Prince Kluvshrat was standing up for Lady Eva.
The lips of the Holy King, who was standing behind Prince Kluvshrat, curled up slightly. I had been watching him. If Prince Kluvshrat had not said anything, the Holy King would have.
Words cannot be taken back once said. Thus, Lady Charlotte continued, while frightened of the much higher-ranking Holy Prince.
「With all due respect, Kluvshrat-sama… Isn’t it true that Earl Sillys has sent many nobles to the gallows? As a result, distribution was delayed in many territories, thus nobles had to invest their own funds to settle the disorder. Naturally, nobles without territories were unaffected.」
Something like that happened, huh.
But the Earl acted for the First Altar, and consequently took on the role of a bad-guy for the sake of the whole country. And yet, she only mentions their losses.
(Oh, right. It is a secret known only to a handful of nobles that the Earl is a “Special Assistant Secretary” of the Altar Administration Bureau. The Earl executed them for reasons such as “money fraud”,“tax evasion” and “bribery,” all of which are unrelated to the First Altar. This is to preserve the appearance that the First Altar is “uncontaminated”.)
Lady Charlotte is from House Marquis, but has no knowledge of it? No, the head of the house probably knows, but hasn’t told others.
「Furthermore, there were some nobles who took advantage of the turmoil to control distribution and made a lot of money.」
………….
Considering our Earl’s “Cold-Blooded Lord” nickname, it would indeed seem like he is capable of anything. He was the one who caused the disorder in the first place, so it’s easy to predict what will happen after that.
「…Father. What Miss Charlotte said…」
The flustered Prince Kluvshrat’s tone returned to his usual one. His timid appearance makes me have this desire to protect him – but leaving that aside, the Holy King was silent, with a difficult look on his face.
(It is something that can’t be said in public, huh…)
If he defends the Earl and tells the truth, it will besmirch the First Altar, but if he accepts Lady Charlotte’s statement, it will mean to betray a loyal retainer who took on the bad-guy role.
「…Looking from just one side, all those are indeed facts.」
Lady Charlotte’s expression brightened in response to the words of the Holy King.
「But those who conduct politics have to know that all things have two sides.」
「Two sides?」
The Holy King patted the head of Prince Kluvshrat, who was staring blankly.
「You guys have just stepped into the nobles society. From now on, you will choose your skill orb, learn a lot of things, sometimes fight with each other, sometimes fail, sometimes feel joy, and sometimes suffer. Since you were born with noble blood, you will have to fight that fate… Miss Charlotte.」
「Y-Yes, Your Majesty.」
Lady Charlotte, whose name was directly called by the King, straightened her back.
「Don’t be swayed too much by rumors. You haven’t heard it directly from Phrase-ossan, right? Go back and ask him about it. Then remember well every single word that he says.」
「O-Okay…?」
「I can’t say any more than this. Moreover, this is not the place for you guys to be fightin–」
「Your Majesty. I don’t think an escort should be so talkative.」
「…I suppose that’s right.」
When told by the bear of a Border Earl, the Holy King folded his arms and fell silent.
「?」
The ladies seemed to be feeling somewhat dissatisfied that the conversation ended halfway through, but then the band started playing new music, and the next platter of dishes were brought in.
Although conversation started at other tables, the young lady was silent, with a gloomy look. Did the Earl not tell her anything about the “Cold-Blooded Lord” aspect? No, I’m sure he has.
As Lord Ethan’s suggestion, “Let’s be friends”, flowed away, Lady Mira, the daughter of the Border Earl, finally started a new conversation.
「Even so, there are a lot of delicious foods. It’s full of dishes you can’t find in my territory.」
Relieved that the conversation has started, Prince Kluvshrat added to it.
「Today’s food was arranged by House Rozier. Right, Louis?」
「Oh, yes… I hope it fits your taste.」Louis said, in a surprisingly modest tone.
His earlier self-important attitude was nowhere to be seen. Was it the shock from finding out the rumours surrounding Earl Sillys’?
「What kind of place is the Border Earl Mule territory?」
「It’s a very rural area. There are wide grasslands, farms, and besides that, dungeons left behind by the ancient people in mountainous areas. Adventurers actively visit those dungeons.」
Dungeons!
What an exciting word! The only dungeon I know of is the Six Mine where I worked as a slave. I wonder if it would be completely different from there… Just what kind of place is it…
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