Ch.102Commotion (2)

“I greet Your Majesty.”

The envoys who greeted me knelt on one knee on the floor of the audience chamber and bowed their heads.

When this was the Duchy of Bourgogne, such formalities didn’t exist, but after becoming the Kingdom of Lotharing, various minor protocols were revised—and it seems they’ve already mastered them all.

Tsk, I was hoping they wouldn’t know the etiquette so I could gain the upper hand by pointing it out. What a shame.

‘Well, they probably weren’t just idling around in Dijon. They’ve had plenty of time to thoroughly practice the new protocols.’

Ordinarily, this matter was urgent enough to warrant an immediate meeting without the usual procedures, but since envoys were continuously arriving from various places, I decided to wait a bit and meet them all at once.

I heard that the envoys who arrived early initially caused a commotion, insisting they needed to see His Majesty immediately, but when told that similar envoys were arriving and would be received together, they reluctantly understood and settled down.

It seems they had already noticed how many of them were gathering.

“Welcome, everyone. Truly, it’s unfortunate that such a small misunderstanding has led to this situation.”

“…”

Their backs twitch slightly when I mention “small misunderstanding.”

They seem to be desperately holding back words that were about to burst out—quite an admirable attitude.

I clearly remember that in my father’s time, envoys would speak without permission and failed to properly distinguish between superiors and subordinates, but they don’t do that with me. This is why prestige is always better when it’s higher.

To me, who was once a modern person, concepts like prestige and honor didn’t resonate much, but now I understand very well that in this era, they’re more important than life itself.

*Sigh*

“Speak.”

“When Your Majesty refers to a ‘small misunderstanding,’ does this mean you misunderstand about the woman called Jeanne who claims to be a Bourgogne?”

The envoy from the Duke of Nevers—my first cousin once removed, the son of my father’s younger brother—carefully requests permission to speak.

Judging by the reactions of the other envoys, it seems they’ve agreed among themselves to let him be their spokesperson to avoid complications from everyone speaking at once.

Hmm, that’s better. They’ll all have similar questions anyway.

‘Hmm…’

When I first heard about Jeanne causing trouble, my immediate plan was to deny my relationship with her and claim that her surname wasn’t Bourgogne but something with a similar pronunciation.

I tried explaining this plan to Jeanne, subtly suggesting, “Let’s coordinate our stories to smooth over this incident,” but she absolutely wouldn’t listen.

[What…?! Your Holiness, what are you saying? I’m obviously your wife!]

[No, no, no… Why? Why? Could it be that you only desired my body and now plan to discard me… *sob*…]

[This is maddening…]

Jeanne’s reaction was unexpectedly intense, and I ultimately had no choice but to completely revise my approach to appeasing the envoys.

Besides, thinking about it, Jeanne had already said too much at the university, so such an obvious ploy would have been quickly exposed.

In the end, I chose one solution:

“Jeanne carries my seed, so naturally she has become a Bourgogne, has she not?”

“…Pardon?”

“I don’t understand why everyone is making such a fuss. Why interfere when I wish to enjoy a woman?”

Face of steel.

Simply acknowledge my relationship with Jeanne and confirm that all the information they’ve discovered is true.

Of course, I’m not simply admitting that everything they think is correct. That would require conceding too much to the Bourgogne nobles and being led around by them.

So I pretend to admit it while cleverly shifting the point of contention.

“As I understand it, even during the Duchy of Bourgogne era, there was no such law?”

Judging by how my mother was driven from the palace, such a culture must have existed, but it was cultural, not legally binding.

“Moreover, as you just said, Jeanne is claiming to be a Bourgogne herself. I have never bestowed the Bourgogne name upon her.”

“…Your Majesty, your statements contradict each other. Earlier you said it was natural for a woman who received your favor to become a Bourgogne, but now you say you never bestowed it.”

“Did I ever officially acknowledge Jeanne? As I recall, I never did.”

“…”

There’s a clear difference between personal acknowledgment and official proclamation.

To use myself as an example, when my father recognized me as his illegitimate son, that was personal acknowledgment, while my registration into the House of Bourgogne was an official proclamation.

“However, her claiming to be a Bourgogne in official settings is clearly inappropriate.”

“That’s true. I’ve already punished Jeanne for this and strictly warned her, so such an incident won’t happen again. You can rest assured.”

“Hmm…”

I’ve admitted the wrongdoing, punished the person responsible, and promised to correct it—what more can you do? Surely you’re not suggesting I kill her or banish her?

Some of them start to speak in confusion but seem to realize something and quickly close their mouths with a jolt.

They know too. That this is a hornet’s nest if mishandled.

They must know what humiliation my mother suffered—do they dare bring that up?

“Is there anything else?”

“…Could Your Majesty inform us about the status of any children born to Lady Jeanne?”

“Ah, naturally you’d be curious about that. Rest assured, they will not be registered to the House of Bourgogne, as you fear.”

“I… yes, understood.”

Is this what they call “trolling”?

Hearing such words from someone who was registered to the House of Bourgogne, they all seem to be struggling to maintain their composure. This is unexpectedly entertaining.

“If there’s nothing more to discuss, let’s conclude this audience. Since you’ve come to Dijon, take the opportunity to see the sights. The university, the city under construction, the various goods—there’s much to see.”

Of course, they’ve probably seen plenty while waiting for this audience these past few days, but I’m telling them to see more. I don’t have a better way to end this audience.

……….

“Ugh… There, Jeanne. Are you satisfied now?”

“Yes… Thank you for indulging my selfishness.”

After stretching widely, I address Jeanne, who has been watching everything from a secret room connected to the audience chamber.

Judging by her expression and tone, she doesn’t show the slightest displeasure. She seems completely satisfied.

‘My reputation is probably ruined though…’

The Canaan faith, the state religion of Lotharing and neighboring countries, principally practices monogamy. Yet in the audience just now, I essentially declared that I’ve taken a concubine.

In the past, this alone would have been grounds for excommunication, but with the Holy Empire in the midst of civil war and the archdiocese under construction, that possibility is low.

Of course, while the possibility is low, it’s not non-existent, and since it’s an excommunicable offense, my reputation among the nobility will undoubtedly plummet.

A few macho nobles might express approval for my standing by my woman until the end, but such nobles are eccentric and few in number, and that won’t be the general opinion. Sigh…

…Since it’s already done and beyond remedy, I can only accept it.

“Don’t worry about it. All I did was acknowledge a concubine. I went through this with Chloe too, so it’s not a big deal.”

“Even so…”

The palace is filled with servants connected to various houses, and through them, my relationship with Chloe was already exposed long ago.

Of course, there’s a slight difference in that I deliberately avoided mentioning the concubine status then, while now I’ve openly acknowledged it.

That’s why the Bourgogne nobles didn’t particularly object when Chloe gave birth, but there’s no need to explain these details to Jeanne. It would make me look bad.

…Speaking of childbirth, I just realized I forgot something.

“Jeanne, any news yet?”

“News…?”

“About a child. It’s been over a month since then. Chloe and Ines brought news around this time.”

“Ah… that… No… Hehe, I guess it didn’t work out.”

Jeanne blushes and fidgets as she realizes what I’m asking about, then slightly bows her head with a complicated expression.

Hmm… Well, Chloe and Ines getting pregnant from their first experiences was probably unusual.

“But… it’s actually better this way. If I were to become pregnant now, I wouldn’t be able to properly attend school and fulfill the mission you’ve given me. I’ll ask for your grace after everything is finished…”

“…I see, understood.”

She’s definitely changed.

The old Jeanne would have tried to connect with me by any means necessary, like that time in the dining hall, but there’s no trace of that in the current Jeanne.

It would have been quite troublesome if Jeanne made such demands while I’m living with Chloe and Ines, who are raising children, but Jeanne seems to fully understand my situation and is showing restraint.

Was my anger that impactful? She’s certainly improved as a person, but it feels a bit strange that Jeanne’s distinctive character has diminished.