Ch.155Neighboring Countries (7)

“…What is this?”

Meanwhile, Lorenzo, the Emperor’s advisor who had guided this situation, is greatly perplexed.

What he had intended was a typical negotiation method: making strong demands initially and gradually lowering the level of those demands to get what he wanted.

In other words, he had originally planned to demand the destruction of the ring and scepter, but ultimately aimed to secure either the restoration of the Duchy of Neustria or a prohibition on the permanent transfer of ownership of the ring and scepter.

If the former were achieved, even with a change in the family line, the duchy would continue to exist, making it impossible for Albion to obtain the ring and scepter without war. If the latter were achieved, the ring and scepter of Neustria would have been locked away in Lotharing’s vault for centuries, just as Lotharing’s crown and ring had been buried in the Holy Empire’s vault for hundreds of years.

There would be no possibility of taking the ring and scepter out of that vault and giving them to Albion. Even the most reckless King of Lotharing wouldn’t be brazen enough to openly nullify a treaty formally approved by the Holy Empire. If he were truly someone who carelessly broke such important trust, he would have died or collapsed before becoming king of the two kingdoms.

However, that madman of a king defied all expectations and simply granted the request for destruction. No, it wasn’t just simple destruction—he melted them down and made them into crown decorations. Strictly speaking, did he actually grant the request?

“…Lord Spinola.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

“This… isn’t what you wanted, is it?”

“…No, Your Majesty.”

His Imperial Majesty also seems greatly perplexed.

For the Emperor, who stands at the pinnacle of the feudal system, the sudden disappearance of a duchy that had existed for over a hundred years must be something unimaginable and undesirable.

“Ah, don’t misunderstand. I don’t intend to blame you for this. To destroy the regalia, symbols of sovereignty, so easily—it’s an eccentricity that an ordinary person, no, even a normal person, could never imagine.”

His Majesty, judging that I fear being reprimanded for my firm stance, speaks kindly, trying to ease the atmosphere. Truly, His Majesty commands loyalty not only through his authority but also through his character.

“And… um… is there any possibility that this will disrupt your plans?”

“Albion’s attitude will be the problem. If Albion, now more hostile toward Lotharing, severely provokes or attacks Lotharing and war breaks out, our plan to create an anti-state alliance against Lotharing to block invasion and maintain a stalemate will fail. Since domestic affairs are currently more important to the Empire than foreign affairs, we must prevent such a situation at all costs.”

The plan was to invite all countries adjacent to Lotharing-Caroling into a defensive alliance to prevent invasion from Lotharing. If Albion, which constitutes a major pillar of that defensive alliance, becomes enraged and attacks Lotharing alone, it would be a complete disaster.

Above all, it’s terrifying that Albion is more likely to provoke or attack Lotharing freely, given the vast blue barrier of the sea between them.

“Then I should send Edward a personal letter to soothe his feelings.”

“…That would be good. However, it’s also possible to create a situation where the King of Albion simply cannot take aggressive action. Marriage alliances are a prime example.”

Lorenzo, whose mind had momentarily gone blank at the Emperor’s optimistic remark, barely manages to hold onto his sanity and mentions marriage alliances, a traditional method nobles often use to avoid war.

Marriage is something that should be sacred and pious.

Even when ordered by one’s lord to participate in war, marriage provides justification for refusal if it’s not a defensive war.

It’s a common superstition that if the head of a family becomes covered in blood while a family member is getting married, a curse will fall upon the family.

“Hmm… I had hoped to marry that child to a noble of the Empire.”

“You don’t necessarily need to send the princess. It would be sufficient to mediate a marriage between the Albion royal family and suitable candidates selected from among the Empire’s nobles in the name of the Imperial family.”

“…You’re right! Haha, appointing you has been one of the best decisions I’ve made in recent times.”

“You flatter me, Your Majesty.”

The Holy Empire desperately plans and works to prevent Albion from acting alone and destroying the defense treaty.

Of course, Claude has no intention whatsoever of attacking other countries like Albion or the Holy Empire, but from the perspective of his contemporaries, Claude has always acted like a madman, so no one here believes that Lotharing has no ambitions of invasion.

……….

“Ines.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

“Something just occurred to me—isn’t the succession law of the Kingdom of Caroling calculated separately from that of the Kingdom of Lotharing?”

“Well… I suppose so?”

At my sudden remark, Ines, who had been playing with Lothar, tilts her head in confusion, and Lothar, seeing his mother act this way for the first time, opens his eyes wide and tilts his head, imitating Ines’s actions.

“Doesn’t that mean there’s a possibility that Lotharing and Caroling might be divided in the future? For example, Caroling’s succession law refuses to recognize a princess’s succession by any means, while Lotharing’s succession law recognizes a princess’s succession if there is no prince, right?”

“That… could be possible?”

Ines’s confusion gradually becomes tinged with anxiety. The scene of curiosity mixed with a hint of anxiety in her eyes is… well, unexpectedly cute.

“It’s something that would happen in the distant future after my death, so I don’t particularly want to worry about it, but shouldn’t we eliminate the possibility of our descendants fighting each other?”

“…Your Majesty?”

“So, like Neustria, the crown of Caroling should also— No, I’m sorry.”

As I continue to build up to my point, Ines’s demeanor suddenly turns menacing. So much so that I apologize reflexively.

The curiosity and anxiety emanating from Ines’s body instantly disappear, replaced only by anger. Not a blazing anger, but a chilling one.

“So… um… I haven’t decided to do it, I just wanted to ask for your advice on what you think.”

“…Rather than that, change Caroling’s succession law. Changing succession laws carries a heavy political burden, but it would be less so than melting down the crown and scepter.”

“Yes, that would be better.”

Ines is right.

There’s no need to melt down the crown to make one; I could just change the succession law.

I was so pleased with the method that instantly resolved the troublesome Neustria issue that I unconsciously became fixated on it.

“Will you change it right now?”

“No, I’ve only recently obtained the throne of Caroling, so changing the succession law already would be too conspicuous. Perhaps… about a year before I die?”

“Since death cannot be predicted, how exactly do you plan to know when you have about a year left to live…”

“Is that so? Then I’ll do it when both my and Ines’s hair have turned completely white.”

“Ugh…”

I said it jokingly, but Ines’s face instantly turns red. From confusion to anxiety to anger, and now embarrassment?

Ines merely makes a sound of swallowing her breath without saying anything, but from her bright red cheeks, her eyes darting around in confusion, and her trembling, half-open mouth, I can tell exactly what she’s imagining even without her saying a word.

Truly, she can be a bit frightening when she acts eerily in strange ways sometimes, but fundamentally, she’s a cute woman.

……….

“…This is.”

Meanwhile, Chloe, who has not returned her agents to Claude, continues to operate discreetly in external affairs.

There had been some issues with her subordinates in the palace due to Jeanne’s baptism, but there were no such problems for those operating outside the palace, allowing Chloe to maintain her robust intelligence network.

And that intelligence network brought shocking news to Chloe: foreign nobles were forming an alliance against her brother.

“Shall we kill them?”

“No, if we kill them in the current situation, my brother will come under suspicion.”

A ridiculous treaty to counter her brother has already been concluded. The prominent figures include the Emperor of the Holy Empire, who has forgotten the favor shown during the civil war and is acting ungratefully, and the King—no, the chieftain—of Albion who insulted her brother. Many minor nobles adjacent to Lotharing are also putting one foot into this defensive treaty.

If the principal figures behind this defensive treaty start dying, anyone would suspect her brother. During the Caroling civil war, she killed two dukes because they had already rebelled and were highly likely to do so again, so she simply eliminated them. But this time, the situation is different.

If they die, countless countries would attack her brother from all directions.

“Pass all of this information to my brother’s intelligence agency.”

“Yes, Lady Chloe.”

At this point, all I can do is ensure that my brother knows these facts so he can respond at the national level.

Such a treaty, entangled with numerous nobles, can never be resolved through a lone conspiracy.