Ch.19Coronation Ceremony (2)

“Is it fortunate that the vassals in the coastal regions have weak loyalty…?”

Most of the vassals in the coastal regions that my grandfather conquered were, until just a few generations ago, vassals of the Kingdom and Empire.

The term “conquest war” sounds a bit harsh, but strictly speaking, the vassals were merely transferred from the Kingdom and Empire. From the perspective of the nobles living in the conquered territories, nothing changed except who was above them.

In other words, while their loyalty to the Bourgogne family is extremely thin, there are few nobles who would be swayed even if their lord isn’t a Bourgogne family member but rather a bastard of Bourgogne. That’s actually what’s happening right now.

“…Very well, I understand. I shall not forget your loyalty.”

“Thank you so much, Your Highness! And though it may be premature, congratulations on your coronation. Due to circumstances, my lord and other rulers of the coastal regions are being controlled by the tyrant, so we could only send this letter—”

“I understand your meaning. Thank you for writing this letter. Your oath of fealty can wait until after the situation has calmed.”

“Yes.”

I hear my great uncle has been touring the coastal regions, proclaiming himself the Duke of Bourgogne and collecting funds from the coastal nobles to suppress the rebels. No wonder his army numbered 10,000 men—that seemed too many.

In any case, the enraged nobles have sent me these messengers who came all the way around the Empire, petitioning to be excluded from any punishment of traitors afterward. Of course, there’s an appropriate price for that.

‘My great uncle must die, but it’s difficult for me to do it directly.’

After all, I’m a bastard, and he is not.

If I kill him outright, the nobles of the Bourgogne family, who had just settled down after our victory in the war against Caroling, might start acting up again.

At first, I cried out, “He rebelled, why can’t I kill him?!” But what can I do—this is reality. Sigh, I miss Confucianism.

So I did give Aras secret orders not to take my great uncle prisoner, but I was worried he might surrender anyway. It doesn’t hurt to have this insurance in place.

……….

“Presenting His Grace, the Duke of Bourgogne.”

“Welcome. I hope you enjoy your stay in Dijon.”

As expected, the envoy from the Duchy of Lorel arrived much faster than other delegations. Our territories border each other, and we’ve been exchanging letters about issues like the engagement even before the coronation.

Hmm… it’s been a long time since I’ve used formal speech. I’ve grown so accustomed to speaking down to vassals, retainers, and enemies that I almost forgot how to be polite.

There will be many foreign nobles attending the coronation, so I should get used to it again.

“Hmm? Where did Ines go…?”

But the person who should be here, Ines, is nowhere to be seen.

The letter clearly stated that Ines came as a representative too, but all of Lorel’s envoys before me are men.

“She said that since it’s been seven years since you last met, she wants to look pretty for the Duke when you first see her, so she won’t show her face until the coronation day.”

What is this about?

“So… Ines is in her room?”

“Yes, she asked me to tell you she’ll see you at the coronation.”

This shyness is exactly like what happened at the banquet seven years ago, when I was 16 and Ines was 12.

[Are you Lady Ines?]

[Y-yes…? W-what is…]

[The Lorel delegation is looking for you. Please follow me.]

Despite her position as the granddaughter of the Duke of Lorel, Ines never acted haughtily toward anyone, not even to me, a bastard. As it turned out, she had a personality that startled easily, like a rabbit.

I wonder how she’s grown since that night in the garden when she was lost, her silver hair glistening in the moonlight as she hesitated, not knowing what to do… But if she wants to meet at the coronation, I have no choice.

“Tell her I look forward to it.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

……….

The coronation day was set very quickly.

All my retainers unanimously insisted that we needed to strengthen the justification for suppressing the rebels and, as I mentioned before, secure as much legitimacy as quickly as possible, given my status as a bastard.

Normally, lower vassals should attend their lord’s coronation or send representatives if they cannot attend, but the vassals in the coastal regions couldn’t come due to the pressure from my great uncle, who is leading a large army.

Well, they’ve sent letters explaining their situation, and I can receive their oaths of fealty later. The situation should calm down within a year, so I can summon them for the first anniversary of my accession.

“Congratulations on taking the true seat of Bourgogne, Your Highness. This will strip the rebels rampaging in Bar of their justification.”

“Indeed.”

Although my great uncle declared himself Duke of Bourgogne and held his own coronation, mine has greater legitimacy since it’s taking place in Dijon Castle, where Bourgogne dukes have traditionally been crowned. Moreover, foreign nobles didn’t send congratulatory delegations to his.

In contrast, I have nobles from the Holy Empire and the Kingdom of Caroling attending in large numbers. Mostly those whose territories border the Duchy of Bourgogne.

I thought the nobles from the Kingdom of Caroling wouldn’t come since we were at war until recently, but they claimed that the war was started by their king and had nothing to do with them. I don’t know how many times I’ve felt this, but the feudal system is truly amazing.

“Your achievements have spread widely throughout the Holy Empire. The nobles of the Kingdom of Caroling have become like clams in the mud—”

“Ahem.”

“Ah, excuse me. I didn’t know you were there.”

‘…What are these bastards doing here?’

Although the Duchy of Bourgogne’s conquest of the coastal and Bar regions has separated their borders, the Kingdom of Caroling and the Holy Empire originally shared a border and had been fighting each other for a thousand years. The Duchy of Bourgogne itself was originally created by the Kingdom of Caroling in the border region to fight against the Holy Empire.

So the nobles of the Holy Empire and the Kingdom of Caroling have been enemies for generations. Even though nobles tend to care more about their own territories than their lords’ affairs, a thousand years of fighting naturally leads to animosity.

‘Damn…’

Such commotion before a coronation is certainly inappropriate, but the imperial noble was congratulating and paying respect to me, the protagonist of the coronation, for my achievements, while the kingdom’s noble was defending his lord’s honor.

It’s a bit risky for me to rebuke them…

“Your Highness, it’s been a long time.”

Just then, an innocent, youthful girl’s voice came from behind me, and simultaneously, the nobles from both factions who had been having a battle of nerves in front of me suddenly became docile.

“Who—oh?”

“I look forward to spending the rest of our lives together.”

Curious about why they suddenly changed their behavior, I turned toward the voice and was left speechless.

White.

That was my first impression upon seeing Ines.

“Lord Claude.”

Ines, dressed in a snow-white gown, greeted me with a gentle smile on her face.

Her hair, longer than it was seven years ago, rested softly on skin so fair it could almost be called transparent, and her collarbone, partially hidden by her silver hair, was incredibly alluring.

Seeing the ruby ornaments placed throughout her dress, it seems it was designed to match her red eyes.

“…?”

“Ah, yes… I look forward to it as well.”

When I didn’t respond, Ines tilted her head in confusion, and only then did I hurriedly return her greeting.

“Hehe, I’d like to… be alone with you for a while, if that’s alright?”

“Yes, of course you should.”

Pleased with my response, Ines smiled happily and asked the other nobles in front of me to excuse us, effectively sending them away.

Ah, so that’s why the nobles suddenly became quiet. Not just because of her appearance, but because my fiancée had arrived.

I’m glad Ines helped quiet the quarreling nobles.

“Judging by that reaction… you seem quite pleased? Hee, you can speak informally with me. We’ll be spending our lives together.”

“Oh, um… sure.”

The Ines in my memory definitely didn’t have this personality. She used to wrap herself up tightly to avoid being noticed and always walked along the outskirts.

But… the Ines before my eyes now is wearing such a splendid dress and doesn’t care about others’ gazes at all. Above all, I never expected her to boldly suggest speaking informally first.

“Ines, you’ve changed a lot—”

Click—

“…?”

Just then, I heard the sound of shoes behind me and felt a chilling sensation.

Not only that, but even the nobles who had been making small noises around us all fell silent. Only a single footstep could be heard in the banquet hall.

“What… Chloe?”

“Master, thank you so much for inviting me to the pre-coronation banquet.”

Turning around in confusion, I could only stare in amazement.

Chloe was wearing the most splendid and bold dress of anyone here.

The black and yellow dress matched her hair and eye color perfectly, but… it was revealing to the point of being scandalous. Her knees were completely exposed.

With my memories from my previous life, it seemed moderate to me, but for the women of this world who are reluctant to show their legs, it was extremely revealing even with stockings.

…Come to think of it, this is the first time I’ve seen stockings in this world. Did Chloe make them herself?

“Chloe… what is this…”

It wasn’t just her legs.

The dress, which seemed to be made of layers of black sheer fabric, transformed into black petals toward the ends while becoming transparent. Her upper chest was covered by black fabric, but it was extremely thin and clung tightly to her skin.

For her to wear such a bold outfit… It’s pretty, but as her brother, this is a bit…

“You told me not to worry about others and wear pretty clothes freely, so I did. Do you like it?”

…Was I the cause?

Oh no.