Ch.45Bar (1)

“You collapsed yesterday, yet you’re already returning to work…?”

Leclerc’s eyes widen as he enters the office, concerned about me.

His eyelids twitch momentarily before he frantically looks around, checking if any other servants are present.

“…I understand, Leclerc.”

For the usually proper Leclerc to behave in such an unseemly manner, he must have been quite shocked.

Of course, I completely understand.

“…Duke, did anyone else witness this scene?”

“Many… did.”

“…”

Sweat forms on Leclerc’s forehead, trickling down to his chin before dripping onto the floor.

His vocal cords visibly quiver, and his lips tremble as if he has much to say but doesn’t know where to begin.

“Duke, is this your will?”

“…No, it is not.”

“…I thought as much. The Duke I’ve known doesn’t have such inclinations.”

That’s quite a loaded statement.

If an ordinary person had said that, I would have taken it at face value, but the speaker isn’t ordinary—it’s Leclerc.

Charitably interpreted, he’s saying I lead an ascetic life; uncharitably, he’s calling me a prude.

…Sadly, I can’t deny it.

“First… I must go ensure everyone’s silence.”

“Leclerc, it’s alright. I’ve already taken care of it.”

Ines stops Leclerc as he sighs slightly and hurriedly tries to leave the office.

“…”

Leclerc freezes at Ines’s words, then turns toward her.

Or rather, toward the direction of Claude’s desk, not the sofa where Ines usually sits.

“…Yes, Duchess.”

Leclerc bows politely to Ines, but she doesn’t return his courtesy.

Her expression clearly shows hostility toward him.

That’s only natural. Having been raised according to noble etiquette since childhood, Ines would certainly understand the implications of what Leclerc just said to Claude.

“I’ll be managing the castle’s servants from now on. What do you think about that, Lord Leclerc?”

“…That is the rightful privilege of Duchess Ines.”

Although Leclerc has been managing the castle’s servants and attendants until now, this duty nominally belongs to the Duchess.

Of course, that was merely nominal—in reality, it was exclusively the authority and power of Leclerc, the head butler.

In other words, Ines is now telling Leclerc, “Hand over your power to me,” but Leclerc offers no resistance, simply maintaining his submissive posture.

‘…I misspoke.’

That’s because Leclerc is aware of his mistake.

The situation was so extraordinary that he spoke without thinking. A mistake I would never have made in my normal state.

It’s a statement that could certainly be problematic if challenged. I need to maintain a humble attitude here.

This authority would have been reclaimed eventually anyway, so there’s no need for attachment.

“Um… Ines.”

“Husband, this is something I must do.”

Of course, Leclerc’s reaction is understandable. Even Claude acknowledged it and couldn’t say anything against it.

As Ines suddenly strips Leclerc of his authority without consultation, Claude tries to stop her in confusion, but her firm response leaves him speechless.

‘…I’m sorry, Leclerc.’

Having decided to respect Ines’s opinion, Claude apologizes to Leclerc with his eyes.

Honestly… if I were Leclerc, I couldn’t have stopped those words from slipping out either.

*Rub, rub*—

Because Chloe and Ines are literally clinging to me.

Ines, who brought a new chair next to mine, is holding and massaging my arm, while Chloe has positioned herself behind me, kneading my shoulders and head.

At first, I was bewildered by their sudden change and asked what they were doing, but when they both replied, “You told us not to hide our feelings,” I couldn’t argue. And so it came to this.

Except for the sound of them massaging my body, no other sound can be heard in the office.

‘Hahaha…’

Although infidelity may be common, in a world where abstinence is considered virtuous, such blatant displays of affection in front of others are considered extremely shameless.

Of course, this might be understandable for a loving couple, but the issue is Chloe.

Chloe was clearly massaging me with the expression and actions of someone looking at their beloved.

Moreover, the fact that Ines didn’t object to this at all would have left people utterly dumbfounded, to the point of questioning the morality and ethics of all three of us.

It’s no wonder Leclerc immediately asked if there were other witnesses. The reputation, dignity, and honor of House Bourgogne were at risk of being dragged through the mud.

“So… Lord Leclerc. Did you come here to check on my health?”

“…Yes, Your Grace. I intended to recommend rest if your health seemed poor… but you appear quite healthy, so that won’t be necessary.”

To break this uncomfortable silence, I blurted out something, and fortunately, Leclerc, who also seemed to dislike this awkwardness, responded to my clumsy question.

“Of course, that’s not all. There’s another matter—the public sentiment in Bar is concerning.”

“Bar?”

What’s this about now?

Since he specified public sentiment rather than the nobles of Bar, it seems there’s an issue with the common people.

Well, the nobles of Bar wouldn’t needlessly start a rebellion. I made sure to establish feudal contracts with them under exactly the same conditions they had with the Kingdom of Caroling.

“Yes, the farmers are refusing to pay taxes and driving officials out of their villages, according to reports from Bar’s nobles. They’re asking for more support to control the public sentiment.”

“…Could this be fallout from the traitor’s actions?”

“Most likely.”

Sigh…

My great-uncle’s rebel forces plundered the Bar region as they advanced toward Dijon. Bar suffered greatly in the process.

Even though we returned all the plundered goods and provided post-war reconstruction support after the rebellion ended, public sentiment doesn’t recover so easily.

“It can’t be helped, I understand completely. Tell them not to resort to killing even if the situation turns violent.”

“…Before that, you should see this as well.”

“Hmm?”

“Intelligence suggests that the returned plunder and reconstruction funds haven’t properly reached the farmers.”

…What?

I didn’t mishear…

With an utterly serious expression, Leclerc handed me a document showing that nearly 95% of the support funds I provided had been embezzled by the nobles.

“…Leclerc, is this information reliable?”

“Yes, since you ordered me to verify that the plundered goods and reconstruction funds were properly reaching the farmers. All the officials dispatched as informants have reported the same information.”

I questioned the veracity of the information just in case, but Leclerc nodded slightly, confirming it was reliable.

These bastards dare to embezzle— Wait.

“…Didn’t you say they asked for more support to control public sentiment?”

“Yes.”

And they’re still not satisfied, wanting more?

…Haha, these bastards.

Chloe and Ines seem very angry too. Their hands, which had been massaging my body, have suddenly stopped.

Their hands, which until just now were radiating warmth, are now emanating a cold chill.

……….

“Wow…! Baron, you are truly brilliant!”

“Oh, come now, anyone would have figured it out.”

The Baron, receiving flattery from his vassal, feigns modesty with his words, but his expression betrays him as the corners of his mouth twitch into a smile.

“To be honest, this should be seen as a gift from Duke Bourgogne to us nobles of Bar. Who in the world actually cares about those commoners?”

My assumption is entirely reasonable.

Generally, noble donations are more often made indirectly through the church rather than directly to commoners, and above all, the amount of wealth going to the farmers was excessive.

Why give so much wealth to farmers who only need enough to survive?

‘So the Duke of Bourgogne is bribing us to stabilize his newly annexed territory, that’s what this is.’

Anyone would see it this way. Not just me, but other nobles in the area would think the same.

Bribing local nobles to stabilize newly annexed territories is a common practice.

He probably disguised it as farmer support funds rather than giving bribes directly, to save face.

“Hehehe…”

I was a bit anxious about changing lords, it’s true. After all, isn’t Bourgogne notorious for executing captured nobles?

However, Bourgogne maintained the feudal contracts exactly as they were under Caroling, and is now distributing such massive bribes. There have been no revocations of titles or redistribution of territories.

In other words, they must be afraid that Bar won’t submit to their rule.

Perhaps their national power has been greatly diminished due to frequent wars?

Of course, an outright rebellion would be crushed by their military, so rather than that, if we gently prod them while making demands, we could extract even more.