I’m the fifth son of a count’s family, but I became the head of a duke’s house.
As Father took his seat at the head of the table, he briefly surveyed the people gathered in the hall. His gaze stopped for a moment on Brother Lemaire, but he quickly moved on.
After making a full round of observations, Father leaned over and whispered something to the old butler standing behind him. The old butler nodded once before silently withdrawing.
Standing beside Brother Lemaire, I called out to him quietly. He was barely maintaining his posture, his body trembling slightly.
“Brother Lemaire, Father was looking at you.”
“Heh… If he finds me pathetic and decides to kick me out, wouldn’t that be the best possible outcome?”
…That’s not really something you should say when you look like you’re about to die.
Is he joking because he still has some composure? No, based on what he said, he doesn’t seem composed at all.
A creaking sound drew my attention to the door, where the old butler had returned. Behind him, several maids followed, carrying empty wine glasses and bottles.
As the maids entered the room, they efficiently uncorked the wine and poured it into the empty glasses.
But what caught my eye was that the old butler was holding two wine glasses that were already filled.
As the maids began distributing the drinks to the members of the faction, the old butler placed the pre-filled glasses in front of Father and Brother Lemaire.
“Brother Lemaire, that drink…”
At my question, Brother Lemaire picked up the glass and sniffed it.
“It seems to be juice.”
What? No way.
That’s so unfair—I wanted that too. As I looked at him enviously, Brother Lemaire smirked triumphantly.
“I’m not sharing.”
“Brother Lemaire, have you ever heard of ‘hair of the dog’? I heard drinking more alcohol helps with hangovers.”
“That’s just a myth, isn’t it?”
Tch. He didn’t fall for it.
As we spoke, a glass of wine was quietly placed in front of me as well.
I picked it up and took a cautious sniff—definitely alcohol.
A small cough drew my attention. When I looked up, Father was glancing around the room.
“It seems everyone has their drink now.”
At his words, all eyes turned to him.
“This past year has brought many challenges, including war, but you have all worked hard. And now, I have something important to announce.”
The rugged, stern-looking men in the room exchanged glances, wondering what was coming next. Then, Father’s gaze settled on Brother Josef. Sensing it, Brother Josef rose to his feet.
His posture was perfect, his back straight and unwavering.
Unlike the swaying Brother Lemaire and Father, who looked like he had a headache, Brother Josef had also been drinking quite a bit. Is he just that strong with alcohol?
As soon as he stood, all eyes naturally turned to him.
“Josef has had a son.”
A collective murmur of excitement filled the room.
“Congratulations!”
“That’s wonderful news!”
The usually intimidating, almost gangster-like men smiled warmly as they showered Brother Josef with words of celebration.
Father was still the head of the count’s house, but Josef was the designated heir. The birth of his son brought reassurance to all.
“I appreciate your kind words.”
Rather than responding to individuals, Josef acknowledged the entire room with a short reply. Though he was usually lively, his dignified demeanor now reflected his role as the future head of the family.
“Well then, Josef, would you lead the toast?”
“Understood, Father.”
Brother Josef picked up his wine glass from the table and cleared his throat.
“To the birth of my son… and the continued prosperity of the Count’s house. Cheers!”
“Cheers!”
Everyone raised their glasses and drank deeply.
I followed suit, bringing my glass to my lips. As I drank, the strong taste of alcohol filled my mouth.
The last time I drank, I had been too nervous to really taste it, but this time, I could feel its strength clearly.
Since knights and nobles value alcohol so highly—there’s even a drinking contest between Kurt and Erich—it must be important to be able to handle it well.
Lost in thought, I stared at my now-empty glass until Father’s voice pulled me back.
“I know we still want to celebrate, but let’s save that for later. First, we need to review our current situation. Josef.”
“Yes, Father. Understood.”
At Father’s words, Brother Josef pulled several sheets of paper from his coat.
Glancing at them, he began his report.
“In the recent battles against the surrounding noble coalition, we have successfully repelled the enemy.”
The faction members nodded in agreement.
In the east, I had fought alongside Brother Lemaire and reinforcements. In the north, Father’s sheer presence had been enough to hold back the enemy. And in the south, Brother Josef had defended the area by positioning his forces along the river.
Josef continued his report.
“However, the enemy has not been completely defeated. They remain in a state of disorder, but they still have the capability to wage war.”
Yeah, that’s the problem. We only managed to repel them—we didn’t eliminate their key knights or nobles.
I had captured some in the eastern battle, but they were only a fraction of the enemy forces. For strategic reasons, we had even released some.
Because of that, the coalition as a whole hadn’t suffered heavy losses. If they wanted to, they could rally peasant soldiers again and launch another attack of the same scale.
The faction members, who had been celebrating moments ago, now looked deeply troubled.
Watching these rugged men go from joy to concern was oddly amusing.
“As for distant territories… The coalition’s blockade has made it difficult to receive information. But we do know that the Crown Prince’s faction and the Grand Duke’s faction have clashed several times near the royal capital.”
I glanced at Father as Brother Josef spoke.
As we had discussed earlier, he intended to keep the situation in the north a secret.
“That concludes my report for now. Father, if you please.”
Brother Josef set his documents on the table and looked to Father before taking his seat.
Father gave a small nod before speaking.
“Good work on the report. Now, the question is—what should we do next? First, we need to reassess our strategy.”
