What awaited me upon returning to the capital was a mountain of paperwork.
“Your Grace, please take care of this as well.”
“…Hey, Erich, are you mad at me?”
“No, there’s no way I’d be angry at a duke who went on a trip all the way to the royal capital.”
“That sounds like you’re definitely mad!”
The documents delivered by Erich were already forming a tower on the desk in my office.
“Well, I’ll stop teasing you here. In reality, some documents do require the duke’s personal approval, even though I’ve been acting on your behalf.”
In fact, it was true that these documents, like rulings on small disputes over local interests, were the kind that only a duke could approve.
“Did anything change within the territory while I was away?”
It would be quicker to check with Erich, who likely already knew, rather than go through this mountain of paperwork.
Erich paused, as if recalling something relevant.
“Not within the territory, but there is one thing.”
From Erich’s demeanor, it seemed important.
“It’s information from the Golden Sheep Trading Company. Recently, a rumor has been spreading rapidly in other territories.”
“A rumor?”
“Yes. It’s said that the Archduke faction has decreed that Count Vywarl, an enemy of the royal family who has defiled royal blood, must be eradicated.”
“Interesting… Has this been verified?”
Erich shook his head silently.
So, it hasn’t been confirmed.
They got us this time.
The visit to the royal capital was supposed to secure permission regarding the subjugation of the Silria region and matters concerning the duchy.
For this reason, some nobles who felt loyalty toward certain branches of the royal family and were part of the coalition network did not interfere.
However, they aren’t loyal to the crown prince himself but to the royal bloodline. Naturally, the Archduke faction is still part of the royal family.
There’s a possibility that this coalition could tighten its bonds. It’s practically a certainty.
The real question is, who started this rumor?
Was it some of the nobles forming this coalition?
No, that’s unlikely. If it were, the Archduke faction, which is also being implicated in this rumor, wouldn’t stay silent. So, is it the Archduke faction itself?
If they wanted to eliminate us, directly inciting nobles to launch a surprise attack would be more effective than spreading rumors.
Yet, there’s no sign that these coalition nobles are preparing for war anytime soon.
This information comes from the logistics movements observed by the Golden Sheep Trading Company.
I can see the bigger picture forming.
The Archduke faction couldn’t just overlook Count Vywarl’s faction, which is associated with the Crown Prince’s side. But the Archduke faction has been clever.
They saw that Count Vywarl wouldn’t lend a hand to the Crown Prince. Yet, as a show of power and a check on us, they decided to act.
It’s ironic, isn’t it? The Archduke faction, whom I’ve never even met, can see right through us, while the Crown Prince, whom I met in person, is still trying to win us over.
And the timing.
Because it’s just a warning, they spread the rumor only after we returned to our territory…ensuring that we wouldn’t be attacked. If we were, we might see the Archduke faction as enemies and align with the Crown Prince.
Even if we tried to retaliate against the Archduke faction, they’d only respond that it’s just a rumor, denying any direct involvement while giving the coalition nobles an excuse to confront us.
They’re skilled, I’ll give them that.
They’ve guided the situation against us without dirtying their own hands.
I slumped over my desk and let out a sigh.
“Damn… they’ve outplayed us.”
“…Do you think it will lead to war?”
I scratched my head, considering Erich’s question.
“Yes… For now, they don’t seem ready to mobilize. But it’s inevitable. I’ll need to report this to Father as well…”
I grabbed some unused paper nearby and started writing.
Father might already know, but I’ll report it just in case.
“What should we do?”
“Hmm… For now, let’s recruit another 2,000 volunteers. I wanted to invest more in domestic affairs, but…”
Even with this, I doubt it’ll be enough, but considering we don’t even have a thousand troops now, there’s no choice.
Nothing ever goes as smoothly as I’d like…
