Chapter 165
Chapter 165. Title-Conferral Ceremony (1)
“A different method.”
Young Master Hamel smiled faintly and leaned his face forward. At this rate, our lips might touch.
“Do you know why I value you? You always drag in something unexpected and turn the board into a much larger one. And in a very amusing way at that.”
The Young Master turned sharply and began pacing around the room. Was he telling me to explain? I spoke toward his back.
“Princess Ophelia wishes to grow closer to Young Lady Sapiela.”
The Young Master flinched, then laughed faintly.
“That is unexpected indeed. I thought the Princess’s Get-Well Visit was merely courtesy. Where did that information come from? Or did you hear it directly?”
“I heard it directly. I had a chance to speak with her alone at the Birthday Party.”
“Ah, people have been talking about that quite a bit. I do not know if you heard, but there are even people speculating that you might be entering central politics.”
“That is not an unpleasant rumor.”
“Are you serious?”
I smiled slightly and changed the topic. Making him impatient at times like this was also good timing.
No matter that I was in the same boat as the Young Master, I could not show him every card in my hand.
It was not because I could not trust him one hundred percent. Rather, it was because I had realized that my value rose further when I became someone whose actions could not be fully predicted.
That was why I intended to always leave some room. As if I could jump somewhere else if necessary.
“In any case, from what I saw, Her Highness was sincere. She said it was not as though a wicked woman could not make friends. I did not expect her to speak so honestly.”
Hamel turned his head sharply and asked with a frown.
“The Princess truly said that?”
“She did.”
“That is surprising.”
Young Master Hamel propped up his chin and sank into thought. Intelligence began flashing in his eyes.
“I see…… So that is what happened? Then we can unravel the story that way. I think I know what your plan is.”
“What you are imagining is probably correct.”
I was someone who had been running along the cutting edge of modern education known as graduate school. I possessed knowledge that exceeded the average intelligence of the people in this world, but the Young Master was an exception. His intuition and insight sometimes surpassed mine.
“We can simply use what Princess Ophelia said before about wanting to visit the Adeline Territory, can we not?”
“You saw through it precisely. If the Princess moves, the Royal Guard will move with her. In that case, Astria will no longer be able to apply military pressure.”
“Of course. If they did, it would be no different from threatening the Royal Family this time.”
I smiled and nodded.
“Operation Name ‘Envoy of Peace,’ is it? Hahaha! Interesting. Very interesting!”
Young Master Hamel seemed satisfied.
That was another card I had come to hold. To persuade Ophelia and invite her to House Adeline. Furthermore, if she even inspected the Border with Hamel, those bastards would no longer be able to throw a fit.
It would be even better if the Princess traveled on that route to visit the Count Astria House as well.
The relationship between the Princess and the King did not seem like a simple father-daughter relationship.
The King had spoken with the Princess about state affairs without the slightest resistance. That meant the chance of her being designated as the heir might be higher than expected.
It was not as though there had never been a history of queens ruling.
Even in the place where I had lived, had there not been several famous queens?
In any case, if matters unfolded that way, the Count Astria House and the Delfino Merchant Company would have quite a headache. Their target was House Adeline, not the Alphrost Royal Family.
Once the tension at the Front Line dulled like that, all Metis had to do was step forward and wage a Proxy War. The buildup for a war over the Commercial Sphere was steadily proceeding even now.
“That is a good idea. To do that, we will need to lay the groundwork well in advance.”
“I trust that you will also cooperate in that part, Young Master.”
“Of course. I will also try making an invitation proposal to the Princess. Things may work out more easily than expected. If I had known this would happen, there would have been no need to bow and scrape so much to those noble bastards.”
“Sowing seeds is never a bad thing in any situation. It will be useful someday.”
“The packaging sounds plausible, but it does not improve my worsened mood.”
Even though he said that, the corners of Young Master Hamel’s mouth were twitching. He was probably imagining the scene of the Princess visiting the Adeline Territory.
I brought up the next matter.
“And Young Lady Sapiela has ordered us to begin preparations for her return.”
“Already?”
“It seems she has completely made up her mind.”
“If that is the case, we must prepare.”
“I conveyed the situation to Chief Brituang and asked for his help. I will set the departure date for three days from now. If possible, it would be best for you to return with us as well, Young Master.”
“There are people I need to meet.”
“It is now dangerous for you to move alone.”
Fortunately, Young Master Hamel did not take my warning lightly. He crossed his arms, thought carefully, and answered.
“Are you saying I may be attacked by surprise? Nothing happened when we came here.”
“In the Birthday Party, His Majesty the King made remarks indicating that he hoped to mediate. For some reason, that bothers me. Those bastards will not miss such a current.”
“In truth, I feel the same. Since His Majesty the King and some nobles are lending weight to mediation, those bastards may create a justification that cannot be undone.”
That would be the assassination of important figures.
The lives of Sapiela or Young Master Hamel would be enough for House Adeline to use as a justification for war. The Astria Family would simply wait for war to be declared, then accept it.
Preparations might already be well underway outside the Royal Capital. If I followed my feelings, I wanted to buy some information from the Mystic Trading Company, but I lacked the Financial Power.
And if I had that money, it would be better to make solid preparations and depart instead. In any case, I was confident I could protect the two of them.
“Even so, moving together all at once would be even more dangerous. I know your intellect is excellent, but you are not a match for a hundred men alone, are you?”
“I have a plan.”
“Recite it.”
“I intend to draw the Bahamut Family into this escort. If it is the Azure Dragon Knight Order, they should be worth clashing with any opponent who comes.”
“What is the justification?”
“For now, I intend to make use of Eluna.”
“Miss Eluna, you say.”
The Young Master showed an interested expression. Soon, his expression brightened, so he seemed to have guessed my plan. As expected, conversation flowed well when someone’s head worked properly.
“You intend to appeal that Miss Eluna, an important figure of Metis, is in danger.”
“That is correct. If we lose Eluna, the company could suffer losses, so I plan to request an escort. In any case, the Delfino Merchant Company intends to keep our Metis in check.”
“We need to establish the justification properly.”
“I intend to make good use of today’s Title-Conferral Ceremony.”
“I will look forward to it.”
The Young Master waved his hand, and after observing courtesy, I left his room.
Now it was time to transform into Suhyeon and receive my title. After reporting my outing to Young Lady Sapiela, I secretly disguised myself and hailed a Carriage in the street.
Since I had dressed in fine clothes for today, the Coachman’s waist bent even lower than usual.
“It is an honor to serve you, my lord. Where shall I take you?”
“To the Bahamut Ducal House.”
“I will escort you comfortably!”
The Coachman even showed the sincerity of opening and closing the Carriage door for me. I should give him a tip later.
Soon, the Carriage began moving.
My hangover had not yet gone away, so my body felt uncomfortable. However, when I considered why the Duke had scheduled the Title-Conferral Ceremony immediately after Princess Ophelia’s Birthday Party, I had no choice but to muster my strength.
Many nobles from various regions had come up to celebrate the Princess’s birthday. Since not many nobles would return immediately the next day, he could invite many people.
Of course, this was not for my sake.
By granting a Barony to “Suhyeon,” Duke Bahamut likely intended to further solidify his Influence over Metis and imprint that fact upon many nobles.
It was a kind of show whose inner motive was plain to see.
Even so, there was no reason to refuse. All I had to do was obediently accept what was given and digest it without causing trouble.
And rather, that occasion would become an opportunity for me and a burden for the Duke.
If I were the Duke, I would not have held the Title-Conferral Ceremony this grandly. If I made some kind of request on that occasion, refusing it would not be easy.
After all, I had realized that the higher one rose, the more important face became.
“You will come to understand very well what a self-defeating move means through this opportunity, Your Grace.”
A plausible plan had already been established in my head.
***
When I arrived at the Mansion and got down from the Carriage, I could understand the prestige of the Bahamut Ducal House at a glance.
Even though I had arrived about an hour early, Carriages carrying guests were arriving without pause. I stopped briefly and looked around.
“Incredible. How many people did he call?”
As the Kingdom’s Minister of Internal Affairs and one of the few Ducal Houses, it was understandable that guests might arrive early, but this was beyond my imagination.
“Lord Suhyeon. Welcome.”
Chief Elwin approached me. I naturally put on a smile and offered him a greeting.
“There truly are many guests. Had I known this, I would have rented and ridden a better Carriage.”
“A person’s dignity is not decided only by outward appearance. Lord Suhyeon, you are already fully qualified. In that sense, I ask for your continued favor from now on.”
Perhaps because he was seasoned, he had an eye for people. I smiled and accepted his greeting.
“Hahaha. That is rather what I should say to you. I am a newcomer, but Chief Elwin, you have served this House for a long time, have you not?”
“It seems becoming an important person to a House is not decided solely by years of service.”
“Those are meaningful words.”
What story was hidden behind the bitter smile on Elwin’s face? It would be good if I had a chance to hear it someday. Somehow, it seemed to be related to the Duchess.
At that moment, he gestured toward the Mansion with his hand and bowed his head.
“Now, please go inside. The Banquet Hall is still being prepared, so refreshments have been prepared for the moment in the Drawing Room. It should be a good place to converse with the guests.”
“Understood.”
I soon arrived at the Drawing Room, and the gazes of the nobles gathered inside focused on me all at once.
“Who is this? Is this not Sir Suhyeon? I heard the protagonist is originally supposed to appear last.”
One of the nobles joked. Laughter sounded here and there.
The initial atmosphere was not bad.
What allowed me to feel less tense, at least, was that there were many people with whom I had already exchanged greetings once at Princess Ophelia’s Birthday Party.
I squared my shoulders proudly and entered.
“Everyone has gathered early. Since there also seem to be some people seeing me for the first time, allow me to greet you again. I am Suhyeon, Master of Metis. I ask for your favor.”
Greetings mixed with goodwill came back. I smiled and exchanged nods with them.
However, not everyone there was necessarily a good person.
“Are you the one who made the Fountain Pen and Ballpoint Pen?”
A rather plump man approached. The eyes beyond his Monocle narrowed sharply like those of a predator.
“That is correct.”
“Thanks to Her Highness the Princess, I had a chance to try using one yesterday, and it truly was remarkable. I thought it was only natural that His Grace the Duke would grant you a title.”
“You flatter me.”
“That is right. To be honest, it is flattery. Becoming a Retainer of the Bahamut Family is not such an easy thing, you see.”
Silence descended, and at the same time, I felt the cold gazes around us.
You are already trying to put me in my place? I understand that your guts must be burning now that a bright young man has begun receiving the Duke’s favor, but it is troublesome if you do this on a good day.
With my hands behind my back, I smiled leisurely and said.
“Before that, let us introduce ourselves.”
“I am Donald. I serve as the commander of the Blue Dragon Mercenary Corps.”
Ah, so that was you.
I had wanted to see your face once, and you came at just the right time. Thank you for sparing me the trouble.
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