Chapter 17
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Helmut Schwaben glanced around the parlor, pressed his lips together as if to whistle, and stopped when he realized that the house had been empty for less than ten days.
Lutgard Castle rarely received guests. Not only because it was far from the capital, but also because it had been deserted since the last Count had fallen from grace.
It was fun to see a place that few people had ever visited. Rutgard Castle was a historic place that had been around for over two hundred years. It had been expanded and renovated many times, but it still retained its classical atmosphere.
"What, it can't get too bad, right?”
Ezekiel and his father had serious faces, but Helmut didn't think this was particularly important.
"What's so important about that Lady Peril? She's dead, and the dead have no mouth."
The Schwabens already knew that Peril, known as Count Lutgard’s mistress, was the maid who fled the scene when the Empress was assassinated.
He didn’t catch her on purpose, knowing that she was gripped with fear. There was no need to antagonize Lutgard and kill her when she was already living in hiding with her mouth shut and a new name.
If he tried to antagonize Lutgard, the woman would be dragged into the middle of a fight between Schwaben and Lutgard. It would be a nuisance if the Empress's own family, the Duke of Klaus, became aware of Peril's presence.
He kept an eye on her. But Peril had been dead for years, and Pavel Lutgard, to whom she would probably have told her secret, had also passed away.
So Schwaben’s headache was gone. Or so Helmut knew.
But Ezekiel said, in his characteristically cold tone.
"There's still a daughter left."
"Peril's daughter? Why is that?"
"Lord Grayson, whom I sent to pay my respects, has obtained the will and sent it to me, and it says that Pavel Lutgard has left a will for Sir Theodore to marry Peril's daughter. Which means Peril's daughter is not Pavel Lutgard’s daughter."
Helmut was no fool, so he understood Ezekiel's suspicions at this point. But he was not immediately convinced.
"You suspect she's the late Empress’s daughter? I thought she was dead, and there was a body."
"There's no proof that it was her, because her body was found four days after she washed up in the river, wrapped in the imperial family's robes and strapped to her nanny's body in a baby carrier."
"Hmm."
"Pavel Lutgard’s will is strange. Up until now, I didn't think it was strange because I thought Peril was his lover, and that she fled to Lutgard to hide because she was pregnant with his child, but if that wasn't the case, he was hiding a woman who's carrying another man's child, and he wanted to marry her off to his own firstborn, let alone raise her as a foster daughter after her death? That's not normal."
Helmut didn't know the family affairs of others, and he suspected that Schwaben didn't either, but he didn't say it out loud. Ezekiel spoke, a frosty glint in his blue eyes.
"I don't intend to stir it up either, and maybe it really doesn't matter."
"Hmm."
"So check it out. If Lutgard’s family history can explain all this weirdness, I want you to find out."
Ezekiel ordered Helmut to do just that. Helmut had no choice but to obey his lord's command.
But he thought Ezekiel's suspicion was unwarranted. There were many parents in the world who wanted to marry their children off to their favorites. There were plenty of people who would accept a child from someone they love, even if it was not their own blood.
Ezekiel, who had no sense of humanity, would not understand.
'Even if the accusations are true, it seems like something that could be swept under the rug.’
Helmut thought to himself, out of curiosity, of course. But only a curiosity about the gossip in other people's houses.
The atmosphere at Lutgard Castle was certainly subtle. But considering that it was the day after a funeral, and that there had been a strange will, the uneasy air in the castle was understandable.
He had barely stretched when the parlor door opened.
Theodore Lutgard, dressed in a black mourning attire, entered. Helmut jumped to his feet.
He was a tall man, but Theodore was even taller. He was always a stern-looking man with a commanding air about him, but whether it was the black robes or the darkness of his expression, he seemed more regal than he had ever been before.
Helmut bowed slightly to him, trying not to break his habitual smile.
"It's been a long time, Count Lutgard. I'm sorry for your loss."
"It's a long way, and I appreciate you coming to show condolences, but I am not yet a Count."
"There's still the formalities of a succession ceremony, but isn't that just an act? To me you’re already a Count.”
"I'm not comfortable with that, so please call me Theodore. Please sit down."
Theodore replied in a calm voice and offered him a seat, his hard face showing no hint of emotion. He was an aristocratic man in a different sense than Ezekiel.
Helmut shook his hand and took a seat. Theodor spoke bluntly.
"You're here on imperial orders."
"It's not that serious. Hasn't your father, the late Count Lutgard, been absent from the imperial court for a long time?"
"He has."
"That's why I've come to ask you if you'd like to hold the succession ceremony at the Imperial Palace this time. I realize it will not be easy, with so many vassals in Lutgard, and so many people to call to swear allegiance."
Theodore looked thoughtful for a moment.
There were no procedural problems either way, whether the ceremony was held in Lutgard and the oaths of allegiance were taken at the imperial palace, or whether the ceremony was held at the imperial palace and the vassals returned to Lutgard to take their oaths of allegiance.
However, if the succession ceremony was held at the Imperial Palace, it would be a big deal. A lot of people and supplies would have to be moved, and it would be the talk of the capital's political and social circles.
'This means establishing relations with Schwaben.’
Pavel had cut off all contact with the capital and had never done much politically. Lutgard had traditionally been on bad terms with Schwaben, but it had never been actively hostile to Pavel's cause.
Now, however, there had been a generational shift, and Schwaben’s power had grown overwhelmingly in recent decades.
In the capital, one would have to choose between the nobles and the royalists. It was effectively a pro-Schwaben and anti-Schwaben faction.
Should the succession be held in Rutgard? That would not solve the problem. It was impossible to remain ambiguously neutral, distancing oneself from the center like Pavel. Theodore was not a frail old man who had lost his honor and was chipping away.
Rather, by sending a man like this, he was shaking off Schwaben’s hand that beckoned.
Theodore looked at Helmut with deeply sunken eyes and spoke gravely.
"I have not yet given any thought to the succession ceremony, as I have been mourning my father. I will give your suggestion a thought."
"Yes. You'll have plenty of time to think about it."
Helmut replied, then added nonchalantly.
"If you do decide to have the ceremony in the capital, I think it would be a good idea to have the wedding in the palace as well. The Countess-to-be would be pleased."
"What do you mean?"
Theodore asked, faintly sharply. He had thought of it, but the reaction had been stronger than he had expected. Helmut didn't hide his surprise, but echoed it as if he hadn't known better.
"Have I offended you? I have heard that the late Count had arranged Sir Theodore's marriage in his will, and I thought I would come and meet your fiancée while I was here."
"......."
Theodore clenched and unclenched his fist once. The bright spark in his dark eyes was quickly hidden, but Helmut realized he had touched a nerve.
He spoke, his voice quickly regaining its composure.
"My fiancée is recuperating as her grief had overwhelmed her body. I'm afraid you won't be able to meet her."
"I see."
It was then that Helmut understood Ezekiel's suspicions for the first time. He suspected that both the late Count Lutgard and Theodore were hiding the woman.
***
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Write a comment
Gardenia (Tuesday, 12 November 2024 11:55)
Do you know, Dora? As you suggested. I came here and read the rest of stories. In this universe, the Theodore is a good man. And I am happy to know that this story also has great plot. From now on, I will check this story too along with the Night of Eden. Thank you for your hardwork in translating the beautiful stories!
DoraTLs (Tuesday, 12 November 2024 12:30)
I’m glad you like it!