198 – Lieutenant General Jaeger, loved by His Majesty the Emperor (3)
Three months after the end of the war, the dining room of the imperial palace.
A large dining table with all kinds of luxurious and expensive furniture and decorations, and dozens of plates of food that would cost at least a few gold pieces per plate.
I am enjoying the honor of dining alone with His Majesty the Emperor here.
So, I was very proud of myself for having made it this far, but on the other hand, I felt burdened by having a meal with the highest person in the empire.
I couldn’t taste the food in front of me at all, whether it was salty or sweet.
“hahahaha, eat a lot. “I told you to prepare this food with special care because you said you were coming, so don’t hesitate and eat it.”
…… No, to be honest, His Majesty’s favor is so heavy that I feel like I’m going to pretend.
I just don’t need anything and I really miss the meals prepared by Charlotte or the chef at my mansion.
“I don’t know what to do when you treat me to such good food, Your Majesty.”
“hehehe, is it a waste to treat you, the treasure of the empire, like this? “Don’t hesitate and eat it.”
“I feel like I’m already full just by saying that.”
Continuing this formality-less conversation, we ate with His Majesty for almost an hour, or nearly two hours thanks to the dinner course.
In the meantime, I heard in detail about what kind of life His Majesty lived when he was my age, what he studied, and what he paid close attention to when raising His Highness the Crown Prince.
Even when talking about married life, he gave strict and solemn advice with a very serious expression.
I think the reason he was giving me advice was out of respect for His Majesty the Emperor, who is already in his mid-50s and entering his late 50s, and I am only 28 years old.
“It’s great to be able to have a meal with you like this. Then, let’s have a cup of tea and talk about the rest. Chief Butler, I would like two cups of strong tea. And you can step aside for a moment.”
Then, as the head butler placed two cups of very fragrant tea, dozens of servants in the dining room, excluding the head butler, left at once.
“First of all, Lieutenant General Jaeger, I sincerely thank you for your performance in this battle against Austria. Thanks to this, Michael was able to completely regain his political standing.”
“I just did what I had to do. And the reason I was able to win this battle was because His Majesty completely trusted me despite my shortcomings, and because His Majesty the Crown Prince fought bravely against the enemy knights.”
“Thank you for saying that. Your presence in the Reich Empire is clearly Deus’ blessing. So, in gratitude for his grace, I should increase my offering. By the way, have you heard anything about the progress of this expedition?”
Usually, at the level of a general, you can receive roughly detailed information through the personnel department before the merits and demerits are officially announced.
However, this time, perhaps because it was an expedition personally led by His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, His Majesty gave an order not to reveal the public records until the triumphal ceremony, so I do not know anything.
“I have never heard anything.”
“That’s right. The crown prince issued an edict to announce them all at once after the triumphal ceremony. But what do we have? Isn’t it between me and you? There is no need to hide certain things from each other.”
…… Since I am not a civil servant or administrator, I have never been involved in a direct political fight, but I know this proverb.
‘Be careful when a big politician reveals intimate feelings by asking what kind of relationship we have. ‘I don’t know what might happen.’
Following those instructions, I came to my senses a little more and answered.
“I am ashamed that you treat me so highly despite my shortcomings.”
“Too much humility is a sin. If it weren’t for you, Michael could have been deprived of his right to succeed as emperor by now. And it’s just you and me here. If there were other ministers, how much pain would my stomach hurt.”
“Then, I will live with pride within the scope of not being too arrogant.”
The emperor nodded his head and said, as if he liked what I said.
“But I think I have to tell you some sad news. Are you ready to listen?”
“I will gladly accept any orders you give me.”
“Due to your achievements in this expedition to western and northern Austria, six captains belonging to the Chief of Staff have sent you letters of recommendation for promotion to captain. But the Noble Council opposes your promotion. So, I couldn’t help but give permission for promotion.”
Originally, to be promoted to captain, you must receive a letter of recommendation from an active-duty marshal and letters of recommendation from at least five active-duty captains to be eligible for promotion review.
Because my father-in-law is my enemy, letters of recommendation from six captains were posted instead.
And I think the reason they wrote my promotion recommendation letter was because they recognized my ability and at the same time, I received the Twin Dragon Medal, so I think they meant to promote me quickly.
Well, honestly, there is bound to be a limit to being promoted to captain with a major of this level after several years of service and overcoming various obstacles…
From noble mtl dot com
This time, I will have to be satisfied with just receiving letters of recommendation from six active captains, which is the first gateway to promotion.
“Is that so, Your Majesty?”
When I answered this, the emperor sighed and asked again.
“However, the Non-Public Service Award has not been officially announced yet. So, if you wish, I will grant you permission to be promoted to captain. There may be some opposition, but as an aristocrat of the Empire, there is no one who can deny Lieutenant General Peter Yeager’s abilities and achievements, so it will soon be resolved.”
…… To be honest, it’s not that I’m not interested in the position of captain, who can lead tens of thousands of troops and directly command the war.
If you eat too quickly, you will feel bad, and if you pursue your career too quickly, you will become quiet.
So, if I can hold on to my military achievements so far as a shield, I may not have any problems with being promoted to captain, but the backlash may go to His Majesty the Crown Prince.
“I am only 28 now. I am quite satisfied with the fact that I have reached the rank of lieutenant general at this age. However, I would like you to generously reward the 7th Guards Division under my command and the soldiers who fought bravely this time. If you do so, your grace and the generosity of His Majesty the Crown Prince will be clearly revealed.”
“Honestly, with your abilities, I don’t think there would be any problem if I appointed you as the leader, I understand. Please come up slowly. Instead, let me ask you something.”
“Ask me anything.”
After a while, His Majesty asked in a serious voice.
“You used to see Louise often before your deployment. Why did you visit her so often?”
When I heard this story, I had a definite uneasy feeling in my head, although I don’t know why.
To be precise, when His Majesty asked that question.
No matter how much I was trusted by His Majesty, I wondered if His Majesty’s frequent visits as part of official duties at Her Majesty’s request had offended Her Majesty.
When I went to visit Her Highness, the report would naturally have gone to Her Majesty, and because of that, she never pointed it out until now.
“I am very grateful that Her Majesty the Princess has shown great interest in the 7th Guards Division. So, every time I stopped by the capital, he asked me to tell him about the division’s training situation or interesting anecdotes, so I followed orders and visited him in person whenever I had time.”
“It was like that. So, I think he took the time to read books related to military science in order to understand at least a little bit about the 7th Guards Division.”
“I couldn’t bear to tell you, but the high morale of the 7th Division was largely due to the special attention given by Her Majesty the Princess. “He spent his own money and gave us things like alcohol and meat, so all the soldiers went to training with a spark in their eyes.”
Thanks to that, when planning the training schedule, I made sure to schedule the most difficult training on the day after Her Highness Louise personally gave the reward.
The soldiers persevered until the end even in situations where they would have fallen behind at other times.
“Then I guess you also have quite a bit of fondness for that child.”
“I respect you from the bottom of my heart. As she repays His Highness the Crown Prince for her kindness, she also intends to repay His Highness the Princess to the best of her ability.”
“I see, it’s really nice to see. “But there’s a problem here.”
…… At that moment, His Majesty’s face stiffened a little, and she asked in a heavy voice as if to strengthen her resolve.
“No, they say it is because of official duties, but there are rumors going around inside and outside the imperial palace that Louise often has friendly conversations with a handsome and talented man who is only 28 years old. “You have to take responsibility, right?”
…… Oh, sh*t. Her Royal Highness Princess Louise is a very nice person, but it is already decided that I will have a new father-in-law.