264 – Turning one’s back (2)
Three months later, Lilywood Plain.
Maria von Rheinpalatz, the princess who leads the faction that people call the First Princess Faction, is looking down at her map while wearing her sword and armor.
“Can we win?”
Marquis Schweig responded to those words.
“As long as Baron Cologne doesn’t betray us, we have a good chance of winning. If all goes according to plan, Baron Cologne will cut off Otto’s head at the most critical moment with his sword turned upside down.”
The Marquis said this, but the Marquis of Schweig did not doubt Martin’s loyalty to the princess.
That’s because Martin is not a saint mentioned in the Bible, and Prince Otto’s faction tried to completely alienate the person who made the greatest contribution from politics.
It was natural for him to choose betrayal for the survival of himself, his family, and his vassals.
Furthermore, when the princess was almost assassinated, he sacrificed his life to save Maria, so there was no room for anyone to doubt his loyalty.
‘However, whether it is for your own survival or because you are determined to get ahead, it is a problem if you try to get too close to Her Highness.’
Maria smiled softly after hearing her words.
“The Marquis of Schweig and the Baron of Cologne will never betray me. “He promised me something.”
“What do you mean?”
“The reason he is loyal to me now is not for territory, property, or power, but purely for my happiness. He is a nobleman who, unlike other nobles, truly puts me first. “How could someone like that betray me?”
The Marquis of Schweig suddenly felt the back of his neck being pulled.
If the Baron of Cologne had not been shot by an arrow instead of Maria during the attempted assassination of the princess, the Marquis would have spoken confidently at this moment.
‘Every man in this world speaks like that when he wants to win a woman’s favor. A guy like that is the worst kind of wolf!’
However, he could not so disparage the loyalty of the nobleman who risked his life to protect the princess, so he had no choice but to hold back and keep his mouth shut.
“I trust Baron Cologne. I trust him because he risked his life to protect me. And he has a special promise with me.”
Seeing the princess with a slight blush on her face and a faint smile on her lips, the Marquis Schweig was convinced.
As a princess, she has never had a chance to be close to a man her own age, so she only comes across love through her novels, the songs of bards, chatter between her maids, and rumors. I came.
Because of that, she didn’t seem to know what emotions she was feeling right now.
‘That must literally be first love.’
As a nobleman who had supported her since she was young, the Marquis felt aggrieved.
His cool feelings are due to the fact that all other nobles, including himself, failed to make the ‘sire candidate he favors’ a national letter.
In addition to the fact that she had failed, the feeling of disappointment was because the princess, whom she had watched with favor for a long time, fell in love with a guy who suddenly appeared while eating somewhere and looked like a horse bone.
‘Still, from a political perspective, the Baron of Cologne is still weak. It would be better than having a person pushed by another powerful person become the Minister of State.’
He asked to ease the tension.
“May I ask what that special promise is?”
“I said I would cook for him again. “I suggested that we both eat the food I made and talk comfortably.”
“Is that so?”
“That’s right, I somehow feel at ease when I’m with Baron Cologne. Just like when I was young and played immaturely with my brothers. And when I make eye contact with him, I smile.”
The Marquis of Schweig heard those words and nodded his head.
Maria’s love seems to have already reached an unbreakable stage, and she would rather marry the Baron of Cologne, whose power is currently the weakest, than to marry someone else.
Considering his political position, it was not the best choice, but it was the next best choice.
“The chat has gotten longer. Then order the entire army to march. Otto, I’m going to cut that pervert’s head off.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
Not long after that, the trumpet sounded and the princess’s army moved.
**
“Your Highness Otto! The First Princess’s army has begun its advance!”
Otto nodded his head after hearing the report.
“I understand. “Let’s go back.”
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“Yes, Your Majesty!”
After the messenger withdrew, Otto took a gulp from the glass of beer in front of him.
It may seem irresponsible to drink on the battlefield, but in this world, unless it is a very urgent situation, no one will say anything about having a beer or two.
This is because in the Rhine-Palatinate Empire, beer is treated as a beverage, not alcohol.
“Fight back. “Don’t be too hasty and take your time.”
Just as drinking water in a hurry makes you feel bad, in war, those who rush unnecessarily will fall first.
If you try to do something quickly because you are in a hurry, things tend to get tangled in the middle, and when you do that, gaps naturally show up.
The enemy is not a fool, so if he sees an opening, he will definitely attack.
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
Soldiers began to move in unison with the sound of trumpets all over the camp.
Otto moved the wooden horses symbolizing allies to the front on the map placed in the center.
“I guess it’s right to hold out until the situation escalates, right, Margrave?”
Estelle, who was sitting near Otto, responded to those words.
“Yes, Your Majesty. When the war situation becomes tense and tensions rise, you can mobilize the 5,000 troops under Baron Cologne that were taken out of reserve and attack the first princess. After enlisting her intelligence guild members to investigate, she said that the princess has a great favor for Baron Cologne, or perhaps she is not just a favor, but may even love him. So they will never be able to suspect Baron Cologne.”
There were two reasons why Margrave Estelle deployed the information guild.
One reason was to find out whether Martin had really deceived Maria or not, and the other reason was to check whether Martin had been manipulated by Maria.
And this was the conclusion that the Margrave came to by summarizing the reports he received from them.
‘The Baron of Cologne completely blindfolded the woman, Maria.’
“Baron Cologne is also amazing. He told her to act in order to win Maria’s favor and not raise suspicion, but then he made her fall in love? “His skills in seducing women are master level.”
“Isn’t it true that you acted like that to carry out His Majesty’s orders?”
“As a man, I feel a little bad. “I can’t believe he’s that popular with women.”
“Well, aren’t you your vassal anyway?”
“That’s right.”
In the midst of such miscellaneous conversation, Estelle couldn’t help but ask a question.
“By the way. How do you plan to reward Baron Cologne? If he does, he will definitely succeed in capturing the first princess alive.”
It was a question that could be asked because a full-scale battle had not yet occurred.
Otto chuckled at those words and answered as if it was obvious.
“I guess I should raise his title to Viscount as I promised. In addition, he has made a great achievement, so he plans to bestow a huge amount of money and territory. “As a monarch, this is the right thing to do.”
From a young age, we have all been taught that if we do something right, we deserve to be rewarded, and if we do something wrong, we deserve to be punished.
Even when you grow up, the rule still applies to your life, and it is especially clear when it comes to vassal relationships.
So, Otto was also thinking of shaking Martin off later, but he was thinking of giving him a big reward if he succeeded this time.
However, Estelle, who was completely unaware of the intention, agreed to those words.
“Without Baron Cologne, our faction would not have grown so easily and quickly. So, how about not only giving him the title of Viscount, but also giving him some special award? A position like Marshal of the Empire. “If you give me a title like that, you will have authority that goes beyond your title, so wouldn’t you be more loyal?”
At those words, Otto shook his head.
Then he snorted.
“There is no doubt about Baron Cologne’s ability and loyalty. But for a mere vassal, hasn’t his position risen too quickly?”
“Isn’t that because the current situation is so urgent? Moreover, his loyalty.”
Estelle was extremely embarrassed.
He always said that he would use Baron Cologne loudly in front of him, and in fact, I heard that whenever Otto met Baron Cologne in secret, he gave him words of comfort and a considerable amount of money.
In addition, he received information that he said would be of great importance each time.
He was dumbfounded by the fact that it was all a lie.
“If you have a vassal who is too proud, the monarch will get tired. And from the Margrave’s perspective, wouldn’t it be better to just shoo him away rather than increasing his competitors?”
“You throw it away in moderation…”
“I don’t plan on giving you an important position. They are not entrusted with important roles and are assigned to one position. “I have no intention of purging.”
This is better than a purge.
Because if you purge Baron Cologne, he will be worried that he will also be purged once his other vassals are used up.
But what if the Baron of Cologne discovers Otto’s intention to place a capable person in a single position?
‘Wouldn’t he betray me?’
When Estelle felt that fear, a full-scale conflict began.
At this time, Baron Cologne was waiting in the rear as a reserve unit.