287 – The Great War of Bohemia (3)
The Marquis of Schweig sighed when he saw those people who came to his barracks in anger.
“Why have you come to see me at this late hour? “Isn’t it time to sleep?”
The nobles who heard those words shook their heads vigorously and protested.
“That can’t be possible! “Didn’t the Marquis hear the rumors?”
“That bastard, Viscount Cologne, seduced Her Highness Maria. “He is trying to manipulate the innocent Highness who fell for his trick and run politics as he pleases.”
“If we stay still, we don’t know when our heads will be blown off.”
In this world, politics is the same as war.
The defeated person walks on thin ice, not knowing at any moment that he will lose not only his property and territory, but also the lives of himself and his vassals.
Of course, in normal times, nobles want to live leisurely and comfortably throughout their lives, so even if they engage in political fights, they end at the level of taking away a certain amount of power…
When a civil war breaks out like now, people fight, risking their lives to push out the other side.
In such a war, ‘the princess’s absolute support and love’ was like an ICBM with a nuclear ballistic attached in the 21st century…
In the position of nobles, it would feel as if their feet were on fire, or rather, their entire body was already on fire and burning brightly.
Schweig also fully understood this point and nodded his head.
“It doesn’t make sense.”
The fact that the Marquis agreed made the nobles press forward with even more vigor.
“Aren’t the Viscount Cologne and Her Royal Highness Princess Maria old enough to be like that? That’s why it’s considered suspicious.”
“Your Majesty’s marriage is the most important event in the empire.”
But this time the Marquis of Schweig shook his head.
“I understand very well how you feel. “But I wish you were a little more cautious.”
“Yes? But…”
“Count Sauer, do you think I am the kind of person who would say this because I don’t know your loyalty? However, shouldn’t we first consider what situation we are in now?”
As Marquis Schweig said, Princess Maria’s faction is currently engaged in a civil war with Matthias.
“What are you going to do if you come after Viscount Cologne with your sword drawn in a situation where moving in unison isn’t enough? And what if Viscount Cologne joins Matthias’ side?”
Not all of the nobles here doubted the loyalty of Martin, Viscount Cologne.
If she were a human who had the intention of betraying her, she would not have thrown her body to protect the princess when she was in danger of being assassinated.
‘But what if they try to kill Martin? From then on, things will be different. He will betray himself in order to survive.’
The Marquis took turns patting the shoulders of several nobles, including Count Sauer.
“And why do you people want to interfere so much with His Majesty’s marriage situation? Do you even have the authority to do that? I don’t know if Her Highness was directly asking who would be a good marriage partner, but who on earth gave you the right to discuss that?”
Not only in the Rhine-Palatinate Empire, but also in any other country, the emperor or the elders of the imperial family seriously consider and decide on marriages for the royal family.
This is because the marriage of the royal family goes beyond the simple union of clans and involves enormous national interests and diplomatic policies for the next several decades.
But now, not only is there no one in the imperial family who can become an adult, but Maria is actually in a position similar to that of an emperor…
Even though Maria was born into the royal family, she has the right to marry whomever she chooses.
It would be blasphemous for a noble bastard to come out here and interfere.
The nobles, who found reason at the Marquis’s point, kept their mouths shut.
On the other hand, the Marquis knew how the princess took care of the Viscountess of Cologne during the last assassination attempt, so she knew that Maria had already chosen the Viscountess of Cologne.
‘It’s a shame that my son can’t marry Her Highness, but the Viscountess of Cologne is still the next best option.’
“In a civil war situation, you’re not planning on causing trouble by getting caught up in a story you don’t have the authority to discuss, right?”
Count Sauer nodded his head vigorously at those words.
“Of course. However, out of concern for Her Royal Highness…”
Even if it wasn’t necessarily a pure heart, the Marquis decided to trick it.
There is no benefit in seeing blood here.
“That’s a good thing. But what if there is no smoke coming out of the chimney? So let me speak for everyone and argue with him. “After the civil war is over, I will ask Your Majesty to reveal the facts.”
Going to protest will not change much.
If you really want to be honest, it just goes to show that the nobles will be displeased if he shows off too much just because he is the future husband of the Empress…
So, it will end with a warning not to spread recklessly.
From Noble mtl dot com
Although the nobles were angry, they had no choice but to accept this proposal.
Otherwise, he could have been ripped off by the nobles next to him in return for daring to give advice on the princess’s marriage.
“Thank you, Excellency the Marquis.”
Then the Marquis of Schweig sighed and went to Martin’s barracks a while later.
“It would have been better if Your Majesty’s love affair had begun after the civil war had completely ended.”
**
The Marquis came to me late at night.
“I’m sorry for suddenly coming to you so late, Viscount Cologne.”
It is a nuisance that he came to me so late and unexpectedly and woke me up from my slumber, but I am honest about it.
‘This is such a nuisance, let’s get some sleep.’
It’s not a level of disgrace to say something like this.
If he was that kind of person, he would probably have been ostracized by everyone or secretly killed during his mercenary days. I wouldn’t even be alive until now.
This is a world where human rights are not that important, so there is an unspoken rule that it is okay to kill low-ranking soldiers.
“I can’t believe you’re here so late. “What business have you come here for?”
The Marquis looked at me and immediately sighed.
“I came because of that damn rumor. You are the princess. No, I’m just going to be honest and tell you the truth. “There is a rumor going around that they are mixing bodies.”
f*ck, we’ve only just kissed.
What freezing bullsh*t.
“If this is a completely unfounded rumor, the problem can be solved by cutting off the heads of a few idiots who are spreading this. However…”
We didn’t just have s*x, we already promised to get married and are passionately in love.
So, pushing it as an unfounded rumor will only make things bigger.
No matter how much we live in this world where it is natural to take responsibility for a woman’s entire life with just one kiss, it is not uncommon for fiancés to have s*x before marriage.
“The problem is that it is not completely groundless.”
“That’s right. Well, for now, I’ve suppressed half of the rumors. “Whether Viscount Cologne and Her Majesty the Princess are dating or what they do, it is none of the nobles’ business.”
As expected, he has the leadership skills of a leader of a faction.
Quiet half of this damn rumor in an instant.
‘Then how do we solve the other half?’
“Your Majesty’s love can be decided by you yourself. “There is no senior member of the imperial family who can take charge of Your Majesty’s marriage.”
When I brought this up, the Marquis frowned as if he was offended.
“Huh, it’s a correct opinion. It’s really uncomfortable to hear it from the person involved. After all, aren’t you the one who benefits the most from it? From a mere mercenary to a baron and viscount, he is now the Empress’s wife. “How do you feel about standing above all the nobles of the empire?”
It wasn’t intentional, but honestly, it’s not bad.
With things like wealth, power, and power, more is more, and the more you have, the better.
Moreover, Maria and I love each other, so it’s even better.
But I know very well that when you hold power, you have to carry the burden that comes with it.
Besides, here, if you say, ‘To be honest, I’m very happy,’ you’ll make the Marquis very upset…
“That’s not what I meant. As a noble who has always surrendered, I have offered my loyalty to Her Majesty the Princess in order to protect my property, my clan, and my family.”
“I don’t think it would make much of a difference even if it was just intentional. Is not it? “Her Highness has reached the point where she can’t live without you.”
No matter how much they belong to the royal family, they lost all their adults, including their fathers, at a young age, and their families are fighting a war of death and murder every day.
So, if there are trustworthy people around you, you will naturally rely on them.
Probably from the moment Maria announces her marriage to me after the end of this war…
She is likely to seem excessively obsessed with me.
The more veteran mercenaries become, the more they become crazy about alcohol and women’s pleasures. This is because of the longing for family members who do not know if they are alive in their hometown, the loneliness of losing a dead comrade, etc.
“If I had intentionally approached you with the purpose of seizing and wielding a little power, Her Majesty Maria would be the one to kick me out. “She is not a foolish person.”
The Marquis was lost in thought for a moment after hearing my words.
“You’re not wrong.”
“And if I blinded Her Highness Maria with her love for me, wouldn’t she have tried to purge Count Sauer first? “Do you know how much my reward has been cut because of him?”
“You certainly did your job as a viscount of the empire. There is no such thing as going into politics on the back of Her Highness’s favor. So it’s true that Count Sauer is safe.”
“Thank you for acknowledging us.”
The Marquis stood up after hearing what I said.
“Just keep it the way it is now. Don’t even think about shaking up politics with Her Highness’s favor on your back. Let me tell this to the nobles. I scolded you severely, and you apologized by bashing his head until your forehead bled. Then maybe those idiots will be quiet until the civil war is over.”
Then the Marquis handed me a clean bandage.
“Put some pig’s blood on this and use it.” There’s one thing I want you to know… I support your love. “I really want my son to marry your majesty, but I don’t think you’re all that bad either.”