Chapter 464: Every Glass a Pact

The crown prince’s wedding was a national event.

The ministers’ families were a given, and high-ranking nobles packed into Breisburg Cathedral until there was barely room to stand. It seemed like every noble I knew was there, but this wasn’t simply a gathering to offer congratulations.

It was more of an arena for political battles, with the crown prince’s wedding as the stage. The only ones interested in the crown prince’s dashing appearance and the crown princess’s beautiful gown were the noble ladies who’d come with their husbands.

The moment I stepped into the wedding hall, the air around me changed. The looks I got were a mix of fear and wariness, completely different from before. That was how badly the Rosenheim-Basel war had shaken the nobles.

The Count of Basel had also taken a seat among the southern princes. The nobles who knew about the dispute whispered and traded opinions among themselves. It was probably not a conversation that did me any favors.

Normally, the Count of Basel would have been glaring daggers at me, but now he acted as if I didn’t exist and wouldn’t exchange a single word with me. The other southern princes, on the other hand, approached me hoping to build a friendship.

"I heard that, as befits the war hero who ended the civil war, you won a great victory and showed great mercy."

"You flatter me. I only gave back as much as I got."

"So modest. No one will ever take you lightly again, Baron."

The prince speaking to me with a greasy smile while stealing glances toward Marquis Offenburg’s group was the Count of Rheinkalsen. His territory bordered Basel and was more influenced by Basel than any other, and now he wanted to get friendly with me.

During the civil war, he’d been hostile in the negotiations the crown prince led, and now here he was acting all chummy. In a world where friend and foe could switch places at any moment depending on political calculations, it wasn’t surprising.

That was why I didn’t offer him any more goodwill than necessary, either. Even if Basel and I were enemies now, no one knew whether we might become allies someday, so I always kept in mind that there are no permanent enemies or permanent friends.

"The Count of Basel was once the foremost of the southern princes, but now his power is wavering. He’s paying the price for waging war on Rosenheim without just cause. Personally, I’d like to become friends with you, Baron."

"You want Rheinkalsen to crush Basel and stand tall as the foremost power in the south?"

"Hahaha, you’re very direct."

In the Count of Rheinkalsen’s meaningful gaze, I could sense his desire to crush Basel and become number one. Joining hands with Rheinkalsen and squeezing Basel from both sides didn’t sound so bad.

"I’d like to build a friendship with you as well, Count."

"Then let us raise our glasses together."

"To the Gubert family."

"To the Streit family."

There was nothing special about building a friendship. Among princes, friendship simply meant temporarily joining hands when their interests aligned. And for that very reason, when their interests clashed, they turned on each other just as easily.

That shallowness was exactly why blood alliances mattered so much among nobles. The Count of Basel, who’d been pretending not to notice, glared at us in displeasure when the Count of Rheinkalsen and I raised our glasses.

The other southern princes simply watched with interest without taking either side. This delicate web of relationships was both ridiculous and entertaining. At any rate, I’d scored a diplomatic win of sorts.

When I moved elsewhere in the hall, Count Euz came up to me this time.

"So the Fox of Gubert has approached you, Baron."

"Fox? Come to think of it, the Gubert family crest is a fox."

"The family was once famous for fox hunting in the Alps."

I had no idea why a family would be famous for fox hunting, but I did learn that Rheinkalsen also maintained close ties with the Swiss Confederation. The Swiss had their fingers in every pie. No wonder the grand duke hated them.

"Be careful. The Fox of Gubert loves to stab people in the back."

"If he stabs me in the back, I’ll just make him pay for it."

"Oh, how confident. Well, now that you’ve broken the Count of Basel, I suppose Rheinkalsen barely registers."

"Oh dear, you’re twisting my words. I have no intention of underestimating the Fox of Gubert."

The Count of Rheinkalsen’s disposition was sly (evil).

The Count of Basel had also been called sly, but Rheinkalsen was even worse.

It would be foolish not to be wary of a prince like that. But now that we’d struck up a friendship, it was only natural to use it to my advantage while staying on guard. The Count of Rheinkalsen was probably thinking the exact same thing.

"You really are a wolf, Baron. Are you making the whole south your prey this time?"

"Hardly. I’m not yet strong enough to take on the entire south."

"If you ever do end up taking on the south, give me a heads-up."

Count Euz smiled slyly, seemingly hoping to reap the spoils of war. Apparently, rumors were going around that I’d made off with a huge fortune from plundering Basel. Hmm, I actually hadn’t squeezed much out of them at all.

"Where is your son-in-law, Count?"

"Glued to his liege lord and his sister."

Count Euz shot a disapproving glare toward a corner of the hall. I followed his gaze and saw Adelbert, Ariel, and Bodo. Hmm, together like that, they looked just like a family.

"Are you pleased with the son-in-law I introduced to you?"

"At first, I was extremely offended. I was seriously worried you’d lost your mind, daring to recommend a bastard to me as a son-in-law. But once I weighed the pros and cons, I decided he was worth the dishonor."

"I’m glad. Through Elsheimer, we’ll be able to bind all our friendly forces together."

"And Angela seems to have taken a liking to the boy."

The union of Angela and Bodo wove several powers together like a spider’s web. It was a textbook political marriage, but the two were still young, so they’d have to wait until they were at least fifteen to marry officially.

Bodo was eleven now, so they’d have to wait another four years.

There was no telling what might happen in the meantime.

"I’m the one who recommended Angela as the crown princess’s handmaid, but can the crown princess really meet our expectations? The immature girl I saw in Feuzen makes this old man uneasy."

Count Euz might have been the only prince who had seen the real Lily. That was why he didn’t trust her at all. But in the end, his distrust was nothing more than a prejudice based on seeing only one side of her.

"If you want Euz to benefit from the royal family, you need to support the crown princess."

"What makes you say that? What could that immature young lady possibly do?"

It wasn’t just Count Euz; most of the princes judged that Lily lacked what it took to be crown princess. But that was the judgment of people who didn’t truly know her.

"For the sake of our friendship, let me give you some advice."

"You’ve certainly earned the right to advise me. I’m listening."

"Don’t underestimate the crown princess. Someday you’ll regret it bitterly."

"Is that your judgment after observing the crown princess for a long time, Baron?"

I didn’t say anything more. Count Euz sank deep into thought, then nodded, saying that supporting the crown princess might not be such a bad idea. Honestly, he was a crafty, slippery old man.

Rather than relying on uncertain information, he’d gotten me to give him an accurate assessment of the crown princess, then slipped away like an eel and declared his support as if he’d had no other choice.

Count Euz called a palace attendant over to fill our glasses.

My empty glass was filled with red wine once again.

"In this glass dwells the devil that made the wine. Raising our glasses to drive out this devil is a tradition of ours dating back to Roman times. That’s why a toast is the most sacred and friendly of pacts."

"So it’s an old tradition. I thought people just raised their glasses when they were in a good mood."

"Hmph, young people these days take toasts far too lightly."

Count Euz raised his glass first.

"To the crown prince and his bride."

His lips were smiling, but his eyes weren’t. That was the relationship between Euz and me now. The bigger Rosenheim grew, the tighter the checks from those around it would naturally become, even from a friendly neighbor.

Overcoming that was the challenge facing any new prince.

In the midst of this subtle shift in relationships, someone approached.

"Count Euz, may I borrow the Baron of Rosenheim?"

"Oho, Duke Altringen. I’m done with him, so go right ahead."

"Thank you. I won’t forget Euz’s devotion."

Was that some kind of self-deprecating joke?