Chapter 467: Behind the Kaiser’s Back

I could understand why the grand duke was torn.

"Is Viscount Rittensenegger fluent in many languages?"

"As far as I know, he speaks French, Latin, and Italian fluently."

"Baron of Rosenheim, you speak quite a few languages yourself, don’t you?"

"I also speak French, Latin, and Ungarn (Hungarian)."

The Count of Essenbach was very surprised.

"Huh, is that true? That’s impressive."

"Hmph, French and Latin, maybe, but what use is Ungarn?"

Despite his words, though, the marquis’s expression was grave. In the Middle Ages, when most people were illiterate, knowing many languages was proof of intelligence. French and Latin in particular carried the most weight.

The ever-suspicious marquis wanted proof, so I had to rattle off something in all three languages. He couldn’t understand a word, but I spoke so smoothly and fluently that he couldn’t doubt me any longer.

"Seems you can’t dismiss him as an ignorant former duchy knight lacking seasoning and experience."

"..."

The marquis held his tongue, even in the face of the count’s sarcasm. He realized that the more he argued, the more ridiculous he’d look. The grand duke weighed Viscount Rittensenegger against me and soon made his decision.

"I have no intention of dismissing Viscount Rittensenegger’s diplomatic skill, but he was implicated in an embezzlement scandal and left as a disgraced noble, so bringing him back now would be controversial."

"Very wise, Your Highness. Bringing back such a controversial figure would only stir up trouble at court."

"Above all, the Baron of Rosenheim is on friendly terms with His Imperial Highness Crown Prince Maximilian. That was the most important condition. When forging a blood alliance, isn’t a personal friendship with the party involved what matters most?"

The marquis glared at the grand duke, genuinely displeased.

"You had the Baron of Rosenheim in mind from the start."

"My apologies. I didn’t want to offend you, Marquis, but the choice had already been made."

"Hmph, you’ll pay the price for making me play the fool."

"I’ll gladly accept any challenge from Offenburg."

The atmosphere turned so tense it seemed they might really go at it, but the marquis was the first to look away. With the crown princess no longer doing his bidding, his influence wasn’t what it used to be, so he backed down.

"...Ahem. Do as you wish."

I’d been rooting for the marquis inwardly, but he’d given up, and all my cheering had been for nothing. If Viscount Rittensenegger had lobbied the marquis to get back into central politics, his hopes had just been dashed.

Once the marquis backed down, the grand duke smiled with satisfaction and asked me,

"How much do you know about Kaiser Friedrich, Baron?"

"Aside from rumors, I don’t know much about the Kaiser."

"Of course. He’s known for being incompetent, but more precisely, he’s a man with no interest in state affairs who prefers to lose himself in his hobbies. That’s why the empire’s princes harbor strong resentment toward the Kaiser."

It seemed the grand duke was one of those resentful imperial princes.

"And the Kaiser is so suspicious that he trusts no one. Not even Crown Prince Maximilian is an exception. Forging a blood alliance with a man like that is extremely difficult."

"Is that why you told me to build a friendship with Crown Prince Maximilian?"

"Unlike the Kaiser, the imperial crown prince is capable. His political skill united the divided Habsburgs. It’s also thanks to his competence that they’ve been able to withstand the threat from Ungarn."

Maximilian certainly was an impressive man. He was so down-to-earth that he got along easily even with my men, and he was genuinely likable. Even without the grand duke’s orders, I wanted to be his friend.

"Make sure you win Crown Prince Maximilian over to our side. That’s what matters most."

"I’ll keep that in mind, Your Highness. Leave it to me."

That was the end of the meeting. Duke Altringen had already disappeared, and the Marquis Offenburg glared at me for a moment before leaving first. Only the Count of Essenbach stayed behind, waiting for me.

"If you succeed in this, Baron, you’ll be richly rewarded, so don’t forget that I went to bat for you on behalf of the western princes."

"...Thank you for your help, Count."

So he’d waited around just to take credit for that. The Count of Essenbach let out a hearty laugh and headed back to the banquet hall first. Damn it, must be nice to be so carefree. Left alone in the hallway, I leaned against the wall to cool my head and sort out my thoughts.

On top of accompanying Duke Altringen to Austria as his guard commander, I’d now been given the mission of bringing about the political marriage between Maximilian and Evangeline.

The problem was that the Habsburgs decided their marriage policy based on the bride’s dowry. Could Evangeline’s worth as a bride really satisfy the Habsburgs? To be honest, I was skeptical.

Even so, the grand duke’s mind was made up, so I couldn’t refuse. The threat from Burgundy was growing by the day, and the Habsburgs were tied up fighting Hungary, so the grand duke felt a growing sense of crisis.

Just then, the palace chamberlain approached me.

"His Highness is calling for you."

The meeting had just ended, and he was calling me again? Judging by how the palace chamberlain had whispered, this was going to be a private audience for a secret conversation, and I wasn’t to draw anyone’s attention.

"Sorry to call you back again when you can’t even enjoy the reception."

"Not at all, Your Highness. But what did you call me for this time?"

"Baron of Rosenheim, I intend to join hands with Ungarn as well."

...Did I just hear that wrong?

Join hands with who? The Habsburgs’ enemy?

I steadied my racing heart and asked again as calmly as I could.

"Ungarn and the Habsburgs are at war right now. Is it even possible to join hands with them?"

"That’s why we have to do it behind Kaiser Friedrich’s back."

The grand duke smiled meaningfully. Oh, this is insane! Was he planning to join hands with Ungarn and stab the Habsburgs in the back? If we did, we’d end up as the Habsburgs’ outright enemies.

What on earth was the grand duke up to?

"Thanks to your spirit of adventure, Baron, this grand strategy has become possible."

"Thanks to my spirit of adventure?"

"You can talk freely with cavalrymen from Ungarn, and you’re the one who won over Ungarn defectors by building them a village in your territory. That’s what gave me the idea of how we could join hands with Ungarn. This entire strategy exists thanks to you, Baron."

"..."

I had once introduced the Hungarian cavalrymen to the grand duke. I’d interpreted for them myself, so of course the grand duke remembered me as someone who spoke Hungarian fluently.

I’d stupidly dug my own grave.

I never imagined things would turn out like this.

"Do you know why I want to join hands with Ungarn, Baron?"

"Because you don’t trust Kaiser Friedrich?"

"While I was staying in the east, the Grand Duke of Bavaria sent me top-secret information."

Top-secret information? I had a sinking feeling that this was something I shouldn’t hear, but the grand duke paid no mind and laid the secret out for me without hesitation, as casually as if he were ordering lunch.

W-wait! Stop! I said stop!

And it was a story from eleven years ago, no less.

"The Duke of Burgundy, known as the Bold, harbored ambitions of breaking away from France and becoming a king. So in exchange for joining hands with Kaiser Friedrich, he demanded a coronation. The Kaiser accepted that proposal, and the coronation was set to be held in the Electoral Archbishopric of Trier (an archbishopric that elects the emperor)."

The fastest route for Emperor Friedrich to reach Trier was to pass through Beren, travel along the Main River, disembark at Mainz, and head on to Trier. At the time, the late king had given the emperor a great deal of support.

"The late king judged that if Burgundy broke away from France and formed a friendly relationship with the empire, it would greatly benefit our duchy as well. So he provided a great deal of funding for the Kaiser’s journey. Our royal family was responsible for escorting him as far as Mainz, but then something unexpected happened."

Out of nowhere, a rumor spread that the Duke of Burgundy and the Grand Duke of Beren had conspired to imprison the emperor, destroy the Habsburgs, and seize the imperial throne for themselves.

"How does that rumor even make sense? It sounds absurd even hearing it now."

"We didn’t think much of that ridiculous rumor either. But Kaiser Friedrich is a suspicious man, and overlooking that was the late king’s great mistake. On the way to Trier, the Kaiser slipped away from the late king, joined up with the Palatinate Wittelsbachs, and went back to Austria."

Good lord...

That meant we were left holding the bag.

"Do you know what happened next?"

"Don’t tell me that was the cause of the great war six years ago?"

"Yes. The one responsible for the great war that killed Richard (Baron Constance) and your father, Baron, was none other than Kaiser Friedrich. Grrr."

Hatred and madness swirled in the grand duke’s eyes.