Chapter 468: Our Damned Kin Next Door

Duke the Bold, who had been waiting in Trier for his coronation, was abruptly abandoned, and the late king, who had acted as the emperor’s guide, ended up bearing the brunt of the duke’s rage. That was what had led to the great war six years ago.

"Baron of Rosenheim, do you know the real reason I drove out Gwendirente (the former queen) and stirred up the dispute over Strasbourg? And why I allied myself with the Bavarian Wittelsbachs?"

"...Don’t tell me Lothringen and the Count Palatine were the ones who started that rumor?"

"Your political insight really is exceptional, Baron. You’ve hit the nail on the head. What dragged us into the great war with Burgundy was a conspiracy between our damned kin next door and that despicable Count Palatine."

Now that I knew the great war between Burgundy and Beren had been the result of someone’s scheming, I could understand why the grand duke was so furious. Baron Constance had died in that war.

Normally, the grand duke was cool-headed and steered every situation exactly where he wanted it, but he had one sore spot—and only one: Baron Constance.

Whenever Baron Constance was involved, the grand duke became a different person.

He seethed with enough hatred to breathe fire.

"I don’t understand. Why would they cook up such a conspiracy?"

"The Duchy of Roden is a vassal of the empire, but it’s also a vassal of France."

"You mean Roden holds dual vassalage?"

"Yes. Surprisingly, many nobles don’t know that."

So the Duchy of Roden was a vassal of both the empire and France. In feudal society, that wasn’t especially rare, and since holding multiple contracts wasn’t illegal, some princes served several lords.

Because of this, when two lords went to war, it was common for a vassal to send a set number of troops to each side, and there had been plenty of tragedies in which men from the same hometown ended up fighting each other.

"The Duchy of Roden became a vassal of France because of the threat from Burgundy. When Roden realized Kaiser Friedrich had little interest in it, it went and placed itself under France. One of the justifications for the war between France and Burgundy was a dispute over ownership of the Duchy of Roden. It’s no exaggeration to say Roden’s fate will be decided by the outcome of this civil war."

I realized this diplomatic mission wasn’t simply aimed at a blood alliance with the Habsburgs. It was like jumping into a snake pit where seven powers were tangled together in a complicated mess.

The Duchy of Burgundy, the Archduchy of Austria, the Duchy of Bavaria, the Electoral Palatinate, the Duchy of Roden, and the Duchy of Beren.

"The Duchy of Roden was afraid. If the deal between the Kaiser and Burgundy went through and a Kingdom of Burgundy were born, who would be threatened first? The Duchy of Roden, of course. Burgundy might even have laid claim to Roden itself. So Roden moved to wreck the deal."

"I understand why the Duchy of Roden, suspicious of the Kaiser, would team up with the Count Palatine and spread such a rumor. But why would the Count Palatine side with the Duchy of Roden?"

"He didn’t want our Altringen royal family to grow any more powerful. And if we and the Bavarian Wittelsbachs joined forces, it would have been a nightmare for the Count Palatine. That’s motive enough."

So this was why relations between the neighboring states had gone completely to hell.

The French civil war was almost certainly going to end in a Burgundian victory. If Burgundy claimed ownership of the Duchy of Roden, Roden would naturally resist, making a great war all but certain.

Meanwhile, the Count Palatine, who had always kept Beren and Bavaria in check, was now old and on his deathbed, and his sons were fighting a civil war over the succession. A once-in-a-lifetime opportunity had come Beren’s way.

Bavaria and Beren had been able to join hands without any interference. Of course, Bavaria intended to use Duke Altringen to turn Beren into its puppet, but either way, the two had forged a sacred and noble blood alliance.

"In exchange for my taking the Wittelsbach princess (Elisabeth) as my wife, Konrad (the Grand Duke of Bavaria) handed me a great deal of information. There were so many schemes we knew nothing about. So many."

Grrr. The grand duke ground his teeth.

It was the first time I’d ever seen him this angry.

"I understand your intentions, Your Highness, but this is far too dangerous."

"Baron, the twelve cannons you used were a gift from the Kaiser, meant as an apology for what happened back then. An apology? Is this what passes for an apology? Just twelve cannons? We fought a great war and suffered enormous losses—isn’t that far too paltry to be called compensation? That’s why I can’t trust the Habsburgs."

So that was why the grand duke had taken the cannons as an insult. That lingering resentment was also why he had been reluctant to adopt cannons. The air in the grand duke’s office was so heavy it felt like it might crush me.

"I believe you’ll live up to my expectations, Baron."

However I looked at it, this was more than I could handle.

"This is far too much for someone who has only just become a prince."

"No matter how I think about it, you’re the only one who speaks Ungarn’s language fluently and can act boldly even in enemy territory. That you founded a Magyar village must have been the Lord’s will as well."

"If we join hands with Ungarn, there’s no turning back. Are you truly prepared for that?"

"Only if the Habsburgs refuse a blood alliance with us. If Ungarn comes over to our side, the Habsburgs won’t dare act rashly. Setting Italy aside, our forces would have Austria surrounded."

Beren, Bavaria, Bohemia, and Ungarn could indeed surround Austria on three sides. For the Habsburgs, it would be a nightmare, but it was far too dangerous a gamble.

If it failed, it would be a disaster, and even if it succeeded, it would bring problems of its own.

If the electors pushed back too, a major war could break out.

On top of that, with a powerful enemy like Burgundy right on our doorstep, making enemies of the Habsburgs as well was far too risky. The grand duke was coolly watching to see how I would react.

Drawing the Habsburgs in through a blood alliance was the best option, but the Trier incident and the information passed along by the Grand Duke of Bavaria had confirmed that the Habsburgs had betrayed Altringen’s trust.

And Beren had already paid the price for it.

When Emperor Friedrich abandoned the coronation and fled, the enraged Duke the Bold launched a massive invasion. A huge army crossed Beren’s border, intent on marching all the way to Austria.

That was the beginning of the great war, a nightmare for Beren.

Ironically, what forced Burgundy to withdraw was a rebellion that broke out in Liège. The revolt spread all the way to the Lowlands (the Netherlands region), leaving Burgundy no choice but to pull back.

There were rumors that the Habsburg imperial family had stirred up the Liège rebellion, but opinions remained divided. The great war left Beren’s west badly damaged, and we paid for it in blood.

What on earth was I supposed to do?

The trip to Austria had taken a turn I’d never imagined. My head felt ready to explode from thinking so hard, but when I checked the grand duke’s state of mind, he was still perfectly calm.

...Could it be?

It occurred to me that this whole situation might be an act. The grand duke was watching me as though testing how I would react to being handed such a weighty mission.

Could it be that he wanted me to speak frankly?

I didn’t know if that was the right answer.

"Your Highness, please think this through with a cool head. If you act on emotion, you’ll regret it. Making enemies of the Habsburgs at this critical moment is the worst possible move. Above all, Ungarn can’t be trusted."

"..."

"When I took in the Ungarn cavalrymen, I learned about Ungarn’s internal affairs from them. King Mátyás has been suppressing Ungarn’s nobles to strengthen royal authority, using every excuse he can find to seize even their lands. What exactly would we have to offer an ambitious king who is at war with our empire right now, who has held back the Ottoman advance in the east, and who commands such formidable military might?"

"Forging a blood alliance would be worth it even if I had to give him my daughter."

He would marry Evangeline off to Mátyás?

But Mátyás was already the King of Naples’s son-in-law.

"Mátyás and the Neapolitan princess still have no children, so rumor has it they’ll divorce soon. The King of Ungarn won’t refuse the hand we offer. As you said, Ungarn’s east is under constant threat from the Ottomans. If he wants to end the war with the Habsburgs as quickly as possible, he’ll have no choice but to side with us in the end."

"What do we gain by pushing the Habsburgs this far?"

"We and Bavaria will secure the right to elect the Kaiser."

Could he really be aiming to become an elector?