Chapter 469: At Last, My Heir

The grand duke’s ambition left me slack-jawed.

Surrounded on three sides, the Habsburgs would have no choice but to give in. Their power base was still limited to Austria. The Palatinate was mired in a civil war, and there was no telling how the other electors would react.

Since Karl IV’s Golden Bull, the empire had seven electors: the Kingdom of Bohemia, the Electoral Palatinate, the Duchy of Saxony, the Duchy of Brandenburg, the Archbishopric of Mainz, the Archbishopric of Trier, and the Archbishopric of Cologne.

Incidentally, before the Golden Bull, the Wittelsbachs had held two electoral votes, but Karl IV declared it unacceptable for one family to hold two votes and stripped Bavaria of its vote.

When it came to light that the Palatinate had engineered this, the two branches of the Wittelsbach family became bitter enemies, worse than strangers. Ever since, the Count Palatine had kept Bavaria constantly in check.

With the full story of the Trier incident revealed, the Habsburgs had completely lost Beren’s trust. Their betrayal had caused Beren enormous damage, so it was only natural for Beren to turn against the Kaiser.

"The electoral seats were fixed in the days of Kaiser Karl. Wouldn’t changing that be impossible? Even Kaiser Friedrich only went as far as elevating Austria to an archduchy."

"We don’t need to add seats. We just need to take existing seats from their holders. The Count Palatine’s children have started a civil war and weakened their own state, so Bavaria can take back its electoral seat. And we’ll take the electoral seat held by the House of Wettin in Saxony."

Saxony, which had been minding its own business, was about to be hit by a bolt from the blue.

The Palatinate had always been an enemy, so that didn’t matter, but this meant making enemies not only of the Habsburgs but of Saxony as well. Could the alliance of Beren, Bavaria, Hungary, and Bohemia really handle that on its own?

Making unnecessary enemies did no good at all. And I still had serious doubts about this strategy. It was far too dangerous, and if Beren got swept up in something this big, there was no way Rosenheim would come out unscathed.

If I couldn’t protect Hilda...

That was a pain I couldn’t bear.

"The baron they call the Plunderer of Basel, who has never hesitated to crush his enemies, is hesitating. That’s the hesitation of a man with a lot to lose. Young as you are, Baron, you don’t let your hot blood get the better of you, and you know how to assess a situation with a cool head. That’s why I’m entrusting this to you."

The grand duke stood by the window, gazing out at the endless lights of Breisburg, which was still bustling with the crown prince’s wedding celebrations even though night had fallen. All I could do was quietly watch him.

"If I told the nobles about my ambition to become an elector, they’d embrace it wholeheartedly, saying they wanted to leave their names in the empire’s history—without giving the risks a single thought. Wouldn’t they cry out that it’s a matter of noble honor worth risking their lives for?"

It was so predictable that I could picture it vividly. They’d probably lose sight of reality, get swept up in mass hysteria, and throw their full support behind the grand duke’s wishes. How many nobles had already died for the glory and honor of their families?

"However, if the Habsburgs accept our demands and form a blood alliance with us, there will be no need to pour our national strength into seizing an electoral seat by force. The enemy in front of us right now is Burgundy."

"You’re right. Before we talk about an electoral seat, we need to deal with Burgundy."

"But if the Habsburgs keep refusing our proposal to the very end, the Kaiser will eventually fall."

The Kaiser probably would. The problem was that there was a good chance Altringen and the Wittelsbachs would fall right along with the Habsburgs. If we failed to unite our strength and got crushed by Burgundy, it would all be for nothing.

There was a very real chance we’d do all the work only for someone else to reap the rewards.

"So Duke Altringen and his entourage are just a cover to deceive the Kaiser?"

"Yes, an elaborate cover. Johannes will approach the Kaiser in his own way; all you need to do is weigh the Kaiser against Ungarn as the situation demands. We’ve given the Habsburgs a choice, but in the end, Beren’s fate rests in your hands, Baron."

The grand duke said it lightly, as if joking, but it was no joke at all.

He was entrusting the fate of Beren to me, a mere baron? Did that even make sense?

"That’s cruel of you. So in the end, I’m the one who has to roll the dice."

"I’m sorry. Unfortunately, there’s no one in Beren besides you I can entrust with something like this."

"I’ll do my very best to forge a blood alliance with the Habsburgs so that you won’t have to carry out that dangerous scheme, Your Highness."

In the end, all I could do was stick to the original goal and bring about a blood alliance between the Habsburgs and Altringen. To persuade the emperor, I absolutely needed the imperial crown prince’s help.

This was exactly the kind of moment the grand duke had in mind when he told me to befriend the imperial crown prince. Unlike the emperor, the imperial crown prince was at least someone you could reason with, and he was well-disposed toward us.

"I think I made the right choice in entrusting this to you, Baron."

The grand duke was back to his usual self.

That told me all I needed to know. His heart might be screaming to bring down the Habsburgs for getting Richard killed, but his reason wanted to avoid the worst-case scenario.

Joining hands with Ungarn meant crossing the Rubicon. No matter how badly the Habsburgs had stabbed us in the back, and no matter how hard Ungarn was pressing them, the Habsburgs were still the Habsburgs.

"Whether you win over the Habsburgs or Ungarn, if you succeed, I’ll reward you accordingly. Just know that it will be a very generous reward."

"Are you planning to raise my rank? That doesn’t really tempt me."

"Hahaha, a mere promotion couldn’t even compare."

It might look as though he was working me to the bone for nothing, but the grand duke had always rewarded me extraordinarily well. So if he was promising that much, it was definitely something to look forward to. What could he possibly give me?

...Oh, for crying out loud. I’d been saddled with an absurd job, and here I was looking forward to a generous reward. Was I just a fish that couldn’t resist the bait? There was no going back now. I was already on a runaway horse, and all I could do was hold on.

Suddenly, I missed Hilda terribly.

Overcome by sudden exhaustion, I staggered back to the reception hall and found the crown prince and his bride dancing to the music. I envied them for dancing so happily, blissfully unaware of any of this.

Ignorance really is bliss.

I was leaning against a pillar when someone approached.

"Baron, are you all right? You look very tired."

It was Vermeer, who had recently started growing a beard. His face looked brighter than before, and that alone told me he had made up with the crown prince.

"You’re looking much better. Did you finally make up with His Highness?"

"Yes. You and Her Highness the crown princess were a huge help, Baron. I’m truly grateful."

"No need to thank me. I just wanted to ease Hilda’s worries."

"Was Lady Hilda worried about me too?"

"You’re her friend, so of course she was worried."

Vermeer seemed deeply moved. The red-haired boy, who had moped around as if the world were ending after drifting apart from the crown prince, finally seemed to have grown up.

"Oh! There’s the Gale Knight!"

"Brother Wolf! Come dance with us!"

The crown prince and his bride spotted me and dragged me onto the dance floor whether I liked it or not. Thanks to them, I ended up dancing with Lily and Angela, and I even had to dance with Evangeline, whose eyes were sparkling.

Evangeline Theresia von Altringen.

In the end, her fate rested in my hands too.

Before I knew it, spring had passed and summer had arrived.

And at last, my heir was born.