No One Welcomes Summer's Fever (4)
If I could read the opponent's hand perfectly, I could at least figure out how to adjust the situation. All it takes to fill in the missing cards is a bit of bravado and the courage to be misunderstood and hated. That's why my plan was to play the villain, shake up the people involved, and turn this marriage (prospective) from a family affair into a personal one.
Of course, there were predictable hurdles. The biggest problem among them was whether I could drag the Neustria Duke into this proposal fiasco.
In the end, if he dismissed it as mere nonsense and kept pushing it as a family matter, there was nothing I could do. So I had to maneuver him into a situation where he had no choice but to acknowledge it.
The best way, naturally, was to cause a commotion in a public place where every student at Sponheim Academy could witness it. If he refused, I could fan the flames toward a matter of family prestige... but.
'That would be too harsh on young Ludwig.'
According to my plan, the princess would have to trash young Ludwig for various reasons, but wouldn't that mean publicly humiliating him in front of the entire academy? It might solve the immediate issue, but there was no guarantee he'd accept it, and long-term, it would be a bad move.
In the end, all I could suggest to her was a way to create a pretext that both sides could accept.
And to discuss it with her, I met her in the annex of the library.
"Propose a courtship trial to the other side?"
"Yes."
These days, it was little more than a formality, but there used to be a custom where, to propose to a precious superior, you'd test if they had the qualifications. In the common folk, it was said to check if the prospective husband could 'sneak dangerously into the bride-to-be's room.'
Of course, noble marriages didn't work that way. They involved negotiations between family representatives, confirming what each could gain, and then exchanging children.
That said, it didn't mean the parties involved couldn't voice their opinions at all. The issue was how much weight those opinions carried.
Fortunately, this was still just the 'engagement planning stage,' with no formal ties yet. If it wasn't already set in stone, I figured the individuals' wishes could be reflected sufficiently.
Besides, in a family that let a princess like her roam freely at the academy, and another family bold enough to approach her for marriage, there had to be room for such a game.
"Do you remember that story I told you before about the foreign princess?"
"The one where she said she wouldn't marry unless he beat her at wrestling?"
"Propose something like that to him. Since you're both in the same department anyway, frame it as a 'formal' challenge."
"Hmm, you think the others will accept it?"
"At the very least, the other party will."
"......How can you be so sure?"
"I'll explain when the time comes. What I can say for certain is that no matter what trial you set, they won't go all out to win it."
"Which sounds like the other side isn't thrilled about this either, doesn't it? What do you think, Werner?"
"I can't go into details, but probably."
I couldn't explain the whole situation. I sure as hell couldn't admit I'd grabbed their weakness and blackmailed them.
'They won't like it, but...'
For now, she just needed to know they had something to gain, so they'd play along.
'I'll handle the villain role.'
She'd just exercise her right as a noble facing a challenge, and the other side would subtly throw the match. That was the picture.
The key was giving her and young Ludwig's family a pretext they could accept even if the engagement fell through as a 'personal matter.' The best outcome would be for the princess to reject it on those grounds, the other side concede, and the families rethink the whole thing...
"What I want to know is who from the capital will be coming for this. His Majesty the Emperor won't grace us with his presence for something like this, I assume..."
"My second brother will come."
"What kind of person is he?"
At my question, Princess Charlotte let out a light sigh, crossed her arms, and answered.
"Someone who meddles in others' business a lot. Thanks to that, I've talked to him the most. ......He's not completely unreasonable."
"You don't seem thrilled about it."
"......I don't like talking about family. Most of them are annoying."
Come to think of it, her maid, Baroness Kreuznach, had said her position in the family wasn't great. Looking back, what did that mean? Was it connected to her current reaction?
'Even a princess living among common academy students without much fuss...'
"If there are allies and enemies in this situation, do you see the one coming as an ally or an enemy?"
"In my view, neither."
"......Neither?"
"Hard to say..."
Princess Charlotte twirled a lock of hair, responding with an oddly irritable tone.
"I think my brother's reason for coming here has more to do with something else than my engagement."
"Not a family matter first?"
"Probably. He's not the type to step in for family issues usually. He meddles in personal affairs plenty, but he knows when it's worth his involvement. ......Being the second prince, you get it, right?"
"That's......"
Unlike her, I hadn't met him personally, so it was hard to respond definitively. But the emphasis she put on 'second' suggested...
"Some internal family strife not known to the public... Is that it?"
She didn't say it outright. She didn't nod. It wasn't just that she hated talking about it; she couldn't badmouth her imperial family, after all.
But from her casual gaze, chin resting on her hand as she looked at me, I could tell it was affirmative.
'This is more complicated than I thought...'
I'd expected complexity with an engagement issue, but not that the swing vote had 'other intentions.' And not knowing until I saw him made coordinating even harder.
'No helping it. I'll have to improvise from here.'
At least I could take comfort that he wasn't an enemy in this mess.
"But Werner, aren't you just naturally inserting yourself into this?"
"I said I'd help. I have a good idea."
"Having a good idea is fine. It did surprise me.... But even with that, you can't just insert yourself into family negotiations, right?"
The princess pointed at me with her finger.
"Well.... I'll have to find a way."
"......How?"
"I'm thinking."
"......Pfft. No plan, huh."
The princess covered her mouth and let out a small laugh. For a moment, it almost annoyed me.
"Why laugh? I'm working hard here."
"Just... it feels like you're really trying. This doesn't benefit or harm you personally."
"We're friends, aren't we?"
I crossed my arms and shot back, making her flinch.
"I did say that, but..."
"Friends help each other. Especially someone who looks like they're about to cry in pain."
Her eyes widened. She asked if she'd really looked like that, but I mumbled without saying 'That's how it looked to me.'
"......Thank you, really."
"If you're grateful, pay me back later."
"Yeah, I will. But you have to tell me honestly what happened, okay?"
"......I don't like liars."
"You remembered."
Who likes liars, anyway? And.
"It's the first time. Someone acting like this for my sake."
"Anyone could..."
"No, I don't think so."
Princess Charlotte smiled and slowly stepped away from our secret spot.
"People as unique as you aren't that common," she said, words that sounded profoundly meaningful to me.
*
......Anyway, after that, things seemed to proceed along the direction I suggested.
Young Ludwig decided to act to protect his lover, and Princess Charlotte decided to act because she didn't want the unwanted engagement. The common thread: neither wanted it. That emotional motive would drive them to convincingly sabotage it.
"Heard the crazy rumor about what happened today?"
"That the third son of the Neustria Duke proposed to the Second Princess?"
The whispers spreading everywhere meant the situation had gone more public than I'd expected.
'What's going on? Did young Ludwig escalate it?'
It wasn't entirely unforeseen, so I'd been heading to the source of the rumors right away. But I quickly realized the twist wasn't part of their agreement.
Because he was approaching me directly.
"Who's that?"
"His Highness Prince Wilhelm, the Second Prince. ......Looks like imperial business."
A young man with faded golden hair, standing arms crossed boldly amid what could become a family scandal exposed to the world. Not much difference in height from me, but unlike my average build, he carried a commanding presence like a halo as he walked over.
"───You're the vassal that the Ruticia Margrave boasts about, I take it?"
The color was similar to our lord's, but the inner quality differed. Where our lord wore gentle warmth on his face, this man's smile was handsome yet somehow off-putting.
"Yes."
"Hm, I've heard a lot about you."
"You've...... heard of me?"
"Ears are everywhere if you listen."
The Second Prince scattered vague words, noted the crowd around, then naturally overtook me as he spoke.
"Seems you've stirred up something amusing with my little sister."
"......"
I hadn't thought no one would notice. But I hadn't expected him to pinpoint and seek me out like this.
"Because of that, things are getting interesting. I came to thank you and make a proposal. What do you say?"
"......What do you mean? If it's talk, to my lord..."
"No, this is to 'Werner von Hebel,' not 'Hebel Baron.' You know what I mean."
"Those are inseparable statuses."
"But at Sponheim Academy, not quite. You're a student."
"Then all the more reason I don't need to comply. You're not a professor, Your Highness."
A ho, look at that expression crossed his face.
"So, I can take that as you saying I don't need to help my little sister in this farce?"
"......!"
He couldn't have missed the dismay on my face. I'd probably worn the same when young Ludwig heard my pitch.
Did he see through everything? Or not?
"......What do you want."
"Come along. It won't harm you. Just something I'd like your help with."
Yes, the prince raised a finger, his face resembling yet unlike his sister's, and said to me:
"Simply put, be my champion once."
"......Me?"
"Yes, here in the mock battle. I'll explain on the way."
What the hell was this? I was utterly confused, but in a situation where I was already caught, what choice did I have?
"......Very well."
I sighed once and reluctantly followed him.