Chapter 193
Chapter 193
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Translator: MadScientist
Chapter: 193
Chapter Title: The Newly Born Frontier Count
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The existence of the newly born Frontier Count was more than enough to transform the banquet following the speech into a full-blown battlefield.
The moment we arrived at the banquet hall, nobles from both the Emperor's faction and the noble faction lost their minds and dove into heated debates. The atmosphere was so tense that without my sister acting as a restraint, it would've devolved into outright cursing.
Even though I'm clueless about politics, I could fully understand their mindset.
If you set aside His Majesty the Emperor himself and just consider the nobles, the balance between the Emperor's faction and the noble faction wasn't all that different.
Judging by visible scale alone, it was about 6 to 4?
The gap widens dramatically when factoring in key positions or His Majesty's influence, but purely among the nobles, the Emperor's faction couldn't unilaterally crush the noble faction.
But if the leader of the Emperor's faction—the Emperor's right-hand man—gains magical nomads, our family could single-handedly check the Devonshire Ducal House.
Come summer, the title will transfer to my brother, but that might be even worse.
What if Father fully focuses on the steppes and trains tens of thousands of nomad cavalry?
The steppes have a sparse population, but including all humans, there were hundreds of thousands living there.
Of course, it'd take two or three steppes to rival the Imperial Capital...
But churning out cavalry without training is another matter entirely.
Besides, the nomads had bowed to the Empire due to lacking guns, but now they could arm themselves with firearms at will.
But that's got nothing to do with me.
At least while my brother is alive, there won't be any nomad cavalry riding into the Imperial Capital.
Father's the type who could mercilessly hurl thunderbolts or activate the guillotine if needed, but at heart, he's a pacifist.
If Father truly wanted war, the situation would already be a mess, and nomads wouldn't even be an issue.
Personally, though, I wanted to see elf cavalry charging while firing guns.
No lever-action rifles yet, but an elf galloping along while spin-cocking a gun one-handed? Cool as hell.
Riding and shooting with a revolver-wielding cowboy—pure romance.
"Shouldn't the Hume Count have to give this up himself?"
"The moment he received the seal and crest from His Majesty, he became the Frontier Count. Mind your terminology!"
"Ha, fine, Hume Frontier Count. He's practically duke-level now. Does that seem normal to you?"
"Don't arbitrarily judge what His Majesty has decreed!"
"Even so, concentrating too much power in one house is dangerous!"
Separate from my desire to see elf gunners, it felt like I should try to calm them down...
"Sister, what do we do?"
"Beats me. Let's just stay quiet and watch until the banquet ends."
"What about Brother?"
"Let's pray... that Father or His Majesty shows up soon."
"......"
A young priest and a baron had no real solutions.
I wanted to help my brother, who was desperately trying to mediate both sides, but how could I when I'm the one who's been forcibly ascended? Being from the boonies made it less intense, but if I jumped in now, they'd point at me and yell, "Here's proof of His Majesty's favoritism toward House Howard!"
"It's not just the Hume Frontier Count. Look at Baron Howard—even he shows His Majesty's blatant favoritism toward specific houses, disrupting the noble hierarchy!"
"Hierarchy? Have you forgotten what happened just a few months ago with the Crown Princess and the Imperial Princess?"
"I had nothing to do with that."
"As if. The whole world knows your vassal got caught bribery!"
"Either way, since that horrific incident just happened, we need to be more cautious!"
"Ha!"
This was starting to get dangerous.
With everyone getting worked up and starting to voice things better left unsaid, it was time to bail.
Sticking around longer risked hearing something that'd make my eyes and ears bleed—not worth the hassle.
"You all...!"
"Ooh~"
Thankfully, the gods hadn't abandoned us. With His Majesty the Emperor and the Imperial Princess absent, and nobles marching toward a fire pit, someone appeared to cool things down.
"...We see the Empire's rising star!"
Crown Princess Alexandrine, entering the banquet hall alongside Elizabeth, strode gracefully toward the nobles greeting her with beaming smiles.
Positioning herself in the midst of the nobles, the Crown Princess lightly scanned their faces, then smirked and spoke.
"Hehe... Is it because flowers bloom and spring warms the air that everyone's so spirited? I hope I haven't intruded insensitively."
"How could that be? It's a banquet hosted personally by His Majesty the Emperor. Your Highness gracing us is only natural."
"I thought I'd mistakenly wandered elsewhere, seeing how passionately you're all fretting over the Empire's future."
"Ahaha..."
The nobles' momentum softened at the Crown Princess's overt scolding of their open quarreling in the banquet hall.
"I know your hearts are for the Empire, but don't forget this is the imperial palace. Even well-intentioned counsel must be voiced in the proper venue."
"We'll keep that in mind."
Anywhere else, they'd have argued the merits and injustices regardless of the Crown Princess, but this was the palace banquet hall.
Not the place to show flushed faces openly.
Last year, the late Devonshire Duke got humiliated bickering with me here—surely they hadn't forgotten already.
No wonder even heavyweights like the Devonshire Duke were watching from afar instead of charging in.
"Be mindful next time. There won't be a second warning."
"Yes..."
At least it was a relief that, unlike last time, it was just raised voices this time around, so the Crown Princess didn't berate them for long.
The follow-up warning was pretty vicious, but compared to the late Devonshire Duke enduring sarcasm from his granddaughter-aged princess, it was mild closure.
"......"
For a brief moment after the Crown Princess's warning, silence blanketed the banquet hall.
Having their heated fight halted by her intervention, everyone was furtively gauging the mood, waiting for her to say something.
"Still, His Majesty knows your concerns, so don't worry too much. Didn't he say events like today's would happen again soon?"
"You mean..."
"Don't you all think the Empire's ducal seats have been vacant far too long?"
"...!"
The Crown Princess's words were enough to make everyone's eyes widen like full moons.
Right now, the Empire had around four purely noble-originated ducal seats vacant, excluding those reserved for imperial kin who hadn't ascended the throne.
Ducal positions were so weighty that filling them promptly made sense, but the issue was they'd become vacant due to civil war...
Everyone recognized it as a problem but ignored it deliberately for 21 years to avoid losing their heads.
Now, the Crown Princess was signaling they wouldn't let it slide any longer.
"With the Empire stabilized and my position as heir solidified, it's time to properly fill those vacancies, wouldn't you agree?"
"Wise words indeed."
"Our vision was too narrow; we failed to perceive His Majesty and the imperial family's foresight."
"So refrain from rash actions and await His Majesty's choices."
"Yes, Your Highness."
Both Emperor and noble factions brightened, endorsing her statement.
They were pleased at more dukes because such positions weren't handed out lightly on a whim by His Majesty.
They required substantial qualifications and ability.
Truly worthy candidates were few enough to count on one hand.
Naturally, with the Emperor's faction dominant now, they'd likely claim more.
But even they lacked four nobles capable of dukedoms.
In other words, the noble faction could snag one or two seats.
If ducal-level powers remained just the Imperial Princess, Father, and Devonshire, it'd be nightmarish.
More dukes meant His Majesty's power dilutes slightly, nobles gain a bit, and even within the Emperor's faction, new factions form—hardly bad for the nobles.
If His Majesty pretended madness and funneled them all to his faction, it'd differ, but he wasn't the type.
"Now, let's enjoy the banquet. On a joyful day like this, you should leave with smiles."
"Yes, Your Highness...!"
Having swiftly pacified the nobles, the Crown Princess picked up a glass of wine nearby and swirled it lightly.
Taking that as cue, the nobles bowed slightly to her and resumed conversations in a softer atmosphere, as if their earlier spat never happened, faces flushed but composed.
"Heh..."
A dry chuckle escaped at the sheer thickness of iron plating on those noble faces.
Truly blue blood—impressive folks.