A Delicate Truce
"Brother Edrin has awakened?"
The red-haired noble lady bit her lip, suppressing her rising anger.
"Y-yes, my lady. I heard he regained consciousness a few days ago, though his memory is reportedly incomplete."
"Ha..."
She could not bring herself to say she was glad, even out of politeness. The only emotions the noble lady, Irene, harbored for Edrin were dread and disgust.
He was a man who brought no benefit to either the family or the fief. Countless people had tried to guide him and turn him into a decent human being, but every single one of them had failed.
A disgrace to the family, the worst kind of human being. A wretched man whom no one wanted around—that was the Edrin Silverline she remembered.
But...
Even so, she could not ignore him. He was the eldest legitimate son of the family.
Irene was the child of a concubine. She was several years younger than Edrin, and to make matters worse, she was a woman.
Even if Edrin was utterly unfit to be the head of the family, the lord of the fief, or even a decent human being, he was still the one destined to inherit the title and rule, barring any extraordinary circumstances.
Yet, Irene had been the closest to becoming the next lord. It was a miracle born of a peculiar situation: both the lord and his eldest son falling bedridden at the same time.
So he woke up.
Irene knew better than anyone just how arrogant he was.
He was a man who wanted to place the entire fief and everyone in it beneath his feet. If their now-bedridden father, Wilhelm Silverline, had not kept him in check, Edrin would have spread an infamous reputation three times worse than he already had.
Calm down. There isn't much he can do right now.
During the year he lay unconscious, Irene had worked tirelessly.
She had taken control of the knights and built strong relationships with the vassals of the fief. She had proven her capabilities time and time again.
Even so, if Edrin threw a tantrum demanding the title, there would inevitably be those who supported him.
Even though he did absolutely nothing...
He was incompetent. Greedy. Narrow-minded and petty, lacking the caliber to stand above others.
Yet, solely because of his bloodline, he could inherit everything in the fief.
If Edrin had achieved even one of the many feats Irene had accomplished, there wouldn't have been a competition in the first place. As the eldest son, Edrin would have succeeded to the lordship without a single voice of dissent.
Of course, Irene had no intention of backing down easily. For the sake of those who followed her, and for the sake of the fief, she had to become the lord.
But...
If neither of them backed down, it would eventually lead to a civil war among the vassals.
These were turbulent times. Irene had frequently led soldiers and knights through other territories, so she naturally had a keen grasp of the world's currents and political landscape.
It was a situation where survival was uncertain even if the entire fief united to fend off foreign invasions. If a civil war broke out under such circumstances, it would undoubtedly lead to mutual destruction.
It was no longer just a question of who became the lord; the fief itself might turn into a battlefield.
For now, I have no choice but to meet him...
The year she spent without having to look at his face had been a blissful time for Irene. She had felt like a freed slave.
He would insult me for my lowly birth at every turn, belittle me for being a woman, all while his eyes were dripping with greed...
Nevertheless, she had to assess the situation. She needed to gauge how grand the ambitions of the awakened Edrin were and plan for the future.
Because the plans she had carefully laid out had all shattered the moment he opened his eyes.
Irene...
She was moving much faster than I had anticipated. She wanted to see me the moment she returned from her expedition.
It was a bit risky, but overall, it was a good sign. Even if she was on guard against me, it didn't change much.
It meant she was willing to talk. It meant she wanted to resolve the problem that was 'me' through persuasion rather than force.
The worst-case scenario would have been her marching in with soldiers to attack me without a second thought.
Of course, if I talked my way out of it, I might not get captured immediately, but if Irene was determined and attacked me on sight, there would be nothing I could do.
Irene wasn't the strongest knight, but she was still far stronger than an average soldier. Even if I managed to sway the minds of four or five soldiers, I would have no way to resist if she decided to kill me herself.
Of course, the possibility of her rushing in to assassinate me out of nowhere wasn't zero...
But that would be a terrible move. It was the worst possible option, one that a noble of Irene's caliber would never choose.
No matter how much of a political rival I might be, she had to use political methods to eliminate me.
According to the information Serena gave me, I was the eldest legitimate son of this family. No matter how much trust Irene had earned from the knights, killing me through violent means would cost her the trust of the vassals.
I could view this as a sort of probing battle. After all, I had just woken up after being bedridden for a long time.
This meeting was to gauge whether I had any intention of seizing power, and how far I was willing to go to get it.
Therefore, there was no reason to be afraid.
"I am coming in, Brother Edrin."
"Yes. Come in."
Serena opened the door. Entering my bedroom accompanied by two escorting knights, Irene glared at me with eyes that looked ready to kill.
"Let us dismiss the attendants."
"Very well."
Once the knights and the maid left the room, only Irene and I remained.
"First, let me congratulate you on your recovery. Have you experienced any discomfort?"
"None."
"..."
"I have heard a fair share of what transpired while I was asleep."
I had to speak as calmly as possible, saying things the old Edrin might say.
Of course, if I faithfully recreated Serena's description of him, a fight would break out immediately, so I had to tone it down appropriately.
"Since you already know, this will make things quicker. Arcteria is stable. It is running better than ever."
"That is fortunate."
"I am glad you think so. Even after Father and you collapsed, the fief has been running without any issues."
Translated, her words meant: Don't even think about doing anything foolish, and just stay out of the way.
"You have done well."
"Thank you. However, it would have been impossible without the loyal knights. Suppressing rebellions, repelling bandits, and aiding the people."
She was flaunting the fact that she had secured the loyalty of the knights, the fief's primary military force.
Of course, ordinary knights couldn't win against overwhelming numbers, but in political struggles like this, a 'readily deployable elite force' was far more crucial than a large army of conscripts.
Considering that those who commanded the common soldiers were ultimately the knights, there was absolutely no chance of me defeating her through force.
"So, could you place a little more trust in me?"
Seeing Irene's triumphant smile, as if she were declaring checkmate, I almost laughed.
As was typical of nobility in this world, she was a beauty. Watching her smile so genuinely, thinking she had won, was actually quite heartwarming.
Besides, I had no intention of fighting her right now anyway.
"Very well. Do as you wish."
"...What?"
"Let us get straight to the point. You want the position of family head, do you not?"
"T-that...!"
Irene bit her lip.
I was the legitimate heir to the family. Irene had 'practical' reasons to become the head, but she couldn't just openly declare it.
Only after removing me, Edrin, through an 'unfortunate accident' or 'retirement' could she go through the complex justification of: 'I had no greed for the lordship, but I couldn't let the family fall, so I had no choice but to take the position!'
"But Father is still alive, is he not? He is merely breathing, just as I was not long ago. If so, neither I nor you can become the lord right now."
"...That is true."
"For the time being, we must cooperate for the sake of the family. You think so too, do you not, Irene?"
Irene frowned.
"Of course. But if you wanted to get straight to the point... shouldn't you be the one to state it first? What, specifically, do you intend to promise?"
"Let us not play tricks on each other. I will respect the knights you command, and you will not use those knights to threaten me. Simple, is it not?"
"Pardon?"
Irene stared at me, her expression filled with disbelief.
Although I spoke with a calm demeanor, my proposal could be interpreted as 'Edrin's declaration of surrender' depending on how one looked at it.
The power I held was the legitimacy to sway the vassals, while the power she held was her rapport with the knights and the honor built from her military achievements.
The former was much stronger, but it was static. Irene's reputation, on the other hand, could continue to grow. In the worst-case scenario, she could even lead the knights in a rebellion.
There was no reason for me to take such a risk when I could simply use my authority to slowly suffocate her influence and secure the succession.
She wouldn't understand. And because of that, she would have no choice but to accept.
With terms this favorable, even if it were a trap or a deception, falling into it would still be the most logical choice for her.
"...Very well."
"Good."
However, I possessed absolute confidence.
The certainty that as long as I had my Charm, I would be the one to ultimately solidify my power.