Chapter 40: Honorary Count Deon Hart (5)
Chapter 40: Honorary Count Deon Hart (5)
A week had passed since the banquet.
The Murderer Knight Order bastards, whom I'd wanted to dump in the middle of a forest, ended up luckily staying in decent quarters thanks to Rememver's opposition to wasting the budget.
And I.......
"You want to build another dam? Do you have any idea how much time and money it takes to build just one? And in the Hart territory of all places?! This is insane. Who the hell submitted this?"
"I did."
"Ah....... Now that I think about it, having one more wouldn't be such a bad idea. No matter how temporarily you're holding the territory, neglecting its management would be problematic, and if it can prevent droughts or floods....... Approved."
Bang.
The seal was stamped.
......Yeah, as you could see, I was at the moment buried in a mountain of paperwork, utterly consumed by it.
With a full half-year's backlog, I hadn't been able to rest properly for a week and had been doing nothing but paperwork, so naturally, dark shadows had formed under my eyes.
I hadn't even been here that long!
If it were up to me, I'd just stamp the seal without even reading, but if I did that, Rememver would never let me hear the end of it.
My butler was truly something else — he had a knack for crushing a person's spirit without ever raising his voice or so much as frowning. Just look at him now, wasn't he opening his mouth as if about to say something?
Most likely, he was going to chastise me for neglecting the management of the Hart territory.
"It seems you haven't heard the news yet."
"......Pardon?"
"A week ago, His Majesty transferred full ownership of the Hart territory, which he had temporarily entrusted to you, to the Count."
"What do you mean?!"
I'd barely managed to accept temporarily holding it, and now what?
"That...... joke was a bit much, Rememver."
"It is no joke."
"I didn't receive any official notice."
"It will be somewhere in here."
"......."
I stared at the piles of documents that had conquered not only the desk but the floor as well.
Toward my dumbfounded expression, Rememver calmly continued.
"The Hart territory is now yours, my lord. Neglecting its management will not do."
"......Isn't this all a bit excessive for an 'honorary count' to begin with? It's not as if I've received only one or two territories, and why exactly do I need to be looking into national defense matters......?"
I fluttered a document containing a report that a horde of monsters was prowling near a territory close to the border.
"Because some of the Count's territories border the frontier."
"That's exactly my point! Why must an 'honorary count' be performing the role of a frontier count!"
Frontier count, count, honorary count.
All three were counts, but their treatment and privileges differed.
An honorary count was treated equally to a count in standing and received the same courtesies, but it was a life peerage. The title could not be passed on, and upon death, the territory reverted to the Empire.
A count? As you knew, the title could be inherited. You could proudly establish your own 'house.'
A frontier count referred to a count whose territory lay on the frontier — that is, bordering another kingdom.
In reality, they were counts in name only, receiving treatment nearly equal to a marquis. You could call it a benefit granted to those bearing partial responsibility for national defense.
In that sense, it wasn't even a count who became a frontier count, but an honorary count — it was utterly absurd.
"Take it up with His Majesty. The one who granted the Count rights and duties beyond those of an honorary count is none other than His Majesty."
"As if I could take it up with him......."
With a deep sigh, I collapsed onto the desk as if sprawling.
It wasn't just one or two people who'd lost their heads for pointlessly rebelling — who would dare raise an objection to the Emperor?
No matter that he'd granted me a territory that the imperial family ought to have been managing.
'Yeah, that territory.'
That territory which had forced me into the role of a frontier count wasn't even actually located on the frontier. It was closer to the central region, in fact.
In other words, it was originally a territory that the imperial family should have been managing.
The Emperor had granted me that territory without my knowing a thing. Damn it.
I was perfectly content with being an honorary count — I had no idea why he was so desperate to pile more on me.
"......More importantly, I should find a way to return the Hart territory."
The other territories, even the one that had made me take on the role of a frontier count — I could let those slide peacefully. But the Hart territory, no.
Since it was the territory that the 'former' Count Hart household had held, I didn't have many pleasant memories there.
To be precise, you could say their betrayal had transformed good memories into the worst possible past.
Even temporarily holding it had irritated me — who gave anyone the right to transfer ownership?
This, I absolutely could not let slide.
"There's no way they'll hand it back quietly......."
The very fact that I'd been temporarily entrusted with it was because the Emperor had forcibly shoved it onto me.
Should I just meet him in person and beg him to take it back?
It would sting, but it wouldn't be a bad idea to request a deal — just this once, I'd agree to whatever the Emperor wanted, within feasible limits.
Thankfully, the Emperor wasn't a complete madman and would accept an interesting deal.
"I'll have to go see His Majesty soon......."
Knock, knock.
My words never reached their conclusion.
Because news that absolutely could not be taken lightly came from beyond the door.
"My lord, General Nemeseus has come to see you."
I shot up from my seat. I didn't need to look to know that my eyes had flown wide open.
'The General? Why? Shouldn't he be at the Emperor's side? Why did he come in person? Has something major happened?'
Surely he hadn't come to arrest me?
I flung the door open. My eyes met the attendant standing before me.
Only after seeing the attendant flinch as if burned, bow his head, and tremble, was I able to recall a fact I'd momentarily forgotten.
'Right. Here, my eyes were something people found unsettling.'
A complicated feeling washed over me.
I should have been more or less adjusted to the human world by now, but it seemed my mind was still in the Demon Realm. To have momentarily forgotten a fact that was practically common sense.
I'd let my guard down.
Even knowing that other than the imperial family, the knight orders, and those deeply connected to me like Rememver, everyone else found it uncomfortable to look at my eyes.
"......What business did he say brought him here?"
The quick-witted butler answered in the attendant's stead.
"This old man suspects it may concern the Revolutionary Army members captured this time."
"I didn't receive any official notice."
"It will be somewhere in here."
"......."
Somehow, I was getting a strong sense of déjà vu. Didn't we just have this exchange?
I once again surveyed the documents in the room, then soon set off with a deep sigh.
Whatever the case, I could not keep the General waiting.
Nemeseus was the man who had been my direct superior when I became a vanguard commander during the Eighth Year War.
I also vividly remembered that, for reasons I didn't know, he had subtly tried to keep his distance from me. For someone like that to come here deliberately like this, it must mean he had no choice but to come.
Carrying on with pointless speculation — probably the Emperor's orders, something like that — I opened the drawing-room door, and the moment my eyes met those inside, I froze on the spot.
"It's been a while, Count."
"......Deon Hart pays his respects to the future of the Empire."
* * *
"They say Honorary Count Hart captured the Revolutionary Army members who raided his estate alive?"
"!"
"I also heard he caught a bomb with his bare hands."
The Crown Prince, who had been sitting across from the Princess in the garden drinking tea, set down the newspaper he had been holding. The Princess, who had been tilting her teacup in front of him, flinched, her shoulders trembling.
Calmly swallowing the liquid in her mouth, she set her cup down. Her head lowered along with it.
"Honorary Count Hart......."
"Come now, why are you sulking again?"
It seemed as if dark clouds were gathering above her head, prompting the Crown Prince to hurriedly uncross his legs, a look of distaste crossing his face.
For days since the banquet, the Princess had been depressed.
"He must loathe the sight of me now, don't you think?"
"His actions were hardly any different from before. What's there to make a fresh fuss about?"
"But he coughed up blood!"
The Princess, having finally raised her voice, buried her face in her hands. The Crown Prince, his eyes wide, seemed invisible to her.
He admitted it. With a status and appearance that naturally drew people even when he stayed still, he'd never tried to seduce anyone himself and was clumsy at it.
Even if there had been other, more refined methods, she likely couldn't have used them....... Still, she hadn't intended to cause such a huge incident.
"I'm ruined....... All my effort until now......!"
"It didn't seem to be working very well in the first place......."
"I should apologize, shouldn't I?"
"In person?"
"Yes!"
"No."
The Crown Prince's expression hardened.
He'd let her do as she pleased without stopping most things, but this was not one of them.
"Whether you visit his estate or he is summoned to the palace at your request, a direct meeting will inevitably create a scandal."
"Then that suits me just fine. If I turn the scandal into established fact and simply marry him......."
"Letheia."
A brief silence fell.
He stared at his younger sister for a moment, then let out a sigh.
"You don't love him."
"......."
"And an apology would leave a blemish on your act."
Because 'the Princess' wasn't bright enough to apologize for such a small matter.
Only then did a ripple of disturbance appear in the Princess's eyes.
Pure, if one put it kindly; stupid, if one put it harshly. That was the public's assessment of Letheia.
"If you want to stop, I, for one, would welcome it."
"......It's fine."
The stigma that the Princess had intended, that she had taken upon herself for the Emperor and the Crown Prince.
From the Crown Prince's perspective, it was a sorry assessment that testified to his sister's sacrifice.
"When even sticking together isn't enough, we can't afford to split into factions again over the succession."
"Right....... I'm sick to death of succession struggles."
"And don't worry about the matter of Honorary Count Hart. Even if I don't love him, I do like him."
He wasn't so clueless that he couldn't guess what that little head of hers was thinking as she proceeded.
The Crown Prince gently stroked the Princess's hair.
"I've told you time and again, you may stop whenever you wish. No one has ever forced anything upon you."
The Princess, who had been watching him quietly, smiled softly.
"I know. So, brother, go and find out what Honorary Count Hart thinks of me."
"......What?"
"Hurry along. I can't go myself, can I?"
"No, the conclusion seems a bit strange......."
She pushed her brother's back, letting out a bright laugh.
The Princess had good intuition.
Her intuition told her that Deon Hart was the Empire's most unstable hero. If she could tie him perfectly to the imperial family through marriage, that alone would be sufficient.
"If you truly wish to seduce Honorary Count Hart, you'll have to change your methods first."
"My apologies! A stupid princess only knows methods like this."
"......."
Whether Deon Hart fell for it or not wasn't what mattered.
What mattered was that 'the Princess' had expressed interest in him, and that everyone knew it.
Of course, she'd be grateful if he fell, but even if he didn't, the moment the marriage proposal was sent, Deon Hart would have to choose.
Refuse and live alone for the rest of his life, or accept.
'Of course, since this is all still just intuition, I've put the marriage proposal on hold for now.'
"Fine, I'll go, I'm going. Since I was planning to meet Honorary Count Hart anyway, I'll find out for you while I'm at it."
"I knew I could count on you, brother!"
"But I'll only confirm whether he finds your rudeness displeasing, so don't get your hopes up."
* * *
I barely managed to hold onto my senses and bowed my head. A voice, stiff and awkward as if representing my feelings, slipped out.
As if understanding my state of mind, the Crown Prince nodded, a gentle smile on his lips.
The Crown Prince, and not the General!
'Why, without any notice whatsoever......!'
And no one had even informed me.
With sharp eyes, I glared at the attendant who had announced only 'Nemeseus's visit.' The moment the bastard's face went pale, the Crown Prince softly called my name.
"Do not chastise the servants. I told them not to speak of it."
"......Yes, Your Highness."
I was before the Crown Prince. I immediately straightened my posture.
Only after a small measure of composure returned did General Nemeseus belatedly enter my awareness. His appearance, which I had only glanced over in the chaos of the banquet hall.
Skin tanned dark by the sun from roaming battlefields. A scar crossing his face.
My former superior, looking no different than he had during the war, wore a stiff expression, as if something displeased him.
Reading the mood, it seemed his dissatisfaction was that the Crown Prince had tagged along.
In other words, the Crown Prince had followed him of his own accord.......
Why?
"His Majesty desires the transfer of the Revolutionary Army members you captured. Well, he said that to the General, so it's none of my affair....... I became personally curious, you see."
"What do you mean by......."
"I heard you caught a flying bomb with your bare hands?"
"......."
I nearly made a rotten expression on the spot.
Lucky for me I remembered that the man before me was the Crown Prince — I'd nearly been dragged off for insolence.
More importantly, where did he hear that news?
The moment I recalled Lady Rien, who had seemed unusually impressed back then, the Crown Prince let out a low laugh.
"No need to trouble yourself over where that information leaked from. Wasn't it witnessed by many that day? You couldn't possibly silence all the servants, and even if you did, someone passing by might have spread the word."
He kindly added that the rumor was already rampant in the capital....... My stomach burned.
Having my abilities exaggerated like this brought me no benefit whatsoever, other than inflating the Emperor's expectations.
And for the record, I wasn't the least bit pleased about the Emperor's expectations. It would only mean I'd be dragged out more often for dangerous missions. Furthermore, the greater the expectation, the greater the disappointment.
So my lifespan was growing even shorter.......
"I jest."
"Pardon?"
"About my reason for coming here. You catching a bomb is impressive, certainly, but it's no business of mine, is it? It's not reason enough for me to come here."
"Ah, then......."
"I came to apologize on behalf of the Princess for her rudeness at the banquet."
"Ah......."
He meant the ambush from behind. It wasn't the first or second time — I was used to it by now, so it was fine.
Besides, there had been no genuine intent to attack; it was simply a display of interest, so from my position, I couldn't very well object to it.
He probably knew that, and yet.......
"The seat of the future emperor is a heavy one, so even an apology cannot be offered carelessly. A private visit would draw others' attention, so I used this official matter as a pretext to tag along."
"......."
"I've given the Princess a firm scolding, so such incidents should not recur for the time being."
......For the time being?
Given the Princess's personality, it wasn't incomprehensible, but wasn't he being a bit too candid? Crown Prince though he was.
Perhaps feeling pricked by his own 'for the time being' remark, the Crown Prince glanced elsewhere for a moment, then met my eyes again and spoke.
"Will you accept my apology, Count?"
"......Of course. It was never something that required an apology in the first place."
"Under ordinary circumstances, it would have been so. But you coughed up blood, did you not?"
"......."
That wasn't blood, though.
As I could not bring myself to say it and merely rolled my eyes about, the Crown Prince rose from his seat and spoke as if tossing the words aside.
Unlike the shocking content, his tone was casual.
"I am glad you do not take offense. To be honest, I have wished to become better acquainted with you, whom His Majesty trusts."
"......Pardon?"
"Are you not far too busy? Any acquaintance we have cultivated thus far would be no more than that — a mere acquaintance."
"......."
"So when Letheia committed her discourtesy and you coughed up blood because of it, I could only think that it was a disaster."
A disaster.......
What exactly was I listening to right now......?
"Thus I came in person, both to apologize and to foster our acquaintance. Do you find my presence uncomfortable?"
"N-no, not at all."
"Does that mean my efforts to grow closer to you are acceptable?"
"They are."
"I'm relieved. Then, whenever you come to the Imperial Palace in the future, could you drop by to see me from time to time?"
"......Pardon?"
I had the distinct feeling I'd just been caught in something I couldn't escape.
As I blinked with a dazed expression, retracing the situation to understand how this conversation had come about, the Crown Prince, as if confirming that my feelings were indeed the correct answer, bloomed a warm smile across his face and added,
"I won't insist you come solely to see me. Simply drop by while you are at the palace. Let us share tea, cross swords, and converse."