Politics Are Such a Headache, Desu Wa……
……………
"We received a great deal of support from Volkov County, which lies in the southwest of the Grand Duchy. The county's principal industries are, of course, mining and metallurgy, but Count Volkov has also taken a keen interest in livestock raising. That is why he invested considerable capital in my family's breeding program."
Baron Trofimov continued in a voice pitched low and confidential. "The Dmitri family, on the other hand, has long been allied with Count Sokolov's house in the northwest of the Duchy. The Sokolovs provide the ships and shipping lanes that let Dmitri export his livestock at handsome prices."
"Count Sokolov, is it…"
The Katerina from before my possession had never cared one whit, but thanks to my recent marathon study sessions, I knew the man well. Grigory Sokolov. He controls the vast forestlands of the Duchy's northwest and its principal trade ports.
No doubt Baron Dmitri had already heard how the Mountain King had thoroughly humiliated Baron Trofimov — and he must have found it absolutely hilarious.
But Dmitri hadn't contented himself with laughing at Trofimov's misfortune. Instead, he had chosen a method that would seem radical by any common-sense standard, yet was — by northern standards — surprisingly gentlemanly(?): sabotage, tearing down a rival's foundations from underneath him.
Dmitri and Sokolov… Trofimov and Volkov…
On the ride back to the ranch, the view from the Mountain King's broad back was perfectly peaceful, but my head was a tangle of thoughts. The northwest and the southwest. Factions braided together in knots. And me, somehow positioned to wedge myself right into the middle of it all.
"My lady, thank you so very much. If you had not come to our aid today…"
Baron Trofimov's thanks rang in my ears. My mind, of course, was somewhere else entirely.
Mmm. This is not what I signed up for.
My original goal had simply been to save the Mountain King from the slaughterhouse and, while I was at it, acquire myself a mount. The desire to ride this colossal bison was probably Katerina's, but even I could agree with her prediction that parading around on him would strengthen my personal authority.
And then… the situation had ballooned on me.
All I did was help the Baron on the theory that if I caught the cattle rustlers myself, I could save the Mountain King AND get him handed over free of charge. That's it.
Instead, I now stood — entirely against my will — at the heart of a deep-rooted power struggle within the Grand Duchy. By siding with Volkov and Trofimov, I might well find myself in open opposition to Dmitri and Sokolov.
So Natasha's family was already tied in with Baron Trofimov…
Becoming friendly with Natasha after our sparring match, saving her from the Mountain King, rescuing Trofimov's herd of cows — every last one of those had been pure coincidence. But it was no longer something that could end as coincidence. Both incidents had planted me squarely in the same camp.
Frankly, I wasn't thrilled about it. Katerina would probably have just shrugged and gone, "Well, I suppose that's how it is." But judged through the eyes of a modern person, this was a matter demanding extreme caution.
Nothing good ever comes from wading into someone else's feud. Especially not while you still have no real grasp of the situation — like right now.
To be sure, as the Grand Duke's daughter, I would one day have to involve myself in political conflicts of this kind. But wasn't it far too early? I still didn't fully understand the political landscape of this world — let alone the internal politics of the Grand Duchy itself.
If I throw my weight behind one side without even understanding the board…
What would the original Katerina have done — the one without me fused into her? She would have helped her friend Natasha in her own indirect way, and punished Baron Dmitri and the Sokolovs for orchestrating the cattle-rustling sabotage. And she would have done it in the most preposterously heavy-handed fashion imaginable.
Either way, in the current alignment, Katerina Eisenmark, daughter of the Grand Duke, already stands directly opposed to the Dmitri–Sokolov bloc.
It would be convenient to simply accept that and move on, but reality is never that simple. This wasn't a question of right and wrong; it was a question of interests and power.
Besides, I hadn't chosen a political position based on my own advantage. I'd simply stumbled into one by accident.
Best to pull my foot back out, don't you think…?
Yes. Decision made. I would pay a fair price and simply buy the Mountain King.
If Baron Trofimov objected, I could always lean on him a little. In fact, his objecting would be a good thing — it would serve as evidence that I hadn't definitively taken his side.
……………
Before long, the lights of Baron Trofimov's manor began to appear in the distance. Dozens of torches and lanterns glittered like stars against the evening sky, and as we drew nearer, the shapes of people came into focus.
A large crowd had gathered in the broad courtyard before the manor: the Baron's laborers, his servants — and standing before them, two familiar silhouettes. My maids, Eliza and Bielka.
"Lady Katerina!"
Bielka was the first to shout, her voice a tangle of relief and joy. Eliza was as composed as ever, but even her expression shed its worry as the relief spread across it.
The moment I dismounted from the Mountain King's back, Bielka came running and seized my arm.
"I was so worried about you! Are you all right? You're not hurt anywhere, are you?"
Bielka's soft light-pink hair caught the firelight of the torches, and her big eyes were brimming with tears.
Hnngh. She really is a menace.
The sight of Bielka in her pitiful, dewy-eyed state had a magic to it that made even my heart — now residing in a woman's body — lurch violently.
Ha, what a waste. If I'd been reborn as the young lord instead of the young lady, heh heh heh — wait, no, now is not the time.
"I am quite all right, Bielka. It was rather an adventure, actually, desu wa."
At my answer, Bielka's shoulders sagged with relief.
"My lady, we have been waiting for you."
Eliza approached with her customary grace and bowed her head. There was something odd in the way her eyes rested on me — as though she were observing my every move, quietly evaluating it.
"I apologize for worrying everyone, desu wa."
At my words, Eliza smiled serenely. "What matters, my lady, is that you have returned safe and sound."
What, exactly, did Eliza mean by "safe and sound"? Honestly, she knew full well how strong I was, so I doubted she'd been fretting over my personal safety. More likely she was concerned that I might have gone and massacred the bandits wholesale.
In the meantime, Baron Trofimov had begun issuing orders to his servants — no doubt to lock up the captured bandits and hurry along the preparations for dinner.
And even amid all that, the ranch hands couldn't take their eyes off me. Their gazes brimmed with awe and curiosity. Word of how I had ridden the Mountain King and crushed the cattle thieves had evidently already spread.
"Long live the Grand Duke's daughter!"
Then one of the men — the very one who'd just been taking orders from Baron Trofimov — let out a great bellow, and in response the crowd erupted into cheers.
"Her ladyship saved our cattle!"
"Truly the blood of the Grand Duke runs in her veins!"
"May the Thunder God bless her!"
Deep down, Katerina's instincts thrilled at the cheering and longed to wade in among the crowd, but the actual me was a bit taken aback. When I glanced at Eliza, she dipped her head ever so slightly — a signal.
I nodded and moved to offer the crowd a light bow of acknowledgment — but before I could, my mouth had already opened on its own.
"Thank you all, desu wa! Truly, Trofimov Ranch is the seconddd greatest in all the Grand Duchy—!"
"""""WAAAAAAAH!!"""""
You accursed— KATERINA—!
I clamped my mouth shut in a panic, but it was far too late. The Baron's people were already wild with delight over my impromptu declaration.
"Now, everyone!"
Baron Trofimov stepped forward, his booming voice cutting clean through the din of the crowd.
"Today, thanks to the valor of the Grand Duke's daughter, we have recovered our precious cows. But there is something more important still! The bandits who invaded our land today were men hired by Baron Dmitri!"
A stir ran through the crowd at the Baron's declaration. At the mention of Dmitri's name, some faces twisted with rage while others exchanged worried glances.
"That's right! The Dmitri Ranch crowd stole our cows to wreck our breeding business! But there is nothing to fear! The Grand Duke's daughter herself has captured the very bandits Baron Dmitri hired!"
Hold on just a moment. This is—?!
Baron Trofimov's intent became brutally clear. He was trying to drag the Grand Duke's daughter — me — publicly onto his side. In other words, everything he was doing right now was an attempt to make it official that, in the dispute between Dmitri–Sokolov and Trofimov–Volkov, the Grand Duke's daughter stood with the Trofimov–Volkov camp.
"My lady!"
The Baron approached me and bowed deeply.
"In return for the courage and strength you have shown — courage and strength worthy of House Eisenmark — I wish to repay you."
He gestured toward the Mountain King.
"I, Trofimov, hereby present to you that bison — the King of the Northern Bison! From this day forward, he shall be your faithful companion!"
The crowd cheered anew. And the Mountain King — as if he understood that he had just become the star of the show — lifted his head and let out a short, resonant bellow.