A New Friend, Cheerful Yet Cunning as a Blade—Indeed?!
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“Baron Trofimov and his lackeys have been going around lately saying things like ‘We caught the cattle thieves Dmitri hired.’”
“They also claim they have the Grand Duke's daughter's backing. Of course, milady has already said that isn't true, but…….”
Milena was probably telling the truth.
From Baron Trofimov's perspective, capturing Dmitri's cattle raiders with my help was a gift from heaven itself. A man who let an opportunity like that slip through his fingers had no business wearing the title of baron. So it came as no surprise that he was working hard to spread the rumor far and wide.
This other world had nothing resembling a press, so I had no way of knowing exactly where the baron was doing his gossiping.
How should I answer? I want to keep my neutrality for now while digging a little deeper into what Milena is really after.
“It would be a shame if Baron Trofimov has been behaving that way, it would. I must say again—I only acted to stop those raiders, that is all?”
“I knew it! The rumor has been blown out of proportion. The western territories of the Grand Duchy are full of old grudges, after all.”
Yet even as Milena's red eyes seemed to sympathize with me, a shadow of suspicion still lingered there.
“I sincerely hope the feud between Trofimov and Dmitri does not spread its influence across the entire Grand Duchy. And above all, it would be dreadful if the Grand Duke's daughter were dragged into that maelstrom against her will.”
She took a step toward the Mountain King's pen, then stopped and turned to face me.
“To tell the truth, if milady holds to her neutrality……then both House Sokolov and Dmitri would welcome it. We are concerned about the balance being upset, you see.”
“The balance…….”
I agreed with her to a point, but honestly, the word balance coming out of her mouth struck me as rather odd.
Well, the 'balance' Milena speaks of ultimately means 'me not taking the Trofimov-Volkov side,' doesn't it?
“I too wish for stability in the Grand Duchy, I do. Balance is important, after all.”
By now we had arrived at the Mountain King's pen.
“Is that building……the dwelling of that bison? For a stable housing a single animal, it's enormous.”
“The Mountain King is bigger by half than the largest bull bison there is, you see.”
The Mountain King's personal enclosure had been built as solid as a small fortress, with a wide open yard attached to ease his restlessness. At the moment, he was lounging about that yard at his leisure.
Come to think of it, is that brute's current life pattern just freeload on delicious, expensive feed, then wander over to Trofimov's ranch whenever boredom strikes to enjoy the harem life?
A flicker of envy stirred in me toward the Mountain King, living the dream every man fantasizes about. Meanwhile, a gasp of admiration escaped Milena's lips at the sight of him.
“Truly……he's truly astonishing! I can hardly believe a bison that enormous actually exists!
To be honest, I expected nothing more than a bison somewhat larger than average……but the rumors were true.”
She drew close to the fence to observe him. My great black bison, the Mountain King, quickly sensed a stranger nearby and slowly lifted his head to look over the rail.
“Taming a creature of this size is simply remarkable. How do you keep him under control?”
“I don't control him. Ours is simply a relationship built on trust, it is.”
I climbed over the fence and approached the Mountain King. Seeing me come, he ambled over in his own unhurried way and stretched out his massive head. When I stroked his forehead with my hand, he closed his eyes and snorted.
“Th-that's incredible…….”
Milena stepped closer, one careful footstep at a time, awestruck.
“In truth, my House of Sokolov—and Baron Dmitri, whom we sponsor—are deeply interested in selective breeding as well. Though we focus not on cattle but on horses.”
“Horses, you say?”
Curiosity piqued, I asked as I continued stroking the Mountain King's mane.
“Yes. Not a breed as big and powerful as Trofimov's cattle, but a somewhat smaller horse with exceptional qualities—outstanding endurance and stamina, able to endure both bitter cold and scorching heat, and eating far less feed.”
“That sounds ideally suited as a warhorse, doesn't it?”
Milena's eyes lit up.
“How perceptive of you, Grand Duke's daughter!
Exactly. In this vast northern land, military mobility is paramount. We need horses that can endure anything—plains or mountains, snowfall or raging storms.”
What she said was genuinely interesting. Volkov-Trofimov prized productivity and size; Sokolov-Dmitri prized efficiency and endurance. The values of the two houses were reflected even in their breeding philosophies.
“Is such a horse actually possible, it is? Breeding for size like Trofimov does with his cattle is one thing, but improving multiple traits at once seems far harder.”
“Of course it isn't easy. But we have spent years bringing in horses from many different regions for study, crossbreeding them with the horses of our Grand Duchy in search of the optimal balance.”
As Milena moved a little closer to the Mountain King, he regarded her with curious eyes. When she extended her hand, instead of growing wary, he snuffled and took in her scent.
“It seems he's interested in me.”
Milena gently stroked his nose, and the Mountain King made no move to reject her touch.
“A magnificent bison like this, meeting Trofimov's cows……the calves born from that pairing will become truly precious assets.”
Milena's red eyes suddenly turned sharp.
“And how do you view the ownership of those calves?”
So that was what she'd been dying to know.
“The Mountain King belongs to me, so naturally I believe some measure of rights over his descendants belongs to me as well, it does.”
“A wise judgment. The Mountain King is unmistakably an exceptional male, so the rights to his offspring belong to you by right, milady.”
Milena gazed over the Mountain King's colossal body once more, as if savoring the sight.
“In fact, there is something my House of Sokolov would like to propose to you.”
“And what would that proposal be?”
“Through the Mountain King, you have already taken part in Trofimov's cattle breeding—but we would be honored if you would take an interest in our horse breeding as well.”
Her voice took on a note of earnestness.
“You've surely learned this already, hearing of your interest in the livestock trade, but horses are every bit as vital as cattle—perhaps the most essential livestock of all.
With the direct sponsorship of you and House Eisenmark, our horse breeding program could yield results far more quickly.”
Milena paused for a moment, glancing around, then lowered her voice.
“And politically speaking, it would serve milady better to cooperate with several of the major houses than to concentrate her patronage on a single one.”
A small snort escaped me before I could help it. This sudden talk of horse breeding was, in the end, her scheme to entangle me in her faction's interests so as not to fall behind the Volkov-Trofimov camp.
Still, a lady must mind her expression.
“Milena. Trofimov and Volkov are my vassals, and so are Sokolov and Dmitri. For the stability and prosperity of the Grand Duchy, I shall treat all of my vassals fairly, I will.”
Milena's face brightened.
“Hearing that truly puts my heart at ease! For the future of the Grand Duchy, it is vital that the major houses of the western territories work together.”
She stepped a little closer.
“I've brought a document detailing our horse breeding program. Please look it over when you have the chance.
And……if it pleases you, I would be delighted if you would one day visit the Sokolov domain.”
“A fine offer. I shall consider it, I will.”
Just then, the Mountain King let out an enormous bellow. Milena grinned at the sight of him.
“It seems even he agrees. Now then…….”
“Now, what?”
“Shall we set business aside and have some fun?”
My eyebrows rose of their own accord at the sudden proposal. One breath she was lecturing me on political balance, the next she wanted to play. This raven-haired, crimson-eyed noblewoman, it seemed, was even more mercurial than I'd taken her for.
“You would have us play, would you?”
“Yes! It's far too lovely a day to keep talking about such heavy matters, don't you think?”
After bidding farewell to the Mountain King, we left the pen and made our way back through the fortress gardens. The warm spring sun fell over the flowers there.
“Our domain sits close to the sea, so everyone has sailed at one time or another. In particular, fencing on the deck of a rocking ship is an old, proud tradition of House Sokolov.”
Milena gave a small laugh, brushing a strand of red hair behind her ear with one hand.
“And where do you practice, milady?”
“……There is a private training ground within the fortress, there is.”
It existed, true—but I never used it. Katerina was simply too strong for practice to mean anything. That had been her own thought back before I became her, and it held just as true now that I was her.
Katerina had never felt the need to train—and she never would.