Chapter 63 – 6. New Family (3)
The reception room, a space where the years of the fort had melted intact, had an old feeling, but it was maintained cleanly. Even that created an antique atmosphere as a style. Like its name, it was a place where guests who came to the border were welcomed, so the power to coerce the opponent in a gentle manner was important.
“Renoir court bag.”
Three people each took a seat at a round table without a table. One, of course, was Vincent Renoir, the king’s representative who visited the north. The two were Orianne Lemoin, who served him as the owner of the frozen land and the wife of the margrave. The last three were old Romuald of Dior, newly made baron.
“Nice to meet you. This is Oriane Lemoang.”
“This is Vincent Renoir. I am also very honored to meet the benevolent Lady Marquis.”
The two nobles treated each other with respect. He dealt with them as if they were going to compete, with no flaws and moderation in their gestures. It’s a fact that many people often forget, but the Marquis’ wife’s authority was one of the best in this kingdom.
Wasn’t Gerard Lemoang, a widowed husband and margrave, the great lord who ruled most of the northern territories? Perhaps he made the counts of Poitiers, the barons of Lothringen, and the barons of Brienne unite and keep them in check.
The same was true of the Court Baek, who stood at the opposite point here. Although recently appointed, Vincent Renoir was a high-ranking nobleman and the king’s vicar. A man with such a status was fully entitled to treatment even if he was not actually performing official duties.
Even more so, to sit like this on behalf of the king.
“While unpacking, I heard from Sir Dior and Captain Antoine.”
“That would make the conversation quicker.”
Receptions between upper-class aristocrats inevitably lead to a war of nerves. Vincent, who looked pale and insignificant, had a rather strong character unlike his appearance, and Oriane here, with her beautiful blonde hair tied up, was not soft enough to handle public affairs carelessly.
So, the topics they led went on without hesitation.
“His Majesty Alphonse has bestowed the title of baron to Sir Romuald Dior. This is a life aristocrat capable of hereditary succession, and in terms of genealogy, he will be a new northern baron branched off from the Duke of Dior.”
Vincent opened his mouth with his hands folded, and spoke in a low, quick, but never hasty tone.
“Therefore, Sir Dior must determine the name and seal of the new family and report it to me. And after that, I will have to personally have an audience with His Majesty in the capital using the relic I have, the Voice Communication Tool.”
Rom calmly nodded his head. It was unexpected that the title was given, but after that it could be seen as a normal administrative procedure. Daejeo, since a new name and symbol are the key to a branch family, it was only natural to give it some time until it was decided.
“In addition, I will conduct negotiations on behalf of Your Majesty on matters that should not be revealed to the outside world in the future. Also, as you may have guessed, I will be staying in the north for the time being and supervise public sentiment inspections and various pending issues in the Marquis.”
“Even though it’s not comparable to the center, our citadel is just as cozy. I will tell the employees to take care not to inconvenience you in your stay.”
“Thank you. In addition to the title, Baron Romuald also has one of His Majesty’s gifts to be delivered informally.”
Slowly, Vincent put his hand into my bosom and eventually took out a paper envelope embroidered with gorgeous gold thread. It was a government bond engraved with the royal family’s crest, and it was a document stating that Alphonse, the wise king of Gaul, would guarantee the payment.
“It is a slip stamped with the royal seal and the Seal of the State. The amount is 10,000 Gallian gold coins, and His Majesty wants Baron Romuald to raise a new family in the north with this money.”
Rom politely accepted it with both hands. Oriane, wide-eyed at the mention of 10,000 Gallian gold coins, managed to keep her composure and comforted him. It was to help the knight who must have been in a panic right before his death his, but it was his wife his who needed more help than he.
“D-Sir Dior? Please stay calm!”
“… Thank you.”
Well, I did that too. It was an amount that exceeded the target amount at once. With this amount, he was able to build a large-scale business with the money he had accumulated earlier.
Trade, of course, and overall maintenance within the territory would be no problem.
‘A lot of money… !’
Oriane gulped and tensed. Rom stared at his slip her with thin eyes and was silently lost in his own thoughts. The two people who knew what moderation was, so they weren’t the ones who blindly put something sweet in their mouths.
‘I see, it’s money that almost makes me sick if I eat it.’
That’s what happened after I tried to clean it up. As for the current Gallic royal family, as a result of unreasonably pushing various policies, the national treasury is always in a state of insolvency. There is a limit to recklessly selling government bonds or collecting more taxes to make up for it, and even so, if I give up my grand-national plans, my siblings who are similar to me and are capable may attack me at any time.
In short, the point at which a big room is desperately needed.
In the meantime, the arbitrage business of minting Lemoang silver coins, which originated from Rom’s head his, must have been very welcome news to the king and other royalists. Although there was no talk of scale yet, he would have assumed that at least hundreds of thousands of Gallic gold coins could be pocketed.
At first I couldn’t figure out why, but now everything fits perfectly.
Yes. It is certainly not uncommon for a born-again and arrogant knight to be given the title of hereditary baronet, not a baronet. Conversely, as such, it is not difficult to guess the trigger.
‘The current king is a very prudent person. Even with the admonition of his second brother, who could be said to be his aide, he would have considered one after another. If it is revealed that the royal family was behind the minting arbitrage incident, not only the Lemoang silver coins, but also the credit quality of all Gallic currency will plummet.’
Moreover, the silver coin was already in the process of dropping its purity more and more steeply.
‘Anyway, this casting arbitrage business is an offer that can never be refused to the royal party and the royal family. It’s going just as well as I expected. So there is no disruption to the operation. Then the reason for the bestowal of the baronial title and gold coins is the key…’
It was obvious that it was a bottom job. It was a typical tail-cutting technique.
‘Was it like that?’
It would have been difficult to notice with only other clues. However, the situation of Yun Heo-ran’s special port in Bunga was too blatant.
‘First, the royal family wanted to show condescension. If you join the minting arbitrage business with Lemoang silver coins, the margrave is no longer an object to be kept in check other than guarding the border. He’s a trustworthy colleague to keep up with.’
In order to do so, it was necessary to pretend to encourage autonomy in the north as much as possible, guarantee autonomy, and increase favorable feelings toward the center. Because you can’t conduct a business where security is the lifeblood of people who don’t have even the minimum amount of trust.
‘Second, from their point of view, the northern balance must be maintained. Certainly, the prestige of the margrave family was great when Gerard Lemoyn was alive. Because of that, he had no choice but to force Poitiers, Lotringen, and Brienne to unite and check.’
However, now that the vice-count and four barons rebelled and were arrested, their gap was great.
‘Conversely, it may lead to the result that other nobles, other than Lemoang, gain power. That’s an unwanted result from the center. I think it’s better the way it is now than with an unknown opponent who may or may not be able to negotiate.’
Hegemony has no peers. Of course, Baron Lotringen and Brienne were close to the center and loyal to the king, but there was a strong possibility that they would betray their loyalty if they could raise their prestige like the Margraves of this land did in the past.
‘Third, that’s why you appointed me as a baron. If Oriane first uses the vacancy of the five vassals as an excuse to demand replenishment, it will be very difficult. Poitiers, Lothringen, and Brienne might even join in depending on the circumstances.’
Even if it was n’t that, someone who did n’t know when and where he appeared might sweep the board. In that sense, the calculation of choosing someone who can be controlled must have ended. And Rom thought that his older brother Charles’ influence might have played a big role in this part.
‘If it’s the second older brother, that’s enough. It’s a way to not see it after throwing it in the north on a day I don’t want to see, and it must have been accepted as a trick to get everything I needed like the first justification and the second condition.’
The option of refusing the title does not exist. If you dare to refuse the king’s gift, what awaits at the end will be wrath and the blade of the central subjugation force heading north.
‘Even then, if it was one-on-one, none of them would be able to lay a finger on me.’
When it comes to a battle between forces, the North still has a lot to prepare for.
‘I was determined to get my hands on everything in the world. The kingdom is no exception. However, I do not intend to become a child who is so intoxicated with ambition that he cannot even look at reality properly. After all, I already have two girls in my hands.’
For Rome, the first priority is to protect Lemoang’s mother and daughter. If he had a dream to give up for it, he was willing to do so.
‘You must become the baron of the north. He must get away from the illegitimate son of the central duchy and only family register.’
In this way, he must become the owner of a new family and be reborn as a partner in the business required by the royal family.
‘A cautious and suspicious king, his family’s orders are just that. If it’s time to cut off the tail, it could be accused of being a collateral descendent who has nothing to do with Dior, a prestigious family in the middle and a ducal family.’
In fact, now that he had become a baron and was preparing to establish a new family, legally there was no link or interest between Rom and his family.
Everyone’s understanding was so right. King Alphonse didn’t want to lose the Duke of Dior, his strong supporter his, even if the business went wrong. Charles, the second son who remonstrated with him, wanted to sever the link between Rome and the family so that he could step out at least once in a while.
So the baronship is, so to speak, the price of putting all the burden of risk on Rom.
‘In the same context, it must mean that 10,000 gold coins are to be used as a down payment for a casting arbitrage business. It’s okay to leave as much as you want if you can, but I can convey the unspoken pressure that I have to take care of all other preparations with this.’
Crucially, her half-sister her Marguerite, who had arrived at the family home just in time, must have caught all of these circumstances. Realizing right away that the cunning second brother was trying to accuse the poor youngest, he would have tried to get something if it was an unavoidable path anyway.
‘You’re still the same, Sister Margaret…’
After organizing all my thoughts, Rom ate without even realizing it. Apparently, the dear stepsister thought that the dear youngest brother was struggling in a foreign country due to the family’s annoyance.
Even so, unlike before, the reason why he did not escape to the wandering life was that he liked the frozen land here.
‘He’s really kind as always.’
When he said that there was a way to help, he meant to be relieved that he would surely help Charles not to throw himself out.
‘But I’m no longer the old Little Rom.’
Rom giggled and turned his gaze to Oriane’s face her. Looking at her her blue eyes, she felt her inner fullness her as always, and she dared to speak to her supervisor her, Vincent Renoir, who was watching it.
“Thank you. However, regarding the establishment of a new family, it seems that there is a part to ask for your understanding by relying on Your Majesty’s generous mercy.”
“Hmm?”
“It hasn’t been announced yet, but I was going to marry Lady Lucien of the Lemoang family and become Daryl’s son-in-law. However, since His Majesty has bestowed a title on me and ordered me to branch out, that would be difficult.”
As the saying goes, Vincent put on an expression that was extremely embarrassing. If Rome’s words are true and her marriage her is enforced, then Lucienne’s son her, her claimant to the Marquis, will at the same time inherit the title of her Baron her, her her son-in- law Daryl.
“So now that the situation has changed, we will need a better alternative.”
“… Exactly.”
“How about doing this?”
It was a risky act that made Lemoang, a noble family in the north, too firm in its position.
“It is difficult to reverse or cancel a planned marriage. The affection between us is also affection, but Lucienne and I need each other politically. We need to be connected somehow as in-laws.”
Vincent tilted his head and waited for the point.
“However, it is only if there is something that damages the favor given by His Majesty. Above all, there is a great concern that it will set a rather inappropriate precedent for me, who was sealed as a baron, to become the son-in-law of the Marquis. Therefore, if you give me your permission, I will announce to the outside world that I am marrying Lady Orrianne Lemoang, not Lady Lucienne.”
Hearing Rome’s words, Oriane was taken aback.
“That means…”
“Yes that’s right. In reality, my marriage will be with her, not with my wife here. However, in order to avoid a situation in which the northern barony and the Margrave are all inherited by one person…”
“On the outside, pretending to be married to a wife who can only be clean by proxy?”
“You saw it correctly.”
He spoke without delay.
“If that’s the case, when the young lady and I have a child, there is one title I can pass on.”
“If you follow what has been announced externally, you will be regarded as a child between a baron and a margrave’s wife.”
“Therefore, only the baronial title can succeed.”
“If so, what is the change of position?”
“If Lady Lucienne, who has no heirs because she is not married, announces the fact that she adopted my mother’s child, she will be able to inherit it. In this case, the only thing that can be succeeded is the Marquis.”
Of course, this was only possible under the premise that Rome’s original marriage partner would be Lucienne. In fact, if he held two mothers and daughters like flowers in his hands his, he could impregnate them at any time.
“Instead, please feel sorry for the miserable lives of young men and women. My wife and I are getting married, and in exchange for publicizing the fact, the royal family should officially recognize and guarantee our marriage to Lady Lucienne, which is being paid in secret.”
Rome’s proposal her meant, in other words, that he would marry her mother and daughter at the same time.
“How is it?”
“It sounds like a good compromise.”
A legal bigamy with an aristocratic mother and daughter, unprecedented in history.
