Chapter 98 – 9. The Story of the Years Gone by (8)
The walk is over.
It was also the time to confirm each other’s position. While returning to the room, Rome vaguely guessed the current address of Marquis Baekryeong. He realized that the five authoritative and partial vassals deserved to be rooted out of this land as soon as possible.
“Chief, excuse me.”
After some time to clear my mind while watching the fire in front of the fireplace, the early evening quickly approached. Around noon, the courtesy maid who brought her refreshments calmly knocked on the door and appeared with a woman who appeared to be of quite a high rank of hers.
“I came to inform you that the seat I mentioned during the day is ready. Our maid here will guide you directly to the banquet hall.”
“Nice to meet you. This is Marion.”
Rom politely bowed his head and showed his respect for him. She was the head maid who was in the position of managing the employees of the fortress, and she was a woman of considerable dignity. She must have guessed that she must be the person who actually manages the household here.
“Are you leaving right now?”
“Yes, please tell me when you are ready.”
“Please guide me.”
There was no other way to prepare for him, who only had a simple pair of everyday clothes. After checking the dressing of her tunic her, Rome followed the skinny maid, Jean Marion. On the other hand, she chewed on the events of the afternoon as she strolled through the gray hallways.
‘It’s probably a lie that we met by chance at the watchtower.’
Certainly, the conciliation between the vice-count and the four barons was sudden. But if you think about it, it’s nothing complicated. Whatever the case may be, the youngest child of the Dior family is one of the strongest on the continent.
‘Did he be wary of his reputation as a hero of Limousin?’
Rom is a knight who has been called invincible ever since he was in Lumiere, the capital city. He has the ability to overturn the entire game in any region’s struggle for supremacy. He was often the target of vigilance to those in power who naturally occupied advantageous heights or those with great ambitions.
‘They’re superficial enough to see their true intentions…’
It was a poor workmanship that made me laugh out loud. By the time I passed through the cozy and quiet passage and entered the customer service corridor, I even regretted my outright reaction. Even so, if you were from a prominent family in the center and were good at political tricks, you needed to deal with it more deftly.
Only then will it be easier to insert a knife into them the moment they reveal their true colors.
Of course, that’s an if event that hasn’t happened yet. It was only a guess that the vice-count and the four barons would disobey or rebel against Madame Lemoyn’s wishes her. Above all, Rom was a stranger who had just come to the North.
Even if he had been invited to Amman, it was not good in any way for a foreigner to interfere in the internal affairs of the North.
“Madam, I have brought Sir Dior.”
So from now on, it was even more important. Stepping into the corridor, Rome eventually entered while being conscious of the surroundings. It was old, but thanks to well-maintained chandeliers that were still splendid and dazzling, we headed towards the old wooden table that looked very antique under it.
“Welcome.”
“Mrs. Lemoyn.”
Realizing that even in such a barren land, there are women as beautiful as fertile places.
“I was waiting for you.”
Orianne, who occupied one side of the round table, spotted Rom, rose from his seat and opened his arms. It was a gesture of hospitality. The fresh smile and sincere greeting touched the frozen knight’s heart warmly enough to melt it.
“Thank you for the invitation.”
“Ah, don’t say anything.”
Northern Gaul, the frozen land, was what he liked.
“Lucienne? This is the knight my mother talked about.”
A year has passed since the day I realized the painful wounds in Limousin. For Rom, who was exhausted both physically and mentally, the north, where Marshal’s wife Oriane was considerate, was a very attractive settlement.
“As my mother introduced me, I am Lucienne Lemoyn.”
And again, the northern winterstone.
“It is an honor to meet such a prestigious knight.”
Sitting next to the woman who smiled brightly was a woman who was cold and lofty like a doll. She was Lucienne Lemoyn. It was one of the four seasons stones that were said to be one of the four most beautiful in the entire kingdom of Gaul. She was a beauty with blonde hair and ruby red eyes.
“This is Romuald Dior. I am happy to see Lady Winter Stone, who is said to be the best off-white in the North.”
Lucienne lightly shook her head. She was wearing a light chemise dress, and compared to the fancy reception, she had a plain impression. Of course, that didn’t mean her beauty was dying, but she felt a little sad compared to Melanie Tarn, an extravagant southern summer stone.
Because it reminded me of the alluring charm when it was decorated more earnestly.
“Now, sit down. You must be very hungry, but let’s eat first.”
Oriane offered her a seat. On the table were some of the high-end dishes common in the capital, as well as roasted meat known as the local food of the north. The savory parts of hares and deer that roam the snowy mountains and snow-covered forests were marinated in plenty of spices.
“Did you look around the citadel during the day?”
As they rattled the tableware and savored the taste, it was surely Oriane who brought up the topic first. She used to talk to Rom on behalf of her daughter, who didn’t make a lot of noise and only sniffed quietly.
“Yes, I met the Vice Count of Covin. He was with the other barons.”
“These are the five vassals serving our family.”
“Looking at their behavior, they seem to be somewhat distant from the atmosphere of the fortress.”
“Originally, we live in a nearby city called Havre, but unfortunately we are here now because our situation is a bit tense. The soldiers they have are also joining my Citadel, preparing for the eventuality.”
Marquis Marquis, who explained calmly, drank the red wine from the clear glass. Rom, who was chewing and savoring what she put in her mouth, waited for her words to follow as she appropriately agreed. Usually, in this atmosphere, the topic raised is likely to have a separate connotation.
“They have been loyal to my husband ever since he succeeded to the title.”
The Baron are sensitive to subordinates who can overthrow their power. It is also very common to gossip or belittle in front of an article that you naturally want to embrace.
But unexpectedly, that was all Oriane had to say.
She seemed to say it as usual because she realized that Rome’s gaze was waiting for her words to follow. Feeling curious, he put down his tableware without being able to express his curiosity.
Is that all there is to it?
By the time Lucie-in-Tarn mentioned the arrival of a letter from Bishop Ravel, he had listed his stinginess and shortcomings. He mentioned how hard it was to serve under a cleric, and deep down he wanted to have Rom under him.
So did the officials I met to sort out the turmoil in the eastern Fontainebleau. A mixture of those loyal to the royal family and those who were not, they fought fiercely, and every day they tried to attract Rom to their side.
Even so, he did not budge, and eventually concluded that it was the official who died unjustly.
The example of Bishop Hu Ravel, who was a powerful player in the West, was not much different. As an ordinary nobleman, he appeared in front of Rom as a selfish group of people who only thought of themselves. But for some reason, Orianne, the Marquis’s wife, was different. She didn’t dislike the five vassals who were sure to overstep her authority.
Was it because I didn’t notice their witchcraft?
No, she wasn’t that stupid. On the contrary, she was the most gifted woman of all monarchs that Rom had ever seen. However, the problem of the environment she was in or the goodness of continuing to trust the person who once gave her faith her were only obstacles.
“Come to think of it, have you ever been active in a place called Fontaine in the east in the past?”
“Yes, for a moment, but it was.”
“I think it’s a very strange relationship.”
It was in Limousin in the southwest that the wife of the Marquis of the North heard the story of the knight who was called invincible for the first time. It was from a legend that a knight under the command of Archduke Tarn, who hurriedly dragged his army out after all the border commanders died, led a major offensive.
“I have often heard about Lord Dior’s fame before. But if I were to talk about what sparked my interest in it, would it be the East Coast? I don’t know if you know, but my sister is there.”
“Are you talking about my sister?”
“Yes, there is a direct jurisdiction that touches the land of the married family, and one knight showed impressive performance there.”
Rom paused for a moment. There was only one estate adjacent to rural Fontaine located at the eastern end.
“Certainly, the LeBlanc duke… ?”
“Right.”
Duchy of LeBlanc, called the eastern baron!
“My half-sister Henrietta lives there.”
The older sister that Oriane Lemoyn refers to is the only female member of the family and the hostess, Duchess Henrietta LeBlanc.
“It’s been a long time since we’ve been in person, but we often talk about this and that through the crystal ball.”
“Mmm.”
“Then, about a month ago, he told me about Sir Dior.”
“The Duchess… ?”
“I was very grateful that the knight from the center put down a commotion that could have spread to my territory in one fell swoop. Actually, the officials under him were busy competing with those who were dispatched under the order of the royal family, so it was a headache.”
Oriane made a chuckle. It was a soft smile like a girl, not befitting her age her. However, even with her grown-up daughter her, as long as she looked like her sister her, she made even him reborn with an elegant charm, and only then did Rome realize.
The reason why the Margrave’s wife of high status invited her was different from other powerful people.
“I heard that one day, you received an invitation from Henrietta’s sister?”
If it was a letter in the name of Duke LeBlanc, he would definitely remember receiving it. She refused, making the excuse that she had to leave for the West, using the name of the Bishop as her shield her, but she had n’t done much since then, so she completely forgot, but she certainly did.
“Actually, I was very curious. That’s right, she’s Henrietta’s sister, who is said to be the origin of the four seasons. I wondered what kind of person a knight would be if he rejected the invitation from such a lovely eastern spring stone.”
Oriane joked.
“As Sir Dior knows, the borders of this northern frozen land are no longer the same. Since the death of her husband her, she has been in and out of Ron and is increasingly looking at her downfall of her.”
But she wasn’t sincere. With a very sincere look, she gazed at her rom her.
“Since there is a choice of her wife, it must be…”
“I am not stupid. I am well aware of the limits of my abilities. So when I heard some advice from her sister, I was very upset.”
She said so.
“Call the hero of Limousin. Unlike other knights, he doesn’t seem to be a snob who only pursues wealth or fame. It will be of great help to Lemoang, who desperately needs someone to fill the void of power.”
No other aristocrat had expressed his candid feelings like this.
“So to speak, the snob was me.”
He didn’t even approach it carefully.
“So I wanted to say hello while confessing like this.”
She did not dare to say something that could be embarrassing in front of her daughter.
“Thank you for helping her sister ease her worries. And that she gladly accepted an invitation from our remote north.”
It was only two days. It was a meal that lasted only an hour or two.
“… If so, madam.”
However, the time of the frozen land had a very subtle truth.
“Could you please let me know what I can do for the North?”
Finally, the knight was able to make up his mind.
“Even if it is weak, I want to add this strength.”
I will make this place my heart’s home.
