Chapter 4 - Concerns of Count Ludovico Nord (Part 2)
Marquess Mares's daughter, Ariarein, was only seventeen, not much different in age from Claudia, but she was already the Marquess's representative in the royal capital.
Since arriving in the capital, it was said she frequently visited not only the court but also the Government Administration, often holding meetings with the scribes.
Ludovico himself had never exchanged words with her directly, but Marquess Mares had called her his pride and joy.
Given that the capable Marquess Mares entrusted her as his representative, she must indeed be quite something.
Compared to that noble lady, it was undeniable that Claudia's aptitude as a Queen fell a step or two behind.
Well, perhaps that could be managed if the ministers supported her firmly.
Ludovico's greater concern, however, lay with her father.
"—But even if it is His Highness's command, I wonder what Marquess Mares will think."
At Ludovico's words of anxiety, the Crown Prince's expression turned displeased again.
"It does not matter what Marquess Mares thinks.
I told you, did I not? That person is no longer fit to even be a noble of this country."
"—Your Highness?"
"I have decided to exile her from this country.
Even if she is the daughter of Marquess Mares, there are no exceptions to the judgment of exile and its effects."
"Wh..."
Ludovico felt the blood drain from his face.
"P-Please, Your Highness, I beg of you to reconsider!"
He spoke as if shouting, and only realized his actions after he had half-risen from his seat. He was that distraught.
"I do not know for what crime she was sentenced to exile, but the House of Marquess Mares is a pillar of the kingdom, the key to the defense of the eastern border.
To exile his only daughter—I know this is an overstepping of my station, but please, please reconsider."
He spoke with a voice like a scream, bowing his head so low it nearly hit the low table.
"Claudia, your father is quite kind, isn't he?
It seems your personality was inherited from him."
The Crown Prince responded as if laughing through his nose at Ludovico's attitude.
'Oh my,' Claudia's voice sounded.
Why? Ludovico felt like screaming.
Why could he laugh while sentencing that lady of that house to exile?
She was not some daughter of a low-ranking noble or a princess whose only merit was her looks.
To discard a talented woman who might leave her name in the history of the kingdom, along with that house of distinguished lineage.
"Your Highness!"
Ludovico strengthened his tone while keeping his head bowed, and the Crown Prince answered with a sigh.
"Count Nord, did you think I had given this no thought?
Besides, it is not as if I am heartless. If she repents her past mistakes and offers an apology, I intend to grant her a pardon."
"—T-This was my rudeness.
I am utterly impressed by Your Highness's generous heart."
Ludovico, who felt like he might faint again from relief, took a deep breath and straightened his body.
He noticed only now that his own sweat was dripping onto the table.
He hurriedly took out a handkerchief and wiped the sweat away.
"Well, she might have intended that from the start.
She requested a three-day grace period. I suppose she wants to cool her head for the time being."
A three-day grace period.
She had not been exiled yet, and her status as the Marquess's daughter remained intact.
In the meantime, she could apologize, offer some form of compensation, and avoid exile through a pardon.
Since the Crown Prince said so, there was no mistake.
He picked up the cup of tea that had grown lukewarm while sitting there and took a sip to moisten his dry throat.
Ludovico could sense neither the aroma nor the taste.
All that remained was for that young lady to bow her head.
Thinking that far, something suddenly caught in his mind.
Besides calling her his pride and joy, had Marquess Mares said anything else about that young lady?
Searching the depths of his memory, Ludovico recalled those words along with the face of Marquess Mares smiling troubledly.
'Though she is my daughter, she has the reputation within the house for having most strongly inherited my father's temperament.
I must tell her now so she does not become rebellious and trouble His Highness or His Majesty.'
The previous Marquess Mares was a hero known for his military prowess, having stopped invasions from the east many times.
With his stouthearted and decisive personality and his achievements, even His Majesty held him in high regard, and he was deeply adored by his subordinates.
She inherited the temperament of that previous Marquess?
The reputation of that young lady heard in the capital was far from such a persona.
But, if that was the true nature of that capable young lady?
If she combined Marquess Mares's ability as a statesman with the temperament of the previous Marquess?
Ludovico could not even imagine what she would do.
—For example, what if she refused to bow her head?
Naturally, the exile would not be lifted.
Even for parent and child, there were no exceptions to the rule forbidding aid to those who were exiled.
But would that Marquess Mares simply abandon his only daughter—a daughter he entrusted as his representative at such a young age—just like that?
What would happen if he ended up sheltering her within the Marquess's territory?
It was obvious. His Highness would have no choice but to raise an army for a subjugation.
To maintain the prestige of the royal family, there was no other choice.
While thinking she had no choice but to bow her head, that she had no other options... was it not the Crown Prince who was losing his options?
It was an imagination too terrifying to voice.
Ludovico hardly remembered what kind of conversation he exchanged with the Crown Prince after that.
He couldn't help but feel that he had stepped into an inescapable quagmire.
The common-sense person who can't quite break through is the one who suffers the most.
Don't you think so, too?