Episode 111
“Pardon?”
The steward was momentarily flustered but quickly finished the calculation in his head. It was only natural, as the defense subsidy received from the Empire was far greater than the annual total taxes collected from most territories within Babenberg.
“Precisely 38,000 crowns per year, Your Excellency.”
If the Grand Duke had been troubled by financial matters until now, it was undoubtedly a meaningless concern.
The primary source of income for the Duchy of Babenberg, magic stones, existed in quantities too vast to calculate.
Thus, unlike other agrarian nations, the Duchy’s income did not fluctuate with climate or season.
This barren northern duchy would be as prosperous this year as the last, and the following year would surely be no different.
But then the Grand Duke asked something unexpected.
“If we were to reduce that by half, what would our loss be?”
The steward tilted his head and replied.
“…Even just considering the number of mages stationed at the border, it would be an overwhelming loss.”
“That is why I asked the amount of the loss.”
The steward forced a smile.
“We would need to calculate the details. Perhaps if you owe the Empire some other debt…?”
Clalisteon offered no answer to his question and instead said bluntly,
“I wish to marry the Emperor’s sister.”
Instantly, the steward felt cold sweat trickling down his spine.
“Your Excellency, surely you don’t mean…?”
The Grand Duke had never formally introduced her, but the pregnant guest who had visited Babenberg during the New Year’s festival was undoubtedly the youngest Princess.
While the lower staff had gossiped immaturely, the steward had believed his Grand Duke would never have impregnated her out of wedlock.
No matter how long he had held her in his heart, there was absolutely no reason to make such a reckless move before marriage.
To the steward’s knowledge, a marital alliance with Babenberg was rather the desire of the Imperial family.
The Grand Duke could have finalized a marriage with the youngest Princess at any time simply by sending a letter of proposal containing a few lines.
Moreover, he had even sent the nearly full-term Princess away elsewhere.
So the steward had merely felt sorry, thinking his master had perhaps failed in his youthful love.
But then Callisteon, who had been silent, finally nodded.
“She has borne my heir.”
The elderly steward’s knees went weak, and he staggered.
If that were true, then the Grand Duke had impregnated an unwed Imperial Princess, the Emperor’s only full-blooded sister, and fathered a child out of wedlock.
In that case, Babenberg could not possibly dare to quibble about losses at the border.
Flustered, the steward stammered,
“How… How could you? There was no reason for you to…”
“…She did not wish it.”
The Grand Duke answered after a long pause, but his reply fell far short of satisfactorily resolving the steward’s confusion.
Finding it difficult to press further, the steward simply asked another question.
“Then, where are Her Highness, the prospective Grand Duchess, and the young Prince now…?”
“…A Grand Ducal daughter. But as of now, I cannot be certain of their precise whereabouts.”
The Grand Duke answered as if chewing the words, then added,
“So I must offer His Imperial Majesty something and retrieve my family. Do you have any objection?”
The steward was not, by nature, one to strongly oppose the Grand Duke’s actions.
Especially if the Emperor was holding the prospective Grand Duchess and heir of Babenberg as hostages, even more so he would not.
“None, Your Excellency. I will calculate the profits and losses immediately. Although I believe we should focus on retrieving the two of them rather than tallying losses, of course.”
The diligent steward came up with a few additional gifts that Babenberg could immediately offer the Emperor, including the adjustment of the northeastern defense subsidy.
Only after that did the Grand Duke’s complexion improve slightly.
He finally inquired about the Duchy’s affairs.
“So, what is the most pressing matter?”
Upon hearing this, the steward promptly took about half of the piled-up workload into his arms.
“Do not trouble yourself, Your Excellency. I will handle the rest. Please, focus on writing to the Empire.”
“Hm.”
The moment Callisteon finally picked up a quill, his gaze fell upon several letters placed beside the document stack.
“Those are?”
“They are personal correspondences, but…”
The steward’s face quickly soured as he replied.
“Actually, they are letters sent by the exiled 2nd Princess from the convent. I considered disposing of them, but then recalled she was your Academy junior, so I left them be. Shall I burn them?”
Callisteon looked down at the few shabby letters, which didn’t even bear a family seal, then slightly shook his head.
“I’ll handle it. You may leave now.”
Then, with a deeply furrowed brow, he opened the first letter.
Dear Grand Duke Callisteon,
I surmise this letter may place you in an awkward position, but I can think of no other from whom to seek help, so I gather my courage to take up my pen…
Looking at the 2nd Princess’s familiar handwriting, Callisteon shook his head.
The letter was mostly complaints and grumbles about her impoverished convent life.
But the way she used this as a pretext to ask for help was no different from when she used to order him around before he became Grand Duke, leaving him utterly exasperated.
‘Really, the sheer audacity is beyond belief.’
Callisteon skimmed only the first letter, then picked up the remaining two and threw them directly into the fireplace.
At least half of the dire straits he was currently experiencing were due to the 2nd Princess.
Therefore, reading even one of her letters out of mere consideration was more than enough favor bestowed upon her.
Callisteon clenched his fist.
Amidst his frustration, reading that irrelevant letter made his anger surge even more.
“I love you, Carl.”
She had confessed her heart to him for the first time and asked for time…
In the end, Callisteon could not bring himself to pick up the quill again.
As he left the study and moved towards the training grounds, memories from last year, sweet and bitter, habitually rose in his mind.
Last summer, Callisteon and Louise graduated from the Academy side by side.
It was natural for Crown Prince Ernst, Louise’s classmate, to graduate with them, but it was somewhat surprising that even Ren, the Tower Lord, who had seemed doomed to repeat a year for the second time, graduated alongside them.
Due to his sudden succession to the title, Callisteon had graduated a year later than others, but he was glad it allowed him to spend two years of school life by Louise’s side.
The only tragedy was that Louise had long been trapped in pessimism about her so-called death oracle.
If not for that, he would have proposed to her long ago.
Unable to act one way or another, he had to part with Louise, and he felt uncharacteristically gloomy even during the graduation ceremony.
But the day after the ceremony, Louise asked him.
“Carl, after the graduation banquet… are you returning directly to Babenberg?”
Of course not.
Callisteon planned to depart for the Duchy only after Louise had returned to the Imperial Capital.
If possible, he wanted to secure her permission to send a letter of proposal before they parted.
He smiled softly and replied,
“No. I will be here until the day you leave.”
But then Louise brought up something unexpected.
“Um, actually, Pheobe… has taken a leave of absence.”
Her tone was so significant that Callistheon still remembered the resonance of that voice perfectly.
If asked whether Louise’s loyal maid had ever been helpful to him, frankly, not at all.
Hearing that the maid was on leave was clearly very welcome news for Callisteon.
Yet, slightly puzzled by Louise’s demeanor, he asked,
“She left you alone?”
Her cheeks flushed bright red as she said,
“So, I think I’ll be bored tomorrow, all by myself…”
If Louise had been just a little less shy, he would have given a joyful and straightforward answer. But because she was so bashful, Callisteon ended up stammering as well.
“W-well, then, shall we go on a picnic by the lake? I’ll prepare lots of the desserts you like.”
Anyway, Louise agreed immediately.
“Yes, I’d like that.”
How beautiful she had looked with her flushed cheeks, how endearing the hand that shyly fiddled with her hair—he remembered that day’s Louise without forgetting a single detail.
The atmosphere by the lake was good the next day… and in the carriage on the way back, they could even share a light kiss as a farewell.
It felt like a dream up to that point, but when they arrived at Louise’s residence, she gently grabbed the hem of Callisteon’s coat.
“Carl, um…”
The initiative always had to be hers, and indeed, it was.
His heart had been given away too early in his life, so much so that he couldn’t even remember precisely when it had started.
So Callisteon waited thirstily for Louise’s next words.
