Chapter 46

As Arne left the premises of Schwarzwald Hall, he noted with some dismay that Princess Charlotte’s plan was already in full swing. The residents watched him leave like carrion birds descending after a battle. The rumors would be starting already, especially once word got out that the princess had burned through a fortune in medicine just to meet with him.

‘How did Uncle phrase it? I got played like a damn fiddle.’

He made a mental note to have Katharina investigate whatever was going on with Count Lothar as soon as possible. Her network of gossipers would be infinitely more useful than his own clumsy digging.

With his bodyguards in tow, he briefly stopped by Falkenstein Hall to inform Matthias. The prince was predictably unamused, but the glee in his fiancée’s aura led him to believe that the two of them would make the best of it.

His next destination was Sonnenfeld Hall, where he made a point of staying outside the premises and sending Ferdinand to announce his visit and ask for Katharina. Soon after, she stormed outside, visibly seething underneath her bandages. Rage. Indignation.

They quickly came to the agreement that this was not the right place for discussion, and made their way to Hohenfels Hall’s meeting lounge. A servant brought refreshments, Arne dismissed his bodyguards, and Katharina took a seat suspiciously far away from him.

‘Probably Charlotte’s doing,’ he mused.

“What happened to you?” he finally asked, unable to bear the torrent of fury any longer.

“Where do I start,” she grumbled. “Princess Klara punches me, knocking me out for an entire night.”

There was a quiet ‘crack’ before Arne carefully released his chair’s armrest.

Katharina continued, too heated to notice. “Then I get back to the dorm to find out that my chambers had a ‘plumbing accident’ and I have been relegated to the lower floors.”

Arne raised his eyebrows. “That’s…”

“A direct insult to House Silberthal. Yes. If I was a man, I’d challenge Prince Ludwig to a duel.”

“I can do it for you,” he offered half-jokingly. “I’m sure he would appreciate a rematch.”

The whirl of anger in her aura came to a sudden halt, replaced by vindictiveness and vicious glee. ‘Is Klara rubbing off on her already?’

“...While that would be most amusing,” she sighed, “I don’t think that is a good idea. I appreciate the thought, though, Prince Arnold.”

‘Prince?’

She coughed politely, straightening her dress. “There is… another matter of interest I would like to discuss,” she began. Worry. Unease.

“What is it?”

“...I have been offered a barony in Eisengrund.”

“Ah, restitution for the attack?”

Surprise. Bemusement. “Ahem, yes. I originally asked for something smaller, but Housemaster Heinrich offered it as an addition ‘in the spirit of reconciliation’.”

“Fair enough,” Arne shrugged. “I would have done the same in his place. Eisengrund wins, you win, it’s a good deal. Which estate did they offer? Limrow? Borkow?”

“Borkow,” she replied, her aura exuding a wild mix of emotions.

“A nice place, from what I’ve heard. Very rural, but there’s a harbor town nearby. Hasn’t seen war in centuries. It has at least one iron mine that I know of.”

“...You approve?” she asked, her voice steady, her aura not so much.

‘That’s what she was worried about?’

“Well, of course,” he replied, now himself rather bemused. “I hold a barony not far from there, actually. Maybe three hours on horseback. Not that I’ve ever actually been there, but the administrator keeps me up to date.”

“You hold a title in Eisengrund?”

“I do. My father holds three.” He shrugged again. “House Eisenberg has around the same number in Hohenfels territory. Is that not common in the West?”

“It is not,” Katharina replied, apparently still trying to wrap her head around the issue. “In fact, we take great care to avoid such things.”

“Well, for us, there is no point in doing that,” Arne explained. “After the Great Expansion, there are so many conflicting hereditary claims that cleaning them up would require an inordinate amount of work. So we mostly just ignore them and install local administrators.”

“I… I see.”

Arne could feel her emotions slowly untangle, though they remained somewhat muddy to his senses. ‘A lot going on in there,’ he surmised.

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He gave her a few moments to collect herself, after which she spoke up again, this time directly addressing the issue. “Just to confirm again – you would not be bothered by me accepting?” Nervousness.

“A mere barony hardly supersedes your Imperial immedia– Ah.”

Katharina choked, then chuckled in disbelief. “You forgot I’m a woman.”

Arne desperately tried and failed to suppress his rising blush. “Perhaps.”

“As you see,” she sighed, “that small issue complicates the matter somewhat.”

“Ahem. Yes,” he agreed. “It would be your only personal title, technically making you Duke Albrecht’s vassal.”

“Technically?”

“It’s an insignificant detail. Treating you as a mere baroness is not something he can afford to do.”

“He could, should House Silberthal decide to… distance itself from me.” Pain.

‘Should I try to comfort her?’ Arne considered, but discarded the idea. Casually crossing the distance she was building might not go over well.

“Should that come to pass, this would be the least of your worries,” he said instead. “In fact, it would be quite useful.”

“It would,” she agreed. “Eisengrund would protect me from direct animosity.”

“So, other than Western perceptions, there is little reason to decline. Speaking of which–” he sat up a little straighter, “–there has been a development regarding Princess Charlotte.”

A spike of anxiety. “...Yes?”

“She has agreed to grant you social protection through association, in addition to her accepting my new title,” he began, inexplicably hesitant to get to the point. “...In return, we are entering a faux courtship.”

= = = = =

‘Composure is strength. Composure is strength.’

Katharina didn’t know whether to laugh or cry. Just when one of her worries had been settled, another reared its emaciated head.

“Faux courtship?”

“Nothing official,” Arnold replied, shifting uncomfortably. “I will visit Schwarzwald Hall every two weeks or so, to fuel rumors. Given the relations between House Tannburg and House Falkenstein, it will make me look like an independent actor rather than a vassal in all but name, and give Ludwig and Maximilian something to think about.”

Despite her distress, Katharina quickly realized the obvious fault in that plan. “Only as long as Princess Charlotte does not inform them the way you informed me.”

Arnold shook his head. “Their own perception is secondary. They probably won’t believe it at all. No, this is about the lesser nobles.”

That made an unfortunate amount of sense. Bridges to the ducal families had been thoroughly burnt, so their vassals remained their only avenue of attack.

“...What will you do during those meetings?”

The prince blinked in surprise. “I haven’t given that any thought,” he admitted. “I figure we’ll just size each other up and have uncomfortable small talk, unless a pressing matter requires discussion.”

Katharina was absolutely certain that this was not what Charlotte herself had in mind. She shelved the thought with great difficulty and returned to the matter at hand.

“What does Falkenstein think of this?”

“Matthias was not happy. Elenor was.”

She resisted the urge to rub her temples. “All right. So, what was that about ‘social protection’?”

“She agreed to publicly and repeatedly meet with you, despite… everything that happened with Ludwig. Weakening his position, strengthening yours,” he explained hastily, almost tripping over his words.

Katharina’s first instinct was a resounding ‘no, thank you’. But as she fought down her rising annoyance, she could not deny the value of the proposition.

It was genuinely frustrating.

“I… see. I appreciate the opportunity,” she forced out. His intuition was probably screaming at him right now, but oddly, she did not mind.

“I, ahem, all right,” he awkwardly stammered, unusually flustered.

‘At least I’m not the only one floundering about,’ she thought with some satisfaction. Still, moving the conversation into safer waters was probably overdue.

“Regarding Princess Klara,” she blatantly switched the topic. “I cannot quite predict where things will go once I tentatively accept the title. Personally, I do not believe our budding ties survived the… altercation.”

“Perhaps that is for the better,” Arnold said, visibly relieved by the distraction. “I did warn you, but it seems I still underestimated her irrationality. Say, how exactly did the assault come to pass?”

Katharina tried to wrinkle her nose, only to flinch in pain. “To be honest, I did my part in antagonizing Princess Klara,” she admitted. “The punch was a reaction to… a few choice words I had for her.”

Arnold’s eyebrows rose. “You insulted her?”

“Worse,” she winced. “I may have repeatedly poked and prodded at a major insecurity of hers during a heated argument.”

“That being?” he asked with blatant curiosity.

“She does not feel like she contributes to Eisengrund in any meaningful way, and attempts to rectify that issue by emulating your honored sister.”

The prince choked on his breath. “Pardon?”

“She, ahem,” Katharina suppressed a blush, “wants to become, and I quote, ‘stronger than Lady Paladin Elisabeth’, presumably to lead Eisengrund into a better future.”

“Well, I wish her good luck with that,” Arnold laughed out loud. “That is an appropriately childish desire for someone like her.”

Seconds later, he caught himself, suddenly becoming serious again. The contrast was disconcerting.

“It is also a huge opportunity and a fortunate coincidence.”

“A coincidence?”

“Yes. As part of my, ahem, agreement with Princess Charlotte, she will also reach out to Klara.”

“Pardon?” Now it was her turn to be surprised.

“It was a spur-of-the-moment decision,” he explained. “I figured it would not hurt to try and extend an olive branch before she alienates herself to the point of no return. Or rather, to the point of forcible return to Eisenberg Castle.”

“...Putting Princess Charlotte and Klara in a room together? That sounds less like an olive branch and more like an attempt to start a war.”

“It is up to Klara to make something of it,” Arnold shrugged. “Given the additional information you provided, I don’t think she can afford to snub Tannburg. Not after punching you.”

He was correct, of course. However, this came with another implication she did not particularly enjoy, but had to act upon in self-interest.

“I should accept the barony offer as soon as possible,” she realized. “Despite what happened between Klara and me, I am the only peer in the entire academy she can ask for advice.”

‘As long as she can overcome her pride, that is.’ There was no way in hell Katharina would offer help unprompted.

A broken nose was a small price to pay for this opportunity. It did not feel particularly fair, though.