“Now then─as you’ve all been informed, I’ve called you here today to discuss who would be most suited to rule over the counties of Kuat and Purledo. I wish to hear all of your opinions,” Couran said, opening the meeting.
One of the attendees spoke up at once. “I believe that Lord Ars Louvent should be granted that honor. His conquest of Purledo County was magnificent, and his airship instrumental in the capture of Castle Kuat. None among us could claim to have contributed more to the war than he did. Moreover, Canarre, Purledo, and Kuat all lie within a close proximity to one another, meaning he is uniquely positioned to govern all three counties at once.”
The meeting had only just begun, and I’d already been thrown into the running. It was such an unexpected development, I was taken aback for a moment. I had certainly accomplished the most out of all of Missian’s lords in the war, but considering the widespread sentiment among the rest of the nobility that House Louvent was a house of upstarts, I hadn’t thought that anyone would nominate me for the job.
It didn’t help that, in all honesty, I thought that managing both Purledo and Kuat on top of my current territory would be too much for me. I hadn’t been able to search for new recruits like I used to ever since the assassination attempt that almost killed me. I had to be much slower and more cautious these days, which meant that my rate of hiring had also declined, and I couldn’t just bring a whole host of new people in to help me govern multiple new lands. I didn’t mind the idea of improving my territory by any means, but it felt like we were skipping over several necessary steps in that process.
I’d expected nobles to start crying out in protest one after another, but much to my surprise, most of those in attendance expressed their approval of the proposal. I had no clue what was going on, and paused to study the expressions of the lords who said they were in agreement. About half of them seemed to genuinely think that I deserved to rule over the counties, but the remaining half voiced their approval with rather more malicious smiles on their faces. It seemed that they didn’t believe that I was capable of managing three counties at once. If I failed in my efforts at governance─say, for instance, if I allowed a revolt to rise up in Kuat or Purledo─then my standing in Couran’s eyes would be dramatically lowered. Contributing significantly to a war didn’t mean that I was capable of ruling over vast swaths of land.
Not everyone agreed with the proposal, of course. A few of the lords in attendance suggested that it might be too soon to make such a dramatic decision, but they were in the minority. I didn’t join in the conversation at all, choosing instead to sit on the sidelines and watch it play out.
“What are your thoughts on this suggestion, Your Majesty?” one of the lords asked Couran. I crossed my fingers, praying that he’d shoot the idea down outright.
“Ars has indeed accomplished great things,” said Couran. “He has proven time and time again to be outstanding at both unveiling the talents of those around him, as well as using them effectively. I have every confidence that if granted the territories of Kuat and Purledo, he would do an exemplary job of managing them. Furthermore, although Seitz has capitulated to us and sworn to serve our interests, so long as the former duke Ashude lives, we can never be entirely certain that the threat he poses has passed. Being as Kuat and Purledo will both be pivotal regions for maintaining our hold over Seitz, I could hardly ask for a more capable man to keep hold of them. Seitz has learned firsthand time after time the danger of opposing House Louvent, and would not oppose him lightly. If Ars were to take hold of the counties, we could rest easy knowing that his presence would cow any Seitzan aggression.”
Much to my dismay, Couran was all for it. His little speech seemed to have sealed the deal, in fact, and the nobles who’d protested the choice fell silent.
What am I supposed to do now?
I would have loved to refuse the offer, but after having that many people endorse the choice, turning it down would have been difficult, to say the least. Plus, while I was worried that three counties would be too much territory for me to handle, from another perspective it would also make my territory stronger than ever.
Considering how large Kuat and Purledo were, if I could manage them effectively, they would make me the second most powerful lord in all of Missian. My goal had always been to rule over a somewhat prominent territory, so from a certain viewpoint, this wasn’t a bad deal for me at all. I also already had my people helping out with Purledo and Kuat’s management, which meant that they’d already have valuable knowhow when it came to the ins and outs of the two counties.
Then there was the fact that, frankly, I didn’t like the way that some of the other nobles were looking down on me. Well, on us, really─I knew that I wasn’t all that impressive on my own, but my retainers were as capable as could be. A little extra territory on our plate was nothing that they couldn’t handle, one way or another.
“I believe we have our consensus. Kuat County and Purledo County will be ruled over by Lord Ars Louvent. Does anyone object?” Couran asked. By now, no one dared to speak up in protest. “Then this matter is settled. I’m sure your new territories will be a trial to manage, Ars, but I trust that you’re up to the task. I have faith that you’ll do a fine job.”
“I promise to rise to your expectations, Your Majesty,” I replied.
My territory expanded. I would rule over Canarre, Kuat, and Purledo all at once, catapulting me straight to the top of Missian’s hierarchy of lords.
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Mahkfa, the Duke of Paradille, led a band of his retainers toward the Imperial Capital in the Duchy of Ansel. His objective: to request an audience with the emperor himself.
The Imperial Family held very little real power in the modern Summerforth Empire. Each duchy was self-governed in all but name, and despite the continent’s ostensible unification under the emperor’s banner, frequent wars between the duchies had become par for the course.