There was a long spell of silence between us. After that, Eleonora slowly began sharing her thoughts with me, perhaps encouraged by our venting session.
She was concerned about her family. For years, four other noble houses had controlled and exploited her family, until that was brought to light last year and the four houses faced justice. I confirmed that I’d known that much, and she moved on to telling me things I didn’t know. The first of which was that her family and fiefdom were not free from the rule of those four houses that exploited her family in many ways. One of which came in the form of the four houses sending in workers to develop and run the mines in Eleonora’s family’s territory, draining money from her family through the workers’ salaries.
Though they were under the guise of technicians and managers of the mines, these were actually members of crime syndicates that operated in each of the four fiefdoms. Basically having members of the mafia in her family’s territory wasn’t the worst of her problems either. “When the crimes of the four lords were brought to light, there was enough evidence against the syndicates for the kingdom to try and dismantle them. However, the higher-ups of the syndicate—who worked with the lords of their land for years—were quick to escape. My family’s fiefdom, where they already had a base of operations because of their exploitation, was the perfect refuge for them. Each syndicate set up their hideout. None of them have begun their criminal operations yet...but it is as clear as day that the syndicates will begin clashing with each other, sooner or later, which will inevitably endanger the civilians in the fiefdom. They must be dealt with. The problem lies with my father and two brothers, who should be the ones to deal with the syndicates.”
Clearly disheartened, Eleonora let out a long sigh and rubbed the bridge of her nose. Then, she continued.
“When I was finally freed from my ex-husband and returned home, I learned that the younger of my older brothers had gone missing, leaving a note that he had lost hope in the future of our house; my oldest brother, the heir to the fiefdom, drowns himself in liquor for the same reason; my father refused to do anything about the crime syndicates because they have yet to openly engage in their operations in our territory. Each syndicate was backed by one of the four lords before the fallout, providing them with a legal means of being in our fiefdom. Since they were there to extract profits from our mines, they held back from egregious criminal activity for fear of interrupting the mines’ operations and they were careful not to leave any incriminating evidence.”
I listened closely as I watched Eleonora’s face contort.
“Now, things have changed! Their restraint was never for the sake of civilians in our fiefdom, but purely out of loyalty to their own lord and self-preservation. With their patrons gone, they are sure to resort to brazen criminal activity to protect their reputation and profits. Fleeing their own fiefdoms in and of itself made them criminals, and anyone who harbors them, accomplices. There is abundant justification to arrest them all without fear of any retribution from other houses!”
Eleonora’s disappointment made way for outrage. It showed how much she cared for her fiefdom and its people until she was married off and forced out of the picture.
“Of course, even if they wanted to arrest those criminals now, we no longer have the resources.” She spoke calmly again, having regained her composure. “When I finally returned to my family’s estate for the first time since I was married away, I found it in disarray: Our gate was left open without so much as a guard posted; the house itself wasn’t maintained in the slightest; all of our staff had left, save for the butler. For days, I demanded answers from my family and even spoke to the townspeople anonymously until I discovered that everyone—our guards, staff, and the others in our fiefdom—all considered the house of Ransor finished.”
Once Eleonora was married, her family was completely at the mercy of the other four houses. The Ransors continued to operate the mines that were profitable to their exploiters under the supervision of the crime syndicates that served as their watchdogs. Rights to the mines—the lifeline of the Ransor fiefdom—were split between the four exploiting houses that made decisions and settled disputes as a committee...which didn’t include the Ransors. As Baron Ransor became a lord in name only, trust in the Ransors quickly diminished among the people.
“Now that the advisors have left and the constables have their hands full with maintaining law and order, eliminating four crime syndicates—even if they have diminished significantly—is not realistic. House Ransor cannot do it alone,” Eleonora said.
“Currently, your house is under the supervision of Duke Jamil, isn’t it? I’m sure you’ve considered this option, but could you ask the duke for aid?”
“I have, but my father and brothers vehemently refused to ask for any help. Without an official request from my father, even the duke could not intervene without reason—a clear threat to other territories, for example. A lord is responsible for his own fiefdom, for better or worse. If criminals find refuge in a territory, it is obviously expected for the lord of the land to deal with them with his own militia.”
“That reminds me of the incident the other day when we suspected an infringement of proprietary techniques,” I said.
“This kingdom conquered and absorbed many others. As a result, there are many pockets of local cultures and customs passed down from kingdoms that no longer exist. Too many lords disrespected those customs in their own lands either to protect their own interests or sense of superiority. Laws and new customs were drawn up to protect local culture, leading to the stronger independence of fiefdoms. Nowadays, fiefdoms are closer to their own kingdoms than territories.”
“Breaking that unspoken rule and intervening with a problem on Ransor territory will blemish the Jamils’ reputation...and they don’t have a reason to stick their neck out like that. This is a conundrum,” I said.
Within their own fiefdom, the lord held absolute power. Even other lords with a stronger position within the kingdom couldn’t easily intervene in business that was contained within another lord’s territory. By the same token, all Reinhart needed was a request from Baron Ransor to take action. That might involve some politicking, but it wasn’t that complicated a solution. Eleonora seemed to be especially frustrated with her father for not even attempting this relatively simple solution. “This is my guess, but does the baron avoid explaining why he doesn’t ask the duke for aid?”
“How did you know? That is exactly right. He only gives nonanswers like ‘It isn’t the right time’ or ‘We cannot spare the expenses.’ I demanded more details until he finally threatened to disown me.”
“It was that bad?”
“Yes... Thankfully, Duke and Duchess Jamil were there and talked my father out of disowning me. He still adamantly refused to ask for help with the syndicates.” Eleonora explained how she’d crashed the meeting of lords that convened to discuss the crimes committed at the end of the year. There, knowing she would most likely face some punishment for it, she enlisted Reinhart’s help in trying to talk some sense into her father. For a baron’s daughter to ask a duke for something like this, especially when her family was at fault, must have taken immense courage. Even then, her father remained resolute. She had tugged on the Jamils’ heartstrings, so they took Eleonora under their wings and convinced the Baron Ransor against disowning her. This was how she was freed from her toxic marriage and ended up with the Jamils.
“As a lord’s autonomy grew in history, so did his responsibility to his fiefdom. A lord who cannot fulfill his obligation to his people does not deserve his title. Having to ask another lord for help with a matter within one’s fiefdom is a sign of great weakness. If put in the same position, most nobles would recognize the need to step down and allow someone who can deal with the problem to take over. I cannot stop asking myself this question: Would our people be better if my father had been executed?” No tears ran down her face, but when Eleonora gazed up at the sky, I saw her eyes shimmer in the moonlight.
I sat there quietly, waiting for her to speak again.
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