Chapter 16

I brought my troops to the enemy lord’s fort. His troops were positioned on a small hillock—probably about a hundred or so of them. I say a fort, but it was a long way from being a proper stone fortress. There was something like a stone wall surrounding the hill, but if you got over that, you could breach the fort itself. “With your skill, you lot can do this with brute force, no problem. Well, who should I pick to go in first?” It went without saying that the men spearheading the attack were in the most danger. “Leave it to me!” Noen Rowd piped up. “I made a shameful display of myself the other day, not understanding your intentions. I would like to atone for that.” This man has quite a future, I thought. Originally serving as a general to another clan, which I had destroyed, he had quite a devoted personality. “Well said. All right, then—see what you can do. I’ll give you just a few hints, though.” I described several weak points in the enemy’s defenses. “…And so from the north, it’ll be simple to get up to the fort. This fort was made with defense against southern attacks in mind; they assumed they could run north toward their main stronghold if they couldn’t hold against a southern attack. Naturally, the road that way isn’t as steep.” “Only you could figure out so much so quickly…,” marveled another general. “If you put yourself in the enemy’s shoes, the answer is obvious. Now it’s your turn, Noen.” “Yes, sir! We shall crush them without fail!” Noen’s men immediately set out for the rear of the fort. The rest of us gathered on the fort’s south side, drawing away the enemy’s attention. Before long, I could hear the screams when Noen’s unit entered the fort. “All right, Kivik, the enemy will try to flee toward us. Block their path and destroy them.” “As you wish! We won’t let a single one out alive!” Some of the enemy soldiers leaped out, trying to escape. Since there probably weren’t many troops highly loyal to such a minor lord, it was hardly a surprise. Sorry, but you’re all going to die here and now. “Ready your bows. Shoot anyone who comes out!” Realizing they had no means of escape, the enemy troops ran as fast as they could, trying to force their way out of the encirclement. They felt more like running than fighting now. Still, I showed no mercy and ordered them slain one after another. We had the Tri-Jargs lined up here, after all. It’d be no simple task to break through their formation. Seeing so many spearpoints in a row, the enemy troops stopped in their tracks. Now that their momentum was gone, there was no longer anything to fear from them. Smoke finally rose from the fort. Noen had done it. “We’ve won! Now, just one more thing to do to make our victory complete!” Seeing the overwhelming victory, our troops let out a cheery cry of “Raaah!” In the end, the battle was finished after only a few hours of actual fighting. Noen was covered in dirt when he got back, but he seemed unhurt. “My lord, we have killed the enemy general. He was their lord’s younger brother. Apparently, he was begging for his life, but we slaughtered him anyway.” “Good. What a pathetic wretch, begging for his life at the very last minute.” Begging for his life right before the fort fell, after I went to the trouble of warning them I’d kill everyone there? “These people seem to have no respect for battle,” Captain Leon of the White Eagles remarked. “Even in this age, they haven’t seen a real eye-for-an-eye bloodbath. These lesser lords have been depending on each other for everything, never knowing a truly horrific war.” “Leon, you used to be a mercenary for the elves, didn’t you?” “Yes, and many of their lords were just as naive. It wasn’t uncommon for them to never have any real accomplishments in battle.” “You would seem to be right. But past matters like that don’t make a difference to me. I’m not going to relent.” Yes, very good. Crush any who get in your way. Now that you mention it, you seem like you’d hate slow fights, yourself. Battle is the most effective opportunity to demonstrate your power, you know. I almost never staged a siege. In a lengthy skirmish, no one gets a sense for the attacker’s might, even if you wait out the enemy and get them to surrender. Not to mention if you give up the siege, you’re hurt by the loss. And it takes time. I feel the same way. If you can defeat your enemy outright, then you should. With what you’ve done here, you should be able to eliminate this lord, too. If he’s a fool, this fort’s extermination will make him so afraid that he’ll offer to surrender. Fools have no courage. There’s no way he’s prepared to die a hero’s death defending his land. You’re right. I can’t wait to see his reaction. Before long, their lord offered his surrender, so I ordered him to visit me at my camp. I could tell he was useless by the way he looked. His belly was protruding so much you couldn’t possibly call him a warrior. Holing up here in the countryside, he’d probably never done any real diplomatic negotiations. I’d thought his spirit of defiance might be useful for something, but this wouldn’t work at all. “My lord, I admit I was wrong; please forgive me… Please, please…” He was desperately trying to save himself by apologizing over and over. He should’ve heard before of our power and numbers, so what was he doing bowing before me now? Though, Oda Nobunaga said there were lots of lords without foresight when he was conquering, too—fighting just because they didn’t want to surrender, only to finally see their own folly. “Very well; I’m no brute. I’ll forgive you. We haven’t directly crossed swords with you, after all. You won’t be a target for extermination.” “Thank you very much! I shall serve you here, with my very life!” “You don’t understand, do you?” I said coldly. “I’m going to have my own vassal govern this place. Your clan can go live as peasants in a village near Nayvil.” “Wh-what?! But you said you would forgive me…” “Well, I spared your life, didn’t I? Don’t worry. I’ll take your vassals for myself and reorganize them.” With a leader like this, the vassals would have practically no loyalty. No particular backlash was likely. “Take him away.” Some men, burly even for my guard troops, took the now ex-lord by the arms and pulled him away. Well, guess I’ll take down the remaining lords. I sent an ultimatum to the other minor lords. It basically went as follows: Fordoneria Prefecture has only one count—Alsrod Nayvil. It is therefore only logical that all other lords obey Alsrod and devote themselves to serving him as vassals. The most recent lord was deposed by Lord Alsrod for his lack of cooperation. This is not to say that those defeated by the count who surrendered in fear became his allies; their territory was subsequently confiscated. Of course, anyone who promptly pledges to serve Alsrod will be given appropriate treatment as his vassal. Feel free to fight if you wish, but be prepared to lose your ancestral lands. After all, why fear losing your land when a war could cost you your very life? Immediately, four lords brought hostages and submitted. Only three places left, then. I went to put them down, but it wasn’t a real fight in the end. Even if individual lords tried to resist, not all their vassals agreed with such a decision in the first place. “I have come to serve you, my lord!” “I have forsaken my liege to come to you!” One after another, vassals came to me with such greetings. I knew this already, but a lord’s vassal is really just a lower lord himself. Many would elect to leave their liege to save themselves. I promised to treat such ones graciously. When word thus got out that obeying me was beneficial, suppression became even easier. In the end, even a top vassal serving the Branchovs, a viscount-level clan, came to swear fealty to me. Though, with only about a third of a county in territory, he may have just been calling himself a viscount. “My family was originally a branch of the Branchovs; we have performed our duty for about a hundred years.” “Wow, you must have quite some resolve to abandon your master from a position like that. I’m genuinely pleased.” There was no deceit in my words. If such an important vassal left his lord, the other vassals would definitely be shaken. Surely more people would give up further resistance. “If this lord can be subjugated, I wouldn’t mind giving you an appropriate reward. My enemy will have lost his right-hand man without need for a battle.” “Yes, sir! Though, I would certainly like to show tangible proof of my desire to serve you, so I came bearing a gift.” This man seemed to have plenty of confidence. He must’ve brought me something quite nice, I thought. I wasn’t sure even a senior vassal of a small lord would have anything of great worth, but the attendant waiting at his side was holding some sort of box. “Please take a look.” The attendant opened the box. Inside was a head—two, in fact. “As proof of my loyalty, I have brought to you the severed heads of the viscount and his heir! The Branchov clan is already practically dead! Behold, my own personal token of fealty to you, my lord!” Hey, Oda Nobunaga? Are you there? Don’t only call for me whenever you feel like it! Anyway, I’d overlook it. Conquerors look kindly on those who amuse them. So am I wrong to want to murder this man? Actually, I did something similar once. Right before the great daimyo Takeda was defeated, one of his senior vassals, Oyamada Nobushige, came to me and announced he’d betrayed his master. I had him and his men put to death. He hadn’t told me of any plans to betray his master; he’d simply turned on the man at the last moment. This wasn’t a scheme of any sort. He was just a swine violating the laws of decency. Never thought I’d hear you talk about decency. Some called me a monster even in my time, but that’s a gross misunderstanding. I always obtained justification when I could. On the battlefield, one can’t always afford to worry about what people think, but a person can never seize power if they always insist on being barbaric. Indeed. “So I have just one question for you.” “Yes, sir! What might that be? Is it about the Branchovs’ land?” “Do you think I want to have a man who kills his master without even being asked as my vassal?” He turned pale. “No, I only did this because my master was such a fool… This certainly doesn’t mean I’m disloy—” “I’m not interested in your loyalty. But what I’m saying is that I can’t trust you. Kill him.” Captain Leon of the White Eagles, who was by my side, slaughtered him then and there—and then his attendants, too. “Thinking he can curry favor doing something like this is itself an insult to me. Did he think I could trust him so quickly just for being my enemy’s enemy?!” Afterward, I took my troops and eliminated what little was left of the Branchovs as well as the remaining two clans. Time after time, the soldiers of most forts my men approached tried escaping, leaving us only with an empty place to occupy. Rumors had spread that anyone opposing me would be massacred. In that case, they shouldn’t have tried defending at each fort in the first place, but their commanders must’ve initially held their ground in an outward show of defending their land. And then they’d lose their nerve after all. Believing their lord would surely fight for them, they’d devise a strategy, only to have it fall apart spectacularly. By capturing that one fort with brute force, no matter the casualties, I now didn’t have to fight as many battles, so the number of casualties had seemed to go down. “My lord, you seem to be a bit down,” Orcus of the Red Bears pointed out as we were on the move. As my personal guard, the Red Bears and the White Eagles were often on standby near me. “Yes, but the war is going well. Ah, right, that must be it.” There was one thing missing. “Laviala was pretty much always right at my side. I might be a little off with her not around.” “You haven’t had any women around recently to be sure. Shall we go snatch one from a village somewhere for you?” Leon of the White Eagles immediately shouted, “You should know the Count of Fordoneria isn’t going to pillage Fordoneria Prefecture!” That certainly was more reasonable. After all, the enemy’s territory was more mine than theirs. “I’m sure you realize, but anyone found in violation of the elite corps’ discipline will be executed, you know.” “Oh, I understand. Feasting on meat is more up my alley than women, anyways,” Orcus replied evasively. At last, I’d closed in on the castle of the last resisting lord in the northern tip of Fordoneria—it belonged to the Wouge clan, a family steeped in tradition. Their lord’s castle was just as one might expect from one so close to the border. This place must’ve worked as a checkpoint between prefectures for about a thousand years. It was sturdy and hard to assault, so I decided to surround it for a few days and see what happened. And partly, I wanted to see whether reinforcements would come from the neighboring Nagurry Prefecture. A besieged army’s whole strategy rested on the assumption that reinforcements would come from somewhere, as it was absolutely impossible to win by just defending. According to spy reports, no troops would be coming from Nagurry anytime soon. They must have realized it was impossible to stop our prefecture’s unification this late. As we slowly tightened the noose, the Wouge clan informed us they wanted a conditional surrender. When we told their messenger, “If your clan gives themselves up, the soldiers can live,” their clan came out to us from the castle, apparently agreeing. Thus, my unification of Fordoneria Prefecture was complete. The endeavor itself was over within a month. My subjects wouldn’t have been pleased if I’d dragged such a war out or even raised taxes, hence why I’d meant to crush the opposition outright. However, I seemed to remember Oda Nobunaga saying that unifying the first prefecture was surprisingly hard, and now I understood what he meant. Including all the different preparations, like moving castles, it had taken quite a long time. Still, it wasn’t too bad being lord of a prefecture at the tender age of twenty. With the conflict in Fordoneria ended, I stayed at an inn for one night and met with my top vassals. “First, let me thank all of you for your service in this war. The fruits of your labors are countless and magnificent.” It must have felt truly amazing for all of them after our triumph. Since I allowed drinking after a victory, some of their faces were red. Orcus of the Red Bears always had a red face anyway, so now he was such a bright hue, it was almost scary. “In particular, Noen brought us a flawless first victory, which made the rest of the war much easier. We ended up with far fewer enemies that could really stand against us.” Noen looked quite proud of himself. For an outsider vassal like Noen, making a big contribution and being recognized for it was an important rite of passage. “Also, as for treatment of the enemy clan that surrendered, once we’ve determined who advocated for the war, they’ll be executed along with their lord—that’s my intent. The rest will be incorporated into our military. The women and children will be sent to Seraphina and made to help her.” Since choosing to hole up meant they’d intended to resist, it’d be reasonable not to forgive them, but I wanted to decide their fate after seeing my vassals’ reactions. The last lord I’d fought was named Meissel Wouge; compared to other lords, he had some mettle. Since there hardly seemed to be any who surrendered, he must’ve had the confidence of his vassals. If he seemed fit to be a general, I wouldn’t mind using him. “If anyone has an opinion, feel free to speak.” “Yessir,” said Captain Orcus, raising his hand. “Some of the enemy troops were rather skilled. Let ’em into the Red Bears. They were well-practiced. Besides, this is Fordoneria, after all. It might be good to show some leniency as the Count of Fordoneria.” Oh, Orcus. Hadn’t Leon scolded him about this very thing before? “Very well. Do what you will for new recruits.” Noen raised his hand next. “With all due respect, the viscount Meissel Wouge had some backbone. If you could pardon him, I would like to use him as a commander under my banner.” Orcus protested, “You can’t have him; he’s mine.” Warriors always thought the same. “Orcus, it’s your fault for not being specific. There are other promising ones besides Meissel. Be content with them.” Orcus backed down. “Also, Noen, your request couldn’t have come at a better time.” It’d work well with my plan. “Noen, I’m making you commander of the north hill castle that Meissel Wouge was defending.” The north hill castle was what everyone called it because it was at the northernmost tip of the prefecture. Looking north from the castle, you could see Nagurry Prefecture at the bottom of the terrace. The castle was officially called Holai Castle. Perhaps because of its important role, even Noen looked a bit overwhelmed. “I don’t have to tell you that it’s going to be one of the most crucial spots in the coming war, do I?” I continued. “We’ll have to lock it down tight in our battle with Nagurry’s Rentrant clan. The enemy will most definitely attack us shortly. Now that I’ve unified the prefecture sooner than anyone had imagined, the Rentrants must’ve realized the gravity of the situation.” I’d taken some time to get Maust Castle built, which must’ve led them to underestimate me. Otherwise, they surely would’ve actually tried to interfere in the recent battle of unification. Either way, we’d be fighting against Nagurry Prefecture next. “I’d therefore like to put one of my top vassals in the north hill castle—Holai Castle. However, it’d be careless to send away my guardsmen, the Red Bears and White Eagles, and Kivik also—” “I may be old, but I can still keep up with the youngsters. Compared to my days at Fort Nagraad, this place is like heaven.” I smirked as he reached my point before I did. “I know, but my parents are gone, so I want to take care of the elderly. We’ll have to go to war again anyway. Until then, take it easy at Maust Castle.” “I will do whatever you ask.” Kivik nodded formally. Incidentally, his son—whom I called Little Kivik—was himself already in his thirties and serving me, though he seemed fed up with his old man’s formality. “So anyway, for now I’m entrusting Noen with full authority in those three counties. Rule it firmly, with carrot and stick. You’ll be donning your armor before long anyway.” “I shall make every effort to live up to your expectations…” Noen bowed his head deeply. It was certainly a heavy responsibility, but I was sure it’d make him that much more determined. Kivik was undeniably old, and considering what was to come, I wanted to have more commanders I could use. “All right. While we’re at it, let’s call the Viscount of Holai in here.” A while later, Meissel Wouge, Viscount of Holai, was brought in. He was younger than I’d expected, probably about halfway into his twenties. His countenance was submissive from the moment he came in. “My lord, I am prepared to take responsibility and die for defying you.” He hadn’t heard yet that he was going to be spared. “I want to ask one question. You didn’t have a chance of winning this fight from the beginning. Why didn’t you surrender? Or you could’ve fled to Nagurry, like some of the other lords.” Including the vassals of lords, the number of people who’d abandoned their lands to take refuge with the Rentrants in Nagurry added up to quite a bit. “My family has ruled this land for generations. I cannot hand it over without even fighting. A lord is above his people because he protects the land with his life. It would be shameful if the ruler of the people fled straightaway.” I see. This man certainly is qualified to be a lord. “I like you. I want you to work as a commander for Noen Rowd there. I’m going to take away your rank as viscount for now, but if you work hard enough, you might end up with more land than you ever had.” Meissel looked surprised. “I thought people who disobeyed would be killed as a matter of course… That’s what you were doing in this invasion.” “That depends on the person. If they’re useful, I’ll put them to work, and if they’re useless, I’ll kill them. That’s all.” Yes, yes. As long as they’re useful to you, commanders should be used. I forgave Matsunaga Hisahide after he betrayed me once, you know. Of course, he betrayed me again later… Oda Nobunaga was speaking once again. I was going to forgive Araki Murashige, too, but he stubbornly refused to cooperate… Why do people betray me so much…? I’m not interested in your griping. A-anyway, use who you can. Otherwise you won’t be able to manage your territory as it grows. He’s right about that. “I, Meissel Wouge, will work to the best of my ability as thanks for your kindness.” “It’s not kindness,” I said, laughing. I wasn’t that nice. “I’m making use of you because I can. So now it’s your turn to show what you’re worth. Prove to me why you should exist.” Returning to Maust Castle, I worked to gather intelligence on Nagurry Prefecture. In my spare time, I was constantly thinking about how I should fight against the Rentrants. Thinking about it was actually easier while I was resting in my wife Seraphina’s chambers than during my official duties, as I was able to take my mind off work for a bit. This wasn’t the sort of thing to ruminate over at all hours. Also, only a few other men aside from myself were allowed in Seraphina’s section of the castle, which basically functioned as the consorts’ quarters. “I can’t believe you’re having a staring contest with the map again, darling,” Seraphina said to me as I pored over a map spread out on the table. “I have to. This is going to be a bigger war than we’ve ever seen.” This’d be the first time I’d fight an opponent of the same size since I’d become the ruler of a prefecture. Failure on our end would spell our doom. “He can’t help it—please bear with it for a bit longer, Lady Seraphina.” Laviala came bringing tea. With her position, she didn’t need to be acting like a maid, but she’d always been particularly helpful when it came to things like this. “Both of your bellies sure have grown. I’d like to deal with the Rentrants before our children are born, but that’s looking pretty difficult.” “Lord Alsrod, you seem more enthusiastic than ever,” Laviala said as she poured me some tea. “Nevertheless, wouldn’t it be hard to take a prefecture in only a few months, even for someone so unmatched as you?” “Yeah. Even Oda Nobunaga said it took him time to conquer Mino, a province near his.” “Oda Nobunaga? You mean your profession?” “Uh… Never mind.” I didn’t want word to spread that I was having conversations with Oda Nobunaga. Not that anyone would believe it anyway. There wasn’t a soul who’d considered that a profession could be a person’s name to begin with. Yes, the problem of how to take your first one or two provinces is truly a vexing one. Generally, most daimyo couldn’t manage it. They all had their hands full protecting just one province. Of course, once you expand your territory, you make enemies everywhere, so that brings new problems itself. Hey, Oda Nobunaga…can you just be quiet right now? I’d known my profession long enough to understand his personality. And that he liked to talk. He was the type who would’ve had several biographies or whatnot written about himself if he unified the country. Well, there probably weren’t many opportunities to talk about the process of unification, so I did kind of understand how he felt. As I looked alternately at Laviala and Seraphina, I said, “I mean it when I say I want another prefecture before our children are born. Otherwise, I’d have to think about my kids and the war at the same time, you know.” “You’ll have to defeat the enemy quickly, then. You might not even have a moment’s reprieve,” Seraphina said, giggling. Their due dates really were just beyond the horizon. “I’ve pretty much decided on my strategy. I can make my move soon.” I put a check on a spot on the map of Nagurry. I would put myself at an advantage before they attacked. “Really I’d like to do everything I could for you, darling, but with the baby on the way, I can’t be of much help right now.” “As would I,” Laviala added. They looked at each other and said “Right?” in agreement. It seemed the two of them had become closer recently—maybe because they had similar positions. “But, darling… I’ve had some of my own worries about you.” Seraphina sounded somewhat pained. “I know; you’ve always been watching over me. You’re my saint, just like your job title.” “No, I mean something more specific. Miss Laviala, if you’d please…” At that, Laviala left the room. What’s this about? When Laviala came back, she brought a girl along with her. The girl was probably about fifteen years old and had lovely pink hair. She couldn’t be one of Seraphina’s ladies-in-waiting—her dress was too elegant. I was sure she was quite high-class, but who could she be? “I believe this is the first time we’ve properly met.” Her voice was pretty, like a tinkling bell. “Whose daughter are you? If I had a vassal so lovely, I’m sure rumor would’ve spread quickly.” “I am Meissel Wouge’s younger sister, Fleur.” Ah, the lord of Holai Castle’s sister. “Until two years ago, I lived with the Rentrants of Nagurry as a hostage. As such, I believe I may be able to tell you a little bit about their internal affairs.” “That would be helpful. I certainly would like to learn a lot from you.” “Yes, I hope so, as well.” She really seemed well-mannered. Part of her modesty might’ve been because she was a noble girl from a vanquished clan, though. Seraphina stepped in between us. “When the Wouge family sent this girl, I thought she might be able to help you. She’s very smart, for one, and she’s got a trustworthy nature, too.” Fleur placed a hand on her chest, a gesture denoting a vow. “I want to repay you for sparing my family. Besides, I am sure my elder brother will be fighting on the front lines in the next war against the Rentrants. For his sake, too, I would like to ensure that the war goes well. To that end, I shall tell you everything that I can.” Her line of thinking was mostly correct. As proof of their submission, it was customary that lords who surrendered should fight up front in the next war. Of course, they didn’t always have to if they were old or more like a civilian. “I appreciate the sentiment. Would you mind if I went ahead and asked you a few questions?” “Please, go right ahead. Anything.” “The Rentrants must be preparing for war, themselves, but when would be a good time to attack?” I deliberately asked a sort of test question. “It may be good to have it coincide with the wheat harvest. They wouldn’t be able to levy as many soldiers. Southern Nagurry is particularly fertile and will need hands for some time. However, the land is too flat to be good for defense.” Interesting. She’s definitely letting this intel flow freely. “Well, what sort of reason do you think they have for not attacking?” “There are several possibilities. First, they might only be thinking about defending their own prefecture. None of Nagurry Prefecture itself has been taken yet.” That was entirely plausible. Supposedly lords with abundant land become conservative. “Next, they might want to avoid fighting in Fordoneria. Peasant soldiers don’t like going far away. There would be an even greater risk to morale if they had to march all the way to a neighboring prefecture.” “What? Really? I thought for sure they’d be happier to do that than fight on their own land…,” said Laviala. “Their farmland wouldn’t have to be destroyed, after all…” She seemed confused, though I could understand why. “If it takes three or four days just to get to the battlefield, a lot of peasant soldiers won’t be happy,” I said. “Besides, they’ll fight desperately when defending their own land, but it’d be a waste of effort for perfectly well-fed soldiers to go all the way to another prefecture unless they managed to take something that was worth it.” “I see… I’d never thought of that before…” That was another reason why I’d wanted to make professional soldiers who could go fight anywhere. My guard troops the Red Bears and the White Eagles were preparation for that. With troops that could fight in any season, I could attack when the enemy wanted to avoid fighting. “Lastly…it might be a way to lure you into an ambush.” Fleur dragged her finger between several forts on the map. “All the forts in their prefecture are in the backcountry. If the Fordonerian invasion reaches all the way there only to be defeated, retreating would be incredibly difficult. There is a risk your troops may be destroyed in the meantime.” “Miss Fleur, you really are astute,” I said. Under the cover of being a hostage, she’d probably also worked to relate the internal affairs of Nagurry to her home country. She was no bird in a cage. I might have just gotten a bigger piece on the board than I’d thought. As I was admiring Fleur, Seraphina moved to block the map. “Darling, this is my room you’re in. Did you know that?” “Ah, I wasn’t thinking. Sorry, sorry.” “That’s not what I mean… I just think Miss Fleur’s room might be better for your little war council.” Seraphina glanced in Laviala’s direction. “Yes, I too think that would be wise…,” Laviala said, looking down slightly. Glancing at their faces, I guessed what they were on about. For me, the lord of the castle, to go to a woman’s room in the castle was…well, basically just what it sounded like. “Miss Laviala and I are pregnant, so we get tired talking for a long time. We’d just like to go to bed for the night. I don’t know anything about Nagurry, anyway, so why don’t you discuss it with Miss Fleur?” Even though Seraphina was the one suggesting it, she looked a bit forlorn. Most likely, she herself had assigned Fleur as my concubine. I’d been so concerned about Seraphina’s and Laviala’s feelings that I hadn’t chosen any new concubines. “If you don’t mind, Miss Fleur, I’d like to ask you a few more questions.” “I have no objections,” Fleur answered quietly, ever the epitome of elegance. “Well then, let’s talk a bit more about where best to penetrate.” Once we’d moved to a different room, I asked one more question. “Does your brother know about this? I’d like to avoid a situation that would offend him.” “He told me before we parted that he has no reason to oppose me joining your house. Your wife also asked that I spend the night with you.” Having made her say this much, adding anything more would be uncouth. “Well, let’s not disappoint Seraphina.” And so I made love to Fleur. I knew right away that Fleur was devoted and brave. “Fleur, the Wouge family will be safe as long as they obey me. I promise.” “Thank you. Please do treat my family kindly.” She must have spent her life thinking she had the fate of her family resting on her little shoulders. Her expression was a bit stiff. It was the face of someone who knew all too well what obligations a lord had. I put my hand to her cheek. “You should try to look happier. You may think of yourself as a maiden of a fallen country, but right now no one’s going to blame you for smiling.” “Thank you very much. It’s been many years since I last heard such kind words…” As if some of her uneasiness up to then had been resolved, Fleur smiled, albeit with a little lingering awkwardness. “There, that’s much cuter.” Stroking her hair, I hugged her tight. A few days later, I officially made Fleur my concubine.