Oran Knight is out (1/3 chapters for today)
Branza Kuran Follet (2): Midnight Conversation
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“Yesterday, I had a little chat with the head of the Parady Household.” (Rita)
At Rita’s extremely casual statement, everyone except Slar, including Follet and the other six people (and one more), froze up slightly, unable to grasp the true meaning of her words. Rita, on the other hand, looked at them with curiosity, as if wondering why they were reacting that way.
“……Hey, Rita. I knew it… you’ve done it again, haven’t you?” (Slar)
Slar let out a small sigh, and seeing this, Follet said, “No way,” paused for a moment, then continued.
“No way, you infiltrated the Parady Household mansion? That heavily guarded estate? And you spoke directly with Zedra Parady Duute?” (Follet)
“Yes.” (Rita)
“No, no, no. I know you’re an elite scout and can slip in unnoticed almost anywhere, but even so…” (Follet)
At that moment, Slar raised a hand to stop Follet.
“Follet-sama, if it’s Rita, I think it’s possible. I know that when she was in her teens, she did something similar.” (Slar)
“In her teens?” (Follet)
“Yes, well…” (Slar)
It was a memory of when Slar and Rita first met. A nostalgic thought, but not something to discuss here. Seeing Slar trail off, Follet decided not to press further.
“Well, fine. I don’t think Rita would lie, so go ahead and continue.” (Follet)
With Follet wrapping it up, no one else interrupted. With everyone ready to listen, Rita began to talk about what had happened the previous day.
—
“Zedra Parady Duute-sama, correct? I’d like to have a little chat.” (Rita)
Seeing Rita’s composed demeanor, the head of the Parady Household, Duute, stopped himself from calling the guards. He knew of Rita, “Silent Rita”. If she had come here with the intent to kill him, he would likely already be dead.
In that case, Rita was truly here to “talk”. Duute gestured toward the sofa and told her to “sit”. His ability to maintain such composure despite an unexpected intruder was befitting of the head of one of the five great military noble households.
“Much obliged.” (Rita)
Rita, on her end, sat on the sofa without hesitation, despite the possibility of the guards being called on her the moment she sat. She even went so far as to cross her legs and relax.
“I won’t be serving tea. I don’t prepare refreshments for unannounced guests. There’s only alcohol in this room.” (Duute)
“Oh, alcohol is fine with me.” (Rita)
At Rita’s sheer boldness, Duute let out a snort of amusement and grabbed a bottle of brandy from the wall.
“Oh my, this has a nice aroma. Is it Fleora?” (Rita)
“Oh? You can tell just from the scent? ‘Silent Rita’ is quite the drinker, it seems.” (Duute)
*Trickle, trickle, trickle*
Rita accepted the glass filled halfway with amber liquid. First, she held it up to the light, then enjoyed its aroma, and only then did she raise her glass toward Duute.
“A toast to a fine evening.” (Rita)
“Hmph. I’ll just hope it doesn’t turn into a troublesome night for me.” (Duute)
After savoring the brandy for a moment, Duute cut to the chase.
“Now, let’s hear it. I know you were expelled from the academy. I assumed you came for revenge against us military nobles, but that doesn’t seem to be the case. Why are you here?” (Duute)
“That’s right. As you said, this is not about revenge. If it were, I would be targeting Baxwal.” (Rita)
“I figured as much. So?” (Duute)
“I believe you, Duute-sama, are already aware of me, or rather, of ‘us’.” (Rita)
“…And?” (Duute)
Duute did not confirm, but his silence was an affirmation.
“Your Parady Household and the Hilk Household seem to stand apart from the Deran Household. Would that be correct?” (Rita)
“…I won’t deny it.” (Duute)
“In that case, I believe both households could align with ‘us’.” (Rita)
“What do you mean?” (Duute)
“Duute-sama, do you believe that the methods of the Deran Household and the other three will last long?” (Rita)
“……” (Duute)
Rita’s words hit the mark. Recently, the tactics of the Deran Household and its allies had been excessively forceful, even from Duute’s perspective. At this rate, they might even offend their allied nation, Remnos. Given the current momentum of the ceasefire faction, making rash moves would be unwise. Duute had already decided to wait things out. The Hilk Household, another influential military noble household, had come to the same conclusion.
Seeing Duute remain silent, Rita smiled.
“You don’t, do you? Even if they manage to sabotage the peace talks, they’ll only buy some time. The Princess might become angry, and Remnos would certainly be displeased. The worst-case scenario is that those who break the talks are condemned as a common enemy of all nations.” (Rita)
Rita’s words were half correct, but the other half was a bluff.
If this peace conference did not succeed, then naturally, even in the enemy nation of Solar, the pro-war faction would gain momentum, and if that happened, the odds of war breaking out again were fifty-fifty… no, worse than that. As long as there were those who swarm around vested interests, given enough time, nothing good would come of it.
Doute understood at least that much, but that half-correct part was precisely the reason why Doute couldn’t drive Rita away. If a ceasefire was reached, Follet, the younger brother of the Princess, would undoubtedly be widely praised among the people as the one who led the effort. If the world was filled with a mood of peace, then using Follet’s achievement in leading the ceasefire, the Princess’s abdication in his favor would no longer be an unrealistic scenario. And if that happened, what then, the military aristocracy would fall into decline.
Having five powerful military noble houses was too many, and one or two, perhaps more, or even all of them would have their power significantly diminished. Considering the neighboring countries beyond the mountains, they would not be completely crushed, but even so, how many of the military noble households would be able to maintain their influence?
And the person who might serve as a pipeline for them, this woman who had slipped into the shadows of the night and infiltrated this place, yet was now boldly savoring her brandy as if it were the most delicious thing in the world, she had it.
“You said ‘align our steps’, not ‘cooperate’. Explain in detail.” (Duute)
“Of course, I expect cooperation as well. We both need to put in the effort, after all.” (Rita)
“Hey, don’t tell me you’re already drunk?” (Duute)
“Not at all. Oh, could I have another glass?” (Rita)
Watching her, Duute began to regret offering her alcohol in the first place.
Even so, the discussion was settled. As Rita stood up, she walked toward the window she had likely entered through, her steps surprisingly steady.
Seeing her back, Duute called out.
“Wait a moment.” (Duute)
“What is it?” (Rita)
“You used to teach at the Oran Knight Military Academy. That means you’ve taught Saxon… Zedra Parady Saxon as well, haven’t you?” (Duute)
“Yes, of course. He even visited my home for tea. I wasn’t there, though.” (Rita)
“What nonsense are you saying? Are you actually drunk? Well, whatever. Is Saxon doing well?” (Duute)
Hearing this, Rita turned to face Duute.
“……It’s a little surprising to hear you ask that. From what I’ve heard, Saxon has been treated quite poorly at home. I was told that he once lamented to his classmates that he had no allies in his own family.” (Rita)
“He said something like that…? Saxon has a different mother from his two older brothers. Because of that, he faced difficulties from a young age. I was strict with him so he could stand on his own and establish a branch family, but…” (Duute)
Listening to Duute’s strained words, Rita, for the first time that night, showed the smile she often displayed at the academy.
“Then, tell him that yourself. If you need a place for a father and son to talk, I can arrange it.” (Rita)
With those words, she finally disappeared out the window.
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