I’m the fifth son of a count’s family, but I became the head of a duke’s house.
First, the ones who are the quickest to offer their surrender. Honestly, I think it’s fine to accept them. After all, most of them are just small-time nobles. They’re minor aristocrats with only a handful of knights at best.
…Huh? But if I think about it that way, doesn’t that mean our house is also a small-time noble family, since we only have a few dozen knights?
Well, let’s set that aside for now.
These nobles are weak, and their overall influence is low. Whether they side with us or the opposition doesn’t make much of a difference. In that case, we should show a willingness to accept them to signal to other nobles that there’s room for negotiation.
Now, about the nobles who have pledged loyalty to the royal family… Honestly, it’s troublesome if they suddenly act like allies now. If they were acknowledging my house as nobility with royal blood, I might be able to trust them to some extent, but there’s no mention of that whatsoever. In other words, even though we’re a ducal house, they don’t recognize us as part of the royal lineage. If we get too friendly with them, there’s a high chance they’ll betray us again as soon as the Grand Duke’s faction or the Crown Prince’s faction puts pressure on them. But outright rejecting them would be a waste.
Hmm… Maybe I should push them onto someone else.
Fortunately, I was formally invited to the Crown Prince’s party—well, it was just a brief greeting, but still, I have some connection. These nobles are not directly part of the Crown Prince’s faction due to their distant location from the capital, but I can offer to mediate between them and the Crown Prince by reporting their actions to him. Initially, they interacted with us at the Crown Prince’s request, but later turned against us due to rumors spread by the Grand Duke’s faction. Now, they probably want to reconnect with the Crown Prince, but since they’ve already been swayed by the Grand Duke’s rumors once, reaching out directly must be difficult for them.
By acting as the middleman between them and the Crown Prince, I can ensure that they won’t become my enemies.
They’ll also be pleased to gain the Crown Prince’s backing. Well, we might have to confront them eventually, but the Crown Prince has given permission to subdue the surrounding nobles. On the surface, it may seem like he’s supporting them, but in reality, he won’t come to their aid when it really matters.
The biggest problem is… the opportunists.
As long as they aren’t harmed, they probably won’t provoke us. But if they judge that we’re at a disadvantage, they could use the excuse of “participating in the encirclement” to attack us at any time. They’re more like enemies pretending to be neutral—very troublesome.
However, if possible, I’d rather not engage with them and focus on targeting Count Kastaren.
Should I leak this information to Count Kastaren and stir up infighting? No… That could backfire. If he finds out about it, he might deploy his troops to reassure the opportunists, saying, “That’s a lie! This is a scheme!” Then those opportunists might rejoin his side and attack us again.
It’s difficult to turn them into allies, but I don’t want them as enemies either. At the same time, I can’t have them interfering in the battle. I need to find a way to keep them in check.
Then, an idea comes to me.
I’ll let them know that some noble houses have already surrendered. I’ll also hint that some of their fellow opportunists are among them. It’s true that some nobles have surrendered, so if they act recklessly, they’ll start to worry about being stabbed in the back by other nobles. That doubt will make them hesitate.
Now that I’ve decided, I need to act quickly.
“Erich, give me a few bundles of parchment.”
When I made the request, Erich looked at my face and made a displeased expression.
Hey, I’m your lord, you know?
“Your Grace… You’re starting to resemble the Count.”
Oh. Was I smiling like my father again? I need to be more careful.
But, well… If I get to pay back those who wronged me, isn’t it only natural to smile a little?