Princess Lariesa shuddered as she thought about the family dinner a few days ago. It had been a terrible three and a half hours.
Princess Auguste shamelessly and openly assaulted Prince Alfonso.
“Prince Alfonso, please don’t feel uncomfortable, and feel free to contact me at any time.”
Even Philip IV, who should have been neutral, no, should have sided with Lariesa after sending Princess Lariesa of Valoa as Alfonso's fiancee to the Etruscan kingdom, openly supported Princess Auguste.
“If there’s a place you want to see near the palace, ask Auguste to take you there.”
It was a humiliating 'family' meal.
'It was definitely me who was in talks to marry Prince Alfonso!'
Let's say that Philip IV and Princess Auguste were not real family, but merely distant relatives, and so they only pursued their own interests.
Lariesa also had many grudges against her father.
While the vile Auguste schemed to take Alfonso away and His Majesty the King merely interfered, Grand Duke Odes, who was supposed to protect Lariesa, did nothing.
Instead, he went so far as to stop Lariesa, who was about to lose her temper.
'What kind of dad is that...!'
Lariesa felt her eyes well up with tears of injustice.
She was afraid of her father, but being afraid is being afraid, and being resentful was being resentful.
'No, that's not true. No, that's not true. I'm going to tell my father. I'll tell him that if he don't let me marry Prince Alfonso, he don't love me!'
Lariesa's whining was mostly only heard by her mother.
However, even Grand Duke Odes would firmly refuse in words, but when Grand Duchess Bernadette repeatedly urged him, he would often relent and pretend not to know.
Besides, even if things don't go well if she can't even tell her father how she feels, she'll feel wronged and turn away.
She left her room in the inner castle and headed to the office of the Grand Duke of Odes.
Princess Lariesa noticed that the aide who was normally present at the entrance to her father's office was not there.
'What is this?'
The servants, knights, and lower-ranking nobles who were moving around differently than usual were nowhere to be seen.
It seemed like her father had left his men behind.
'It's better to talk about it alone.'
Lariesa flailed around to shake off the mounting tension.
She stood in front of her father's office and raised her hand to knock.
“I told him not to act rashly.”
There was a passenger.
Lariesa, who had enjoyed secretly eavesdropping on Auguste's conversation a few days ago, naturally held her breath and listened to the story coming from inside.
“Prince Alfonso...”
Her ears immediately perked up at Alfonso's mention.
"What His Majesty the King is doing...”
“Sacrificial lamb...”
“We shouldn’t even come near that place...”
Princess Lariesa's face grew increasingly pale at the serious tone and content of their conversation.
“Once Gaeta’s work is done, then soon...”
“The end...”
The story of the father and his subordinate continued for a long time after that. It was a story that would change the world.
Princess Lariesa, who had overheard all of this, staggered away with a pale face.
'Prince Alfonso..!'
Leo III was very upset.
Crunch!
He crushed the report sent by the old Marquis of Montefeltro with one hand.
“Why! Why did Gallico say such nonsense!”
Feeling the absence of Count Marquez, who had taken such wonderful care of the King's mind, the Marquis Baldessar and Count Contarini kept nodding their heads.
Sir Delpiano, the King's aide, mustered up his courage and asked.
“Your Majesty, what nonsense did the evil clique from the North say this time that has you so furious?”
“Read it with your own eyes!”
Leo III threw the crumpled parchment at Lord Delpiano as if he were throwing it at him.
Sir Delpiano picked up the crumpled paper and flattened it, while the other two ministers gathered around him, put their heads together, and read the parchment together.
[(Strategy)... So, I urged the Montpellier heavy cavalry to withdraw their troops, as His Highness the Prince of our country had been sent to his country as an envoy.
However, the heavy cavalry captain of Gallico replied that he would receive orders only after negotiations between the two countries were concluded, and that he could not move an inch without orders from the central government of Gallico...(omitted)...]
"Ha!"
It was a sigh of disbelief let out by Marquis Baldessar, who was reading a piece of paper.
“No, right now, the Gallico guys are resisting our departure from our border?”
Count Contarini cried out from the side.
“Aren’t they saying that they can’t withdraw their troops even though we have sent His Highness the Prince to their country? Does that make sense? Isn’t that different from what they said in the beginning?”
“Read more! It’s amazing!”
Leo III shouted in a hoarse voice. The three noblemen finished reading the parchment without making a sound.
[...Gallico's forces are showing unsettling movements... In addition to the heavy cavalry, the infantry force is being supplemented... I have delivered a protest, but there has been no reply from the heavy cavalry... The size of the infantry is approximately 3,000 people according to our current understanding... The number of...is gradually increasing.
The locals await Your Majesty the King's instructions.
Your faithful servant, Odantonio de Montefeltro.]
Marquis Baldessar said in a trembling voice.
“The infantry... are being reinforced?”
Once the infantry was replenished, Gallico's heavy cavalry would be ready to storm the Etruscan hinterland.
The pupils of the ministers shook anxiously.
“This is... The Kingdom of Gallico may not stop at localized military provocations...”
Count Baldessar tried to utter his prediction but was unable to finish it and swallowed the last words.
If the 3,000 or so Montpellier cavalry stationed outside Gaeta were supplemented by just 6,000 infantry, they would have a force ready to storm the interior of the Etruscan kingdom at any time.
There is a possibility that the Kingdom of Gallico will invade.
That too, left the only Prince and heir to the throne in the land of Gallico.
He glanced at Leo III with anxious eyes.
Count Contarini, always a little less pessimistic than the Marquis Baldessar, cried out.
“We must immediately send a letter to Prince Alfonso to lodge a strong protest with Philip IV!”
Count Contarini did not seem to believe that the Kingdom of Gallico would really attack.
“Do you think I’ve never done it before?”
Leo III shouted, not even trying to hide his displeasure.
"Alfonso, he hasn’t replied! From the first day he arrived at the palace of Montpellier, I wrote to him in detail about the conduct he should have as a future monarch!”
Almost three weeks had passed since the Prince arrived at the Palais de Montpellier.
It is now early July. In the meantime, there has been no news from the Prince and his party.
If Alfonso alone had been late with the letter, he would have been dismissed as an unfilial man, but even letters from Count Marquez, who had accompanied him, and Sir Bernardino, Alfonso's adjutant, were late.
Just after entering the Palace of Montpellier, the last thing Leo III received was a letter informing him that they had arrived safely.
“Your Majesty, but there is no other way.”
The Etruscan kingdom did not have many usable tools left.
Count Contarini urged Leo III.
He was the type of person who rarely said anything that would offend the King, but for even Count Contarini to say something like that meant the situation was very urgent.
“Send messengers to His Highness Prince Alfonso: either make a strong protest to Philip IV, quickly conclude a marriage alliance, or at all costs prevent the addition of additional infantry to the Montpellier heavy cavalry stationed at Gaeta.”
Marquis Baldessar gave his opinion cautiously.
“Your Majesty, how about seeking help from Cardinal Simon de Mare...?”
“Huh?”
“Philip IV is, after all, a patriarchal monarch. If Pope Louis gives him a word, he cannot ignore it, since he is obligated to obey the representative of God.”
He said it indirectly, but the story was that if he were excommunicated by the Pope, it would be impossible to rule normally, so he would have to be careful.
“But will His Holiness the Pope really restrain the Gallico kingdom in favor of the Etruscan kingdom?”
The Marquis of Delpiano struck the bell. The Marquis of Baldessar answered in a heavy voice.
“His Holiness the Pope is fundamentally obliged to unite the Catholic nations peacefully and create a paradise on earth... Surely he will not tolerate it.”
It could be overlooked. If it were Pope Louis, it would have been overlooked.
But they can't just wait and do nothing.
Leo III dealt with the situation roughly.
“Yes. Marquis Baldessar is right. I don’t know what conditions the old fox of the Pope will set, but let’s listen to his story. Lord Delpiano, set a date and summon Cardinal de Mare to the palace and prepare a letter to be sent to Alfonso.”
“Yes, Your Majesty!”
The ministers dispersed busily.
Prince Alfonso would have been genuinely upset if he had heard the conversation taking place at Palazzo Carlo, under the misconception that he was deliberately ignoring his father's letters.
He really didn't receive a single letter.
No, the letter wasn't the problem.
The negotiations had not made any progress, and the Prince's every move was being watched.
“I expected you to behave like this to some extent, but this is just too much for a human being!”
It was the anger that the good Prince Alfonso, who never got excited, vented on Sir Bernardino.
Philip IV did not appear for a week, using the excuse of a hunting competition, and then disappeared, saying he had a conversation to have with the Holy See.
While the King was away, it was Princess Auguste who took charge of Prince Alfonso.
She was strangely cold from the beginning and gradually became more and more insincere.
Finally, she even said this to Prince Alfonso, who asked about the schedule of his audience with Philip IV
“If you are a guest, then please wait quietly like a guest. I will not foolishly contact you when the time comes.”
The number of external schedules provided by Gallico gradually decreased.
Prince Alfonso often found himself sitting in his assigned quarters for more than a week, killing time.
In other words, Prince Alfonso and his Etruscan entourage were practically imprisoned in a splendid residence in the center of the Montpellier court.
“Your Highness. There are no further instructions from home.”
Count Marquez said with a heavy face.
“It is not normal. It is time for two more instructions or urgings from His Majesty the King. I guess...”
Count Marquez trailed off, unable to finish the story.
"Hmm."
Prince Alfonso had nothing to say except drool.
It seemed that the Montpellier Palace had intercepted the letter in the middle.
It was a treatment that could never be given to a diplomatic envoy because they never knew when they would receive the same treatment in return.
“You’re just telling me to go out.”
Alfonso muttered through his teeth.
That was when.
“Prince Alfonso!”
A now familiar, tiresome voice echoed through the room.
“Oh, she’s here.”
Count Marquez watched Prince Alfonso closely.
“We will withdraw for now.”
Count Marquez and Sir Bernardino avoided the scene.
In the place of the two Etruscan noblemen, a Gallico noblewoman entered. She was the Grand Duchess of Lariesa.
“Prince Alfonso!”
She came in with a happy smile on her frugal face.
Prince Alfonso greeted her politely, despite the headache that was mounting.
“Grand Duchess Lariesa.”
Princess Auguste shamelessly and openly assaulted Prince Alfonso.
“Prince Alfonso, please don’t feel uncomfortable, and feel free to contact me at any time.”
Even Philip IV, who should have been neutral, no, should have sided with Lariesa after sending Princess Lariesa of Valoa as Alfonso's fiancee to the Etruscan kingdom, openly supported Princess Auguste.
“If there’s a place you want to see near the palace, ask Auguste to take you there.”
It was a humiliating 'family' meal.
'It was definitely me who was in talks to marry Prince Alfonso!'
Let's say that Philip IV and Princess Auguste were not real family, but merely distant relatives, and so they only pursued their own interests.
Lariesa also had many grudges against her father.
While the vile Auguste schemed to take Alfonso away and His Majesty the King merely interfered, Grand Duke Odes, who was supposed to protect Lariesa, did nothing.
Instead, he went so far as to stop Lariesa, who was about to lose her temper.
'What kind of dad is that...!'
Lariesa felt her eyes well up with tears of injustice.
She was afraid of her father, but being afraid is being afraid, and being resentful was being resentful.
'No, that's not true. No, that's not true. I'm going to tell my father. I'll tell him that if he don't let me marry Prince Alfonso, he don't love me!'
Lariesa's whining was mostly only heard by her mother.
However, even Grand Duke Odes would firmly refuse in words, but when Grand Duchess Bernadette repeatedly urged him, he would often relent and pretend not to know.
Besides, even if things don't go well if she can't even tell her father how she feels, she'll feel wronged and turn away.
She left her room in the inner castle and headed to the office of the Grand Duke of Odes.
Princess Lariesa noticed that the aide who was normally present at the entrance to her father's office was not there.
'What is this?'
The servants, knights, and lower-ranking nobles who were moving around differently than usual were nowhere to be seen.
It seemed like her father had left his men behind.
'It's better to talk about it alone.'
Lariesa flailed around to shake off the mounting tension.
She stood in front of her father's office and raised her hand to knock.
“I told him not to act rashly.”
There was a passenger.
Lariesa, who had enjoyed secretly eavesdropping on Auguste's conversation a few days ago, naturally held her breath and listened to the story coming from inside.
“Prince Alfonso...”
Her ears immediately perked up at Alfonso's mention.
"What His Majesty the King is doing...”
“Sacrificial lamb...”
“We shouldn’t even come near that place...”
Princess Lariesa's face grew increasingly pale at the serious tone and content of their conversation.
“Once Gaeta’s work is done, then soon...”
“The end...”
The story of the father and his subordinate continued for a long time after that. It was a story that would change the world.
Princess Lariesa, who had overheard all of this, staggered away with a pale face.
'Prince Alfonso..!'
***
Leo III was very upset.
Crunch!
He crushed the report sent by the old Marquis of Montefeltro with one hand.
“Why! Why did Gallico say such nonsense!”
Feeling the absence of Count Marquez, who had taken such wonderful care of the King's mind, the Marquis Baldessar and Count Contarini kept nodding their heads.
Sir Delpiano, the King's aide, mustered up his courage and asked.
“Your Majesty, what nonsense did the evil clique from the North say this time that has you so furious?”
“Read it with your own eyes!”
Leo III threw the crumpled parchment at Lord Delpiano as if he were throwing it at him.
Sir Delpiano picked up the crumpled paper and flattened it, while the other two ministers gathered around him, put their heads together, and read the parchment together.
[(Strategy)... So, I urged the Montpellier heavy cavalry to withdraw their troops, as His Highness the Prince of our country had been sent to his country as an envoy.
However, the heavy cavalry captain of Gallico replied that he would receive orders only after negotiations between the two countries were concluded, and that he could not move an inch without orders from the central government of Gallico...(omitted)...]
"Ha!"
It was a sigh of disbelief let out by Marquis Baldessar, who was reading a piece of paper.
“No, right now, the Gallico guys are resisting our departure from our border?”
Count Contarini cried out from the side.
“Aren’t they saying that they can’t withdraw their troops even though we have sent His Highness the Prince to their country? Does that make sense? Isn’t that different from what they said in the beginning?”
“Read more! It’s amazing!”
Leo III shouted in a hoarse voice. The three noblemen finished reading the parchment without making a sound.
[...Gallico's forces are showing unsettling movements... In addition to the heavy cavalry, the infantry force is being supplemented... I have delivered a protest, but there has been no reply from the heavy cavalry... The size of the infantry is approximately 3,000 people according to our current understanding... The number of...is gradually increasing.
The locals await Your Majesty the King's instructions.
Your faithful servant, Odantonio de Montefeltro.]
Marquis Baldessar said in a trembling voice.
“The infantry... are being reinforced?”
Once the infantry was replenished, Gallico's heavy cavalry would be ready to storm the Etruscan hinterland.
The pupils of the ministers shook anxiously.
“This is... The Kingdom of Gallico may not stop at localized military provocations...”
Count Baldessar tried to utter his prediction but was unable to finish it and swallowed the last words.
If the 3,000 or so Montpellier cavalry stationed outside Gaeta were supplemented by just 6,000 infantry, they would have a force ready to storm the interior of the Etruscan kingdom at any time.
There is a possibility that the Kingdom of Gallico will invade.
That too, left the only Prince and heir to the throne in the land of Gallico.
He glanced at Leo III with anxious eyes.
Count Contarini, always a little less pessimistic than the Marquis Baldessar, cried out.
“We must immediately send a letter to Prince Alfonso to lodge a strong protest with Philip IV!”
Count Contarini did not seem to believe that the Kingdom of Gallico would really attack.
“Do you think I’ve never done it before?”
Leo III shouted, not even trying to hide his displeasure.
"Alfonso, he hasn’t replied! From the first day he arrived at the palace of Montpellier, I wrote to him in detail about the conduct he should have as a future monarch!”
Almost three weeks had passed since the Prince arrived at the Palais de Montpellier.
It is now early July. In the meantime, there has been no news from the Prince and his party.
If Alfonso alone had been late with the letter, he would have been dismissed as an unfilial man, but even letters from Count Marquez, who had accompanied him, and Sir Bernardino, Alfonso's adjutant, were late.
Just after entering the Palace of Montpellier, the last thing Leo III received was a letter informing him that they had arrived safely.
“Your Majesty, but there is no other way.”
The Etruscan kingdom did not have many usable tools left.
Count Contarini urged Leo III.
He was the type of person who rarely said anything that would offend the King, but for even Count Contarini to say something like that meant the situation was very urgent.
“Send messengers to His Highness Prince Alfonso: either make a strong protest to Philip IV, quickly conclude a marriage alliance, or at all costs prevent the addition of additional infantry to the Montpellier heavy cavalry stationed at Gaeta.”
Marquis Baldessar gave his opinion cautiously.
“Your Majesty, how about seeking help from Cardinal Simon de Mare...?”
“Huh?”
“Philip IV is, after all, a patriarchal monarch. If Pope Louis gives him a word, he cannot ignore it, since he is obligated to obey the representative of God.”
He said it indirectly, but the story was that if he were excommunicated by the Pope, it would be impossible to rule normally, so he would have to be careful.
“But will His Holiness the Pope really restrain the Gallico kingdom in favor of the Etruscan kingdom?”
The Marquis of Delpiano struck the bell. The Marquis of Baldessar answered in a heavy voice.
“His Holiness the Pope is fundamentally obliged to unite the Catholic nations peacefully and create a paradise on earth... Surely he will not tolerate it.”
It could be overlooked. If it were Pope Louis, it would have been overlooked.
But they can't just wait and do nothing.
Leo III dealt with the situation roughly.
“Yes. Marquis Baldessar is right. I don’t know what conditions the old fox of the Pope will set, but let’s listen to his story. Lord Delpiano, set a date and summon Cardinal de Mare to the palace and prepare a letter to be sent to Alfonso.”
“Yes, Your Majesty!”
The ministers dispersed busily.
***
Prince Alfonso would have been genuinely upset if he had heard the conversation taking place at Palazzo Carlo, under the misconception that he was deliberately ignoring his father's letters.
He really didn't receive a single letter.
No, the letter wasn't the problem.
The negotiations had not made any progress, and the Prince's every move was being watched.
“I expected you to behave like this to some extent, but this is just too much for a human being!”
It was the anger that the good Prince Alfonso, who never got excited, vented on Sir Bernardino.
Philip IV did not appear for a week, using the excuse of a hunting competition, and then disappeared, saying he had a conversation to have with the Holy See.
While the King was away, it was Princess Auguste who took charge of Prince Alfonso.
She was strangely cold from the beginning and gradually became more and more insincere.
Finally, she even said this to Prince Alfonso, who asked about the schedule of his audience with Philip IV
“If you are a guest, then please wait quietly like a guest. I will not foolishly contact you when the time comes.”
The number of external schedules provided by Gallico gradually decreased.
Prince Alfonso often found himself sitting in his assigned quarters for more than a week, killing time.
In other words, Prince Alfonso and his Etruscan entourage were practically imprisoned in a splendid residence in the center of the Montpellier court.
“Your Highness. There are no further instructions from home.”
Count Marquez said with a heavy face.
“It is not normal. It is time for two more instructions or urgings from His Majesty the King. I guess...”
Count Marquez trailed off, unable to finish the story.
"Hmm."
Prince Alfonso had nothing to say except drool.
It seemed that the Montpellier Palace had intercepted the letter in the middle.
It was a treatment that could never be given to a diplomatic envoy because they never knew when they would receive the same treatment in return.
“You’re just telling me to go out.”
Alfonso muttered through his teeth.
That was when.
“Prince Alfonso!”
A now familiar, tiresome voice echoed through the room.
“Oh, she’s here.”
Count Marquez watched Prince Alfonso closely.
“We will withdraw for now.”
Count Marquez and Sir Bernardino avoided the scene.
In the place of the two Etruscan noblemen, a Gallico noblewoman entered. She was the Grand Duchess of Lariesa.
“Prince Alfonso!”
She came in with a happy smile on her frugal face.
Prince Alfonso greeted her politely, despite the headache that was mounting.
“Grand Duchess Lariesa.”
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