Chapter 95 – A Fruitful Return
Charlotte had initially planned to extend her stay in the Green Plains Duchy for a few more days. With her older brother and cousin's wedding fast approaching, it seemed more practical to wait until after the ceremony before returning to the Lanwan Viscounty, rather than making two separate trips.
However, after just one night's rest at Riverside Castle, a letter arrived for Charlotte from the Lanwan Viscounty.
In the letter, Cecilia detailed the conflict that had erupted between Stanley Mellerfield and Herman Green. During Charlotte's absence, the two men had clashed more than once, but the most recent incident at the sparring grounds had been the most severe.
Tracing the conflict back to its roots, their discord was partially related to Charlotte's casino. Stanley enjoyed gambling and had gradually drawn his knights into the habit. However, these knights were serving away from home and typically didn't carry much money; three or five rounds of gambling were often enough to leave them broke. Since knights in the Oran Empire received no salary during their service, these men, struggling even to afford meals, gradually grew less disciplined.
Herman Green hailed from the Mendicant Order and always held himself strictly to the tenets of the Canon. The Canon forbade gambling, so not only did he abstain himself, but he also prohibited his subordinate knights from participating.
With one side fond of gambling and the other strictly against it, the two groups naturally found themselves in opposition.
Furthermore, Herman Green and the guard unit he commanded were tasked with maintaining peace within the territory. During their daily patrols, they frequently encountered Stanley's knights violating regulations. Each time, Herman Green had his men apprehend the offenders and hand them back to Stanley for discipline.
While acceptable once or twice, as the occurrences mounted, Stanley began to feel that Herman Green was deliberately picking fault with him.
The clash at the sparring grounds represented the boiling point of the accumulated friction between Stanley Mellerfield and Herman Green.
In the final part of the letter, Cecilia explained her handling—or rather, lack thereof—of the conflict: she had done nothing. Cecilia was powerless in this situation, unable to intervene because Stanley was a nobleman, while she was merely a commoner.
This was the fundamental reason why Charlotte had been so worried about Stanley Mellerfield causing trouble in her territory before she left Lanwan Viscounty.
Once Charlotte departed, Stanley Mellerfield effectively became the highest authority in the Viscounty.
The head administrator Charlotte left behind, Cecilia, was a commoner. The military leader she appointed, Herman Green, was only a knight.
Although Stanley Mellerfield himself was merely a Baron.
In the Mellerfield family, a Barony was practically equivalent to holding no title at all. Andre also possessed a Baron title, but few nobles remembered which one, as his status as the Duke of Green Plains' eldest son completely overshadowed any lesser title.
Stanley's situation was similar. He was the son of Count Perod and, by lineage, a direct cousin to the Duke of Green Plains, Jose Mellerfield. This noble standing alone was enough to intimidate everyone in the Lanwan Viscounty except Charlotte herself.
Once Charlotte was gone, there was no one left in the entire Viscounty qualified to restrain him.
Charlotte took Cecilia's letter to Jose Mellerfield and handed it to her father.
Jose Mellerfield accepted the letter with a questioning look, scanned it quickly, and then remarked with praise, "Hm, your subordinate has excellent calligraphy."
Charlotte rolled her eyes. "I didn't come here to discuss calligraphy with you."
Jose Mellerfield smiled, set the letter down, and said, "Are you blaming me for sending that thorn, Stanley, to your territory?"
Describing Stanley as a "thorn" felt far too polite to Charlotte. She remembered vividly how Stanley and his cronies had played a significant part in spreading the rumors about Helen's affair with a stable hand, ultimately driving her to suicide.
Charlotte shook her head. "I know you had to send Stanley to Lanwan Viscounty back then to stabilize the situation, Father, so of course, I don't blame you. But you don't need to feign illness anymore. Isn't it time to recall that fellow?"
"Has the conflict between you and the Sokea City-State been resolved?" Jose Mellerfield asked, looking somewhat puzzled.
"A war between my Lanwan Viscounty and the Ivy Alliance is inevitable eventually, but not right now," Charlotte stated. "After the griffin made an appearance before the Ivy Alliance envoys, they likely won't dare to invade for a while. Right now, the biggest problem in my territory is Stanley Mellerfield."
"Alright," Jose Mellerfield conceded. "I'll write an order recalling Stanley. You can take it back and give it to him." He paused slightly, then asked, "When do you plan to return to Lanwan Viscounty?"
"I intend to leave this afternoon," Charlotte replied.
"I heard the knights in your territory are quite impoverished," Jose Mellerfield said. "I was originally planning to prepare some armor and weapons for you to take back, but since you're leaving so urgently, there's certainly no time to ready them now. I'll have Wolf take you to the treasury to withdraw two hundred thousand Fuso instead."
Charlotte's face lit up instantly. "The armor and weapons can be prepared too! I'll take the Fuso back this time, and collect the armor and weapons on my next trip."
"Heh, never satisfied..." Jose Mellerfield chuckled, shaking his head lightly.
This time, as Charlotte prepared to leave the Green Plains Duchy, Jose Mellerfield made no mention of the proposed marriage alliance with Arthur Lekman, the son of the Marquis of Blackstone Fort.
Charlotte easily deduced the reasoning behind her father's silence.
The political landscape of the Oran Empire had shifted. An alliance with the Marquis of Blackstone Fort was no longer necessarily a favorable choice.
News concerning the Gatu Kingdom had arrived at Riverside Castle just that morning. King Ethel Holovin of Gatu had accused Henry of usurping the imperial throne. Declaring himself the legitimate heir to the Oran Empire, Ethel Holovin announced he was raising troops to march against Henry and reclaim his birthright.
Currently, the vanguard of the Gatu Kingdom's forces had already reached Maheta.
Maheta was a vital city in the Byron Region, serving as the primary frontline between the Imperial family and the Gatu Kingdom. While Maheta was a formidable military stronghold, it was almost the only bastion capable of halting Ethel's advance in the entire Byron Region. The region itself was a major grain-producing area and largely flat plains. If Maheta were to fall, the entire Byron Region would be left defenseless.
It appeared Ethel had seized the initiative in terms of deployment speed, while it remained uncertain whether Henry had even resolved the issue of the tribal invasions on his end.
At such a critical juncture, bringing up marriage talks with Arthur Lekman was clearly inappropriate. In noble politics, marriage equated to alliance. Aligning with the Marquis of Blackstone Fort now was tantamount to aligning with Emperor Henry. The Duke of Green Plains likely deemed Emperor Henry an investment not worth making.
In addition to the two hundred thousand Fuso, Jose Mellerfield also agreed to allocate a small naval detachment to Charlotte, consisting of ten single-banked galleys and two double-banked galleys.
While admittedly a small number of warships, it would suffice for the time being, allowing Charlotte to assert her sovereignty over Swordfish Island. Besides, Charlotte already controlled Ambratu County, known for its thriving shipbuilding industry; she could build more ships herself.
Upon her departure, Andre also gifted her two craftsmen. These were artisans Charlotte had specifically requested from Andre, individuals he had helped find who specialized in creating "Chimeric Beasts."
As soon as the Chimeric Beast craftsmen arrived, Charlotte immediately arranged for them to travel in the same carriage as Cliff Chapman.
Cliff Chapman was fulfilling his agreement with Charlotte: she would fund his research into human modification techniques, and he would accompany her to Lanwan Viscounty. He hadn't come alone; he brought his wife and his son, who lacked limbs.
Besides Cliff Chapman and his family, Charlotte was also bringing back Robert Kaye and Heidi Steffen, two "talents" recommended by Simon Capriati, as well as Cecilia's sister, Adela.
There were also some potential gains yet to materialize. For instance, her maternal grandfather, Ethel Holovin, had promised to provide giant eagles, grain, and funds. Charlotte wondered if, with the outbreak of war, her grandfather would even remember such a "small matter."
Still, overall, Charlotte's trip could certainly be considered a fruitful return.
However, after finishing lunch and departing from Riverside Castle, Charlotte didn't head directly south. Instead, she took a detour west to visit her great-uncle, Count Stetten, Perod Mellerfield.
Stetten County lay in the western part of the Green Plains Duchy and bore the responsibility for a large portion of the duchy's defense against tribal incursions. This was another reason why Jose Mellerfield had consistently "swallowed his anger" and never taken significant action against Count Perod, despite being frequently provoked by him.
Unfortunately, Charlotte was unable to meet Count Perod, who was reportedly inspecting the military barracks. Showing little disappointment, Charlotte left a gift for the Count and requested to borrow a carriage from his eldest son, Viscount Chester.
Viscount Chester was unsure why Charlotte needed to borrow a carriage, but seeing it as a trivial matter, he agreed without much thought.
Having completed these arrangements, Charlotte finally began her official journey back to the Lanwan Viscounty.
The carriage creaked along the road. Inside, Charlotte perused the preliminary concepts penned by Cliff Chapman regarding a new system of citizen-soldier factions. In the same carriage, Renee sometimes stared blankly into space, sometimes frowned, and occasionally opened her mouth as if to speak, only to fall silent again.
Finally, Charlotte couldn't stand it anymore. She looked up from the parchment in her hands and said, "If you have something you want to say, just say it. Don't keep hesitating like this."
Renee snapped back to attention. She bit her lip before finally speaking, "Please don't be angry, Miss, after I say what I have to say."
Charlotte chuckled. "Renee, what's our relationship? We grew up together, shared the same wet nurse as infants. You swore you'd stay by my side forever, I even gave you my virginity... even biological sisters aren't as close as we are, right? If there's something on your mind now that you don't dare tell me, that's when I'll truly be angry."
"My virginity... I don't have..." Renee's face flushed red, but then she let out a small laugh. "You're right, Miss. I shouldn't overthink things."
Having cast aside her reservations, Renee stated bluntly, "Miss, I think you should be wary of Herman Green."
"Oh?" Charlotte raised an eyebrow, an amused smile playing on her lips. "Why should I be wary of Sir Herman Green? He was Mother's knight. I feel I should be able to trust him."
"Marion Doran was also Lady Helen's knight," Renee said seriously.
"Do you think Herman Green will be bribed to assassinate me, just like Marion Doran was?" Charlotte tilted her head, her expression curious.
Renee shook her head. "Of course, I wouldn't baselessly assume Sir Herman would suddenly try to assassinate you. But... I also feel that Sir Herman Green's loyalty isn't something you should completely trust."
Hearing this, Charlotte made a soft 'tsk' sound and smiled. "Renee, you're probably the only person I've ever met who doesn't trust Sir Herman's character."
"No, no," Renee quickly shook her head again. "I absolutely trust Sir Herman Green's character. I grew up with you, Miss, so I've known Sir Herman Green for just as long. Through all these years working together, I've seen with my own eyes whether he truly deserves the title 'White Knight.' It's precisely because I believe in Sir Herman Green's character that I urge you to be cautious regarding his loyalty to you."
"Hm? What do you mean by that?" Charlotte looked genuinely perplexed.
"Take this recent incident, for example," Renee explained. "If you were in Lord Stanley's position, do you think Sir Herman Green would have remained steadfast in his loyalty to you?"
"I never forced commoner children into the sparring grounds," Charlotte countered.
"That makes no difference," Renee said with a wry smile. "You sent so many slaves to dig the canal, and Sir Herman is the kind of person who feels sympathy even for the plight of slaves. I'm willing to believe Herman Green is a White Knight, a true Mendicant Friar pursuing universal love for all beings. But will such a person truly follow in your footsteps, Miss? Will he genuinely adopt your ideals as his own?"
Charlotte's lips parted slightly. She understood Renee's meaning – Renee believed that Herman Green and Charlotte Mellerfield were fundamentally different types of people. There was a serious divergence in their core beliefs. When Herman Green's adherence to certain principles clashed with his loyalty to Charlotte, there was a genuine risk that this White Knight, so committed to knightly virtues, might betray her.
She stared intently at Renee's small face for a long moment, until Renee began to look puzzled under her gaze. Then, suddenly, Charlotte laughed again. "I never realized my Renee possessed such keen insight."
Renee smiled shyly, understanding that Charlotte had taken her warning to heart.
"As a reward for your observation, you get to sleep with me tonight," Charlotte teased, gently lifting her little maid's chin.
"No way," Renee shook her head, laughing. "I've already taken Miss's virginity, why would I need to sleep with you again?"
Charlotte puffed up her cheeks in mock anger. "Alright, Renee! You've become so naughty! Which Casanova taught you these lines?!"