If so, he might be planning to offer Linus some kind of deal regarding the handling of this secret.
Langogne revealed a predator-like smile.
"You're not a good listener, are you? But you've hit the nail on the head. Indeed, indeed, there are things I want from you."
"It's—"
"A change of head of family for the Oubeniels."
The words came like a splash of cold water down Linus’ spine.
"What?"
Changing of the head? With whom?
Linus didn't even need to think far....... There was only one person in this world at the moment who could replace him as the position of the head of the family.
(Y-You are telling me to give up the headship to...to… Tullius!?)
Tullius Shernan Oubeniel. He was a bloody madman who was abhorred as a slave-killer and a man-eating snake. Because of him, the Oubeniel family lost all the reputation they had gained from two hundred years of prosperity.
It was a possibility that he had feared for the past twenty years, even though he thought it was impossible and would never happen. It suddenly became a reality and grabbed Linus by both shoulders.
"Hahaha. You don't have to look at me like it's the end of the world, do you? Well, listen up. Here's the story I've written."
Langogne's proposal could be summarised as follows.
Linus would have to lie low, pretending he was ill with a fever. It will only be a fake illness, of course. And then, when the time is right, he will make this announcement.
Due to his illness, Linus became unable to have children.
A man who cannot pass down the blood of his forefathers could not be allowed to continue to occupy the position of head of the family. Naturally, the position would be handed over to his younger brother, Tullius.
And Linus, now that he has ‘retired’, should be able to live a life of leisure and comfort with his retirement pay. He was a Count of a province, after all. Surely he could afford to have attendants take care of his needs. If he desired, he could surround himself with slaves too...
"—With this plan, what does it matter if you have a second or third child with the slave over there? After all, you would publicly be unable to have children. This way, you will be able to maintain your relationship with that slave without adding any lowly blood to your family's genealogy."
"......"
"I think I can take care of Madame Simone, too. Would you like me to plan for that? If Madame Simone wishes, I am ready to introduce you to any man I can think of who will marry you. No, I won't stop you if you want to stay with your husband...... If you just want to remain with the Oubeniels, you can also choose to remarry to the ‘New Count’?"
"Me with...... Sir Tullius?"
Simone, who was suddenly faced with such options, blinked her eyes.
In addition to her husband's infidelity, and the unusual situation of having a child with a slave, she hardly had any time to process the situation. Much less make a decision. Surely she was somewhat confused by it all....though it seemed she was a little bit happy hearing that final part.
In the meantime, Langogne turned his attention back to Linus again.
"What do you think, Linus? Isn't this a wonderful proposition? You'll be married to someone with whom you'll have a good relationship. Madame Simone will be able to start her life anew with minimal flaws. The slave over there won't have to be killed or be forced to abort. I’ll at least provide shelter until the whole thing is over. And there will be no loss of reputation for our faction. It's a win-win situation for everybody. As long as you give up your position as head of the family."
Since a while ago, this man had stopped referring to him by his title. That may be reasonable? Whether Linus chose to accept or reject Langogne’s proposal, it was impossible for him to maintain his current position.
No, to begin with. Count Langogne didn't see Linus as a noble.
"Y-You—"
Linus tried to come up with a counter argument but it was futile. Count Langogne raised one eyebrow in disapproval.
"......you?"
"No...... I mean, what's in it for you?"
"Hmm?"
"You don't need to go to such great lengths to bury this matter in the dark. Why are you making such an elaborate proposal instead of doing so?"
The quickest way to handle this case was just as this man had planned. Abort the child or kill the mother and child. All that was left was for Linus to keep his mouth shut about the matter. His retainers and others who knew what was going on might make a fuss, but if the mother and child, the literal living witnesses, were dead, it would be nothing more than a rumour.
At least, there was no need to involve Simone in secret. In addition, Langogne was not the kind of man who would show mercy to a slave, nor was he merciful enough to take care of Linus who showed his weakness. This was evident from how he made a mockery of him up until now.
This proposal had to be for his own benefit, and not for the sake of others involved.
Langogne showed his disdain.
"I struck a deal with your brother."
"What?"
"Think about it. The political situation in our kingdom is in a mess because of you brothers quarreling. In addition to us centralists and those damned decentralists, there now exists a moderate faction. He was tormented by you and the old man, so he created it just to protect himself. Thanks to that, there is a new force growing that could shake the balance between the two factions. This unstable situation needs to be resolved as soon as possible, right?"
Certainly, the faction that Tullius had created through his dubious methods, incorporating even the Doldran Margrave, was a threat. Although they were inferior in size to the two mainstream factions, if they formed an alliance with one of them, the alliance would have a significant advantage over the other not in the alliance.
Langogne was afraid that Tullius would team up with the decentralists. The man was based in the countryside, made ties with lords in similar geographical conditions, and was hostile to both Lavallee, the leader of the centralist faction, and Linus, who was under his control. If the two factions were weighed in the balance, it was obvious that they would naturally gravitate towards the decentralised faction.
Before that happened, he wanted to get rid of Linus, the root of their conflict, and ingratiate himself with Tullius by making him the head of the family. In addition, it was likely that he was trying to put an end to this ugly scandal with as little problems in the future as possible.
"What, you won’t be lonely just because you are going into early retirement. Your old tea drinking buddy is old. The time has come for him to retire as well. It would not be a bad idea for the two of you to spend the rest of your lives together, away from the troublesome political theater."
Lavallee, who had been conspiring with Linus to wage a feud against Tullius, would also be asked to step down. The vocal support of Doldran behind that madman, the momentum of the young nobles that the man himself held, and the distrust of the Marquis that had been festering within the factions since the great fire of last year. Altogether, it was enough to knock the old fox out.
If he succeeded in bringing in Tullius and the others, it would be a big achievement. With his high family status of a Count and the endorsement from his predecessor, the one to replace Lavallee as the leader of the faction would be him, Langogne. News that a newcomer in his thirties would be taking over after the old and ugly had been purged would also have a great political effect, as it would show a change in the times and promote innovation amongst the political members.
With this ploy, he can defeat Lavallee, overtake Mearbahn and the other old guards, and take Linus, a potential future rival, out of the picture. Not only that, he would be able to settle the longstanding political dispute between the centralists and the decentralists. Ending off everything swiftly and skillfully.
Surely, Langogne had a glorious vision of a future, where he would be remembered in the history of the kingdom as a great political leader. From his boastful attitude, Linus could sense his euphoria.
However, there was a trap that he had overlooked in this scheme.
"No way I could accept that!"
A scream of rebuttal.
"Do you think you can control that thing, that monster? He's a demon that won an unwinnable trial, brainwashed other lords, and burned down the royal capital just to escape! And you let him be a Count? Are you trying to destroy this country? Are you out of your mind?"
