He turned to the old man and flashed a look, as if to say, "What do we do now?"
Feel free to desperately curse out loud. Show how flustered you are. That shall be the dawn of a new age… and the end of the age of the old generation......
Lavallee looked back at Langogne somewhat languidly.
"The Count...... is right on everything. I have no excuse for it. As a leader of the faction who holds all your trust, I have acted too rashly."
It was an honest statement that was atypical of how he carried his affairs.
The other nobles present started to stir.
"So you accept responsibility for this?"
"Hmm. Now that it has reached this point, I can't simply abstain from all responsibility. I shall step down from my position as leader."
"What?"
It was Count Mearbahn who rose up in surprise.
That Lavallee, that filthy, old, ugly schemer, was now accepting responsibility and stepping down from his position? Even Langogne, the man who had been rebuking him, was baffled.
The old man continued quietly, leaving his comrades whispering to each other.
"I am eighty years old now. By now, I should have passed my title on to my children, and by now my grandchildren would be on their way. The time has come to retire, I suppose. It's a shame that the reason that I do so is because of such a reason..."
"Wait, wait a minute, ol’ marquis."
Mearbahn interrupted, darting his eyes around nervously.
"This is a very serious matter, so I can only imagine the pain you must be feeling. However, with the current political situation in the region being so unsettled, I believe that there is a great need for your wisdom......"
Even though Lavallee had to be responsible for this time, he was still necessary for the faction.
Langogne could not help but chuckle under his breath. If Lavallee were to lose his position, the next person to take control of the faction would be, according to plan, himself. If that were to happen, Mearbahn would be bettered by a man two or three times less than his age.
It was ridiculous that he was pinning his hopes on the old fox. Mearbahn himself had definitely tried more than once or twice to best his seniors too.
(In the end, Mearbahn is just some relic from an older generation...)
The Marquis gave a small shake of his head while the up and coming noble simply gave a smug look.
"The times are changing. Even among the young, there will be those who have the wisdom to influence the times. Allow me to leave the stage here and watch them."
"Yes. Leave it to me."
Wisdom? He has it of course. Langogne lowered his head to a bow.
To kick things off, Linus would be taken out of the picture while bringing down Lavallee as collateral. Then, he would team up with Tullius. In doing so, the alliance between the Centralists and Tullius’ faction would overwhelm the Decentralists. With the success credited towards him, he would oust the ‘slave-murderer’ and consolidate his position within the alliance. After all, they were the infamous brothers, not forgetting that the elder brother made a name for himself a few days ago. He had gained first-hand experience of what a real madman was. Therefore, he would have to settle it cleanly this time. The power to control the kingdom was well within his grasp.
While Langogne smiled, Lavallee stood up to leave his seat.
"So be it. I have some things to do before I retire, such as instructing my grandchildren. I think I'll leave now."
It was well-known that the legitimate son of the Marquis had died young, leaving the Marquis behind. Fortunately, the grandson of the legitimate line was still alive and well, so he would probably hand over his position to him. Well, this old man was known to have plenty of vigour despite his advanced age. If something were to happen to his grandson, it wouldn’t be all that surprising to find his illegitimate heirs springing out of nowhere.
To be honest, it was a bit disappointing to see him go down so easily. However, enjoying the fall of his political opponent was just an appetiser compared to power he would soon gain. As soon as the old marquis left the room, he quickly took action.
"On behalf of the Marquis of...... I shall proceed with the meeting. Are there any objections?"
As he said this, he looked around with a watchful eye.
Mearbahn kept his face down. Chambery with a vague smile. The rest of the nobles darting their eyes around, confused at the pace at which the situation was changing.
Everything is according to plan. He was the one in control here. There was no one who would stand up against him since he was the one who ousted Lavallee.
"No objections, am I correct in assuming? Then let's continue. First—"
With this momentum, he would start a vote on whether they should form an alliance with Tullius’ faction. With the merit gained from the alliance, he would secure his position as a leader of the faction. Once he secured a firm position in the Centralist faction, he would start the purge of the decentralised faction — the fools with large territories. The old man had let these country-dwellers get too carried away by idling and not doing anything to them. Now that he, a young leader, was taking the helm, he was going to demonstrate that things were not going to be the same.
Once the kingdom’s internal problems are settled, it wouldn’t be all that bad to go for the prime minister role. It was a position that even Lavallee could not attain, the ultimate position that they, as vassals of the kingdom, could hope to attain. Or perhaps the option of being related to the royal family would be appealing. With some luck, the lineage of the Langognes would end up as the ruler of the kingdom.
The thought of it sent an inexplicable rush of pleasure down his spine.
Langogne was intoxicated by the endless possibilities and future that awaited him. He truly believed that everything was within his grasp. He completely forgot about the lingering pain in his cheek caused by Linus Oubeniel.
※ ※ ※
"Congratulations, sister-in-law."
"Yes. Thank you, Sir Tullius."
Simone smiled back, with a hint of embarrassment, after I congratulated her. It seemed that there were many shocking things that happened in the royal capital, but I was glad that she was feeling better now.
We were now at my home, in Marlan.. My sister-in-law lost her family once more due to brother causing an incident at Broussonne. It seemed that her relationship with the servants in the Oubeniel family was not pleasant, and so, at a loss to who to turn to for help, she came to me.
So, a week has passed. She had been completely depressed and sickly when she visited. However, today's health examination revealed a fact.
......What fact? I'm sure anyone would be able to guess by the way she was happily patting her belly, though there were no signs of any bulge at all.
"Please take better care of yourself from now on, madam."
Uni respectfully bowed while commenting. After all, this was an examination that should only be performed by another woman. As she was from the same sex, she was more suitable for the job.
In response, Simone gave a small giggle.
"Of course, of course. Now that there is a very, very important new life in here."
Yes, a joyous occasion indeed.
Of course, the child in her belly was truly my brother's child. I did not possess enough poor taste to consider sleeping with my brother's wife, nor was I interested in starting any unnecessary rumours. A scandal due to relationships with women was far more impactful on reputation than human experiments with slaves. Naturally, I would be disinclined to be put in such a dangerous position.
"So, I am about to be an uncle? I thought I was still young, though."
"Uh-huh. Even so, you're twenty now, aren't you? Don't you think it's time for you to have a real child, not just a niece and nephew?"
"Haha, yes, you're right. I'll think about it."
I had simply meant for it to be a light-hearted remark. The unexpected response from Simone left me scratching my head.
That's right, I'm already 20 years old. In addition to that, if we were to combine it with my previous life, I'm already old enough to be called an old geezer. I guess it wasn’t that strange to have a nephew or two now. It was even more so in this world where the marrying age was much earlier. I would not be surprised if somebody my age had at least one child by now, and in fact, it would probably be considered strange for me to not have any romantic flings...
