Chapter 66: The Ball Is War (2)
I repeated it to myself once more in my head.
Damn, that bastard. He deserved to be struck by a horse running amok on the street!
Even if I were affiliated with the Crown Prince’s faction, as a noble of the Empire, I could not ignore the summons of a Prince.
I was currently aligned with the Crown Prince, but first and foremost, I was a titled noble of the Reich Empire.
In the worst-case scenario, if I refused the summons of a Prince, I could be accused of disregarding the Emperor—a far-fetched crime.
If we were in the ballroom, I could have said, “Ah, I apologize, but I have to meet His Highness, the Crown Prince. I’ll head there now.” and excused myself.
However, His Highness, the 5th Prince, courteously asked me to come at my convenience, leaving no room for refusal.
“I am honored. Then, since you’ve been so considerate, may I visit at my most convenient time?”
After all, I wasn’t the one applying for a position, they sought me out. Hence, I held the upper hand in setting the appointment time.
This might have been the first time the 5th Prince encountered a subject who addressed him in this manner, but what could they do?
Since they made the initial proposal, they should at least be willing to wait.
If it had been the 2nd or 3rd Prince, they might have had the support of major nobles within the noble council and other titled nobles, amounting to the power of one province of the Empire.
The 5th Prince’s influence wasn’t even half of that. After the Crown Prince claimed Bisochea from the Chekovian expedition, the 5th Prince’s presence had become almost negligible.
Seeing my response, the Count smiled as if he had expected it.
True, thanks to the Crown Prince, it would have been strange for me to just readily accept such an invitation.
“If your duties keep you busy, it can’t be helped. At the latest, by next week or the week after, contact us the day before, and His Highness will make time.”
“Thank you for your understanding.”
“Oh, and I’ve read some of the content you lectured at the Staff College. My son, who is studying there, brought it at home, and I found it quite refreshing. I never expected supply and strategy to be taught that way. I would love to hear why you chose that approach.”
So, we spent about 30 minutes discussing the Count’s military experiences and my lectures.
To be honest, because the 5th Prince had summoned me just to mock me, I hardly remembered what the Count talked about.
Still, I was just relieved that I had managed to maintain composure throughout our conversation.
On the other hand, Laura, although she had experienced real battles alongside me, had never witnessed such political maneuvers firsthand. So, she seemed far more flustered than I, the actual target.
I patted her shoulder and calmly said,
“Calm down, Lieutenant. It’s not like His Highness, the 5th Prince, has summoned me for a royal trial. He merely expressed his desire to recruit me. So, it should be fine.”
In reality, it was a huge deal.
Because if I couldn’t properly explain this to the grand Crown Prince, I risked losing my standing within our faction.
Already, within the Crown Prince’s faction, there were plenty of people who, despite being of lower rank, were envious of my swift rise.
So much so that after the Bisochea battle, there was that pitiful Lieutenant General who got stalled in his promotion for speaking nonsense in front of the Crown Prince.
“Still, wouldn’t they doubt your loyalty?”
“No need to worry. In fact, the more you worry, the more ammunition you give to the enemies. As long as I don’t blatantly betray the Crown Prince, the worst that could happen is a delay in my promotion.”
I said that, but who wouldn’t know that?
Yet at times like these, showing panic only makes matters worse. People like the 2nd and 3rd Princes, who wanted to distance me from the Crown Prince, would use the same trick on me.
And then they would try to ensnare him, using me as bait.
“Heh, this truly isn’t anything serious.”
So, I was just puffing up my chest and pretending that everything was fine.
Proof of that was the way the nobles from different factions, who had just witnessed the 5th Prince’s Count making a proposal to me, pretended to chat while sneakily glancing and observing me from afar.
I took this opportunity to enjoy the fine wine and food available at the banquet hall.
I borrowed a pen and paper from a nearby servant and wrote,
‘The 5th Prince has summoned me, seemingly with the intent of recruiting me.’
Then I folded the paper.
I made my way towards where the Crown Prince and his faction were gathered.
True to the Crown Prince’s faction, there were several generals, high-ranking officers, various department heads, and administrators gathered, discussing various topics.
Surprisingly, young lords of titled families affiliated with the Crown Prince’s faction, who had little in common other than relying on their family’s reputation, attended the banquet but couldn’t mingle in this elite circle. They just stood at a distance.
“Blantz, as the Secretary, if we increase military supplies, wouldn’t it allow the soldiers to eat better?”
“Well, Lieutenant, that’s why I already reported this to Director Blang. We should see improvements in our supplies soon.”
“Oh… These days, my wife has been scaring me. Since joining the central duty, every night she becomes more demanding. As you know, working as an officer in the army tones the body, and she seems to like that…”
The topics varied between work and personal matters.
In the given circumstances, considering my position, I could have just given the important note to the Crown Prince and exited without much fuss.
I already knew my place among the Crown Prince’s faction, which was considered almost equivalent to that of a colonel or higher, so there was no need for me to mingle.
Nevertheless, I decided to join a group of colonels who seemed to be of a similar rank to mine.
“Excuse me for interrupting your conversation, but could I perhaps join you?”
Seeing me, the older colonels, who were at least 15-20 years my senior, stiffened, and their eyes conveyed a desire for me to leave.
However, after comparing the Silver Knight medal on my suit’s necktie with the golden cross medal hanging on their own, one of them said,
“If it’s Lieutenant Colonel Yaeger, you’re always welcome. But we’re discussing our children, so you might find it a bit out of your realm.”
Considering our age gap, I didn’t particularly want to join their conversation either.
Nevertheless, we engaged in a trivial conversation for about five minutes. As a result, one by one, the colonels left to get wine or more food, and soon I noticed other smaller groups starting to focus on me.
Even the core group of the Crown Prince’s faction, including the Prince himself and Count Benner, began looking my way, sensing a disturbance.
Taking their attention as a cue, I let out a deep sigh and bowed to the Crown Prince.
“Rise, Lieutenant Colonel Yaeger. Don’t be so stiff at the ball. It’s making everyone else uncomfortable.”
He said while extending his right hand.
As I stood, gripping the note with my thumb, I shook the Crown Prince’s hand with both of mine. Given that he was the Crown Prince, it was quite a generous gesture for him to help a mere Lieutenant Colonel to his feet.
Around me, murmurs of envy arose.
“Truly envious… When he’s awarded a star, I wonder if I’ll even get promoted to Colonel.”
“Ha, is this life? At his age, he’s a professor at the Staff College and has the favor of the Crown Prince…”
While the atmosphere was thick with jealous murmurs, my concern lay elsewhere.
The Crown Prince read the note I handed him, initially frowning, but after a brief moment, he cast the note aside, laughed, and spoke as if he were crushing an insect beneath his foot.
“Insects need to be crushed. It seems like there are many bugs swirling around you lately. Handle them appropriately when you return.”
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