Medieval Knight System: Building the Strongest Empire Ever!

Chapter 309: Dancing on Thin Ice

The last to enter was the host of the victory banquet, the grand duke, with the Bavarian princess, Elisabeth, on his arm. The nobles who hadn’t yet heard about the political marriage looked considerably shocked.

The meaning of that gesture was unmistakable.

Though to anyone’s eyes, the two looked like father and daughter.

"A union between His Highness and the Bavarian princess. So you’re the one caught in between?"

"Don’t even joke about that. I’ll pass on being misunderstood over some heroic ballad."

"A ballad is just a ballad. Anyone who reads something strange into it is the strange one."

"Either way, I don’t want to give anyone ammunition, so I’m not going anywhere near them."

"...The princess is coming this way."

Just as Michael said, the princess had left the grand duke’s side and was heading straight for me. My shitty fate refused to grant me any peace. The eyes of many nobles turned toward us.

Michael and I paid our respects to the princess first.

"Congratulations on your barony, Baron."

"Thank you, Princess. I’m honored."

She smiled at me with her eyes and extended her hand.

She was a noblewoman of clearly higher standing than mine, so I offered courteous respects and lightly kissed the back of her gloved hand. Michael, left standing in the corner like a sack of potatoes, quietly read the room.

"Are you enjoying the banquet as well, Princess?"

"Of course. Is there such a thing as a banquet that isn’t enjoyable?"

The Bavarian princess seemed built for banquets. Then again, they say she’d cast Prince Louis aside and gone about enjoying the banquets of the nobles and ladies. I could never do such a thing. Impressive, in its own way.

"And who might this be?"

At the princess’s show of interest, Michael introduced himself with a broad grin. You have a wife at home, yet you’re this thrilled that a beautiful princess is paying attention to you? This is grounds for a report.

"I am Michael von Steiner. Baron Rosenheim’s brother-in-law."

"His brother-in-law? I see. Have I interrupted a family moment?"

"Not at all. It’s simply an honor to have you grace us."

"Then you won’t mind if I borrow the baron?"

"Hahaha, borrow him as long as you like."

Hey, brother-in-law. What’s the idea, handing me over that easily? I’m telling Hilda everything. Having cleared away the obstacle called Michael, the Bavarian princess dragged me over to a window.

"I’m always praying to the Lord in thanks that I didn’t have to return to Bavaria."

"Even an absurd political marriage is preferable to returning to Bavaria?"

"Sir Streit, the Grand Duke of Beren is my twenty-sixth arranged match. In Bavaria, I was nothing but a bird in a cage, living helplessly by whatever my uncle decided."

"Goodness. Then the twenty-fifth would have been Prince Louis."

"Can you believe father and son were both lined up as my marriage partners?"

She was a noblewoman of exalted rank, a princess, yet hearing it laid out like that, she’d truly been treated appallingly. Women were the property of the patriarch, and arranged partners were often swapped around exactly like that.

Whoever the partner was, she seemed deeply relieved that her marriage had finally been settled.

Then I suddenly grew curious about the candidates.

"Forgive me, but were there any unexpected figures among your arranged matches?"

"Oh, there were many. The most famous of them would be Matthias (Mátyás), King of Hungary and Bohemia. Though it came to nothing when he married the Princess of Naples."

From the Bavarian princess’s words, I realized the Habsburgs had very nearly been blindsided by the Wittelsbachs. So that’s why the imperial crown prince had come rushing to mediate.

Even with Grand Duke Karlus’s request, I’d harbored a small nagging doubt about whether an imperial crown prince really had grounds to insert himself into a quarrel between duchies—whether it was truly worth mediating. So that was the reason.

Blocking a union between Bavaria and Hungary had been part of the mediation terms as well.

To think they’d planned to use the Bavarian princess as a key to pressure the Habsburgs. I’d assumed Konrad’s resolute (neutral) disposition made him ill-suited to conspiracy, but he was a formidable schemer himself.

No—wouldn’t this be the work of his right-hand man, the Marquis of Augsburg?

His disposition was the same as Grand Duke Karlus’s: conspiracy (neutral).

But at the same time, I found myself feeling pity for this princess caught up in such a twisted fate. Outwardly she was revered as a noble princess, but in reality she was treated like expensive merchandise.

And yet the princess remained composed, without a hint of being cowed.

Perhaps that’s how she came to have a resolute disposition?

"Let’s drop the stiff talk. Surely you don’t intend to discuss nothing but politics with a lady?"

The princess extended her hand. An unmistakable signal to ask her to dance. Our relationship was delicate enough already, and I worried this might land me squarely on Hilda’s bad side.

I glanced around without thinking, and the nobles were whispering as they watched me.

Michael was off in the distance, drinking wine with my subordinate nobles.

Then again, if I embarrassed the princess, wouldn’t the future queen be tripping up everything I did for years to come? But as I hesitated, I saw the princess’s eyes waver.

In the end, I took her hand respectfully.

The princess accepted it gladly.

The dance between the knight and the princess—the pair burning up the rumor mill—naturally drew the attention of the nobles and young ladies. While the grand duke and the imperial crown prince watched with interest, only the crown prince fidgeted anxiously.

To the music, we performed a formal, precisely measured dance in the middle of the ballroom. Wild, swaying dances were considered vulgar by refined nobles, so dances like this were the norm.

"You dance well. I was under the impression you disliked banquets."

"Hilda taught me—I mean, my wife taught me."

"Casually mentioning your wife while dancing with a lady, really."

The princess seemed a little put out.

Wh-what’s wrong with a husband mentioning his wife?

Her childish reaction made me chuckle a bit.

"I’m merely praying that the rumors about us never reach my wife’s ears."

"We haven’t even lured each other into bed. Surely a generous woman would forgive it?"

"Let’s focus on the dance. You just stepped on my foot, didn’t you?"

"Sir Streit, I stepped on it on purpose."

The beauty of the Bavarian princess, smiling primly, was truly dazzling. So this is why unmarried nobles’ eyes light up whenever a princess appears at a banquet. But all I felt for her was pity.

"Why are you looking at me like that, Baron?"

"Pardon? Oh, forgive me."

"I’m curious what you’re thinking."

The princess’s air had changed considerably. It wasn’t the reaction of a lady trying to seduce me. From what I could tell, she was flustered because I hadn’t shown her the reaction she’d wanted.

I’m different from a typical noble. I wasn’t born a noble in the first place. I was merely a human being with an excess of compassion. There was no need to check her mindset with the Scouter, because my guess was right.

"I was simply thinking how sad your situation is, Princess."

"Sad? Mine? Why is that?"

"A twenty-sixth arranged match. The Grand Duke of Bavaria saw you as nothing more than an object. That’s all I find regrettable. If you’d been born into an ordinary noble family..."

"It would have been a little better than the position I’m in now."

The princess smiled forlornly.

Keeping step as we danced, she spoke.

"Did you know? Every time an arranged marriage is called off, I undergo a virginity examination."

The one where they check whether you’re a virgin? I’d heard it was tremendously humiliating for the one subjected to it, and she’d been through it more than twenty times... I was at a loss for words. The princess studied me closely.

Then the princess stopped mid-step, lifted the hem of her dress slightly, and bowed to me. That was not a courtesy a princess owed a noble of lower rank. It caught me completely off guard.

"Forgive me, Baron. I was trying to seduce you and use you."

"Princess..."

I felt I was hearing the princess’s true heart for the first time.

As if she were removing the sturdy mask she’d been wearing all along.

She continued with a soft smile.

"I knew I shouldn’t have done this to you. You truly are a good noble, of noble character. I apologize for the trouble this childish princess has caused."

The gazes of the watching nobles and young ladies gradually converged on us. How was I to smooth this over? Fortunately, the grand duke cut in at just the right moment. The look he gave me was brimming with pity.

Can’t you have even one quiet day? That’s what it said.

The grand duke extended his hand to the princess like a relief pitcher taking the mound.

"Would you honor me with the next dance?"

"My, Your Highness. Could it be you’ve come to collect me out of jealousy over the baron?"

The princess’s expression transformed in an instant.

Back on with the mask, I suppose.

"Indeed. I’ve come to rescue my cherished Baron Rosenheim."

"Hmm, you cherish the baron quite a bit. Enough to make me jealous."

It was a political marriage, so there was no love between them, yet I sensed an odd rivalry in their eyes. The grand duke and the princess, the true stars of this gathering, began to dance.

Still, I felt I had glimpsed the princess’s true heart for the first time.

Truly, nothing in this world comes easy.