Medieval Knight System: Building the Strongest Empire Ever!

Chapter 313: Snow on the Day He Died

It meant that if not for the dispute with Italy, they might have intervened in the Altringen civil war. In every respect, it was truly fortunate that the civil war had ended quickly, with neighboring powers watching for an opening like this.

And yet they don’t want to share a border with Burgundy? What kind of logic is that?

If the Senbach family was the Count of Basel’s backer, the problem became serious.

"You don’t think the Count of Basel might defect to the Swiss Confederation, do you?"

"No such signs have been detected yet, but personally, I think it’s only a matter of time."

The grand duke’s decision to insert the Habsburgs into the mediation between Beren and Bavaria wasn’t just about pulling Bavaria into an alliance; he’d also factored in the dispute with the Swiss Confederation.

And if the Count of Basel really did defect to the Swiss Confederation, the most likely battleground would be Rosenheim. So this was what the grand duke had meant when he told me I was half right and half wrong.

It was only speculation, but it could well be the grand duke’s gambit.

So what I needed to worry about wasn’t the north, but the south.

"Still, once the Habsburg mediation becomes known, Senbach won’t gamble unnecessarily."

"There can always be an ending nobody predicted. It never hurts to be careful."

Hmm, it seemed I would need to reinforce Hissen, the border region between Rosenheim and Basel. If Hissen were breached, both Breisburg and Rosenheim could be in danger.

I already had plenty of places to spend money, and now the Swiss Confederation had popped up out of nowhere, deepening my worries. Ulrich went back to help Michael with his work, and I stayed in the study, thinking over my strategy going forward.

Cannons are expensive, but if I acquired some and planted them at Hissen, no one would take us lightly. So it came down to throwing money at the problem after all. At least I’d earned hundreds of gold coins through this civil war, so money wouldn’t be a concern for a while.

Before I knew it, the night had grown late, and just as I was about to go to bed, the crown prince’s attendant arrived. The crown prince’s attendant, at this ungodly hour? Instinctively, I had an ominous feeling.

Bad news always comes without warning.

The crown prince’s attendant had come to inform me that Louis was dead. As it happened, snow was falling that day. In the end, the prince had been unable to overcome his frailty, and it had cost him his life.

My heart grew terribly heavy. Those poor souls.

What could I possibly say to Viola, Louis’s only love?

Hiding it from her wasn’t an option. Prince Louis’s death would become known soon enough anyway, and I didn’t want to betray her trust. So I summoned Viola first.

"What is it, Master?"

"Well, the thing is... actually..."

Faced with her innocent, unknowing face, I couldn’t bring myself to speak. After much agonizing, I told Viola the truth. But to my surprise, Viola was calm.

As if she had known from the very beginning.

"I see. So meeting Lord Louis in my dream was no coincidence."

"Prince Louis appeared in your dream? What did he say?"

"He said nothing at all. He just kept gazing at me. Endlessly."

The silence settled heavily. There was nothing more I could say to her. Her expression was composed, but to my eyes she seemed to be holding back her grief. It broke my heart.

"When will the funeral be held?"

"Tomorrow, most likely. It will be a modest funeral."

A rebel royal’s funeral is never grand. The Altringen family had made it clear to me through the attendant that they would observe only the minimum rites and receive only a handful of visitors.

"May I ask you for a favor, Master? My first."

Viola, who had been hanging her head, looked up.

Tears streamed endlessly down her cheeks.

"I want to see Lord Louis one last time."

"But if you attend, you might draw suspicion."

"Please, give me that chance, Master!"

If rumors spread that there was a woman who grieved unusually deeply over Louis’s death, and that she was pregnant, some noble would surely take notice. What she was asking of me was no small thing.

But flatly refusing someone grieving like this would be too cruel. Hardly anyone cared about Louis’s death anyway, so it seemed she could slip in and out quietly, away from the visitors’ eyes.

"Haa. Letting you see him off on his final journey is the least I can do."

"Hic... Thank you! Thank you, Master!"

Viola kept bowing and sobbing her thanks. Then an unexpected person entered the room where Viola and I were talking. It was Margareta, the true master of this mansion.

"I’ll take Viola with me. That would look more natural."

"I appreciate it, sister-in-law, but eavesdropping is a nasty habit."

"I was keeping watch in case you laid a hand on our lovely Viola."

"Good grief. Hilda certainly has a very reliable big sister."

I was being sarcastic, but Margareta didn’t mind in the least. Still, it was clear she had figured out something about the relationship between Viola and Louis. Thankfully, she was wise enough not to ask.

Margareta would take Viola along, and I would draw attention away as needed.

The next day, I attended Prince Louis’s funeral.

The nobles, still hungover from the victory banquet, seemed more interested in drinking honey water than in paying their respects, and the funeral Mass was very sparsely attended.

On top of that, the grand duke admitted no visitors aside from a small number of nobles. Margareta and I were only able to attend thanks to the crown prince’s permission.

With so few visitors, I could give Viola some time.

The crown prince found Margareta’s attendance puzzling but didn’t pay it much mind.

"With you in attendance, Baron, Louis should be able to rest peacefully until Resurrection Day."

"Prince Louis and I were enemies. Do you really think he’ll rest easily?"

"Probably. Louis liked you, Baron. He wouldn’t have held a grudge."

Louis didn’t resent me. That’s why he entrusted Viola and the child in her womb to me. The grand duke had figured it out, but the crown prince had no idea. Yes, better that he didn’t know.

The crown prince would surely fret over it.

It was, after all, his beloved younger brother’s last living blood.

No matter how well a secret is kept, it’s bound to leak out eventually.

When Viola saw Louis’s body, she fought down her grief. She trembled with sorrow, so pitiful that she looked as if she might collapse. The crown prince, seeing Viola for the first time, took an interest.

"Is she a young lady you brought, Baron?"

"She is of noble blood, but she is now my handmaid."

"Is that so? There must be some story behind it."

Keeping a noble as a servant isn’t something just anyone can do—not without a rank approaching royalty or truly exceptional circumstances. The crown prince found Viola’s unusually deep grief strange.

Before he could jump to any odd conclusions, I told him the truth.

Mixed with lies, of course, to keep the existence of the illegitimate child hidden.

"The truth is, this woman was Prince Louis’s last handmaid."

"Hmm, I see. Did Louis entrust her to you, by any chance?"

"He did. She was a handmaid he held especially dear."

Thank heaven Viola’s belly wasn’t showing yet.

Once the funeral Mass had fully concluded, all that remained were the memorial prayers and the farewell kiss to the body. Margareta, Viola, and I deliberately went last. We left Viola alone and stepped out.

The sound of heartbroken wailing reached us, but we pretended not to hear.

After all, there was no one left behind us to overhear.

"She must have been very close to Prince Louis."

"Sister-in-law, I trust you’ll keep this a secret."

"It’s hardly a story worth spreading around, is it?"

Margareta seemed satisfied, as if she’d learned a secret she’d been curious about, but she had no idea that the prince’s child was in Viola’s womb. It was a relief that the most important secret, at least, remained hidden.

If Margareta had experienced childbirth herself, she might have noticed, but regrettably, her relationship with her husband was terrible. I had never imagined that would become the veil concealing the secret.

At some point, the snow had turned to rain.

As if it were grieving in Viola’s place.