Chapter 123: The Bavarian knight
"I... I had to wake you, Konrad," Elise stammered. "I could not sleep. I have been thinking about this for weeks, and with the wedding happening tomorrow, I knew I could not hide it anymore. The castle is going to be full of nobles, and... and it will not be a secret forever."
Konrad frowned. "A secret? Elise, what did you do? Did someone threaten you?"
"No." Elise quickly shook her head, her cheeks suddenly flushing an unexpected shade of red. "No one threatened me. It is... it is a matter of the heart, brother."
"A matter of the heart?" Konrad repeated, genuinely confused.
"I love someone, Konrad," Elise blurted out, the words rushing from her mouth as if she were confessing to a terrible crime. "I have fallen in love. And I was terrified to tell you."
After hearing such words, Konrad just stared at her.
He had spent the entire month dealing with a hundred thousand silver florins, negotiating with a royal bastard, managing an annexed border territory, and desperately trying to invent a completely impossible iron horse.
He had gone to sleep expecting to be murdered by his own father-in-law. And now, his sister had woken him up in the dead of night to talk about romance.
"You terrified me, Elise," Konrad muttered, rubbing his burning eyes. "I thought the Bavarians had breached the gates. Who is it? Did you fall for one of the merchants from the guilds? Or is it one of Wilhelm’s minor knights?"
Elise bit her lower lip, taking a breath.
"His name is Mathias," she confessed quietly. "He is... he is a Sergeant in the second Swabian halberdier company. He is just a common soldier, but he is a good, honorable man. He guarded our family wing when you marched on the Savoyards, and we spoke every single night."
She looked up at him, her eyes wide.
In the social hierarchy of 1526 AD, a noblewoman marrying a common foot soldier was an absolute scandal.
It was the kind of thing that ruined family ledgers and caused entire bloodlines to be mocked in the imperial courts.
She expected her warlord brother to explode into a fit of rage and have the Sergeant flogged for daring to look at her.
Konrad leaned back in his chair, crossing his arms over his chest.
A genuine relieved laugh suddenly escaped his lips. .
"Elise," Konrad chuckled, shaking his head. "You woke me up in the middle of the night because you want to marry a Sergeant?"
Elise blinked, taken aback by his reaction. "You... you are not angry?"
"Angry?" Konrad sighed. "Elise, look around you. Do you really think I give a single damn about traditional noble marriage rules?"
However, Elise still looked unsure.
"...I despise the high nobles. They are greedy, treacherous bastards who will smile at your face while they poison your wine.
A common soldier who bleeds for his daily coin? A man who stood outside your door with a halberd to keep you safe while I was gone? That is exactly the kind of man I can actually trust."
He leaned forward. "You can do whatever you want with your heart. But there is a condition."
"Anything, Konrad." she replied eagerly.
"I told you once that I needed a hand to rule the western border," Konrad reminded her. "I publicly named Marshal Eckhard as the Military Governor of Savoy."
Elise nodded slowly.
"But Eckhard cannot rule forever," Konrad explained. "In a few months, when the blood is washed away and the roads are secure... I am going to recall the Marshal to Swabia."
He pointed a finger directly at her.
"And I am going to send you to replace him."
Even so, Elise gasped, shocked by the scale of his ambition for her.
"Me? But... the local lords will refuse to bow to me."
"They will bow to the Swabian guns stationed on their walls," Konrad corrected her. "You are going to be the ruler of Savoy. You will manage the western trade route, and you will ensure that every single florin flows back into my forges."
He offered her a smirk. "You must be ready, Elise. If you want to marry this Sergeant Mathias, then he can go with you. He can be your personal captain of the guard. But before any of that happens, I have to see him first."
Elise’s smile was radiant. "You will meet him, Konrad. He is incredibly brave."
"He better be," Konrad grunted. "Now, get out of my study and go to sleep. Tomorrow is going to be an exhausting day."
"Thank you, brother," Elise whispered, stepping forward and giving him a quick hug before rushing out of the doors.
Though the interruption had ruined his focus on the steam engine blueprints, Konrad felt a rare, warm sense of satisfaction.
He turned his attention toward the narrow glass window of the study. The deep black of the night was slowly, beginning to give way to the freezing gray of the early morning.
It was dawn... the sun was rising on his wedding day.
Konrad stood up, his joints popping loudly.
He was covered in sweat, charcoal dust, and the lingering smell of burnt pine.
He needed to wash, and he needed a massive amount of food to survive the impending noble circus.
He walked out of the study and stepped into the corridor. A young Swabian maid was hurrying past, carrying a bundle of fresh linens for the guest wing.
"You!" Konrad barked.
The maid stopped and bowed her head. "Yes, Lord Konrad!"
"Go to the kitchens," Konrad commanded. "Tell the cooks I want breakfast in my chambers. I want roast pork, half a loaf of dark bread, and a pot of strong black coffee. If the Duke of Bavaria asks for food, tell him to wait."
"At once, My Lord!" the maid squeaked.
Konrad turned and began walking down the corridor toward his private bedchamber to strip off his filthy clothes.
He turned the corner near the upper gallery.
He stopped dead in his tracks.
Standing at the far end of the corridor, illuminated by the early morning light filtering through the high stone arches, was Lady Katarina.
Katarina slowly looked up. "Konrad... Bishop Thomas sneaked out of the postern gate with a Bavarian knight."
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