Chapter 93

Episode 93: Watching a Touching Reunion

The feud between the House of Duke Rhein and the House of Duke Gelreschif had begun roughly ten years ago.

It all started with a territorial skirmish.

It was later revealed that the soldiers of both houses had been clashing behind the scenes, and a bitter blame game ensued between the lords, leading to an entrenched standoff.

In the end, no consensus was ever reached as to who was truly at fault. Since then, the two great houses had kept their distance, refusing to reconcile.

“Lord Fregel!”

“Mariana!”

But enough about that. Right now, I was watching a heartfelt reunion between two people very much in love, observing from a short distance away.

The woman clinging tightly to Fregel at the moment was none other than Mariana von Rhein—daughter of the Duke of Rhein.

She was the key to repairing the rift between the two families.

“The only person in the House of Rhein he still has a connection with, huh…”

She had once been Fregel’s fiancée.

And though circumstances had driven them apart, their feelings for one another had never faded.

It pained me to take advantage of that bond, but I didn’t have the luxury of sentimentality.

Our options were limited. If we could use this moment as a spark to bring them together, then she would just have to endure it—for the greater good.

“If we can win Lady Mariana to our side… then bringing the House of Rhein into the fold should be well within reach,”

“──!”

I’d been so deep in thought, I hadn’t even noticed her.

A woman stood beside me, smiling softly—someone I didn’t recognize.

“You must be Sir Aldia Greitz, the Imperial Knight in Her Majesty’s direct service… am I correct?”

“That’s right, I’m Aldia Greitz. And you are…?”

I was sure we’d never met before.

She wore an elegant, high-quality dress, and as she chuckled lightly, her eyes narrowed with amusement.

“A pleasure to make your acquaintance. I’m Elise von Noatz, eldest daughter of the House of Count Noatz. As of this month, I’m also the newly appointed head of the Officer Cadet Training Division under the Special Vanguard Force. A pleasure to be working with you.”

To my surprise, she was affiliated with the Special Vanguard Force.

Not only that—she was a high-ranking official overseeing a newly established division.

“My apologies, Lady Elise. I wasn’t aware. Please forgive the oversight.”

As I bowed, she laughed again and placed a gentle hand on my shoulder.

“Oh, don’t trouble yourself. You must be overwhelmed with duties as Her Majesty’s knight. Keeping track of every single officer in the Empire would be an impossible task.”

“I’m glad you’re so understanding.”

Since Lady Valtlurune had ascended the throne, the Special Vanguard Force had expanded rapidly.

Gone were the days when Her Majesty and I personally handpicked every soldier. The organization now had numerous subordinate branches and divisions.

General Litziareite still retained overall command, of course, but each branch now operated with greater autonomy.

The Officer Cadet Training Division was one such branch—its purpose being to train future officers, not just ordinary soldiers.

“And what was it you were trying to do, Lord Aldia?”

Lady Elise tilted her head, a knowing look in her eyes.

“You already know, don’t you?”

“Oh my, whatever could you mean?”

Yeah, she knew.

She’d already figured out that I was trying to broker peace between the two ducal houses. She probably knew more about their feud than I did.

After all, just across the courtyard, Lady Mariana and Fregel were still locked in their emotional embrace.

And waiting in one of the palace rooms nearby was none other than Eberhardt von Gelreschif, the current head of the House of Gelreschif.

“You mentioned her earlier, didn’t you—Lady Mariana…”

As soon as I brought her up again, Elise’s light smile vanished, replaced by a sharp, serious expression.

“…You’re right.”

“You’re a noble of the Empire and a key figure in the Special Vanguard. It’d be strange not to know what’s going on here.”

This whole matter directly affected the military infrastructure.

We needed troops and officers from both the Rhein and Gelreschif houses to maintain and strengthen the Special Vanguard Force.

“You’re right again. I’ve been briefed on the situation. Still… reconciling those two families won’t be easy. They’re both high-ranking nobles, and there are things neither side is willing to compromise on.”

She had a point. The original conflict had dragged on for so long because neither side ever admitted fault or made any attempt to yield.

But that was all ten years ago.

“It’s not as difficult as you think. They can come to terms.”

“And how can you be so sure?”

“I don’t know about the House of Rhein, but I do know the House of Gelreschif has already passed the torch to a new generation.”

Eberhardt von Gelreschif.

I’d only met him briefly while defending the Dirust region, but I didn’t get the sense that he was the kind to cling to old grudges.

“It’s time to put the past behind us. What we need now is unity—if the Empire is to move forward, we have to stop dragging old scars along.”

Both houses swore allegiance to Lady Valtlurune.

Both wished to see the Empire prosper.

—Clinging to the past will never bring about real change.

The new era has already begun.

An era shaped by Lady Valtlurune.

And I’m sure everyone in the Empire knows it, deep down.

That’s why I believe this reconciliation will succeed.

Well—believe is the wrong word. It’s my job to make sure it does.