So the Medieval Age Has a Split Inheritance System…
Translator: Tsukii
Editor: Derpy
Read at Watashi wa Sugoi Desu!
Chapter 31 – Sealed Letter
As I opened the letter from Countess Jeremias and saw what was inside, the contents were something like, “Dear future Duke Deal, form an alliance with me, the future Duchess Poitiers.” I got goosebumps from reading the cold but stylish phrasing.
…But well, the request itself wasn’t too bad. I was quite curious about how the countess wrote things under the assumption I would seize Reuter county in this war against Count Joachim. Well, I would still seize it though. Since Joachim’s army received a devastating blow, it was almost certain that I could seize it.
Countess Jeremias was a 47-year-old woman this year, or rather, an old lady. I knew her face since there was a time she visited my father’s mansion, but was she really 44 years old back then? She looked so old that it was hard to believe she was actually 44 years old back then. I guess she suffered from early menopause. But then again, the ages in this world were mostly self-reported…
The split inheritance system prioritized men, so women rarely got a territory. But Countess Jeremias’ father passed away early, leaving Countess Jeremias as the only successor, so she inherited Enure county—where a mine was located, from her father. She then developed her standing army and grew to control three of six counties in Poitiers duchy, and recently took over Deal County within Deal duchy.
She had two children, a boy and a girl. Basically, the eldest son would succeed her 4 counties once she passed away; but Countess Jeremias seemed to want him to succeed the title of duke instead of count.
However, out of the 3 remaining counties of Poitiers, one was under the direct control of the emperor, while the other two were under the control of the fourth and sixth princes. What was with their situation? If she attacked the prince, His Majesty Paulus would likely participate, making her defeat almost certain if she challenged him alone. That said, if she tried to attack the emperor’s territory instead, she would be committing treason and imprisoned. If anything, it might mean she would declare a war for independence instead.
“What’s the letter about?”
“Hm? It’s a request from Countess Jeremias to form an alliance. The countess also wants to be a duchess, so it will benefit us both.”
“…The granddaughter of Countess Jeremias is well known for being an atheist. Was there mention of sealing the alliance with marriage?”
“It’s written that Carla Enure, the second daughter of Miranda Enure, will be appointed as Countess Deal and sent to become my concubine.”
“That’s… Wait a minute. If Countess Jeremias becomes a duchess, wouldn’t our enemy become–“
“The emperor. Well, I think we could win if we fought together with Countess Jeremias. The reign of His Majesty Paulus is about to reach its end… and with the first prince dead, there will be more people trying to make their move on the emperor.”
Linde asked about the letter; she had a vague expression when I told her about the engagement, but she had an expression of disgust when she heard it was the granddaughter of Countess Jeremias. Well, atheists in this era would basically be excommunicated by the pope, so that means all of the rapport I built with the church forces would be…
No, perhaps I could use this opportunity to raise my evaluation further by convincing an atheist to regain her faith? If I told them I would fervently convince her to become a follower of the Knut religion, perhaps my evaluation wouldn’t fall as much as I expect? To be frank, the engagement alliance was sent to me with Deal county as a set, so it was hard for me to find a reason to refuse since it was so advantageous for me.
Well, once I become Duke Deal, I need to help Countess Jeremias become Duchess Poitiers… but I wonder which was better, dealing with Wagner’s army or the prince’s army?
Even so, making her granddaughter Carla, Countess Deal and engaging her to me made it very hard to tie up loose ends later. On the other hand, Countess Jeremias had an easier time cutting off the deal, but I shouldn’t be bothered about it. It was true that I wanted to become the duke quickly, so there was no need to hide it.
Perhaps Countess Jeremias also intended to declare independence upon the change in emperors? That meant it was possible we might end up as neighboring nations in the future. If she brought up the proposal while expecting such a future, I need to reevaluate my impression of it.
And for Carla to be appointed as a countess meant that she needed to be at least 15 years or older—with the death of her parents being the only exception. I had no idea how old she was currently, but Countess Jeremias being 47 years old and having a granddaughter older than 15 was hard to believe. How old was her eldest son again, about 31? In that case, well… I guess a 47-year-old granny having a 15-year-old granddaughter is possible then.
“…What kind of person is Carla again?”
“She is a member of an aristocratic family but despite being an adult, she still does not have a fiancé, so it might be better to think of her like a landmine, you know?”
“Ah, I guess it would be normal to make such a person become the legal wife of a count or a duke after all… It is hard to imagine that she is a decent person since she’s an atheist in the first place.”
Not being engaged at 15 years old was very rare for an aristocrat. Even someone like me was already engaged to Linde-san when I was 10 and she was 8. Even then, this was considered pretty late. When Wagner was engaged to the sixth princess, he was 5 while the princess was 2. That was too hasty.
Well anyway, I have no choice but to meet and talk with her. Things won’t progress with just letters, so let’s meet in person and judge. I asked for an appointment to meet in person in my reply letter… and since Linde-san wanted to participate in the meeting for some reason, I also mentioned that Linde-san would also be coming. Despite how she looks, she could be considered the best escort due to her combat prowess.
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