Herald of Steel

Alexander and Lady Parthia quickly knocked off two of the four options regarding how to deal with the Margraves and thus moved on the third option.

"Next, if you so want you could marry Lady Linda and take over the family from there."

Then, just as Alexander was about to ask how this was different from the second option, the Tibian queen quickly chimed,

"From what I have seen, she is different from her elder sister. I believe she will be more amenable to such a deal. Also, the Margraves family was willing to have her marry another lord. So why should they not accept you?"

"..." Hearing this explanation, Alexander also felt this might actually work- as the precedence was there.

It was just that….

"The young lady hates me. And I don't like her either. I don't think we will be a good match." Alexander gently shook his head as he rejected the option too, thinking even if he swallowed his dislike and took Miss Linda, this alliance would be too fragile to last.

"Mmm, it's also not good to backstab your allies. It ruins reputation." And Lady Parthia too supported the decisions, although her concern seemed to be more about the consequences than the results.

Hence they came to the last option,

"Then the only option is really the one that we discussed earlier- split the Margraves into three, divided among the Heeats with Lady Linda as the head, Lady Miranda and her loyalist forces, and… you."

Alexander also preferred this option the most, even having considered it before coming here.

The problem was…. selling it to the other side.

"I like this option too. Trouble is… how do I do this without flipping Lady Miranda off? It would have been one thing if Lord Parker was alive and his army only defeated. But now, with the marriage annulled and his entire army captured …. with such an overwhelming victory, how can I propose the Margraves family be split? Everyone will clearly see that I am plotting against my own ally."

Alexander, for the first time in his life, regretted winning his battle so decisively, as it meant the other side was too weak to negotiate.

And how was he going to fish for advantage, if there were no powerful clashes?

So he went onto continue,

"For all intents and purposes, we should kick the widowed Miss Linda to her husband's family and have them deal with her. While here, we let Lady Miranda take full control. Then we can also use the captured nobles and soldiers as hostages to work out a solution to the trade blockade from the federation."

As Alexander pointed this out, Lady Parthia produced a rather bitter looking face, pursing her lips with a sort of complicated feeling in her heart.

Indeed, from a purely moral standpoint, they should do this. As allies, it was only natural to lend a helping hand without any strings attached.

"Bah!"

But if you thought such a 'small' problem like morality was going to stop the blue blooded queen, well then the decades of experience in statecraft she had under her belt would have been totally wasted.

Clearing her heart with that small hump, her eyes turned sharp and angry,

"What has that got to do with anything? After all you have done, do you want to just give it all away? If you have such a bleeding heart, then the people are going to suck you dry. If you simply let Lady Miranda have everything, mark my words… she will start taking you for granted! What! Are you going to come wipe her ass every time she cries wolf?"

"..." Looking at the immaculate face sporting her sneering expression, Alexander could not exactly counter her rhetoric.

"Ahem… My lady, I believe Alexander did not say he was not willing to split the Margraves family." And seeing his unease, it was Lady Nanazin who finally came to her lover's rescue, chiming up from the seat next to her.

She had been quiet up until now because frankly, Lady Parthia was much more experienced than her when it came to politics. So there was nothing she could add…. until now, as she reminded the enraged queen,

"He was simply asking how to convince Lady Miranda without angering her. Our situation is too favorable to warrant such painful partitions."

"You are asking me how you are going to ask her for land? Simple! Tell her this is your remuneration for your services. Either she pays up or you put someone else on the throne!"

Lady Parthia's answer was as swift as it was imperious, carrying a hint of inviolable imperial decree.

"....." While Alexander's lips twitched visibly at the shameless extortion.

If it was the enemy Alexander would not have batted an eye, but towards an ally…

'You would have made a great Praetorian guard, my lady,' Alexander could not help but murmur inside, alluding to the time when the elite bodyguards of the Roman emperor killed their master and then sold the throne to the highest bidder…i.e.- the one who could give them the highest salary.

"Heh heh, you were not like this when I met you, my lady," Alexander thus could not help but first produce a hollow chuckle.

According to his memory, the former queen of Tibias was a soft spoken, smart woman who appeared almost aloof in the realm of politics, letting her eldest son deal with almost everything.

Her greatest trait back seemed to be her knowledge of when to retreat when to advance and how to make sacrifices for the greatest benefit of his family.

But clearly, Alexander had misjudged her.

While towards this comment, Lady Parthia simply sneered back,

"Heh, I was your prisoner back then. How was I supposed to act? Like this? You think I could have kept my head? You would do well to remember that people act differently in different circumstances, boy."

Alexander thus understood that this was Lady Parthia's way of opening herself up, that this strong headed, blue blooded, 'me before you' woman was the real Tibian queen.

"...."

Following this round of talks, there came a sudden long bout of silence, as all three digested all that had been said until now.

Alexander was particularly quiet, as he tried to think of the best way to break the news to Lady Miranda.

He certainly could not be as crude as Lady Parthia had suggested, feeling that his skin was too thin.

'Hmmmm, maybe I can use the excuse that the Margraves army has been decimated and can no longer protect the whole fief. So…ummm that's why it should be broken up?' He then thought of one way of attack, although the rhetoric sounded a bit weak even to him.

And then, Alexander quickly thought of another problem, as he turned to the Tibian queen to point out,

"Ummm… about me taking a third of the land… who do I choose to oversee these lands None of them speak the language here."

"And given the distance from here to Zanzan, this land needed to be governed by someone trustworthy, someone who will not flip sides just as my grips loosen a bit or just as an opportunity presents itself."

"Not only that, but he will also need to be clever enough to be able to navigate around the many political pitfalls dotting these troubled lands- the Margraves, the Heeats, the natives, and even the Straus family. This will be a challenging position to fill even for me."

As Alexander explained his predicament, he quickly found that he was having a very hard time coming up with anyone even remotely suitable.

"Heh! Will you trust me if I nominate myself?" Lady Parthia chuckled the reply with her sharp eyes turning slitted like a crescent, and lips curving up into a devilish grin.

"...." While hearing this Alexander's lips once again twitched as if he felt a thousand horses galloping across his heart.

This was too unthinkable.

'Was this her true plan all along? To try and form a safe haven for her family… away from my prying eyes?'

Given Lady Parthia's unique identity, Alexander instantly became very cautious of the lady, afraid that she was plotting the Tibian royal family's comeback.

'I should have nipped them in the bud!' Alexander even somewhat crazily swore to himself this, turning half paranoid even at the mere possibility of a betrayal.

"Hahaha, oh look at you! Turning so afraid! Hahaha," It was Lady Parthia's high pitched laughter that broke Alexander out of his self paranoid reverie, and then his heart turned a bit ashamed as he heard the Tiban queen sneer, "What! Did you want just to kill me? Hahaha, you are as easy to read as a book!"

"Of course not! I only...." Alexander quickly attempted to defend himself, but Lady Parthia simply cut him off with a swift brush of her hand, "Don't worry, I was only joking. There is no way I can stay so far away from my family," before continuing,

"I cannot help you nominate the person to be in charge here. But I think you are putting your expectations too high. There is no need for them to speak the language... translators work fine. As for the political situation... after so deaths, I think the situation will be cool for the foreseeable future."

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