POV David
"Your majesty, this is a necessary expenditure. Just look at what the army of the Lobau was able to achieve in its brief campaign." replied as I cast an annoyed glance at Duchess Juckner.
"Most esteemed majesty, the proposal by th Viscount would spark outrage amongst the nobles, it would only justify the rebels we just crushed, turning them into martyrs." the Duchess replied.
"We already established that it only happened because us nobles have too much control over our own regiments." replied.
"But was it not the regiments that you yourself now own that performed most of the work in putting down the rebellion Viscount?" The Duchess asked with a sweet smile. I bit back my reply…
"Perhaps, it was my regiments that made the most direct contributions to the stability our Queendom now enjoys, but every regiment was needed to crush the secessionists." I replied evenly.
"Enough." The Queen waved her hand.
"I shall deliberate on this further." She continued as the Duchess and I bowed before fading into the rows of petitioners.
"That proposal was most unwise of you Viscount, and not something one would expect from one benefiting from the regimental system." The Duchess remarked before walking to join her clique near the back of the room.
I looked around the room at the dozens of nobles and the dozen small factions around. There were two distinct factions, the royal faction and noble faction, yet even they had smaller factions waring for influence within them.
Duchess Juckner for example was a member of the noble faction, but of the more moderate Order of the Griffin. While I was considered by many to be a member of the royal faction, though my little subfaction was considered radical reformers by most. They often referred to them by my own name, The Fultonic faction… always gaining allies from the strangest places.
I sighed as I listened to a pair of nobles argue over a petty border dispute. Pointless! The servants were already whispering of Azeria preparing for war. Surely these nobles were aware of the danger, yet they did nothing. This frustrating reality forced me into pointless political bickering where picking a side was a necessity to hope of getting anything done.
"Master, Duchess Lovur would like to speak with you." Shyora whispered to me discreetly. I shook my head as I watched the Queen arbitrate between two nobles. I sighed when I noticed Viscountess Jackowitz boldly enter my little gaggle.
"Viscount, there seems to be something on your mind?" Rena asked. I suppose being bonded to the Crown Princess came with the advantage of easily associating with allies of the royal family.
"How is my fiance doing this fine evening?" She asked as she took my arm. Ah… there was that too.
"Just fine." I replied with a grin and nodded to the Queen.
"Some proposal of yours get rejected?" she asked with a teasing poke.
"Not every idea of yours makes sense to us, this isn't your world." She chuckled.
"Thanks for the reminder." I replied dryly. Like I wanted to be reminded that showers were not a thing… thank god for the prestidigitation spell… It was a damn lifesaver.
A young Baroness approached us and curtsied. "Viscountess Jackowitz, it's a pleasure to make your acquaintance. I am Baroness Karin Joris of the barony of Brae."
"It is a pleasure to make your acquaintance Baroness." Rena nodded as she acknowledged her greeting.
"Viscountess Jackowitz, could we perhaps discuss trade? In a more private setting of course?" The Baroness bowed her head. Rena gave me a look and accepted the Baroness's offer, they moved a discreet distance away.
I glanced at the Duchess, who was still discreetly trying to gain my attention. I shook my head. Any communication would only ruin whatever advantage turning her would bring me. Her face darkened somewhat but she stopped trying to speak with me.
I waited until the last petitioners had approached her majesty before I left. No petition of note had been put forth, of course a few villages and cities had sent representatives requesting a temporary reduction of taxes due to the rebellion that had ravaged their lands. But nothing truly worthwhile, it was almost a waste of time and effort…
Though I suppose it let everyone feel as if they had the chance to bring their concerns directly to the Queen and King, so in that regard I suppose it was a worthwhile endeavor. I used a much different system in my own territory, where the people directly petitioned their representatives they placed in power for change. They in turn could bring important issues to my notice and not every little dispute between farmer Joe and hunter Bob.
I groaned and I returned to my room and closed the door on my horde of ardent followers. There were several protests that were quickly silenced. I sighed as I sat at my desk and began composing a few letters. Nothing more than to have progress reports sent to my current address and to speed along a few project reports. I'm sure Isz has everything in hand, but I was growing worried by the delays to some of them. Perhaps I could entice my brother to… speed them along…