Sitting in a lavish banquet hall where the Nobles of the younger generation were holding their own banquet feast, a man's sudden laughter burst throughout the hall...
"Bwahahaha! So you're telling me, that that wench, Vivian, convinced stupid fattie to sell Grain for cheap, THEN use all of the meager Gold they got to give useless peasants FREE housing?! Puwhaha, are you for real?! I really worried for nothing, didn't I?!" Darius accidentally spat out some wine as he heard of Duke's actions from Deacon who was also drinking wine with a smug look on his face...
Darius' worries lightened a little bit as he heard that Duke had just managed to immediately squander off the small amount of money he had just made.
I mean [What use is there in providing peasants with houses?] Darius thought to himself, mocking Duke whilst criticizing Vivian for her stupidity.
[I overestimated that whore! The wall repairs was an 'ok' investment, but wasting all that money to give those lazy peasants another reason to become lazier?! What a fucking waste...] Darius thought once more. Apparently, cheap grain, aqueducts for irrigation, and housing projects for the poor seemed to be useless wastes to Darius.
"Hahaha! Indeed, what a waste! If that was me, I would've invested that money into Ships or Caravans, or maybe buy a mine or two! But instead, he squanders it off to peasants?! Foolishness I tell ya!" Deacon, thinking himself the smart guy of the group, began citing different ways Nobles normally 'Invested' their money... If you could even call that proper investing as the money they got from these so-called 'investments' were almost the same as what they paid for...
But who could blame him? The Nobles of Brune, or in any neighboring Empires really, still had a shallow understanding of economics, and to them, 'squandering' money off for the peasant's wellbeing was seen as no less than giving your favorite pet a good meal.
"Hmm, maybe he's just trying to paint himself in a new light? 'Someone' different from his past ignorant self maybe... Haha, sadly, some things never change..." A noble with a slick mustache who had more knowledge regarding medieval economics added whilst shaking his head.
"A fat idiot will always be a fat idiot! Showing off and making such large and extravagant projects when he can't even afford it! Ha, can't wait to see that fat embarrassed face once all that Grain and Money dries up!" Deacon bumblingly added.
Either for praise or to be seen as 'honorable' by the people, Welfare projects, or any project that benefits the people and not only your clan/family was generally seen as useless by the Nobles up top.
They normally only did such things for their own vanity. Most Nobles just love to feed their egotistical narcissism and can't help craving the crowd's hails and cheers for them. Calling them wise or charitable just for the few pieces of bread they hand out.
Nobles tended to see the common folk as simple-minded. And who could blame them? Compared to them, the uneducated common man was indeed much easier to fool and manipulate.
"If it was you, sir Darius, how would've you invested the money?" The mustached man asked.
"Who me? Of course, I would've invested it into you guys, or to the other Nobles Lords! It's no secret that a war is coming up, and just the Bizmachs aren't enough to suppress the Barbarians up North anymore... Whilst the East and West borders are under danger themselves. A few banners under my Army is a lot more useful than happy peasants lazily frolicking back home!" Darius declared in confidence. Making everyone in their little ball who was listening in on the conversation agree in unison.
"That is indeed a very wise decision, milord~" A Noblewoman mischievously agreed with Darius' words whilst twirling her fingers on his chest. Since only the youth were currently present, the women in Darius' party didn't need to act all prim and proper. Plus, many women even those of the Nobility like Darius' aggressive warlord-like behavior.
In truth, Darius' response was indeed quite smart in the financial sense, as War was indeed quite the lucrative business...
"Hohoho, you naughty little Noble lady you~... Arghh! If only I could see that Fatass' face when he finally runs out of money thanks to his incompetence! Maybe I should invite him again next time when he's bankrupt and borrows money again! Hahaha, not that he'd accept my invitation though..." Darius' good mood was soured by the thought of Duke's supposedly in their eyes 'short-lived' glory.
"Darius! My friend, we've known each other for a long time! Don't tell me you've grown soft? Why wait?! Why not just burn down everything he has?! Didn't we always used to do that?! Hahaha" Deacon thought he had a pretty smart plan. And of course, the Nobles next to them agreed with his 'clever' plan...
"Hahaha! Yes yes, how could I forget! Remember that time we burnt down his last pair of pants?! He had to go to class the next day wearing a skirt! AHAHAHA!" Darius gleefully remembered about the past.
"Kuahaha! How could I forget! Get this everyone, that night we even heard Duke as he kept crying how it was the last pair of pants his dumb Mom knit for him! Hahaha, what a loser!" Deacon shamelessly boasted about he bullied a helpless fat child at that time...
"Yeah, after we burn down Duke's grainhouses, we'll once again see his stupid face when everything disappears from his arms!" Darius began to mumble to Deacon in an annoyed tone. He didn't like how Duke could actually achieve something despite the many times he labeled Duke as useless.
Deacon and Darius kept telling tales of Duke's embarrassing moments as they arrogantly kept sharing about their plans to burn down Maine's warehouses, even ordering the Servant who would do the task himself into the ballroom for everyone to see and be excited about.
Darius and Deacon had nothing to fear as Noble society normally followed the rules of the Jungle, and unless the Emperor intervene himself or an Arch Duke, no one could really punish Darius especially for a small Count like Duke... And even if Bermont who was showing much favor towards Duke intervenes, Darius was still practically immune to consequences if he lies and says he was merely boasting that night and 'another' different Noble wanting to tarnish his 'good' name was the true perpetrator...
Darius was confident no one could touch him, and the youth he invited were pretty much in the same league as him.
Darius was immortal in his own small and enclosed world...
Or so he thought...
Whilst Darius and Deacon ignorantly bragged of their 'dominance' over Duke and their plans to set his Grain warehouses on fire, a certain Servant serving wine was already listening to their words and was already planning to send a report to his master, The Countess of Maine... Vivian.
This man was a new spy Vivian employed in her newly established Spy Network with their newly established wealth...
She named this new Spy Network:
"The Guilded Rose"
Another one of the reasons Duke had to eat only one piece of bread per meal...
*GRUMBLE~! GRUMBLE~!" For some reason, Duke's stomach protested even louder that evening...