At present, Count Caushilbo is in his office. He is reading the current situation between the Ryntum and the Noble Coalition that his butler has compiled for him. The relationship between both sides has deteriorated a lot.
"It looks like the kingdom is on the brink of civil war. Negotiation seems futile as neither side does not want to back down." He sighed and leaned back on his chair. This matter is exhausting for his old mind.
He turn the chair and stared outside the window. Gradually lost in his own thought. A busy port and an increase in tax revenue did not appear to be as appealing as he hope. The conversation he had with the king's messenger a few days ago still persists in his mind.
Right now, he is regarded as an enemy by the king. Needless to say, he naturally panicked when hearing it. The reason is that he didn't attend the meeting held by the king in the capital. The king took his absence as a sign of disobedience and bias toward the Ryntum.
'What a true king Nicholas I is. Dismissing others on the whim.'
Count Caushilbo was bewildered hearing the reason. He indeed receives an invitation. However, the letter mentions that his attendance is optional since he needs to guard against the neighbouring Eikadir.
The messenger gives him a sceptical look upon hearing Count's explanation. To his knowledge, the same invitation content is sent to all heads of noble families. Nonetheless, he asked the Count to justify his claim. To the Count's surprise, the letter is nowhere to be seen in the locked drawer.
Seeing this, the messenger thought Count Caushilbo only wanted to mess with him. The messenger left the county in anger. Before the messenger left, Count Caushilbo passed his letter to the messenger to give it to the king.
He explained the reason for his absence and hoped that Nicholas I will understand it. He certainly didn't want to go against the king and endangered the Caushilbo family. He received a piece of news from the scout saying that 5,000 men have been seen lingering around the border between Caushilbo and Vofors. He has to put his soldiers on high alert.
Now, he is waiting for a reply from Nicholas I that is supposed to arrive by today or tomorrow. While waiting, multiple questions came to his mind. Each one of them doesn't seem plausible to him.
'Did the king make a mistake or is it a plot by other nobles?'
He shook his head. That's not the most important question right now.
The question that is truly important is 'Where does the invitation letter go? I never took it out of the locked drawer'. The Count asked inwardly, 'Who did it?'
Although it is normal for nobles to spy on each other, it still leaves a bad taste in his mouth knowing that he is being spied upon. As he is still thinking of ways to lure them out, his office door was knocked.
He discard his thoughts and asked, "Who is it?"
"It's me, milord. Jackson Silver, the footman."
The Count raised his eyebrows after hearing the name. It is a name that he isn't familiar with. Despite having a lot of servants, the Count always remembers the servants that are close to him. He tried to recall the identity behind that name.
"Aah!!", He finally remembered him. His butler introduced Jackson to him some time ago.
"Come in"
Jackson opens the door and moves steadily toward the Count who is at his reddish-brown mahogany desk. He took out a letter and passed it to the Count.
"Milord, it is a letter from the capital". said Jackson.
"Why are you the one who sent it? Where is Basil?", the Count asked. By right, a mere footman isn't allowed to step foot in the lord's office. It should be his butler, Basil Belvadair to send him any letter.
"Butler Basil is the one who asked me to deliver this letter to you, milord"
The Count nodded. Basil probably has his own reason. After all, He is someone who abides by the rules more than any servants in this mansion.
The Count's face brightens up when checking the seal on the letter. It is a letter that he has been waiting for quite some time now.
Before he opened the letter, "You can leave now", he chased Jackson out of his office.
The letter from the king is confidential and cannot be carelessly shown to others. Jackson bowed his head to the Count before leaving the office. Turning around, Jackson's mouth forms a thin smile as he leaves. Something that the Count didn't see.
The Count opens the letter and reads it.
[Dear Count Claus of Caushilbo,
I have received your letter and deeply understand your explanation. However, I can confirm that all invitation letters sent using my name have the same content in it.
As such, I choose to not believe in your words until you prove to me the content as you claim it to be.
Nonetheless, I, a merciful king can see your eagerness to prove your innocence through your letter and I am content with it.
Hence, I am giving you another chance. A chance that I didn't give to anyone else. Think of this as my reward for your service in guarding our border against the Barlians in Eikadir territory.
I want you to break the engagement between your son, Carl Caushilbo and Reina Ryntum, the eldest daughter of the Ryntum family. I want you to send her to the capital.
I hope you make a wise decision.
Sincerely, Your king
Nicholas Napuna Bagyarosia]
Count Caushilbo took a deep breath after finishing reading the letter from Nicholas I. He fell into contemplation. The king gives him two ruthless choices, to hand over Reina, his future daughter-in-law or to stand by Ryntum's side and face a noble coalition.
He muttered, "Your Majesty, what did they do that make you so eager to annihilate their bloodline"
Reina's figure appears in Count's mind. He is satisfied with Reina's manners, education level and lineage. He can see that the Ryntum family has put so much effort into raising a very good young woman. If Ryntum's family wants to, they could easily engage her with one of the princes. Nobody can deny that. His son was truly lucky to be able to catch her attention. Reina has spent time with his family for months now. The wedding preparation has been going well so far. To break the engagement abruptly is the cruellest thing to do to any woman. Furthermore, there is no way his son could accept that as he was deeply in love with her.
Count Caushilbo closed his eyes for a moment before opening them back again. This time he had a resolved look on his face.
....
Late at night.
Jack lit up the candle in the room but the sudden change in the room's brightness awakened his roommate.
"What are you doing in the middle of the night, Jackson?", said his roommate while yawning.
Jackson replied, "Sorry, I just want to write a letter back to my grandparents."
His roommate nodded as a sign of understanding. It is not weird to write a letter at night. They are very busy during the day working around the mansion. The footmen like them particularly have to memorize a lot of things. They are expected to be well-versed in everything if they want to be promoted as a butler.
"You can go back to sleep. I will put out the light when I am done, it won't take too long."
His roommate turns away from the source of light, continuing his sleep. His hazy sight makes him miss a crucial point. The candle Jackson used as a source of light was a beeswax candle. A beeswax candle is a luxury that a mere footman definitely cannot afford.
Presently, Jackson has been using it carelessly as if the cost won't put a dent in his wallet. If someone sees it, without a doubt that he will be questioned for it.
Jackson continues writing a long letter that consists of several pages. It has been two months since he started working here. There are a lot of things he wants to write in his letter.
One hour later, Jackson wrote the final part of his letter.
[....In addition, I have found a perfect candidate to be your princess. Her conduct and education are top-notch among all the young noble ladies that I have observed. I can assure you that she never does anything weird with her fiance. My subordinate is watching her the entire time. Furthermore, I believe her existence can cause more instability in Bagyarosia and fill the empty seat as a Princess of Barlia at the same time.
That is all my report for now. I will send you more updates after some period of time.
Respectfully your servant,
Jack Cooper]