" So, they gave me part of their territory to calm down the nobles and me. How clever!"
The king rubbed his beard with slight glamor in his eyes. He didn't believe that Kent would give up this easily when there was a big pie next to his territory. Besides, he needed money to run his territory, so the obvious choice was the war.
"Expanding territory would violate the agreement with nobles. They will try to sheer off the bud before it blooms.
Furthermore, we don't know they are allies even if they gave something hefty."
The old prince who was the brother of the king didn't think in a positive light. The southern nobles were fractured in his eyes but giving up such an advantage to a new toddler would bring uncertainty to their plans. However, there were many benefits in the transaction.
Firstly, they could control the South with more iron rule while keeping a check on the North. Secondly, Western territories will be in constant odds with the South while they can push East to North lords. Therefore, they would chase out any unwanted thoughts from their minds as they keep blades at their throats.
" Let the dogs devour each other then. We just have to push them a little bit."
The king put the dagger on the table, looking at the crack with a hint of madness in his eyes.
Meanwhile in Wales
Grace clicked his tongue with annoyance while checking the records in his hand. For some reason, he didn't want to go through it but in the end, he decided to do so. Like he imagined the results were horrible.
Not only there were many problems regarding the soldiers, he didn't even know how to pay the tribute to the royal family thanks to their poor performance.
" Ha, it is a bit hassle."
His voice was filled with stress that gnawed at his mind every moment as he tried to calm down his mind. Yet the constant reminder of his father's action and his daughter's fate rang his heart to say that he had a lot on his plate.
" Lord, perhaps we should ask assistance from another territory or get a loan."
Grace at the butler's words, weighing the consequences of such actions. Merchants and nobles would surely try to drain his blood to the last bit, so he was a little reluctant until he received news of Magnus and Freyja.
His ears pricked up when he heard they were coming because he was impressed with Freyja's wits. He even thought she was probably one of the most intelligent women in the whole kingdom. Furthermore, he also heard about her husband who was able to deal with multiple veteran knights with one hand and people named him " Tyrant Bear ".
" When will they arrive here?"
He asked calmly while putting down the records, calculating what they were aiming for. Especially when they weren't allies or enemies, so that meant they were either here for trading or diplomatic issues.
" In a half day, my lord. We have received the news that Kent territory is preparing for some sort of a battle."
Grace didn't hesitate to pull down a leather map from his wall, circling the nearby areas with ink. He remarkably pinpointed the most ideal places for a battle, guessing what they were aiming for in this talk.
" All these lands have one thing in common. They are all grasslands or forests that need mounts. Furthermore, if we think about their recent rebellion, they must be in need of rations."
Wales was a mountainous region with a rich collection of fruits, vegetables, and wheat. Moreover, they also had one of the best breeds of livestock in the entire kingdom. Hence, selling these items would take off burden from his shoulders if he negotiated with them on good terms.
" How much do we need to prepare, my lord?"
The butler didn't ask for his permission since he already made it before his eyes and certainly, he was right for Grace raised 5 fingers.
" Give them 500 horses with 5000 rations. Moreover, we will ask for additional credits since they lack funding to cover it for now."
Grace was a knight and he was also a lord who managed the entire dukedom for years.