Chapter 45

“Ah, was my guess wrong?” the Princess mused, making a show of looking contrite. “I apologize for my inconsiderate words.” Amusement.

A blatant lie, of course. Arne forced down his irritation and desperately fished for a diplomatic reply.

“No harm done,” he graciously allowed. “Given my recent association with her, I can see how that unfortunate misconception came to be.”

Charlotte nodded sagely. “Indeed. The rumor mill is ever-hungry, and there are few targets as interesting as the private affairs of a highborn young lord. I will take greater care to verify such things from now on.”

“I would appreciate that,” Arne sighed, knowing full-well that she knew that he knew that she was playing with him. ‘Christ, please grant me the homely daughter of some minor noble and the strength to oppose Mother…’

“Still, I am afraid the… persistent rumors may negatively impact a small ruse I have come up with over the last few days,” she smiled innocently.

Arne humored her, not that he had much choice in the matter.

“Please, do elaborate.”

The waning remnants of her aura spiked with delight. “I believe both of us have something we desperately need right now, and I also believe there might be a mutually beneficial solution to that problem.”

Arne willed his expression into careful neutrality. ‘What do I desperately need right now?’

For starters, an army large enough to cow Altengau and Sonnenfeld into submission. Then multiple steamboats laden with gold to finance infrastructure in the rural regions. Alternatively, a way to go home without drawing the ire of his House.

Failing all that, a peaceful bath would do.

Princess Charlotte seemed ill-equipped to deliver any of that, so Arne figured it was time to stop the willful self-deception.

“Enlighten me,” he sighed, knowing exactly where this was going.

She smirked. “Oh, the crux of the matter is simple. I would like you to visit me here. At least once a week, preferably more often.”

‘And since she is fully aware of the reputation I’m garnering…’

“You want to make it look like I’m courting you.”

“Indeed. It is truly a no-loss scenario for us, isn’t it? We both stand to gain significant social capital,” the princess hummed.

‘How would she gain– Oh, I see.’

Charlotte was, in many ways, utterly isolated. On top of that, Hohenfels was not exactly a small player in the grand imperial game.

There were, however, several glaring issues with her ‘no-loss scenario’.

“I can think of various losses,” Arne said flatly.

“I would have been disappointed if you could not," she smiled, waving to her servant for a fresh mug. The girl approached, eyes flicking around in discomfort.

“Your Highness–”

“Don’t worry about it,” Charlotte said with conviction. “I’ll be fine.”

The servant clearly wasn’t persuaded, but complied. The princess took a sip, then failed to suppress a pained cough. Her aura flared to life anyway.

Arne gave her a few moments to collect herself, then spoke up. “First of all, your proposition comes with a significant opportunity cost for me.”

Charlotte pretended to consider that. “Please, enlighten me,” she half-quipped, half-mocked.

“Any young lady interested in an actual marriage would be thoroughly dissuaded by the prospect of competing with a Tannburg princess, for starters.”

“Every woman deterred by something that simple would be useless for you.”

“Still, I’d rather not every negotiation begin with House Tannburg looming over it.”

“It would not. Ambiguity is our goal here, there will be no formalities or public statements,” she stated.

“Let us assume it was that simple, which it is not,” he nodded, “that still leaves another major issue for me. Schwarzwald and Falkenstein are hardly on friendly terms. I would prefer not to alienate them over something so… inconsequential.”

This story is posted elsewhere by the author. Help them out by reading the authentic version.

He felt the first spike of genuine annoyance underneath Charlotte’s shell as she folded her hands in her lap.

“You are aware that many western Houses regard Hohenfels as a dependent of Falkenstein, yes?”

“Anyone taking that seriously is not worth taking seriously in return.”

She tilted her head ever-so-slightly. “While I do like confident men, there is something to be said about good things in excess. Sonnenfeld and Altengau will never support you without severe pressure from below.” Smugness.

To Arne’s great irritation, she had a point. He motioned for her to continue.

“Entering a tentative relationship with Schwarzwald will thoroughly upset that view of Hohenfels. You will be seen as an independent actor instead of Falkenstein’s attack dog, giving… retroactive context to your actions, Lord Arnold.”

She leaned in, lowering her voice to a conspiratorial tone. “If you are worried about your relationship with Falkenstein, feel free to tell Prince Matthias everything. Letting Lady Elenor gain some control over the rumors will prove beneficial in the long term.”

“Why are you so desperate?” Arne mused.

A pout that would certainly have fooled Friedrich formed on her gaunt face. “What kind of man would ask a lady such a thing?”

Arne could no longer get a read on her fading magic, but it was easy enough to figure out that she was stalling.

“An Eastern brute,” he inclined his head in a false apology. “Now dispense with the games if you would. My ilk is not suited to them.”

“Very well, Lord Brute,” she said, humor and playfulness gone from her voice. “The arrangement would allow me to postpone an… unfortunate decision made by House Tannburg regarding my future. Hopefully past the point where I remain a, ahem, valuable asset.”

“Who is the lucky groom?” he asked, mirroring her flat affect.

“Count Lothar von Sonnenstein-Wallern.”

Arne couldn’t suppress his wince. Count Lothar was a man well past his sixtieth summer, known for few virtues and many vices.

“Why him?” he asked, morbidly curious. Such age differences were not unheard of, but were usually considered in poor taste at best.

“Because I am a cheap price to pay for access to Wallern’s river port, and Count Lothar does not need any more heirs,” she replied sardonically.

“I see.” He had not expected a truthful answer, and he had not gotten one. Castle Tannburg itself had a major port on the river Ader, the vein of the western Empire. Wallern’s port was located on a subsidiary of said river, deep in Sonnenfeld territory. Her reply had been a thinly veiled request for him to stop prying into Tannburg concerns.

“I am sure it has not escaped your attention that this deal is a fair bit lopsided, Princess,” he began, causing her lips to turn even thinner than they already were. “As it stands, the benefits I would gain barely outweigh the risks, while your harvest is bountiful.”

“Well then, what would you have me do, Lord Arnold?”

Her reply told him that she knew what he was going to ask.

“First of all, I would like you to refer to me as ‘Prince’.” ‘That’s the third time I have made this demand,’ he noted idly.

“I can do that,” Charlotte agreed, “but be aware that this does not reflect House Tannburg’s official policy.”

“Of course. Secondly, I would like you to publicly and regularly associate with Lady Katharina.”

Charlotte’s faint eyebrows rose. “Your price is protection for Lady Katharina?”

“My price is retaliation against Ludwig.”

“Naturally,” she nodded, her voice a little too neutral. ‘I wish I could get a better read on her aura.’

“And third, I would like you to publicly associate with Princess Klara. No need for regularity here,” he added with a wince, “once or twice should suffice.”

For the first time, a look of genuine surprise crossed Charlotte’s face. “Now that is intriguing.”

“All I’m hoping for is to build a tiny bridge of understanding over a wide river of animosity,” he explained with a fake smile and without any intention of relaying his actual reasoning. She would figure it out by herself with a little digging into Eisengrund’s looming succession crisis.

“Have you considered extending the same goodwill to Altengau and Sonnenfeld?”

“No.”

“I see.”

She took a final sip of her concoction, bursting into a fit of coughs that left a bright red stain on her handkerchief before she whisked it away. ‘This deal might last shorter than I initially thought.’

“Be honest with me,” she sighed. “You just want to see both Klara and me suffer.”

The grin on Arne’s face spread before he could suppress it. “I cannot deny that a small part of me would rather enjoy that sight, yes.”

“You truly are a brute, Prince Arnold.”

He performed a mock bow. “At your service, Princess Charlotte.”

She sighed again, this time performatively. “Is this the extent of your terms?”

“For now.”

“For now,” she repeated, incredulous. “You are greedy, too. Very well, allow me to plainly state my own terms then.”

“Go ahead.”

“Regular visits. Once a week, as I stated before.”

“Once every two weeks. You may request one additional meeting per month.”

She shot him an aggravated look. “Fine. On top of that, I would like to be informed of any… drastic actions you take before they happen. Like, for example, storming Sonnenfeld Hall with armed men.”

“I cannot promise that in full,” Arne replied carefully. “I would, however, do my utmost to inform you as soon as I consider it appropriate and your ability to intervene contained.”

“You could have just said no.”

“Then, no,” he shrugged. “I do not answer to you. You do not answer to me.”

Her magic was fading even faster than before, though he could still make out a burst of satisfaction underneath her shell. The timing was unsettling, but he could hardly ask about it.

“Very well, Prince Arnold. We are in agreement, then?”

“We are.”