Chapter 6: Bethored
Mikail POV
What the hell...
Rome? Literally Rome? Hold on, a pilgrimage? Damn!
I was somewhat paralyzed by the announcement. Why are we being sent to another place? Evellyn seemed even more confused than me; her expression was almost funny. Heinrich cleared his throat to announce that he was going to speak.
"But before that, of course, we will have the rest of the week for rest, in addition to celebrating the fifth day in Mikail's name." He bent down to speak at Eve's eye level. "We thought of perhaps combining Eve's celebration at the same time, as the fifth day of her name will come only when you are already away from your family."
Maybe she didn't fully understand everything that was told to her, a birthday celebration? I think a child would be excited, or maybe she would think she couldn't be the main character. It's really hard to predict people's reactions, but...
"I don't want to!" She started crying, protesting about going to Rome.
I think she was already more than tired of traveling. In the next three days, I frequently saw her parents trying to convince her that it would be good for her. Her first protest in the meeting room was quite silent; she only stopped when she looked at me. All her other protests were a sequence of screams that almost immediately stopped when she noticed my presence; she would get embarrassed and just run away from my sight.
I think it would be too much to handle for much longer.
"Hey!"
I approached her at the end of one of her 'feminine activities,' probably learning to dance or gossiping. She gave a little scream of surprise and turned quickly to see who it was.
"Ah, good afternoon, Prince Mikail."
"Hm? Oh, good afternoon." For one or two seconds, I didn't say anything. I think all my attitude went away. I had been planning what to say, but thinking about it, what the hell could convince a four-year-old to stop throwing a tantrum? Maybe this is one of those times when I could stop acting like a child and talk like an adult? "Until when are you going to keep throwing a tantrum? Crying won't change what the adults have already decided, so swallow it up."
Damn, was I too harsh? Thank God I didn't curse! As soon as she heard those words, she made a strange sound, almost as if she choked for a second, and looked at me paralyzed.
"A-ah... S-sorry." She tried to look away after apologizing. Yeah, I chose my words very poorly.
"N-no, I should apologize, I was harsh with the words, let me start over!" At this point, it's already a mess. "Sorry for what I said, please. It's just that, well... I heard you crying, saying you didn't want to go, and it doesn't seem like your father will change his mind. I'm sure our parents have very good reasons for sending us away." What the hell would a child think of a father who sent her away? Maybe she would think 'oh no, my dad doesn't love me anymore' or something like that.
"A-ah... Maybe you're right..." At least, she agreed, but I'm not sure if I somehow affected her negatively. "I just tried to avoid the unknown for a whi... A-actually, I just tried to spend more time with my daddy, whom I love so much."
What the hell...
This girl seems shameless! I expected this cheeky child trait to be a modern thing, but even in this era, kids are pests! She knew very well that she couldn't change the travel issue; she was throwing a tantrum just to annoy! Now I'm angry.
"I understand how you feel, but by doing this, you'll only end up occupying the adults with small matters. Giving them too much trouble will only overwhelm them, and who knows if that can lead to accidents and disasters?" I have to be even more shameless. I adopted a policy on my first day of life: give my dear parents as little trouble as possible. If she's the exact opposite, then I'll educate this spoiled brat once and for all!
"It's true... Sorry..." She looks sad... That was unbelievably quick. Maybe she's pretending? No, I think she's truly sorry. Well, a great success for me then...
"W-well, if you really regret it, there's nothing more I can say, thank you for understanding, Lady Evellyn." I was almost out before mentioning. "Oh, I hope celebrating your birthday alongside mine for convenience isn't something bad for you; I'll make sure all the attention goes to you, I don't mind." I smiled and walked away from there.
Evellyn POV
Birthday? People in this world usually refer to this day as the 'Day of your Name.'
I won't think too much about it; he's right. It's not right for me to throw a tantrum about something that won't change, and what harm could it do? This annoying boy, why is he so mature? Kids these days should be playing marbles and not maturing! Or does he just not understand how BORING A WEEKS TO MONTHS TRIP WITHOUT ANY INTERNET ACCESS IS!
I kicked impulsively in anger and ended up hurting my thumb.
The last few days have been a rotation of servants around the castle redecorating and accommodating various people. Considering that people were already prepared for Mikail's birthday, I presume I won't receive any gifts... Well, that's not very important, considering I'm a child; I can't even make any network connections; that will be the job of the adults. What the hell am I going to do besides... Wait, what the hell am I talking about? A children's party is the best kind of party! There are sweets, snacks, and sodas... Or at least the derivative of that for the time... BUT IT CONTINUES TO BE THE BEST KIND OF PARTY!
The gifts piled up, and so did the children. Many lords came with their sons and daughters. The fifth year of life was indeed very important; dying from natural causes was no longer as common, the danger has passed, so years of life could be celebrated. I don't need half of my IQ to put two and two together; many deals will be made at this party, we will be showcased, and surely there will be more arranged marriages. Although I'm sure mine has already been arranged, maybe the other nobles aren't so sure and want to try their luck.
Maybe there's something better out there than Mikail...
But now thinking about it, what he said was true. In the end, it may seem trivial to send us on a pilgrimage. Maybe they just wanted us to be closer to the faith of this world, but it could be much more than that; we won't be there for a week or two like on a vacation. Maybe they want to keep us away for our safety? Damn, it took me a while to notice that. Did that boy noticed? Or maybe he's just a good boy after all. I'll believe in the second option; it makes him look cuter, despite the words he used... I'M GOING TO HIT HIM!
Finally, the day arrived. They organized a kind of tournament in the morning in an empty field outside the city, I bet it was to make Mikail to like violence. There were jousts and hand-to-hand combat; my father and Lord Henrich even had a match. In the afternoon, the birthday party went on quite normally: gossip, sweets, games, meat, songs, pies, and sweets once again. Even though it was Mikail's birthday, and the children tried to call him to play, he almost refused all of them. Sometimes he even disappeared. He seemed to have a pattern: if three or more people gathered around him, he would give an excuse and disappear for the next twenty to thirty minutes.
He's cute when he's embarrassed.
For some reason, he would return a bit sweaty or with different clothes.
Finally, a toast was made. The sound of cutlery hitting a glass echoed through the hall while one of the knights who accompanied us on our journey knelt beside me and asked me to accompany him. He left me at the table, sitting next to my father, but the whole way there seemed tense; we were sneaked there, as if avoiding being found. That's when I realize... There are many men hidden in this party. Many are hiding their weapons behind their cloaks.
"As you all know, we postponed Mikail's Fifth Name Day due to the Bradley's visit. And today, we celebrate Evellyn's Fifth Name Day in advance, the daughter of Lord Klaus von Bradley. I apologize to all who could not prepare in advance for Miss's gifts."
Heinrich POV
Until now, the older ones seemed at least suspicious. To my right, along the hall, there were two women I knew very well, Sabine and Heike Hohenzollern. The information will really fly from here; if it hasn't reached the Emperor's ears already. No noble seemed confident enough to make any political move, which is unusual but nothing more than expected. We're making it clear to everyone that there is an agreement between the Sigmaringen and the Bradlley, we couldn't have made it more obvious. But now it all begins! Will we have allies, or will everyone here be our enemies? Presenting yourself with any level of friendship now is risky, so I understand anyone who wants to remain neutral, but I won't trust them either; I'll treat them as enemies and won't accept any behind-the-scenes deals. That's the kind of man I am!
It remains to be seen whether they'll be shameless enough to stay here or turn their backs even at this celebration. We will truly be ostracized.
Evellyn safely reached the table, and there are several of our men scattered throughout the banquet, especially in front of our table; there's not a man who is not our soldier. Great, one less risk.
Then Mikail sat next to his mother. Very well! I can continue.
Mikail POV
I think the party can finally end, but why do I feel so much tension? The atmosphere was always light inside the banquet hall, another thing was... I was being followed. Every time I left the great hall, I was followed by at least three people. If they were assassins, they would have taken the opportunity; I felt like an idiot for leaving the hall on a whim. In my last escape, a man appeared.
"Young master, it's dangerous for you to leave this time; I ask that you return to the presence of your father!" A man gave me a scare by appearing behind me; he was in very suspicious clothing, covering his entire face and body, and had a sword inside his robe, but he seemed to be one of my father's men. That would be the perfect opportunity to kill me if it were the other way around. I went back to the hall and was guided to the table where my father, my mother, and the Bradley family were.
"Perhaps the lords were eager to present their sons and daughters for the occasion, but I feel that the lords will no longer have this chance because both Mikail von Sigmaringen and Evellyn von Bradley are now promised to each other, and in the future, they will unite our families."
Promised? Wait, the whole purpose of this visit was a marriage?
I tried to observe people's reactions; marriages were significant political moves in the medieval era. Now I understand! How did I not think of this before? Evellyn doesn't seem shocked at all; maybe she already knew in advance. As for the nobles in front of me, it was hard to tell. But I feel like I saw half a dozen individuals leave the hall.
Heinrich's expression became dark.
"You gentlemen know very well what this means. I feel like I fought alongside more than half the men present in this hall. And those who didn't fight alongside me before, did see earlier that day what I am capable of. The same can be said for Lord Klaus; in hundreds of years, there hasn't been a single man who could truly advance into the wild lands. With our families uniting, we will be Hohenzollern once again, and they will not take it lightly. I will accept any decision you gentlemen make from this moment forward."
Is he really announcing a rebellion? So, uniting our families alone is already an act of war.
Silence reigned in the hall for a while, but not long enough for me to think about where I got lost. As expected of politicians. Dozens more people left, while others... stayed.
I saw my father nod, and Klaus spoke.
"Perhaps the lords present see this move as an outrage, and yet, do not want to be our enemies. But I warn you in advance, those who remain neutral will also be our enemies!"
This statement was not intelligent at all. What are they plotting?
Heinrich POV
I know each of the faces that remained. In addition to my own vassals, Nicolo, the Duke of Sicily, and Ragnar, the Protector of Denmark. There are few, but it's enough.
"Thank you for staying."
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