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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: Wjin
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Could that be considered a misunderstanding?
To anyone, it seemed like they were about to kiss. Even if Yekaterina was inexperienced with men, she would know what that kind of atmosphere meant. A dimly lit night terrace. A sparkling nightscape. A woman in a dress, a glass of red wine in her hand.
“So, it was really a misunderstanding. I, I was about to tell you about our unit’s operation…”
“Hmm, if you insist, Lieutenant. I’ll believe you.”
“Thank you, Lady Yekaterina.”
“I was wondering why you were unfazed by the attention of all those young ladies, but it makes sense if you have a wife waiting for you.”
Enoch Levandal, feeling like the situation was beyond repair no matter what he did, put his hand to his forehead. Count Jacques Pedro, who had been observing this, burst into laughter.
“A hero like you would naturally attract any woman.”
In a reception room separate from the main banquet hall…
Yekaterina had come to the terrace because her father, Count Jacques Pedro, wanted a private conversation with Enoch Levandal as the banquet progressed.
“At last, we can meet at leisure.”
Count Jacques Pedro. Honorary lord of Bialystok and former Margrave. With his neatly combed platinum blonde hair, the same color as Yekaterina’s, he moved with vigor despite being over forty.
“I’m truly grateful for your kindness in not only granting me an audience but also preparing such a lavish banquet.”
“Hahaha, it’s good to see such dignity and bearing in a young, low-ranking officer. Were you of noble birth?”
“Unfortunately, I grew up in an ordinary commoner family.”
“Well… the nobility isn’t what it used to be. As long as you know proper etiquette, there’s no problem.”
Count Jacques Pedro said so. As Belle had said, he was obsessed with etiquette. Enoch Levandal found it fascinating, but he also became more tense. Since the Count was showing a favorable attitude, he had to be careful not to do anything that might give him cause for complaint.
As Enoch sat up straight, Count Pedro continued leisurely,
“But for a young officer like you to seek out a mere honorary lord of a remote region like myself…,” his eyes gleamed, “You’re asking me to be your patron, aren’t you?”
“…You’re remarkable.”
“I was also an officer in the Ukrainian army, you see. Our Pedro family has a long military tradition.”
He was not only familiar with the ways of the nobility but also with the ways of the military. The title of Count was no mere decoration. He had already seen through Enoch Levandal’s true intentions.
“I also heard that His Highness Duke Orlando personally commended you for your service. There’s no reason for us to refuse the patronage of such a promising officer.”
Count Pedro had seen through Enoch’s intentions and readily accepted his request before it was even voiced. Enoch Levandal was surprised but bowed his head and expressed his sincere gratitude.
“Thank you.”
“Of course, I also haven’t forgotten the price of my daughter’s life.”
If he had seen through Enoch’s intentions, he must have had this proposal in mind from the moment he planned this banquet. But nothing was ever free.
Since he mentioned the ‘price’ of his daughter’s life, he wouldn’t offer his support unconditionally. Then, what would Count Pedro’s condition be? Enoch listened attentively.
“Our Pedro family has been managing the frontier territory of Bialystok for generations. Since King Orlando I firmly established his position as Duke, all that remains for our family is honor.”
In short, access to the central government. Enoch could guess the Count’s intentions without hearing him out.
“Every noble in the Duchy knows that Lieutenant Colonel Sonya Zeppelin has a close relationship with His Highness the current Duke. But rather than Sonya Zeppelin, I’m looking for fresher potential.”
“You think I can be that potential.”
“Our family has no more hope. At this rate, the Pedro family will decline into just another honorary lord family of a remote region.”
The count looked at his daughter with a bitter expression. Yekaterina didn’t look comfortable either.
“This child put herself in danger to secure the support of the local people. It was an act for the revival of our family, as the rightful eldest daughter of the Pedro family.”
“Hmm…”
Enoch also didn’t think that Yekaterina had acted solely out of compassion. Since the local government had failed to suppress the Modor village bandits, she, as the eldest daughter of the honorary lord, had taken matters into her own hands to pressure the administrators.
It was a form of control. Yekaterina Pedro’s significance in Bialystok was greater than that of an ordinary noble lady.
But she had been captured by the bandits before even reaching the village, leading to this unfavorable outcome. Based on what he had heard, it hadn’t been many days since she was captured, so it was likely unclear whether she had even been kidnapped yet.
Since his daughter, who had set off on that journey, had suddenly been rescued and returned, the Count must have been quite surprised.
“Although it worked out well since the bandits were all eliminated, there was no benefit for our family from Yekaterina risking her life. It was a loss, rather.”
“I apologize, Father.”
“There’s no need to apologize. Do things ever go according to plan in life?”
Count Pedro tapped his finger on the desk and added, looking intently at Enoch,
“Instead, we now have the opportunity to support such a promising officer. Perhaps this connection is even more valuable than the support of ordinary citizens.”
“I promise you, Count. In five years, the Pedro family will regain their position in the central government.”
“…Oh? Not a shred of hesitation.”
“I’m that confident.”
Five years later, the Ukrainian Duchy would be engulfed in war. The Soviet Empire would push through Bialystok in the north and Chernivtsi (where Cherno City was located) in the northeast.
According to Enoch Levandal’s plan, the Bialystok Guard, based at Mchensk Fortress, would succeed in completely blocking the Soviet forces in the north. While preserving their strength, along with the reserves that launched a counterattack, they would become the spearhead of Ukraine.
‘If we succeed in defending, all the credit will go to the Pedro family, the honorary lords of Bialystok. The Duke won’t be able to ignore them.’
It was a natural assumption. One could only dispose of those who were no longer useful when there was leeway. The Ukrainian royal family, which would have depleted a tremendous amount of national power just by blocking the Soviet offensive, would definitely not be able to abandon the Pedro family.
“But there’s something I don’t quite understand. Even if you continue to be promoted, how far can you rise in five years?”
He was sharp. As a former soldier, he knew how the military worked. Enoch Levandal was a young and promising officer, but five years wasn’t a long time. It was a natural question. Then, what card should he play here?
Enoch Levandal quickly started thinking.
‘I had to reveal it someday. The story about the world war.’
The all-out invasion by the Soviet Empire wasn’t something Enoch Levandal could stop alone. From Sonya Zeppelin to Duke Orlando Luce III, it was a future tragedy that shouldn’t be known to many, but key figures had to know.
There was no need to keep such a plan completely hidden. Count Pedro and Enoch Levandal had become ‘business partners’ today.
‘I need to phrase this in a convincing way.’
Enoch Levandal glanced at the door, pretending to be cautious, and approached the matter with an even more serious and worried attitude than before.
“Count Jacques Pedro, forgive my impertinence, but… by accepting my trust, would you promise not to reveal this to anyone?”
“I gladly will. Tell me.”
“Lady Yekaterina Pedro, I ask the same of you.”
“I-I promise too. On my name.”
Enoch Levandal took a deep breath. And then, he made a shocking prophecy.
“Ukraine will be invaded by the Soviet Empire on a massive scale.”
The Pedro family’s eyes widened, as if at a completely unexpected answer.
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“Father… is what that officer said… true?”
Late at night, after the banquet had ended and the guests had returned to their residences. In Count Pedro’s bedroom, dimly lit by candles and moonlight… Yekaterina Pedro still looked bewildered.
“Aren’t we a nation that separated from the Soviet Empire? As far as I know, our relationship isn’t that bad…”
Ukraine currently had autonomous administrative rights, but just a few centuries ago, it had been a territory of the Soviet Empire.
To be precise, the beginning of the Ukrainian Duchy was when the ‘Russian Tsarist Empire,’ the predecessor of the Soviet Empire, collapsed, and the newly established Soviet Empire guaranteed its rights as an independent and vassal state.
So, there was no reason for their relationship with the Soviet Empire to be bad. Although the Empire occasionally interfered in their internal affairs, they hadn’t resorted to direct military force or aggressive pressure.
Unlike the skeptical Yekaterina, Count Jacques Pedro found the claim very plausible. He pondered how to explain it to his still naive daughter, then brought up a political theory from the West that had been actively discussed recently.
“Expansionism.”
“Expansionism…?”
“The international situation has changed drastically in recent years. Even the Free Democratic Republic of Pry and the United Kingdom of Bretton, who were once rivals, have formed an alliance.”
“I know that.”
Ideology.
The world had undergone tremendous civilizational development, experiencing advancements in both magic and technology. The authority of the nobility, once prevalent worldwide, had rapidly diminished.
Almost every nation had established a strong centralized system, with ordinary citizens holding significant weight in practical aspects of daily life – economically, militarily, and politically.
As a result, nations had formed special alliances for mutual benefit. The Imperial Alliance, led by the Soviet Empire and the Reinhardt Empire.
On the other side was the Liberal Union, led by the United Kingdom of Bretton and the Free Democratic Republic of Pry, divided into East and West with Ukraine as the dividing line.
Several countries, including Ukraine, which were caught in between, remained neutral, calling themselves a ‘political buffer zone.’
So far, a precarious balance had been maintained, but Jacques Pedro was certain that the time for the scales of peace to tip to one side was fast approaching.
“Peace brings prosperity. But resources are limited. Therefore, nations naturally pursue expansion. Isn’t that the same with territories?”
“Yes…”
“Yekaterina, think about why our ancestors occupied most of northern Ukraine. That was also a result of expansionism.”
Yekaterina finally understood what her father meant. The ancestors of the Pedro family had been conquering lords. Though they later pledged allegiance to the emperor of the Russian Tsarist Empire, it didn’t change the fact that they had expanded their territory by attacking and exploiting weaker territories.
In other words, the larger a nation became, the more it would covet the resources of its neighbors.
“If that’s true, then even our Ukraine should join an alliance now…”
“We can’t. We would no longer be able to exist as an equal ally.”
Joining late would only make them unwelcome guests. At best, they would be a satellite state with some autonomy. Otherwise, their national identity would be forcibly assimilated, and they would likely remain as part of the Soviet Empire, not the Ukrainian Duchy. Perhaps Ukraine had already crossed the point of no return.
“…An officer who foresees and prepares for the tragic future of the nation in a time of peace-induced complacency.”
The Count, who had initially approached Enoch out of gratitude and curiosity, was now seriously considering offering his daughter’s hand in marriage.
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