Livyat slept very well last night.
So well, in fact, that she didn’t linger in bed today, getting up all at once.
When she arrived at the dining room, she found Tess already sitting there, eating breakfast.
There was a piece of fried fish, buttered mashed potatoes, onion soup, and sliced bread.
“Good morning, Tess.”
“Good morning, Livyat.”
Livyat sat down and began her meal as well.
She tore the bread into several pieces and dropped them into the onion soup, then patiently divided the fried fish into a few small pieces.
She fished out a piece of bread with her fork, spread the buttered mashed potatoes onto it with her knife, and then pressed a piece of fried fish firmly onto the potatoes.
Only then did she take a bite.
Tess had long since grown accustomed to Livyat’s almost childlike way of playing with her food; she simply found it cute.
She wondered how young she had been when she used to eat like that.
Her mother was already the Queen then, but she had always been willing to play those eating games with her.
Now, it was her turn to accompany Livyat.
Livyat waited until she finished breakfast before unhurriedly questioning Tess.
“Tell me, what do you think might happen to Mrs. Bauer?”
Tess didn’t think it was much of a question.
“Her? The Governor and Domenico surely want her executed. What else?”
Livyat shook her head gently.
“If they execute her, how will the other nobles accept it? How many high-ranking nobles live in the hilltop villa complex? They are all prominent families recognized in Landinset’s Golden Book. Sister Julia’s Ragusa family is among them, too.”
Tess pondered for a moment before seriously answering Livyat’s question.
“True. In Elyserion, the capital of the elven nation of Elindria, the actual number of residents is quite small if you don’t count the bureaucracy. Powerful families don’t live in the capital; they live in their own fiefs — well, ‘fief’ is more of a human term. Since the land is vast and the population sparse, elves don’t even have a rigorous concept of land rights.”
Livyat had indeed read about this in books.
Elves had no strict land rights, only natural divisions based on mountains, rivers, and valleys.
It was understood that one should not intrude on another family’s territory, and matters were usually settled through discussion.
In contrast, the Kingdom of Camelot divided land rights into royal ownership, freeholds, mineral rights, rights of way, easements, and so on — the list was endless.
“So, using a small squad of soldiers to kill a high-ranking noble in the middle of the street is simply unimaginable. This is a spectacle that could only happen in Landinset. However, speaking of which, Domenico will certainly hesitate to act for fear of unintended consequences.”
Livyat looked out the door, then turned back to Tess.
“Tess, do you think Sister Julia is better, or is Domenico better?”
Better?
Better in what way?
Better at what?
Tess didn’t react for a long time.
But when she caught another glimpse of Livyat’s shimmering silver eyes, she suddenly realized what was being asked.
‘Hey, I’m not an idiot!’
“Domenico is absolutely a first-rate political animal. He has undoubtedly won; no one can restrain him except the Governor himself. He is also a staunch supporter of the Elven Faction. I can’t think of a reason to replace him with a woman like Julia.”
‘Tess’s personal grudge is a bit heavy,’ Livyat thought to herself.
She continued aloud.
“That may be true. But if the Kingdom of Frostweave’s next punch comes, who will it land on? It can’t be the Governor, can it?”
Indeed, how could King Wladyslaw sit idly by while his closest backroom diplomacy mistress was struck down so mysteriously?
The moment he received the secret report, he would likely begin his counterattack.
Who would he strike back at?
It wasn’t hard to guess.
So many stains on Domenico’s character had been exposed that it was hard to say who was darker between him and Mrs. Bauer.
In that case, pushing Julia to replace her father wouldn’t be a palace coup, but a necessary backup plan.
Tess also understood this logic in an instant.
She hadn’t expected Livyat to improve so quickly.
Not long ago, she had been a young girl who was prone to sadness and grief.
“But can Julia handle such a heavy responsibility? I heard that Domenico still has a few allies in the Ten-Man Committee and the Council. Could they replace him?”
Livyat shook her head with absolute resolve.
“No. I don’t trust the people Domenico trusts. I only trust Sister Julia.”
Tess was momentarily speechless.
She wanted to say something but couldn’t find the words, her eyes widening as she looked at Livyat.
However, she had to admit Livyat had a point: Domenico’s people were not their people, but Julia definitely was.
Furthermore, with Domenico’s selfishness, would he really be willing to hand all his resources over to outsiders?
“But Julia really is too young. She’s not even 30 years old. There’s no way she could enter the Ten-Man Committee, and even becoming a Council member is a stretch. When Prince Jagiellon gave his speech last time, you saw it yourself — everyone sitting near us was an old gentleman or lady. There’s no room for young masters and ladies.”
Livyat asked in return, “What if she achieves a great feat? For example, uncovering Bauer’s conspiracy?”
Tess shook her head.
“I don’t think Domenico would give that credit to his daughter. Because it’s not really a credit at all. Making Julia a thorn in the side of the Northern Faction and parts of the Navy is not something a father would do.”
Livyat sighed.
She had things she wanted to say but couldn’t quite voice them.
That was, if Domenico knew he might collapse if he were even slightly careless, would he decide to continue taking risks and forcibly pad his daughter’s credentials?
But she couldn’t say that, because she didn’t know if it would hurt Tess.
Tess always had no interest in these matters; perhaps it was because her mother was protecting her.
Or…?
Regardless, for now, she could protect Tess, and Tess could protect her.
That was enough.
In the end, Livyat could only manage two concluding sentences.
“In any case, Domenico’s situation will be very dangerous moving forward. It’ll be lucky if he can manage a soft landing. Sister Julia is the foothold we trust most right now; we must help her.”
“Also, I know one more thing that Elena told me. Antonroni — my former teacher from when I was Lorraine and the current Vice Chief of the Trade Department — seems to be highly respected in certain circles for his ideas. These people even include military officers and civil servants. If Julia needs external power, contacting them would be a good choice.”
Tess chimed in with her usual sharp tongue.
“Hmph. It would be a miracle if she could look down from her high horse at those commoners. Their surnames aren’t in the Golden Book.”
‘Yes, Sister Julia really needs to change in that regard.’
Livyat calculated slowly in her mind.
She had originally intended to contact Elena to “re-introduce” herself to Antonroni and slowly fight Bauer through the new elites.
But plans couldn’t keep up with changes; Bauer’s attempt to impeach the Governor in the Council had led to a swift and precise purge.
It didn’t matter, though, because Livyat was surprised to find just how much energy had been generated by Antonroni’s few pamphlets.
It was enough to ensure that Landinset no longer consisted of only the Elven Faction and the Northern Faction.
This giant ship had never been limited to just those few players.