121 – wedding (4)

The day after Irina and I spent our first night, Irina and I left the mansion to explore all over the city, escorted by a platoon led by Mark.

“Ciel, look at that… Wow… ”

At the place Irina pointed to, the actors from the troupe I had brought were putting on a play about Mark and Frost’s anecdotes.

“Lieutenant Frost… Soldiers are desperate. Why do we have to go to such a scary and trembling battlefield?”

“Calm down, Sergeant Mark! If we are defeated by the evil Schwein’s army… What will happen to your Excellency, who gave a bastard like me and serfs like you the gift of a human life? So fight. If the spear is broken, you must fight with the sword, and if the sword is broken, you must fight with your bare hands and teeth.”

“However, it is a small article… ”

Then the actor who played Frost said in a nervous voice.

“The knights of Schwein who lost their honor are no longer knights. They’re just bandits on horseback… don’t be afraid.”

Irina said that this scene was interesting, and she stopped walking and stood on the street while watching the performance.

“This is a performance based on the famous Battle of Strenheim, right? Awesome, Ciel… But did you really?”

I don’t think I was that afraid because of the already tremendous training and strict discipline… .

But, I can’t break Irina’s illusion here.

“I don’t know about Frost, but Mark is a serf. I can’t speak that elegantly.”

“I see… Then someday, I’ll have to listen to Mark and Frost about this war. It’s good to see it as a play, but it’ll be more lively to hear it from people who have been active here.”

And since we still have time, we can watch this play through to the end for Irina.

Every time Irina clenched her hands as she concentrated on the play, Mark said, ‘No, I didn’t do that…’ ’ I looked at him, and it was quite funny.

In addition to this performance, jousting contests for citizens, performances by theatrical companies and clowns are being held throughout the county of Creutel, including Nantes.

Also, in the streets of the city, a few months before the wedding, stalls created by the cooperation of the merchant guild and the food guild would have been opened without a needle.

Every morning and evening at church, as they celebrate my wedding mass, they will now be praying for Irina to have a baby soon.

In particular, the archbishop will pray harder for me to receive money in the name of baptism when I give birth to a child…

“Count Schwein is dead! The evil pig was minced meat by the bastards he despised… ”

“Surely God hates him too… ? It is said that he is a count who must pay for his sins with death, but he cannot trust those who have sworn to follow him and then break the oath. Kill them all, and I will congratulate them by conferring a knighthood on Frost and a seminoblemanship on Mark, who did not spare his life.”

With that said, the play ended.

“Mark, have a soldier deliver 10 gold coins to that troupe, and use the soldiers to spread rumors that I’m in love with Irina.”

“Yes, Your Excellency.”

Then I went back to the mansion after visiting the jousts and street vendors with Irina.

**

After returning to the mansion, Irina and I moved to the small meeting room to rest in preparation for the banquet to follow later in the night.

As soon as I entered Sohee’s room, Irina said to me with her eyes sparkling.

“The food sold at the street vendors I knew was, at most, rye bread with chewy sand, and lumps of dough lightly coated with honey… Here, steak on a cake topped with ice cream and lots of fruit at a street vendor… I’ve heard from my father several times that it’s richer than other estates, but I never thought they’d sell something so delicious at a stall.”

“Except for the ice cream, if you set your mind to it, citizens living in the center of the castle can eat it without much burden. But today is my wedding, so I’m selling at a low price. If you overdo it a little, now even the serfs can eat at least one as a memory.”

Hearing this, Irina looked at me in surprise and asked.

“In other territories, dishes that would be served at banquets of lower nobles… Spraying it all over Nantes Castle or Creutel would have cost a lot… You used 100,000 gold coins just for food, right?”

In fact, the money I actually used was only about 20,000 to 30,000 gold coins.

Because I receive all my taxes in grain and livestock, not in cash, I have a huge surplus of food every year.

About half to three quarters of this is sold through Hamburg or other provinces, and the surplus food is provided to soldiers as a special meal or increase…

The meat and grains used for this banquet were mostly surplus food, which was difficult to process, and in fact, money was spent only on labor costs, cornerstone, and sugar.

“No, because I didn’t write that much… ”

As we continued talking, a maid spoke outside the door.

“Your Excellency, Ella-sama has arrived.”

I told Ella that I would introduce her to Irina after this wedding, so she didn’t have to come to see me while she was pregnant?

“Open the door.”

When the door opened, Ella pulled a cart full of sweets in her usual maid uniform.

Seeing that she came even though I didn’t call her, she must have thought of approaching Irina with a low attitude and gaining favor.

In fact, when considering the political point of view, Ella’s choice is the most correct.

Especially in an aristocratic society where pregnancy means a lot, no matter how bad-tempered a woman is, if she goes and bows down with hard-made sweets in the sixth month of pregnancy… I will think like this

Oh, this woman won’t threaten my position if I don’t bully her.

There’s no way Ella could make such calculations, so her father must have told her.

Irina must have noticed her identity when the maid called Ella, who was wearing a maid outfit, as Ella-sama.

Also, if you saw a bulging belly when you were pregnant… You will think the same as me.

As if she had the same thought as me, Irina saw Ella pulling the cart of sweets, got up from her seat, and pulled the cart full of sweets herself, saying in a polite tone.

“I don’t have to do that, so please sit down. Is it hard?”

Then Irina sat Ella in the chair and looked at me and said in a slightly annoyed voice.

“I knew that he already had a girl named Ella as his concubine as the Sternheim play spread. So after the wedding, I thought I’d introduce myself… No way, even doing this to make sure you don’t fight with me… ”

To that, Ella replied in a slightly stunned voice.

“The Viscount told me that my wife likes sweets, so I baked cookies for her. Rather, my master told me not to overdo it and to rest since I am pregnant for over half a year.”

Irina and I were speechless for a while after hearing that.

“I brought it with the intention of wanting to continue living with Irina-sama from now on, so please enjoy it.”

There was no other meaning in Ella’s eyes when she said that.

This sincerity must have reached Irina as well, as she ate the sweets Ella brought and said with a smile.

“It’s very sweet and soft, probably because it uses a lot of milk and sugar. This is enough to serve in the palace where my father used to live.”

“I’m glad your wife likes it.”

“After giving birth and taking care of yourself, teach me how to bake cookies. Ella.”

“Yes, and feel free to call me. Wife.”

“Okay, Ella.”

Then, without me knowing, the two of them started talking among themselves about sweets and our estate.

“So, did all the duels with Schwein in the play about the Battle of Strnheim really happen?”

“When I saw it, no matter how dramatically the actors in the play performed… At that time, I don’t think I will be able to act as nicely as the master. When Schwein was about to touch my breasts, after thumping his hand… Your Excellency Count Schwein! I am no longer loyal to you! Having said this, I have exposed all the bad things I have done so far. Throw in another white glove… ”

“So, did Ciel fight violently with Schwein, just like in the play?”

“No, in reality, Master hit Schwein unilaterally.”

Watching the two of them made me happy, and at the same time I thought that if I used this situation, I could distract the Akitel guys who should attack next.

If, after we’ve caught our guard, those guys make up a pretext for declaring war on us and give it to us.

There is not a small chance that those stupid things will be caught.

And not long after, the butler came in and said,

“Your Excellency the Count, your wife, and Lady Ella. The banquet on the second day will begin soon.”

“Okay, I’ll just change my clothes and go.”

“Master, can Ella go in with her teeth?”

Then I said, deliberately pretending to be sick.

“town… I think I got sick from eating too much greasy food at the banquet yesterday. Butler, tell Count Vladimir that Ciel von Kreuttel is lying in the bedroom sick.”

“Yes, I understand… However, other people may be worried… ”

“That’s none of your business, butler.

“Yes, Your Excellency.”

**

That’s why I didn’t attend the banquet, and I lay in my bedroom wearing pajamas pretending to be sick.

As I lay down and pretended to be sick, thinking about the bait to move the Northern Alliance, I heard someone knocking on the door before I knew it.

There will be no one other than Count Vladimir who will come in at this hour.

“Come in, Count Vladimir.”

The Count came over to my bed and asked anxiously in an exaggerated voice.

“No, Your Excellency, you can’t believe you’re sick from the food you ate at the banquet… Are you feeling well?”

“Why does anyone who knows that I am not sick do that?”

“Was it also for calling me?”

“Absolutely. I will ask straight forward.”

Hearing that, the Count looked at me with a nervous expression.

“I’m about to take over the Duchy of Aquitaine. How can the Count help me?”