“Untouched by the most recent war as it was, Odonfield has been doing wonderfully, Duchess Agustria,” Laurent replied, sipping at his own cup of tea.
“I’ve no real understanding of the specifics of architecture myself, but I’m glad you find joy in the work of our scholars and students. And if you have designs of poaching them for the Grand Banks...well, I ask that you pay them well.”The duty of nobility was chiefly to delegate, after all. Though one could indulge in a particular skillset, between the politics and the administration and the sheer performance of it, one could never specialize. Perhaps some households prided themselves in raising exemplars as heirs, and perhaps other households made themselves the chief authority of whatever trade gave their territory fame, but in the end, there was simply no
time. He owned grand libraries, but Duke Rhinecliff would never read even a quarter of what he opened up to the universities.
He simply gave the next generation an opportunity to prove themselves better than the last.
He simply
invested.
And though it was merely a “coincidence” that everything fell into place here, it was always lovely to see returns come in. The Duke favoured Asteria with a grateful smile as she spoke of developments in Hathforth. The build-up of the military, and the construction of defensive fortresses around the city-state. Merchants from faraway lands had brought tales of rulers and despots who could not live without waging war, and the confiscation of the Seeds from the Glasic Fields seemed to indicate a particular desire. And that wasn’t even taking into consideration that the Wizard-Queen’s artifact was rumored to be capable of summoning an army of monsters to begin with.
But war against what?
It was worth dwelling upon.
Did she intend on taxing the ducal territories specifically so she could fund the military force necessary to overthrow the current wards and install her puppet-governors? Did she possess imperial ambitions, seeking to go further eastwards and claiming more for her seat of power? Or was this pre-emptive, the shoring up of defenses in case rebellion struck from the outside rather than the inside?
Regardless of
what it was, it was
unsustainable. All it would take would be for taxes from richer territories to dry up and she’d have an army of discontent, disloyal soldiers to contend with. He glanced towards Mirie. She’d understand that, no doubt.
“Well, it appears we’ve exchanged one dreary topic for another,” Laurent said.
“I certainly hope it hasn’t caused you to lose your appetite though; the venison’s from a doe I hunted personally, just this morning!”The duke made a bit of a show of slicing a cut for himself, the aroma of well-cooked meat intensifying as the blade cut cleanly through. Accompanied with a berry-based sauce, and it was rustic yet perfect bite.
“Still, Mene, was funding the Wizard-Queen’s war chest the reason that you sought my treasury? Or did you have other designs in mind?”