Chapter 376: The Office Makes the Man
"Master, I want to marry Viola!"
"Sorry, but Viola is off the table."
"Why? Viola’s unmarried, and she’s a noble."
Viola was never an option to begin with, since she had been forced to give birth in complete secrecy. The child’s existence must never become known to the world. I had promised Louis I would protect the child.
I chuckled at the sight of Bodo sulking up a storm.
He must really be smitten with Viola.
Bodo acted his actual age around us because he was comfortable enough to, as if we were family. If he was going to live as the heir to the Viscounty of Elsheimer, he would have to adapt to a completely different environment.
"He’s acting like that because he doesn’t get along with Lady Angela."
"Don’t tell me you went and teased Angela?"
"Huh? How did you know? Those two are at each other’s throats."
"...Bodo?"
What on earth did you do while I was gone? Bodo hemmed and hawed, his eyes darting around. That was his habit whenever he was scheming.
"The truth is, I’ve been attending to Lily."
"Lily? That’s what you call the crown princess?"
"Of course I got permission! You think I’d dare call her that without it?"
Now I understood. To keep Angela’s nagging in check, Lily had recruited a stand-in knight to draw all of Angela’s attention and ire. That stand-in was Bodo, so it was only natural that the two of them didn’t get along.
Not bad for the girl in white. She actually used her head.
Pairing Angela with Bodo would have been the best move. What was I supposed to do now?
"I’ll ask Angela and Count Euz what they think, and if it really won’t work, I’ll look for other candidates."
"Please! Anyone but Lady Angela!"
Hm? Bodo seemed terrified of Angela, but wouldn’t she be the perfect bride to rein in a kid who was liable to bolt off in any direction? If Angela accepted, this might turn out to be quite the show.
"What about Nora? We promised each other a future together."
"You know perfectly well you can’t marry a commoner."
"That’s true, but still..."
Back in Feuzen, Bodo had been remarkably popular with the girls his age. Not because he was handsome, but because being the lord’s retainer made him a tremendous catch.
The miller’s daughter had beaten out the competition and snagged Bodo, only to find herself abruptly cast aside. Softhearted as he was, Bodo clearly felt the weight of it. But there was nothing to be done.
"I’ll find Nora a good husband myself, so don’t worry."
"If you’re looking out for her, Master, Nora will be happy too. Hehe."
"Bodo. From now on, call me Baron, not Master."
Even in private, it would be a problem for the heir of Elsheimer to call me Master. Bodo and the other retainers grew flustered. It seemed the reality was finally starting to sink in.
Until now we had brushed it all off as a joke, but not anymore.
The mood grew heavy, and silence settled over the room.
"The rest of you will address Bodo with proper respect from now on as well. Bodo is a noble now, and commoners cannot address a noble however they please. It’s a shame, but this gathering marks the end of standing on equal footing with him."
"..."
Complicated expressions crossed every face. Bodo, who had once jokingly insisted that we would call him ’Lord Noble’ someday, could no longer joke about the reality now facing him. It wasn’t a joke anymore. He had actually become a noble.
"Even when I become Viscount Elsheimer, we’re still family, right?"
"Bodo, I still think of you as family. But from now on, you have to pour everything you have into your own house. What you need to look after now isn’t us, it’s Elsheimer. You must never forget that. That is your duty as the head of the family."
The duty of a family head. If Ariel married into Adelbert’s house, Bodo would naturally rise to become the head of Elsheimer. He would be sneered at as a bastard family head, but that wasn’t what mattered.
I could sense the hesitation and turmoil in Bodo’s eyes.
"...Can’t I just not be a noble?"
"You used to go on and on about wanting to become a noble, and now that it’s actually happening, you’re getting cold feet?"
"That’s part of it, but I hate having to draw a line between me and you and the others, Master!"
Tears welled up in Bodo’s eyes. We had grown deeply attached to him over the years, but the time to part ways had finally come. I had always intended to send Bodo to the Viscounty of Elsheimer.
Bodo’s home was no longer Feuzen. It was the Viscounty of Elsheimer now.
Warm and kindhearted as Ariel was, she would treat Bodo well. More than anything, marrying Adelbert was the opportunity of a lifetime for her. There is no greater happiness than ending up with the person you love.
At least for nobles, for whom arranged marriages are the norm.
I patted the sniffling boy on the shoulder.
"Whenever things get hard, you can lean on me as much as you need. Until the day you can stand on your own two feet, I’ll help you with no strings attached, so don’t worry too much. Don’t forget that I’m on your side."
"...Do you think I can do this?"
"It’ll be difficult at first, but the office makes the man. Your first task is to take firm control of Elsheimer. Winning over the retainers and tax collectors is what matters most."
A new battle awaited Bodo.
Beyond challenges from the branch families, people everywhere would try to test him.
In truth, adopting an heir from a branch family had also been an option, but with the main line weakened, that risked the branch swallowing the main house whole instead. Adelbert had understood the danger, which was why he had persuaded Ariel.
Bodo’s position was precarious as a result.
He’s a clever kid, so I hope he pulls through. Making good use of one’s backers is a strategy in its own right, so if Bodo wanted to borrow the influence of Streit, I would gladly allow it.
"It’s okay if I drop your name for a while, right, Master? I mean, Baron?"
"As much as you like. But don’t cross a line you can’t walk back. Do you understand what I mean?"
"Of course. I know my limits. So I’m really going to give it everything I’ve got!"
Bodo steeled his resolve anew.
He had seen and learned a great deal, so I believed he could do it. His bearing as a noble still left much to be desired, but that was a problem time would solve. I contacted the Viscounty of Elsheimer right away.
"I am Brenner, the newly appointed chamberlain. It is an honor to meet you."
He was younger than I had expected. I had heard that the previous chamberlain, consumed by guilt over the viscountess’s death, had taken his own life. Suicide was considered such a grave sin in Christianity that the church had even refused him a funeral.
His death was a tragedy, but for someone else, it was an opportunity.
"I have come to escort you, young master."
"Hehe, nice to meet you, Chamberlain!"
"..."
"Huh? Was that wrong?"
Brenner’s face stiffened the instant Bodo greeted him so cheerfully, and he let out a long sigh. Etiquette lessons would be important too, so the man would have his hands full for a while. It couldn’t be helped.
"I leave Bodo in your care. He still has much to learn, but he’s a clever boy, so I trust he’ll restore the house of Elsheimer to its former glory."
"I hope it will be as you say, Baron."
And so Bodo followed Brenner and left our side. Anton and the other retainers gave their heartfelt blessings to Bodo, who could barely bring himself to walk away. All we could do was hope he would do well.
"Let’s get ready to head back ourselves."
It seemed our business in Breisburg was just about finished.