Warhammer Divine Throne

"My guess is that this is actually Hex’s idea." Surya shook her head, then said with keen interest, "Most likely Hex doesn’t find it convenient to speak up directly, so he had Armand do it for him. Armand is a Holy Grail Knight after all, and both he and Hex are locals of Brittania."

Hearing this, Laine frowned. He knew that after a whole series of developments, factions had begun to form under his banner. Olivier and Lops were outsider Knights, so naturally they got along better with each other, while Hex and Armand were native Brittanians, and of course their lifestyle and worldview were closer.

And the newly promoted Kingdom Knight from Winford, Lucian, had certainly joined this faction as well, and this faction, without a doubt, was Surya’s hardcore base—devoted supporters of "long live the Lady."

Sure enough, handing Internal Affairs over to Surya usually led to this kind of result. A Lady Knight would certainly be more inclined to promote and look after "her own people."

Still, there was nothing wrong with that. As the saying goes, beyond the court there is no court, the mind of an emperor; within the court there are no factions, all sorts of strange things. Wherever there are people, there are politics and the martial world. As Laine’s power grew, it was inevitable that factional struggles would appear under his command. As long as they were properly guided, factional conflict was not only not a bad thing, it could actually be a good thing.

"I think Armand’s proposal is better. I believe our dear White Wolf Prince-Elector, Boris Todbringer, will definitely be willing to buy this grain—the more the better." Laine quickly made up his mind, then continued, "We should donate a bit to the Church, but as for distributing it to the Peasants, forget it. We must never encourage getting something for nothing. Those who work hard and earn more get to eat meat; those who don’t work properly go hungry and eat black bread. Only that way can we spur the Peasants’ enthusiasm."

The Count had never been very keen on donations, especially direct handouts. He had always believed in "help in emergencies, not in poverty." It wasn’t that he was unwilling to offer what help he could, but he felt that people are inherently lazy. The necessary relief, several Churches would provide; by no means should they give the Peasants the illusion that they can eat their fill without lifting a finger.

"Then let’s do it that way." Surya nodded, and the proposal was passed just like that.

Then came the next matter. Surya asked curiously, "How did you end up poaching Duke Margaret’s legitimate younger son?"

"Juan? He came to me of his own accord, asking to follow me. He’s not the first in line to inherit, which is perfectly normal. Besides, Duke Margaret, Rubio, has promised that before he dies or before Juan formally gains a title, he will pay all the upkeep costs." Laine nodded with a smile. "Since there’s such a good deal, why wouldn’t I agree? The boy’s raw material that can be shaped."

"I see." Great Nobles would send their legitimate sons who were not first in line to inherit to the households of other distinguished nobles to be trained, letting them figure out on their own how to obtain a title. This was customary among human nobility throughout the Old World. Laine was a human hero, so Surya found nothing strange about it. However, the Lady Knight did take this matter to heart. She thought she should give this young man a good impression while Juan had yet to find his footing.

As Laine’s wife, Surya could feel tremendous pressure; there were some things she had to guard against before they happened.

"Oh, right, Laine, you should head to the Lady’s Tower later." Just then, Surya remembered something and added, "Her Highness Mogiana asked me to tell you that once you returned, you should go see her. She has some matters to discuss with you."

"Let’s go together." Laine acknowledged. "How about we go up to the Lady’s Tower and have dinner together with Her Highness Mogiana?"

"Well... all right."