Chapter 228 - 10: Starting Today, Be a Lord
Chapter 228: Chapter 10: Starting Today, Be a Lord
The conversation with Count Sriphine was merely an interlude. Robson and Valentino soon arrived at the Royal Palace.
The Frankish Royal Palace was not as luxurious as Robson had imagined. It looked more like a sprawling complex of dozens of connected villas. And though everything was decorated in the classic style so beloved by the human aristocracy, it all looked remarkably new. There weren’t even many tall trees.
This was all understandable, as the entire Royal Capital had been breached by the Beastmen just thirty years ago.
The Beastmen, of course, lacked the time and ability to destroy the entire Royal Capital, but the King’s palace and the aristocratic manors of North City were indeed stripped bare.
One theory suggested that King Louis had originally partitioned North City among the nobles precisely because he had foreseen a time when the Royal Capital would be threatened, hoping this would compel them to fight to the death for their lands.
This theory was never officially acknowledged by the Frank Government, but North City had indeed served that very purpose during the last Beastman siege.
Attendants were already waiting at the main gate of the Royal Palace to take charge of Robson’s carriage.
Guided by a lady-in-waiting, Valentino, with her arm linked through Robson’s, arrived at a side hall of the central Crystal Palace. Many of the kingdom’s nobles had already gathered there.
"Hey, Robson! I didn’t expect to see you here!"
The voice sounded familiar to Robson. He looked toward the source and was surprised to see Viscount Luke.
At that moment, Viscount Luke was standing beside Marquis William, accompanied by another lavishly dressed nobleman.
"Luke! I can’t believe you’re here!" Robson laughed. He started to reach out for a hug, only to remember that his arm was linked with Valentino’s.
"Marquis William." Robson and Valentino bowed to the Marquis and his wife. This was precisely why Valentino had kept her arm linked with Robson’s.
’The Human World might be lacking in many things, but it certainly has no shortage of rules and etiquette.’
After paying his respects, Robson glanced curiously at the nobleman beside Marquis William.
Robson assumed he was a friend or relative of the Marquis and waited for an introduction, but to his surprise, the young nobleman stepped forward himself.
"Cousin, I hope you’ve been well."
"Jeffrey? I didn’t expect to see you here... Did you also receive an emergency graduation from King’s College?" Valentino looked quite shocked.
"This is Jeffrey, son of Ogriff and my cousin," Valentino explained to Robson. "He was also studying at King’s College and will be receiving a fief in the Northern Lands as well."
"I’ll let you young people talk. I won’t get in your way. Marquis Oscillate has sung your praises, and I’ve heard a thing or two about you from Luke as well.
"Truly, the new generation surpasses the old. Keep up the good work, young man. There is much to be accomplished for the kingdom.
"If you run into any trouble on the business side of things, feel free to ask Luke. While the Guterres Family may not have vast enterprises, we are more than happy to help a hero who has fought for the kingdom," Marquis William said with a smile, patting Robson’s shoulder.
"Thank you for your generosity, Marquis," Robson replied respectfully.
Marquis William said no more, simply nodding with a smile before leading his wife toward the main hall of the Crystal Palace.
Although this conference on land grants was important, it didn’t directly concern Marquis William. It wasn’t significant enough to warrant his personal attendance; he clearly had other business at the Royal Palace.
"So you must be my future cousin-in-law? My grandfather often speaks of you. It seems my cousin has the same good taste as my aunt." Jeffrey smiled at Robson, opening his arms for an embrace.
’This time, I have to return the gesture. With Viscount Luke, it was purely a relationship of mutual benefit, but this involves family. Even if I ignore the family ties, I have to consider Marquis Oscillate’s honor.’
"It’s a pleasure to meet you, Jeffrey." Robson stepped forward for the embrace.
’I can tell at a glance that Jeffrey’s smile is forced. His words were probably rehearsed.’
’It’s not that he has anything against me. I guess my future cousin-in-law is just a more introverted person, like my own Grand Mage Falan.’
’In my past life, I saw plenty of people like this—they just aren’t cut out for socializing.’
"Your cousin mentioned you received a perfect score on your history essay? You know, that kind of thing has given me a headache since I was a boy, especially anything about the Second Empire Era. The names of the great families from that period are always so confusing." Robson began his own round of social buttering-up.
’In reality, I already knew exactly who would be at this conference. I did my homework beforehand.’
’Based on my experience, the best way to deal with introverted people like this is to subtly build them up.’
Sure enough, as soon as Robson brought up a subject he was comfortable with, Jeffrey’s eyes visibly brightened, and the reservation on his face lessened.
"That has to do with the elves of that period. Elves always have a way of making simple things complicated. In fact, if you just recognize a few of the place names in the Southern Forest, you’ll discover..." Once on the topic, Jeffrey became quite effusive, and it seemed he really was well-versed in this area of history.
Robson listened attentively, and he wasn’t just faking it. Much of what Jeffrey was saying was genuinely new to him—a blind spot in his knowledge, even if it wasn’t particularly useful...
Of course, the main reason Robson was willing to listen to Jeffrey’s lecture was that Jeffrey was slated to be enfeoffed in the Northern Three Provinces, making him a powerful future ally.