Chapter 244 - 19: Enfeoffment Ceremony
Chapter 244: Chapter 19: Enfeoffment Ceremony
Once Robson and Viscount Luke completed their transaction, they immediately dropped their business-like facades and began discussing the kingdom’s military affairs.
This was something most men in the entire Frank Kingdom did in their leisure time—competing with one another over their past military achievements.
Valentino simply listened from the side. She had understood the transaction between Robson and Viscount Luke, but she did not interfere.
Although Valentino had secured her position in the Fengman Clan, she had only been a Countess for a few months. Even though she had officially solidified her standing with Marquis Oscillate’s support, undercurrents still surged beneath the clan’s calm surface.
In fact, for Valentino, was Robson’s progress not also a way to thoroughly consolidate her own power?
If Robson truly secured his position, Valentino could act without restraint when it came to purging the clan from within.
Her inability to excessively use her family’s resources did not mean Valentino had no support for Robson. This support was mostly in the form of connections—introducing him to the Guterres Family and the Edward family, bringing Robson into the circles of the great nobles.
She also attended various functions to bolster his prestige.
By rights, Robson’s current achievements were indeed enough for him to become a Viscount. However, he shouldn’t have been able to catch the attention of the Marquises and the King, nor would he have been among the first nobles to choose a fief, much less become a representative of the Southern faction.
These things had nothing to do with ability; they depended purely on a family’s accumulated heritage.
Just as everyone was conversing, the venue suddenly fell silent. The clamor vanished in an instant, leaving a silence so profound you could hear a pin drop.
Three carriages pulled up at the same time. The first to alight was an old man with white hair and a white beard, followed by a beautiful woman in her thirties or forties. These two were Louis III and his Queen.
Louis III had adopted this white-haired and bearded appearance not because his Silver Tier strength was incapable of preserving his youth, but because in the culture of the Human World, old age represents wisdom.
Many high-ranking individuals, even Golden Tier powerhouses like Marquis Oscillate, adopted the appearance of an old man.
Marquis Oscillate and Marquis George alighted from the other two carriages. Marquis George looked particularly valiant and impressive, possessing the cold, sharp features characteristic of the Northern Nobles.
With these three in attendance, the preparations for the enfeoffment ceremony were about to begin.
To Robson’s surprise, Marquis Oscillate headed straight for him.
Robson and Viscount Jeffrey stepped forward to greet him.
"Marquis, Grandfather..."
"Oh? What’s this? You two are engaged, and you still haven’t changed how you address me?" Marquis Oscillate said with a smile, looking at Robson and Valentino.
"Yes, Grandfather," Robson corrected himself.
During this time, the surrounding nobles from the Southern faction all came forward.
They didn’t often have the chance to see the Marquis, so everyone wanted to make an impression, hoping he might think of them if they ever encountered trouble in the future.
One should not underestimate such connections. Throughout history, how many heroic tales began with a so-called chance encounter? But when it came to opportunity, there was no such thing as chance.
Of course, the main reason was that Marquis Oscillate normally presented an amiable front, and his image among the Southern faction had always been very approachable.
The Marquis glanced around, then looked at Jeffrey. Jeffrey didn’t understand his meaning at first. The old man accompanying him leaned in and whispered something in Viscount Jeffrey’s ear. Jeffrey then turned and led the surrounding nobles away to attend to other matters.
Seeing this, everyone understood that Marquis Oscillate had no intention of speaking with them candidly at that moment. Apart from a few who were tactless and unobservant, the rest followed Viscount Jeffrey away.
Marquis Oscillate paid no mind to the few who lingered.
"Grandfather, you were looking for me?" Robson asked, somewhat surprised. The Marquis’s bearing made it clear he had come specifically to find him.
The Marquis nodded, then looked to his left. That area was the gathering place for the Military Merit Faction.
It was far more boisterous over there than with the Southern faction. Even in a solemn and dignified place like the King’s Altar, some of them were still playing finger-guessing games to pass the time.
Robson even saw someone with a wine flask tied to their waist. Although there was no explicit rule, it was a tradition thousands of years old in the Human World to speak softly when in a place like the Kingdom Altar.
"I heard recently that you and Count Sriphine are on rather good terms privately?" Marquis Oscillate asked.
"I don’t mean anything by it. It’s just a rumor I heard."
Robson furrowed his brow. ’On good terms with Count Sriphine?’
’How come I’m not aware of that?’
You can’t just look at the surface of things. Although Marquis Oscillate and Marshal Grantham had no history of conflict within the kingdom, Robson never felt he could be on friendly terms with the Military Merit Faction.
No matter how little conflict there seemed to be between the Marquis and the Marshal, it was all superficial. Marquis Oscillate was the second-most prominent representative of the old nobility in the kingdom. The two sides only appeared to be in harmony because the foremost old noble was shouldering all the pressure.
Robson knew his own position clearly. He was a man who had been elevated by the Marquis’s faction.
To survive in the political arena, one of the most important things was to not switch your allegiance on a whim.
"That is not the case," Robson said, shaking his head. He then recounted the incident of Count Sriphine intercepting him on the road, telling Marquis Oscillate everything exactly as it happened.
He still needed Marquis Oscillate’s support, and besides, Robson was confident that he had handled the situation without any issue, so there was no need to hide anything.