Steampunk Era: Mad Abield
Chapter 406: Section 270: Replay (Part 2)

Chapter 406: Section 270: Replay (Part 2)

The old Duke of the Roed family stood in the foyer of the Noble Council, overlooking the bustling crowd on the streets outside. Today, the father of the Mowish Queen of the Noble family did not exude an imposing aura of anger that commanded respect; he looked like a very ordinary old man, somewhat stooped and squint-eyed.

"Your Grace, what are you looking at here?" A woman’s voice sounded from behind him.

"Ah, if it isn’t the young lady from the House of Marem, how have you been recently?" The old man turned his head and glanced at the sturdy woman who had approached him.

"Not bad, Your Grace. Today’s meeting, those Easterners are going to propose noble autonomy again, aren’t they?" Mrs. Marem said this, then looked down at the old man: "Your Grace."

"Are you here to advocate for your old friends from Mowish?" The old Duke smiled, "Marem’s child, do you know what I am watching?"

"Not really, Your Grace." Mrs. Marem shook her head.

"I am watching the people who are busy struggling to survive in this kingdom," said the old Duke as he looked at the street. "You wouldn’t understand. When I was very young, Roed was only a Baron. My father was lucky to marry the daughter of a Duke. And even luckier was that the year Chaos invaded, my mother’s three brothers all died. So I became the primary heir to my grandfather’s lands. I was only six years old at the time."

"Your Grace, are you telling me your story today?" Mrs. Marem asked, looking down.

"Yes, I am telling you a story about a child struggling to survive in this world." The old Duke looked at the street, his hands resting on the railing. "That summer when I was six, I first felt the malice of this world when I was startled awake by a coolness pressing against my chest, finding a Damlo red ring snake upon me. It hissed at me, and that was the first time I had faced it so closely."

At this point, Mrs. Marem saw a red ring snake crawl out from the collar of his clothing. It wrapped around the old Duke’s neck, like the most faithful of lovers embracing their beloved.

"Fate opened a door for me, and I awoke to the powers of a Druid. The snake, meant to kill me, became my pet. At a hunt in the autumn, an arrow pierced just below my chest. If it weren’t that I had swayed slightly to one side, the arrow would have torn through my lungs instead of slashing a huge gash below my ribs," the Duke recounted. The bell of the Noble Council rang out. He smiled, "Enough of that, let’s go in."

"Your Grace..."

"I am a Noble of the Sydney Union first and foremost; only then am I a father." The old man said as he turned his head, then turned back and headed towards the council hall.

Mrs. Marem had no choice but to follow him in.

.........

It must be admitted that the meeting was incredibly dull. Mrs. Marem had no interest in listening to the nonsense spouted by that Eastern Noble. With the North not yet fully reclaimed for the Engma Empire, the Eastern Nobles were already too eager to rebel—yes, to rebel. Such overt pressure was tantamount to rebelling.

The Nobles of each major province in the Eastern region unanimously wanted greater autonomy. They had forgotten everything; how the Sydney Union had reached its present state after experiencing seventeen dynasties, at least thirty surnames of heroes taking the bloodstained crown from their ancestors. The Nobles of the Sydney Union secured their positions by force and founded the nation upon virtue; such betrayal was unprecedented.

"I request that the Noble Council begin the voting! Grant the Nobles of the provinces more convenient governing rights! Reduce taxation by at least half!" the Earl on the stage declared.

He was nothing but a puppet.

Mrs. Marem knew that the Eastern provinces were rich, and although they couldn’t compare with the Southern provinces, the Southern ones had always been swayed easily and looked to the Roed family for leadership. Although the central and Western provinces with their Mowish roots would be her steadfast backers, the Northern provinces always needed monetary and material support. If the Eastern Nobles offered them irresistible conditions, then... Mrs. Marem couldn’t imagine.

"Let the vote counting begin! Please, let the Earls from the Northern provinces vote!"

Since the motion was proposed by the Easterners, the voting would start from the North. Mrs. Marem could only watch the betrayal of these Northerners unfold—not surprisingly, the support given by the central and Western provinces was not enough to spare the Northern provinces from the pain brought on by war, not to mention the recent refugee crisis tormenting the Northern realms.

However, Mrs. Marem felt some relief that at least a minority of the Earls chose to stand with Goethe.

The voting from the Western and central provinces provided no surprise, as the vast majority of Earls continued to stand under the banner of Mowish, with only a few swayed by the Eastern Nobles—after all, marriage alliances were an unavoidable reality.

Then came the South, predictably, most of them chose to agree, especially during a time when the old Roed Duke and His Majesty the King were not on good terms; these Southern Earls naturally knew what to do.

Of course, the Earls from the Southern provinces were mostly weakened, and the largest region of Carterburg didn’t even have an Earl, which made Mrs. Marem feel that a free trade city might be the kingdom’s future direction.

Then came the Eastern Earls, and without any surprise, they all voted in favor.

So, the eight Dukes who could decide the final answer began voting.

The first were the two Dukes from the North, predictably, they cast one vote in favor and one against.

The favorable vote came from the House of Damlo, a family that had intermarried with the Eastern Nobles three hundred years ago—they were nothing but big grains of sand.

On the other hand, the opposing vote came from Duke Janan, one of their own. Back in the day when they studied together, the lad was Goethe’s lackey.

Then came the two Dukes from the West; the House of Brice cast a vote against and his neighbor, Duke Canan, voted in favor.

That damned Dwarf! The Union Kingdom made him a Duke! And this is how he repays the King of the kingdom?!

Mrs. Marem was furious, watching the Dwarf, but in the end, she could only sigh heavily—a Dwarf, why would he be loyal to a kingdom ruled by humans? Low royal authority and low taxation would be the best friends of the Dwarf Commerce Chamber, wouldn’t they?

Then the voting right was passed to the King, and Goethe chose to oppose.

So the power fell into the hands of the two southern Dukes.

The current score was two in favor, three against.

Lady Marianne realized she could now prepare for civil war—the Dukes’ approval reaching five would seal everything.

Maybe there would be a civil war. Lady Marianne thought sadly, while contemplating how to smash old Duke Rhode’s head before that—he had to be killed first, even if the House of Marianne perished afterward, as its heiress, she could never commit an act of betrayal.

Conversely, these traitors should die for it.

First, Duke Shemira chose to agree.

Three to three.

Lady Marianne began to gather her strength.

Then she saw Duke Rhode raise the sign that stood for opposition.

The hall erupted in an uproar.

"Your Grace Duke Rhode, why would you do this?" the chairman asked too curiously.

"I am a Noble first, and a father second," the old man smiled, "Since the great Eastern expansion, the Rhode family has always considered Sydney Union its new home. We come from the Eastern World, but it is in this farthest Western World that we have settled down, generation after generation of Rhodes fighting and dying for this land. To tell the truth, I despise His Majesty the King." The hall laughed at this point, and Lady Marianne saw that even her King was amused, as Duke Rhode waited for the laughter to subside before he continued, "But I deeply love this land, I may despise His Majesty the King, but I will not betray this soil."

These words from the old man led many Nobles following Goethe to start applauding.

Lady Marianne still frowned deeply—although it was now four against and three in favor, the two Dukes of the Eastern Province would certainly not give her King any chance in her eyes.

As expected, Duke Tam was the first to voice his approval.

All eyes turned to the House of Sindheim.

It was a strange family. Though they were of Panso catfolk, they were among the earliest to join humans in the massive development of the Western World, and while they always intermarried with catfolk, they were Nobles in the human world.

Like the Dwarfs, they certainly did not favor high kingly authority and taxes.

"Duke Fannum of Sindheim, do you have any thoughts?" the chairman said, looking at the large cat sitting there.

The latter yawned and then raised the sign representing opposition.

"Duke Fannum, it seems you might have raised the wrong sign?" Duke Tam’s expression was a bit odd.

"No mistake, I represent the Panso catfolk, offering respect to the sincere ally of the Panso, wishing Lord Malin long life and everlasting love with Princess Faye."

The catfolk smiled as he said this and then gave a bow to Goethe, "The House of Sindheim has always been a member of the Sydney Union, as it was in the past, so it is now, and I believe it will be so in the future."

Lady Marianne turned her head to look at the Dwarf, and spotted the incredulity on his face, a painful feeling as if to say there was yet another way to operate.

You Dwarfs really have solid heads.

.........

The meeting ended, and though Duke Tam was visibly unhappy, faced with such a situation, he could only wait for the next opportunity—the adjustment of royal power and voting occurred once every ten years, and he could do nothing but wait, for even the deity of fairness wouldn’t need to intervene, the Noble God would stand with Goethe—a Noble’s order needed to be maintained, otherwise, the reason for this Deity’s existence would disappear, and even his divine alignment might become distorted.

This delighting Lady Marianne—her dear friend would assuredly become a true legend in ten years, by which time the House of Mowish would lead the nation to even greater strength.

With this thought, Lady Marianne noticed her good friend approaching the elderly Duke Rhode.

They wouldn’t start fighting, would they?

Lady Marianne thought this and then saw her old friend shake hands with the old Duke and then, surprisingly, Duke Rhode hugged Goethe for a moment.

Wait, weren’t they supposed to be punching each other?

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