I narrowed my eyes at the beautiful face gone pale.

  “I don’t remember meeting Baron Nebelhain. Was the man I killed at the Battle of the Bog in the fancy cuirass bearing Nebelhain’s sigil someone else?”

  She shook her head. “No. My husband was quite fond of bloodshed. He joined your father enthusiastically.”

  “Then who is claiming to be the new Baron?”

  “I don’t know, my lord,” she said, avoiding my gaze.

  “Let’s go find out.”

  The other nobles followed.

  I found Reshma on the way and explained the new development to her.

  “You really don’t know who it might be?” she asked the Dowager.

  “No. All the major claimants were dead, and I was too focused on my daughters’ safety to notice who was winning.”

  The crone scoffed behind us.

  As we entered the courtyard, the hot winds of the departing summer assaulted us.

  A young man, in his mid twenties, was standing there, rigid like a statue, along with his retinue of ten men. Their eyes were flitting around, looking nervously at the guards atop the walls wearing the crown’s colors. All wore high quality gambesons. Experienced fighters.

  His eyes narrowed as they scanned us, then smoldered in anger as they found Dowager Nebelhain. “You think you could fool us, wench?”

  I cleared my throat. “Seems like she already did. Who might you be, sir?”

  “I’m Sir Garwin, the rightful Baron of Nebelhain.”

  “I don’t remember having confirmed you as the new Baron. So how did you become one?”

  His body froze for a few seconds.

  Not a bright one, this one, I thought.

  “Someone must lead it. There was no better candidate,” he said confidently.

  Then he went down on a knee. “Nebelhain stands with you, my lord.”

  I turned to look at the Dowager. “I’m guessing you didn’t tell anyone in Nebelhain about my instatement as the Count?”

  “Please don’t trust any word that comes out of this woman’s mouth, my lord. She ran away with the entire treasury,” Garwin interjected.

  Ignoring him, I looked at the woman.

  Her head was hung low. She shook her head silently.

  “Why?”

  “I was barely holding on to power with flimsy excuses, while the claimants were already at each other’s throats. The situation would have turned even more chaotic once the news was out that a Count backed by the crown had been instated.”

  The poor woman’s actions were understandable. Her daughters had a claim to the position, so whoever won the battle of arms would have either killed them or married them off.

  I turned back to the incensed young man. “How did you find out about my instatement?”

  “Some of our fishermen came in contact with fishermen from Nordhaven. The news took some time to reach us.”

  I didn’t think his face could get any redder, but it did. He took a menacing step forward toward his former Baroness, hands curled into fists.

  I stepped forward before he could do anything stupid. “You have just arrived after a long journey, my lord. Please refresh yourself while I think on the matter.”

  He looked like he wanted to say something, but kept his mouth shut under my gaze.

  Maybe he’s not that stupid.

  When he finally nodded, I looked at one of the senior stewards, who guided the young man and his men to a parlor for refreshments.

  This tale has been pilfered from Royal Road. If found on Amazon, kindly file a report.

  “Does anyone have any ideas?” I asked the people around me.

  “Dissolve the runt of a barony and assimilate it into Nordhaven,” the crone piped up, drawing a frightening expression from Nebelhain that could cut stone.

  She smiled under my annoyed gaze.

  “Anyone serious?”

  “Let’s look in the genealogical records how far Sir Garwin is in the line of succession,” Reshma suggested.

  “They won’t accept a girl as their ruler,” Wulf added.

  Reshma and I went through the county’s genealogical records. The dusty tomes revealed that Garwin was the former Baron’s fourth cousin.

  “Far enough that he can marry the Dowager,” I said.

  “By the looks you keep giving her, I thought you would be loathed to give her up,” Reshma teased on our way out of the library.

  “That is just a game. She plays the role of seductress, and I play the role of seducee. She is fun to look at.”

  Her eyes narrowed.

  I put my hands up in surrender. “Just looking.”

  “She is good looking,” Reshma mumbled, making me smile. “But she isn’t doing it for fun like you.”

  “I know. I will help her out as a mother.”

  “Also, you can’t keep adding women to your harem at random, not unless they have political value,” she added. “Even then, they might become a faction. How many could you govern?”

  “I don’t have a harem,” I said defensively.

  “You keep thinking that, my lord,” she whispered in my ear.

  “You are fine if there are others?”

  “I understand the necessity of political alliances,” she said, giving me a peck on the cheek. “That doesn’t mean I will be happy if you start adding them willy-nilly.”

  “I won’t. I have my hands full already.”

  We bade Baron Wulf and Dowager Nordhaven goodbye as they left for their baronies, then convened a meeting with Garwin.

  The man stood up and bowed as we approached.

  “I just looked at the genealogical records,” I said. “They say you are the former Baron’s fourth cousin.”

  “I am.”

  “You understand that the Baron’s daughters have a stronger claim over his seat than you, correct?”

  He looked uncomfortable, but met my gaze. “They are both children. Besides, the people of Nebelhain would not accept a woman’s rule.”

  “The people or you?”

  “The people. I would not harm the children, my lord,” he said, looking me in the eyes. “But Nebelhain needs stability. Almost fifty men died in the fight for succession. If that woman had only informed us about your instatement-”

  “What would that have changed? There was a Count here before me as well.”

  He opened his mouth to say something, but stopped, then bowed low. “I apologize for my outburst at the courtyard. I would like for us to have a cordial relationship.”

  If the man’s not an actor, he actually cares about his people.

  “You are right. All of Nobart needs stability. There is one way to resolve the succession crisis.”

  “Which is?”

  “You marry the Dowager. She is still young.”

  His expression froze for a while, then thawed. “That could work.”

  “It’s not that simple. I have established a Charter of Stewardship Councils. The county and every barony will have a council of advisors, elected by respectable members of the community; knights, freeholders, guild masters and the clergy.”

  “That would dilute the lord’s authority.”

  “No. They will only advise the lord and enact his will. He can still overrule them. They govern the land only in his absence, so it doesn’t fall into anarchy.”

  “Who would control the nominations?”

  “No one. People will elect nominees among themselves.”

  “Men will just strong-arm their way into them!” he almost shouted.

  “How is that any different than sycophants who gain their positions through ‘loyalty?’”

  “I won’t let any sycophants close to me.”

  “What about your heir? And their heir?”

  He had no answer to that.

  “This system is built for the worst case scenario, Sir Garwin, and it is not negotiable. So? The marriage?”

  He thought for a while. “I will agree to it, as long as the elections are fair,” he looked at me with suspicion.

  “You don’t need to worry about any meddling from me. I have much bigger fish to fry.”

  Leaving Reshma to talk to the man to gauge his character, I went to meet Dowager Nebelhain and told her about the offer.

  She stayed mute for a while, breathing heavily.

  “Would it not be possible to make my elder daughter the Baroness?” she pleaded.

  “Did your husband declare her his heir?”

  Her expression was answer enough.

  “Then I would be forcing my will upon the people of Nebelhain. That usually doesn’t go well. It might work if the military was under your control, but that is not the case either.”

  “The men I knew are dead,” she said, resentment showing through the cracks.

  I drew a long breath to stabilize myself. “I am not going to apologize for defending myself. It was an unfortunate incident, whose culprit is already dead. I don’t see any safe way for you to escape the repercussion of your actions, besides the marriage.”

  “I would not be opposed to it, if I knew anything about the man,” she mumbled, her worry for her children evident on her face. “I would at least want protection clauses for my daughters.”

  “You will have them. You know nothing about the man?”

  “Only that he is a capable warrior.”

  “You seem like someone who would be good at gauging someone’s character. How about I postpone the decision until the Blackrain issue is handled? That will give you a week or so to know the man.”

  She nodded weakly.

  “I will do everything in my power to keep your children safe, my lady,” I told her, placing a hand on her shoulder. “That much I can promise you.”

  Her face lit up. “Thank you, my lord, and my name is Sifrena.”

  I returned her smile. “Did you really run away with the entire treasury?”

  “Not all. Only most of it,” she said coyly.

  Surprising me, she reached up and placed a light peck on my lips. Slow enough that anyone watching would not mistake it for an accident.

  I didn’t have any words to say.

  “Just wanted to thank you. It might be our last kiss.”

  Rolling my eyes, I took a step back from her.

  She was quite something, but Reshma was right. I couldn’t go around catching them all.

  Hopefully this issue would be quickly resolved. Only a few more remained until I could go back to Chadom.

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