Eris walked through the halls of Castle Concord, observing the various tapestries that adorned them. She stopped at each and looked over it with care.

"Most of the tapestries are old, but they're well-maintained enough that they look new. The Concords are too low-ranking to host many large feasts, so Armand's family must value them a lot," Eris thought.

The girl walked past an armory. She looked inside but did not enter it.

"I'll avoid weapons for now. I don't want anyone to kill me with one of those and pretend it was an accident," the girl pondered.

As Eris rounded a corner, she saw Charles walking the hall right towards her. A smile crossed her face.

"Perfect," Eris thought.

"Eris! I was looking all over for you!" Charles ran up to her.

He looked around.

"No one's here," the boy said.

"Even more perfect," Eris suppressed a chuckle. "Lucia is busy with her studies right now, so I'll be able to evaluate and manipulate Charles without her interfering."

The Hapsburg gave him her friendliest smile.

"It's good to finally talk to you, Charles! Or should I call you brother? Armand and I aren't married yet, but we're going to be family in just a few years," she said.

Charles' face turned grim.

"Don't call me brother. Call me husband," he commanded, his voice trying to summon an air of authority.

Eris looked at him in stunned silence.

"Is he...is he being serious? This has to be some sort of joke. Even if it isn't, if I play it off as one, it'll give me time to figure this out," she thought before forcing a laugh. "Charles, you are a very funny boy. But your sense of humor is a bit strange. You shouldn't make jokes like that around most people."

Charles huffed.

"I'm serious!" he almost shouted.

Eris' smile faded.

"Charles is still a foolish child. If you're going to try to get someone you barely know to betray someone else, you can't just spring it on them suddenly. You need to build up to it, build up trust for you, and manipulate their feelings for the person they're betraying," she thought before speaking. "I understand that I'm beautiful, but I'm already engaged to your brother."

Charles shook his head.

"I don't care if you're beautiful or not. I should be the head of House Concord, not Armand! You can make me the head!" he said.

"What should I do? I didn't expect Charles to still be this childish. I'm an only child, and Armand has the mind of an adult, so that's probably why I didn't expect it. Still, I have to think of something," Eris thought before speaking. "Why do you think I would accept your offer? I'm already marrying the future head of your house. Why would I want to replace him?"

Charles smiled, beaming with pride.

"Because I'm better than Armand," he said.

"What is your proof?" Eris questioned.

"My parents said that me or Lucia would be the next head of House Concord," Charles stated.

The Hapsburg girl tilted her head.

"And their decision means you are better than Armand?" she asked.

"Yes," Charles answered.

"But they changed their mind, and Armand is going to be the new head," Eris replied. "Doesn't that mean that Armand's better than you?"

Charles stomped his foot.

"No! Armand tricked them somehow! Or they made a mistake!" he declared.

"Typical. When his parents do something that benefits him, it's because they're right. But when they do something that harms him, they are wrong. Adults think that way all the time, so why wouldn't a child?" Eris thought.

"Charles, if you work with me, I can get you something better than the seat of House Concord," she said.

"Armand says that he'll get me married to a princess. He said he'd do it if I let him have the house," Charles replied.

"There's no way Armand said something that ridiculous. Charles is either lying or not telling the full story," Eris thought.

The boy continued.

"But that's impossible. While Armand's trying to get a princess to marry me, we can make me the heir," he said.

"And if Armand succeeds?" Eris questioned.

"This should be amusing," she thought.

Charles crossed his arms and gave the Hapsburg a smug smirk.

"You'd better hope that he doesn't. If he does, then the princess will make me the head of House Concord."

"Why would you even want House Concord's lands if you're a prince? They are nothing compared to a kingdom," Eris said.

"I want them because they are mine. My parents promised me them!" Charles declared.

The Hapsburg nodded.

"But if you don't go after them, you can keep Armand as an ally and potentially rule a kingdom," Eris pointed out.

"Armand's stealing my birthright from me! He can't ever be my ally!"

You could be reading stolen content. Head to Royal Road for the genuine story.

"But Armand is the eldest son. From his perspective, you almost stole his birthright from him."

Charles scoffed.

"I don't care what he thinks," the Concord said. "House Concord is mine, not his. Mine."

Eris sighed.

"What approach should I go with? Charles is still an immature child, and he won't live long if he doesn't grow out of that immaturity fast. Armand will be sad if he dies. Though, one thing is clear. Charles isn't a match for Armand, even if you take his age into account," she thought before speaking. "15."

"What?" Charles asked.

Confusion had overtaken him.

"15. Charles, you are immature now, and I can't blame you for that," Eris answered.

"I'm not immature! And why are you saying 15?" Charles said.

"Because that's the longest you'll live if you don't mature. Charles, end this foolishness, or you won't see your 16th birthday," she explained.

The boy scoffed.

"Is that a threat?" he asked.

"It is a statement of fact," Eris answered.

"Armand is too kind. He would forgive his brother for almost anything, even trying to kill him, but his patience has its limits. If Charles starts trying to overthrow Armand and doesn't stop, Armand will have him killed around the time he's 14 or 15," the girl speculated.

Charles shrugged.

"Nobles die young all the time. I don't care when I die, as long as I'm the head of House Concord," he said.

"He has no idea what he's saying," Eris thought. "Armand would want me to stop Charles from betraying him, so I'll need to figure out some way to do it."

Eris grabbed Charles' hands with a smile.

"Why don't we start off as friends and have tea together?" she asked.

Charles moved his hands away.

"I don't want a friend. I want an ally. Are you going to marry me and overthrow Armand or not?" he questioned.

"That is a big decision, and I need time to think about it," Eris stated.

Charles grabbed one of Eris' arms and yanked it over to him. She slipped it out with ease. The Concord tried to grab her again, but Eris evaded his grasp.

"Tell me now! I'm not giving you another chance!" Charles shouted.

Eris quickly glanced around, still avoiding Charles' hands.

"Thank the gods that there isn't anyone in earshot," she thought before speaking. "You need to be more patient, Charles. That is key to survival as a noble. You can't expect someone you barely know to agree to betray her fiance after one meeting."

Charles stopped grabbing at Eris. She stood still. A glare covered his eyes.

"Why? Why won't you help me overthrow Armand?" he asked.

"Even if I lie to him now, he won't believe me," Eris thought.

"Because I love him," she answered. "Be grateful, Charles. If I just saw Armand as a tool, I would already be plotting your assassination."

Pure rage flowed over Charles. He placed a hand over his chest and leaned forward.

"Why would you love someone who isn't as good as me?"

"I could go over all the reasons, but that would be pointless. Please, Charles, I see you as a brother. I don't want you and Armand to fight," Eris said.

She mimicked the look caring big sisters gave their younger brothers as best as she could. Eris leaned in close.

"Here's another proposal. Why don't you help Armand get lands better than Concord lands? In exchange, he can give you the seat of House Concord. I can get him to agree to that. Then, you both can get what you want," she suggested.

Charles slapped her in the face. A look of utter shock crossed Eris.

"I'm not helping Armand," he said.

Eris hadn't even heard what he had just spoken. She placed a hand on her cheek. The Hapsburg felt a bruise well up. If Charles knew how much of a monster Eris was, he would have shat himself.

"I will hurt you for this," Eris spoke before thinking. "I can't kill him, for Armand's sake, but I will make him wish he was dead."

The war wagon Armand and Rozwiazly were in approached a massive fort. It was in the shape of a pentagon. Each point had an area that jutted out in an arrow shape. As for the walls, they were sloped.

"I've never seen a castle like this before," Rozwiazly noted.

"It isn't a castle," Armand explained. "It's a star fort. It's a relatively new military technology. These sorts of forts are more common in kingdoms to the South of here."

"Why are the walls sloping, and why are those arrows there?"

"The arrows are called bastions. And the main purpose of this is to better deflect cannon fire. The angles will cause the cannon balls to move with the wall rather than just collide with it. This will make the cannon balls do less damage to the wall. The sloped walls also make it easier for gunmen to shoot at enemies at the base of the wall," Armand said.

Rozwiazly nodded.

"How soon before these become more common than castles?" he asked.

"I think about 20 years from now, but I'm not sure," Armand answered.

The war wagon stopped inside of the star fort. Marshal Ludwig dismounted and walked over to Armand and Rozwiazly.

"Come on out, you two. I'll show you to your quarters. You'll meet my family too," Marshal Ludwig said.

"And when will my family get here?" Rozwiazly questioned.

"They should arrive tomorrow. Some people you'll teach magic to will be here by the end of the week."

A smile crossed Rozwiazly's face.

"Thank the gods," he said.

Armand got out of the war wagon first, and Rozwiazly followed him. Marshal Ludwig marched forward at a brisk pace. The two followed behind him.

A large number of soldiers were around them. Most were doing various drills or on guard duty. There were some following Ludwig, eating, or doing some other leisure activity.

"Are all these men mercenaries?" Rozwiazly asked.

"Most are. Some are from the professional army His Majesty's trying to make," Marshal Ludwig answered.

"His Majesty is doomed to fail. Other kings have made professional armies of some size, but our leader doesn't have enough control over Foldzar to make one. His Majesty would need a lot of support from the nobles to sustain a professional army. And there is no way they'll support that," Armand thought.

The Marshal gestured to various places on the fort.

"There's where we cook food. There's the common soldiers' quarters. The officers have individual rooms. You'll have some rooms there."

Armand and Rozwiazly turned and saw a set of quarters at the base of the walls. Then, a woman walked over to Marshal Ludwig. There was a stern expression on her face.

Renaissance,noblewoman,stern,brown Hair,scowl,fort [https://images-wixmp-ed30a86b8c4ca887773594c2.wixmp.com/f/313aaab4-767f-4cea-91cb-69c8d8fbef2a/dhdv6yp-2df13a77-4520-4421-a74f-4845befae84e.png?token=eyJ0eXAiOiJKV1QiLCJhbGciOiJIUzI1NiJ9.eyJzdWIiOiJ1cm46YXBwOjdlMGQxODg5ODIyNjQzNzNhNWYwZDQxNWVhMGQyNmUwIiwiaXNzIjoidXJuOmFwcDo3ZTBkMTg4OTgyMjY0MzczYTVmMGQ0MTVlYTBkMjZlMCIsIm9iaiI6W1t7InBhdGgiOiJcL2ZcLzMxM2FhYWI0LTc2N2YtNGNlYS05MWNiLTY5YzhkOGZiZWYyYVwvZGhkdjZ5cC0yZGYxM2E3Ny00NTIwLTQ0MjEtYTc0Zi00ODQ1YmVmYWU4NGUucG5nIn1dXSwiYXVkIjpbInVybjpzZXJ2aWNlOmZpbGUuZG93bmxvYWQiXX0.db6RAvd6VeV7gG6kPmVDCQ-m-e-dj4E9Js_Kbr9gbA0]

"It is good to see you again, Ludwig," she said.

"Good to see you too, Lina," he replied. "These men here are going to stay on the base for a while. This is Lord Armand Richelieu Concord. He's my new adjutant. And this is Rozwiazly. He's a talented sorcerer. You two, this is my wife. Treat her with respect."

Armand and Rozwiazly both bowed.

"It is a true honor to meet you, My Lady," Rozwiazly stated.

"I hope I prove useful to your husband," Armand said.

Lina nodded.

"I should hope the same. I do not tolerate useless idiots, and I hope that Ludwig was not forced to bring you two along by someone higher-ranking than him. If you do not live up to his expectations, I will crush you myself."

She gave Armand and Rozwiazly a cold glare.

"Lina, where are our children?" Marshal Ludwig questioned.

"Matthew is taking Janice to the town festival. They'll be back tomorrow," she told him.

"Alright. They'll meet you lot then," the Marshal turned to Armand and Rozwiazly.

Lina nodded.

"Yes. They will. I will take my leave now," she turned and walked away.

A wide smile crossed Marshal Ludwig's face.

"By the gods, I'm glad I got a chance to marry for love," he said. "And I'm glad that marriage didn't change my wife."

Rozwiazly kept his mouth shut as hard as he could. On the inside, the commoner was utterly shocked that anyone could fall for a cold, stern woman like that. Armand, on the other hand...

"It's no wonder a woman like that won Marshal Ludwig's heart. In fact, even if his parents wanted to put him in a political marriage, I don't think they could stop him from marrying her after they met. Even His Majesty probably couldn't," the boy thought.

"Alright, let's get you to your quarters," Marshal Ludwig started walking again. "Lord Armand, I expect you to get to writing right away. Rozwialzly, I should be able to find someone to teach you how to write here. You'll focus on your studies until your students get here."

The two nodded and followed him.

"I hope things are going alright with Eris," Armand thought. "And that my brother doesn't do anything stupid. Even if Eris loves me, and even if she's telling the truth when she says that I can trust her, I can only hold her back so much."