"In the world of locked rooms, the man with the key is king. And honey, you should see me in a crown."
Sherlock.
…
...
It was quite amusing, Napoleon thought.
He was a commander. An expert in artillery. The greatest military genius in the history of the world since Hannibal, no since Alexander. The man who had conquered the world until bad luck, and treachery, and the unfairness of Britain's navy had cost him the destiny which the stars had promised him. He was a master of war who had commanded hundreds of thousands of soldiers in his name and sent them to their deaths, both for the glory of France and his Empire. He had reached heights as a military leader that practically no one before him or after would ever reach.
But he couldn't help but reminiscence about his youth as he watched Louise smack into the ground once again. How long had it been since he had been forced to fight himself? Was it in Egypt, or perhaps it was at Lodi back in Italy? Maybe even further back as a student? He honestly wasn't completely sure at this point. He had noticed at times that it was difficult to remember events from his youth, though that was probably just the inevitable effects of age. Nevertheless, the fact that he had not fought in so long did not bother him in the slightest, but he did find it interesting as he watched his partner struggle up to his feet. In the meantime, he leaned against the wall of his new home and continued to watch.
He was honestly impressed with Matilda, who was now dusting off her hands and watching her master get up. She seemed self-taught due to her irregular stances and her total lack of a sense of fair play, but she had proven to be effective at her new job of beating Louise into a bloody pulp, as the past two days had demonstrated. Even when one considered the fact that he was obviously stronger than a mere woman, Napoleon had to concede that Matilda could likely beat him in a straight brawl, without magic or his runes.
Louise spat blood and wiped her eyes with her right hand. Her other hand stretched in front to defend herself, but it visibly shook.
"You're a dirty cheat." She muttered to Matilda. "What kind of persons throws sand in my face?"
Matilda shook her head at those words.
"A person who actually wants to win a fight, Louise."
She then charged at Louise, her arms ready to strike. Louise managed to block the first blow with her outstretched arm, but her reflexes remained too slow. Before she could react, Matilda socked Louise in the stomach with her other arm.
"Guh!"
Louise bent down as she staggered in pain. She quickly took a few steps backwards and blindly lashed out in front of her to prevent further attacks, only to notice that Matilda was no longer in front of her.
"What the-"
Louise never finished her sentence as she felt a hand on the back of her neck. Matilda promptly kneed Louise in the small of her back and pushed her down. Once again, Louise lost her balance and smacked face-first into the dirt.
"Oof!"
Matilda promptly let go of Louise. The younger girl tried to get up for an instant, but then realized that her supposed servant had once again placed her arms by her side, no longer bothering to strike a pose. She gave a small smile while she did so.
"So you finally take a swing at me after two days of sparring. A bit disappointing honestly, but at least you are getting better."
Louise planted her face into the dirt and grumbled, but she did not get up as Matilda continued.
"But while I praise you for your spirit, Louise, just what were you thinking trying a blind attack like that? I know that during a fight, the blood pumps and you feel stronger and faster than you normally are. But at the end of the day Louise, you've never fought in your life. You couldn't hurt anyone with any punch you would try. On top of that, you put your thumb inside your fist when you tried to punch me. Even if by some miracle you had actually hit me in a way that would have hurt me, you would have broken your thumb through the impact."
Louise mumbled into the dirt, but she refused to move. With a sigh, Matilda stood back up, walked over to Louise's side, and then used her feet to roll Louise over on her back.
"What did you say?"
Louise looked at Matilda's face, then at the grey sky, and then finally lingered on Napoleon before she turned back to Matilda. Her expression visibly irritated, she hesitated for a moment before she began to complain.
"Well, how am I supposed to hurt you then?" She said. "I thought this was a fight. But what kind of fight is it if I don't have the strength to actually win?"
"Win the fight? Oh dear. I am afraid that you've misunderstood the point of this exercise from the beginning"
"Wait, what are you talking about OOF!"
Without any warning, Matilda lightly plopped herself down onto Louise's belly, and the younger girl gasped in shock and surprise. As she struggled to breathe, Matilda slipped a hand into her own sleeves.
"Well, the thing is, I guess I've been misleading you the whole time, Louise. But then again, you wouldn't have acted properly if I told you that you were just supposed to dodge my attacks."
"What...are…you…talking about?"
"You still don't get it?" Matilda sighed. "Fine. I'll explain it completely. I knew you didn't have the strength to actually beat me up, nor have you learned the technique to make up for your lack of strength. Consequently, you never had a chance of actually hurting me. The goal was for you to always gain the instinct necessary to dodge attacks and search for openings so you could strike, even if you couldn't hurt me."
"But…then why didn't you tell me I had to do was dod-"
"If I had told you that, you would have only focused on dodging and not on finding ways to strike back. You need to do both, even if for you, the latter is more important. After all, learning how to dodge attacks will be useful for you whether you have your wand or not. Later in fact, I suggest I should have you dodge some of my spells and see how well you do. I won't use anything that will kill you. Well, I think so."
"Er…hold on a sec-"
"Anyways, let's get back to business." Matilda lightly stated as she interrupted her master once again. "I'm sure you've guessed that I'm probably going to teach you how to actually attack your opponent without a wand?"
"Well, yes." Louise said. "You stated I don't have the strength, but there is the technique, right? You know it, so you can teach me."
She nodded in self-satisfaction, but then Matilda shook her head.
"It took me years to learn how to fight, Louise. Years of training and fighting. I never had a master, so I just had to teach myself, a process with huge amounts of trial and error. We don't have that much time to prepare. As a Void mage, you have to learn how to fight as soon as possible.
And besides, at the end of the day, all of the fancy fighting tricks in Helgekinia…"
She reached a little deeper into her sleeves.
"Don't really compare to this."
And dropped something that landed with a thud by Louise's face.
Louise slowly looked to her side. Standing-there point first into the ground was a knife, its blade about eight inches long. She couldn't help but note the lack of ornamentation on its black wooden handle.
"This is a stiletto, Louise. A weapon designed to stab above all else. It's small enough to hide in your clothes should you ever need to draw it. That, right there, is more useful than any fighting techniques I can teach you in a short timeframe."
Louise's fingers trembled as she finally got up and tugged the knife out of the ground. She noted that the blade could fold into the handle and began to try sheathing it. It took her a moment to actually push the blade into the handle. As she then tried to remove it from the handle, her fingers trembled as they tried to pull the blade out before they finally succeeded.
"I'm taking too much time to do this," she muttered. "I'll have to improve. So Matilda, do you intend to teach me how to fight with this?"
"I don't know how to."
"What?"
"Louise," Matilda stated, "Beyond the obvious statement of 'stab the enemy with the knife and don't try to slash them with this kind of weapon'; I know very little about how to use it. In fact, I actually picked it up from a shop a few days ago."
She reached down into her boots and pulled out another knife. It looked different from Louise's knife. The blade was quite a bit longer, and Louise could see that unlike her stiletto, this knife possessed an edge.
"I got you your kind of knife because it's easier to conceal on you. I'm a thief, so that's less of a priority for me because I'm sneaking into places anyways unlike you. However, Louise, I've never actually had to use it in combat."
Louise opened her mouth in confusion, but Matilda waved her off and continued.
"Do not forget, Louise, that this is an emergency weapon above all, especially for some like you who could be attacked at any time. But only use it in situations when you can't use your wand first. Do you understand me?"
Louise solemnly nodded at those words. She finally stood up as her hands still grasped her blade. She quickly gave a few practice stabs with the weapon, but then with a peculiar expression, she closed it into its handle and stowed it into her pockets.
"It feels strange." She quietly admitted.
"Really?" Matilda said. "I'll admit that one reason I picked that particular knife is so that it would look and feel like your wand. I figured that would help you get adjusted to it."
"That's the problem. I know I've killed people with my wand, Matilda. But my wand – well, it feels like a stick. Nothing more and nothing less. I don't feel any real guilt when I hold it.
But this is a weapon. I recognize it as a weapon. And that's what makes it strange. I'm scared of this thing in my pocket, even though it really is far less dangerous than my wand."
Matilda said nothing in response as she looked at her master. Louise's mouth twitched for a moment, but then she turned towards the wall.
"Napoleon! Don't you have anything to say about that? I know you like to-"
He was gone. Louise stopped in confusion and then turned towards Matilda.
"Matilda, where did he go?"
"You didn't notice?" Matilda responded. "He left a few minutes ago. Did you forget, Louise? The conference for the crown resumes today, and he told you earlier that he wanted to go alone. He was worried for your safety."
Louise grumbled as she remembered those words. She really wasn't sure if it was safer to stay here as opposed to walking to the palace, but she really didn't like to go there anyways. She couldn't help but dislike most of the nobles there, and she still remained terrified of talking to her mother.
Still, did he really have to slip out like that?
…
"What in Brimir's name is the meaning of this, Cardinal Mazarin?!"
The main hall of the Tristanian palace shone as bright and pure as normal as the members of the nobility sat to discuss the future of their country. But now, the Duke of Guldenhorf's normally refined and haughty expression had devolved into a complete snarl. As he advanced on Mazarin, the cardinal helplessly waved his hands.
"I don't know myself, Guldenhorf. Please, don't look at me about this!"
"Really now?" Guldenhorf sarcastically stated. "We know you're friends with the Vallieres, Mazarin. Are you doing this just to humiliate us, to make us beg for Karin to take the throne?"
"I am only a messenger of Brimir. I have no political sides and-"
"Oh, SHUT UP! You go through the entire effort of dragging all of us nobles out here to talk with Karin again after she walks out on us. Pretty much the whole point of this conference is to determine whether or not she can take the throne. I and my fellow noblemen spend hours determining proposals through which we might be willing to let her have the crown…"
Guldenhorf turned away from Mazarin and pointed at the high table, where the Five Great Families of Tristain had sat throughout the entire negotiation process. Everyone who was there for the original broken-down negotiations a few days ago was there…
"AND SHE DOESN'T EVEN SHOW UP?!"
With one exception. No one currently sat at the Valliere seat, and the lesser nobles angrily muttered amongst themselves in response. At the end of the lower table, Napoleon Bonaparte said nothing. Every now and then, he looked around, but his eyes generally remained closed as he listened to the others talk.
"What accusation are you making, Guldenhorf?" The Gramont elder bristled. "I am sure Lady Valliere has a very important reason not to be attending. In fact, she may just be very late due to some unexpected problem or -"
"Late? This conference was supposed to start almost two hours ago!" One nobleman yelled. "And this is the conference to determine the next ruler of this country! It's to determine whether Karin herself should take the crown. I don't care what reason it is. Even if it is so incredibly important, the least she should do is tell us why rather than making all of us wait for someone who is not coming! This is a complete disgrace and a waste of time to my family and to everyone who sits here today! Do you believe that she possesses at least that much of an obligation to us, Gramont, or are you willing to continue to be her willing lapdog?"
That attack hit hard enough to make even the old Marshall draw back a pace. His face turned red and he stammered slightly, but he said nothing. The Duke of Wardes took the moment to speak.
"Come to think about it," he hissed in his old, deep voice, "Gramont, Walloon. You had no idea that Karin wouldn't show up today either?"
"Well, she may show up yet, so-"
"Oh, come off it, Walloon. It's a simple question." Guldenhorf broke in. "Did Karin even inform you that she wouldn't be here today? Yes or no?"
"…as far as we knew, Lady Valliere would be coming today."
"Which means your answer is no. You see?" Guldenhorf proclaimed as he turned to the hall, "It's that simple. Karin didn't tell her allies. She didn't tell us. She didn't tell Mazarin. She told no one. Absolutely no one at all that she would not be here. For a reason which we know absolutely nothing about. It may be a grave and important reason, but unless she's dead or gravely injured, there is absolutely no reason she can't inform us. Even then, a servant could likely tell us of those news.
This is not a person who can be expected to listen to the demands of the nobility. This is not a person who can be expected to rule with justice, with mercy, and with temperance. This is not a person who we can expect to be the next Queen of Tristain when you consider the power she already wields!"
The room seemed to echo in silence as it absorbed Guldenhorf's proclamations. However, Mazarin cleared his throat and began to reply.
"Well, Guldenhorf. What about the proposal I advanced earlier? The one where the Lady Valliere would not take the throne, but in exchange-"
"Rejected." Guldenhorf flatly stated.
"What?" The cardinal gasped. "But you told me you would have no problem with it!"
"I told you I would consider it. Nothing more. And after consideration with my allies, I personally came to the conclusion that it will fix nothing. Mazarin, a throne where Karin sits behind it and manipulates a puppet like Eleanor or Cattleya is just as dangerous as one where she sits on the throne herself."
"But a Valliere must take the throne!" Gramont shouted. "There is no other way to rule this country. I understand your concerns, Guldenhorf, but Brimir's will dictates that she must rule. What is the alternative, Guldenhorf?"
"My colleagues and I have advanced an alternate proposal." Guldenhorf said as he nodded towards Wardes and then Kundera. "We believe that if Karin would give up approximately three-fourth of Valliere lands and passed it into the hands of select nobles, that would be fine and she could take the throne. Obviously, such a proposal would be dependent on her acceptance, which is why her failure to appear is so outrageous!"
"By 'select nobles', you mean yourself, do you not?" Walloon asked.
"That would be a matter for negotiation." Guldenhorf shrugged. "A proposal like that would be sufficient to prevent tyranny, from my perspective."
"But that's ridiculous!" A lesser noble argued. "Duke Guldenhorf, what Gramont says is correct. You may complain about Valliere tyranny or something like that, but you still have yet to propose a serious alternative. You won't let her take the throne without losing nearly her entire estate? Karin will never accept that, and you know it. It seems to me that you just want to prevent Karin from having the throne, but you have yet to propose an alternate king. Do you suggest you should rule? Because if you do, you should know perfectly well that no one will accept you!"
The hall fell into silence as the nobles waited for Guldenhorf's retort. Guldenhorf looked from one end of the hall to another. Most of them were angry, tired at being dragged out into a conference that the most important figure there had seemingly abandoned. It was clear, more than ever, that most just wanted a fair, just, and equitable solution.
And so Guldenhorf finally made his true proposition.
"If Karin truly shows herself to be an untenable ruler, I would suggest we rule."
"What?"
Walloon rose from his chair, his right hand jingling with the rings and jewelry upon it. But Guldenhorf, with a stare of determination, repeated himself.
"We rule. We, the nobility, can rule the country together. As an oligarchy."
"T-that's ridiculous, Guldenhorf!" Gramont shouted. "An oligarchy? A government must be led by one. One country, one people, one king. That is what our fathers did, and their fathers did before them. Are we to literally lose everything that they worked for just because you won't accept that Karin will be a capable queen?"
"Capable? She is not capable! If she was, she would be here. If she was, she would answer to us and not seek to destroy our privileges which our fathers have fought for! Our fathers never endorsed the monarch of Helgekinia doing whatever he desired!"
"The monarchy is Brimir's gift to the people!"
"That is not true!"
Their faces red and splotchy with anger alike, Guldenhorf, Gramont, and Walloon began to argue and yell at one another. At the same, the other nobles also devolved into a hullabaloo as they quickly took sides on what Guldenhorf had stated. The vast majority seemed to be infuriated by his proposition, but others quickly began to lambast Karin.
"Please, for the love of Brimir, stop!"
Mazarin attempted to shout to quell the arguments, but it proved futile. The loud arguments and angry yells continued. Mazarin looked at the Duke of Wardes to get his aid in quieting the nobles down. Yet while the old man had not joined in the shouting, he had made no move to quell it as he sat in his chair, and an imperceptible grin on his wrinkled face told Mazarin all he needed to know about the Duke's feelings on the brouhaha. Thus, Mazarin glanced over at the one other person in the room who was not participating in the arguments.
General Bonaparte had not said a word throughout the past hour, nor had he even opened his eyes in the past few minutes. Yet even at a distance, Mazarin could tell that he had not actually fallen asleep. Every now and then, he craned his head slightly, as if to better listen to the direction of the arguments.
Out of desperation, Mazarin walked towards the general out of the hope that maybe he could quiet down the overwhelming ruckus. But before he could reach Napoleon, the general's eyes shot open. He glanced down at his hand for a moment and then looked at the table, and then at the continually arguing crowd of nobles.
Then without a word or a hint of farewell, Mazarin watched Napoleon quietly leave the table and slip out of the doors of the palace.
…
About twenty minutes later, a carriage pulled up in front of Napoleon's home. The general got out and rushed into the house. Inside the parlor stood Louise, Matilda and…
"Well, you got here rather quickly, General Bonaparte. Just how did you know that I had arrived?"
The Duchess Karin sat on a chair. Her hand clenched her wand as she glared daggers at Bonaparte.
In response to her question, Napoleon raised his left hand. Even though it currently held nothing, the Gandalfr runes glowed.
"At the end of the day, I am a familiar. This means that I know when Louise believes she is in danger. Combine that with the fact that you weren't at the conference today and it doesn't take a genius to figure out what happened.
At any rate, I thought you told me you wouldn't go after Louise."
Karin looked over at Louise. The younger girl visibly twitched as she received her mother's gaze, but she held her head up high and looked directly back at Karin.
"So, you think you're in danger?" Karin mused.
It was almost as much of a statement as it was a question, and so Louise did not respond. But after a few moments, Karin broke her gaze and looked over at Napoleon.
"I am not here for Louise. She is no longer relevant to me. She is no longer a member of the Vallieres nor is she a noble. She may still be a powerful mage, but that does not concern me."
"So I'm guessing you're here for me, then?"
Karin looked directly at Napoleon. Her gaze was as steely and resolute as normal. But she made no effort to even conceal her trembling hand as it clutched her wand, and Napoleon noticed something on her face. Two long lines that moved from the corner of her eyes down to her cheeks.
"Are those tear tracks-"
With a burst of speed, the Heavy Wind rocketed out of her chair. Even if he had had a weapon in his hand, Napoleon would have never stood a chance. She grabbed him by his neck and slammed him down onto the parlor floor with all of her power.
"Napoleon!"
Louise shrieked and tried to run to him, but Matilda extended an arm to block her way. The young girl, her expression horrified, looked at her servant, but she could tell what Matilda wanted to say.
Do not move. You will be killed.
As Louise moved behind Matilda, Karin kneeled over Napoleon and pointed her wand at his neck.
"Why did you do it?"
Napoleon flopped his hands besides his neck in a gesture of surrender. However, his response gave absolutely no impression that he was even slightly terrified of his position.
"I have no idea what you're talking about."
"YES YOU DO!"
An orb of magic, powerful enough to take off his head, began to glow from Karin's wand.
"For Brimir's sake, I want the truth! Why did you do it? Why did you order her to kill him?"
"'Her?' Are you talking about Louise?"
"You know who! That… that girl, she…she…"
Karin gritted her teeth as she looked at Napoleon. Another tear fell down her cheek as she attempted to regain her composure. However, she finally gave up as she roared her answer.
"That maid who killed my husband! You knew about her, Napoleon! You knew what she had with her! None of the other nobles did! If someone ordered her to kill the Duke of Valliere, it was YOU!"
A body collapsed onto the floor, and both Napoleon and Karin were dimly aware of Matilda bending down to try to revive Louise. However, at this point they only had eyes for each other. One of fury, the other of detached confusion.
"Oh, her." Napoleon calmly stated. "Well, who says I gave her an order? Maybe she decided to do it herself."
"That's ridiculous! I took care of her and her family! Gave her everything she wanted! There is no way she could have even done something like take out my husband, much less be willing to lose everything to do that! So for the last time, why and how did you order her to do that? You had better explain yourself or I will obliterate you from this world, Bonaparte!"
The orb of magic grew even larger. Napoleon could feel the heat of its energy as it singed its cheeks. However, he still remained calm as he responded.
"You really may not want to do this, Karin."
"Oh really?" She coldly responded. "Why not? Do you honestly think that the fact that you have a spot on the Council will protect you? Guldenhorf and Wardes may like you for some reason, but at the end of the day, I'm a noble and you're a commoner, a criminal at that who ordered my husband's death. Those nobles will gripe for some time, but eventually their anger will die down soon enough."
"Well, perhaps that may be true normally, Karin, but I think you may be underestimating just how angry the rest of the entire nobility are at you right now. Even Gramont and Walloon are pretty irritated with what you did today, you know?"
"What?"
"What do you mean 'what'? You apparently negotiated with Mazarin to restart negotiations, only to not show up at the last minute? And your only motivation to do that is to kill me? No one's going to be happy with you after that, especially since their major concern is your inability to keep calm.
Besides, I can tell you Karin, I had nothing to do with that girl. She isn't worth my time."
The orb of magic fizzled away. Karin's face now radiated total confusion as she stepped off of Napoleon. The general did not move from his posture of submission as she began to mutter to herself.
"But that's impossible. I know I…how could he not have…did I actually…"
She then finally looked down at Napoleon.
"Are you telling me they don't know? None of them?"
"Of course not." Napoleon responded. "How could they? I had no idea myself until you told me just now. Do you honestly expect the nobles and me to know about what happened at your estate before you did?"
"But that doesn't make sense! I-"
"Anyways, the point is that as far as Guldenhorf and the others are concerned, you walked out on them again. And even if you do have a very good reason for not attending, they are really angry over how you didn't tell them. Killing me in retaliation, especially when you really have no proof whatsoever that I had anything to do with your husband's death, will not help."
Karin stared daggers at Napoleon in response. She looked around the parlor, which had taken a fair amount of damage from the speed which she had launched herself from her chair, then at Louise, and finally back at Napoleon. At last, she finally stowed her wand back into pocket.
"I don't know how you did it, Bonaparte. But I know you did it. You killed my husband. And when the Vallieres take the throne, the first thing I'll do will be to send you off to the most boring, pathetic place for you to guard and spend the rest of your miserable life.
Anyways, the news will get out eventually, so I'll let you know. I'm going home for a few days. I have to attend to my husband's body, prepare a proper funeral for him and figure out the future of my family. Until I return, I guess negotiations will have to be delayed. I'm sure that you will have no problems with that, General?" She stated with a voice dripping with disgust and sarcasm.
"Of course not." Napoleon said. "I will take care to pray for your husband's soul. And I hope that the negotiations resume as quickly as possible. Neither of us has much time left to do what we believe to be necessary, after all."
"Don't compare me to you." Karin spat. "I am doing what is necessary for this country. You are doing what is necessary for yourself. That will always be the difference between us and that is why I will prevail. Justice is on my side."
With those parting words, Karin left the parlor. As he heard the front door slam, Napoleon calmly got off of the parlor floor and looked over at Louise. The girl had still not recovered from hearing the news of her father.
"Is she all right?" He asked Matilda.
She nodded.
"Her breathing is fine, and her pulse is normal. Just in shock from well, you know…"
"Yeah."
The two remained silent for a moment as they both looked at Louise. But then Napoleon finally began to continue.
"Still, while my back may disagree, I guess I'm glad this confrontation happened. Karin has no reason to go after Louise, and she can't kill me now without angering the rest of the nobles. That means that the only immediate threat is whatever the younger Wardes and Joseph are up to."
Matilda nodded. Her hands rested around Louise's neck as she continued to feel her breathing.
"Should I take up to her bed?"
"That would be a good idea." Napoleon said. "But Matilda, can you stay by her side? She's been through a lot and needs to have someone for her when she wakes up. A shoulder to cry on."
"What about you?"
"There's something I need to deal with right now especially after that confrontation." Napoleon responded. "I will be back shortly."
He reached for his hat and put it on, but then he looked over at Louise. He stared at his partner for a few moments before he walked across the room and tousled her hair.
"Make sure she is all right." He said to Matilda.
Without waiting for a response, he adjusted his hat once more and left his house.
…
The hour had grown late since the conference and his confrontation with Karin. There was serenity in the quietness of the streets, though Napoleon inwardly grumbled to himself as the carriage maneuvered through narrow road after dark alleyway. He had always wanted to reform and rebuild Paris ever since he had ruled it, to create an organized and proper city with wide streets and an end to debilitated and broken-down buildings. But he had never had the time to actually do it, given how much time he had to spend outside of the city and his country.
He leaned forward as the carriage finally reached the street he had been looking for. Halfway down the block lay Giono's print shop. Napoleon exited the carriage and paused for a moment to straighten his uniform before he walked inside.
A few minutes later, he rested in a comfortable chair in front of a roaring fireplace. In a second chair sat Giono. The printer poured a cup of wine and handed it to Napoleon before he poured another for himself.
"I see you've taken some time to improve your living accommodations." Napoleon said as he looked around. "You managed to expand your room and get some new furniture. I'm glad to see you're doing well."
"Oh, it's nothing, Napoleon." Giono laughed. "I can afford a little luxury and a better bed for myself at least, especially for an old man like me. But that's not important. You saw the walls of my shop when you entered, did you not?"
"Well, I noticed that you had been knocking them all down. So you finally decided to expand, then?"
"Well, I do need some more machines in here. Besides, you couldn't have known yet, but I also bought the building across the street. As you pointed out, what good are newspapers and pamphlets if no one can read them? So I intend to create a school for anyone and everyone!"
"For everyone? Really?" Napoleon repeated.
"Well," Giono shrugged. "Anyone and everyone who can pay, that is. I don't have the money to hire teachers and organize classes while the kid's parents contribute nothing. But I know I'm offering rates that are far better than anyone else in this city. As a printer, I understand the importance of education."
He took a moment to quaff his glass before he excitedly pressed on.
"I'm telling you, Napoleon, it's a wonderful cycle. More people learn to read, they buy newspapers and pamphlets which I make. They read them aloud to their friends and family, and now they will want to learn to read too which will make them into more potential customers. And all at the same time, my business expands and people learn about Andre Giono. Even my peak before this was nothing compared to what I can do. And of course the more people know me…"
He smiled at Napoleon. The general also grinned as he completed the sentence for Giono.
"The stronger your intelligence network becomes, as you use sources to write your newspapers."
Napoleon looked over at Giono's right side. The printer sat next to a small wooden table, and on top of it rested a letter.
"So, Giono. Why don't you hand that over to me?"
"Sure thing, Napoleon." Giono laughed. "Have to admit, it's a shame. That Valliere seal really is something fancy."
Napoleon took the letter and turned it around. A wax seal consisting of a pentagram and an inscription remained unbroken.
"I'll admit, I really didn't think you could pull it off." Napoleon observed. "Your network has become quite something, Giono. To be able to get me the news of the Duke's death before even Lady Valliere receives it is truly impressive."
"That said," he continued as he waved the letter. "You really were willing to nick this letter before Mazarin could receive it? That really is courage right there. If they ever figured who got their hands on it, it could be problematic for you."
"Oh, come now, Napoleon." Giono stated. "I know how to cover my tracks. Sure, I had to pay off one or two people to make sure that I received this instead of Mazarin, but they don't even know who they gave this to. And honestly, it was your plan and so far it's working. The nobles are now even angrier that the Lady Valliere did not tell them she would not show up at the negotiations todays without writing to them in advance. Of course, she intended to. She wrote to Mazarin to tell him what had happened to her husband as well as her intention to not attend out of mourning. I just got the letter instead.
Besides, I know what I'm getting myself into, Napoleon. It's for a good cause. I may not know as much as you do and I normally would not care too much who runs this country. But what I do know is that anyone who treats their children like she did to poor Louise does not deserve to run the country anyways. That's some common sense for you."
Napoleon nodded and held up the letter into the firelight. He took a moment to read the inscription on the Valliere seal.
"In doing what we ought we deserve no praise, because it is our duty." He murmured. "Quite a forbidding statement, wouldn't you think?"
"No kidding," Giono snorted. "Guess it suits a person like Lady Valliere perfectly. At any rate, shall we read it? Obviously I have not."
"There's no need. Giono, we both already know what's inside."
Without even opening the letter, Napoleon tossed it into the fire. Giono raised his eyebrow at the gesture, but then he shrugged and sagged a little more into his chair.
"Well, I guess you're right. Still, I'll admit I'm shocked at what happened. So the Duke of Valliere was killed? By a mere maid?"
Giono shook his head at the thought, but then he looked at Napoleon. Napoleon continued to stare into the fire, but his left hand opened and closed continuously. He finally closed it and raised it up a few centimeters, almost as if he was prepared to slam it onto his armrest. But at last, he laid his hand down on his lip.
"That blasted girl." He finally ground out through his teeth. "What the devil is she thinking?"
"I have no idea myself. From what my sources told me, she was ranting about destroying the nobility or something insane like that. Just a crazy girl, nothing more."
"Even if she is just a crazy girl, it's important that a murderer like that should be taken down." Napoleon observed. "Do you think you can get some men to find her? We have to get to her before Karin does. The prestige that she would get from finding her husband's killer would definitely enhance her claim to the throne."
"I'm already on it." Giono stated. "But I haven't asked yet what you want me to do if when she is located? Capture her and bring her before the authorities for a trial?"
"No, kill her on sight. Fact is we're dealing with a mad dog here. They don't get trials."
"That's true, that's true. Definitely don't like Lady Valliere, but as I told you, I don't hate all the nobles. You wipe them all out, this country falls into chaos and we probably get conquered by Germania or Gallia. I don't think it will take that long to hunt her down."
Giono nodded with satisfaction and finished his glass. As the printer poured himself another, Napoleon took the time to think to himself.
He was highly irritated. The nobles would still be angry at Karin for supposedly walking out on them again, but a lot of that anger would be dissipated by sympathy for her in the aftermath of the Duke's death. In a sense, it was probably for the best, as he didn't want to delegitimize Karin too much, but the nobles would also be less likely to listen to a commoner like himself so shortly after one of their peers was murdered by one.
Still, so far he had succeeded in deceiving everyone. Karin ironically accused him of a crime which he had no role in and would have preferred it had not happened, but it appeared that she hadn't realized what he had actually done. It really would not matter anyways if she did figure out the truth. Even if she told the nobles the truth that she had written to Mazarin, few would believe her. Giono's steadily expanding intelligence network was growing more and more powerful, but the old man's naivety and loyalty meant that Napoleon could trust Giono not to sell him out. Siesta had to be killed not because of some stuff about the nobility, but because at this point the girl knew too much. But Giono didn't need to know that. Guldenhorf in his arrogance was being completely led along the nose to the path that Napoleon had prescribed for him.
That didn't mean there were no problems. Karin was still incredibly powerful. Guldenhorf may be the worst kind of fool who thinks that he possesses intelligence when he does not, but the Duke of Wardes was a concern. He was clearly aiming for something even as he let Guldenhorf bluster, but as he was currently an ally, Napoleon had to let him be. And beyond them lurked the threat of Gallia. If Napoleon had to guess, Joseph was probably going to attack Tristain as well, but was waiting for the debate over the Crown to resolve itself before he made his move. Still, Napoleon knew he needed to get ready before he could make Tristain ready to face down that crazy actor king.
And Louise? He had guessed that Karin in her shock and grief would likely confront him alone to avoid noble interference. In order to handle that, he had left Louise behind for exactly that reason so that he could use the Gandalfr runes as a warning system for when Karin appeared. That had been a calculated risk. He predicted that Karin would not desire to speak to her exiled daughter, but if Louise ever realized that Karin did not write that letter to keep her off the battlefield at Saxe-Gotha, that could become a serious danger at this stage. There was also the simple fact that he hadn't quite told the truth to Louise or Giono about his finances. He, after all, was helping out with the funding of the printer's intelligence network, and one could not do that and care for Louise, Matilda and himself on just a general's salary.
Still, most things were generally going to plan. Karin would probably only be gone for a few days. It would largely be up to her decisions if things were to escalate in the right direction, but from everything Napoleon had divined from her personality, it would work. Destiny would make it work.
He tipped back the glass of wine as he congratulated himself. The negotiations would resume in a few days. Until then, he would wait and see what webs the Fates would spin for him now.