Hohenfels

Chapter 36

“I see you have taken steps to… consolidate your reputation, ‘dearest cousin’,” Matthias said with no small amount of venom. Annoyance. Exasperation.

“I found myself in a rather unfortunate position thanks to an unexpected duel, ‘dearest cousin’,” Arne replied in the same manner. “I had no choice but to… clarify boundaries.”

The two young men fixed each other with unamused stares for half a minute, until Matthias broke eye contact and slumped into his armchair with a sigh. His exhaustion was terribly obvious, despite his attempts at covering up the dark circles underneath his eyes. The usual joviality was gone, eroded by piled-up stress from silkling antics.

“What are we even doing? We have so many other important things to worry about.” Resignation.

Arne couldn’t help but agree, despite his frustration with the Falkenstein prince’s maneuvering. “Has Ludwig given you any trouble?”

“Not yet, and he’s the least of our problems” Matthias replied wearily. “I’m much more concerned with whatever schemes Maximilian is cooking up. On top of that, Charlotte showed up with the worst possible timing.”

“Have you met her before?”

“Twice, at Tannburg castle. Her body is frail, but her mind is as sharp as Elenor’s.” He paused for a heartbeat, then hastily added, “Don’t tell her I said that.”

“I won’t,” Arne chuckled. “Do you think Charlotte will try anything?”

Arne briefly considered mentioning Katharina’s possible connection to the Princess, but decided against it. While Matthias was an important ally, his propensity for unilateral decisions made him dangerous to work with. ‘Though the same applies to me, I suppose.’

“How likely is she to support Maximilian, and to what degree?”

Matthias hummed thoughtfully. “That’s a difficult question. Schwarzwald stands behind the Emperor, but I would describe their loyalty as ‘conditional’.”

“...Is that not true for Sonnenfeld as well?”

“Not to the same degree. From among the Western duchies, Schwarzwald is the one most likely to work with us. Not likely, mind – just the most likely.”

“Best not to antagonize the Princess, then,” Arne mused. “I’d rather not make more enemies, anyway.”

“I would very much appreciate that,” Matthias quipped dryly.

“How is Princess Maria doing lately?” Arne asked, ignoring the jab.

“She found a comfortable spot atop the fence and is watching everything unfold with great interest.” Derision.

Arne snorted. “A time-honored tradition in Greifenau, it seems.”

“Quite so.”

Silence fell upon the lounge as both young men fell into contemplation. Arne’s thoughts were only occasionally interrupted by spikes of stress from Matthias’ aura.

There were few clear objectives to accomplish, for now. Making contact with Princess Charlotte, having a private conversation with Princess Maria, and finding friends among the Northerners. And then, there was Princess Klara – someone who clearly was on Matthias’ mind as well.

“Do you think you can keep Friedrich away from the Eisengrund girl?” Frustration.

“I’m keeping him out of the arena. That should suffice, unless they happen to run into each other during a lecture.”

Matthias sighed deeply. “I don’t understand why you allow that buffoon so much freedom.” Disdain.

Hot anger sparked in Arne’s chest. “I suggest you choose your words more carefully in the future,” he growled.

“My sincere apologies,” Matthias said placatingly, his aura contorting in shock and worry. He sat up straighter, then doubled down. “I admit I worded that very poorly. But my point stands.”

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Arne raised his eyebrows, but waited for the other man to continue.

“Friedrich caused two major incidents now, both of which could have caused a severe conflict between Eisengrund and Hohenfels.”

“Don’t put the blame on him alone,” Arne spat. “Nothing would have happened were it not for Klara’s insults. She laid the foundation for everything on the very day we arrived at the academy!”

“Klara is hostile, dangerous, and prone to erratic behavior – I won’t argue against that. Everyone knows just how bad she is. It’s why she has no allies, or God forbid, friends. In the eyes of many of our fellow students, Friedrich is a hero for ‘putting her in her place’. But none of this matters!”

“Oh?” Arne did his best to restrain his anger. Matthias had a point, after all – but he would not tolerate another insult towards his cousin.

“Let her scream insults into the void. She isn’t taken seriously anyway. Most students treat her like a wild animal, and try to keep their distance. She is impossible to control. But do you know what you can control?”

“...”

“You see my point, don’t you?” Exasperation. Frustration. Worry.

Despite his misgivings, Arne did.

= = = = =

“Lady Katharina? Her Highness will receive you now,” the young lady-in-waiting told Katharina with the most neutral expression she had ever seen. With a shallow nod, Katharina rose from the couch in the visitor’s salon at Schwarzwald Hall and let the girl lead the way to Princess Charlotte’s suite.

House Tannburg’s dorm was almost austere in comparison to Sonnenfeld Hall, but still a great deal more classy than Eisengrund’s stark architecture or Hohenfels’ anachronism. Instead of the gaudy yellows and reds dominating the other two Western dorms, Tannburg favored darker, calmer blues and greens. The atmosphere seemed more subdued, though that was also owed to the dorm’s smaller size and fewer inhabitants.

Another lady-in-waiting politely shepherded Katharina into the suite’s salon, where she found the frail figure of Charlotte von Tannburg propped up in an armchair. The Princess had her black hair tied up in a simple knot, and her sunken cheeks were devoid of makeup. Still, her gray eyes seemed sharp enough to cut through steel.

“Lady Katharina,” she greeted in a soft, melodic voice. “Please, take a seat.”

Katharina curtsied as elegantly as she could, and claimed a soft armchair for herself. “Thank you for receiving me so early in the day, Your Highness.”

“Think nothing of it. It is almost noon, after all – back home, I would have gotten three visits by our head physician by now,” the Princess smiled, adding, “He nearly had a heart attack when I announced my intention to travel to the academy.”

There it was – an invitation to ask how Charlotte’s journey went, to keep the dialogue going. Katharina had almost forgotten how easy it was to talk with someone trained in the art of conversation, compared to Eastern warriors or the gossiping lower noblewomen of the embroidery circle.

“I hope your journey was comfortable, Your Highness?”

“As comfortable as can be,” Charlotte waved her off with a bony hand. “Traveling is rarely enjoyable, but Father went to great lengths to procure the best carriages money can buy so as not to endanger my fragile constitution.”

Katharina herself did not particularly dislike traveling. It gave her a lot of time to lose herself in books instead of suffering her mother’s unceasing lessons. However, she was also in the fortunate position of being in excellent health.

“They are impressive indeed, Your Highness. Half the academy gathered at the plaza when you arrived.”

The Princess giggled softly. “Yes, that was quite the experience. I felt like a guest of honor! Do you believe it made up for my absence at the entrance ceremony?”

“I would say so,” Katharina smiled. “You stood out quite splendidly that evening.”

“I wish I could have stepped out of the carriage for a minute, to say a word or two,” Charlotte sighed wistfully. “But alas, I had no choice but to remain inside. Still, I got a good look at the crowd through the window! And I believe I even saw you, if only briefly!”

“Oh, is that so?” Katharina had met Princess Charlotte multiple times in the past, but she would not have expected to be recognized among a crowd, and especially not at dusk.

“Indeed! Though I admit that it was not much of a feat. Rather, the young lord next to you seemed like a tree amidst shrubbery.”

‘...Of course, that’s why,’ Katharina thought, worry worming its way into her heart. Princess Charlotte had undoubtedly steered the conversation here on purpose.

“Yes, Prince Arnold tends to stand out,” she replied with joviality she did not feel.

“‘Prince’?” Charlotte asked with raised eyebrows. “Hohenfels is serious about becoming a duchy, then?”

“Quite so, Your Highness. Prince Arnold has put considerable effort into making that known.”

“Fascinating,” the Princess mused. “Might I trouble you to convey my greetings and an invitation to him? I would very much like to make his acquaintance.”

Katharina suppressed the urge to swallow hard. “That is no trouble whatsoever, Your Highness.”

“Thank you,” Charlotte beamed, then lowered her voice into a conspiratorial tone. “Say – I heard that he may be engaged to Princess Klara. Is there any truth to that?”

‘Composure is strength.’

“It is not, Your Highness. Those were merely rumors, born from some manner of misunderstanding.”

“I see. So he remains uncommitted…?”

“...As far as I’m aware, that is the case.”

“Well, isn’t that interesting,” Charlotte hummed. “As fate would have it, I find myself in the selfsame position.”

Katharina felt her entire body tense up, and her stomach turned into a dark pit. Only her mother’s extensive training kept the conversational smile on her face.

‘Damn it all.’