Chapter 77: Eris' Arrival
Eris rode up to Castle Concord, accompanied by her hussars, with a warm smile on her face. Unlike most times she smiled, this carried over to the girl's eyes. There was some nervousness about her. However, Eris was overall very happy. After all, soon she would be married to her beloved Armand.
On her way there, Eris noticed that another group was arriving as well, even if they were fairly far away. She recognized the banner as that of House Staufer. The girl put her finger to her chin.
"Ah, Marshal Staufer made wonderful time. Perhaps I should stop after showing up and greet him? No, that's Count Concord's job. I must see Armand as soon as I can," Eris thought.
When the girl dismounted at Castle Concord's gates, the Count and Countess were waiting for her. Eris curtsied to them while making sure to have a friendly attitude.
"Hello, Count Concord, Countess Concord...or perhaps I should call you Father and Mother now?" she asked.
"There is no need for that, Lady Eris," Countess Concord answered. "Your birth parents are already here, after all. Addressing us as your parents would just confuse things."
Eris nodded.
"Oh, of course. I understand," the girl said.
"I'm not surprised that I don't have your full acceptance yet. Well, no matter. As long as they don't interfere with Armand and I, I do not need their full acceptance," she thought.
Then, Eris clasped her hands together.
"Perhaps my future in-laws would like to see the gift I got for them?"
Count Concord raised an eyebrow. Suspicion flickered on his face.
"A gift? The bride does not usually give anything to her parents-in-law," he noted.
Countess Concord pressed a hand to her chin. A grimace crossed her face.
"What sort of gift is this?" she asked.
"The best kind," Eris answered.
Snapping her fingers, the Hapsburg girl sent out a signal. One of her hussars walked over and gave her a wooden box. Eris took the item before presenting it to Count Concord.
"Do you want to open it yourself, or would you rather I open it? I understand if you're worried that I somehow trapped or poisoned the box," she questioned.
"Open it," Count Concord ordered with untrusting eyes.
Eris grabbed the lid before pulling it back without any hesitation. It was so sudden that the Count and Countess Concord flinched away. Yet, nothing came out. When the two looked, they saw a human skull inside the box.
"This is the head of a rebel who defied the natural order of the world. I hope it assures you that I am fully capable of defending House Concord from insideous infiltrators," the Hapsburg girl explained.
"It gives us some assurances," Count Concord admitted.
He leaned down to take the box. As the count did, Eris moved close to his ear. Her smile turned sadistic for a brief moment before returning to normal. A whisper came from her mouth.
"This is also you if you betray Armand or me."
Count Concord stopped dead in his tracks. He hushed back.
"Did you just threaten to kill me?"
"That depends on whether you're planning on betraying Armand or me," Eris explained quietly. "If you are not, it is a threat. If you are, it is a promise."
A smile crossed Count Concord's face.
"Well, I see that Armand has very good taste in women," he said.
The man pulled back. Giving Eris a respectful nod, Count Concord turned to the castle and started walking. His wife joined him.
"Follow us, Lady Eris. Your room has been prepared, and I am certain you are tired after your journey here," Count Concord stated.
Eris moved to walk alongside, rather than follow behind, the two of them. It was a deliberate power play.
"Do not worry, Count Concord. I am still familiar with this castle, despite not having been here for years. I do not need an escort. Besides, I am not tired in the slightest. My love of Armand kept me full of energy," she placed a hand to her chest as she spoke.
Then, Eris turned her smirk ever so slightly smug.
"Speaking of my fiancé, where is he? And where are my parents? It has been so long since I've seen any of them," the Hapsburg girl said.
"My son is talking to your parents in the solar. They get along far more than I would have thought. I presume you have something to do with this?" Count Concord asked.
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Eris shrugged.
"Nothing of the sort," she lied. "Armand is far more charismatic than you think."
Countess Concord scoffed.
"My husband is Armand's father. He knows exactly how charismatic our son is," she declared.
Eris gave her an expression that read: I don't believe you.
"I suppose he might," the girl said. "Assuming he knows Armand as well as he thinks."
Count Concord raised an eyebrow. Rather than angry, he seemed incredibly intrigued.
"Are you saying that I do not know my own son as well as you do?" he asked.
"Of course, I am. I've known Armand longer than you possibly could," Eris thought.
She shrugged before giving Count Concord a slight smirk.
"There are some things that a man can only tell his beloved. I am certain you have learned that long ago, my future father-in-law," Eris stated.
The Hapsburg girl stopped next to a spiral staircase. She curtsied to the Count and Countess, the warm smile returning to her face. Inside, Eris' excitement was growing.
"That is the path to the solar," she said. "I must be off to meet my fiancé now. I bid you goodbye for now."
"And you won't need someone to show you to your sleeping quarters?" Countess Concord asked.
Eris gave her a nod.
"Thank you for your concern, soon-to-be mother-in-law, but I spent some time here before. I made sure to memorize Castle Concord's exact layout. Someday, I will be the lady of this place, after all," the Hapsburg said.
After that, she turned and started making her way up the stairs. The girl was soon on the second floor of the castle. Eris made her way to the solar with swiftness.
Eris knocked on the door. Her mother's voice came through it.
"Come on inside."
Doing was requested, Eris saw Armand talking to her parents, just as the other Concords said he would be.
"Mother, Father, Armand," Eris curtsied. "It is so very good to see you all again."
Count Hapsburg gave her a warm smile. The Countess did the same. While Armand grinned, there were hints of wariness in his eyes, something Eris had fully expected.
"It has been a while, hasn't it, Eris?" Count Hapsburg said. "Come on in and have a seat. We were discussing certain matters with your fiancé."
Eris walked over to the bench Armand was on. She sat down right next to him.
"I would be happy to join in," Eris stated.
"Good. These affairs concern you as much as your parents," Armand replied.
"A matter of defense?" she guessed.
Eris' parents beamed with pride.
"Excellent guess," Count Hapsburg grinned. "It is entirely correct."
Armand nodded before speaking up.
"After our marriage, Eris, House Concord, and your branch of House Hapsburg will effectively be joined. Those territories border each other, while our other estates are further away. If we can make a strong defense for the core territories, we can focus more on the estates we acquired through battle."
"Eris, I'm sure you know what this means: I am very concerned that we'll be attacked," he thought.
Looking at her fiancé, an idea formed in Eris' head.
"Armand must be worried about the disasters. Or outside houses. A very pressing concern. But there is something else that I am worried about: a certain future brother-in-law, who will be a massive internal threat. A shame that I can't bring that up in front of my parents. That might make Armand look weak. But perhaps I can address it in some other way?" she pondered before speaking. "Defending from external threats is well and good. However, we must also worry about internal threats. Mother, Father, you know how my cousin betrayed us. What if it happens again? What if it comes from someone in House Concord? Then, if Armand and my forces are needed, external defenses may be to our disadvantage. Unless we plan ahead for potential betrayal."
Armand gave her a nod.
"As expected, Eris, you are thinking ahead. I have a few plans worked into these defenses in case of internal betrayal, including possible expansion to connect our ancestral homes to our other estates," he said.
The boy reached to a table and grabbed several sheets of paper. Armand handed them to Eris.
"Your parents already got a good look at this. Inspect it as much as you wish," Armand stated.
As his fiancée did as such, Count and Countess Hapsburg looked in with a degree of interest. Fascination was mixed in with it.
"Well, it's good to see that you two are still working well together," Countess Hapsburg said. "That will help you greatly in your years of marriage."
Her husband nodded.
"Yes. Armand is smart, so you two will probably live into your late 30s, possibly even your 40s. For nobles, that's a lot of time to spend together," he added.
The Concord boy gave him a smile.
"I intend to live for far longer than that, if I can," he spoke before thinking. "And it isn't my life that I'm worried about. It's my potential eternity of unlife. Can I still keep my humanity after I become a strigoi? And what about Eris? If she becomes one, too, will she even try?"
"That's the spirit, Armand!" Count Hapsburg cheered him on.
Then, his expression turned dead serious.
"As for me, I do not know how much time I have left. I feel like enemies are closing in from all sides..." he stated. "And I have no idea from where."
Eris looked up from her books. A clenching feeling moved into her heart. Count Hapsburg sighed and shook his head.
"A part of me wants to flee from Foldzar. The way we handle politics here...it isn't natural. Nobles live about 10 years longer than commoners in every other kingdom. We can afford better medicine and food than they can, so even if it's a shame, it is only natural. But Foldzar is so dangerous that commoners live almost twice as long as we do. Old nobles are rare for all the wrong reasons," the count said.
"More than anywhere else, the nobility of Foldzar pay the price for their power," Armand remarked with grimness.
Eris spoke up.
"Father, you and Mother could retire and move to some estate overseas. Armand and I could handle the estate for you."
Count Hapsburg shook his head.
"I'm afraid we cannot do that just yet, Eris. You and Armand are intelligent, far more than a young adult like you should be, but you're still young," he said.
His wife nodded.
"Trusting the ancestral estate to you before you build up some more experience would be unwise," she added.
"Don't misunderstand me. From what we can tell, you've done a great job of managing your holdings. However, our family's ancestral estates are the most important lands we have," Count Hapsburg clarified.
"Then, you could retire in a few years?" Eris suggested.
"If we live that long, maybe," her father said.
Inside, Eris felt her heart crinkle. Armand noticed the change in her demeanor. He felt a pang of sympathy for his fiancée.
"Why do I feel sorry for...I should stop thinking about that. I love Eris, that's why. And I will not give up on redeeming her. And I won't give up on letting her parents die of old age," Armand thought.
Determination flowed through him.
"Well, then, my future in-laws," the boy spoke up. "We'll just have to prove we can handle our ancestral estates before someone kills you."