The Viscountess is Clever [Romance/Kingdom Building]

“The Libert House has shown zero economic or political activity for this entire past year! Any outsider looking in could see something suspicious was going on. How on earth have we been so utterly blind to it?!” the bald man, Lord Edward, voiced loudly to the elderly Lady Frederica as they sat opposite each other.

The other vassal lords of the Council gathered around the tavern tables, looking on with expressions of deep frustration and sudden realization.

“It is as clear as day now: Jeckson Libert is the mole who has been feeding Lord Miller information on our every move,” Lady Frederica sighed, taking a quiet sip from her glass. “It’s no wonder His Lordship was always three steps ahead of us ever since Lord Libert joined.”

“What frustrates me even more is that if it weren't for this letter left behind for me by Lord Ivan right before his departure, we would have never even thought to look into this!” Lord Edward chugged a large glass of ale and slammed it down onto the wooden table with a heavy thud. “Not only that, but we already approved Her Ladyship’s position as Vice Head under immense pressure, so we hold zero upper hand now!”

“According to Lord Ivan's letter, Lord Miller has been secretly developing something in the caves, certainly a project intended to help bypass the trade embargo,” one of the younger council members interjected cautiously. “That must be why Lord Ivan’s squire was investigating there in the first place! What if we uncover what that project is and force our way into a share of it? We are already facing a dissolution trial... If Lord Miller succeeds in this project without our backing, our Council will be completely dissolved for good!”

Lady Frederica merely scoffed, taking a small bite from her snack. “That isn't going to happen so easily. This is merely the first draft request, and with His Imperial Majesty himself being openly hostile toward Lord Miller, there is no way the dissolution petition will get approved on the first attempt.”

“Even so, we must tread carefully, Lady Frederica,” Lord Edward cautioned, scratching his head nervously. “The Warden of the North, Duke Goldance, strongly sides with Lord Miller and the Third Prince. He might very well grant his official ducal signature, which means the threat to our seats is still very real.”

“Then let us use Lord Miller's illegal spying against us as an excuse to file a formal counter-petition to halt the dissolution trial!” Lady Frederica instantly replied, letting out a small hiccup. “I mean, that must be precisely what Lord Ivan was hoping we would do, right? Why else would he have delivered that letter to us right as he left?”

Everyone in the room nodded in eager agreement.

Lord Edward smiled, a sinister glint returning to his eyes. “You make a brilliant point, Lady Frederica... We actually have a real fighting chance to regain our position!”

Chuckling as he looked out the window toward the gentle snowflakes that had started to fall outside, he called out to the tavern staff, “Get everyone in here another round of drinks! It's on me! We have a victory to celebrate tonight!”

The Chapel Courtyard, Ironwood Viscounty

Bawk! Bawk-bawk-BAWK!~

A chaotic, lively sea of chicken noises echoed across the courtyard as Francesca and Stella descended from their carriage. The construction for the grand coop was nearly completed, and Gino, the builder, was already waiting for them near the entrance.

“Is it already operational? I was genuinely expecting it to take a few more weeks,” Francesca asked, looking up at the towering wooden structure in awe.

True to the Julian design they had rigorously planned, it was a massive, multi-tiered timber fortress elevated off the freezing dirt to protect the flock from the ground frost. The sloped roofs were sharply angled to effortlessly shed heavy snowfall, while the thick, interlocking wooden frames were distinctly sectioned. Rows of external hinged hatches lined the outer walls for easy, undisturbed egg collection, and heavy canvas tarps were already rolled down over the ventilation grates to trap the warmth inside from the heat of the nestfuel.

“It’s not entirely complete just yet, Your Ladyship. But since the core idea was for it to be strictly modular… built in interlocking sections so it can be rearranged or expanded easily without tearing down walls, we decided to start bringing the chickens into the finished sectors,” Gino replied, gesturing proudly toward the completed wings of the structure.

In the distance, the head of the association and several local members stood around, overseeing the chaotic transfer of the birds.

“Hmm... What about the communal kitchen tents we were supposed to have set up alongside it to feed the locals?” Francesca asked, her golden eyes scanning the busy courtyard to find them.

“Oh, those! Let me go check up on that specific team and report back to you, Your Ladyship... It won’t take much time at all,” Gino promised, immediately turning and rushing off toward the far side of the construction site.

Gripping her cane a bit tighter, Francesca looked up as a cold speck landed on her cheek. She noticed the white flurries beginning to drift down from the grey sky.

“Is... is this the Winter Freeze?” she asked softly.

Stella, holding gently onto her arm, looked up at the sky and nodded. “This is just the very beginning of it. The snowfall will get a lot heavier soon enough.” With a quiet sigh, she looked back at the bustling coop and added, “In fact, it actually arrived a bit later than usual this year.”

Crunch... Clop-clop...

The sudden, heavy sound of carriage wheels crushing the frosty dirt and horse hooves approaching made them both turn toward the courtyard entrance.

“Miller?” Francesca gulped, her heart giving a sudden jolt. “I thought he was out at Melony Lake checking up on the cable cart progress...”

Stella gave Francesca a sharp, encouraging nudge in the ribs. “This is a good thing! Now you can finally talk it out, right? You were looking for an excuse to see him anyway, my lady” she whispered quickly.

Miller stepped out of the carriage. His crimson hair caught the pale winter light, shining with a fiery contrast against the falling white snow. He didn’t waste a single second upon spotting Francesca; he walked briskly right over to where she stood.

Stopping just a few feet in front of her, both of them froze, trapped in a thick, awkward silence for several agonizing seconds as they stared at one another.

Whoosh...

A sudden, freezing winter breeze swept past them, rustling their coats.Breaking the silence, they both opened their mouths and spoke in perfect unison:

“Ah... Can we talk...?”

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