EP.198
The dining room of the imperial palace three months after the war ended.
A large dining table with all kinds of luxurious and expensive furniture and decorations and dozens of plates of food that would cost at least a few gold pieces.
I have the honor of dining alone with His Majesty the Emperor here.
Therefore, I was very proud of myself for having made it this far, but on the other hand, I felt burdened by having a meal with the highest person in the empire.
I had no taste at all whether the food in front of me was salty or sweet.
“Haha eat a lot. Since you are coming, I told you to prepare the food with special care, so don’t hesitate and eat it.”
… No, to be honest, His Majesty’s favor is so heavy that I feel like I’m going to pretend.
I just don’t need it all and I really miss the meals prepared by Charlotte or the chef at my mansion.
“Your Majesty, I don’t know what to do when you treat me to such good food.”
“Would it be a waste to treat you like this, a treasure of the empire? “Don’t hesitate and eat it.”
“I feel like I’m already full just from saying that.”
We continued to talk in this manner, with only formality but no content, and ate with His Majesty for almost an hour, or almost two hours thanks to the dinner course.
In the meantime, I heard in detail about His Majesty’s life at my age, what he studied, and what he carefully looked into when raising His Highness the Crown Prince.
Even when talking about married life, he gave me stern advice with a very serious expression.
I think the reason he gave me advice was out of respect for His Majesty, who is already in his mid to late 50s and I am only 28 years old.
“It’s great to be able to have a meal with you like this. Then, let’s have a cup of tea and talk about the rest. Mr. Butler, I would like two cups of strong tea. And you can step aside for a moment.”
Then, as the head butler placed two cups of very fragrant tea, dozens of servants in the dining room, excluding the head butler, left at once.
“First of all, I sincerely thank you, Lieutenant General Jaeger, for your performance in this battle against Austria. Thanks to that, Michael was able to completely regain his political standing.”
“I just did what I had to do. And the reason I was able to win this battle was because His Majesty completely trusted me despite my shortcomings, and because His Majesty the Crown Prince fought bravely against the enemy knights.”
“Thank you for saying that. Your presence in the Reich Empire is clearly Deus’ blessing. So, I need to increase my offering in gratitude for His grace. By the way, have you heard anything about the exploits of this expedition?”
Usually, at the level of a general, you can receive roughly detailed information from the personnel department before the merits and demerits are officially announced.
However, this time, perhaps because it was an expedition personally led by His Royal Highness the Crown Prince, His Majesty gave an order not to reveal the details of his work until the triumphal ceremony, so I know nothing about it.
“I haven’t heard anything.”
“I guess so. The crown prince issued an edict to announce them all at once after the triumphal ceremony. But what do we have? Isn’t it between me and you? There is no need to hide certain things from each other.”
… I am not a civil servant or administrator, so I have never been involved in a direct political fight, but I know this proverb.
‘Be careful when a big politician reveals intimate feelings by asking what kind of relationship we have. ‘I don’t know what might happen.’
Following those instructions, I came to my senses a little more and answered.
“I’m embarrassed that you treat me so highly despite my shortcomings.”
“Too much humility is a sin. If it weren’t for you, Michael could have been deprived of his right to succeed as emperor by now. And it’s just you and me here, but if there were other ministers, how much would my stomach hurt?”
“Then I will live with pride as long as I do not become too arrogant.”
The emperor nodded and said, as if he liked what I said.
“But I think I must tell you some sad news. Are you ready to listen?”
“Whatever orders you give, I will gladly accept them.”
“Due to your achievements in this expedition to western and northern Austria, six captains belonging to the Chief of Staff have sent you letters of recommendation for promotion to captain. But the Noble Council opposes your promotion. So, I couldn’t help but give permission for promotion.”
Originally, to be promoted to captain, you would need a letter of recommendation from an active-duty marshal and letters of recommendation from at least five active-duty captains to be eligible for the promotion review.
My father-in-law is my enemy, so letters of recommendation from six captains were posted instead.
And I think the reason they wrote my promotion recommendation letter was because they recognized my ability and at the same time, I received the Twin Dragon Medal, so I should get promoted quickly.
Well, to be honest, there is bound to be a limit to being promoted to captain with a major of this level after several years of service and overcoming various obstacles…
This time, I have to be satisfied with just receiving letters of recommendation from six active captains, which is the first gateway to promotion. I guess.
“Is that so, Your Majesty?”
When I answered this, the emperor sighed and asked again.
“However, the Non-Gongong Award has not been officially announced yet. So, if you wish, I will grant you permission to be promoted to captain. There may be some opposition, but as an aristocrat of the Empire, there is no one who can deny Lieutenant General Peter Yeager’s abilities and achievements, so it will soon be resolved.”
… To be honest, it’s not that I’m not interested in the position of captain, who can lead tens of thousands of troops and directly command the war.
If you eat too quickly, you will feel bad, and if you pursue your career too quickly, you will become quiet.
So, if I can hold on to my military achievements so far as a shield, I may not have any problems with being promoted to captain, but the backlash may go to His Majesty the Crown Prince.
“I am only 28 now. I am quite satisfied with the fact that I have reached the rank of lieutenant general at this age. However, I would like you to generously reward the 7th Guards Division under my command and the soldiers who fought bravely this time. Doing so will clearly demonstrate His Majesty’s grace and His Royal Highness’s generosity.”
“Honestly, with your abilities, I don’t think there would be any problem if I were to be the leader. Please come up slowly. Instead, let me ask you something.”
“Ask me anything.”
After a while, His Majesty asked in a serious voice.
“You used to see Louise often before your deployment. Why did you visit her so often?”
When I heard this story, I had a definite uneasy feeling in my head, although I don’t know why.
To be precise, when His Majesty asked that question.
No matter how much I was trusted by Her Majesty, I wondered if Her Majesty’s frequent visits as part of official duties at Her Highness’s request had offended Her Majesty.
Of course, when I visited Her Majesty, the report would have gone to Her Majesty, and because of that, she has never pointed this out until now.
“I am very grateful that Her Majesty the Princess has shown great interest in the 7th Guards Division. So, whenever I stopped by the capital, they asked me to tell them about the division’s training situation or interesting anecdotes, so I followed orders and visited them in person whenever I had time.”
“It was like that. So, I think he took the time to read books related to military science in order to understand at least a little bit about the 7th Guards Division.”
“I couldn’t bear to tell you, but the reason why the morale of the 7th Division was so high was that Her Highness the Princess paid special attention to us. “He spent his own money and gave us things like alcohol and meat, so all the soldiers went to training with a spark in their eyes.”
Thanks to that, when planning the training schedule, I made sure to schedule the most difficult training on the day after Her Majesty Louise personally gave the reward.
The soldiers persevered until the end even in situations where they would have fallen behind at any other time.
“Then I guess you also have quite a bit of fondness for that child.”
“I respect you from the bottom of my heart. “I plan to repay the favor to His Highness the Crown Prince and do my best to repay Her Majesty the Princess.”
“I see, it’s really nice to see. “But there’s a problem here.”
… At that moment, His Majesty’s face hardened a little and he asked in a heavy voice, as if telling him to strengthen his resolve.
“No, they say it’s because of official duties, but there are rumors going around inside and outside the imperial palace that Louise often has friendly conversations with a handsome and capable man who is only 28 years old. “You have to take responsibility, right?”
…… Oh shit. Her Royal Highness Princess Louise is a very nice person, but it is already decided that I will have a new father-in-law.
See next episode
