Chapter 228: The Perks of a Political Marriage

Compared to Henwell’s gains, the Phoenix family also scores big.

They take over the entire stretch of land westward all the way to the border.

After the war, the duchy grants the Phoenix family two baron titles and five knighthoods as rewards.

Count Jansen places these seven newly minted nobles at key strategic points in the western jurisdiction.

Even if the duchy sends legions to garrison the area years later, their grip on this region will weaken dramatically.

Once family affairs are settled, Count Jansen and his wife rush straight to Peace Haven.

The countess goes to meet Melissa, while Jansen pulls Henwell aside for a private chat.

“Henwell, are you really going to marry this girl? With your current strength, you don’t need to rely on outsiders. If you marry Melissa, that means allying with Count Marcus. And that will brand us as part of the noble alliance.”

Henwell replies, “There’s nothing wrong with that. But, uncle, you’re not quite accurate. We’re not joining the noble alliance; we just establish a certain level of cooperation.”

”Even if we did join, I bet many in the alliance wouldn’t agree. To them, we’re already a behemoth capable of influencing core decisions easily. So instead of joining, they’d rather have us as partners—keeping an eye on each other.”

Henwell pauses, then continues, “Also, when Arius vies for the throne, having the noble alliance’s backing will be a huge boost. Succession struggles aren’t coups—they’re fights within the royal family, where the army is just ‘ballast’.”

”Our job is to make sure Arius has a safe fallback. The real game-changers are those big nobles. We’re too far from Arius’s Yosui City and from the duchy’s political hub, Silver Peak City. Fabio, you, and I—we’re military men.”

”Our political sway is nowhere near that of the old noble houses. So if Count Marcus can lend some support to Arius, that’ll be a massive help in the succession battle.”

Count Jansen fully grasps Henwell’s point. Right now, every faction in the duchy backs its own prince.

In the northern borderlands, Count Ronald supports the second prince, Anthony.

Southeast’s noble, Count Quinns, throws weight behind the third prince, Christo.

Up northwest, Count Obiken originally backed the eldest prince, Hunter.

But then, Hunter dies under mysterious circumstances.

Obiken shifts his support to the fourth prince, Jonathan—but that kid’s a disappointment.

Not only did he piss off Henwell right away, but he also botched the Iron Wall defense, fleeing and nearly costing Fabio his life. This infuriates Grand Duke Amir.

Since then, Jonathan’s basically been sidelined in the succession race.

Obiken’s still on the fence, and switching support just would be little more than icing on the cake—offering limited benefit to his family.

Thankfully, thanks to Henwell, Fabio and Arius have connected, and their relationship isn’t bad.

This makes Obiken hesitate and start probing whether to back Arius instead.

With the war over, the Phoenix family grows stronger.

If the duchy ever transforms into a kingdom, Jansen could very well earn the marquisate guarding the border.

Plus, Peace Haven’s stunning performance has caught the attention of all powerful factions, who are now seriously eyeing Arius as a contender.

Compared to the other two princes, Arius’s biggest weakness is his lack of royal faction support.

Previously, because of Jansen’s loyalty to the Grand Duke, the Phoenix family didn’t have solid connections among most nobles.

In this scenario, if Counts Obiken and Marcus back Arius, it instantly fills that gap in Arius’s network and makes him have the powerful ally in the royal council.

By then, with army, wealth, connections, and reputation all in place, Arius will have a much easier time securing the heir’s position.

Once Arius ascends the throne, it’ll be a huge boon for both Peace Haven and the Phoenix family.

At least they won’t have to worry about internal scheming from Vorry.

Henwell will also adjust his plans accordingly, focusing on Ogiro to seize more land and population.

Count Jansen, whether out of personal affection or family interest, leans heavily toward Arius becoming king.

Thinking it over, Count Jansen nods lightly. “Alright then! In that case, marrying into the MacLeod family isn’t a bad choice at all.”

Then, with a hopeful look, he turns to Henwell. “But I gotta ask—why not marry within our own family? Elisa’s already sixteen, she’s grown into a beauty, and she looks up to you. Haven’t you thought about her?”

Henwell rolls his eyes. “That’s my sister! How the hell could I marry her?”

Jansen shoots back, “Why not? You’re part of the family, sure, but you don’t share Phoenix blood. Marrying Elisa would make managing the family easier for you down the line. What’s wrong with that?”

Wrong? Hell yes, it’s wrong!

Marrying a minor is a crime!

Even if it doesn’t get you locked up, Henwell’s not some creep with a thing for kids. He prefers an adult bride.

Besides, late marriages like Henwell’s are rare among the kingdom’s nobles.

And honestly, he doesn’t see Elisa as anything but a little sister—no way he could go through with it.

Seeing Henwell’s firm stance, Jansen can only leave with a look of regret.

Since Henwell’s supposed to have no family, Jansen, as his uncle, naturally steps into the role of his kin.

The engagement ceremony is set for just before the Midsummer Festival.

Henwell can’t shake the feeling that this damn Midsummer Festival is cursed.

Something big always happens around that time, and then makes him uneasy.

He locks himself in a dark study, carefully going over anyone who might want to stir up trouble.

His big day can’t go sideways!

If there’s a suspect, Henwell’s ready to deal with him personally and nip any trouble in the bud.

Luckily, after some digging, no idiots seem interested in making some troubles right now.

A month later, Henwell rides with Count Jansen’s entourage toward the Phoenix family’s castle near Silver Peak City.

His engagement ceremony will be held there.

But halfway through the journey, he gets bombshell news.

Grand Duke Amir has set the coronation date—just three days before Henwell’s engagement.

Fuck!

Henwell immediately sends word back to Peace Haven, summoning his Lord Iron Guards.

He’s not taking any chances—won’t let some shitstorm ruin his engagement party.