Chapter 65: On The Road Again

The Luxenberg party had been away from Hannover for 3 months and a week. Victor was ready to scrap the rest of the trip and return home immediately after the hellish visit to the Maldenberg family, yet he could not afford to do so. Victor and his party for the next month and 3 weeks visit the 3 dukedoms that were allied to the Grand Duchy of Maldenberg. 

While travelling to the dukedoms Victor and Marshal Bessières could not get the images of death and depravity out of their mind. What they had witnessed was disgusting and they could only watch in horror. If they tried to stop it or confront the Maldenberg family about those atrocities their safety would be compromised. 

Marshal Bessières in particular was struggling. He was always perceived as a kind man who treated his soldiers well and his prisoners in a humane way. For him to sit idle at the inhumane and disgusting events that prisoners were forced to perform in, made him ashamed.

Throughout their journey through the 3 dukedoms, Victor made a strong effort to comfort and consul his elite guard commander. Since Marshal Bessières had joined his ranks the 2 had become good friends, they were alike in terms of their kindness and how they treated other people. They also spent a fair bit of time together due to the nature of their roles.

Thankfully the visit to the other 3 dukedoms was far easier. There were no brutal blood sports performed during dinners and the dukes, along with their families were tolerable people for the most part.

They had gone north from Archenshien and rode around the northwestern and north edges of the continent to visit the 3 dukedoms. Each of the dukedom's cities was similar to one another in terms of wealth and population size. They were not like Archenshien, where the quality of life was diminished in favour of military focuses.

After leaving the final Maldenberg allied dukedom the Luxenberg party had its sights set on the capital of the Grand Duchy of Fontaine, Osterbon. It was a month's ride away from their current location. 

Many travellers and merchants sang the praises of the Fontaine capital. They claimed it was arguably the grandest if not prosperous city in the entire Bulgar continent. The port city had plenty of villages that supplied bountiful harvests and the artisans there were able to produce high-quality goods that boosted the port city's prestige.

Victor and his party were looking forward to seeing if the rumours about Osterbon were true.

The Luxenberg party had already been on the road for 5 months and they were beginning to feel mentally fatigued. After finishing their stay in Osterbon it still would be a 3 month trip back to Jenkas after visiting all the other dukedoms.

Victor could only hope that Grand Duke Fontaine and his family were normal people who would not push him to his limits. From the rumours, the Fontaine family were quite mysterious in their expansion. Unlike the warmongering Maldenberg, they had nearby dukes swear oaths of fealty, similar to what Duke Cassell did to Victor.

The mystery was why they chose to do so. There had been no marriages arranged nor notable concessions paid to secure their loyalty. They had willingly submitted themselves to the rule of the Fontaine family. Knowing this, Victor could not rule out the possibility that the 3 dukedoms in their faction had sworn their allegiance secretly to serve them as well.

There was still a month until they arrived at Osterbon, that was plenty of time for Victor to prepare for dealing with the Fontaine family. From reports on the family, Victor was able to learn about them. 

There was the Grand Duke Simeon Fontain. He was a man in his mid-50s. Blessed with incredible curly and long green hair, it perfectly matched his emerald eyes. He was a man who supposedly preferred peaceful resolutions to conflict, which was the complete opposite of his rival Arthur Maldenberg.

Simeon's wife was a former daughter of a fallen dukedom family, she was named Helen. Her family hailed from Kreighelm but was conquered by the Maximillian family when she was only 10. She was the only remaining person from the Gurring family.

Now she was a 52-year-old woman, who was now a Grand Duchess. She had long wavey brown hair and brownish-green eyes. Many rumours were saying that she was the most beautiful woman on the continent. Although with her current age, she may have been supplanted by Clarisse or Veronica, maybe even Penelope. 

The Fontaine couple had 2 children, both were boys and both were the spitting image of their father. Stetson was the oldest, he was 25 years old and had recently been married to a woman similar in age named Dahlia, she was a member of the Verdant family who were the strongest dukedom ally they had. She was similar to Helen with brown wavey hair but had blue eyes instead.

Lastly, the youngest son of the couple was named Harrison, he was the same age as Victor. Through gossip in social circles, many believed him to be a troublesome son. He could not hold his booze well and often made a mockery of himself in public.

Victor found this knowledge beneficial. He had deduced that if anyone in that family was going to be a problem to deal with it would be Helen. She was an influential figure amongst the many social circles in the continent. It did not help Victor that he was now the owner of her ancestral home Kreighelm, but maybe defeating the Maximillian family canceled that out.

On the trip to Osterbon, there was the same feeling of an unspoken tension between the 2 men in the carriage, similar to the tip to Archenshien. Peaceful relations with the Fontaine faction were crucial, especially when Victor had a boiling rage that could impulsively have him go to war with the Grand Duchy of Maldenberg and their allies.

In spite of all that had happened during this trip so far, Victor remained ever hopeful that the second half of their tour would not be so disturbed and sickening. The road to Osterbon was an easy journey, thanks to the favourable weather and the lack of gruelling winds. 

With some daylight left the Luxenberg party was able to sight the grand city of Osterbon on the horizon.