Rumours... by the time you notice them, it's too late, right?
Estella asked herself one morning as she listened to her lady-in-waiting's report.
"My lady. A new rumour has begun circulating within the court."
her lady in waiting's voice was cautious. She also sounded as if she was deciding whether she should report this at all.
"They are saying that His Highness Leonhardt has been abusing his authority as an administrative aide to target a specific merchant."
Estella's hand stopped above her breakfast teacup.
"And, the head of the Elbach Company has formally protested to the Ministry of Commerce, claiming that the review of his royal purveyor application has been unfairly delayed."
Ludwig had made his move.
Estella quietly set her teacup back on the table.
She had expected this. Ludwig wouldn't do nothing once he noticed that his royal purveyor application was delayed, but his counterattack was different from what Estella had anticipated.
The enemy by way of information who had remained hidden behind official documents had finally taken action. He spread rumours and protested to the Ministry of Commerce. His actions were within the bounds of the law but his aim was clear.
He wanted to chip away at Leonhardt's credibility.
"The Second Prince is abusing his authority as an administrative aide." That rumour carried a different meaning to those who knew the circumstances behind Leonhardt's transfer of duties. Political authority had been transferred from the Crown Prince to his younger brother and that brother was now using his authority to target a specific merchant. The groundwork had already been laid out for rumours about his ambition.
Estella rose from her chair and walked to the window.
Something similar had happened before. Millefeuille had tattled to Alvin and turned Estella and Leonhardt's relationship into gossip. Back then, Leonhardt's note had read:
Ignore the rumours. Win the hearing, and everything will be settled.
But this time was different.
Back then, the target of the rumours had been Estella. Even if her reputation was damaged, she could overturn it by presenting evidence at the hearing.
This time, the target was Leonhardt. If his credibility as an administrative aide was undermined by rumours then the investigation could be seen as him abusing his authority. Even the legitimacy of the information Leonhardt had gathered could come under question.
This cannot be ignored.
Estella decided immediately.
The exchange of administrative documents in the corridor.
Leonhardt looked as composed as always, but Estella could see he was tensed underneath his mask. His jaw was slightly clenched and his grip on the documents was slightly tighter than usual.
"Have you heard about the rumours?" Leonhardt was the first to speak.
"I have."
"He did lodge a complaint at the Ministry of Commerce. He's within his rights to enquire about the status of his application. The Ministry of Commerce has to give him a reply. He's following the proper channels."
"His counterattack is within the bounds of the law. Just as Your Highness fights with documents, he fights with procedures."
Leonhardt's face briefly twisted in bitterness. It vanished immediately, but Estella didn't miss it.
"The nobles who are indebted to him are probably the ones spreading the rumours. The company didn't spread them directly. There's no evidence."
"Your Highness. This cannot be ignored." Estella's voice was quiet but clear.
Leonhardt looked up.
"This is different from the previous rumours. Those rumours were about my reputation and could be settled by winning the hearing. These rumours concern the credibility of Your Highness's duties. It will be difficult to carry on with the investigation if the legitimacy of your role is called into question."
"I know. But if I step in and deny the rumours..."
"It will look like you are making excuses and will backfire."
Leonhardt fell silent.
Estella paused for a second.
It would be risky for her to step forward. If she, the duke's daughter, stepped in to protect the Second Prince then it might reinforce the idea of them having an affair. Taking action carried risk, and not taking any action would plummet Leonhardt's credibility.
Either choice carried risk.
But.
Estella made her choice.
"I will not act. The ducal house will."
Leonhardt's eyes widened slightly.
"The ducal house will formally report to the royal family through my father. We will expose the influence that the Elbach Company exerts over nobles through his loans. We will shift the focus from the Second Prince abusing his authority to a company's improper use of power."
She felt two motives overlapping inside her as she spoke.
The first was a strategic decision. She wanted to shift the narrative of the rumours and redirect it towards the company. The ducal house had the right to report and advise the royal family. This was proven in the previous hearing when the ducal house filed a formal objection against the annulment of her engagement.
The other was...
She wanted to protect Leonhardt.
That motive laid hidden within her heart and was cloaked in the guise of rationality.
Estella processed that motive as rational decision. As a duke's daughter, protecting the credibility of her ally also in her best interest. They would lose their ability to stop the company's schemes if Leonhardt's investigations were halted. So protecting him was a rational thing to do.
It was.
Or so it should be.
"... Shouldn't you talk about this with me beforehand?"
Leonhardt's voice maintained its usual flatness, but there was a light tremor to it that only she could hear.
"You would stop me if we talked about this. You would say don't take risks as a duke's daughter."
"Of course."
"Which is precisely why I did not ask."
Estella smiled, the perfect smile of a duke's daughter, but she was aware that beneath that smile lay emotions she couldn't fully sort out.
Leonhardt said nothing for several seconds.
"Understood."
He replied briefly. He neither agreed with her nor thanked her. He was simply accepting the facts.
Estella wrote a letter to her father on the same day.
Duke Viktor acted immediately.
He submitted a formal report to the royal family on behalf of the ducal house. The report detailed how the Elbach Company was coercing noble houses through their debt, implying stricter repayment terms, and that the recommendation letter for their royal purveyor application came from a viscountcy house who were bound to them by debt.
The report reached the King.
The mood within the court shifted.
The rumour that "the Second Prince is targeting a company" was overshadowed by the report that "a company is pressuring nobility through its loans." Focus shifted from Leonhardt to the company.
Leonhardt discovered this while processing documents the next day; he had learnt what Estella had done after she had done it.
Leonhardt said nothing when they exchanged documents in the corridor; he was his usual cold self.
But his hands stopped just for a second after he had handed the documents over. His fingers trembled slightly as he readjusted the documents.
Estella saw it.
"Your Highness?"
"...It's nothing."
Leonhardt turned on his heel but stopped after taking a few steps. He turned slightly towards her.
"I have... never been protected before."
His voice was low. It wasn't the voice he used for administrative matters.
"I was the spare piece. A substitute for my brother. A backup, in case something happened to him. I was never someone to protect."
Estella held her breath.
"So I don't know what kind of expression I'm supposed to make at a time like this."
Was the only thing Leonhardt said before he turned the corner of the corridor.
Estella stood frozen in place.
Something stirred within her.
She had wanted to protect him.
She had thought it was a rational decision. A strategic move using the ducal house's authority.
But now, hearing Leonhardt's words, she could no longer fully disguise the true nature of her motive.
There was definitely an emotion that couldn't be explained with rationality inside of her.
Estella looked out the window.
This had been a rational decision.
She told herself that.
But perhaps the answer had already been clear since she needed to reassure herself of this.
That evening. Her lady-in-waiting brought a report.
"His Majesty the King has placed the Elbach Company's royal purveyor application on hold upon receiving Duke Viktor's report."
Estella nodded.
A formal obstacle had been placed in Ludwig's plans.
There was no way that merchant would stay silent.