I Only Love My Greatest Enemy

Over a week since Armand sent the return letters, Eris Hapsburg sat in Castle Concord's solar. The Count and Countess Concord were there with her. Outside of the room, the Count Hapsburg sat. He was out of earshot. A smile was on Eris' face.

"Armand's letters arrived last night, one to me and one to his parents. They had Marshal Staufer's seal on them, so I don't expect Armand's parents to fully trust his word. But they know better than to toy with a man like the Marshal," she thought.

Count Concord pulled out some papers and placed them in front of Eris.

"Armand is in charge of the management of the lesser manservants. He also has control of the Southern forest and lordship over the village of Blakesburg," he explained.

"It looks like they aren't lying to me. This was all Armand was in charge of according to his letter. There's also the deal he has with his parents, three years to prove himself politically. He mentioned in his letter that it was part of his plan to reconcile with his brother. A futile effort, but Armand would never believe me if I told him it was impossible. Pressing Armand's deal with his parents before they've fully confirmed Armand is with Marshal Staufer is a bad idea, but I could at least bring it up," Eris thought before speaking. "And if Armand proves himself, then will I be in charge of arranging his siblings' marriages?"

Utter shock crossed the Count and Countess' faces for a moment before they recomposed themselves.

"Armand told you about that? I see...yes, it could have only been him. He must really trust you," Count Concord said.

"At the moment, he trusts me because he has to. And I will prove that he can trust me," Eris thought.

"I am his fiance. If he didn't trust me, I wouldn't live to see our marriage," she stated.

A smile crossed Count Concord's face. His wife also grinned.

"Ah, I see. I'm starting to understand what kind of woman you are, Eris," he said.

"And what kind of woman is that?" she asked.

"The type that is very good at reading people," Count Concord answered.

Eris gave him a small smirk.

"You and your wife are more like me than you are like Armand. I can tell that much from your reactions. If you were like Armand or my parents, you'd be horrified at the idea that Armand might murder his fiance. Let's see what else I can figure out. I've mostly been around Armand's siblings. But now, I can learn about his parents," she thought before speaking. "I love Armand. If he was going to kill me, I'd submit myself to death. Of course, if anyone was a threat to him, I would kill them."

Countess Concord looked Eris right in the eyes. She examined the girl, trying to figure something out. Then, a smile crossed the Countess' face.

"It's good that you're devoted to my son. But did you know that Armand freed the serfs he was given?" Countess Concord asked.

"She didn't figure out that I was lying about submitting myself to death. It was between two true things, so that makes it more difficult to figure out. But I'd have found the lie right away," Eris thought.

She smiled.

"Of course, I know. When I inherit the Hapsburg estate, I'm going to free my serfs as well," the girl said.

Just as disappointment started to flicker across Armand's parents' faces, Eris spoke again.

"I understand why many nobles think it is foolish to free serfs. It is true that having serfs offers many advantages. But I'd rather not die in a peasant rebellion," she stated.

The disappointment left Count and Countess Concord's faces.

"While I still think it's foolish, that is a good reason," the Count admitted.

"And it should make me stay on their good side. Honestly, I'm just going to free my serfs to support Armand. Maybe some lords are pathetic enough to get killed by subhuman farmers, but I'm not one of them," Eris thought.

She then pressed her elbows on the table. The girl leaned over it, placing her hands together and resting her chin on them.

"Now, I believe we should get back to my question. If Armand is still away in 3 years and has proven himself politically, will I be in charge of arranging his siblings' marriages?" Eris asked.

The Count Concord grimaced.

"No. That is Armand's job and his alone. If he wants your advice on the marriages, he can consult you. But we will not give this to you," he declared.

"Good. It seems that you aren't going to betray your son," Eris smiled before thinking. "I was hoping that I could marry Charles to some subhuman who was raised in a sewer. But now, I know Armand's parents are at least somewhat on his side. However, I still can't fully trust them. At least now, they'll think I trust them, judging from what I've seen of their abilities to sense manipulation."

The Count Concord smirked.

"Ah, I see. You think that you have a right to test us," he said.

Then, his face turned cruel.

"What gives you that right? Do you really think you can test us just because you're Armand's fiance? Or is there some other reason?" Count Concord asked.

Eris' expression did not waver.

"It's time to truly get a taste of what Armand's parents are like," she thought before speaking. "I have no right to test you. But that isn't going to stop me."

Both Count and Countess Concord smiled.

"I can see why Armand values you so much," Countess Concord said.

"Yes. We might need to reevaluate a few things," Count Concord nodded. "More so than what we're already reevaluating."

"That confirms it. Armand's parents are more like me than they are like him. I wonder, if they hadn't died when Armand was young the last time around, would he have turned out like me? Or would he have been the same Armand I know?" Eris thought.

Count Concord then nodded.

"Well, I believe it's time for you to start your work. With us supervising, of course. We wouldn't want you to make the wrong decision, would we?" he said.

"I can handle things fine on my own. Armand gave me very detailed instructions," Eris replied.

She then pulled out the letter Armand sent her.

"If you'd like, I could read his instructions to you. If anything you say contradicts those instructions, you will find that my duty to my husband outweighs my duty to my in-laws," Eris said before thinking. "Of course, only my duty to Armand has any weight to it. Besides, I know better than to trust Armand's parents completely."

Count Concord pondered.

"Armand is inexperienced. Surely, you don't think his advice would be better than ours?" he asked.

"Armand didn't give me advice. He gave me instructions, to be carried out to the letter. As Armand's wife, I will follow those instructions. After all, my duty is to him," Eris answered.

"Yes, but wouldn't your duty be better done if you improved things beyond what Armand could?" Countess Concord asked.

The Hapsburg maintained her smile, but a hint of frustration welled up deep within her.

"Armand's older sister and only brother hate me. And his parents are probably trying to get me to turn the subhumans Armand freed back into serfs. I can tell that, even if I somehow only stay at the Concord Estate for a few more days, it'll feel like years," Eris thought.

Armand was kneeling before Marshal Ludwig Staufer. The military commander scratched his chin. His son, Matthew, stood by his side. Matthew looked a lot like his father, and he was two years older than Armand. They were in a military office.

"That's an unusual request," Ludwig said.

"I know, but I don't think it's anything unreasonable," Armand stated.

Marshal Staufer grimaced.

"You're right. But why do you want a chicken to live in your room? Why a chicken?" he asked.

"Because if I had a pig in my room, people would expect me to slaughter it to get food. But chickens have eggs, so I have an excuse for if someone asks me why it's still alive," Armand thought.

"I like eggs," the boy answered.

In truth, the boy felt like a dried fruit. A great thirst burned in him. He hurt more than he had in years. Armand wasn't just kneeling out of respect. The Concord was forcing himself to look at the ground. Otherwise, his eyes would leer at Marshal Staufer's neck. In that instance, it would be simple for Ludwig to figure out that Armand's gaze was that of a cat looking at a mouse.

"Every time I tried to get some blood, there were too many guards outside. One of them would have seen me drinking from the livestock," Armand thought.

"And you intend to make those eggs yourself? In your room? Cooking them like some servant?" Matthew asked.

"Yes. I don't want to inconvenience the servants if I want eggs really early in the morning," Armand answered, still kneeling. "And aside from that, I like cooking."

Marshal Staufer nodded.

"We all have our hobbies, and I don't see why a noble shouldn't know how to cook. It might come in handy someday," he said.

"Then perhaps you could make us something someday?" Matthew suggested.

"Of course," Armand replied before thinking. "It's a good thing I actually learned how to cook in case someone asked me to."

Marshal Staufer wrote on a piece of paper.

"I'll give you a pair of chickens. I'll also have some servants come in later to clean up their crap," he said.

"Thank you, Marshal Staufer," Armand replied.

The boy stood up, making sure to turn around as he did. Matthew's voice then came to his ears.

"You haven't looked us in the eye at all," he stated.

"I'm not feeling well. It'll probably go away quickly, but I don't want you to see my face while I'm feeling this way," Armand replied before thinking. "Nothing about what I said was a lie, so at most, Marshal Staufer will be able to figure out that I'm leaving things out."

"Oh, I see," Matthew nodded. "Get well soon."

"Thank you," Armand replied.

Later, the Concord was in his room. A pair of chickens were inside. The boy ached, his throat dry as a desert. Armand's mind surged with bloodlust. A desperate urge to grab the chickens, bite into them, and drain the animals until there was nothing left pulsed through his entire body.

"No! I can't do that! People will get suspicious if they die!" Armand thought.

The boy grabbed a belt. He wrapped it around his leg so tightly that it hurt. Armand focused his attention on the belt and the pain it inflicted. This was nothing compared to the agony his bloodthirst was causing the boy, but it was enough to keep his attention partially off it.

Armand grabbed a chicken. While the animal struggled, it was no match for his strength. Fangs retracted from the roof of his mouth. He slowly bit into the bird, his teeth so sharp that it did not feel even the slightest bit of pain.

Blood flowed through the hollow fangs, entering Armand's body through it. Relief flowed through the boy as he drank deeply. He wanted to keep going, to drink until the dreadful thirst was gone.

"No," Armand thought.

He forced himself to pull away from the chicken. Armand used the belt to keep his attention partially away from the pain of his bloodthirst. The boy then turned to the other bird and bit into it, drinking the animal's blood.

Once again, Armand forced himself to stop drinking before the chicken suffered too much blood loss.

Pain still wracked the boy's body. He felt like had been wandering through a desert for days without water. However, it wasn't as bad as before.

"Thank the gods, Marshal Staufer gave me two chickens," Armand muttered. "I don't think I'd have made it with just one."

The boy fought through his thirst and agony, removing the belt around his leg. He sat at the table and continued writing his book.

"Gods, please let the chickens recover their lost blood fast. I went a long time without blood, and I don't want to hurt any longer," Armand said.