Editing Tytania:Volume 2 Chapter 3 (section)

=== II ===
Ultimately, this too was the result of political manoeuvring and arrangements within the Tytania clan; however, the reason this woman, Theodora, had come to visit Jouslain was in connection with an inheritance dispute within a certain count’s family.

The name of the county was Tytania. This was a fact that bordered on the absurd. Anyone bearing the surname Tytania was invariably a noble holding a title of nobility. Be that as it may, the head of this county had died suddenly, and as there were no legitimate heirs under the law, the county and assets worth one billion dakar were left in limbo.

Legally speaking, there were six eligible heirs. Three illegitimate children, each with a different mother. Two nephews, and one niece. Legally, these six possessed almost equal rights to the inheritance. While the assets might have been divided into six equal shares, the title itself could not be divided. The Tytania clan could not expand without limit, and the surname Tytania had to remain rarer than jewels. And this visitor was, in fact, one of the deceased’s illegitimate children.

It was Francia, Jouslain’s lady-in-waiting, who had escorted this female visitor. She had just returned after seeing Princess Lydia off.

Francia too, was technically a member of the Tytania clan, albeit a distant one. That said, she belonged to the very lowest branch of the clan, and was probably some twenty generations removed from Jouslain. Her surname was not Tytania either. Its use had been restricted to her maternal grandfather and his descendants. Nevertheless, someone had introduced her on the grounds of her tenuous connection to the Tytania clan, and so Francia came to serve Jouslain. That was two years ago, and so far, this encounter has not brought any active misfortune to either party.

The woman did not so much as glance at Francia. With an air of natural superiority, she dismissed the noble lady-in-waiting as if she were of no consequence. She recognised only Jouslain as an equal; indeed, she likely did not even have Viscount Balamy in her sights.

“It is a pleasure to meet you for the first time, Duke Jouslain” she greeted in the customary manner.

Jouslain was an ordinary man; consequently, when he saw a beautiful woman, he generally felt a certain fondness, but this was purely as an object of admiration. Any personal likes or dislikes, or feelings of respect or contempt, came only after the act of admiration has concluded. In such situations, the woman in question was also well aware of how to use her beauty as an effective diplomatic weapon; therefore, even if it was merely a thin layer of skin covering the skull, it could not be overlooked as a preliminary skirmish in negotiations or dialogue. Of course, there were countless exceptions. Princess Lydia of the Kingdom of Elbing, for instance, had shattered the psychological barriers that Jouslain had built up layer upon layer as though they were mere tissue paper.

Although Countess Theodora Tytania did not offer a particularly outlandish greeting, she was by no means a woman who could be dismissed as ordinary. In her gaze, Jouslain sensed a defiant attitude and a keen capacity for rapid calculation.

“Please make yourself at home, Milady. I shall have some coffee brought round shortly.”

Jouslain’s manners towards women, while technically polite, were not particularly refined. The same could be said of his appearance; it was difficult to discern his true character from his manners.

After two or three exchanges of the sort that one might find in a manual of upper-class etiquette, all rather bland and unremarkable, the visitor got down to business. As Jouslain had already anticipated, the visitor had come to ask for his support regarding the matter of the count’s inheritance. She explained that she had initially sought the Duke Idris’ assistance, but as he had failed to meet her expectations, she had decided to turn to the Duke Jouslain instead.

“Did Lord Idris refuse to help?”

It was a natural question, but the lady replied with a hint of displeasure, raising her eyebrows slightly.

“Lord Idris demanded my body.”

''How blunt'', thought Jouslain. Both towards Idris and towards her. As the lady fell silent, Jouslain felt compelled to say something.

“I see. You are indeed beautiful. Lord Idris’ instincts as a man must have been aroused. He is, after all, a young and energetic man.”

The lady was not satisfied with that response.

“Is that all?”

“What do you mean?”

“Lord Jouslain, I had expected you to react quite differently.”

“Were you expecting me to say that Lord Idris is despicable?”

A flicker of sarcasm passed through Jouslain’s eyes. In his psyche, magnanimity and cantankerousness coexisted. When goodwill or kindness were demanded of him from the outset, his brain waves seemed to gravitate towards a response pattern labelled “loss of interest”. Of course, Jouslain did not believe that Idris had acted with noble intentions, but he didn’t either believe that Idris was under any obligation to assist Theodora without compensation.

After all, when a young and thoroughly beautiful woman sought the cooperation of a man of her own age, was it likely that she would fail to factor in her own attractiveness to the opposite sex? Presumably, she must have gone so far as to hint at the possibility of entrusting her body and soul to Idris in the future. And for his part, Idris must surely have felt little resistance to transposing that future into the present.

“Should I have complied with Lord Idris’ demands?”

“That would depend on your own values, I suppose.”

“Values?”

“Indeed. It comes down to how much value you place on the surname Tytania and the lineage of the count’s family. If you consider what Lord Idris asked of you to be unreasonable or excessive, then you ought to refuse. As for me, I cannot say any more than that.”

Though his tone was gentle, his words clearly disappointed the beautiful visitor.

“So are you saying that Lord Idris’ demands are justified?”

“I am not saying that, Milady. I do not for a moment believe that the way things are in Tytania constitutes equality between men and women, nor do I believe that the current state of affairs is right. However, if you wish to attain status and privilege within Tytania, I feel that a commensurate price must be paid.”

Jouslain fell silent. He was no romanticist<ref name="ftn4">“Romanticism” (浪漫主義) pronounced “romantist”.</ref>, so he did not delude himself into believing that the arguments of a young, beautiful woman were any more valid than those of a rival. Informal visits and requests made prior to formal mediation or arbitration tended, rather, to arouse suspicion in the opposite direction.

A brief silence prompted Jouslain to speak once more.

“Milady, Tytania is neither a champion of justice nor a knight of humanity. Otherwise, she would neither monopolise power within her clan nor eliminate her opponents by force. I’m afraid Tytania is the very epitome of worldliness.”

If she were to use her beauty and physique as weapons to manipulate the men of Tytania, he would have no objection whatsoever. Men who would allow themselves to be manipulated are those at fault. Furthermore, it was perfectly acceptable for those who rejected Tytania’s order and all that is Tytania-like to openly raise the banner of rebellion and oppose her with their own strength. Conspiracies and stratagems were all well and good. Provided they were carried out by one’s own power. Tytania paid respects to strength. A thief is respected, while a beggar is despised. Jouslain believed this to be the sole virtue of Tytania’s ethos.

“I heard that Lord Jouslain provided protection to the Princess of the Kingdom of Elbing without seeking payment. Does that not contradict your own principles?”

“I too, Milady, am prone to a whim or two from time to time.”

“Would you not indulge in a whim for my sake, Duke Jouslain?”

It would have been a sweet temptation, but Jouslain was not moved. He was not Idris.

“I’m afraid I have already exhausted my quota for the year. Besides, I cannot imagine you are the sort of lady who would seriously expect another man to act on a mere whim.”

Jouslain rose to his feet and courteously saw off the young woman who might well acquire the title of Countess Tytania in the near future. Just as the door was about to close, she looked him straight in the eye with a gaze so sharp it left a lasting impression on Jouslain, though it did not translate into any favour.

''Have I made an enemy?'' wondered Jouslain as he returned to his desk, but at this stage, the outcome remained unclear.

Shaking his head slightly, Jouslain pressed the intercom button to summon his senior ''aide-de-camp''. When Viscount Balamy appeared, suppressing any sign of curiosity, Jouslain gave his orders.

“Send a message to Lord Zarlisch expressing my congratulations. A standard formula will suffice. And please add just one line. ‘Please be wary of any schemes to rescue him’.”

“Will that suffice?”

In response to Balamy’s confirmation, Jouslain nodded with an expression that was little more than a smile. As far as he was concerned, there was nothing more he could do, nor anything else he needed to do. How Zarlisch would interpret Jouslain’s warning was a matter for Zarlisch’s own mind, and something Jouslain had no need to concern himself with.