novelnext Chapter 92 Baroness Louisa la Valéry
Chapter 92 Baroness Louisa la Valéry
Chapter 92 Baroness Louisa la Valéry
Erwin flipped through the nearly full list. "We've obtained some intelligence so far. Many of them are fugitive nobles from Temeria, but most are not worth paying attention to. The most valuable one to win over is Baroness Maria Louisa la Valedi. She was the mistress of the former Temeria King Foltest and bore him two illegitimate children, Balthy la Valedi and Anaïs la Valedi. However, with Balthy's unexpected death, Anaïs is currently the first heir recognized by the old Temeria."
"The first heir, not the only one?" Ron keenly caught the subtle nuance in the wording.
"Yes, because the identity of the other heir is highly controversial," Erwin explained.
"Princess Artha, the eldest daughter of Foltest, is now the queen of King Radovide V of Redania. However, her birth involves Foltest's biggest stain, even more serious than that of illegitimate children. Moreover, as the queen of Redania, recognizing her as the heir is tantamount to directly annexing Redania. Radovide will not allow a country with a land area comparable to Redania to exist independently without governance. This is unacceptable to the old Temeria nobility."
"Hmm, let's start by telling us about this Baroness."
"This Baroness is extremely well-known in Novigrad," Erwin said with a hint of amusement.
"After all, as Anais's guardian, whichever side wants to support Anais to become queen, the realization of this goal must be based on the consent of Anais's mother, Baroness Louisa."
Erwin adjusted his glasses. "But recently, a Nilfgaardian military figure has appeared in the Baroness's life. Rumor has it he's her lover, but his identity is far from simple. There's likely a deeper purpose behind this, and Mr. Sigir Luwen is also very concerned about it."
"Nifergardians? Who?" Ron frowned slightly.
At this moment, Geralt, who was wiping his silver sword, stopped. "That Morvan Furris you mentioned, I encountered this Baroness's handmaiden Molly when I was investigating the clues about Dandelion's disappearance. I met him during the investigation, and I also saw him before at Vizimar Palace. He is highly trusted by Emhyr. It doesn't make sense for a frontline commander to run to Novigrad during a stalemate in the war."
"It's not that simple," Erwin shook his head.
"Mr. Luwen provided information about this person. In 1267, a group of nobles in Nilfgaard conspired to overthrow Emhyr and install a new emperor. Their target was the Furris family, one of the noblest and purest families in Nilfgaard, and they had an extremely close relationship with the Enris family, to which Emhyr belongs."
Morvan's father, Prince Furris, was the conspirators' first target, but Prince was known throughout the court and among the people for his iron will and unwavering character. The conspirators believed he was difficult to control, so the young Morvan, whose maternal line was close to Emhyr, was chosen by the conspirators as their new target.
Erwin took a deep breath and continued, "However, Nilfgaard suffered a crushing defeat in the Second Civil War, and the court and the public were filled with anger towards these nobles who interfered in the rear and deliberately caused the war to fail, in addition to the betrayal of Belengal Revaden."
The conspirators were all captured by Emhyr. Although the Furis family was at the center of the conspiracy, they remained unscathed in this purge, thanks to their deep-rooted foundation.
After the Second Civil War, Morfan took over command of the Alba Division from the fallen Colonel Tiber Egbrager, becoming a senior general. As an aside, Tiber was the cousin of Tawa Egbrager, the quartermaster who had once been our enemy. I have a strange feeling that Morfan will one day turn against us.
Later, through introductions from various people, Morfan joined the Merchants' Guild, becoming a key member of this organization that had planned to overthrow Emhyr. With his abundant resources and powerful background, Morfan's position in the court rose rapidly, making him a trusted confidant of Emhyr.
"After the outbreak of the Third Civil War, Morvan's legions repeatedly distinguished themselves on the northern front, helping Nilfgaard completely conquer Temeria. However, the rise of Redania curbed their northward momentum, bringing the war to a stalemate. At this time, Morvan appeared in Novigrad, mingling with the city's elites. Whether at the racetrack in the suburbs or at the grand banquet at Wijbund Manor, he was a constant presence. He quickly became a favorite in Novigrad's high society, and at the same time, he laid a wide network of connections in Novigrad. What is his true purpose?"
"Anas?" Ron tapped his fingers lightly on the table.
"Very likely," Erwin nodded. "In any case, it couldn't be for a rendezvous with Luisa. Novigrad is the largest city and port in the north, and its wealth is enough to support two armies at the same time. In this tug-of-war, whichever side can gain Novigrad's support will gain a decisive advantage in this war."
This Mr. Morfan is probably also trying to win over the old Temeria nobles. As for the conditions he offered, I guess it was in exchange for the restoration of Temeria's independence and support for Anais's ascension to the throne as queen, in exchange for the help of the old Temeria forces.
"Hmm, suspend contact with this Baroness." Ron stood up, his eyes cold.
"Until we can ascertain her stance, we cannot risk exposing ourselves. We should just keep observing. Also, how are the preparations going on Dudu's side?"
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"I prepared a batch of equipment for Dudu in advance, including crossbows, breastplates, leather armor, etc., all of which were second-hand equipment purchased from the market."
Erwin's lips curled into a cold smile. "The Hawthorne's men can bully civilians without a problem, but they might not be able to complete the operation quickly when faced with fully armed guards. So they need to be properly armed. I've also assigned two Fionas to protect Dudu in case anything goes wrong. It's about time to wrap this up."
As soon as he finished speaking, the door was pushed open, and Du Du walked in, his face showing a lingering mix of tension and excitement.
"My lord, the operation is complete. All members of the Merchants' Guild have been beheaded. Before leaving, all documents and the guild building were set on fire with kerosene. I ordered Hawthorne's men to wear cloaks throughout the operation. I have arranged for all personnel involved in the operation to be sent out of the city and are hiding in an abandoned manor near Cowford. This will not be difficult for Nilfgaardian spies to find. These expendables will soon be captured and will contribute their last value."
"Very good," Ron said, looking at Dudu. "Nothing went wrong during the operation, right?"
"The Merchant Guild's captain of guards was surprisingly difficult to deal with. He was a veteran with solid swordsmanship. Several of Hawthorne's men were cut down by him. It was your personal guard who killed him with just one sword stroke. Hawthorne's men were so frightened that they almost ran away on the spot. Fortunately, I calmed them down and told them that this was reinforcements."
Du Du's lips twitched slightly. "To be honest, I was quite frightened at the time."
"The success of this operation was largely due to the architectural plans provided by Mr. Lu Wen. I had arranged for people to guard the exit of the secret passage in advance. When the Chamber of Commerce members escaped through the secret passage, they ran right into our encirclement, saving us a lot of effort."
Ron nodded and stood up. "Erwin, tonight is Lady Wiggibund's banquet, and Triss's escape plan has begun. The Kingfisher's security should be strengthened tonight to prevent any accidents."
"Geralt, you assist Triss in meeting the sorcerers. I'll take the regular troops to clear the sewers one more time to make sure the route is clear."
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