Miniturn: Meeting the Duke
You, Jeanne, and Kallen walk into the parlor room at a sedate pace following two men from your bodyguard squad. As they clear the area and discreetly run various sensors over objects and walls as part of their 'routine search' your eyes fix on Duke Isacc Stadtfeld sitting in a large armchair beside a roaring fire. It's technically too warm for such, but extravagance is part and parcel with entitled nobility. You honestly can't say that your own family hasn't done something similar at times. Mother hails from the northeast of the homeland, after all, and she had
standards for Christmas morning, even when Pendragon's climate was a balmy seventy degrees outside.
Still, it's the man's eyes and his cool, bordering on downright cold expression which brings you back to yourself, even as Kallen steps forward.
"F-father." Your knight greets the man. "Thank you for agreeing to see us-er, my prince."
...you really should arrange some form of etiquette lessons for the woman if she is ever to appear in court. Maybe officer training? Both she and Romano could certainly use it.
The Duke of Westhaven and its surrounds grimaces, but gestures to an empty set of chairs arranged on the other side of the fireplace. "Certainly, daughter. Hosting royalty on such short notice is of course and honor, even if I ask that His Highness be understanding if my hospitality is a bit limited as a result."
Kallen's face twitches in a way that you can't fully interpret. If you had to guess, it's likely that this isn't how the two normally interact. "R-right. My prince, may I introduce Lord Isacc Stadtfeld, Duke of Westhaven and my father. Father, this is Lelouch vi Britannia, my-um, sworn liege. With him is Dame Jeanne Rowe, my commanding officer and his military advisor."
There's a flicker of sympathy between yourself and the Duke as Kallen stumbles through her introduction awkwardly. Too many pronouns, too much uncertainty...
"I see, may I ask if his highness is here in his station as a prince or if this is a personal visit to discuss private matters?" The Duke asks without rising to bow, which is a both a breach of etiquette and a snub. Understandable, though, given the circumstances.
Your men give you a covert signal and you reply in kind with a hand at your chin, feigning thoughtful consideration over the matter.
"Truthfully, I find that the two are inextricably linked on this occasion." You admit finally. "Before we go any further, though, I've gathered some evidence you should examine for yourself."
You hold out a hand, into which Jeanne places a locked document case that you run your fingerprint over. Extracting the large manila folder, you extend it to the other man.
Isacc Stadtfeld's blue eyes bore into your own violet orbs for a long moment before he sets his drink down and accepts the bundle.
Normally, you'd dance around the matter some, trade verbal barbs and let the man dig himself a hole from which he then needs to negotiate his way out of. This, however, isn't a normal situation. The blackmail material you have isn't some dalliance with a hired escort or bribery from a crime boss. No, what you possess is so utterly
final in its ability to destroy the man's entire family down to blacklisting infant children from any station higher than a janitor, you simply don't need to beat around the bush.
Sure enough, Isacc's face first goes red with anger, then white with fear.
Finally, the man raises a shaking hand to his eyes.
There is defeat no, writ large on his face where before there was stalwart defiance. It brings you a certain amount of pleasure to see such a potential problem removed from the board, but the victory is too easy to bring real satisfaction.
Isacc stands, and Jeanne tenses, though the man immediate drops to knee and fixes his eyes on the ground. "What would you have of me, Your Highness?"
Kallen looks away, no doubt unused to seeing her father so humbled. You sigh and cross one knee over the other. "I would have you take your seat. We have business to attend to and a mess to clean."
Kallen's father stiffens and looks up, not leaving his kneeling position. "...I, your highness, you hold
everything. What could I possibly contribute, unless..." His eyes flick to his daughter and his expression falls further into the abyss.
You sigh and rub at your left temple.
"I honestly wished to sidestep this matter, but if you insist on believing scurrilous rumors we will have it out here and now." You state with no small hint of irritation. "Your daughter and I are knight and prince. No other relationship exists between us. A mutual friend in the form of Millicent Ashford introduced us and, after triumphing over me in a... simulator, I agreed to recruit her so that she would no longer have to put up with with her harpy of a stepmother. That is the sum total of the affairs as they stand between us, am I clearly understood or must we dissect each and every insult her character and my own have been subject to over the past several months of courtly gossip?"
The man blinks, looking slightly stunned.
You catch Kallen's tomato-red face and mortified expression from the corner of your eye, as well as Jeanne's small smirk. As long as it grows no bigger, you see no reason for rebuke.
"I-I see." Stadtfeld nods briefly, then rises awkwardly to retake his seat. "Though... Your Highness, if I may beg an answer. If I am to believe that you and my daughter are not...
involved." Kallen places her hand on her face. "Then that makes your presence here far less understandable. As you have addressed my concerns so directly, you must have known of them before coming here and with such evidence at your disposal you could have merely mentioned such to your father, the Emperor, and destroyed any threat I would pose to you utterly."
Kallen bites her lip out of the corner of your eye, looking interested in the answer.
You shake your head and reply. "Because...
[ ][RP] "I require something of you, Lord Stadtfeld." Focus on Isacc Statdfeld himself.
[ ][RP] "A knight's oath of service runs two ways, sir." Focus on your ties to his daughter.
[ ][RP] "There is more at play here than you know, Duke." Focus on the larger political scene.
With that matter settled, even if not fully, the man nods in acceptance and you get down to business.
"Obviously, it would be of greatest value to me to settle this matter in-house." Isacc admits candidly, though the look in his eyes acknowledges that it's probably not going to happen.
"Do you believe you can count on the loyalty of your house guards?" You ask bluntly.
The man grimaces, but acknowledges the point. "Beyond the ones I know to be loyal, I have a few reputable independent companies I can call up."
"In such an instance, I would of course wish for a personal attachment to the forces in question. The knights I have just raised are all military men with clean records." You state, leaving out their commoner heritage and the fact that they would probably be as children on a holiday morning to be able to raid a noble estate. The duke looks displeased, but accepts the amendment with good grace.
Idly, you consider the notion.
You are already
substantially outside normal operating procedure for any imperial code of conduct. Given the considerable leeway a high-tier noble has to manage their own family's affairs you might even be able get away with such a mad scheme. Detaining all of the nobles within the known traitors
yourself, with the duke's assistance of course, would be quite the coup. Then you could hand the lot over to the OSI gift-wrapped with all of your evidence. There would need to be a cover-story, obviously, but that would be easy. Creatively doctored, some of what documentation you already have could look like they were planning on assassinating Isacc and Kallen. It would allow Isacc to save the most face, he would owe you the most favor, and the entire thing would be settled relatively quietly.
Of course, any mistake you made would be entirely on you. The OSI, too, would lose a great deal of reputation as the foremost of imperial intelligence agencies. You would be untouchable now, but there is always the future to think about. Of course, the inter-agency political mess which would erupt after this would keep them occupied for years and their purview is primarily within the homeland itself. They'd almost certainly have better things to do than pick a fight with you.
"The alternative would be to invite the OSI to handle the matter." You state and you can see Isacc's face sour at the suggestion. They would no doubt end up combing over every inch of every document and notation his family had ever produced after this. If he were to handle it in-house and hand over all of the evidence, that would be one thing. An aggressive, active investigation though... it would take months and be entirely out of the man's hands save for his 'voluntary contributions to the good of the empire.' The duke wouldn't be able to do as much for you given his assets would be under attack, and given his interests in pacific shipping...
But, it might be better for the empire as a whole. The OSI
might elect to either feed the various individuals false information, attempt to flip them into double-agents, or some other convoluted scheme. Or they might just elect to black-bag them all in the middle of the night and torture them relentlessly before executing. You honestly don't know.
Finally, and this option you don't dare to voice unless you're sure it's a road you're sure you want to go down... there is your father, The Emperor. It isn't too late to decide that you're simply in too deep for your own good. Should you twist Isacc's arm and force the man before the throne to confess his family's wrongdoings, given their scope and scale, you can expect
at least the involvement of the Knights of the Rounds if not a legion's worth of the Emperor's personal Imperial Guards. You have no doubt that, by the end of the week (at the most conservative of timetables), Lord Stadtfeld and his children would be the sole remaining branch of their family. The Duke would owe you nothing, since he'd most likely be reduced to near-poverty with his estates in ash or seized, but... you could probably parlay that into a favor of some size from your father.
After a few long moments of consideration, you decide on which terms you impose on the man...
[ ][Terms] Lenient: Isacc Stadtfeld cleans house with the assistance of PMCs and your regiment.
-Remove x1.5 cost modifier to New Caledonia and actions within the Pacific area.
-Substantial further favors owed by Duke Stadtfeld.
-Receive further financial/political support.
-DC 50/75 Martial Action automatically resolves. Roll 3D100 (House Guard/PMCs/Your Forces)
-Failure begets personal responsibility and serious consequences.
-High reputation boost in the Empire.
-???
[ ][Terms] Moderate: Force the Duke of Westhaven to cooperate with the OSI.
-OSI owes you substantial favors.
-Special Intrigue Actions Available.
-Small favors available from Isacc Stadtfeld, no financial or political assistance.
-No personal accountability from any failure on the OSI's part.
-Possible wider-scale gains by Imperial Intelligence OSI (organization rolls against ??? DC).
-???
[ ][Terms] Harsh: Bring him before the emperor and allow your Father to solve the problem.
-Dukedom of Westhaven ceases to exist, destroys any political threat.
-One favor from Emperor Charles zi Britannia, no assistance from Isacc Stadtfeld ever.
-Kallen Kozuki-Stadtfeld is displeased, but politically dependent on you.
-High reputation boost in the Empire.
-???
ONE HOUR MORATORIUM! DO NOT VOTE FOR ONE HOUR!
