6 Quiet Story Part 1 - My Brother's Melancholy -





Edward Clester, the eldest son of the current Earl of Clester.

His nickname in social circles is "the beautiful flower who seduces ladies with her sweet scent".
He has a reputation among the aristocracy for his soft smile, gentle tone of voice, and gentle treatment of the ladies who fall into his predatory trap the moment they let him in.





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Another depressing season has come.
It is my duty as an aristocrat to attend the meeting, and as it is a place to gather valuable information, I will not miss it. I will not be absent, but that does not mean that I will not like to be there.

The social season is a depressing and important season for the Crester family.
Especially this year.

(I sensed a hint of darkness earlier: ......)

Edward, the eldest son of the Crester family, was walking fast down the hallway. There was no hesitation in his steps as he hurried to his destination, and the moment he reached it, he opened the door without knocking.

"Father?
"Oh, you're here, Ed.
Yes. Is that Darkness I just saw at ......?
No, I came to give you this.

My father, the current Earl of Crestor, Duiris, sat in his chair in his study and held up a few sheets of letterhead. Edward's shoulders relaxed at the familiarity of it.

You've just come to deliver a letter from Diana?
I'm sure you're not the only one. She's very good at self-preservation herself.

But," Dualis looked down at the letterhead.

I came to King's Landing early because of Diana, and it seems I was right. The situation in the palace is more urgent than I thought.
"That's ...... true. In the first place, it is unprecedented to have such a large number of concubines in the inner palace.
Hmm. The more people there are, the more conflicts there will be. It's the natural order of things. ......
"Is there something more wrong?

Edward asked, and Dualis handed him a piece of stationery.

"Read it. Read it and you'll understand.
"Yes.

Edward nodded and looked at the words on the letterhead. There, in his sister's unmistakable handwriting, was a description of everything that had happened since he had entered the palace.

After reading it, he held his head.

"The Landlords' daughter has joined the Peony. ......
"I can't help the generation there, but they're very good at keeping up appearances. Apparently my daughter is no exception.
It's a good idea to have a good idea of what you're going to be doing and how you're going to do it. The Marquess of Stresia and the Marquess of Eustace have moderate family status but no ambition. The Earl of Kiel, though not so high in family rank, is a visionary, and his management of the realm is highly regarded. The Earl of Kiel is a man with upward thinking rather than ambition. And the Marquis of Landrose is .......
The Marquess of Landrose is a man with 'tradition', 'pedigree', and 'prestige' walking around in his clothes. That's the only way to put it.
Yes. But that's why he's so troublesome. That's why they gave him peonies.
I'm sure you'll be able to figure out the best way to get the most out of it. ...I guess.

Dualis rubbed his head. The meaning of this gesture is, "How dare you think of the details?
Edward nodded, chuckling at his father.

Edward nodded, chuckling at his father, "I suppose he thought that would satisfy both the conservative nobles, who value family, and the new nobles, who value performance. In fact, I'm sure they did. If only the daughter of ...... Landrose hadn't done something so unnecessary.
"What a pain in the ass.

The balance in the court was shattered when Liliane, the daughter of the Marquess of Landrose, created a faction of conservative aristocrats and blatantly treated the entourage from the emerging aristocratic families. It's obvious that the emerging noble families will be dissatisfied with the current situation.

"It's not strange for Diana to join the Red Rose, you know. In fact, there must have been pressure from your father's cronies, and it will only add another saga to our rumors that he did something black to make his daughter a candidate for the Red Rose.
But... it has balanced out the palace.

The fact that Deanna was given the Red Rose is, if you only look at her status, extremely unworthy. The daughter of a count, of all people, will stand above the marquis.
However, this was the reason why the power in the court, which had been leaning towards the conservative nobility, was suddenly revived. The daughter of the Landlords also seems to have a hard time standing up to Diana.

It's gotten complicated. ......
That's right. And to complicate matters, there's the matter of the entourage that His Majesty is favoring.
Oh, ...... Baroness Shayla Callerd, is it?

Edward's mind was filled with a whole lot of information about the Callerd family. But he couldn't think of the most important one, the daughter. He only had a vague impression of her as a quiet princess who made her debut in society last year.

The Barony of Callerd itself is an upstart aristocracy that emerged only a few decades ago. Because of the recent family turmoil, the reputation of the family has declined. ...... I guess they are treated as if they don't exist in the rear court. Her conservative consorts probably don't even bother to kick her down. If such a princess were known to be His Majesty's favorite, ......
You never know what an angry conservative might do.
Oh. Especially the Landrose girl, she seems to have a lot of pride in that area.


"I'm also curious to see what the innovators are doing with their entourage. I wonder if any of them will do something unexpected to gain Deanna's favor?
I'm sure you'll be able to find out more about this.

But there is no way to avoid it, Dualis looked at the ceiling.

"Gather as much information as you can on each of the entourage. Can you do that?
I'll do it. It's a good thing that Deanna and Rita are here to help me with my research in the palace.
I'm sorry, Sirius. I'm sorry, Sirius.
"Haha!

With that, the presence in the attic disappeared. Edward sighed and looked at Dualis.

Sirius seems to be feeling responsible.
"It's nothing for him to worry about. The Dark Ones are doing a great job.
They've had very little to do with this preliminary investigation. I'm sure they wish they had forced their way in before .......
"At a time when Diana has not entered the palace? I don't care how good the Darknesses are, I can't let them do that.

I'm not sure what to make of that.

They treat their servants as pawns, order them to do reckless work, and then throw them away when it becomes inconvenient. While there are many such noblemen out there, his father - his family - has always fought against such tendencies.
Even the servants who perform the official duties, and those who work in the shadows, gathering information, guarding, capturing, etc. - the covert forces of the Crestor family, commonly known as the "Darkness" - are treated equally as "people" by the people of the Crestor family. He always remembers to be grateful to them, saying that it is because of them that the Cresters are able to exist.

Edward was born to such a father, and he was truly proud to be his successor.