In the middle of the night, while the others were resting, Eric pulled Robert aside.

"The Earl of Essex... have you tried to win him over?"

"He would never support me. He’s cowardly and skittish, more concerned with maintaining his current status than anything else—and certainly not by taking any risks. He’s perfectly content with his situation, more than happy to be a lapdog."

"His cowardice is reserved for his superiors, his sensitivity for his inferiors."

"Exactly. So there’s no point in trying to win him over."

"Then let’s pay him a visit tomorrow."

"I already told you, there’s no point. Besides, news from London might have already reached him..." Robert, thinking Eric hadn’t understood, repeated himself.

London wasn’t far from Essex.

"We’re not going to win him over. We’re going to destroy him. I heard from Itamar that they have intelligence he’ll be leaving his castle the day after tomorrow, likely for London. Even if he’s heard rumors, your father wouldn’t have told him the full truth. The Earl of Hereford wouldn’t have admitted he’s acting on your behalf."

"But we don’t have enough men. I think we should contact our people in Suffolk first. Arno and the others might have already arrived."

"There’s no time. Even if we send a man to Suffolk now, the round trip plus mobilizing the troops would take at least three days. By the time they arrive, the Earl will likely be in London."

"If we don’t have enough men, then we’ll make him think we do. Who would expect a prince rumored to be in rebellion to pay him a visit with a paltry fifty men?"

"As I recall, he has no sons, correct? Only a daughter." Eric looked up at Robert.

"Yes, that’s been a constant headache for him. His English wife has been unable to produce a son, so he’s getting desperate. However, the last time I was in London, I heard his wife is pregnant again. No one knows if it will be a boy or a girl."

Robert thought for a moment.

"Even so, he won’t turn his coat for that. He’s terrified of my father; otherwise, my father would never have appointed him Guard Captain of the Tower of London."

"True, he won’t switch sides. But his men will think differently. A fiefdom with no male heir is destined to be reclaimed by the King—especially when that King is Conqueror William. Who would want a distant king ruling them directly?"

Eric gave Robert a faint smile.

...

「The courtyard of a castle in Essex」

A middle-aged man gripped his bow, muscles tense. Once certain he was in the perfect stance, he released the string.

A rope ring, about the size of two thumbs, hung in the center of the target, marking the bullseye.

WHOOSH. The arrowhead sank into the target, just grazing the outside of the rope ring.

The middle-aged man frowned, clearly displeased.

He was the Earl of Essex, Geoffrey Mandeville.

Just then, a lean young man approached Earl Geoffrey’s side and gave a slight bow. 𝑓𝘳𝑒𝑒𝓌𝘦𝘣𝘯ℴ𝑣𝘦𝑙.𝘤𝑜𝑚

The young man was the Earl’s steward, an Englishman.

"My Lord."

"What is it?"

"A message from London, my Lord. The King urges you to travel to London as soon as possible. He is convening a trial for the Earl of Hereford." The young man remained in his bow.

"Incessant nagging. I already told them I would set out this afternoon, and still they press me. Are they all deaf? I only just got back a few fucking days ago! This is definitely Roger of Montgomery acting on his own authority again."

"That man... Damn it, why can’t the King just handle this kind of trial himself? If it’s rebellion, kill them. If it’s disobedience, execute them. Does he really need to convene a special council just to make himself look important?"

"And those wretched peasants are a constant headache. Have the patrols returned yet? I said to let the remaining rabble live for two more days to repent for rebelling against me. Today is the fourth day. They should have been back last night."

"Not yet, my Lord."

"A pack of useless louts. They’ve probably run off somewhere to get drunk again. Dock their pay by a third this month."

Much of the land in Essex had originally been the personal demesne of King Harold of England. In the first few years after the conquest of England, rebellions here were frequent.

The number of Territorial Knights created simply by enfeoffing them with land was insufficient to handle these rebellions. Besides, Essex didn’t have that much land to grant. A lord also had to retain a large enough personal demesne; otherwise, if his vassals rebelled, he would be powerless to resist.

Thus, many earls, including the Earl of Essex, relied on gold and silver from the King to maintain a retinue of household knights on a monthly salary, ready to handle any sudden or scattered fighting.

Although these household knights held no land and their status was slightly below that of the landed Territorial Knights, they were more than capable of easily defeating any force composed of disobedient English peasants.

With rebellions on the decline in recent years, the Earl had been wanting to reduce their numbers to cut costs. However, he hesitated, fearing the landless men would become bandits. Still, he took every opportunity to cut their pay, since the King couldn’t be expected to lavish him with gold and silver forever.

’Perhaps one day they’ll have the sense to leave on their own,’ Geoffrey thought.

Geoffrey handed his bow to the young man and started toward the main keep.

"While I’m away, I don’t want to hear another word about rebellion. Such things must be crushed in the cradle. Kill who you must. Indecisiveness is the root of all rebellion."

"My lady... she said she hopes you will treat the rebels more leniently and not violate the customary laws of Essex. She was very displeased with your actions the other day."

"What business is it of hers? I am the Earl! This fief is mine now! You tell her to hold her tongue. Otherwise, that old woman can get out. No—if she doesn’t give me a son this time, I’ll throw her out immediately."

"I’ve had enough of the English. You do your job. You take your orders from me and me alone, or you can get out too."

"I can’t be dealing with rebellions all the time. I need to be accumulating my fortune. I must get as much wealth as I can while I still have the King’s favor. I want higher tariffs and land rents! Wealth is the foundation of everything. It is the source of power."

"With wealth, even if you temporarily lose your lands, you have a chance to rise again." Geoffrey clenched his fist as he spoke to the young man.

Just then, a Herald’s voice cried out from the gate: "The Lord Walter Off, Earl of Northampton and Northumbria, requests an audience with the Lord Earl outside the castle walls!"

"Walter Off? What’s that fellow doing here? I have no dealings with him."

"It is likely to negotiate the matter of tariffs, my Lord. He sent men to complain about them last year, and this year you have raised them again," the young man replied.

"I bet he came empty-handed again. I have nothing to say to him. The man thinks he can get something for nothing just because he’s married to the King’s niece. You go and tell him there’s no chance. Tell him to go amuse himself."

Earl Geoffrey clapped the young man on the shoulder, motioning for him to meet the other earl in his stead.

"Me, my Lord? Is that appropriate? He is an earl, after all."

"So what? He’s just an Englishman. The King will get rid of him sooner or later. He’s only kept around to give the English a shred of pathetic pride."

"Perhaps I could convey your... requirements to him, my Lord. I believe he will understand."

"Fine. Tell him to present me with fat chickens, aged wine, or a few harlots right now, here in my castle, before I depart. Otherwise, he can go crawl back to his own castle and curse the fact his lands have no coastline."

"Won’t that be too insulting?" The young man took a few steps, then hesitated and looked back at Geoffrey.

"Insulting my ass!" A small stone flew past his head.