Marcy's Stolen Plan

"Katie, what exactly is your plan for getting the majority away from Sigmund's side?" Franz asked as he set down his teacup.

He and Mariela both looked at me expectantly. This was the tricky part.

The idea had come from Marcy in the original novel. How would I explain how I came up with it if he asked?

Annalaias had one court and it was made up of nobles only. The lowest ranking people in it were baronets.

Wealthy merchants sometimes made alliances with lower nobles to get their interests heard but shopkeepers, tenant farmers, and servants had no say whatsoever. They could complain to the stewards of the estates belonging to the nearest nobility but that was it. The people hated it but were too overworked to riot.

Marcy proposed including one representative from each dukedom, earldom, barony, etc. that was a commoner, making sure that each profession was represented somehow. The concept wasn't terribly different than the House of Commons in England back when nobility still dominated the country.

In the novel, when Franz proposed this amendment to the court system Sigmund's faction went ballistic. But what could they do? Though marquises and dukes were more influential in society there were a lot more viscounts, barons, and so forth.

The second prince won the majority vote and with all of those new representatives in place Sigmund wasn't able to strip away the common people's rights through the court.

That was when things got dicey. The king had died so Sigmund took over and let the power get to his head. He ignored the court's ruling and tried doing things by force. People got angry and revolted.

In the end Sigmund lost his life and Franz became king of Annalaias. I wanted to be long gone by this point because I imagined things at the palace would become hectic and I didn't want to get caught up in it.

All I needed to do was get the court to rule in favor of common representatives and then I could slip away with my work done.

"I know you have been recruiting members of the lower nobility that Sigmund has overlooked," I said seriously.

"A lot of them actually care about the people under their charges and don't like his classist ideas. Others simply don't like being excluded themselves. Regardless of their reasoning, you need to get the majority to work with you.

"My idea will expand the court size. You should be able to win over many of the lesser nobles by telling them this because if the court is bigger, the power of the higher titles will be reduced."

Franz appeared perplexed. "I imagine they would be interested in having more people on their side but where are these people going to come from?"

"Sigmund wants to oppress the common people in order to have his reign be absolute, does he not? If they had proper representation within the court it would kill two birds with one stone. Sigmund's policies would not be able to be enacted and you would have the majority on your side for future conflicts."

Mariela smirked at me. She was enjoying watching my otherworldly political science graduate mind at work.

"A fitting idea, Katie. Shibatsu has a somewhat similar concept. Warriors are important in our culture but they do not come from noble families. The king chooses worthy people from both classes to make up his elite cabinet."

"I have heard rumors about that," Franz mused, chewing on the idea. He turned to his wife with interest. "How many of each?"

"The cabinet is reorganized every ten years. At that time the current cabinet members are sent back to their homes in glory to enjoy the rest of their lives in peace and new ones are chosen.

"It changes every time depending on what fresh talent is available. The current cabinet consists of twenty people. As of now only eight are nobles and two of those nobles are women."

He smiled. "It appears that Annalaias has much to learn from your country."

Mariela's cheeks pinked slightly. Even I heard the compliment in that statement. He was praising her brain.

For someone who felt like nothing more than an ornament here, that was a big deal. Go Franz! Win her over!

To hide her embarrassment, she addressed her reply to me. "Katie, how many common representatives do you propose?"

"One from each domain. Annalaias is fairly large. There are roughly eighty nobles that own land other people make a living off of. One person from each of those areas should suffice. Many of the lower nobility do not own enough land to have tenants.

"The higher nobles will be easier to appease if there are not an equal number of commoners and nobles in the court but the commoners will still have enough representatives to have their voices heard," I explained, letting my words sink in as I nibbled on a tart.

"I can see why Duke Orla was so interested in you," Franz said with a light laugh. "You are a formidable opponent. I am quite lucky to have you on my side."

"Isn't she wonderful?" Mariela praised.

If she knew what a thumbs up was I had no doubt she would be giving me one right now based on her expression.

"Yes, but so are you. I should have sought your advice much sooner. Please forgive me, Mariela."

He reached over and brought his wife's hand to his lips. A hint of nervousness showed in his eyes. Franz actually felt bad about overlooking her for so long, I could tell. So he DID like her after all! How cute.

Surprise lit her eyes but she smiled sweetly at the earnest man in front of her.

"I shall forgive you so long as you give me some of your work. I have been rotting away with nothing to do."

"Yes, yes, I promise!"

I felt like the world's biggest third wheel. Where was Al when you needed him?

I doubted he would want to be a part of this conversation anyway. He didn't care about any of this. There had to be some way to get him invested in other people's problems!

More than anything I wished I could ask Marcy how she did it but the Marcy from the novel and the Marcy currently in the kitchens had very different experiences. The girl I knew wouldn't have a clue either because she hadn't spent enough time with Al.

That was my next objective. I needed to facilitate a meeting between those two.

Franz suddenly spoke to me and I was startled out of my thoughts. "Katie, I realize this is a bit rude of me since you were visiting with her first, but may I borrow my wife for a while? I wish to take her to my office and acquaint her with some of my work."

"By all means."

You go, lovebirds. I have other things to do, anyway.

As they rose from the couch Mariela shot me an excited look and I winked at her behind Franz's back. Go get 'em, tiger!

"I have people to contact but once I have finished with that I will call on you again for further counsel," he said formally before offering his arm to the lovely woman beside him with a soft smile.

Watching them made me all warm and fuzzy inside but also made my single heart weep bitterly. Technically, I had a fiancé but it was only in name. I was devoid of romance as I ever was back home so seeing cute, fluffy things was a double-edged sword.