Chapter 21: Little Red Riding Hood’s Aunt!
He wanted Little Red Riding Hood to find her family, and he had his reasons.
Little Red Riding Hood—no, Britney—was the daughter of Baron Osvid and his only legitimate heir. According to the kingdom’s laws, both the barony and lands of Baron Osvid were rightfully hers to inherit. However, Britney had been missing for three years, and now, no one could verify her identity. Words alone wouldn’t convince the kingdom to recognize her claim. But if another noble close to Baron Osvid could testify to her identity, then Britney would naturally be acknowledged as the rightful heir to his title and lands.
In other words, if this one thing could be proven, not even the king could deny her inheritance. After all, in Western kingdoms, the ruler does not have absolute power over the nobility.
If a monarch mistreats a noble, that noble has the right to declare war to reclaim what is theirs. The relationship is more like a contractual partnership: the king grants lands and titles, and the nobles are expected to fight in wars and pay taxes. Beyond that, they owe the monarch nothing. In fact, in their own domains, nobles wielded power that could even surpass the king’s. The commoners within their lands were their subjects, not the king’s.
“The subject of my subject is not my subject”— it sounds clumsy, but that’s the reality.
If he wanted to secure a firm foothold in this world, becoming a noble would be the best way in. And if Britney inherited the barony of Osvid, all he needed to do was marry her; he would then become her lawful husband, and therefore, a baron.
Don’t underestimate what that status meant. In a rigidly hierarchical society, birth and bloodline dictate everything. Even if you were dirt poor, a noble lineage would make you a guest of honor among the aristocracy. In times of war, such people could rally a powerful following.
But without noble blood, even if you were filthy rich, you’d still be considered a commoner— just a vulgar upstart, reeking of coin, forever excluded from the true upper class. It sounds extreme, but it’s just like ancient times: no matter your wealth, you couldn’t compare to someone who could say, “I am of the Yuan clan, noble for four generations.”
It’s the same here. Bloodline might only be a stepping stone, but without it, you can’t even reach the door.
Now, if he were to take the conventional path to nobility, he would have to start as a knight’s squire, serving a noble lord and learning etiquette and rules for several years, before he could finally be promoted to the lowest rank of knighthood. And to go from knight to noble would take even more effort. Even with luck and ability, it would still take many years. He didn’t have that kind of time to waste.
But from another angle, since this world was clearly connected to fairy tales, he needed a fitting identity to interact with those legendary figures. Whether it was Snow White or Cinderella, without a proper identity, he wouldn’t even get a chance to meet them.
So, having a noble status was essential, and Little Red Riding Hood was the shortcut he chose. If he trained her well, then in this world where she had no one else, she would naturally come to depend solely on him.
Putting Little Red Riding Hood back into his portable space, Rhode began gathering information about Baron Osvid.
“You mean Baron Osvid? Didn’t he die three years ago?”
“Family? I heard he had an older sister who married a count from the neighboring kingdom.”
After asking around, Rhode finally got the lead he wanted from a merchant.
“Aunt married to a count, huh?”
Even if it’s in another kingdom, a count is still a powerful noble. Such a person would carry significant weight. If that countess, Little Red’s aunt, could vouch for her identity, then everything would fall into place.
But… crossing into another kingdom isn’t something he could do overnight. Rhode shook his head. He would try this route first. If it didn’t work, he had a Plan B: Find a suitable noble, kidnap them, and use mind-altering potions to turn them into his puppet.
The effect would be the same, though it would take more time. After all, brainwashing with potions wasn’t easy. If the target resisted too much, it could even fail and might turn the noble into a drooling idiot. A complete waste of time and energy.
Therefore, that would be his last resort.