The marriage between the Farnese count family and the Medici baron family was held very grandly.
Befitting the count family's status, they rented out the entire cathedral in Florence, with over a thousand guests attending.
All sorts of luxurious food and brightly dressed jesters gathered.
At this point, it's not a wedding ceremony but a large-scale local festival.
"No wonder so much money is being spent like this."
The guests gathered here and the onlookers around might think that nobles are indeed different, but all of this is just a waste of money, a waste.
While I was lost in these thoughts, the bride and groom came directly to my seat.
Has the wedding ceremony just ended and the reception started?
"Fabio, thank you for coming to the wedding. I hope you too will soon meet a good wife and start a family."
Our Baron Medici, brother Albert, hugged me tightly as soon as he saw me.
Seeing how he's about to rub cheeks, does he want to pretend to be affectionate brothers in front of others?
Or is it to the extent that he has to pretend like that?
My sister-in-law, the Farnese count's lady, no, the Medici baroness, smiled slightly upon seeing this sight.
"It's nice to see you get along so well."
"It's nice that you see it that way, sister-in-law, but it's a bit embarrassing."
My father and I get along quite well.
Although that brother and I are just housemates connected only by blood.
"I hope we can get along well in the future too, young master."
It seems the Farnese count family values the connection with me as much as the link with the Medici baron family.
I don't want anything to happen that would sour my relationship with Count Farnese either.
"Now that we've become family, I'm sure we'll get along well."
"Please visit often."
"Then I'll visit without hesitation from time to time."
Although our baroness might have goodwill towards me, Albert, the head of the family, doesn't like me very much.
Unless I want to create unnecessary trouble, there's no need to visit frequently.
After finishing the greetings, this time Count Farnese himself came to find me.
I thought that gentleman would be busy going around greeting people of much higher social status than me who came to this wedding.
He deliberately made time to come like this?
It can only be seen as having political intentions.
"So you're that Fabio. I've heard about you a few times from His Grace the Duke."
"It's an honor, Your Excellency Count."
"I heard that you paid a considerable portion of the cost for this wedding. It must have been a huge burden."
Honestly, I still feel sick just thinking about being fleeced of several thousand gold coins.
Why on earth should I spend money to hold the wedding ceremony for my brother who even received a title?
The world is wrong where I can't even complain even though I feel like my insides are bursting with resentment.
"Although I've branched out now, I'm still a person of the Medici baron family. I just did what I had to do."
I'd like to curse at him saying to get married with your own money, but…
I barely endured because I can't cut ties with my brother according to the ethical norms of noble society.
"This wedding was a matter of prestige for both the Medici family and our Farnese family. So I owe you a debt for generously contributing 7,000 gold coins to this wedding."
Although I've just turned 20 and only about 7 months have passed since I started as a merchant.
Among all the people I've dealt with for business so far, there hasn't been a single sane person.
The most favorable Duke tries to make me someone who can't live without him as if he's some yandere pretty girl.
Baron Medici, my brother, is openly wary and tried to keep me in check, and the people I met in the village chief or Guillaume City were crazy about trying to use me in any way possible.
I never thought there would be someone saying they owe me a debt when I didn't even directly bestow money.
"So I'll give you a small gift of gratitude."
The count handed me a document contained in an elegant box.
The content of the document was this:
A letter of recommendation for me written by the count himself.
Although it's difficult to use when making connections with high-ranking people because the recipient field is blank, it's an essential item to protect myself from the nonsensical acts of low-level administrators.
'You bastard, are you making fun of the Farnese count family?'
With just this one phrase, 80% of unfair treatment will be resolved or alleviated.
"Thank you, Your Excellency."
"It's the consideration of an old man who wants to stay as close as possible to a promising young man like you."
I never thought I'd receive such benefits from the count.
"Come visit often. I'll treat you with the utmost sincerity."
Even if I don't visit my sister-in-law often, I should go meet the count from time to time.
"I'd like to talk with you more, but I have to converse with others, so I'll be going now."
The count said that and turned his back to leave.
Sorry to my brother, but maybe I was the main character of this wedding, not Albert.
I don't particularly feel sorry about that.
Given how he suspected me and his intention to extort money from me.
It's true that he's doing something he shouldn't do to me.
**
There's a saying that good feelings in life are mostly wrong, but bad feelings always come true.
True to that saying, brother Albert didn't pay back any of the money to me.
"This bastard of a brother is really worse than nothing."
It's not like I'll starve to death or have difficulty living because I don't have that money.
I have money I've saved up so far and enough incoming revenue.
However, it twists my guts to think that I can't get back the money I lent.
"Sebastian, are there any letters from Baron Medici?"
Sebastian shook his head.
"A letter did come. But it said his circumstances are difficult, so please wait a little longer."
In any era, it's easy to ask family members to lend money, but difficult to ask them to pay it back.
Especially in the Middle Ages where the class system and patriarchal order are vividly alive.
"This is really driving me crazy."
The only fortunate thing is that I had anticipated this would definitely happen and thought of a way to collect the money in advance.
Other than directly visiting Albert to demand the debt or filing a lawsuit in court and causing a family fight.
"If they keep coming at us like this, we have no choice. Sebastian, have you found people to spread rumors?"
"I've gathered several people with wide connections here and there."
From a 21st-century common sense perspective where all politicians are embroiled in large and small lawsuits and continue to do politics without caring much about all sorts of rumors flying around, it might seem like nothing.
However, this is a fantasy world where honor is more important than life.
When politicians hear rumors tarnishing their honor, they'd rather challenge you to a duel or try to resolve it by coaxing and soothing the other party.
They might use other methods if the opponent is weak, but we don't need to worry about that.
"Anyway, since I got an IOU, we don't necessarily need to receive it in money."
I'm not an incredibly rich person with money to burn.
However, since I'm not short on money, it's time to slowly secure other things.
Territory that will become my factory and company, connections with various classes, more achievements, and so on.
To go higher, I can't just run looking at money anymore.
"Let's spread a rumor that instead of repaying the debt to me, he's giving me part of the baron family's territory."
It's not very common in the Tuscan Empire, but benevolent heads of families sometimes give out parts of their territory when their younger siblings branch out.
One village, or several when it's a lot, like that.
Moreover, it's only natural in a way for our brother to give me territory since I even lent him money.
He'll probably be broke for a while because he held such a grand wedding ceremony and has no money.
Wouldn't it be difficult to repay the money?
"And let's also spread a rumor that I, as the younger brother, agreed to help rebuild the finances of the struggling Medici baron family."
It's true that I can't demand repayment of the debt because Albert, who became Baron Medici, is my family.
However, conversely, it's natural for me to help.
Because family is like a community of fate, isn't it human duty for an outstanding younger brother to help his older brother?
This is the same principle behind nobles having political marriages.
It's to receive help from in-laws when political or economic risks come to their family.
"That's an excellent idea. But may I ask one thing?"
"What is it?"
Sebastian carefully whispered in my ear.
"Are you thinking of taking over the Medici baron family completely? If so, I, Sebastian, will actively support you."
With my abilities, I could rise to baron by taking a slightly roundabout method.
But I can't be pointed at for doing something like stealing my brother's family.
No, as a modern person, I can endure being cursed as if it's for money and power.
But why bother when it's obvious that it will become shackles binding my ankles later?
"Among the various vested interests the Medici family has, there's smuggling, right? I'm thinking of getting my hands on that later too."
Smuggling, in 21st century Earth history, was expressed like this:
Trade for the good of the public.