This is starting to feel like Common Sense of a Duke's Daughter. I actually think she has the right reasoning. I always felt that yes, bullying is harsh, but it's unreasonable to punish a Duke's daughter much less the entire family for unruly behavior against a lesser rank, especially taking into account the rigid social hierarchy in those days. In reality it's probably because the royal family was using that as a pretext to kick the "arrogant" Alberts down a notch.
@Red225 I agree with your take on it.
@0ri If they voluntarily gave up tribute or donate, it won't have the effect you expect. It might actually be worse. It's a pride thing on top of a power struggle. If they give out handouts to the royal coffers or even worse, directly to the people, that's delegitimizing the rule of the royal family, winning the support of the commoners who benefit from treasury money, and pretty much just rubbing it in. Donated money doesn't just evaporate, you end up with foundations and goodwill all in the Albert name. She heavily implies that this is what her father is already doing. The lesser royalty are cozying up to their family and her father generally doesn't refuse their requests for money and connections. But that won't endear them to the royals who were born believing they had the right to stand above others but are forced to beg the Alberts for alms. If we think about it this way, it will just incite their resentment even more.
On top of that, unlike Common Sense, the Alberts don't have any military power. It's just economic influence and social capital. That won't protect you from a conspiracy from vengeful royals and backstabbing nobles if they actually decide to work together. If they try to build up a private guard now, it's unlikely it will ever rival the royal army, and that will only give their enemies the excuse for accusations of treason. It's a perfect plan. Whether they have military power of not, the royals can accuse them of treason, confiscate their properties for the royal coffers, and solidify their position on one condition, if the other nobles are willing to support them socially. The only thing holding the royal family back is 1. morals if we're lucky and 2. fear of retribution from the nobles and subsequent political instability. The only reason the aristocrats haven't turned on the Alberts ( and stepped on them to move up the ladder once the greatest family is out of the picture) is because 1. they might be afraid they're next 2. the Alberts are still useful. If the royals are able to work out a deal with nobles to distribute confiscated Albert capital to so-called "loyal" retainers, the royals would be able to create a situation where no one house is too powerful and reassert authority. Opportunistic nobles would take the chance to rise by backing up treason claims.
Lastly someone mentioned just straight up taking over. That's an all or nothing hail-mary gamble. You either win and get to rule the kingdom or the entire family gets obliterated and executed. That's assuming they even want to start up a new dynasty by having a lengthy and bloody rebellion. First of all, they don't have military might, and secondly probably don't have legitimacy. Royalty tends to have a godlike status for commoners. Just look at how purple eyes are treated. Let's assume that somehow they were able to build up enough forces to execute a coup detat, discreetly sneak them into the capital, and execute the royal family. Will the nobility support them? Or maybe they'll think, now that the old and stable dynasty is gone, it's a free for all. Or they'll find some long lost illegitimate royal to install as a figurehead and become the righteous suppressors of the treasonous Alberts. In history those who launch bloody rebellions rarely end up ruling afterwards. It's always another group who will take up the power vacuum. Will the commoners go with it? If not, they'll have a hell of a time trying to maintain peaceful rule. Will neighboring countries ignore the civil war? If you're the imperialistic type, no.
What's the point in fleeing to another country? You end up on the run with maybe 30% of your liquid assets if you're lucky and plan ahead, losing your homeland, all your power, and become dependent on a foreign country's goodwill. If that country is not neutral, they might use the Alberts as a bargaining chip and extradite them in return for political favors. At this point their options are to become less threatening (economically, socially, psychologically) or play the game (install branches of the family in political positions, tie their fortunes closely to those of others, and strike down organized resistance). I don't think the author meant for us to take this so seriously but if we're here poking holes in this and saying her reasoning is shit and arguing that the story is shit by proxy, it's worth taking a closer look at pretty much the only 2 options they have. Besides, if she falls to commoner status she gets to marry Addie so win-win