Prolouge

Translated by KuroNeko Edited by KuroNeko

Once, there was a long war between two countries.

In the year 414 of the Arcanet calendar, a war broke out between the Arcanet Empire in the west and the Kingdom of Belironite in the east, and the war continued for ten years. However, on April 21, 424, King Buxton VI of Belironite, fearing that his country was being consumed, announced his surrender to Arcanet.

The Emperor of the Arcanet Empire, Iguats, demanded the cession of the port of Carcharatan on the coast of Belironite, bringing an end to the long war.

This battle is called the “Ten Years War.”

The sounds of tapping typewriter keys and sliding fountain pens echoed through the room. The occasional ringing of a bell to remind people to change lines was the only sound, and the two men present were barely audible as they talked or made other noises.

“Theodore, how’s the example coming along?”

The typewriter stopped typing once the low, crisp voice of a man came out.

The young man called Theodore was working at his desk and looked up at the owner of the voice beside him. “Yes.” His black hair, which hung over his forehead, swayed easily.

“You’ll meet your deadline.”

“That’s fine.”

The man sitting by the window didn’t give his subordinate a second glance, but continued to write his signature one after the other on the stack of documents he was looking through – Siegmund Von Stein, the fountain pen spelled out.

The soft light coming from the window made Siegmund’s silver hair shimmer like a vajra stone. In contrast, his expression was faded, and his eyes were darkened through his octagonal gold-rimmed glasses.

Theodore suddenly realized that the cup that had been relegated to the corner of Siegmund’s table was now empty. He got up from his chair and took the stainless steel coffee pot from the long table across from him.

“Speaking of which, it seems that the leading nobles of the Senate have endorsed the establishment of the new advisory body one after another.”

“Oh… that idiot must have put that up. I’m sure they’re all idiots.”

As his subordinate casually sipped the coffee from his cup, Siegmund said with a frown. He appears to be indeterminate age, but when the wrinkles and lines on his forehead are clearly etched like this, he has a certain amount of toe.

“Well, for a pervert who enjoys fondling men’s asses whenever he gets the chance, it might not be too much of a stretch to do it from behind the scenes.”

“To your brother, such……”

As the clouds gathered, Theodore changed the subject before it got too rough.

“To paraphrase His Excellency Ulrich, maybe the times call for a fresh wind.”

“…… First Princess of the Belironites?”

Theodore chuckled and returned the coffeepot to the original long table.

“I shall have to call her Empress next week. Siegmund-sama.”

The silver-haired man sniffed, but his expression was softer than before.

“It’s one of the reasons I have more work to do.”

Siegmund Von Stein. He is the legitimate son of the Dukes of Stein, and is currently the secretary of the new government of Arcanet, subordinate to the head of state, and his major role is to record the details of his administration. Young Theodore is his assistant.

“Shall I open the window a little? It’s a beautiful day.”

The dark-haired young man went to the window to look at Siegmund, who was in a slightly better mood. If he was in a really foul mood, he wouldn’t even be allowed to come close to him.

A cool spring breeze blew in through the open window, replacing the stuffy air in the room. I felt refreshed, as if my body and mind were being washed with my breath.

Outside the Stein residence, the chrysanthemums in the garden were bathed in sunlight and rustling in the wind. The young man squinted at the idyllic scenery.

Because of his grandfather’s pale face and small stature, Theodore looks younger than his age, but his dark brown eyes have a calm, distant gaze.

The pages of a paperweight on Theodore’s desk flapped in the wind. It was a document that he had been assigned to work on.

It is titled “The Co-Prosperity of Arcanet and Belironite” and tells the story of how the two countries overcame their various ties and joined hands after the Ten Years War. This story is based on his book, and is the adventure of a girl.

After the war, Arcanet and Belironite had broken off diplomatic relations, except for the ceded land of Carcharatan.

In the year 428 of the Arcanet, some time after the long war, a baby boy was born to Emperor Igauts and Empress Sylvia. His name was Wolfgang. As a legitimate heir to the throne, he was the crown prince. The people were overjoyed at the good news that came after the war, and eagerly awaited the unveiling of the crown prince.

However, Crown Prince Wolfgang was born too sickly to even go out, and was always lying on the bed.

Tired of caring for her own child and the unkind slander of those around her, Sylvia became physically and mentally ill, and threw herself from the tower of the Stathis Palace and passed away. This incident shocked the entire Arcanet and fueled public unrest.

On the other hand, King Buxton VI of Belironite was a pacifist and worked to rebuild the country after its defeat. During the war, he changed his army from a conscripted one to a volunteer one, and allocated most of his military expenditures to support the war victims. He also encouraged agriculture to stabilize the domestic food supply and tried to reduce the number of starving people.

When Wolfgang was two years old, a baby girl was born to King Buxton VI and his queen Sophia. She was named Princess Primrose after the spring flower, the season of her birth.

Wanting to distract the people from the scandal of his wife and son, Iguats proposed to King Buxton VI that the newborn Primrose be made Wolfgang’s bride as a condition of the treaty of amity. The crown prince’s marriage to the first princess of his former enemy would not only lower the people’s spirits, but would also serve as a check on the Belironites. It was a so-called political marriage.

Knowing of Wolfgang’s condition, King Buxton VI was forced to make a tough decision. However, Belironite’s borders were blocked by the rugged Haruna Mountains, and if diplomatic relations with neighboring Arcanet were to be severed, it would become a land-locked island. Fearing that his country’s economy would stagnate, King Buxton VI agreed to the proposal.

After that, the two countries clashed their claims and negotiated a treaty of amity that lasted 14 years.

On September 23, 444, the signing ceremony of the Treaty of Amity took place in the audience hall of the Palace of Stathis in the Imperial City of Arcanet.

Emperor Iguats was seated on a throne on the platform, and King Buxton VI was seated in the guest of honor seat facing him, with the Belironite delegation behind him on one knee. The palace’s civilian officials and bodyguards were lined up around him. Even with more than a hundred people, the large marble floor was not filled, and there would still be room for more than twice as many.

The place was filled with silence and a solemn atmosphere.

“I now present to you the five covenants of the Treaty of Amity between the Empire of Arcanet and the Kingdom of Belironite.”

Siegmund, the silver-haired secretary, stood between the emperor and the foreign king, bowed, and read the contents of the fine parchment in his hand. His tone was more reverent than usual.

“One, when citizens of both countries cross into each other’s country, they must present their bills of passage at the border crossing points. Anyone who breaks this rule will be deported. However, in the city of Carcharatan, which is effectively controlled by Arcanet, Arcanet citizens are not required to present their bills.”

The expressions of the envoys of Belironite became slightly tense. Even though the port town of Carcharatan was within Belironite territory, it had to be treated as if it were a foreign country because Arcanet held the right to it. The Beryllonites living in Carcharatan are under the control of Arcanet.

In the last war, the Belironites gave up Carcharatan in exchange for surrender, so they could not get rid of this clause. Of course, it was an enormous blow to have the only passage through the city.

Even though he was over 40 years old, the amber gaze that peeped out from his slackened eyelids never wavered, and he kept his eyes fixed on Iguats in front of him. Even though he had lost the war, he had not forgotten his pride as the king of a country.

Iguats’s abyssal black eyes did not meet anyone’s, and he just looked down at the floor. It’s not that he’s depressed, but he’s filled with some kind of dim emotion.

“One, that if two people commit a crime in each other’s country, they shall be tried by the laws of that country. In addition, a person from the home country may be summoned to defend the guilty person.”

This time, the civilian officials of Arcanet frowned. This clause was the brainchild of the Belironites. The clause, “A person from the homeland may be summoned to defend a guilty person,” was a remedy in case of false accusations. The clause prevented the Beryllonites, who were in a disadvantageous position as a defeated nation, from being tricked into unknowingly taking part in the wrongdoings.

Naturally, it was an eyesore for the Arcanetians, who wanted to take advantage of the Belironites, but since the first sentence of the article was impartial, they could not outwardly argue against it. As a victorious nation with a noble cause, they wanted to avoid any mudslinging.

“One, the Belironites are forbidden to use force against Arcanet forever. In the event of a large-scale incident or riot that disrupts order in Carcharatan, the Belironite military may be dispatched to suppress it.”

“One, if a third state or antisocial force that violates the peace commits an act of aggression in one country, the other country must spare no effort to help solve the problem.”

While Siegmund was reading out the terms of the agreement one after another, Iguats was playing with his black beard with his fingers, as if he was not interested. What is he thinking at this critical moment? Is he taking diplomacy with our country lightly? Some of them clenched their fists tightly and trembled with anger.

“One, as a sign of friendship between our two countries, His Royal Highness Prince Wolfgang of Arcanet and Her Royal Highness Princess Primrose of Belironite are to be married. Do you both have any objections to the terms of the covenant?”

After reading the article, Siegmund turned to Iguats and Buxton VI, respectively.

“No objection.”

Iguats replied languidly. There was no way he could object, so Siegmund’s question was a formality.

“…… Same as on the right.”

Buxton VI nodded. It was an unequal treaty for Belironite, but there was no point in complicating things now. He is prepared to pose as a man who will not go against the Arcanet, and when diplomatic relations are restored, he will earn money through trade.

“Sign here, please.”

Siegmund handed out the parchment contracts and quills he had been holding, and had each of them write their name. After checking the completed contract, he turned around and held it up in front of everyone.

“With the signing of this treaty by the heads of state of the two countries, the Treaty of Amity has been concluded as of today.”

Everyone in the room clapped in unison. The sound of the applause echoing through the audience hall was like the sound of wood being thrown into a burning fire. Whether it would be the light that would bring peace to the people or the spark that would start a new war, the Belironites had no way of knowing yet.

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