Chapter 46

The royal palace of the Kingdom of Sanluan.

Queen Edel had summoned the Prime Minister, Duke Maxim de Juan, for a conversation.

"Has anything happened with Berthine since then? Has she not been getting along well with Lord Cecil?"

"It seems that my daughter has opened a shop for embroidery and accessories and is making a living."

"How surprising. Does that mean Lord Cecil did not approve of her at all? I assume she made an effort, didn't she?"

"I apologize for my daughter's inability to serve you well."

For Queen Edel, it was within her expectations that Lord Cecil had declined the marriage proposal with Berthine beforehand.

However, she had taken a gamble by sending the attractive Berthine to meet him, thinking that he might be won over if they met in person.

If Lord Cecil liked Berthine, it would be excellent.

If Berthine married Lord Cecil, it would pave the way for the Kingdom of Sanluan to handle the raw gemstones from the Union through her. Currently, the Empire monopolizes the purchase of raw gemstones mined in the Union. If Sanluan could get a share without causing a stir with the Empire, the royal family would benefit more.

Additionally, if Berthine married a major noble within Sanluan, it would prevent the Prime Minister from gaining more power, making it a win-win situation.

If she was not accepted as a bride and returned, she planned to marry her off to a relative without giving the Duke's family a choice, and take one or two of the Prime Minister's businesses under the pretext of "giving them to Berthine."

(To neither complete the marriage nor return is to be both useless and stubborn.)

"Will the Prime Minister recall Berthine?"

"No. My daughter seems to be establishing a foothold in the Union, so I plan to watch over her for a while."

"…I see. If she was not accepted as a bride, our country will have to pay a thousand gold coins for the unpaid portion, won't we?"

"There has been no demand for it yet, but what should we do?"

At that moment, Queen Edel felt a slight sense of unease.

"Well, perhaps we can wait and see for a while."

With that, she dismissed the Prime Minister and closed her eyes to search for the source of her unease.

The Prime Minister is exceptionally competent.

All the tasks entrusted to him have been profitable. If he says there has been no demand, there is no need to rush to send the shortfall in compensation.

However… our country is the one violating the terms of the peace treaty. Is it really okay to leave it as it is? The ultimate responsibility lies with the royal family, regardless of what the Prime Minister says.

(No, the unease is not there.)

Was the Duke's response just a little quicker than usual?

The incredibly sharp Duke might be hiding something and said "There has been no demand" quickly to cover it up. If so, what could he be hiding about this matter?

She thought about it but lacked the information to make a judgment.

The Queen entered the King's private room.

Recently, the King has been captivated by a water clock from some country, marveling at the mechanism that tells time by the slow drip of water from top to bottom. Before that, he was obsessed with mechanical puppets from a distant land. She handles more than half of the state affairs, and the more complicated the issue, the more it comes to her.

She was chosen as Queen for this very reason and has no complaints. The late King had clearly said, "I chose you because of your abilities."

However, it is disheartening that her husband cannot be relied upon when she needs to make a judgment about the country.

"Ah, Edel, are the state affairs finished?"

"Yes, somehow. The Prime Minister is handling things well."

"I see, I see. Both you and Maxim are excellent, which is a great help."

"Your Majesty, is the new water clock interesting?"

"Yes, I can look at it for hours without getting tired. It's wonderful. It's a work of art. The Empire's merchants always find things that I like."

"That's good to hear."

She left the King's room with a smile and entered her own. She ordered a servant to bring her a hot tea.

Her only son, the prince, is sixteen and leaves all state affairs to his subordinates. He does not listen even when she scolds him.

(I must be strong. I must keep a watchful eye and tighten the reins on my vassals.)

She tried to convince herself, but her mind kept returning to the question: why did the Duke answer a little too quickly?

"No, I'll try to forget it. I feel a headache coming on."

Queen Edel let go of all her thoughts for a moment.

That night, in the study of the Juan Duke's residence.

Various reports were coming in to the Duke's home.

The sales of the Rose Hotel and Restaurant, operated under the name of an Imperial citizen, had suddenly increased, thanks to the hiri and bottled goods discovered by Berthine.

A letter of thanks from the well-known Lady Dalila arrived, praising Berthine for helping her gain influence in Imperial society.

The last document she picked up was a letter she had read many times.

It stated, "A legal expert from the Kingdom of Sanluan has been invited to the Union."

The invitation was personal from the Union's Chief Secretary and was treated as top secret. Two legal experts were called to lecture on Sanluan's laws to Lord Cecil. One of them was a former tutor of Berthine's family. The report came from that person.

"Our country's laws, huh."

She could see through Lord Cecil's intentions.

He was likely preparing to use this country's laws to address the shortfall in the thousand gold coins of compensation owed by Sanluan.

She had answered the Queen's question about the compensation shortfall with "There has been no demand" because of this information. She wanted to leave the material for Lord Cecil to act.

In her heart, she now trusted and respected Lord Cecil more than the Sanluan royal family. The Queen only thinks about the royal family and forgets the country. There is no one who could replace the current King. In contrast, Lord Cecil seems to be an ideal leader.

She even thought that if Lord Cecil could become the King of this country, it would be ideal, but she easily imagined that the Sanluan people's prejudice against the Union would not allow it.

While she was thinking about this, a servant brought in a delivery from the Imperial Rose Hotel.

She hurriedly opened the package and found bottles of hiri, fruit, and fish, along with a letter from Berthine.

She froze upon reading the letter and read it again and again.

"The Imperial Prince Claudius is determined to become the King of Sanluan. What a character, it's as if the gods have chosen the actors for this play."

According to the letter, the Imperial Prince had come to Berthine's house.

The fact that he went to such lengths suggests that the Empire is seriously considering taking over Sanluan through the second prince.

"This is going to get busy."

Prince Erenfried is forty years old, young enough. She knows he is an excellent person.

If the Prince could serve as a regent to assist the young King, she could retire after laying the groundwork, and the future of the Kingdom of Sanluan would be secure.

She should investigate the public reaction, but it should be fine. The country survives on the Empire's largesse. If the second prince of the Empire becomes King, he will be welcomed, not opposed. The current royal family's reputation is terrible, and the Prince's reputation is even worse.

The Duke had been feeling gloomy about Berthine's situation, but now he felt as if a ray of sunlight had broken through the clouds. According to Berthine's letter, things would likely move when Prince Claudius turns fifteen, in about two and a half years.

"Living a long life, you see things like this."

Murmuring this, the Duke opened one of the bottles he had never seen before.

He used the delicate fork provided to pick up a square, flesh-colored object and put it in his mouth. The label read "Steamed Liver of Ooguchi Fish in White Wine." There was no fishy smell, only the rich fat and the savory flavor of the liver spreading in his mouth.

"This is… delicious. Besides the liver, it's white wine, herbs, white hiri, and salt. The liver melts in your mouth."

He called a servant and ordered, "Bring me some wine."

Tonight, the wine would taste good.

In two and a half years, light would shine on Sanluan. He decided to do his best to assist if he could and drained the glass of wine.

"Delicious."

The Duke put another piece of Ooguchi fish liver in his mouth.