Chapter 82

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"Emma-sama!!!"

As she entered the classroom for her embroidery lesson, the young ladies at her desk welcomed her with concern.

"Oh, good morning, everyone. You're all here so early today?"

Even Marion, who is usually late, had already arrived.

"Are you feeling well? I heard you fainted at the banquet... You shouldn't overexert yourself. I thought you would take the day off today..."

Francesca gently led her to her seat and helped her sit down.

...This kind of considerate nature is one of Francesca's charms. She may look strong and assertive, but she is actually the most feminine among the embroidery group.

I should definitely use pink lace for her dress. It should be elegant, cute, and not too sweet. It's a difficult balance, but it's fun to think about...

"Thank you for your concern. I'm completely fine."

She didn't actually faint at the banquet, but since she was carried by the prince and seen by many nobles, her embarrassing state must have reached Francesca, who wasn't there.

"Emma-sama, does your arm hurt? I was worried after hearing from my brother..."

Marion looked at Emma's right arm and advised her to just observe the class if it was too difficult.

However, since her arm wasn't hurting and today's lesson was embroidery on handkerchiefs, she had brought 200 of them, eager to start. It would be a waste to bring them all the way here and not use them.

"Marion-sama, I'm fine. I'm sure Arthur-sama exaggerated a bit. I'll finish 100 or 200 handkerchiefs in no time."

She placed the stack of white square cloths on the desk and smiled at Marion.

Thinking about Marion's completed dress from last night, she decided to ask Georg to make some decorations that would suit Marion's short hair. Despite her tall stature, Marion has a small face and a model-like figure, which is quite enviable.

"I don't think the embroidery teacher expects that much, do you, Catherine?"

"I don't think the embroidery teacher expects that much, do you, Caitlin?"

The twins looked at the amount of cloth Emma had brought and, as usual, their eyes widened at the impressive quantity.

Today, they had their silver hair tied in twin tails with light blue ribbons. The combination of silver and light blue is quite beautiful.

The twins' family governs the Simons territory, which has a large port. Maybe a marine pattern would be good...

Despite the chaos of yesterday with the king, Prince Task, and the ninja, she barely managed to do any sewing. If she had a whole day off, she could have made several dresses for her family, but she only managed to work on Marion's dress.

...By the way, when she peeked from above after the meeting with her parents, Prince Task looked dejected. Maybe he was just hungry...

"Why are you... alive...?"

After returning to the castle from the Stewart family, Prince Task sat in the chair of the specially prepared VIP room and dismissed the servants. In front of him, all 20 ninjas, who were said to be in the care of the Stewart family, appeared.

The ninjas... are alive?

The 19 ninjas that the Stewart Earl said he was keeping were right in front of him, alive and seemingly unharmed.

Without even a tear in their clothes, how could these elite ninjas have been captured without any resistance?

Why?

Did the ninjas reveal all the secrets of the Imperial Kingdom?

No, the ninjas are not allowed to even hint at any secrets. They are trained to take their own lives before reaching that stage.

They are ninjas, after all.

So, why are they alive?

Was it all a ruse by the Stewart Earl?

However, the outcome of this meeting should have been ideal for the Imperial Kingdom.

The Stewart Earl and his wife agreed to assist in diplomacy as interpreters.

Out of the Earl's kindness, a ship loaded with food would depart for the Imperial Kingdom the next day.

All it took was one message from the Earl to his eldest son, and everything was decided within 10 minutes.

"Georg, can you ask Joshua to arrange food supplies for the Imperial Kingdom?"

Just those few words.

Who is Joshua?

Ten minutes later, the paper Georg brought had the following quantities written on it: 600 tons of wheat, 70 tons of soybeans, 50 tons of dried meat, 15 tons of dried fruits, and more. It would take the Imperial Kingdom days to prepare such a large amount of food.

The Stewart Earl read it out in perfect Imperial language and smiled, offering to provide anything else needed.

This was more than half the amount of food the Imperial Kingdom desperately wanted in exchange for magic stones. How could this Earl arrange such a large amount in just 10 minutes?

"Joshua says that if we can wait a week, we can gather about 10 times this amount, but since Emma said it's better to deliver the food as soon as possible, we can prepare this much if the ship leaves tomorrow morning."

The eldest son, Georg, said something unbelievable after reading the paper.

"Tomorrow... morning!!!?"

Arrange the food in 10 minutes and send a ship the next morning?

It's incomprehensible. Is this really possible!?

And who is Joshua?

"Sorry, it seems we can't get the wheat ready by this evening... but we'll use the latest equipment on the ship, so it should arrive in 3 to 4 days."

"3 to 4 days!!!?"

"Is that too late?"

Georg looked at Prince Task with concern.

The distance between the Imperial Kingdom and the Kingdom is vast.

Even the high-speed royal ship that Prince Task took took a week to arrive.

It's impossible to believe that a ship loaded with a large amount of food could arrive in 3 to 4 days.

"No, it took me about a week to get here, so I can't believe it would arrive so quickly..."

"Don't worry. Joshua's ship is equipped with the latest technology and has a crew of experienced sailors."

The Stewart Earl assured him that it would definitely arrive in 3 to 4 days.

But who is Joshua?

He couldn't understand why they were being so generous.

Did they get the information about the magic stones?

No, that's impossible with the ninjas. They are excellent and among the elite in the Imperial Kingdom.

So, is this an apology for the 19 ninjas who were supposed to have died?

The ninjas sacrificed their lives to save the country...

...They were excellent ninjas.

I came to the kingdom to prevent the sacrifice of the people and to save the country before the citizens starved...

But in the end, I failed.

I sacrificed 19 valuable ninjas.

In 3 to 4 days, the food will reach the Imperial Kingdom.

And then, they will take me as a hostage and use my safety to steal the magic stones.

The Stewart Earl... what a terrifying man.

He casually wiped his mouth, perhaps imagining the sweet juice he would soon extract.

Will my people, my beloved citizens, forgive my failure?

As Prince Task left the Stewart family, his steps were slow and heavy, as if he were walking on a thorny path toward a dark and heavy future.

...

In front of him were the ninjas who were supposed to be dead.

The 19 ninjas seemed to be more vibrant and lively than when he saw them in the morning.

"Why? Why are you alive?"

It was important, so he asked again.

At the end of the note Georg brought...

PS. Miso soup with tofu is possible!!

...

...

...You, you have drool on your mouth!

Leonardo gently wiped his mouth.