All right.
Wein stood in front of the door to a room, one fit for a noble.
One person was occupying ittheir prisoner, Gruyere.
Though security was tight, he had been provided his basic necessities. After all, he was the king of a nation, so it wasnt as if they could toss him in the dungeon.
Pardon , King Gruyere.
When he stepped into the room, Wein was greeted by a single man.
Hmm?
The prince scrunched up his face in confusionand it wasnt because the man was voraciously devouring an array of food before him.
U-um, youre King Gruyereright?
Hm? Oh, its you. Long ti no see.
He must have finally noticed Weins presence. The man lifted his head, breaking into a composed smile. He sounded like Gruyere, but Wein wasnt completely sold. After all, there was no sign of his signature corpulence. Instead, he had the strapping physique of a hearty man.
Um, you look like a whole new person
Oh. Yeah, Im skin and bones. Gruyere looked down at his own body.
His gaunt limbs and torso were sturdy. Even his face seed more masculine.
Because of my body type, I get reverted back to this state when I get injured or engage in strenuous activity. I find it irritating.
Hadnt there been a wound on his shoulder? Shouldnt there have been a gash on his arm? Gruyere was eating as if nothing had ever happened. Maybe fat had miraculous healing properties.
How can I help you? Have you decided the date of my execution? he asked while gnawing on a bone. Are you going to decapitate or hang or put on the breaking wheel? Youll need so horsepower for the last one. Otherwise, I might co out in one piece.
Oh, okay, I guess we can nix the last option thenWait, I an, we have no plans to take your head.
Oh? He seed surprised. If you get rid of , Soljest will be yours. My son back ho is no fool, but he is no match for you. Is Natra going to pass up an opportunity to rise up in power?
Nonsense. We had our reasons for crossing swords, but Ive been hoping to forge a friendly relationship with you, King Gruyere, since the very beginning.
Hmm Gruyere thought this over for a mont before grinning. I see. Youre afraid of causing trouble with Levetia.
Obviously, Wein thought.
Gruyere was one of the Holy Elite, the leaders of Levetia. If he was executed, they could expect backlash at the very least. In the worse-case scenario, it would spark all-out war. Wein wanted to avoid that if possible.
If wed killed him with our surprise attack, we might have had a leg up in the grand sche of things, but things wouldnt look pretty for us if we murdered him after a grueling war.
That had been why Wein had given orders to capture Gruyere alive if possible. Of course, anything could happen on the battlefield, which was why he had prepared himself for the worst.
What would Delunio think if theres no execution?
King Gruyere was their sworn enemy. Delunio had broken their alliance with Soljest to side with Natra. If Gruyere wasnt executed and Soljest remained intact, Delunio would have to sleep with one eye open, anticipating revenge.
Theyd think nothing of it. Delunio agreed the three nations should et to discuss the future, even without your execution.
Thats surprising. I imagined Sirgis would have sothing to say about it.
He was overthrown, Wein casually admitted.
The king blinked back at him.
He had to give up his political career after crossing the line. After all, he acted in his personal interests to form an alliance with Soljest and break ties to join us.
I see. Gruyere snorted. Two nations, two goals: Natra wishes to remain neutral to Levetia, and Soljest wishes for to live. Weve ford an involuntary team to drag Sirgis from his post.
Wein smirked. I have no idea what youre talking about. Anyway, the new pri minister appears to be open to reconciling. Hes advocating an alliance between the three nations. I expected this to happen, since new leaders tend to reject the ideas of their predecessors to form their own political platform.
He took out so docunts, handing them to Gruyere.
Sign this. Then we can prepare soone from Soljest to co get you. I imagine youre sick of living here. Feel free to return ho.
Gruyere took the pen from Wein. He twirled it with his fingersthen snapped it in two.
I think Ill die here after all.
What? The princes eyes almost bugged out.
I live as I please. I dont want my life to be dictated by the whim of others.
P-please! Wait! That ans
It ans Levetia might wage war. Ha-ha-ha! Oh boy! You have it in for you! And it wont affect , cause Ill be six feet under!
Y-you little!
Gruyere was trying to land the final blow by morializing his death as martyrdom.
He plays dirty, Wein thought.
If you want to return to my kingdom in one piece, I have a few conditions.
Which are? Wein asked, feeling sick to his stomach.
Gruyere brought his face close to Weins.
Young prince, what is the true form of the beast you carry inside you?
What beast?
Everyone has one. Call it desire if you like. Yours is enormous, but I cant put my finger on it, which makes very curious.
Gruyere went on. Let it out. Say it. Show the beast inside you. What is it after? Then Ill cooperate with your little eting between the three nations.
Silence hung over them as they locked eyes.
It wasnt a display of animosity or malice. They were sizing each other up.
At long last, Wein started to give in. He let out a little sigh and told the king without hesitation.
.
His voice was strained, but Gruyere hung on to every word.
Is it true, Prince?
Sweat trickled down Gruyeres cheek. He lay waste to every threat on the battlefield, but this one statent made him crawl with apprehension.
Believe or not. Its up to you. I will say one thing: If you die here, you will never know the truth.
That threw the king off guard. He was quick to recover, hooting with laughter.
Ha-ha-ha-ha! Youve got in checkmate! Very well! I admit defeat! I cant rot away here, now that Ive heard about your goals!
Gruyere flashed him a savage look. Ill be waiting, PrinceWein Salema Arbalest! Entertain by wreaking havoc on the continent and coming out on the other side!
I dont know if I can provide much entertainnt, but I think your people will be overjoyed that you arent going to kill yourself. I certainly am. Heres another pen.
Yes! Gruyere took the new one, ready to sign the docunts. Wait. Whats with this ransom amount?
Tch. Didnt think youd notice, Wein mumbled.
The king scanned over the docunts again. They listed outrageous demands, including a ridiculous ransom fee and war reparations and the condition to hand over Soljests harbor.
Youre ripping off, Prince. Objectively speaking.
What are you talking about? Asking for any less would be disrespectful to your na.
Oh please. Were friends, right?
Which is why we need to bury any lingering resentnt. With cash.
No
Until his people ca to pick him up, Wein and Gruyere hemd and hawed over the price.
Phew. That wraps up all loose ends concerning the war.
Zenovia put down her pen and sighed, having wrestled through the paperwork on her desk.
Im exhausted
She collapsed onto the desk.
Jiva collected the papers. There was a point where I worried things would go south, but Im happy they all worked out.
Thanks to the vassals.
Zenovia had almost paid with her life for her oversight, which gave an advantage to Delunio. After further negotiations and the successful capture of Gruyere, they managed to settle things and escape censure. It offered the vassals so respite.
She continued. Besides, we were able to buy back the land. Our losses were far less than expected.
Marden had ceded part of their territory to the other side, though it didnt take long for Delunio to propose selling it back for a reasonable price.
It was all the doing of their new pri minister. The loaned land had never had many natural resources. Even though it was on the pilgrimage route, it had only thrived under the rule of Natra, which allowed its residents to trade with the Empire. In other words, Delunio didnt have reason to stay fixated on it.
Besides, Delunio had to repair their relationship with Natra and Soljest as soon as possible. After all, theyd sched to trick Weins kingdom before betraying their coconspirators. By making enemies of two countries, their demise would be just around the corner if they did nothing.
To pacify Natra, they relinquished the land for an affordable price. They must have proposed sothing similar to Soljest, too.
Prince Wein must have foreseen all of this.
Delunio should have been able to steal land from Natra with no effort, and yet they had co out of the battle empty-handed. Zenovia reflected on the dangers of diplomacy and Weins natural aptitude for it.
ButI dont just want to accept Im no match for him.
To Zenovia, Wein was a hero. This incident hadnt changed that. It only cented the fact that they were worlds apart.
However, watching Weins profile at the negotiation table, Zenovia realized sothing.
She wanted to catch up to him. She wanted to be recognized by him. She wanted her hero to accept her into his inner circle.
By the way, Lady Zenovia, Ive received so more marriage proposals for you. Your suitors must be taking this opportunity after hearing that your union with Prince Wein has fallen through.
Refuse them all.
UnderstoodWait. Ah, I an, that will be no issue, but
He never expected her to turn them down so quickly. Jiva observed her.
Lady Zenovia, did sothing about you change?
Maybe it was the air about her. Or the way she carried herself. There was sothing about her, as if she had grown a spine.
I dont think Ive changed Zenovia smiled. But I think I understand what I need to do.
The road ahead would be a tough one, but it was worth the effort.
If things went well If he deed her worthy If that ti ever ca, she herself might propose to beco his wife.
Zenovia ballooned with enthusiasm.
So.
Wein looked decidedly gloomy in his office. Ill get straight to the point: Is our budget coming out net positive?
Were on thin ice.
GAAAAAAH! Wein let out a bloodcurdling shriek when Ninym handed down her verdict.
The reparations covered the cost of war. Our partial rights to the harbor in Soljest are still an unknown variable. We didnt blow our budget out of the water by paying under the table to unseat Sirgis or buy back the land. I guess our biggest issue is King Gruyere. The followers of Levetia are keeping us at arms length, which ans fewer pilgrims are stopping in Marden.
These followers were the main source of their good fortune. By doing business with the pilgrims, it made others interested in Marden, creating a positive feedback loop and stimulating the economy. A decrease in their activity shared a direct correlation with an economic recession.
That has slowed the boom in Marden. At least its buying us ti to deal with the economic gap between us.
Except that ans nothing if were losing business!
Get over it. We can only wait for our reputation to recover with ti.
NOOOOO! He clutched his head.
Ninym looked at him from the corner of her eye. There is one more thing. We did gain sothing. Depending on your value system, you might say this is a net positive.
Could it be?
Soone barreled through the doors.
Are you done with your work, Prince Wein?!
Before them was the princess of Soljest, Tolcheila.
You must realize doors can be opened with a gentle push, Princess Tolcheila.
Oh, but we have a custom of making an entrance. Guess Im not accustod to your culture. Forgive .
She certainly didnt appear sorry as she flashed them a smile.
Why was Tolcheila here in Natra?
The answer was simple. She was an exchange studentbasically, their hostage.
It seems Tolcheila has taken a liking to you. I believe I will have her stay with you for a while as a hostage until the treaty is settled, Gruyere had proposed.
The story didnt end there.
No hostage necessary. I trust you, King Gruyere.
No need to hold back. Take her.
Youre forcing her on .
Our personalities are basically the sa. I think itll be hard to find her a husband when shes of age. But would you look at that! Youre royalty, too! And a bachelor. I an, Ill let Tolcheilas wiles guide you, of course.
Please let refuse your offer.
Ha-ha-ha. I feel like dying for so reason. In fact, Im going to slit my throat right now.
Fine! I understand!
That was the gist of their conversation.
And your answer to my question? Tolcheila pressed.
Wein seed reluctant. Well, yes, Im finished, but
Would you like to enjoy a cup of tea outside? I just finished baking. I was very surprised by your customs. Your staff were shell-shocked to see a princess step into a kitchen!
Tolcheila was a pushy one. It had been like this every day since she arrived. Wein felt like a small animal had grown attached to him. He didnt mind, but
Wein, may I coin?! soone yelped.
His sister, Falanya, froze as soon as she stepped in the room.
Princess Tolcheila, again?!
Oh, Princess Falanya, what a coincidence. Were just about to have a tea party. Could you save any business with him for later?
What, W-Wein?! You said you would spend ti with !
Uh, well, thats
Though they were the sa age, Falanya and Tolcheila couldnt seem to get along. They never missed a chance to pick a fight, especially his little sister.
Wein couldnt exactly disrespect his guest of honor. But it pained him to see his sister hurt. He looked at Ninym to save him from the situation
You brought this on yourself. Deal with it.
Her face was blank as she stuck her nose in the air.
Sigh.
Caught between the two girls, Wein imrsed himself in his thoughts.
Please let sell off this stupid kingdom and skip town forever!
His internal shriek rang in his ears for a long ti, never reaching anyones ears.
Reviews
All reviews (0)