“That’s right.”
Erdene replied with a rare cheerful voice, caressing the handle of the teacup.
She felt a sense of excitement as she felt the high-quality smoothness.
The Princess’s fight was just the Princess’s fight, not her own, but it was still like that.
“Yes, the Princess is right.”
Erdene repeated the same words one more time, smiling brightly and resting her chin on her hand.
“I wonder if I should be happy to know that what was in the hands of Archduke Joelvi was not just a pretty jewel, but a well-sharpened sword...”
Limepale answered immediately.
“I think it’s something you should be happy about.”
“Is that so? Why?”
“Because the duchy chose to join hands with Vetor.”
Her words meant that she should think about the benefits that the Kingdom of Vetor would have if her father, Grand Duke Joelvi, stepped down and she took over.
Erdene looked at the Princess with an amused expression and chose her words carefully.
“You are asking me to have a very long-term perspective. And you are asking me to take the Princess’s future, which is not yet certain.”
“As Your Majesty said, I am not certain right now, but if Your Majesty helps me, that will no longer be the case.”
The 0rincess’s attitude was confident from the beginning.
It was hard to tell whether she believed in something other than asking for Erdene’s help, or if she was just being brave...
In any case, Erdene still liked the Princess.
The fact that she never once avoided eye contact or mumbled her words while revealing her bold and bold ambitions was also very satisfying to her.
“What can I do to help you?”
Princess Limepale’s expression brightened.
“Thank you for saying that, Your Majesty. However, I did not come here to shamelessly ask Your Majesty for help right now. My father is still alive and well. My younger brother, the Little Duke, is embarrassing to say, but he has not yet finished his studies. He is in a situation where he cannot even touch the actual administration.”
Before he could finish his words, the Privy Councilor raised his voice slightly.
“They accepted that price willingly? And is that a small price to pay for the outrages they committed against His Majesty and Her Majesty? If Your Majesty were to be lenient, then how could we possibly be responsible for such a small amount of money?”
The Minister of Foreign Affairs, who had been listening to the exchange of words, cautiously spoke to Arkan.
“Your Majesty, if we were to actively set up traps and catch the smugglers, the punishment would naturally be carried out by Vetor, right?”
Erdene replied with a rare cheerful voice, caressing the handle of the teacup.
She felt a sense of excitement as she felt the high-quality smoothness.
The Princess’s fight was just the Princess’s fight, not her own, but it was still like that.
“Yes, the Princess is right.”
Erdene repeated the same words one more time, smiling brightly and resting her chin on her hand.
“I wonder if I should be happy to know that what was in the hands of Archduke Joelvi was not just a pretty jewel, but a well-sharpened sword...”
Limepale answered immediately.
“I think it’s something you should be happy about.”
“Is that so? Why?”
“Because the duchy chose to join hands with Vetor.”
Her words meant that she should think about the benefits that the Kingdom of Vetor would have if her father, Grand Duke Joelvi, stepped down and she took over.
Erdene looked at the Princess with an amused expression and chose her words carefully.
“You are asking me to have a very long-term perspective. And you are asking me to take the Princess’s future, which is not yet certain.”
“As Your Majesty said, I am not certain right now, but if Your Majesty helps me, that will no longer be the case.”
The 0rincess’s attitude was confident from the beginning.
It was hard to tell whether she believed in something other than asking for Erdene’s help, or if she was just being brave...
In any case, Erdene still liked the Princess.
The fact that she never once avoided eye contact or mumbled her words while revealing her bold and bold ambitions was also very satisfying to her.
“What can I do to help you?”
Princess Limepale’s expression brightened.
“Thank you for saying that, Your Majesty. However, I did not come here to shamelessly ask Your Majesty for help right now. My father is still alive and well. My younger brother, the Little Duke, is embarrassing to say, but he has not yet finished his studies. He is in a situation where he cannot even touch the actual administration.”
It seemed like she knew what she was trying to say. However, Erdene tilted her head this time.
“You will wait for the right time, you say?”
The Princess nodded and answered.
“Yes. I intend to wait until my enemies completely relax. When they, my younger brother, and even my father can no longer do anything, I will take the position of the Little Duke. No, to be precise, I will take the position of the Grand Duke.”
“If you wait for the right time, the position of the Princess may disappear forever. You can’t say that I don’t know how I ended up sitting across from the Princess right now, right?”
It was the worst joke that could not be laughed at.
Princess Limepale’s eyes, which had been bright and cheerful, calmly sank.
Erdene’s tone was not that heavy, but she couldn’t just laugh out loud at this story.
It wasn’t something that could be solved just by not laughing.
Limepale, who took great pride in her wit, had to bite back her faint frustration with a calm expression.
Since she couldn’t immediately accept this self-deprecating joke, she thought that silence was the only answer.
Erdene said,
“Don’t be so flustered by such a small story. You should at least use it as a joke.”
“If I were in Your Majesty’s position, I wouldn’t have been able to do that. And I thought Your Majesty was similar to me.”
When Limepale, who had been pondering for a moment, answered honestly, Erdene laughed as if it were only natural.
“Yes. Just as you said, we have some similarities. I was like that at first. I thought I would never forget this humiliation. The first month or so, that is. But things are a bit different now.”
Erdene smiled confidently as she met the Princess’s gaze, who seemed to have something to say.
“However, complete giving up is not a word in my dictionary. If you are ready for that, come to me when you need my help.”
Limepale could have answered, “I will do so,” without a word.
Perhaps she didn’t worry that she might not be able to move as quickly as she promised when the time came.
She would. In that respect, Limepale seemed very similar to Erdene.
After interrogating those who had occupied Maple Mansion, both Arkan and Belen were silent the entire way back to the King’s office.
Perhaps to receive a slightly lighter sentence, they responded to the interrogation more obediently than they had expected.
They had strongly insisted that it was not their intention to smuggle the herbalists of Kensilom in the first place, but if that was true, it was obvious that more trouble awaited them.
Arkan was walking while lost in thought and almost hit his head on a pillar.
If Plat hadn’t caught him from behind, he would have definitely developed a bump in the middle of his forehead.
“Your Majesty, didn’t you participate in the interrogation without eating anything since morning? I will prepare a light snack, so please eat something.”
“Do you think I can digest anything I eat now, Plat?”
Plat replied in a relatively bland tone.
“Your Majesty may think so, but if your stomach could offer an opinion, it would probably say something different from what you are saying now.”
“Thank goodness my stomach doesn’t have a mouth. Belen!”
Belen, who had been waiting outside with other officials, entered the office first.
Arkan called the rest of them in, the Chairman of the Privy Council, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, and even the Royal Commissioner, and looked at each of them one by one.
“What do you think about using those who smuggled the saplings from Kensilom to corner King Kensilom?”
The Commissioner and the Minister of Foreign Affairs looked at each other with puzzled eyes.
However, the Privy Councilor’s attitude was the same as Arkan’s.
“Kensilom’s actions are extremely reprehensible. We must set traps on our side so that they will no longer look down on Vetor.”
The Commissioner interjected.
“Your Majesty, it is true that the Kingdom of Kensilom has betrayed the good faith of the alliance and has acted excessively. However, I would like to oppose our attempt to set traps on our side.”
“Why?”
“To avoid giving them an excuse, Your Majesty. Of course not. Vetor has been actively forming alliances by uniting the nations of the interior. They trusted and followed Vetor because our kingdom’s political course was not biased.”
At this, Belen snorted.
“We have maintained the same attitude so far. Didn’t we try to maintain the alliance smoothly even after we no longer had to be swayed by the Empire’s invasion? They struck us first, so we must repay them.”
“You will wait for the right time, you say?”
The Princess nodded and answered.
“Yes. I intend to wait until my enemies completely relax. When they, my younger brother, and even my father can no longer do anything, I will take the position of the Little Duke. No, to be precise, I will take the position of the Grand Duke.”
“If you wait for the right time, the position of the Princess may disappear forever. You can’t say that I don’t know how I ended up sitting across from the Princess right now, right?”
It was the worst joke that could not be laughed at.
Princess Limepale’s eyes, which had been bright and cheerful, calmly sank.
Erdene’s tone was not that heavy, but she couldn’t just laugh out loud at this story.
It wasn’t something that could be solved just by not laughing.
Limepale, who took great pride in her wit, had to bite back her faint frustration with a calm expression.
Since she couldn’t immediately accept this self-deprecating joke, she thought that silence was the only answer.
Erdene said,
“Don’t be so flustered by such a small story. You should at least use it as a joke.”
“If I were in Your Majesty’s position, I wouldn’t have been able to do that. And I thought Your Majesty was similar to me.”
When Limepale, who had been pondering for a moment, answered honestly, Erdene laughed as if it were only natural.
“Yes. Just as you said, we have some similarities. I was like that at first. I thought I would never forget this humiliation. The first month or so, that is. But things are a bit different now.”
Erdene smiled confidently as she met the Princess’s gaze, who seemed to have something to say.
“However, complete giving up is not a word in my dictionary. If you are ready for that, come to me when you need my help.”
Limepale could have answered, “I will do so,” without a word.
Perhaps she didn’t worry that she might not be able to move as quickly as she promised when the time came.
She would. In that respect, Limepale seemed very similar to Erdene.
***
After interrogating those who had occupied Maple Mansion, both Arkan and Belen were silent the entire way back to the King’s office.
Perhaps to receive a slightly lighter sentence, they responded to the interrogation more obediently than they had expected.
They had strongly insisted that it was not their intention to smuggle the herbalists of Kensilom in the first place, but if that was true, it was obvious that more trouble awaited them.
Arkan was walking while lost in thought and almost hit his head on a pillar.
If Plat hadn’t caught him from behind, he would have definitely developed a bump in the middle of his forehead.
“Your Majesty, didn’t you participate in the interrogation without eating anything since morning? I will prepare a light snack, so please eat something.”
“Do you think I can digest anything I eat now, Plat?”
Plat replied in a relatively bland tone.
“Your Majesty may think so, but if your stomach could offer an opinion, it would probably say something different from what you are saying now.”
“Thank goodness my stomach doesn’t have a mouth. Belen!”
Belen, who had been waiting outside with other officials, entered the office first.
Arkan called the rest of them in, the Chairman of the Privy Council, the Minister of Foreign Affairs, and even the Royal Commissioner, and looked at each of them one by one.
“What do you think about using those who smuggled the saplings from Kensilom to corner King Kensilom?”
The Commissioner and the Minister of Foreign Affairs looked at each other with puzzled eyes.
However, the Privy Councilor’s attitude was the same as Arkan’s.
“Kensilom’s actions are extremely reprehensible. We must set traps on our side so that they will no longer look down on Vetor.”
The Commissioner interjected.
“Your Majesty, it is true that the Kingdom of Kensilom has betrayed the good faith of the alliance and has acted excessively. However, I would like to oppose our attempt to set traps on our side.”
“Why?”
“To avoid giving them an excuse, Your Majesty. Of course not. Vetor has been actively forming alliances by uniting the nations of the interior. They trusted and followed Vetor because our kingdom’s political course was not biased.”
At this, Belen snorted.
“We have maintained the same attitude so far. Didn’t we try to maintain the alliance smoothly even after we no longer had to be swayed by the Empire’s invasion? They struck us first, so we must repay them.”
The magistrate muttered discontentedly, stroking his neatly grown mustache.
“Of course, Kensilom and Etonhorn committed shameless acts. But, Sir Wiziard, think about it. Didn’t we already ask them for something in return? Our share of the food we sent to the Empire until our pest problem was resolved...”
“Of course, Kensilom and Etonhorn committed shameless acts. But, Sir Wiziard, think about it. Didn’t we already ask them for something in return? Our share of the food we sent to the Empire until our pest problem was resolved...”
Before he could finish his words, the Privy Councilor raised his voice slightly.
“They accepted that price willingly? And is that a small price to pay for the outrages they committed against His Majesty and Her Majesty? If Your Majesty were to be lenient, then how could we possibly be responsible for such a small amount of money?”
The Minister of Foreign Affairs, who had been listening to the exchange of words, cautiously spoke to Arkan.
“Your Majesty, if we were to actively set up traps and catch the smugglers, the punishment would naturally be carried out by Vetor, right?”
“Of course it would be.”
The Minister of Foreign Affairs said again.
“If that were to happen, the relationship between Kensilom and Vetor would deteriorate beyond repair.”
“Isn’t it already irreparable?”
The Privy Councilor grumbled. Arkan nodded twice, indicating that he had a similar opinion.
In fact, he had not called the officials together to discuss whether or not to set traps.
If he had truly needed to discuss this, he would not have gathered them together and asked them questions like, “What would be good for dinner tonight?”
The Administrative Minister did not understand this, but the Minister of Foreign Affairs did.
He was worried that his workload would increase and that the conflict between Kensilom and Vetor would intensify in the future, but he was determined to follow Arkan’s decision.
Not to mention Belen, and the Privy Councilor, who had been gnashing his teeth at Kensilom since the previous assassination, were the same.
While the four ministers, including Belen, were arguing, Arkan thought back to what Erdene had said.
[If the bear was controlling the mice, there would be no use in setting up mousetraps. Once the mice were caught, the bear would run away into its cave, and all he had to do was cause trouble by using other mice.]
[We need to first find out if these mice are moving independently or if a bear is holding onto their tails. A bear that can control the mice like puppets. What kind of a bear would that be? Where did it start, and where did it end?]
The Minister of Foreign Affairs said again.
“If that were to happen, the relationship between Kensilom and Vetor would deteriorate beyond repair.”
“Isn’t it already irreparable?”
The Privy Councilor grumbled. Arkan nodded twice, indicating that he had a similar opinion.
In fact, he had not called the officials together to discuss whether or not to set traps.
If he had truly needed to discuss this, he would not have gathered them together and asked them questions like, “What would be good for dinner tonight?”
The Administrative Minister did not understand this, but the Minister of Foreign Affairs did.
He was worried that his workload would increase and that the conflict between Kensilom and Vetor would intensify in the future, but he was determined to follow Arkan’s decision.
Not to mention Belen, and the Privy Councilor, who had been gnashing his teeth at Kensilom since the previous assassination, were the same.
While the four ministers, including Belen, were arguing, Arkan thought back to what Erdene had said.
[If the bear was controlling the mice, there would be no use in setting up mousetraps. Once the mice were caught, the bear would run away into its cave, and all he had to do was cause trouble by using other mice.]
[We need to first find out if these mice are moving independently or if a bear is holding onto their tails. A bear that can control the mice like puppets. What kind of a bear would that be? Where did it start, and where did it end?]
He had to find out whether they were just mice with a symbolic intention to sit comfortably and make money by blowing their noses, or whether they were someone's puppets, carrying gold coins instead of rice.
A bear. Arkan thought. Yes. That was the biggest problem for now.
“I have a feeling I know.”
Arkan thought.
If he could just dig deep into them, he might be able to find King Kensilom’s weak point.
Arkan looked around at the officials and said,
“First, we need to find out if these smugglers are an independent group, or if there is someone who uses them as his lackeys. If someone high up in the Kingdom of Kensilom is involved in this, it would be self-defense even if King Kensilom’s few remaining hairs were pulled out.”
A bear. Arkan thought. Yes. That was the biggest problem for now.
“I have a feeling I know.”
Arkan thought.
If he could just dig deep into them, he might be able to find King Kensilom’s weak point.
Arkan looked around at the officials and said,
“First, we need to find out if these smugglers are an independent group, or if there is someone who uses them as his lackeys. If someone high up in the Kingdom of Kensilom is involved in this, it would be self-defense even if King Kensilom’s few remaining hairs were pulled out.”
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