[Your Majesty, this is too much.]
...This is Thalia. I almost burst out laughing the moment I saw it.
As I turned the letter over, I noticed that it was made of two layers of thin paper. The handwriting on the back page seemed to be a little more neat, so it seemed to have been written by Irina.
[We expect to arrive around dinner time.]
Huh? Where are you going? Here, no way?
I was like that too, but these guys were just as helpless. I asked them to check my luggage, but they carried it themselves.
Given that the origin was a city not far away, it seemed likely that it would arrive within a few hours.
“I took a quick look at the cover, but is this really a letter from Lady Tulear?”
“That’s right. Are you close with Irina?”
“We were alumni of the same school. Did you say you were staying here?”
I nodded. I could have taken the inn and stayed there, but the Admiral's mansion was two hours away by carriage from the center of Cichlid.
If the Admiral's family would allow it, staying here would be the best option.
“Is that okay?”
“Of course! I must tell them to get the room ready. I must also ask the chef to prepare something fancy for dinner. I have told Lady Tulear several times that our custard soufflé is better than the one at Montande, but she never believed me.”
It wasn't an illusion that Sylvia looked excited. Irina had mentioned before that she had a friend who got married early, and I guess she was referring to Sylvia.
Sylvia shook her head and quickly rolled up her skirt and disappeared downstairs.
I picked up the remaining letters, leaning back in the chair so that the maids could easily touch my hair.
Unlike Irina's letter, there was no sender's name written on the cover. The content was also very simple.
[Think literally]
Take it literally? I looked back and forth to see who sent this letter, but there was no trace of anyone specific.
Even the handwriting was cut from printed paper and pasted together in a way that made it difficult to trace.
It was amazing. Believe it or not.
“Your Highness. May I come in?”
It was Jacqueline's voice. He knocked on the door a few times, then seemed to lose patience and started rattling the doorknob.
It seemed that the little bit of etiquette he had as a gentleman kept him from opening the door.
“Come in.”
Jacqueline was holding a large tray with both hands, lavishly filled with the food Sylvia had mentioned.
“Did you sleep well?”
I was once again struck by the simplicity of the admiral's one and only son bringing in food, not a servant or maid. He placed the tray on the long tea table.
I had just finished tidying up my hair, so I sat down happily at the table. The amount of food was much more than I had expected at first glance, and it was enough to feed three adult men.
“Wow. Why are you giving me so much?”
“I brought a lot of food so that we can share it with each other. Oh, and I also brought the map you asked for.”
He dragged a small table over and unfolded the map that had been crumpled at his side. At first glance, it looked very detailed...
I held my breath for a moment and then pulled the map up. I wasn't mistaken. It was not that I didn't see it. It was just that it was incredibly detailed...
“Jacqueline, is this map by any chance...”
Jacqueline said as if it was no big deal, pouring seafood into a small bowl.
“Oh, I brought it because it was in my father’s study.”
I was momentarily speechless. Somehow, even the coastal terrain was depicted in detail, and the direction of the ocean currents was even marked.
Wouldn't it be illegal to leak the admiral's chart as it is a military secret?
It seemed like I had unknowingly gotten involved in something illegal, but it couldn't be helped since it had already come to this.
I swept the crumpled map Jacqueline had written across it with my hand, erasing any traces.
“But why are you suddenly looking for a map?”
“I was wondering if I could find something. Why, about the blue gem I saw back then. It could symbolize some place name.”
“If it’s a blue jewel, is that the blue jewel I saw in the note?”
“Yes. Do you know anything?”
I asked, ladling some bacon onto my plate. I asked almost half-heartedly, not even expecting an answer from him.
But Jacqueline actually thought I was ridiculous.
“...Are you really asking because you don’t know?”
“Then why?”
“Aren’t the most famous mines for sapphires in the East?”
I blinked in surprise. It couldn't be. If the East was a famous sapphire-producing region, I should have seen it at least once on the list of imperial specialties that I had learned by heart.
But all the first-grade sapphires distributed throughout the empire are produced at the Letouze mine. I asked stammeringly.
“In the East, there is a mine famous for sapphires?”
“Yes, but production stopped five years ago.”
Ah. Only then did I nod. If it had been out of production for more than five years, it was only natural that it wasn't on the list of specialty products.
“But why did production stop?”
“Mining is impossible. The conflict between Baron Lotte and Baron Gisborne is so intense.”
“A fight?”
Jacqueline continued, picking olives from the bread.
“I don’t know exactly, but I heard that there was a problem with the profit distribution structure.”
“So, is the business itself halted?”
“Yes. It will be worth it once mining begins again. Before that, I understood that each Belcruz sapphire was worth its weight in diamonds.”
I had an instinctive intuition.
This was it. Solving this problem and putting Belcruz's sapphire in a jewel box was the theme of this competition.
The blue jewel. Although the note wasn't completely interpreted, the message implied that it could also be Belcruze.
I got goosebumps at the thought of it fitting so perfectly.
“How far is Belcruz from here?”
“It’ll take about three or four hours by carriage... Are you really going there?”
“I should go. There is no other way. No. Instead of going to the mine, I should first meet with Baron Gisburn or Baron Lotte. Which of the two is the closest territory to here?”
Jacqueline glanced at the map, then quickly pinpointed a certain spot.
“If it’s the Baronial Estate of Gisborne, an hour will be enough.”
His hand traced a short trajectory. It seemed like it would take only an hour, considering it was about half the distance between Cichlid and the Admiral's mansion.
The problem is that Veronica headed east as soon as she received this note, so it is very likely that negotiations had already begun.
I shoved food into my mouth combatively. It was the first time in a long time since I became a Princess that I had such a stormy meal.
Jacqueline said, pushing water in front of me.
“I feel a bit embarrassed to say this, but Your Highness is... well, not like a member of the royal family.”
I almost got caught in the crossfire. As soon as I squinted my eyes to see what he meant, he apologetically raised both hands and said,
“In a good way.”
“We have to leave as soon as possible. Sir, come in quickly.”
“...Should I go with you too?”
“Where would I go alone without the best guide in the East?”
“...”
“And from now on, you have to follow me diligently so that I won’t be suspected when I run away later.”
Jacqueline quietly withdrew.
Two hours later, we were sitting in Baron Gisborne's drawing room.
Considering that Baron was a title of lower nobility, his reception room was not overly extravagant. He ran a jewelry store. It seemed like he had all sorts of luxuries.
Jeweled ivory carvings, shimmering green satin carpets, and bejeweled sailing ship ornaments.
Although they were all expensive, it was true that they felt a bit flashy.
I glanced at the ruby set in the golden teaspoon with dazed eyes.
“Wow, it’s gorgeous.”
“All the nouveau riche are like that.”
Jacqueline replied, dissolving sugar in his hot tea. He added, glancing at his watch.
“By the way, Your Highness. How long do you intend to wait?”
“A little more... It’s only been thirty minutes.”
It was still understandable. This was the East, where the admiral's orders were followed more emotionally than those of the royal family.
Since it is such a conservative region, they will not acknowledge a Princess whose origins are unclear. It would be fortunate if they did not question me in person.
But Jacqueline didn't seem to think so.
“It’s clear that the liver is outside the stomach.”
At that moment, there was a knock on the door. A maid appeared through the half-open door.
“Your Highness the Princess, and my lord... the Baron has arrived.”
“They told him to come in.”
I greeted him proudly as if I were the owner of the reception room.
The maid, her cheeks flushed red, carefully closed the door again, looking as if she wanted to stay in this space a little longer.
And then the door opened again, and a man came into the room.
“I’m sorry I’m late, Your Highness.”
He was a nasty-looking man. He had small eyes, puffy cheeks, and a long goatee. His bespectacled eyes were full of greed, like a pig searching for something to eat.
In many ways, he looked similar to the Lord of Northern George, which was creepy. Do all corrupt lords look like this?
“And Lord Reston. I was out of the territory because I had some very urgent matters to attend to... I’m on my way here right after hearing that you’re here. Of course, it would have been better if you had contacted me beforehand.”
I looked at his clean forehead, which had never sweated a single bit. What kind of person had he been to the estate? He must have been playing around in my office.
Judging from the fact that he was still looking at Jacqueline's expression rather than mine, it seemed like he had been forced to kneel down because of the admiral's reputation.
Previous Next
...This is Thalia. I almost burst out laughing the moment I saw it.
As I turned the letter over, I noticed that it was made of two layers of thin paper. The handwriting on the back page seemed to be a little more neat, so it seemed to have been written by Irina.
[We expect to arrive around dinner time.]
Huh? Where are you going? Here, no way?
I was like that too, but these guys were just as helpless. I asked them to check my luggage, but they carried it themselves.
Given that the origin was a city not far away, it seemed likely that it would arrive within a few hours.
“I took a quick look at the cover, but is this really a letter from Lady Tulear?”
“That’s right. Are you close with Irina?”
“We were alumni of the same school. Did you say you were staying here?”
I nodded. I could have taken the inn and stayed there, but the Admiral's mansion was two hours away by carriage from the center of Cichlid.
If the Admiral's family would allow it, staying here would be the best option.
“Is that okay?”
“Of course! I must tell them to get the room ready. I must also ask the chef to prepare something fancy for dinner. I have told Lady Tulear several times that our custard soufflé is better than the one at Montande, but she never believed me.”
It wasn't an illusion that Sylvia looked excited. Irina had mentioned before that she had a friend who got married early, and I guess she was referring to Sylvia.
Sylvia shook her head and quickly rolled up her skirt and disappeared downstairs.
I picked up the remaining letters, leaning back in the chair so that the maids could easily touch my hair.
Unlike Irina's letter, there was no sender's name written on the cover. The content was also very simple.
[Think literally]
Take it literally? I looked back and forth to see who sent this letter, but there was no trace of anyone specific.
Even the handwriting was cut from printed paper and pasted together in a way that made it difficult to trace.
It was amazing. Believe it or not.
“Your Highness. May I come in?”
It was Jacqueline's voice. He knocked on the door a few times, then seemed to lose patience and started rattling the doorknob.
It seemed that the little bit of etiquette he had as a gentleman kept him from opening the door.
“Come in.”
Jacqueline was holding a large tray with both hands, lavishly filled with the food Sylvia had mentioned.
“Did you sleep well?”
I was once again struck by the simplicity of the admiral's one and only son bringing in food, not a servant or maid. He placed the tray on the long tea table.
I had just finished tidying up my hair, so I sat down happily at the table. The amount of food was much more than I had expected at first glance, and it was enough to feed three adult men.
“Wow. Why are you giving me so much?”
“I brought a lot of food so that we can share it with each other. Oh, and I also brought the map you asked for.”
He dragged a small table over and unfolded the map that had been crumpled at his side. At first glance, it looked very detailed...
I held my breath for a moment and then pulled the map up. I wasn't mistaken. It was not that I didn't see it. It was just that it was incredibly detailed...
“Jacqueline, is this map by any chance...”
Jacqueline said as if it was no big deal, pouring seafood into a small bowl.
“Oh, I brought it because it was in my father’s study.”
I was momentarily speechless. Somehow, even the coastal terrain was depicted in detail, and the direction of the ocean currents was even marked.
Wouldn't it be illegal to leak the admiral's chart as it is a military secret?
It seemed like I had unknowingly gotten involved in something illegal, but it couldn't be helped since it had already come to this.
I swept the crumpled map Jacqueline had written across it with my hand, erasing any traces.
“But why are you suddenly looking for a map?”
“I was wondering if I could find something. Why, about the blue gem I saw back then. It could symbolize some place name.”
“If it’s a blue jewel, is that the blue jewel I saw in the note?”
“Yes. Do you know anything?”
I asked, ladling some bacon onto my plate. I asked almost half-heartedly, not even expecting an answer from him.
But Jacqueline actually thought I was ridiculous.
“...Are you really asking because you don’t know?”
“Then why?”
“Aren’t the most famous mines for sapphires in the East?”
I blinked in surprise. It couldn't be. If the East was a famous sapphire-producing region, I should have seen it at least once on the list of imperial specialties that I had learned by heart.
But all the first-grade sapphires distributed throughout the empire are produced at the Letouze mine. I asked stammeringly.
“In the East, there is a mine famous for sapphires?”
“Yes, but production stopped five years ago.”
Ah. Only then did I nod. If it had been out of production for more than five years, it was only natural that it wasn't on the list of specialty products.
“But why did production stop?”
“Mining is impossible. The conflict between Baron Lotte and Baron Gisborne is so intense.”
“A fight?”
Jacqueline continued, picking olives from the bread.
“I don’t know exactly, but I heard that there was a problem with the profit distribution structure.”
“So, is the business itself halted?”
“Yes. It will be worth it once mining begins again. Before that, I understood that each Belcruz sapphire was worth its weight in diamonds.”
I had an instinctive intuition.
This was it. Solving this problem and putting Belcruz's sapphire in a jewel box was the theme of this competition.
The blue jewel. Although the note wasn't completely interpreted, the message implied that it could also be Belcruze.
I got goosebumps at the thought of it fitting so perfectly.
“How far is Belcruz from here?”
“It’ll take about three or four hours by carriage... Are you really going there?”
“I should go. There is no other way. No. Instead of going to the mine, I should first meet with Baron Gisburn or Baron Lotte. Which of the two is the closest territory to here?”
Jacqueline glanced at the map, then quickly pinpointed a certain spot.
“If it’s the Baronial Estate of Gisborne, an hour will be enough.”
His hand traced a short trajectory. It seemed like it would take only an hour, considering it was about half the distance between Cichlid and the Admiral's mansion.
The problem is that Veronica headed east as soon as she received this note, so it is very likely that negotiations had already begun.
I shoved food into my mouth combatively. It was the first time in a long time since I became a Princess that I had such a stormy meal.
Jacqueline said, pushing water in front of me.
“I feel a bit embarrassed to say this, but Your Highness is... well, not like a member of the royal family.”
I almost got caught in the crossfire. As soon as I squinted my eyes to see what he meant, he apologetically raised both hands and said,
“In a good way.”
“We have to leave as soon as possible. Sir, come in quickly.”
“...Should I go with you too?”
“Where would I go alone without the best guide in the East?”
“...”
“And from now on, you have to follow me diligently so that I won’t be suspected when I run away later.”
Jacqueline quietly withdrew.
***
Two hours later, we were sitting in Baron Gisborne's drawing room.
Considering that Baron was a title of lower nobility, his reception room was not overly extravagant. He ran a jewelry store. It seemed like he had all sorts of luxuries.
Jeweled ivory carvings, shimmering green satin carpets, and bejeweled sailing ship ornaments.
Although they were all expensive, it was true that they felt a bit flashy.
I glanced at the ruby set in the golden teaspoon with dazed eyes.
“Wow, it’s gorgeous.”
“All the nouveau riche are like that.”
Jacqueline replied, dissolving sugar in his hot tea. He added, glancing at his watch.
“By the way, Your Highness. How long do you intend to wait?”
“A little more... It’s only been thirty minutes.”
It was still understandable. This was the East, where the admiral's orders were followed more emotionally than those of the royal family.
Since it is such a conservative region, they will not acknowledge a Princess whose origins are unclear. It would be fortunate if they did not question me in person.
But Jacqueline didn't seem to think so.
“It’s clear that the liver is outside the stomach.”
At that moment, there was a knock on the door. A maid appeared through the half-open door.
“Your Highness the Princess, and my lord... the Baron has arrived.”
“They told him to come in.”
I greeted him proudly as if I were the owner of the reception room.
The maid, her cheeks flushed red, carefully closed the door again, looking as if she wanted to stay in this space a little longer.
And then the door opened again, and a man came into the room.
“I’m sorry I’m late, Your Highness.”
He was a nasty-looking man. He had small eyes, puffy cheeks, and a long goatee. His bespectacled eyes were full of greed, like a pig searching for something to eat.
In many ways, he looked similar to the Lord of Northern George, which was creepy. Do all corrupt lords look like this?
“And Lord Reston. I was out of the territory because I had some very urgent matters to attend to... I’m on my way here right after hearing that you’re here. Of course, it would have been better if you had contacted me beforehand.”
I looked at his clean forehead, which had never sweated a single bit. What kind of person had he been to the estate? He must have been playing around in my office.
Judging from the fact that he was still looking at Jacqueline's expression rather than mine, it seemed like he had been forced to kneel down because of the admiral's reputation.
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