It was a tense standoff. The one who soon lowered his head as if gnashing his teeth was Duke Kairak.
“...I do not believe I intended to do so, but merely wished to make it clear that Your Highness has had more time to prepare an answer than my Lady.”
“...I do not believe I intended to do so, but merely wished to make it clear that Your Highness has had more time to prepare an answer than my Lady.”
“If that’s the case, it’s up to the examiners to decide.”
“....”
“Don’t make a fuss about this anymore.”
It was a clear warning. The Duke's thin lips twisted for a moment, and then they sank into a submissive look that the world would never see again.
As the Emperor averted his gaze, the Duke bowed again. To others, it might have seemed like he was simply nodding along, but I, who was facing him head-on, knew that he was trying to hide his expression.
“Princess.”
I watched the scene with a suspicious eye, and ended up answering His Majesty the Emperor's call somewhat late.
“...Yes, Your Majesty.”
Even in that moment of carelessness, I was proud of myself for not stuttering uncomfortably. The Emperor continued speaking.
“Duke Kairak’s words are not entirely wrong. We must first clarify whether the stone the Princess brought is truly the Stone of Oidos.”
“The most widely known method of discernment is to soak the Oidos Stone in water to make it glow, but it is temporary and can be used as a ‘trick’ as you like. However, according to ‘La-Tresita’, a 1,200-page history book detailing the history of ancient Bartivesa.”
“...”
“They say that if you go through a special refining process, it will never lose its blue color.”
'La Tresita' was the first document I looked for as soon as I returned to the palace. Could I have overlooked the possibility that Rosetta had lied?
However, the results of searching through all the materials and books were exactly the same as Rosetta's explanation. It was so much so that I felt sorry for ever doubting her for even a moment.
“Fortunately, the temple’s consecration ceremony is very similar to the ancient refining process. After sending these opals to the temple and performing the consecration ceremony, they are fired for three days and then processed by the best craftsmen, and the results will be available within five days.”
“...So you’re saying we should postpone voting until the results come out?”
The Emperor stood up and said.
“Yes, let’s send Opal to the temple and end it here for today.”
To be honest, this was truly extreme favoritism. A whisper came from Duke Kairak, who had been looking at me with discontent.
It disappeared without even reaching the Emperor's feet, but I could hear it clearly. But now it was a good thing.
“No, Your Majesty.”
At my gesture, Enoch handed me a small object wrapped in cloth.
I spent a long time thinking about how and when to bring this out. But no matter how much I thought about it, there was no time more appropriate than this moment. People always remember the end more vividly than the beginning.
I took off the cloth and held up the bright blue opal.
“I already have something completely crafted.”
***
“What happened? Did Your Highness win?”
Thalia, who had been waiting anxiously in the Princess’s palace, quickly approached and asked. Irina grabbed her arm as if to tell her to take notice and disappeared, and Lisa supported me as my legs gave out.
I just collapsed on the couch... I tried to stop, but unfortunately, I couldn't.
“Your Highness the Princess.”
“...Sir Cesare.”
Still wearing his mud-stained outer garment, he stood awkwardly in the middle of the reception room.
The reason he was left alone in such an awkward situation, unable to even sit down, was that the maids had no choice. He was a man who had hidden the knowledge of the assassination attempt on the Princess and was eventually demoted.
If I treated him as a guest, he would remain a guest; if I treated him as a criminal, he would be thrown into prison, despite all that he had done for me.
“Bring out the tea.”
Only after the order was given did the guests begin to be greeted busily. A couple of maids took Cesare's outer garments, and soon warm tea was prepared on the table.
“Sit down. Was it hard coming here?”
“No, Your Highness.”
I handled the teacup somewhat awkwardly.
It felt awkward, like all the time we used to spend laughing and chatting comfortably had disappeared, like meeting someone I hadn't seen in a long time. Even though we had only seen each other for a few weeks.
“So, uh... how have you been?”
“I've been doing well.”
I immediately narrowed my eyes. Cesare waved both his hands, as if his suspicion was obvious.
“I’m not saying this to be sarcastic, but I really had a great time. Of course, since it was close to being deprived of my actual title, it involved physical labor...”
Cesare smiled something like a smile. I could see traces of pain in his wrinkled face.
I asked back, trembling.
“And you said you were doing well?”
“I needed some time to cool my head, and it just happened to be the right time.”
I kept my mouth shut again. I only knew that he had been demoted, but it was the first time I had heard that he had been stripped of his title or sent to the work site.
Of course, at that time, I was so busy trying to heal the wounds of betrayal that I intentionally did not listen to the story related to Cesare.
“...If that’s the case, then that’s fortunate.”
“I am not fit to stand before Your Highness. Despite my mistakes, I am simply grateful that you have given me another chance.”
“...”
“Rather, if I had been very comfortable, I would not have been ashamed to face Your Highness now.”
When I nodded with difficulty, Cesare changed the subject as if it were no big deal.
“How did you know I was in the East? If I were further away, I wouldn’t have been able to make it on time.”
“I sent you a letter. On the first day, I stayed at the Admiral’s mansion.”
“...Did you know?”
“Then, did you think I wouldn’t know?”
His expression was that of a man whose weakness had been exploited, and I couldn't help but burst out laughing. Cesare stammered and asked again.
“But... I got rid of all the parts that could be clues.”
“That was actually a clue. The newspaper clippings were used to erase the clue.”
That letter, which was made by cutting out letters from newspapers and barely making one sentence...
When I first received it, I was suspicious of everyone, but later realized that it was a clue.
If he had just cut out one or two newspapers, it probably wouldn't have been noticed, but the letter used fonts from every newspaper available on the market.
From the dilettante Roxanna, which was full of cheap gossip, to the imperial newsletter, to the Poste Brum, which was placed in the offices of state officials.
And the only person I know who reads every newspaper that comes out is Cesare.
“I didn’t know you knew that...”
“I didn’t know the typefaces of all the newspapers. It was the one I enjoyed reading in George, Dillé Roxanna.”
“...”
“Since my debut in the social world, no one has ever seen it except you.”
“...It would have been better not to hear this story. For a moment, I thought Your Highness was a genius.”
“What did you say?”
“I’m kidding. You were great.”
I smiled, feeling a little more at ease.
As I was thinking about this, I remembered the time when I spent the whole night memorizing history books at Laskan’s mansion. He must have thought of something similar, as a faint smile appeared on his lips.
“Now let’s get to the point. How did things end in the East?”
“It was very difficult to find a craftsman, and the time given by Your Highness was very tight, but... Yes, somehow I managed to finish it.”
“Unfortunately, the result was disappointing compared to the effort I put in. In the end, I lost.”
My expression must have seemed relieved, even though I said I was sorry. Cesare nodded as if he understood everything.
“Still, you did well, since you got six votes. You’re still ahead by two votes in the final vote count. To be honest, when the rumor started going around that the Princess had acquired Belcruz’s mines, I thought we had no chance.”
That's true. At that time, I thought about just giving up.
Would it have been the same if Veronica hadn't provoked me?
But if I just quietly accepted that provocation, my undesirable side would be revealed, and then I would be exposed as a fake Princess, so I was trying to do something...
Now that I think about it, it was something I did without a plan, and it was fortunate that it led to that result.
“You said the results would be officially announced after the Laskan’s table on the Northern Front arrived?”
“Yes. It will take about a week.”
“ ..”
“You look worried about something.”
I leaned back comfortably on the sofa and smiled faintly at Cesare's words.
Are you worried? Not at all. But there were still some questions that remained unanswered.
“When you advised me about the competition in a letter, how did you know the topic of the competition?”
“Just before the announcement of the second contest topic, Admiral Reston had an informal meeting with His Majesty the Emperor. Normally, an informal meeting would be held without any record... But unusually, it was held in complete secrecy.”
“...”
“That said, there were no major incidents on the Eastern Front at the time that required a top-secret report to His Majesty.”
Cesare shrugged and added:
“If the admiral, who had been coming to the capital every two decades for his regular report, returned to see His Majesty after only ten days in the East, there could only be one reason.”
“...How on earth do you know that? You said it was top secret.”
“I have friends everywhere.”
...I don’t know for sure, but I know that he’s a man who would get you tired if you turned him into an enemy.
Cesare continued, stirring milk in his hot cup of tea.
“Your Highness, you may not know this, but Belcruze’s sapphires have been a long-standing concern in the East.”
“Was it so?”
“Baron Lotte would reduce taxes for even the slightest complaint from his subjects. As this continued, it became natural for them not to pay taxes, and behind their backs, he would threaten them, saying that he would only fill his own pockets and not have a single penny to pay in taxes.”
“...”
“But it’s not like we can suppress them with private soldiers, and the mine was almost their only source of income, but even that has been cut off...”
“The lord may have lost control of the region.”
“That’s right. If we had left it like that, it wouldn’t have been strange if a civil war broke out at any time.”
...There are truly unimaginable things that happen in the world. The greedy lord George was anxious to empty the pockets of his children, but there was a local lord who had his pockets emptied, and even his ruling power was threatened.
Cesare nodded seriously and agreed, as if he had read my mind.
“He was too good a man to have fallen like that. He was from an honorable family, too.”
“If these negotiations go well, it will be of some help... How far do you think the pirates’ demands will be accepted?”
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