“Ten years of autonomy will not be granted, but negotiations will proceed more favorably than if the offer had not been made in the first place.”
“I guess so.”
Well, the scope of demand has changed significantly in just a few days.
Certainly, when Rosetta first began negotiations, the conditions were not that harsh.
All they could do was provide training in mining and metalworking, get pardoned from the admiral's list, and give priority to jobs related to mining.
It would be more accurate to say that the sudden mention of autonomy was intended to bring the negotiation table to a more advantageous position, as Cesare said. No matter what they demanded, it would be considered less radical than autonomy.
Wait, maybe this was even Cesare's advice? Cesare changed the subject, escaping my suspicious gaze.
“It occurred to me that perhaps the Admiral knew about the opal mines.”
It felt even more suspicious because it seemed like he was trying to change the subject. Well, I had no intention of asking questions anyway.
I asked, dissolving sugar in hot black tea.
“You knew? Why do you think so?”
“The ‘Belcruz’ of the present age and the ‘Belcruz’ of the past. If this special feature did not exist, it would be a topic where one side would win unilaterally.”
I tapped my teacup lightly with my teaspoon to show my agreement.
“I also thought that part was strange. I mean, instead of saying ‘sapphire,’ they insisted on saying ‘blue gem.’ If they had just said ‘sapphire,’ no one would have objected.”
“Because a competition isn’t just a test of winning or losing. If you bring up a topic that is too biased towards one side, the winner will be decided without even having to go to the third competition.”
I shook my head. It was incredible that such complicated calculations were required to even come up with a single exam question. Of course, the competition was not a simple exam, but rather a matter of choosing the next Emperor.
At that moment, the door that had been knocked on twice opened softly. It was a servant from the imperial palace. He was someone I had seen several times as I came and went, so I was familiar with him.
“What is it? Why His Majesty’s attendant here in person?”
“His Majesty has asked me to inquire about His Majesty’s intentions regarding having dinner together.”
Without a second thought, I reached out to Cesare.
He stood up, gave the back of my hand a quick kiss, then came around the table to help me get up.
“I guess I should get up first. I’ll finish my tea and go. I hope you’ll have gained some weight next time I see you.”
“I will try.”
“You’ll need to eat a lot. I’ll send you some food that will help you recover.”
Cesare bowed very politely. I patted his shoulder and hurriedly followed Lisa.
Before I could even get completely out the door, he called out to me in a raised voice.
"Your Highness."
I stood still and turned slightly towards Cesare.
His expression seemed somewhat complicated. At times, it seemed as if he was embarrassed, but at other times, it seemed as if he had decided on something.
After much thought, he managed to spit out a single sentence.
“I won’t disappoint you this time. No matter what.”
“...”
“Even of any bloodline.”
I looked into his face. Cesare's soft eyes showed a firm determination that had never been seen before.
He had made up his mind. Until the moment I fulfilled my role, he would treat me like a true Princess, and not treat me like a mere chess piece.
He was a man who never let a single word slip away, but treating me like a real Princess was a completely different matter.
It would have been better if I hadn't known from the beginning, because it's not easy to be fooled by your own lies. But...
I closed my eyes and smiled.
“I will believe you.”
It was a dark space. Only the feet were illuminated, and the surroundings were covered in thick, black fog.
I instinctively knew that this was the Princess's palace, because the marble I was standing on was exactly the same as that of the Princess's palace.
It was fortunate that there was at least some light coming in. If I hadn't seen it, I would have thought I was dead and in some strange space.
I realized that I was just waiting for the play to get going, like I was a puppet in one of those cheap puppet shows I saw passing by. I was waiting for the play to start and for someone to give me some lines...
Soon, the black fog disappeared as if a curtain was being drawn, revealing a very familiar space to me.
It was the reception room of the Princess's palace. The furniture and paintings were exactly the same as now, and the servants had completely unfamiliar faces. I stood among them, as if I were waiting for someone.
Suddenly, I looked down at my hands, and they were very small. Not only my hands, but my arms, my legs, and when I looked in the mirror, even my face looked very young. It was as if my mind was the same, but my body had gotten a lot younger.
Finally, the door opened. When the boy I had been waiting for appeared, I greeted him with a big smile.
“Laskan.”
It was a word that just came out of my mouth. It was only then that I realized whose memories these were.
“Your Highness, the Princess.”
He bowed and greeted me. I took it for granted.
It was a strange feeling. It was clearly my body, and I was moving, but my will was not reflected at all.
Even though I was very flustered, I recited the following lines as if I were a well-trained actor.
“I was sad that you didn’t come for a while.”
"Yes?"
“You’ve left me for a very long time.”
He suddenly looked embarrassed. He was handsome since he was young... No, that’s not it.
Although he was quite tall for a twelve-year-old, his face looked much younger than it is now, and he seemed to have the liveliness typical of a child.
The looseness and unrefined innocence that could be seen in his expression... His perfectly restrained attitude was not something he was born with, but rather a personality that was acquired later in life. In any case, he was quite different from the Laskan I was familiar with, so there was a considerable sense of alienation.
He answered cheerfully, with perfect manners.
“If I remember correctly, I think we met four days ago.”
I frowned. I could tell that Laskan's comment was tactless.
It was a bit disconcerting that I had to 'read' to find out, as if I was looking into a book, rather than feeling it naturally, even though it was my own feeling. It felt like I was secretly hiding in someone else's head and forcing myself to experience what it felt like to be the person involved.
While I was hesitating, Laskan shrugged and added:
“And four days doesn’t seem like a long time to be talking about.”
“But to me, this place without you was like hell.”
He was now looking at the Princess with a very suspicious expression. His eyebrows were slightly furrowed, and he felt very similar to the adult Laskan.
I could sense that he was nodding meaningfully at the servants, as if asking, 'What did the Princess eat wrong this morning?'
I shrugged and confessed obediently.
“Yesterday and today, these are lines from a play that the Countess of Lilthean made me memorize. I don’t know why I have to memorize these things.”
Only then did his serious expression soften.
“Oh, I see. Your pronunciation has improved a lot.”
“That's right.”
I nodded and answered, then quickly added:
“Of course, that doesn’t mean my pronunciation was bad before.”
...If this isn’t just something I made up in my head. If I’m the real Princess, and this really happened, and if this is the past that Laskan really remembers.
I'm so embarrassed just thinking about it. I really was such an unlucky kid.
No, even with these memories, you're saying that Laskan just said 'cute'?
I looked at Laskan with a suspicious gaze. Whether I was embarrassed or not, young Anastasia continued to speak faithfully.
“Anyway, it’s true that I was upset because I couldn’t see the little Duke for two days.”
“As I told you before, I went to the southern manor.”
“I heard. I heard you got along well with Lady Tulear there.”
“That’s a gathering of mothers...”
Laskan scratched his head and answered. I raised my hand to stop him.
“They said she was very pretty.”
He looked as if he didn't know how to respond to what I said.
“I don’t know.”
“I heard you even went for a walk with that kid.”
“I did go, but that was Zachary too...”
“You even went boating together!”
“Who knows all the details about that...”
“I’m dying here, alone.”
As the leap to the word death grew deeper, Laskan's face turned pale.
He glared at the servant next to him as if he were going to kill him. With eyes that said, 'You? Was it you who said useless things to the Princess?' I was lost in my emotions, covering my head with my maple leaf-like hands.
The servants' expressions were distorted as they tried to hold back laughter, making them look pitiful.
It seemed like this happened often, since no one except Laskan took it seriously. The Princess would unilaterally push forward, and Laskan would unilaterally take the fall.
I finished my speech with a fresh tone.
“Anyway, the little Duke is just arguing while leaving his fiancée behind.”
“...”
“That’s dereliction of duty.”
Laskan's expression became somewhat vain. It was clear that he was thinking, "Did I do something wrong to the point where I had to say such grand words?" Even though he made a gloomy expression on his young face, it was only cute.
He opened his mouth heavily.
"...Sorry."
"Uh?"
“I am sorry for not understanding Your Highness’s feelings, and I am sorry for making you say these words yourself...”
A look of “Huh? This isn’t it?” crossed my face. It was like I had been pushing him all this time, and now that he was apologizing, I didn’t know how to handle it.
Meanwhile, the young Laskan became more and more withdrawn, to the point of digging into the ground.
“I’m sorry for not telling you in advance, and I’m sorry for daring to ask for your hand in marriage...”
Later on, I almost got to the point where I felt sorry for being born.
I waved my hands in horror.
“No, no, no. That’s enough! I didn’t do that to get an apology!”
“I guess so.”
Well, the scope of demand has changed significantly in just a few days.
Certainly, when Rosetta first began negotiations, the conditions were not that harsh.
All they could do was provide training in mining and metalworking, get pardoned from the admiral's list, and give priority to jobs related to mining.
It would be more accurate to say that the sudden mention of autonomy was intended to bring the negotiation table to a more advantageous position, as Cesare said. No matter what they demanded, it would be considered less radical than autonomy.
Wait, maybe this was even Cesare's advice? Cesare changed the subject, escaping my suspicious gaze.
“It occurred to me that perhaps the Admiral knew about the opal mines.”
It felt even more suspicious because it seemed like he was trying to change the subject. Well, I had no intention of asking questions anyway.
I asked, dissolving sugar in hot black tea.
“You knew? Why do you think so?”
“The ‘Belcruz’ of the present age and the ‘Belcruz’ of the past. If this special feature did not exist, it would be a topic where one side would win unilaterally.”
I tapped my teacup lightly with my teaspoon to show my agreement.
“I also thought that part was strange. I mean, instead of saying ‘sapphire,’ they insisted on saying ‘blue gem.’ If they had just said ‘sapphire,’ no one would have objected.”
“Because a competition isn’t just a test of winning or losing. If you bring up a topic that is too biased towards one side, the winner will be decided without even having to go to the third competition.”
I shook my head. It was incredible that such complicated calculations were required to even come up with a single exam question. Of course, the competition was not a simple exam, but rather a matter of choosing the next Emperor.
At that moment, the door that had been knocked on twice opened softly. It was a servant from the imperial palace. He was someone I had seen several times as I came and went, so I was familiar with him.
“What is it? Why His Majesty’s attendant here in person?”
“His Majesty has asked me to inquire about His Majesty’s intentions regarding having dinner together.”
Without a second thought, I reached out to Cesare.
He stood up, gave the back of my hand a quick kiss, then came around the table to help me get up.
“I guess I should get up first. I’ll finish my tea and go. I hope you’ll have gained some weight next time I see you.”
“I will try.”
“You’ll need to eat a lot. I’ll send you some food that will help you recover.”
Cesare bowed very politely. I patted his shoulder and hurriedly followed Lisa.
Before I could even get completely out the door, he called out to me in a raised voice.
"Your Highness."
I stood still and turned slightly towards Cesare.
His expression seemed somewhat complicated. At times, it seemed as if he was embarrassed, but at other times, it seemed as if he had decided on something.
After much thought, he managed to spit out a single sentence.
“I won’t disappoint you this time. No matter what.”
“...”
“Even of any bloodline.”
I looked into his face. Cesare's soft eyes showed a firm determination that had never been seen before.
He had made up his mind. Until the moment I fulfilled my role, he would treat me like a true Princess, and not treat me like a mere chess piece.
He was a man who never let a single word slip away, but treating me like a real Princess was a completely different matter.
It would have been better if I hadn't known from the beginning, because it's not easy to be fooled by your own lies. But...
I closed my eyes and smiled.
“I will believe you.”
***
It was a dark space. Only the feet were illuminated, and the surroundings were covered in thick, black fog.
I instinctively knew that this was the Princess's palace, because the marble I was standing on was exactly the same as that of the Princess's palace.
It was fortunate that there was at least some light coming in. If I hadn't seen it, I would have thought I was dead and in some strange space.
I realized that I was just waiting for the play to get going, like I was a puppet in one of those cheap puppet shows I saw passing by. I was waiting for the play to start and for someone to give me some lines...
Soon, the black fog disappeared as if a curtain was being drawn, revealing a very familiar space to me.
It was the reception room of the Princess's palace. The furniture and paintings were exactly the same as now, and the servants had completely unfamiliar faces. I stood among them, as if I were waiting for someone.
Suddenly, I looked down at my hands, and they were very small. Not only my hands, but my arms, my legs, and when I looked in the mirror, even my face looked very young. It was as if my mind was the same, but my body had gotten a lot younger.
Finally, the door opened. When the boy I had been waiting for appeared, I greeted him with a big smile.
“Laskan.”
It was a word that just came out of my mouth. It was only then that I realized whose memories these were.
“Your Highness, the Princess.”
He bowed and greeted me. I took it for granted.
It was a strange feeling. It was clearly my body, and I was moving, but my will was not reflected at all.
Even though I was very flustered, I recited the following lines as if I were a well-trained actor.
“I was sad that you didn’t come for a while.”
"Yes?"
“You’ve left me for a very long time.”
He suddenly looked embarrassed. He was handsome since he was young... No, that’s not it.
Although he was quite tall for a twelve-year-old, his face looked much younger than it is now, and he seemed to have the liveliness typical of a child.
The looseness and unrefined innocence that could be seen in his expression... His perfectly restrained attitude was not something he was born with, but rather a personality that was acquired later in life. In any case, he was quite different from the Laskan I was familiar with, so there was a considerable sense of alienation.
He answered cheerfully, with perfect manners.
“If I remember correctly, I think we met four days ago.”
I frowned. I could tell that Laskan's comment was tactless.
It was a bit disconcerting that I had to 'read' to find out, as if I was looking into a book, rather than feeling it naturally, even though it was my own feeling. It felt like I was secretly hiding in someone else's head and forcing myself to experience what it felt like to be the person involved.
While I was hesitating, Laskan shrugged and added:
“And four days doesn’t seem like a long time to be talking about.”
“But to me, this place without you was like hell.”
He was now looking at the Princess with a very suspicious expression. His eyebrows were slightly furrowed, and he felt very similar to the adult Laskan.
I could sense that he was nodding meaningfully at the servants, as if asking, 'What did the Princess eat wrong this morning?'
I shrugged and confessed obediently.
“Yesterday and today, these are lines from a play that the Countess of Lilthean made me memorize. I don’t know why I have to memorize these things.”
Only then did his serious expression soften.
“Oh, I see. Your pronunciation has improved a lot.”
“That's right.”
I nodded and answered, then quickly added:
“Of course, that doesn’t mean my pronunciation was bad before.”
...If this isn’t just something I made up in my head. If I’m the real Princess, and this really happened, and if this is the past that Laskan really remembers.
I'm so embarrassed just thinking about it. I really was such an unlucky kid.
No, even with these memories, you're saying that Laskan just said 'cute'?
I looked at Laskan with a suspicious gaze. Whether I was embarrassed or not, young Anastasia continued to speak faithfully.
“Anyway, it’s true that I was upset because I couldn’t see the little Duke for two days.”
“As I told you before, I went to the southern manor.”
“I heard. I heard you got along well with Lady Tulear there.”
“That’s a gathering of mothers...”
Laskan scratched his head and answered. I raised my hand to stop him.
“They said she was very pretty.”
He looked as if he didn't know how to respond to what I said.
“I don’t know.”
“I heard you even went for a walk with that kid.”
“I did go, but that was Zachary too...”
“You even went boating together!”
“Who knows all the details about that...”
“I’m dying here, alone.”
As the leap to the word death grew deeper, Laskan's face turned pale.
He glared at the servant next to him as if he were going to kill him. With eyes that said, 'You? Was it you who said useless things to the Princess?' I was lost in my emotions, covering my head with my maple leaf-like hands.
The servants' expressions were distorted as they tried to hold back laughter, making them look pitiful.
It seemed like this happened often, since no one except Laskan took it seriously. The Princess would unilaterally push forward, and Laskan would unilaterally take the fall.
I finished my speech with a fresh tone.
“Anyway, the little Duke is just arguing while leaving his fiancée behind.”
“...”
“That’s dereliction of duty.”
Laskan's expression became somewhat vain. It was clear that he was thinking, "Did I do something wrong to the point where I had to say such grand words?" Even though he made a gloomy expression on his young face, it was only cute.
He opened his mouth heavily.
"...Sorry."
"Uh?"
“I am sorry for not understanding Your Highness’s feelings, and I am sorry for making you say these words yourself...”
A look of “Huh? This isn’t it?” crossed my face. It was like I had been pushing him all this time, and now that he was apologizing, I didn’t know how to handle it.
Meanwhile, the young Laskan became more and more withdrawn, to the point of digging into the ground.
“I’m sorry for not telling you in advance, and I’m sorry for daring to ask for your hand in marriage...”
Later on, I almost got to the point where I felt sorry for being born.
I waved my hands in horror.
“No, no, no. That’s enough! I didn’t do that to get an apology!”
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