𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟖𝟐
In the audience chamber, I reported today’s events to my grandfather, and we also discussed the future,
I then went to the crown prince’s office to do the crown prince’s work, but I was indeed tired.
ㅤ
My grandfather’s anger was tremendous, and Renkin-sensei and Augen were scary too.
It was fortunate that Kyle wasn’t being blamed,
But neither Chris nor anyone else defended Anna.
ㅤ
The demand to expel and send back to the Margrave territory was made,
Although we somehow managed to dissuade that idea, a warning from the headmaster is unavoidable.
We settled it temporarily by issuing a warning that any further incident would result in immediate expulsion.
ㅤ
“Sofia-sama, let’s take a short break for now.
I think we won’t make any progress if we continue working like this.”
ㅤ
“Yes, I agree. . .”
ㅤ
David, who had been present in the audience chamber, understood the situation.
He entered the small room at the back of the crown prince’s chamber and sat down as if sinking into the sofa.
Kyle and Chris also sat down, and David returned with tea he had brewed.
ㅤ
“It seemed like it would take time to call Sofia-sama’s maid now, so
I made it myself.
Please bear with it, as I don’t think it’s that bad.”
ㅤ
“Thank you, David. It’s fine, it’s delicious.”
ㅤ
He must have thought that it would be quicker to make it himself than to call Lisa and Yuna.
Even without a maid attached to the Crown Prince’s chamber, David, who works without complaining,
Is always a real lifesaver.
ㅤ
“The civil official who was present earlier has gone to the academy.
He will report to the headmaster and the first-year teacher.
Additional royal guards will be stationed, so I think it will be hard for something like today to happen again. . .
If necessary, we can also increase the number of escort knights.”
ㅤ
“You don’t need to increase them for now. Kyle and I are with her,
and Douglas is nearby. There’s no chance that anyone would do anything directly to the princess.
Kyle. . .there was no contact by letter this time?”
ㅤ
“You didn’t help Ilia at the party, did you?
After that, a protest letter arrived from the Margrave.
‘What do you mean, not helping Ilia?’ he said.
So I replied that from now on, we won’t accept any letters.
Even if they were sent to the palace, they’ve been sent back.”
ㅤ
“. . .Ah, that reminds me.
I was told not to accept any letters addressed to Kyle-sama,
So I’ve sent them all back.
Most of them were from young ladies rather than the Margrave.”
ㅤ
Kyle’s father was trying to make Kyle have a mistress because no grandchild was born.
Cutting off contact because of the Ilia matter is one thing,
But he must have been mad about the mistress thing as well.
Rejecting the letters is like declaring that he won’t be involved at all from now on.
ㅤ
“Even so, just getting a reprimand from the academy,
Do you think that lady’s behavior will change?”
ㅤ
“I don’t think she’ll change.
Trying to buy an escort knight with money just because she likes him,
I wonder how she grew up to be such an arrogant young lady.”
ㅤ
“. . .Surely Anna thinks Margrave’s territory is the richest land in the world.”
ㅤ
“What?” “Eh?” “. . .That’s quite a misunderstanding. . .”
ㅤ
“That’s not true. Sorry, but that territory is nothing but a burden.”
ㅤ
David, Chris, and I are fully aware of the numbers like the taxes from the territory.
Of course, we also know that the Margrave’s territory is not rich.
Kyle, who does the same job, should understand that too. . .
ㅤ
“When I was in the territory, I used to shut myself in my room all the time,
But I could hear the servants’ gossip from outside.
So I also thought so until I came to the royal capital and studied at the academy.
That Ahrens’ land was so important that Tyrnia and Eugenis would fight over it.
So even after becoming Eugenis, we were given a status equal to the royalty.”
ㅤ
“I guess it’s understandable to misunderstand if you don’t know.
But the reason we didn’t get complaints when we became part of Eugenis from Tyrnia is probably that
Ahrens’ land was nothing but a useless burden.”
ㅤ
Even though it’s Kyle’s hometown, Chris, who doesn’t hesitate, bluntly calls it a burden.
Indeed, Margrave’s territory is referred to as such.
Even the students realize that as they learn.
ㅤ
“I think that’s true.
When we were Tyrnia, we must have been treated quite favorably,
With the idea of sending a frontier knight order in an emergency.
When a war actually broke out and we were told to send a knight order to the royal capital,
And then betray and join another country. . .such a territory is no longer needed.”
ㅤ
The reason compensation was not demanded from Tyrnia,
Is probably because they knew the Ahrens territory would be a burden.
How they could mistakenly believe that, considering it’s such a fertile land that they fought over it.
ㅤ
Chris couldn’t hide his stunned face as he was explained this by Kyle.
David, who was listening, also grimaced.
But somehow, he thought it wasn’t unreasonable to think that way.
ㅤ
“I heard that the former Margrave was called the princess of Ahrens.
Perhaps because she was the only daughter and raised with great care,
But I’ve heard that originally a minority ethnic group was driven to that region and founded a country there.
That then became a vassal to Tyrnia.
It’s a thing of the very distant past.
And even now, if a daughter is born, she’s called a princess or so.”
ㅤ
Perhaps it’s so long ago that it’s not even recorded in the history of Tyrnia.
The reason there are many with black hair and black eyes in Ahrens is for that reason.
ㅤ
Furthermore, with little interaction with other territories,
Except for the head of the Ahrens family coming to the academy, they do not go outside the territory.
They marry only within the territory, and there are none who work in the royal palace.
They can live without any problem even if they’re mistaken about something. . .
ㅤ
“The princess of Ahrens, huh.
Maybe that young lady thinks so too.
That she’s a princess, and is on equal footing with the royalty.”
ㅤ
“She might be so assertive because she thinks that.
Currently, the Margrave territory is being treated like a Duke’s territory.
There’s no doubt it’s being treated specially.”
ㅤ
When Ahrens became a territory of Eugenis and official documents were exchanged,
The younger brother of the former king and the only daughter set to inherit the Margrave were already in love.
The king at that time knew this and intended to make Ahrens a Duke’s territory.
ㅤ
So, in the agreement, taxes were favored as with a Duke’s territory.
For fifty years after joining Eugenis, it was to be treated the same as a Duke’s territory.
The period was fifty years because, I think, it was as long as the former king’s younger brother’s child was the head.
ㅤ
But in reality, the younger brother died, and Ahrens did not become a Duke’s territory.
It became Margrave of Ahrens, but the son born was the former king’s younger brother’s child.
It couldn’t be made public, but the former king said it was fine to continue treating it as a Duke’s territory as long as the child was there.
ㅤ
Ahrens was among the poorer territories of Tyrnia.
There was a forest where magical beasts appeared, and there was hardly any flat land suitable for fields.
That was also a reason why Tyrnia easily let go of Ahrens.
ㅤ
Since becoming part of Eugenis, one of the border knight orders has been dispatched to Ahrens.
It’s said to be for guarding the border, but actually, the main job has become subjugating the magical beasts.
The subjugated magical beasts are distributed to the people of Ahrens.
Thanks to the meat of these magical beasts, the people can live without starving.
Still, there’s not enough food, so wheat is delivered free of charge from the royal territory before winter.
ㅤ
The special treatment was only because,
The child of the fallen younger brother of the former king was the Margrave, that was the only reason.
Since the royal connection is still there,
It seems they continued with that exception and provided support to the Margrave’s territory.
ㅤ
But the contracted fifty years have passed, and it’s time to renegotiate the contract.
If they remain in Eugenis, they will be treated the same as a Marquis house in the future.
ㅤ
When this was communicated to the Margrave a few years ago,
The reply was that they would contact us once the future policy was decided.
Whether to stay in Eugenis, return to Tyrnia,
Or to become independent as Ahrens country.
ㅤ
No matter which option is chosen, life will undoubtedly become more difficult from now on.
Is it okay to let the citizens remain misunderstood?
I was thinking about that, but David seems worried about something else.
ㅤ
“Is it going to be okay? If that young lady continues to run wild in the academy,
The talks we had with the neighboring Marquis Millecker family might come to nothing.
Even though Sofia-sama had worked hard to persuade them. . .”
ㅤ
“Oh, that’s right. The Millecker’s daughter is also in the same grade.”
ㅤ
“That’s true. . .Besides, Miss Diana is in the second seat.
Since she’s sitting between Eddie-sama and Arno-sama,
She’ll surely notice if anything happens in the classroom. . .”
ㅤ
“Wow. . . I have to tell Eddie and Arno. . .”
ㅤ
Oh, that’s right. They said it’s because it’s difficult to transport wheat from the royal domain to the Margrave’s territory due to the distance,
Is it about selling the wheat harvested in Marquis Millecker’s territory to the Margrave’s domain at a lower price?”
ㅤ
“Yes, that’s the talk.
Life in Margrave’s territory will become difficult from now on, right?
But we can’t keep providing special treatment, so
We decided to have neighboring Millecker provide assistance and increase wheat production.
The money for wheat production will be paid by the country, and it will be stored for wartime.
. . .Because you have to get rid of stored items once they become old.
They consume by selling it cheaply to the neighboring territory.
Duke Hambel’s territory is close too, so it can respond if there’s a crop failure.”
ㅤ
It was impossible to openly help the Margrave’s territory.
Officially, it’s under the pretext of preparing for a war with Kokodia,
They came up with the idea of distributing the surplus food to nearby territories at a low cost.
At the time it was thought of, it seemed like a great idea, but. . .
ㅤ
ㅤ
“But Marquis Millecker was so stubborn. It was so hard to persuade him~!”
ㅤ
“Right. Ahrens territory and Millecker territory really don’t get along.
It was the first area to fight when they were different countries, so it’s unavoidable.
A little thought will reveal it’s a policy to help Ahrens, so
They definitely won’t want to lend a hand.
I think they did well to persuade them.”
ㅤ
“Diana seemed to persuade the Marquis.
Not just for Millecker territory, but she said we should accept it for the stability of the entire country.
Diana, she’s being considered as a candidate for Eddie’s fiancée.
Not only her grades but her thinking seems to be solid.”
ㅤ
“Eh? The young lady persuaded her father?
Having ranked second in grades upon admission, she somehow resembles the princess.”
ㅤ
“I haven’t met her yet, but I’m looking forward to it.
When Eddie calms down, there will be a tea party to choose his fiancée.
I think I’ll make an appearance then, so maybe that’s when I’ll meet her. . .”
ㅤ
“. . .Will Miss Anna do nothing until then?
She wants to marry Eddie-sama, right?
She won’t do anything to Miss Diana, will she?”
ㅤ
“””……”””
ㅤ
No one could answer David’s increasingly worried question.
It was unthinkable that a young lady who chased Eddie around would do nothing to a rival.
ㅤ
After a prolonged silence,
ㅤ
“Can you increase the number of royal guards? Preferably female knights.”
ㅤ
That was all that could be said.
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