The Bewilderment of the Sacrificial Second Princess ~ Married Into the Enemy Country as a Hostage Princess, but Was Strangely Welcomed With Open Arms~ – Chapter 41
Chapter 41: Meeting the Nejia
“Hm…”
I talked about last night’s matter with His majesty the King and Queen, His Highness Auglia, Lord Balk.
Adding paper to the draft of the completed national map, I write a rough map of the surrounding countries while remembering the map and terrain I saw in my homeland.
Between the mountain ranges of the Faithnum Empire and the Baratonia Kingdom, there is the country of Nejia. It is a small country and is notable for its production of silk from silkworms. Being a really small country, the Shadows of Nejia that was mentioned last night probably was a small active force, with more people supporting it behind the scenes and in the main industry of silk production. However, in big countries, especially the empire and the aristocracy of the Baratonia Kingdom and the countries on the opposite side of the empire, they can be quite bloodthirsty. Based on yesterday’s words, I think until now they have been involved in personal and family-level disputes in the shadows for money. However…
I drew the road from the Nejia Kingdom to the Baratonia Kingdom, cutting through part of the mountain range. This is not yet marked on the map. It is not a road marked by merchants, but a new road.
“This road has been made. The Nejia country, which has participated in bloody affairs, hasn’t advertised its existence, but if Baratonia Kingdom were to become involved in a war with other countries opposite to the Faithnum Empire… the damage would also reach Nejia country.. I am the instigator, but I have always stated that I originally wanted to belong to Baratonia Kingdom as a country. ——I think joining with Nejia is the only option.
“Claire-sama!”
“D-Do you believe what that rude man says?!”
Gwenna and Melissa showed reluctance to my proposal. They saw Gauche’s skill along with me.
If we make a mistake and fall into the hands of the enemy, it would not be surprising if everyone here was assassinated without knowing. It was such a fast-paced and unknown skill. That’s why it’s understandable that they are scared.
But I have never felt fear towards Gauche. Despite everything, he knows manners and adapts to the local culture. And he showed his true identity to both me and His Highness Auglia before anyone else.
His Highness Auglia is the crown prince and I am the crown princess. Out of consideration for our future roles as king and queen of this country, they deliberately did not show themselves in front of His Majesty the King and Her Majesty the Queen. This is likely because of the ancestral profession that has been passed down. The first kingdom they will open their door to was the Baratonia Kingdom.
In order to discuss the future of the Baratonia Kingdom, Gauche revealed his identity to me. There may have been other ways, but by testing me and treating me as a special case because he liked me, I became a “sacrifice” once again. If I, who was said to be the one he liked the most, died one day… that would be a sign of Nejia betraying or giving up on our country.
“If I say I’m not scared, it would be a lie. But they opened the way for us and entrusted us with the secret art of silk production. They have chosen the Kingdom of Balatonia as their trustee, asking for its protection, and in return, they are entrusting us with even more secrets of the country of Nejia… Everything depends on His Majesty’s decision, but I support bringing in the Shadows of Nejia.”
“I too… I also agree. I don’t know much about Nejia. Lord Balk knows more about sericulture than I do. However, sericulture becoming a new specialty product for Baratonia and having a strong connection with Nejia will benefit both countries. Yes, we became a shield for Nejia… but Nejia also protects Baratonia as a shield to protect their own country. I think they approached us with that intention. And most of all… The Nejia has taken a liking to Claire. I’m sorry for her being taken away.”
Why did the topic turn to me being taken away? When I looked around with wide eyes, some agreement seemed to have gathered there.
“I definitely don’t want to let go of Claire. I hate it. I want to see the face of my grandchild.”
“Claire-chan is my daughter. I won’t let you give her away.”
“As for myself, I hope that Claire-sama will continue to be involved in the government in the future.”
‘Can’t we please not be unanimous on this?’ I swallowed those words. We were supposed to be talking about more dangerous things and joining forces with Nejia in order to prepare for the danger with concrete evidence.
“Then, let’s join forces with the Nejia. Let Auglia pass our intentions at the designated time. If official documents or detailed arrangements are necessary, I will also make time for it.”
‘Dismissed!’ was announced as but I was a little blank for a while with a face that I couldn’t fully agree with.
Why don’t we decide on something more important?! The atmosphere was not such that I could say it was not very much so.
