Chapter 23: 24

Northern Country, Kayediv.

Kayediv, often referred to as simply the Northern Country or Snow Country, was a long-time ally of Estina, the Western empire, and would send envoys to each other to strengthen their close relationship. 

The Northern Country was the most isolated land of the entire Ladivenia Continent. Above the head, there was an ice-covered frozen sea all year round, and below it was blocked by the Yongustin mountain range, a natural barrier. In a country where the winter was exceptionally long and bitter, most of its ports were frozen, so it was difficult to even travel outside the country until spring began.

The land route to the east led to the Salt Desert, a place notorious enough to say that if a hundred people entered, it was difficult for even two or three people to come out alive.

It’s around late May that the frozen ports of Kayediv begin to thaw. When the port was thawed, the Northern Country was the first to send an envoy to the Western empire to inform them that travel between countries was possible again, and to congratulate them. This event was called the ‘Thawing Congratulatory Ceremony’. The Estina Empire considered it to be highly momentous and held a three-day festival when the envoys for the thawing congratulatory ceremony arrived, in a way to comfort the guests for their hard work.

“As soon as spring comes, they come running right away.” 

The Emperor muttered apathetically after receiving a report that a ferry patrolling the north of the Baleum Sea had encountered an envoy ship.

“It’s because spring in the Northern Country is the period of farming hardship. If they don’t receive the crops for the summer on time, there will be a series of deaths by starvation.”

On behalf of the Marquis of La Baille, who silently bowed his head, the Premier, Duke of Chirac, received the Emperor’s words. The Emperor put the report down on the desk and leaned his back on the backrest.

“How many envoy ships are coming down this time?”

“It is said to be a total of seven ships.”

Seven ships. Considering that there were usually three or four ships at most, the number of envoys this year was almost double. The Emperor knew it was because of his victory in the Landrienne Revolution. Instead of doubling the envoys to the empire, the group of envoys to Shaak would have been reduced in number by half.

“Did you receive the catalog of goods for trade?”

“Yes. Most of them are furs and precious metals. The proportion of iron ore has decreased relatively this year.” 

“They managed to get wind of the fact that the war has ended. For those who are isolated all winter, information travels quite fast.”

“Wasn’t the war already in a lull since last autumn? They must have guessed it would be over soon”

During the last war, Kayediv sold iron ore and weapons to both Estina and Shaak, leaving an enormous profit margin. Kayediv was a friend of Estina, but their relationship with Shaak was not bad either. In fact, the Northern Country was a country with no enemies. They were not interested in affairs outside the country as they already had a hard time as it is to deal with the barren land they were living on.

“How did our harvest turn out this year?” 

“It’s fairly a normal crop harvest, but due to the widespread shortage of workers, the number of fallow lands has increased and the yield itself is insufficient. Moreover, since the end of the war, prices have risen and grain prices are skyrocketing.”

“So it turned out well just in time.”

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“Pardon?”

“It means We’re happy with the state of affairs on the negotiation table. It doesn’t seem like it would be easy to dive into that place this year either.” 

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“Your Majesty. The thawing celebratory ceremony is an important diplomatic event with a long-time historical tradition. Even if there will be a renegotiation afterward, please do not displease them at this time. They hold their grudges as tenaciously as old wolves.”

The Duke of Chirac, who had long served as the Premier of the empire, gave a piece of advice out of excessive solicitude. The Emperor quietly looked at the worried old man.

“If there is a wild animal that is damaging a farmer’s fields, there are only two solutions. Hunt or tame. What method do you think is better for Us to take?” 

“… It would be better to tame it, Your Majesty.”

“That’s right. We think the same.”

The Emperor subtly pressured the Duke of Chirac to take a step back and looked back at the Marquis of La Baille. The Marquis of La Baille, in charge of the Ministry of Navy, stood there quietly, without opening his mouth much, except when making necessary reports.

“The envoys will arrive in a week?” 

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

“Set up a temporary residence in Rosson Port, and make sure that you do not neglect the hospitality of the envoys. Also, Head of the Imperial Household Office.”

“Yes, Your Majesty. Please give your orders.”

“We are running out of time, will there be any problems with the preparations for the banquet?” 

“It is an annual event that is usually held at this time of year, so we were preparing in advance within the Imperial Household Office. There will be no disruption to the banquet.”

“Good job. Make sure to prepare more thoroughly this year with no mistakes. … Speaking of which, we should also discuss grain prices. Did you say that grain prices are skyrocketing?”

“That’s right, Your Majesty. Last autumn, the price of a sack of flour was 15 dells, but now it is being sold at up to 20 dells-.”

Since there was no particularly sensitive issue on the agenda, today’s political meeting proceeded in a breeze. In a situation where rights and interests were not at stake, the ministers would be as competent as they could be, and the Emperor knew how to coordinate his subjects. 

Eugène stood quietly on one side of the Emperor’s office, observing the process of deciding the important affairs of the country. Even though they knew he was there, everyone else in the office pretended as if he wasn’t. They acted as if he was not a person, but rather a vase or a painting adorning the Emperor’s office.

But Eugène, accustomed to being treated as a ghost after being dragged to a political meeting, paid little attention to such trifles. What caught his attention was not the country affairs that the high-ranking ministers were dealing with, but the thawing celebratory ceremony, a topic that had already passed.

Thawing celebratory ceremony? Is it already that time of the year again?

He was well-acquainted with the open sea rather than the inland sea, as he had a lot of experience with patrol work. There was a precedent of escorting envoys several times when he was in charge of patrols near the Baleum Sea, so he was quite familiar with the key figures of Kayediv. 

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If things work out, it’s possible that he’ll be coming as an envoy too. It is feasible because he’s the type of person who likes to wander around.

Among them, some of them were close enough to him to be called his friends. Eugène recalled the face of his closest friend in his mind and shook his head with a sigh, and smiled.

If it’s him, he might really be part of the envoys. Eugène thought so because that person, who liked to roam around and travel so much was held back the previous year and the year before that, so by now, it was clear that he was itching to move again.

*** 

After hours of elaborate dressing, Prince Merrick, who was finally fixing his cravat, gave a brief reply to the servant’s knock on the door.

“What is it?”

“Your Highness The Duke. Her Highness the Grand Duchess is here.”

Prince Merrick was checking himself in the mirror while the servant fixed his cravat’s wrinkles, and stiffened for a moment when he heard that his mother was waiting outside the door. 

“… Tell her to come in.”

After a brief hesitation, Prince Merrick allowed his mother to come inside. When the door opened, Grand Duchess Alienor, dressed as splendidly as the queen of a country, entered the room.

“Oh my, Duke of Fernand. You’re still not ready yet. Did I come too soon?”

Grand Duchess Alienor, even though she was close to fifty years old, had smooth skin like a young woman. She admired her tall and handsome son with a kind smile. She sat down on a long chair before her son even suggested it, and, supported by a maid, leaned on the armrest and observed her son’s lavish appearance delightedly. 

“Mother.”

Prince Merrick turned to the Grand Duchess after checking his clothes one last time. The Grand Duchess, as always, proudly looked at her son with a smile.

“Are you ready? Shall we leave now?”

The Grand Duchess asked the question innocently, with a clueless attitude. 

Today was the day when the thawing celebratory ceremony began. Since the thawing celebratory ceremony was one of the important diplomatic events of the empire, the probation of Prince Merrick, a key member of the imperial family, had been temporarily relieved. An invitation sent directly by the Emperor was received in the evening.

Even so, there was only one stern sentence that said to not neglect the duties of the imperial family for personal matters, but thanks to this, Prince Merrick, who was almost imprisoned at home, was able to take a breath.

“… It seems that the butler did not convey my message properly. I cannot escort you today.”

Should I tell the truth or not? Countless thoughts ran through Prince Merrick’s mind in a short moment. Normally, even if there were a prior agreement, he would have held his mother’s hand without a word, but he was in a different position today. It was not easy to act as usual, considering the existence of the woman who would be waiting for him in the court by now. 

“What do you mean, Prince Merrick? If the Duke doesn’t escort his mother, then who will?”

“I have asked the Marquis of Calver in advance. He will arrive at the mansion in a little while.”

The Marquis of Calver was a courteous old gentleman, related to the Duke of Fernand by marriage, and a person who was not lacking in terms of status and character to escort the Grand Duchess. However, the Grand Duchess still looked puzzled after hearing his explanation.

“No, the Marquis of Calver hasn’t contacted the Duke yet? I had already sent him a refusal yesterday afternoon.” 

“Pardon? What do you mean? You sent a refusal to the Marquis of Calver?”

Upon hearing the unexpected words, Prince Merrick looked at his mother in surprise.

“While I appreciate your request, what can I do when it is against the etiquette? I had no choice but to refuse. Although I am a widow, how could I depend on the goodwill of others when I already have a grown son? This mother, as she has always done, will never do anything that will harm the Duke’s name.”

She reported what she had done in such a tone as if she were explaining to a child. The way she spoke was still sweet and her smiling face was infinitely kind, but when Prince Merrick saw it, he felt a chill running down his spine. 

“… Mother.”

“But there’s one thing I’m curious about. Seeing that you have made all your preparations, it doesn’t seem like you have no intention of not attending the envoy banquet, so who else are you trying to escort?

At the mother’s attitude of asking with a smile, Prince Merrick bit his lip unconsciously. Since he knew that she was not asking because she really didn’t know.

Shortly after the divorce trial, his mother made a strange request to distance himself from the Hon Louise Dumont for the time being. The incident caused Prince Merrick to suffer great shame as he could not pretend to be ignorant of the woman who was pregnant with his own child, but Grand Duchess Alienor persuaded him by saying that if he proceeded to marry her, he would only make the entire imperial family his enemy. Then, out of his own guilt of not wanting to treat her too badly, he pushed the back of Hon Louise Dumont, who was isolated with no one to turn to, and sent her to be Countess Patrí’s lady-in-waiting. 

At the time, Prince Merrick was persuaded by his mother’s opinion, but as time passed, he felt somewhat uneasy. It was mainly because of the attitude of his mother, who was not making any preparations for the marriage at all, despite the increasing number of months, which had taken a toll on his heart.

“I went to the palace and escorted my fiancée. As mother knows, we haven’t seen each other for a long time since she entered the palace.”

While he dared not to face his mother and looked away, Prince Merrick clearly uttered what he wanted to say. An expression of anger flashed across the kind Grand Duchess Alienor’s face. She bit her lip for a moment, then managed to subdue her anger and tried to soothe her son in a soft tone.

“Have you forgotten your mother’s advice? Didn’t I tell you not to meet her for a while?” 

“I know very well what you’re worried about. But she’s the woman who’s carrying my child. How can I keep pretending otherwise?”

Does he love her? Does he not love her? It was a matter that even Prince Merrick himself did not know exactly. It was certainly true that he was immersed in her warm charm at the time of the affair. She loved to discuss poetry and literature and was especially a lovely woman with her naivety as she would sometimes blush while chatting.

When Prince Merrick found out that she was pregnant, he panicked. When he heard that rumors about his relationship with her spread throughout the capital and that the Emperor was digging into the rumors, he simply wanted to collapse so he even resented her.

However, at any rate, both she and the child in her womb were the consequences of Merrick’s actions. He was not harsh enough to turn away from the woman who had lost everything because of him, and as they went through the hardships of the scandal and divorce trial together, he felt a deep sense of responsibility and bond with her, even if it could not be called love. 

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