Fortunately, when I opened my eyes, it was the next day.
“Can you get up?”
It was Miss Sana, with her well-sharpened sword-like eyes and her hair tied tightly back.
“The prince’s older brother has arrived.”
Miss Sana treated me just as she had in the summer outer palace. I averted my gaze from her embarrassingly frank stare, though it felt needless to be self-conscious at this point.
“Joachim!”
Mikhail was seated in another reception room in the palace. It was slightly smaller than the reception room I had glimpsed in passing yesterday.
It seemed Benedict really had sent someone. I had begged him not to the entire carriage ride, so he apparently hadn’t sent a marriage proposal, but Mikhail’s face was excited enough. Before my brother could bring up Benedict, I struck first.
“What happened with Rilke?”
“Don’t even talk about that bastard— Ha.”
I sat down in front of Mikhail, who seemed too exasperated to continue.
The palace servants kindly brought tea and refreshments. Pulling his teacup closer, Mikhail urged me not to address Rilke so familiarly in front of him from now on.
“You must already know that rumors have spread about the little Yorick bastard manufacturing the black potion.”
Mikhail seemed to have decided to call him that.
And the name of the potion that caused the black spots had also been dubbed “the black potion” by the public.
“All the commoners who were harmed were heretics. It would have been easy for the little Yorick bastard to target them. Don’t heretics have temperaments that are easily incited?”
However, there was no temperament more terrifying than theirs when they turned against you. Mikhail mentioned this point.
“He must have held a grudge against the little Yorick bastard. He was wandering around the Yorick family mansion, and the heretics discovered him crawling out.”
I recalled Rilke’s disheveled appearance, covered in dirt and scratches.
Mikhail said he couldn’t know exactly why that boy had left the Regent Duke’s mansion.
Even now, a day later, Rilke hadn’t said a single word. However, since he had escaped from the heretics’ clutches and come straight to House Meyer, they could only speculate about his purpose.
“How did he escape from the heretics?”
“Didn’t that bastard have a sword?”
I understood at those words. The people who could carry swords were restricted by imperial law, and the sword Rilke had was a longsword that commoners couldn’t easily see. Mikhail relayed that at first the heretics had rushed at Rilke just seeing his face, but when Rilke, whose rage had peaked, drew his sword, they became frightened—this was their testimony.
“But that’s not what’s important right now.”
I looked at him quizzically, wondering what could be more serious than Rilke’s situation.
“The Regent bastard won’t hand over the magic stone mine.”
“Didn’t you say a week ago the deal was almost finalized?”
Mikhail fell silent.
Watching his uncomfortable shoulder movements and expression, I roughly figured out the situation.
“I told you not to be too greedy.”
“It’s easy to say, but do you know how much money that is!”
It seemed he had been burned trying to buy it more cheaply.
Mikhail had secretly purchased other family names for acquiring the ancient island’s mine, and had clearly documented the transfer rights. If he really couldn’t make the purchase, he would suffer a painful loss.
“I heard Iota’s envoy will arrive soon, which is strange.”
Soon there would be a bilateral meeting between the Empire and Iota. It had happened in the past as well.
The fact that their purpose in coming was the “ancient island” was still only known to a very small number of nobles.
“From the Regent Duke’s standpoint, he should be hurrying to sell the island before that.”
Mikhail and I discussed the meeting for a while.
“I think the meeting will be held at the great mansion. There’s precedent for it. Relations with Iota have been particularly bad these past few years. The majority opinion is that they don’t want to let them into the imperial palace.”
I listened silently to Mikhail’s words.
Was that public opinion really what the Empire’s nobles thought, or had it been created by Iota spies?
If the location was set to be the great mansion just like before, would the incident that occurs there also happen as scheduled?
It hadn’t actually been an incident that caused great harm. But even if it wasn’t a big deal, I didn’t like the feeling of dancing in Iota’s palm exactly as planned.
“What good does it do to know what those Iota bastards are plotting? There’s nothing we can do!”
“We might really end up going to war later.”
I said this recalling how in a few years, they would flaunt their proud fleet and push things to the brink of war with the Empire. Iota was a country that extended toward the sea, with most of its borders facing coastlines. Their navy was naturally dominant.
“You’re unfit as a son of House Meyer, Joachim!”
Mikhail, who had been drinking tea, frowned and said war was absolutely unacceptable.
“Don’t you know our family’s trading company is currently optimized for the present situation!”
“…I’m not in favor of war—”
“Honestly, what even is war!”
Mikhail pressed me.
“Just uncultured sword fighting and plundering other countries— Huh?”
Mikhail’s eyes widened. Mikhail stood up abruptly and paid his respects. Benedict was approaching.
“Count, if you evaluate war in such a manner.”
He said as he sat down beside me.
“Then in your eyes, Emperor Relliuro the Great must look like a bankrupt who ruined the Empire’s economy.”
Emperor Relliuro the Great had also been a war hero who trampled the Kingdom of Iota.
Mikhail drew in a breath. Sitting back down, Mikhail spoke urgently.
“What are you saying, you misunderstand. When it comes to House Meyer’s loyalty to the imperial family—”
“Of course I know it was your family’s capability that revived the market Emperor Relliuro the Great had devastated through war.”
“……Yes, that’s right!”
“Actually, I think you’re right too. If I could, I’d like to avoid war as well.”
Benedict had calmly stated that his war hero ancestor really was “a bankrupt who once ruined the Empire’s economy.”
Having gained agreement, Mikhail looked at me with a slightly proud face. I didn’t recall saying I was in favor of war… In any case, Benedict calmly continued.
“Did the Six-Year War really have the justification that contemporary historians claim? My great-grandfather had belligerent tendencies. If negotiations with the Kingdom of Iota had succeeded before the war, couldn’t all those casualties and economic losses have been prevented?”
Mikhail had simply wanted to maintain House Meyer’s trading company’s prosperity. He kept answering yes, yes, that’s right, yes, but I could see Mikhail’s eyes growing haggard from the excessively rapid flow of information about war and peace.
“That’s why when I heard the Count’s story, I was pleased thinking you would gladly cooperate with me.”
“……Yes?”
Mikhail answered a beat late.
“Instead of using force like war, I need a plan to achieve reconciliation with the Kingdom of Iota at this meeting.”
“……”
Benedict’s upright eyes looked directly at Mikhail.
“I hope you’ll do your best to find a way.”
You will, won’t you? Benedict showed that customary perfunctory smile of his.
Mikhail’s eyes trembled unsteadily.
“Now then, shall we go this way?”
Count Leroy, the prince’s attendant who had been waiting, guided Mikhail. Mikhail was inadvertently dragged away by Count Leroy, who had been the family’s legal counsel.
Only I was left behind, embarrassed by Mikhail’s appearance that seemed to be missing something.
“Haha……”
I stood up awkwardly laughing, intending to help Mikhail. I flinched at the throbbing pain rising up, but Benedict caught me.
“Are you leaving today?”
The fingertips he held tickled.
“Yes, my brother came too.”
Mikhail had already told me he had called a mage to thoroughly seal off the secret passages. The mansion was no longer a dangerous place.
Right. Benedict only answered that way.
“……Your Highness?”
He lightly grasped my fingertips, my wrist as they tried to slip away. Benedict said.
“I washed my hands.”
I couldn’t understand what he meant and looked down at his neat face.
“Can I touch you a little?”
Benedict drew the curtains. On the floor of the now slightly darkened reception room, I could see my clothes carelessly thrown on the elegant rug.
In an instant I was stripped naked and laid on the sofa.
“Does it still hurt?”
His slightly rough fingertips kept rubbing there.
“Now, hah, stop—”
No matter how much I pushed away, he pressed my legs firmly apart, making me reveal the swollen place from receiving him to let him in. He laughed fiercely and said.
“If you say no, I’ll just touch.”
One leg was placed below the sofa, the other leg hung over the sofa’s backrest. My face flushed bright red at the explicit position. I was bothered by the fact that one shoe still hung on my bare leg.
He smiled and said.
“Have I ever broken a promise without your permission?”
My leg was completely bent back. His fingertip dug in slightly as if wanting to enter, carefully rubbing the tender skin of the entrance.
He kept touching there pleadingly, as if asking permission. I pressed my bouncing hips against the sofa but couldn’t hide all my reactions and flinched. As if wanting to see inside, his two thumbs slightly spread the outside open. My face burned bright red. I could feel the pressed inner thighs trembling.
“If it wouldn’t strain you, I really want to enter every day.”
He stared down at me intently.
“Is today okay?”
I lowered my eyes.
