What A Suggestion To Make, Your Highness The Crown Prince!

A few hours later, Shitoen and I stood side by side in front of the Crown Prince’s office. Raul waited outside the residence.
When the guard announced our arrival, a brief “Enter” came from within.
The guard at once opened the door for us, so I entered with Shitoen at my side.
A soft breeze stirred, making the gauze curtain behind the Crown Prince sway. The window must have been open. In contrast to the daytime, the wind was still cool at this time of year.
“Good work yesterday. Sorry to call you in so soon.”
The Crown Prince went on signing documents with a scratch-scratch, his gaze still lowered to the papers. A mountain of paperwork had already piled up in the approved-documents tray.
“You look tired yourself, Your Highness.”
I could not help giving a wry smile. With this amount of paperwork, he had probably already been working while I was still in bed stubbornly saying, “I’m not getting up!”
“Good. Take this to His Majesty.”
The Crown Prince picked up the box of approved papers and handed it to the civil official waiting near the desk. After receiving it with great respect, the official gave us a precise bow and left the room.
“In truth, letters have come from the Kingdom of Luminous and the Kingdom of Tania.”
The Crown Prince began without any preamble.
“From Luminous.”
“And Tania?”
When Shitoen and I asked, the Crown Prince silently took two letters from a drawer.
One was a sealed letter.
The other was a scroll.
“Luminous… a messenger came recently, didn’t he?”
I remembered because I had greeted him together with the Crown Prince. But I had not attended the meeting itself, so I did not know the details… had something happened?
“Did something come from Tania? Unfortunately, my father has told me nothing.”
I placed a hand on Shitoen’s back as she spoke uneasily, and we approached the Crown Prince’s desk.
The sealed letter bore the wax seal of the Luminous royal house, and on the backing of the scroll was drawn the dragon worshipped as a god by the Kingdom of Tania.
“It seems the suspension of coal and mineral exports following the breaking of Shitoen’s engagement is still ongoing, and the Kingdom of Luminous apparently wants that lifted at all costs.”
The Crown Prince gave a bored little snort through his nose.
“That country is cold, even if not as cold as the Kingdom of Tania. Winter there must be harsh. This was something like a surprise attack on them. They may not have had much coal stockpiled.”
Come to think of it, many portraits of the Luminous royal family showed great red mantles with the furs of martens or snow leopards sewn dramatically onto them. My mother, who had come from the Kingdom of Luminous as a bride, often said in winter too, “There really isn’t much snow here, is there?”
“In trying to obtain King Tania’s pardon, they have sent envoy after envoy, and they came to us as well asking for mediation… Apparently, King Tania has said, ‘If they formally apologize to Shitoen.’”
Saying that, the Crown Prince first spread the scroll out on the desk.
On it was written elegant Tania script…
“Sorry. I can speak Tania, but the writing…”
When I whispered that to Shitoen, she nodded and read it aloud for me.
Its contents supported the Crown Prince’s explanation, and also stated that “I am willing to forgive Luminous before long, but the insult toward the maiden who bears the Dragon Crest must be retracted,” ending with something along the lines of, “The Kingdom of Luminous will formally apologize to Shitoen, so though it must be infuriating, Shitoen, please forgive the Kingdom of Luminous.”
“And now, the letter from the Kingdom of Luminous.”
This time, the Crown Prince took the letter paper from the envelope and spread it out on the desk.
While Shitoen and I bent our heads together to read it, he briskly put away the scroll.
The letter from the Kingdom of Luminous said, “We are truly sorry for this matter,” and, “We wish to formally apologize to Princess Shitoen before King Tania.” It continued, “We know you are busy, but we ask that you please come to the Kingdom of Tania. Of course, we will bear all related expenses and arrange the travel route.”
“If an occasion for apology is to be arranged in the Kingdom of Tania, they will inevitably have to pass through the Kingdom of Luminous. Luminous also intends to take full responsibility for the itinerary, travel permits, and lodging. What do you think, Saryu? Would you go to the Kingdom of Tania as Shitoen’s escort as well? Up until the apology ceremony it will be official business, but after that it may be treated as a private trip. You may take your time in the Kingdom of Tania.”
“Of course. I’ll go.”
I answered the Crown Prince’s proposal at once.
“Um… if that is the case, then I shall go alone as official business. What if I ask my father in the Kingdom of Tania to arrange guards and provisions for the journey? To trouble Your Highness the Crown Prince and Prince Saryu over this…”
Shitoen shook her head, looking thoroughly apologetic.
“This was originally a matter between the Kingdom of Tania and the Kingdom of Luminous. To involve the Kingdom of Tidros in it… As soon as the apology ceremony is over, I shall return at once.”
“But, Shitoen. Are you not now married to Saryu, and a member of the Tidros royal family? You are one of our own, are you not? Matters concerning our relatives are matters that concern us as well.”
The Crown Prince said it decisively. I nodded my head up and down with all my might too.
“And besides… wouldn’t you like to relax a little in the Kingdom of Tania?”
The apology mattered too, of course, but more than that, I wanted Shitoen to be able to return home and rest.
Shitoen had gone to the Kingdom of Luminous for her engagement, but that had been two years ago.
After that, the engagement was unilaterally broken off before a crowd at the betrothal ceremony.
Then Mother swooped in as if to say, “My, my, then we’ll just have her instead♡,” and made a move to secure Shitoen, who is now my wife.
She had returned home for a short time after the broken engagement…
But that had only been for a few months. It was merely to receive instructions from King Tania. She likely had no chance to meet friends or spend time quietly at her family home.
“That may be true, but… I am here by my own will. As Prince Saryu’s wife.”
Prince Saryu’s wife.
Hearing that from Shitoen’s own lips… this really…
My face almost started grinning again.
No, no. Pull yourself together, me.
“As a homecoming… I mean, I also want to see what sort of place Shitoen… what sort of place my wife was born and raised in. Would it be so bad if I came with you?”
When I bent down and peered into Shitoen’s face as I asked, she turned bright red and faltered, saying, “No… it isn’t that…”
“If it troubles you to relax in the Kingdom of Tania, then I shall lend you my villa. You may stay there for a while on the way back. You two have not even had your honeymoon yet, have you?”
The Crown Prince returned the letter paper to the envelope, rested his cheek on one hand at the desk, and looked at Shitoen.
“That villa has not been used these past few years, so I would like to air it out. It would help me if you used it, but what do you think?”
“Um… then. Well. If Prince Saryu would like to…”
At this point, with all that having been said, that was probably all she could answer. I nodded powerfully.
“Of course! Let’s go to the Kingdom of Tania together!”
With a weary little shrug, the Crown Prince looked at me and said, “Oh, right.”
“That villa is in the mountains, but it has a pool, and the night view from the second floor is rather fine. I believe there are beautiful fish in the pond as well.”
Who cares about fish or scenery‼
A pool‼
A pool, Your Highness the Crown Prince‼
What a suggestion to make, Your Highness the Crown Prince‼
A… swimsuit…‼
Shitoen in a swimsuit…‼
Shitoen in a swimsuit‼
Shitoen… in a swimsuit…‼
“Eek! Prince Saryu! A nosebleed, a nosebleed!”
“What are you doing now?”
Before I knew it, apparently my nose had started bleeding.
Clutching my face, I cried, “E-excuse me!” and rushed out of the office in a flurry, only to be met with Raul’s cold stare outside the residence…