Episode 66

People always compare, envying what they do not possess.

The poor envy the rich.

The weak envy the strong.

Citizens of a country with an incompetent king envy those with a capable one.

They can neither change their king nor their country, thus feeling even more deprived.

“While it may not be a welcome suggestion, would you please join me in a moment of silence for one person, just for now?”

The speaker represents the future of the empire.

“Miss Ariana, I sincerely regret what happened to Admiral Haireddin.”

The crown prince, dressed in black, approaches the widowed woman.

“The empire failed to protect him. I express my deepest regrets.”

And in front of a mere woman from an enemy nation, he bowed his head in apology.

There was no murmuring.

In the face of such a shocking event, everyone was too stunned to even speak.

“Ha…”

Even Carmen scoffed at the sight of such a prince.

‘The show has not even started yet.’

It’s merely the eve of the main event.

“…He saved my life.”

Ariana said, choking back tears.

“Though he was a man of the empire, he jumped into a sea teeming with monsters to save me. Thanks to him, I am alive today.”

The crown prince knew how to exploit human emotions.

“But he is dead now, and I cannot even commemorate his death. What should I do?”

“My lady.”

He spoke carefully, not making empty promises or grand gestures.

“We plan to erect a statue of Admiral Haireddin at the edge of the empire, visible from Serene, in Casablanca.”

“A statue…?”

“Yes. Though he is gone, his will and spirit will continue across borders.”

Using a man’s death as a tool for his own plans.

“Every year, we will hold a memorial service. Even without a formal ceremony, many will come to pay respects and leave flowers for Admiral Haireddin.”

“Oh, oh…”

“I would like to formally invite Miss Ariana to the unveiling of the statue.”

“Sob…!”

Ariana collapsed to the ground.

“Sob, sob…”

No matter the purpose of the peace negotiations, a mere count’s daughter could not be casually summoned by a crown prince of an enemy nation.

She could not even express her gratitude for the invitation.

“Miss Ariana. There’s something I’d like to ask.”

Moreover -

“While the general lived modestly and wasn’t wealthy, his life’s dedication to the state cannot be disregarded after his death.”

The crown prince expertly manipulated the human desire to fulfill unmet needs.

“The empire will lead the funeral, but we cannot decide on the inheritance. We will entrust all matters of the general’s estate to Miss Ariana.”

“What, what?!”

Someone cried out in surprise.

“What does that mean?!”

“…Are you the Earl of Serene?”

Recognizing the startled middle-aged man at a glance, the crown prince, still blocking the way for Ariana who had not yet risen, crossed his arms behind his back.

“While it’s important to discuss public matters, the issue of General Haireddin’s estate is a private matter solely for Miss Ariana.”

“Cough, cough…!”

“Let’s have a more detailed discussion inside, but please remember, this banquet is not a memorial service, so please enjoy yourselves.”

The crown prince, seeing the stiff butler, walked over and personally poured wine into an empty glass.

“I hope we can talk about the peace between our two nations…”

“Pleased to meet you, Prince Hapsburg von Tersian.”

Likewise holding a glass of wine, Queen Carmen stepped forward.

“You are…”

“First, a moment of silence for Admiral Haireddin.”

Although a bit late, failing to do even this would mean losing control of the conversation.

“And for the future changes in the relationship between our two countries.”

Without saying how that relationship would be, Carmen slowly raised her glass.

“Please come inside. A separate banquet hall has been prepared.”

In a reception room of the earl’s mansion, a bit away from the central banquet hall.

“Let me formally introduce myself. Carmen Morgania Nostrum, the Queen of Nostrum.”

“It’s an honor to meet Your Majesty, the Queen.”

The crown prince sat on the sofa, his posture completely free of tension.

“You have a strong heart, Your Highness.”

“I’m flattered to receive such praise from Duke Morgania.”

Next to Carmen sat Duke Winchester, who hadn’t even bothered to wear a mask to the banquet. He spoke curtly, but the prince still smiled, lifting the white cup in front of him.

“It’s a matter of trust.”

Clink.

“In a noble and dignified kingdom.”

Without any hesitation, the prince lifted his cup and drank the tea inside.

“The belief that they would never stoop to petty and lowly acts like street thugs.”

“…….”

“To be honest, I didn’t come here just because I trust myself.”

That was a lie.

“I came here because I trust Admiral Haireddin, who believed in the kingdom.”

Probably, once the prince returned - no, even today, Admiral Haireddin will be sold off, from his hair to his internal organs.

“What if that trust turns out to be misplaced?”

“There is no wrong answer in the pursuit of peace, Duke.”

“I didn’t expect the prince to view the world so brightly and optimistically.”

“With so much darkness in the world, isn’t it better to live with hope and dreams rather than focusing on that?”

It feels like those with gardens in their minds laugh heartily and advocate for peace.

“The empire does not seek war and desires exchanges with the kingdom. We cannot continue to stain our hands with blood and leave a legacy of hatred for our descendants.”

“…….”

“That’s why I came personally. As the future emperor and the one responsible for the empire’s future. For the harmony and peace between our two nations.”

The prince has it.

“Firstly, I ask for your active cooperation in creating a memorial space in the empire and inviting Lady Serene.”

The power and wealth to turn the garden in his mind into an actual memorial space.

“As a message of harmony between our nations, I have disbanded the empire’s First Fleet.”

“!!!”

And there lay madness and drive.

“You mean it’s already done, not just planned?”

Carmen frowned and asked anxiously.

“It’s already done, not just a plan?”

“Yes, exactly. If there’s anyone here who understands the imperial language, would you please pass on the message?”

The crown prince, scanning the room, looked towards me standing behind Carmen and said,

“The empire has disbanded its First Fleet for the harmony of both nations.”

“…….”

For a moment, chills ran down my spine.

I thought it was okay to see him from afar, and even to be in the same space.

‘As soon as he spoke in the imperial language, it all came back to me.’

It wasn’t the crown prince anymore, but Emperor Hapsburg overlapping in my mind, genuinely sending shivers through my body.

In the future, the emperor always spoke to me in the imperial language.

“Ah. About the imperial language-”

“I understood you perfectly, Your Highness.”

The crown prince started to sparkle in his eyes as he looked at me.

“Wow, perfect imperial language. And in the standard central dialect too. Where did you learn it?”

“I studied from books. First, I will relay this to Her Majesty the Queen.”

This was not the place for a one-on-one conversation.

I might be accused of being presumptuous for interrupting, but my role now was to convey the message accurately to Carmen.

“His Highness says it has already been dismantled, Your Majesty.”

“……And what about the negotiations?”

“Since it was Admiral Haireddin’s last wish, we should follow it. The navy will become a maritime patrol force, and the ships will be dismantled for firewood for the poor.”

This seemingly obvious decision left everyone in the room struggling to manage their expressions.

Queen Carmen, Duke Winchester, and even Earl Serene sitting in the corner.

“And now, a proposal for the kingdom.”

“That proposal has already been reviewed.”

“Oh, could you share the outcome?”

“For Serene’s territory alone, we permit temporary visits by imperial citizens.”

At first glance, the use of ‘permit’ seems to imply the kingdom has the upper hand.

“Extraterritorial rights will not be recognized. Any imperial citizens committing crimes in the kingdom will be judged under kingdom law.”

“I accept.”

“Judgment in the kingdom is an immediate decision by the nobility of the concerned territory. Are you aware it’s quite different from the empire?”

“Yes, I am well aware. Therefore, we will specially educate the merchants visiting the territory.”

It’s likely that they would be educated that way.

The kingdom’s judicial system is where the nobility are judges, without lawyers or a three-judge system, allowing for immediate execution.

“However, I hope there will be no false accusations against innocent imperial citizens in the kingdom.”

“That won’t happen…”

One could not simply say it won’t happen.

‘That was the case even at the Academy.’

During my time at the Academy, how much trouble the student council had with crimes attributed to imperial exchange students.

Stealing, vandalism, causing violence.

‘Most of it was the kingdom’s citizens trying to punish the imperial citizens with their own plays.’

The kingdom’s citizens maliciously framed those who came from the empire.

It was the kingdom’s base and sinister people who put the wronged imperial students at the forefront of the kingdom’s occupation war.

“In such cases, I hope there are at least some means of self-defense.”

“Specifically, what?”

“Have a trial in the kingdom’s style, but allow imperial professional lawyers to defend.”

“Lawyer…”

Such a profession didn’t exist in the kingdom.

“Your Majesty, they’re like duel representatives.”

I whispered softly to Carmen.

“Instead of rapier duels, they use language and logic to persuade the judge and the prosecution. They try to reduce the sentence if the crime is certain or to achieve acquittal.”

“Indeed.”

Carmen nodded gravely.

“Thank you, Nachasa.”

“Don’t mention it.”

“Then, about the port opening…”

Someone might say it’s too much not to know, but it couldn’t be helped.

‘Telling people who throw white handkerchiefs in noble battles about magic electric train repairmen is pointless.’

Carmen, the governor who grasped the entire culture of the empire within a year after the kingdom’s collapse, might know, but the current Queen Carmen was not yet ready to embrace imperial culture.

‘There’s already enough internal problems in the kingdom to worry about the empire.’

Considering just the field of magical engineering, the 30-year gap between the two countries is evident everywhere.

‘I’d have to give up sleep to study more about the empire. Really.’

As if she wasn’t already sleep-deprived from managing state affairs, now even less sleep?

‘I can’t let her age faster, even if she can’t grow any bigger.’

Considering her age.

‘I’ll fill in the gaps about the empire for her.’

If she asked how I knew, I could just say I learned as much as possible while studying the imperial language.

If she probed further, silence was the best answer.

Well, there were many moving from the kingdom to the empire.

‘But not a single one from the empire to the kingdom.’

It’s not hard to make up a plausible story.

“…Let’s summarize it that way.”

“It would be our pleasure.”

During a moment of thought, it seems the conversation about opening the Serene Harbor has concluded.

“As the kingdom is so willingly working towards peace, we should also show our sincerity. Would it be alright to invest in the Serene territory?”

“Invest?”

Earl Serene, who had been quietly sitting, suddenly straightened up.

“The investment, is it perhaps under the guise of that, the inheritance?”

“No. It’s an investment in the purest sense.”

“Ah…”

The earl seemed both pleased and regretful.

“Haha.”

The crown prince just smiled amicably, but I saw it.

‘He’s scratching the inside of his thumb again.’

It was a habit he might not even be aware of.

He made this gesture when he thought of the person in front of him as less than human, trash, or an inferior beast that only spoke human language.

‘Old habits die hard.’

I wondered what had disillusioned him.

‘Accepting money from an enemy country?’

About half of his disdain might have been for the earl, who was accepting the investment without knowing its true nature.

‘Drooling over the inheritance meant for his daughter?’

The rest was probably contempt for those who regretted not getting Admiral Haireddin’s inheritance.

‘No, there’s more.’

And the superiority he felt because -

‘No one understands his true intentions.’

The contempt included a bit for the base ones who didn’t realize that all this investment was to strengthen his control over Serene territory within his empire.

‘As expected of His Imperial Majesty.’

Though he was called the crown prince, he already thought of himself as the emperor.

“In fact, ideally, this meeting should have taken place not here, but at the Gibraltar Gorge.”

And at his sudden remark, everyone’s expressions hardened.

“Gibraltar…?!”

“Yes, Earl Serene.”

Especially Earl Serene.

“I was even prepared to face the Margrave in just a shirt, if necessary. Haha.”

His expression resembled that of someone about to enjoy a delicious meal, only to have it snatched away at the last moment.

“Your Majesty, Queen Carmen. I dare to propose.”

The crown prince adjusted his posture solemnly.

“For the harmony of the kingdom and the empire, the empire has dismantled its navy. I believe the kingdom should make a corresponding move.”

“What kind of…?”

“First of all.”

One of the first policies implemented by the emperor after occupying the kingdom.

“How about adopting the currency unit of the empire?”

Changing the kingdom’s monetary unit.

“The common currency used in the empire… ‘Tersian Thaler’. Well, if you want to make it easier to pronounce in the kingdom…”

The crown prince smiled and pulled out a piece of paper.

“Paper currency, ‘Thaler (Taler)’.”

The Emperor of the Continental Union, Emperor Hapsburg, once told me.

“Grey. Every time I see the currency unit of the kingdom, I feel an unbearable rage.”

He vowed to overhaul the most pathetic aspect of this miserable country.

-Which country values gold, the metal, so poorly? It’s an insult to gold itself.

That was one aspect I wholeheartedly agreed with.

‘The emperor is right.’

This kingdom needed a revolution.