Three-Nation Cooperation

The armistice celebration party continued late into the night. And in the midst of it all, a seat was arranged—unintentionally, it seemed—where Ian found himself together with Prince Alexei of the Noma Empire, and Prince Sigmund di Moria, the Moria Empire’s Second Prince, with whom Ian had long-standing ties.

‘…Was this arranged on purpose?’

At first, Prince Alexei, looking pleasantly tipsy, came over and suggested they drink together. When Ian agreed, Alexei subtly proposed they drink in the secret place Ian had shown him when he first arrived at the palace.

‘And then Prince Sigmund approached and said he wanted to join as well.’

It had happened so naturally that the gathering became a private seat for only the three of them—one no one else could intrude upon. If anything, it made Ian think the two princes must have planned this from the start. As he thought that, Sigmund looked around in admiration and spoke.

“Prince Alexei told me about it, but seeing it in person, it is quite a fine place. Quiet—perfect for drinking without disturbance, and even for speaking in secrecy.”

“Pwahaha! Is it not? Even when I first came, I thought, ‘How could anyone build a secret drinking room like this?’”

“It seems both of you have something to say to me.”

At Ian’s words, the two princes—who had been finishing each other’s sentences while taking in the room—turned their gazes to him.

“That is correct. We made this seat intentionally.”

“Do you think you know why we made this seat?”

At Alexei’s question—half teasing, half probing—Ian wondered what they meant. Then he recalled that he had met Emperor Jedic in private earlier. Did they intend to make an issue of that?

‘Do they think that because I married Adrina, we will form a separate cooperative relationship with the Magnia Empire?’

Since they did not know the true nature of the relationship, they might be reacting only to what they could see on the surface—feeling threatened and arranging this seat. Ian decided he should clear up the misunderstanding.

“Is it because I met separately with Emperor Jedic of the Magnia Empire?”

“That is part of it. But that is not all.”

“Not all…? Then it sounds as if there is another meaning.”

“Would it not be well for us to cooperate for the sake of the future?”

“Together?”

Ian looked at the two princes as if asking what they meant. They nodded. Their faces were undeniably serious.

“First, know that this view reflects my imperial father’s intent as well.”

“And I, too, speak with my imperial father’s approval.”

If they were saying that, Ian had no choice but to listen in earnest. Still—joining hands. Were they truly that wary of the Magnia Empire?

‘Well… with their national power at rock bottom and only Magnia standing intact, they cannot help but worry. This may end up being advantageous for us.’

“Although we have grown closer to the Magnia Empire through a political marriage and such, it is true that we too are concerned about Magnia’s movements. In particular, we believe the bioweapons they possess are at a threatening level.”

“That is what we fear as well. The bioweapons they revealed are far too dangerous.”

“I have heard in reports that they attack without distinguishing between enemy and ally. Because of that, I heard quite a few of our units were wiped out.”

“The same for us. Especially when we pushed into the Leman Federation, we were struck by a surprise attack and many died or were injured. We protested so much you cannot imagine.”

It seemed the bioweapons had caused many problems. From the two empires’ perspectives, they would feel both revulsion and fear. If those bioweapons multiplied and invaded in greater numbers, they could not be confident they could truly stop them.

“It seems some unique technology is being applied to their bioweapons. Have you discovered anything?”

At Ian’s question, Alexei shook his head and spoke with embarrassment.

“We secretly recovered some and examined them, but no meaningful results came out. We could not even determine where or how they were manufactured.”

“Moria is the same. We can tell it stems from biotechnology, but we cannot grasp the technique that creates such artificial lifeforms. Everyone is at a loss as to where to even begin.”

Ian thought that was inevitable. They did not have White Crystal. Polia did. Even now, many scientists were investigating how to utilize it.

‘Did they say they found a small clue recently?’

There had been a report that they had activated it through electrical stimulation. Of course, it was not as simple as “just apply electricity.” It required a strength that was neither too large nor too small—precisely tuned. To confirm that, they had already conducted thousands of experiments.

‘I should visit soon and confirm it myself.’

“In any case, that is why we are saying we must join hands.”

“Magnia’s unilateral dominance will begin from now. They will not miss a chance like this.”

“So I may take it that you want to show cooperation among us in order to keep Magnia in check?”

“Exactly. If we do, even Magnia will not move rashly. No matter how strong they are, they cannot easily consider war against two empires and a great kingdom.”

“That is right. If we help one another, we believe we can keep them in check.”

“Mm. I agree to an extent. However…”

The moment Ian said he agreed, the two princes’ faces brightened—only to stiffen when he trailed off. Even with friendship, Ian believed he had to move in a direction that benefited his kingdom.

‘Public and private must be separated. I must move in a way that helps our kingdom the most.’

“If we appear to be turning against Magnia, the burden will be immense. They may even feel betrayed. In that case, there is a high chance they will take offense and begin applying pressure.”

“Even so, we will block them together.”

“If it is the three of us, what is there to fear?”

“If you will help, we have no reason to refuse. But in return, there must be benefit commensurate with that risk.”

At the word “benefit,” both princes wore expressions of thought. What Ian was saying was clear: if Polia was to risk souring relations with Magnia, he wanted an attractive reward. This was a different matter entirely from simply collecting debts.

“We wish to benefit your country, but for now we must focus on reconstruction. We do not have much leeway.”

“We are the same. We have no room at present.”

“I am not asking you to give something immediately. I am asking you to give us opportunities to conduct extensive trade with your empires. In particular, you could grant our companies priority in reconstruction contracts, and even simply greatly reducing tariffs on various exports would be sufficient.”

With those words, the two princes understood what Ian wanted. Not immediate cash, but for Polian construction firms to enter their empires. And in such a system, though it would take time, it would effectively allow Polia to absorb reconstruction budgets.

Reducing tariffs greatly would also directly strengthen the competitiveness of Polian companies. With lower tariffs, Polian goods would be cheaper in the empires, while companies of the empires would still have to pay average tariffs when exporting into Polia—making their goods more expensive by comparison.

The princes understood that reality, and also understood they would have to accept. They could feel that King Ian was playing at a high level. At the same time, they thought such behavior might simply be natural.

Both princes were now in their forties. They knew well that in international relations, calculating benefit was the norm. If they had still been in their twenties, they might have been disappointed or angered. But now, they found themselves wanting to emulate this approach.

“Noma will accept King Ian’s request.”

“Moria is the same. Let us continue into a relationship of deep cooperation.”

“Thank you. And I would also understand if we formalize it through a treaty—by signing an official document.”

At Ian’s insistence on a signed document rather than mere words, both princes could only click their tongues in admiration. Still, they nodded and agreed. They had already been given full authority by their fathers, the emperors, so there was no issue with making such a decision.

“Now then, the serious business is finished—how about we drink again?”

“Let us.”

“I too wish to drink more.”

With all three agreeing, the drinking resumed at once. As they shared glasses, they spoke about many things—chief among them the future balance of power. That night as well, Ian emerged the winner, and both princes became so drunk they had to be carried back to their rooms.

November 13.

At last, the palace was completely emptied.

The heads of state and their entourages—who had been lodged in the annex palaces once used by royal concubines—departed. In their wake, Ian ordered a thorough inspection to search for any suspicious devices that might have been left behind.

‘It is a relief we kept them only in the annexes where the concubines once stayed.’

Not only were those annexes strictly separated from the main palace, but even within the main palace, guards had been placed in every corridor to ensure no one could approach key areas.

During the armistice negotiations, there had been people wandering—whether from curiosity or other motives—but all of them had been blocked.

Once the inspection was completed, only then could Ian bring his family back to the palace. Until then, they had all been staying together in one residence—at the estate of the Gwens Duke House, which had now become a separate, independent realm.

They were able to eat together at last, and in the midst of that, Ian could finally be in the same room as Adrina again, as husband and wife—if only in name.

“Um… did my older brother not ask after me?”

“He did ask after you. Of course, I told him you could not meet him because you were ‘ill.’”

“…My brother must have been very angry with me.”

“He seemed so, but what can be done? Even Emperor Jedic cannot do anything here. You only need to remain safe and comfortable here in the Polia Kingdom.”

Seeing Ian protect her so firmly, Adrina felt gratitude—and guilt as well. She worried that because of her, the Magnia Empire might bring disadvantages upon this country. Sensing her unease, Ian smiled lightly and spoke.

“As for Magnia’s pressure, do not worry too much.”

“Why not?”

“It has not been announced yet, but soon everyone will know, so I will tell you. Before long, it will be announced that the Polia Kingdom, the Noma Empire, and the Moria Empire will form a cooperative relationship.”

“So you will join forces?”

“Magnia’s momentum is too fierce. The two empires are worried as well, so they want to join hands with me. Since I have joined hands with them, there is no need for you to worry too much about Magnia’s pressure.”

“That’s a relief.”

Adrina was truly relieved. She had feared she would be crushed by guilt if this country suffered because of her. At the same time, she began to think whether there was anything she could do for Ian.

‘I want to help His Highness too. Is there a way?’

“Now you can return to your usual life. Try cooking again, and try drawing those paintings you mentioned before, and so on.”

“Is there nothing I can do… for this country?”

“Hm? What do you mean?”

“Something I can do for this country. I keep feeling sorry, and I want to help you.”

“There is no need to feel sorry. There is no need to hold such feelings at all.”

“Even so, I keep wanting to help. I think and think about what I could do, but I cannot come up with anything. Please—can there truly be no way for me to help you?”

From her pleading tone, Ian could tell Adrina was worrying about many things. To be honest, he felt that simply having her exist as queen was already more than enough help.

But since she wanted it so earnestly, he could not tell her not to.

‘Hm… what could there be?’

As a princess by birth, she would have received extensive elite education. In that sense, she could indeed be a capable person. Yet as queen, she could not simply take on any work at random. Still, thinking carefully, there was one role that fit her well.

“Are you interested in welfare?”

“Welfare? You mean helping others?”

“Yes. A royal welfare foundation was created, and it is helping many unfortunate people—helping orphans, providing meals through free soup kitchens for those who have nothing to eat. Beyond that, it also nurtures talent through scholarship programs. Could you take charge of such a place and work?”

“Yes, I will. Please leave it to me.”

She answered instantly. Her expression said that if he entrusted it to her, she would do it well no matter what. Seeing that, Ian thought it would not be a bad idea to let her try.

As queen, managing the royal welfare foundation would also look appropriate. And so, by Ian’s decision, Adrina took charge of the Royal Welfare Foundation.