Chapter 116. princess (2)
Deiphobos’ earnest eyes are directed at me.
“Please let me know what you think!”
…Perhaps it’s the same for consulting me the other day, and looking up to me with respect, so it seems that they consider me as a kind of ‘exemplary example’.
I deliberately took a step away from Deiphobos and opened my mouth after thinking about it.
“You are absolutely right, Deiphobos. It’s a burden to have a pretty huge political debt to Agamemnon, and if you connect with the children of Atreus by marriage, you might be guaranteed the safety of Achaia.”
And that’s not all.
“Maybe… you can go further and get help in the war, and of course it will help you achieve your dreams.”
“That’s right, brother! Father and mother, if I build a city with King Agamemnon’s help, isn’t that a great benefit to the family?
Brother, and Anchises? If I build a city to increase our strength, wouldn’t that also help a lot?”
Of course, it will take quite a while for the construction of the city to return to profit… but it’s not a bad choice.
In any case, the effort and capital we will directly invest in building the city is not great.
On the contrary, if Deiphobos persuades the sons of nobles and citizens who follow him to build a city, and subjugates the people and territories around it, we get a profit compared to our modest investment.
What if this suggestion had come from Odysseus? Of course, there is still no daughter to promise marriage to the newlywed Odysseus…
Perhaps I must have accepted it.
“But you have to be careful.”
But Iphigenia is not Odysseus’ daughter.
She is the daughter of Agamemnon.
“Do you consider Agamemnon completely trustworthy?”
“I haven’t met him yet, but he’s the king of a country…”
“Odysseus, my friend, once said this. The human Agamemnon treats people like tools and is like a snake, so never trust them.”
“But he has no reason to harm us, does he?”
“Then there is something I want to ask you.”
I cautiously take a step closer to Deiphobos and say. I’m only slightly taller than Deiphobos, but it’s enough to intimidate me.
“Why do you think Agamemnon sent Iphigenia to us without warning? And that’s where all our allies are gathered.”
“···I do not know.”
“so do i.”
I didn’t know his intentions.
“Before grabbing the hand of an unknown person, first make sure that the other hand is holding a weapon. certainly.”
“…”
“What if Agamemnon is using you to manipulate and divide our family?
What if our allies are deliberately trying to keep them away from us and try to bring down a divided Troy?”
“···Paris.”
“What would you do if Agamemnon’s forces came upon this Scamandros plain? What if Iphigenia, who might have been your wife, was the main source of the invasion?
What if we dig up information from our insides, bring it back to our father, and then join the Mycenaean army again?
Then you, what are you going to do?
I could even stick to the side of the Achaeans who gathered like bees…”
“Paris.”
“···father.”
“That was enough. Paris and Agamemnon are also kings of one person. It is an insult to him to doubt so pointlessly.
Everyone else, don’t put too much pressure on Deiphobos anymore.”
“sorry.”
“Paris, follow me for a moment. I want everyone else to wait here.”
Priam sighed for a moment and then opened the door leading to the back of the throne room. I followed the hem of Priam’s fluttering cloak and entered it.
I closed the door, and in the small room, there were household items such as a mirror made of polished metal and a simple bed, a desk, a writing board, and a reed pen.
It seemed to be a space made simply to make the house look good.
“Paris, come here.”
I walked as Priam led me. Priam wrapped his arms gently around my shoulders and turned my face toward the mirror.
“…”
“Look at your face.”
The whites of both eyes are covered with blood.
The muscles between his eyebrows made a deep gorge, as if convulsing, and his eyes trembled here and there with anxiety.
“I can’t say that I haven’t seen you for a long time. Your adoptive father, Agelaos, will know you better than I do.
But I know something about you for sure. You are not a child who acts for no reason. There was always confidence in your determination, and confidence in your attitude.”
“…”
“But look at your face now. I can’t see any confidence or confidence in you right now.
. . . I just see a child trembling with fear and anxiety.”
“I’m sorry for appearing ugly.”
“no. I did not bring you to hear such an apology.”
As I turned around, Priam ran a wrinkled hand down my forehead and said:
“Is there a reason? There was always a reason for your actions.”
I was silent for a moment.
I had no choice but to be silent.
What do you say? I know the future Agamemnon will burn Troy and kill us all?
Would Priam believe that?
perhaps?
So can I tell you?
well.
‘Fate’ always watches over us.
“It’s just… I’m just anxious. Aren’t you hated by the gods? I was afraid that if I made the wrong decision, I would be angry with the family…”
When I lowered my head and said, Priam looked at me quietly and sighed.
“Son, I am sorry. For not bringing you peace of mind.”
“no.”
“no. As your father, I must apologize.
And as a king, you have to ask again.
What do you think of what Deiphobus said?”
“…it’s true in sari.”
Even if Agamemnon has other ideas, it doesn’t seem wrong to accept marriage talks, no matter what scheming lurks behind him.
The expected benefits are clear.
Conversely, the risk to be taken does not seem very great.
Ultimately, the most important thing…
“It must be Agamemnon’s intention.”
I thought for a while and replied.
okay.
The important thing is Agamemnon’s plan.
***
“If you explain it like this, it will be easier to talk.”
As if thinking of something, Agamemnon takes two fruits from a basket on the table.
Menelaus, standing on the other side, stops the servant of the Spartan court from entering to refill the basket.
Agamemnon remembered the face of the careless servant, waited for him to leave, and spoke again.
Holding a fig in his left hand and a cluster of grapes in his right hand.
“We have cards in both hands. They are all great things.”
He holds out a fig to a boy sitting across from him and says,
“First of all, there is Hattusha in one hand.
They are giving us weapons made of steel and all kinds of riches right now as military funds. If we side with them, we will have some of the remains after we fight and destroy Troia.
…Or you could lose to Troy. Perhaps Hattusha will betray us at the right time and expel the Achaeans from the lands of Asia.”
When Agamemnon puts the figs down on the ground, a hound dog roams around them hurriedly runs away with the sweet and soft flesh in its mouth.
Agamemnon then holds out his right hand and sets the bunch of grapes down on the table.
“And on the other hand is Troia.
If they properly accept our marriage talks, we should be able to continue a pretty decent alliance.
Soon, Troia will destroy Hattusha, and we will have to take control of Achaia while maintaining proper friendly relations with the great empires of the East.”
Agamemnon took an egg from a grape, put it in his mouth, and swallowed it whole.
“Of course, there are risks here too.
By any chance, if Troia loses the war against Hattusha, we will become Hattusha’s fierce enemies, and even if Troia wins, Troia, which has become a great empire, may leave us alone.”
Agamemnon whispers to the boy sitting across from him.
“Son, which one do you prefer?”
“···I do not know.”
“Why?”
“Whether I follow either side, I feel like I leave too much to chance.
Still… I think you’d better take Troia’s side…”
“Why?”
“…”
“Don’t be too afraid to speak.”
Agamemnon smiled kindly at his son and gave him a grape. Agamemnon’s son looked at the grapes and put them in his mouth and mumbled.
“Anyway… Whether it’s Hattusa or Troia, it’s across the sea, right? I don’t think it will be easy to hurt us.”
“so?”
“If you take the side of Troia, receive Hattusha’s wealth, and just keep your mouth shut, that alone is beneficial, right?
After that, no matter what happens to the fight in the east, if Troia wins, you will get a big benefit, and even if Hattusha wins, you can prepare your defenses, so I don’t think there will be much loss.”
“So, are you more afraid of losing what you have already gained than not gaining?”
“yes.”
Agamemnon stroked the head of his only son, Orestes.
When I see my son’s smiling face, I feel a part of my heart throb. Yes, I will give you what I never had.
good father
“Yes, you are right. There is no need to waste energy unnecessarily…
So let’s watch for now.”
Agamemnon puts his hands on either side of his still young son’s armpits and lifts them up. Orestes chirped joyfully, and Agamemnon tickled Orestes with his bird chirping.
And looking at his son laughing happily, Agamemnon muttered involuntarily.
“…we’ll see which side can be on our side.”
***
“…”
“…”
Priam silently looked at me. Carefully, like a surgeon who wants to open my chest and peer into my heart.
It was Priam who broke the silence first.
“Hector has expressed his consent to me.”
“···yes?”
“In fact, Hecuba and Anchises were in favor of marriage. All that was left was your will.”
“Then why did everyone press Deiphobos so much earlier?”
“If you’re immature, shouldn’t you bump into a wall at least once? Otherwise, I will forget the weight of duty on my shoulders.”
So everyone except me was already playing on the board, you mean?
The memory of blushing alone for no reason makes me feel embarrassed without knowing it. Then Priam laughs hahahaha and pats my shoulder.
“As I said before, I believe there is a meaning in your actions. There is no need to be ashamed.
It is enough just to express your will.”
“But, if the king and queen of this country have already given permission, why do you need my consent?”
“no. It’s not like that. I don’t know you, but you really don’t know me either.”
Priam gave me a warm smile.
Really, it was a ‘father’ kind of smile.
“I am asking for your advice.
how is it How do you see this marriage talk?”
“…”
I almost frowned for a moment.
Of course. It is a marriage talk with ‘that Agamemnon’.
He will surely destroy Troy.
Why does he ruin Troy?
I’m going to kidnap Helen.
Then why am I kidnapping Helen?
Because I abandoned Ino.
…
history is twisted
The Hittites, not mentioned in a single line of Homer’s song, and spoken of only a little in the lines of the Bible, stand firm in the East.
I spread the metallurgy and agricultural practices of the late Middle Ages, and the crops around Antandros have been steadily increasing in recent years. Yes. ‘Steady increase’.
Odysseus became friends with Paris, and Iphigenia set foot in Asia to marry Deiphobus.
And I… married a fairy.
And yet, is Agamemnon still an enemy?
Can the fate of destruction imposed on Paris be realized only through the war with Achaia? If so, wouldn’t it be fine if I just jump into the Scamandros River now?
I didn’t know as of now. It was also fortunate. Even now, if Hera or Athena had been chosen, what kind of confusion would they have struggled in…
Anyway, for me it is only now.
The songs of Homer do not serve as my permanent reference point.
So, I opened my mouth.
“I think so.”
***
“Iphigenia-sama, a guest has come.”
“hmm? customer?”
Iphigenia, who was nodding off in the midday sun, brushed her tangled hair, erased the needle marks on her mouth, and washed her face with the water brought by the maid.
The guest room with a window facing the garden of the Troia Palace was a good structure to take a nap while enjoying the sunlight coming in from an angle.
However, no matter how much it was, Iphigenia trimmed her clothes, feeling embarrassed at the fact that she had fallen into a restless sleep with drooling.
“If you are a guest, who are you?”
“Huh, you’ll know when you see it.”
“huh?”
“The princess is ready!”
The ladies-in-waiting whispered among themselves, laughed happily, and glanced sideways at Iphigenia. She watches the door open without knowing why…
ah.
A boy with a strong body.
At first glance, the eyes are a calm black color, but the thick eyebrows above them seem to reveal this man’s will, fighting spirit, or something similar.
Her skin, which has been tanned in places due to frequent outdoor activities, has a healthy complexion.
When a man smiles shyly
. . . He is quite handsome.
“I have met you many times already, but this is Deiphobus, the son of Priam.”
Especially if you came dressed to the fullest with fancy outfits and makeup you’ve never seen before.
“My father told me to wait because I will tell you later, but I wanted to tell you first.”
“Ah, ah… yes, but what?”
The man laughs again. This time, it goes beyond a smile, revealing teeth and bursting into laughter.
“Will you marry me?”
Momentarily, Iphigenia felt that an arranged marriage might be better than she thought.
Deiphobos sees this and thinks that it was a good thing to do as Paris and the fairies decorated them.
It was summer.