109 – Episode 108
Time passed like that… Several months passed.
When early spring has passed and the heat is slowly approaching.
Me and the imperial family were getting ready to board the carriage…
-Hey!
Attention is drawn to the sound of the red horse purchased as a gift from Mary running wild.
-Purp! Heehee!
The horse, which is trying to avoid being dragged at all costs, and the knight, who is holding on tightly to the reins, are competing with each other.
“Where on earth did you get such harsh words?”
“If you say something like this as a birthday present to your sister-in-law, don’t you think the emperor is planning to assassinate the princess?”
The noise of the guards making my head hurt.
So let’s kill him with the sword.
Look… It sounds strange for no reason.
The horse purchased as a gift from Mary is as healthy as it is expensive.
No, it is so healthy that it runs wild and gives the stable keepers a headache.
“Teraya. Indeed… I don’t know if I can give those words to Princess Mary.”
When the mother-in-law spoke with a worried expression while looking at the struggling horse, Theodora also made an embarrassed expression.
“I bought it because I heard it was a good breed, but I didn’t know it would be that rough.”
“So, let’s just use the sword.”
“You be quiet.”
I look at Theodora, who looks at me as if she doesn’t want to hear what I say, and shakes her head.
“First, let’s go to the Grand Duchy together and think about it.”
Saying that, he gets on the carriage.
Today is Mary’s birthday and the day she leaves for the Grand Duchy with her imperial family for her wedding.
I have delegated the authority to rule to Charles on my behalf, and since I have the Grand Duchy’s elite soldiers, I don’t think anything will happen.
“What should I do? “I think I chose my words for no reason.”
Theodora spoke as if she was worried about the fierce horse, and I comforted her.
“Don’t worry. “How good is Mary at training her horse?”
In fact, one of the virtues of a knight is to be able to ride and handle a horse well.
It’s natural to wear heavy armor and fight on horseback.
-Puck!
[Ouch! Go… The ribs!]
At the sound outside, Theodora and I turn our heads to look at the situation.
When the knight who was pulling the reins falls to the ground, the knights around him are holding the horse’s reins.
Did he get hit by his front foot?
When I think like that. Theodora speaks as if she is anxious.
“Is it really okay?”
“Wouldn’t it be okay? Even though Mary looks short, her body is strong. “Even if she gets hit by a horse, her ribs won’t be broken.”
Soon the carriage begins to move and heads towards Tiber Port.
***
Soon, we board the royal family’s private ship and look around.
“Wow… It’s really spacious.”
I say this while looking around at the brilliant and colorful ship.
“This is the emperor’s ship. Imperator…”
I am overwhelmed by its magnificent size and large sail.
Is it possible to make something this size out of wood?
I heard about it through rumors, but this is my first time seeing it in person.
A little away from Wynn, the capital of the Grand Duchy, there is a huge port called Hams.
I remember that no ship I saw there was this big.
And it’s not just about size.
What stands out is the beautifully decorated statue of the ship and the striking cream-colored decorations here and there embedded in the wood.
I guess… It’s made of ivory?
When I carefully touch it with my hand, I am surprised at how smooth it feels.
There is no plastic here, so most of these things are made of ivory.
Ivory… It’s very expensive.
That is not the end.
Like a medieval cathedral, the glass windows are decorated in a mosaic style, making it feel like a work of art.
“What are you doing there?”
I come to my senses when I hear Theodora’s voice calling me.
“I was just wondering how much it would cost if I sold it.”
If you sell it, it will be cheaper than making it, right?
I don’t know how much it cost to make.
As I think about that, Theodora frowns.
“Why are you trying to sell our imperial items freely?”
I answer her words by shrugging my shoulders.
“No, it’s just… it’s a ship that the emperor rode on, so it’s worth a premium… It’s like a work of art, right?”
Honestly, I don’t think it’s a ship. I think it would be more appropriate to say that it is a work of art.
In other ways, it seems impractical.
Is there really a need for the ship to be this flashy?
Besides, I don’t think the speed will be fast.
“So why are you selling Imperator?”
“No, I just thought it would make some money.”
From Noble mtl dot com
If I had the money to make something like this, it would have been better if I had used it for the development of the empire…
With that thought in mind, Theodora and I move into the Imperator together.
“Wow… Really. “That’s amazing.”
Why was the ship decorated like this?
The interior of the ship is even more luxurious.
Gold leaf and paintings can be seen here and there.
Is this the end of all money?
It is so luxurious that you could almost believe it was just a mansion.
I can’t believe they decorated the ship like this.
It’s as if the first class seats on the luxury ship Titanic were this luxurious in the past?
With that thought in mind, I head to my room.
A large room.
It is smaller than the Imperial Palace, but I shake my head as I look at the sunlight coming through the colorful mosaic windows.
“You… What is it that you don’t like so much?”
Theodora enters the room and complains.
“No. “Wouldn’t it be better to use the money to make something like this to run state affairs?”
In reality, those in power have to indulge in some degree of luxury.
If the emperor lives in a difficult place, it is obvious that the nobles below will look down on him.
But that also has its degrees.
I can’t believe I parked such a large ship in the harbor and only used it for outings.
I think it’s really a waste of money, but Theodora shakes her head as if she doesn’t agree with what I’m saying.
“Ugh… it’s a disease to think too much about that.”
***
Nicaea, a few days after Devian and the imperial family left for the Grand Duchy.
Ioannes is reading a telegram from Roman.
The young lion left Roman.
The contract with the desired mercenary group has almost been completed.
Signing a contract with a famous mercenary group in the Babylonian Empire is a fairly large income.
Large scale and rich experience.
I believe they would be a good match for the Grand Duchy’s elite soldiers.
It will probably take a while for them to gather in Nicaea.
At first, the plan was to build up troops mainly from regular troops.
Because mercenaries are not a trustworthy group.
However, the training of regular troops takes a lot of time, and the wicked young lion takes advantage of their weaknesses and shakes them.
In addition, they may be preparing to throw me out in the unlikely event of a military conflict with this tax reform plan.
Because our relationship is not that close.
We are like animals that strengthen each other and aim for each other’s throats.
At that time, I fell into deep thought while reading a telegram from Roman.
“Okay. “The Emperor and the Grand Duke have left for the Grand Duchy… It’s time to move on.”
Byzantion, the capital of our Kingdom of Nicaea, is the center of trade.
A capital city that connects continents.
However, hostile forces exist within 100km of the capital.
“Duchy of Dupaul.”
It’s not a very strong force, but when we go to war with the Emperor faction. Their presence was burdensome, so I decided to organize them in advance.
Well, there are plenty of justifications.
Originally, the Duke of Dupol’s family, Burg, had not been on good terms with our family for generations.
The reason is that because it is next to our family that rules Nicaea, there have been frequent armed conflicts.
It originally had a fairly large territory, but now only a small territory remains.
However, the Burg family, which had fallen helplessly and was almost ruined, has rallied the surrounding nobles and is in a situation of confrontation with the Kingdom of Nicaea.
The current Duke of Dupol, Leopold III, probably will not be able to do anything.
The reason we were unable to end the fight between Nicaea and the Duchy of Dupol in the past was largely because we, facing the border with the Babylonian Empire, were unable to dispatch the main army, leading to a long-term war.
But this time we will blow them away for sure.
Unlike back then, a secret agreement was exchanged with Babylon.
Anyway, they don’t want war because of the rebellion that is taking place in the newly acquired land.
In other words, I received confirmation that even if I withdraw the frontline troops, they will not move, so it must be certain.
I rub my palms together and look at the map.
Deploy regular troops in Epirus and Egypt… As soon as Dupol is occupied, mercenaries quickly eliminate the great nobles of the imperial faction.
Okay, after Dupol, the next target would be the Kingdom of Ern.
Quickly take control of a place known to be rich in mineral resources and attack Bohemian.
The great nobles took advantage of this moment of hesitation to quickly crush their heads and quickly engulf the imperial faction.
You have to catch it quickly without giving the young lion a chance to get his hands on it.
He just happened to leave Roman and head to the distant Grand Duchy, so there is about a month left.
If we swallow up the imperial faction like that… We won’t have to worry about the central government anymore.
I hope that moment comes soon.
***
It came out to the North Sea along the Tiber River.
I get lost in thought while looking at the scarlet sunset.
“We will arrive at Hams Port soon.”
“Yes.”
Hams Port.
I came here for the first time with my mother when I was young.
This is where I met my uncle for the first time.
If you head west across the sea, you will reach the United Kingdom.
Now that I think about it. I heard that my uncle is also coming this time.
It’s been almost 10 years. I hope you are doing well?
We have been exchanging letters since we were young.
I’ve only seen him once in real life, but I heard he and Octavia see each other often.
In fact, the Kingdom of the North Sea and the United Kingdom engage in a lot of trade. From what I remember, the first time my sister and brother-in-law met was through my maternal uncle.
Theodora stands next to the railing I leaned on.
She says, her hair blowing in the wind.
“Honey? “What are you doing there?”
Beauty is very beautiful.
The sight of gray hair colored by the setting sun and fluttering in the wind is like a masterpiece.
“I just remembered the old days. “We’ll be arriving at Hams Port soon, right?”
She nods her head and speaks at my words.
“Do you like coming back to your hometown?”
“Just like that.”
There was a time when I wanted to escape from here.
I could not stand Valorant’s violence and almost escaped…
Unfortunately, I was caught.
The tragedy of that time.
When that comes to mind, my expression hardens.
-Sreuk…
Theodora grabs the back of my hand.
“It was very difficult, wasn’t it?”
I don’t know how to answer that.
“What?”
In response to my words, she says, looking at the sea with me.
“Just… Everything. “I found out why her mother-in-law died.”
My body trembles at those words.
Well… That thing must have been so famous.
I reply to Theodora’s words with a wry smile.
“Yeah, I didn’t really plan on hiding it.”
Because it was such hot news in the aristocratic society that it was hard to hide it.
The successor of the Grand Duchy of Francesco attempted to escape from the Grand Duchy to the United Kingdom, a rival country of the empire.
There’s no way you wouldn’t know.
“It was very difficult, wasn’t it?”
I didn’t respond to those words.
I close my eyes, recalling the miserable times.
It’s a thing of the past now, but I’ve never forgotten the pain from that time in my life.
“I don’t really want to talk about that.”
Saying that, he mercilessly shakes off Theodora’s hand and heads to her room.