Chapter 96 A knife is hidden in a smile
Chapter 96 A knife is hidden in a smile
I was in a sound sleep, and I opened my eyes as I heard the maid of the palace waking her up.
The maid said that Vettel gave instructions to call all the members of the delegation because she will introduce you to the palace.
I left the room after roughly fixing my hair.
Only Fonta stood alone in the hallway. He asked me to wake up the rest of the group.
Thanks to that, I had no choice but to rush around the room. It would have been convenient if there was someone in the kingdom who could speak Eckhart’s language.
After a while, all of our delegation members gathered in the hallway.
“His Highness Bethel said he would introduce us to the palace.”
“Oh! I look forward to it.”
“I’m curious because it seems to have many differences from our imperial palace.”
Mollis and Arko showed their anticipation on their faces.
“Today, I will also owe a lot to the captain.”
“Don’t worry too much, Count Henkers. Because I decided to be the interpreter in the first place.”
After the conversation, I turned my eyes back to Fonta.
“If the conversation is over, I will guide you right away.”
“Yes.”
We moved along the Ponta.
The place where he guided us was the first floor lobby of the royal palace.
There, when Bethel Seymer spotted our party, he shook his hand lightly. We responded to his greetings with silence.
“You are all gathered.”
Vettel put on a kind smile.
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“I’m sure you’ve already heard about it, but since you’re from far away, I’d like to properly introduce you to our kingdom.”
“Thank you for your last name.”
As soon as I sang, the members sang back. Even though it was a poor kingdom language.
Still, it was much better than not saying anything at all.
“If there is a place you would like to visit, feel free to ask me.”
“Yes. I will.”
I’ll have to ask for a tour of downtown Perris, the capital city, later.
“Then, follow me.”
“Yes, Your Highness!”
Our delegation responded with one voice.
Vettel moved to the front with his aide. Their gait was leisurely, like those enjoying a leisurely walk.
…… What. They say they’ll introduce you to the royal palace, but from your point of view, it’ll feel like taking a short walk.
However, not only the king but also the others in the palace seemed to be generally laid-back.
I live in a hot area and I get caught like that.
Vettel toured the first and second floors of the palace and introduced various spaces.
The royal palace library, bathroom, drawing room, etc.
There was nothing special about it, but the space for socializing was somewhat unusual. Because there were tools for various games there.
“This is a place where me, Ponta, and his family come and stay. I sometimes spend time here when VIPs come from abroad.”
I felt a sense of wonder at the part about Ponta’s family.
“Ah, he and Fonta are also cousins.”
“I see.”
As I translated, a look of wonder appeared on the faces of the members.
Ponta just laughed awkwardly.
“Now, let’s go to the garden.”
The place Vettel headed was the main gate of the palace. As soon as I got out of there, I turned right.
After walking for about five minutes, an arched entrance made of rose vines came into view.
“Now, this is the garden of King Sergel’s Palace.”
If you do it like this from the entrance, you seem to like gardens quite a bit.
Maybe Vettel’s hobby is gardening.
Our delegation followed Vettel through the arched door and entered the garden.
‘It’s well decorated as expected.’
Various types of flowers bloom profusely on both sides of the well-paved road.
There were quite a few species that I hadn’t seen in the Empire.
The size of the garden in our imperial palace is larger, but in terms of variety, it can be said that the garden in the royal palace is one level higher.
In addition, it was noticeable at first glance that he put a lot of effort into taking care of it.
“What a well-tended garden, Your Highness Bethel.”
“Thank you for recognizing me, Captain.”
Vettel not only gave us a tour, but also explained the flowers. This was enough to call it a garden tour, not a tour of the royal palace.
While wandering around the garden for a while, Vettel’s footsteps stopped in front of a certain statue.
The statue is made of bronze, and it depicts a galloping horse and a knight thrusting a spear forward while riding on it.
“This statue was made to honor the veteran Count Relic.”
“I see.”
It’s a name I’ve never seen in a history book.
I tilted my head, and Vettel gave a small smile.
“Did you know the 5 year war between our kingdom and your empire 30 years ago? Earl Relic is a great person who has been the vanguard for about a year since the outbreak of the war to bring victory to our kingdom.”
“… ….”
Why are you bringing this up all of a sudden?
It was a friendly atmosphere just a little while ago.
But because the members couldn’t understand the kingdom language, they were just busy looking at the statue.
Vettel clapped lightly as if to call our attention.
“Please forgive me for bringing up this topic from day one. But it was a mountain I had to climb someday. There are still unresolved sediments between our kingdom and empire for over 30 years. I am sure you are fully aware of that.”
I was a bit embarrassed, but it makes sense.
The reason we came to the kingdom in the first place was to discuss various issues.
Well, I didn’t expect to bring up such a sensitive topic from the first day…….
I’ll give you an explanation later, but the first priority is to finish the conversation with Vettel.
“Yes, Your Highness. I fully agree with you that you have to solve that problem before you can move on to the next step.”
I stopped talking for a while and looked at the expressions of Vettel and Fonta. Both of them had calm faces.
“However, I don’t think this will be resolved in one discussion. Also, the only person who can finally consult on this matter is Her Majesty, the Empress.”
“Hmm.”
Seeing Vettel frown slightly, it seemed that my answer did not resonate with her.
Well, it doesn’t matter because I said it knowingly.
“Still, I can say this with certainty. The Empire, including our delegation, is clearly prepared to consult with Sergel Kingdom on historical issues. Rather than simply judging each other’s right and wrong, we will also discuss how to seal the conflict and move forward into the future.”
“Good. That’s enough for now. Step.”
Vettel raised her index finger.
“First of all, I want to hear your thoughts.”
As expected, he is the king who leads a country.
Should we say that he possesses subtle charisma amidst his softness?
Still, this can be said to be a fairly conciliatory gesture.
“Yes. Your Highness the King. But we want you to give us some time. I want to give you a more refined thought.”
“Of course. I am not such a hot-tempered person.”
It was only after the serious talk was over that Vettel smiled politely.
But now it felt as if a blade was hidden in that smile.
As expected, nothing is easy…….
I let out a deep sigh.
* * *
For dinner, as well as for lunch, the kingdom’s delicacies were served.
As if Vettel had forgotten that she had a serious talk in the garden, she told an interesting story throughout the meal.
Thanks to you, we were able to have a good time.
After dinner, I called Earl Henkers, Viscount Mollis, and Viscount Arko into my room.
As long as Sergel’s King expressed his desire to hear our position on the past, he had to come up with a firm answer.
I told them the story I had with Vettel in the garden.
Then they reacted in unison.
“So, what do you all think about this?”
As the general manager, I got lucky first.
The three of them each let out their own groans and looked worried. After waiting for a while, Viscount Mollis gently raised his right hand.
“I also agree that the past should be properly settled. However, I think it deserves to be compensated for the damage our empire has suffered.”
Then Count Henkers and Viscount Arco made a similar opinion.
What should I do? I have a slightly different opinion from them.
“Can I share my opinion?”
“Yes.”
All three of them were focused on me. This kind of interest is a bit burdensome…….
However, he quickly wrapped up his words and moved his lips.
“I think it is reasonable to demand reparations for the outbreak of war. However, the reason for the outbreak of the war is our empire. We are also a winning country.”
“What do you want to say?”
Count Henkers narrowed his eyes.
“I think we should keep discussing until we reach an agreement that we both want.”
“So you’re trying to come to an agreement in a way that both benefit from each other. I think it is the most principled and ideal method.”
Viscount Mollis shook his head.
“But the problem is that we still don’t know what the opponent will do.”
“Right. So I think we need to talk about this first and then watch the reaction.”
The two people who heard the conversation between Viscount Mollis and I shook their heads and expressed agreement.
But on the other hand, I felt that this alone was not enough.
‘Cecilia’s opinion is the most important… ….’
However, if you send a letter from here, even if you go quickly, it will take close to three weeks.
‘What should I do?’
While I was rolling my head, I suddenly thought of Ileina.
If it were Ilayna, wouldn’t it be possible to deliver the letter faster? Or do you have the means to do so.
Cecilia is also the leader of Luna, so she won’t have to worry about her identity being discovered by others.
“It’s getting late, everyone go home.”
“Yes. Get some rest, Captain.”
After sending the three of them out of the room, I locked the door.
I took out a black whistle and Ilayna, the Buddhist monk, quickly appeared in front of me.
Every time I see it, it’s amazing.
“Yes, secretary.”
“I want to ask you a big favor…….”
After roughly explaining the circumstances, I asked if the letter could be delivered to the imperial palace as quickly as possible. Then, Ilaina asked again.
“Is this an urgent matter?”
“Yes. I think it needs to be done as soon as possible.”
“Then I will judge it as an emergency and use it.”
What do you mean writing?
She pulled something of hers out of her subspace pouch, leaving me to tilt her head.
The moment I saw that, my jaw dropped open.
“Su, crystal ball?”
A valuable item that cannot be obtained even with money…….
But unlike me, Ilayna was very calm.
“Yes. Through this, you can contact His Majesty directly.”
“No, how could this precious thing… ….”
I looked around for a while.
The crystal ball was a light purple color, but it was opaque, so I couldn’t see what was inside.
“Are you done watching?”
“Uh, yes.”
“I will operate it for you.”
Ileina rubbed the surface of her orb with both of her hands a few times. After a while, a screen appeared on the crystal ball,
“Luke!?”
I was able to face Cecilia with a surprised expression.
-Continued