107 – 107. East
The Alhyeon Room in the Empress’s palace.
Empress Yeonhwa, dressed in a thin and long silhouette of a traditional dress, was inspecting the gifts laid out in front of her.
These were gifts that would soon be sent to the envoy from the Britannia Empire… the envoy who should be crossing the sea and arriving by now.
To the empress who maintains her position through skillful maneuvering in the midst of adversity, I present a sincere gift and a craft.
For the mother who cherished her musical talent, a musical score (directly written by the empress) was prepared.
In addition, gifts for siblings were also prepared. There were even gifts for nieces and nephews whom she had never seen before. Although true nobility allows one to possess anything desired, sincerity is still crucial.
However, on the face of Yeonhwa, who was examining the items, there was a depth of concern.
Was it due to longing for family?
That was part of it.
But what she truly worried about was not herself. Jinkook was managing quite well on his own.
‘It’s this country that concerns me.’
The empire was clearly in crisis.
From the outside, it might seem like they were enjoying prosperity.
The empire had successfully expanded its territory, securing half of the Great Forest in the form of its own territory. From that forest, they were harvesting millions of units of high-quality timber, natural stones, copper, silver, and the like. It was truly enormous profit.
However, the state of the government was bleak.
Incidents could erupt. The problem was that they erupted too urgently and were resolved just as quickly. The dismantling of the Wolfall family was a prime example.
Her husband also suffered greatly from this matter.
“Empress, two brothers-in-law were burned alive in the square in front of tens of thousands of onlookers. Their family members were sent to labor camps. How much resentment and hatred do you think they harbor towards me?”
“Your Majesty has already shown leniency. If you had executed them in a public square, it would have been difficult to set an example. Although the method of burning is somewhat cruel, it’s better than arbitrary punishment. Moreover, those with lesser crimes were all spared.”
“What is arbitrary punishment…?”
“It’s better not to hear.”
Although the empress slightly delayed taking the medicinal tonic and tried to comfort the emperor, he did not seem to know how to relax. He had never been considered a weak person, but this time, the impact was significant.
‘Allowing military authority in that family from the beginning… No, that’s not it.’
Just keep quiet.
The empire, until just 150 years ago, was a country where nobles naturally ruled each territory through hereditary succession.
Even now, some border territories were governed by nobles, not imperial officials. Therefore, there was a strong tendency for mutual dependence through political marriages.
While understanding the differences between the two countries…
In this tumultuous time, the emperor who had to steadfastly lead the country, even amidst the chaos, was still immersed in alcohol. Whether in the office, the council room, the bedroom, or the support rooms—it was just alcohol. And mostly solitary indulgence.
“So, I have to step up for the country.”
That was the reason she had taken the time today to summon her daughters.
She wanted to alleviate at least one concern—the husband who consumed whiskey during the day and brandy like water in the evening.
“Both princesses are in the royal waiting room.”
Report from the maid.
“And him?”
“He came with them.”
“…Of course, he did.”
In truth, the empress had only called for her two daughters.
However, she knew that Allan Maydoff would follow.
It wasn’t like he came to perform ceremonial duties or serve as an escort knight. There wasn’t a single person in the system who saw Allan Maydoff as a knight. He was well aware of that.
‘Those three are now sitting in the waiting room.’
The empress could sense the atmosphere.
Of course, it wasn’t enough to handle important matters based on assumptions alone. Therefore, the empress instructed, “Let Allan Maydoff come in first.”
There was something important she needed to confirm with that man.
Soon after, Alan Maydoff appeared. Fortunately, he wasn’t carrying a club. However, he did have a fancy herb box filled with silosibin powder. There was still plenty of medicine left, but there was no reason to refuse if they asked for more.
“Thank you as always.”
“I’m not sure what to do.”
Indeed, it seemed like he didn’t know what to do among the princesses.
The Empress had contributed to his current situation to some extent.
Out of consideration, I decided to ask just one thing.
“Alan Maydoff. Did you try? Enough?”
“Yes.”
Short questions and answers. But no further explanation was needed. It was written on Alan’s face, “I said I would.” It was unusual for someone who was occupying the land of another species without an army to be so troubled.
“Understood.”
The Empress had the two daughters, untouched by a single drop of blood, come in.
**
Empress Yeonhwa, 1st Princess Victoria, 2nd Princess Sienna.
Apart from the Emperor, the most noble beings in the Empire were awkwardly seated around.
From Noble mtl dot com
Their appearances and attire were all different. The Empress in a royal robe, Victoria in a red coat with a triangular hat placed on her knee, and Sienna, dressed in a modest dress for a noble. A subtle tension flowed on the imperial jade table.
‘The Empress didn’t call us without any thought.’
Perhaps she called us to resolve the tangled relationship between me and the two princesses.
She wouldn’t forcefully order us to behave properly or give up on one of us while mentioning the stability of the royal family. The Empress, who once confused me, didn’t seem to use such shallow tactics…
What she first brought up was a rather unexpected matter.
“Victoria, Sienna. I need your help.”
“Can I help you?”
“An envoy is coming from the Jin Kingdom. The representative of the envoy is Jang Jeong-boo, the left minister of the Jang Jeong-boo. He is not an ordinary guest to me.”
“Well… okay.”
“I hope you can help me to achieve meaningful diplomatic results. That’s why I invited you.”
Empress Yeonhwa mentioned diplomatic affairs involving Jang Jeong-boo and brought them up.
Both Victoria and Siena were taken aback, but they didn’t exchange glances. It must mean that they had no intention of cooperating with each other, regardless of the Empress’s motives.
The Empress continued to talk, seemingly unconcerned about her daughters’ reactions.
“First, Victoria?”
“Yes. Oh my.”
“I know there are no special issues between the two countries at the moment. But I assume that the ministers of the Jin Kingdom are interested in the situation of the Empire. Actually, it’s not just interest, but they might be wary. I won’t go into details.”
“I understand what you mean. I will prepare enough to alleviate concerns from the Jin Kingdom.”
“Thank you. Thanks to you, I can save face.”
Victoria nodded willingly, even though she received a sudden request.
The Empire has no obligation to explain anything to the Jin Kingdom. However, it was normal to be cautious if a powerful country that could stand shoulder to shoulder with them possessed some unknown asymmetrical weapon, and even actively used it.
After Victoria, it was Empress Yeonhwa’s turn to look at Siena.
“And, Siena.”
“Yes, please speak.”
“I have a request for you too. Of course, I’m not asking you to smile at the diplomatic table.”
“Of course not.”
“I would like you to allow the export of Sillosin. After all, there is an excessive amount for me to consume alone. As I mentioned before, there are many people in the Jin Kingdom who need the power of medicine.”
“Well, that’s not something for me to decide.”
“I understand. Alan Medoff standing over there will probably make the decision. But Sienna? If it’s your request, wouldn’t Alan gladly comply?”
“Well, yes.”
Sienna, with a faint blush, nodded her head. She even turned to me, nodding meaningfully.
It wasn’t a big deal to give away some mushrooms.
After all, there was still plenty of Silesian mushrooms left. I had the skill to make more anytime. The success rate was high even when I tried it with my fists, and now with experience, it was even more likely to succeed. Besides, if the Empress wanted to share them with her hometown acquaintances, there was no need to save them.
What I couldn’t understand was the Empress’s attitude.
‘Diplomacy in this situation?’
It was desirable for the Empress from a foreign country to take on the role of a bridge between the two nations.
But at this moment, it wasn’t a problem to worry about. No one in the Empire was concerned about envoys from Silesia at this point. They were all just talking about the execution.
Above all, with the two princesses ready to start a civil war soon because of me, why focus on irrelevant matters?
‘Wait a minute.’
The quarrel between the princesses.
And the envoy coming from Silesia.
I might not have realized how closely related these issues were.
“Alan Medoff. Do you have something to say, perhaps?”
The Empress was looking straight at me. The two princesses were the same. They had already noticed my sense of doubt.
“Speak up. What are you suspecting?”
I nervously opened my mouth.
“Your Majesty, the Empress. If I may say, the Court Management, known as the Imperial Court, oversees the management, protection, and supervision of imperial relatives, titles, and estates. It’s strange for the representative of the diplomatic envoy to come as the Left Court Manager of the Court Management, not as a representative of the Ministry of Rites.”
“Why?”
“In the empire, there is someone who holds the title of a distinguished envoy from Jinkuk.”
“That’s nonsense. Is there anyone who doesn’t know that I am the princess of Jinkuk?”
“I apologize, but I wasn’t referring to Her Majesty, the Empress.”
“….”
“As the imperial granddaughter, there is someone who has been bestowed the title of Hyeonju. It seems that the visit of a high-ranking official from the Department of Ritual Affairs at this moment is related to that person. If I have misunderstood with my limited insight, I apologize here.”
Up to this point is my conjecture.
Fortunately, I did not face punishment for blasphemy. The Empress opened her mouth with a seemingly amused expression.
“Yes, Alan Maydof. Your words are correct. It seems that before Her Majesty complied with the heavenly decree, you want to help the unfortunate daughter. You expressed concern about me living apart from my only daughter and promised to exert special efforts.”
“Wow, really?”
“The Jinkuk imperial family will petition for my daughter’s return. They propose a significant reward, enough to cover Anais’s sins and more.”
The Emperor of Jinkuk is going to petition for the return of the granddaughter’s favor. More accurately, they are creating a pretext to request the favor. It was not difficult to guess whose work this was. It was evident that the Empress did not intervene to retrieve Anais from the monastery out of a simple desire but as part of an operation.
“Anais will be back soon.”
The Empress informed without a trace of laughter, as if what happened was entirely your own doing.
Both princesses stared at the Empress with frozen expressions.