“… … By Boris, are you referring to the younger brother of the current head of the Ronberg family?”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
… … It was a situation where even the country could not help but panic.
Although I told you earlier that I would make contact with the Ronberg family.
It’s because I didn’t know that it would come from the other side first.
“Are you okay? It’s a truce, so there won’t be any problems with him coming, but… … .”
“The atmosphere must be grim. The enemy is right in front of you.”
“I’ll see you soon.”
We got up from our seats and went outside with a time difference.
From now on, I had to act out a rough and uncomfortable relationship on the outside, so I moved separately.
‘Boris Ronberg… … is it.’
Of the three older brothers, he was the one who bullied me most viciously.
Well, to be honest, I’m the most emotional out of the three, so I haven’t had much trouble with it since I grew up… … .
When I was young, I was terrified in many ways.
If the other two older brothers were secretly targeting me.
Boris Romberg blatantly and openly pushed me against it.
The more I approached the place where he was with the escort, the more disturbing the atmosphere was.
Even at a glance, I could sense that there was an uninvited guest inside.
“… … Boris Ronberg is waiting for you.”
I went inside, guided by a disapproving Rien family.
Then, an all-too-familiar outfit caught my eye.
A golden brooch on a purple uniform.
In the center of the drawing room was a black-haired man, with a rather thick torso and a prosthetic arm on his right arm.
Maybe it’s because it’s been 6 years since I’ve seen her, but her face has changed a bit.
In my eyes, I could still see his past clearly.
“nice to see you. I am Boris Ronberg, the younger brother of the head of the household and the vice-captain of the Hyukjak Squad.”
The Hyukjakdae was one of the elite units of the Ronberg family.
Does that mean he has grown to the level of being the vice-captain there?
“I am the crown prince of the kingdom of Grandets, Cruz Alexander. Nice to meet you.”
“This is a sudden proposal, but would you like to go out and talk?”
“outside? Is there a reason?”
“Yes, it is inconvenient to be in a place with so much snow.”
Boris’ words made the atmosphere in the parlor heavy.
It’s because there were people from the Lien family, including Sharden.
Talking about getting out of here was also a provocation towards Rien.
Did you reveal your intention to have a private meeting with the envoys from the kingdom that you promised to exchange only yesterday… … .
At this, Shardan opened his mouth.
“Prince Boris, we will vacate, so feel free to talk here.”
“I’m not stupid enough to discuss things where it might leak.”
“Doesn’t the Ronberg family even know basic duty? You’re aiming for the allies of other families like this.”
“house owner! Give the order to attack now! I will cut off this man’s head to relieve my comrade’s resentment!”
“Tsk tsk, you can’t accept defeat. Foolish indeed.”
“Yeah man… … !”
“stop.”
At my restraint, they all shut up.
Then he stared at me blatantly.
I smiled as usual and stood up.
“Okay, let’s talk outside.”
“Kuh-kuh, it’s good, through words.”
“… … Me, Your Highness?”
As if my answer was unexpected, the members of the Rien family all showed disbelief in their eyes.
I said to Sharden as if nailing it.
“And, family head, please pay attention to your expression. The kingdom and Rien are always in a trading relationship, not an alliance, right?”
“… … yes. I apologize, Your Highness.”
As a result, the people of the Lien family were overcome with a strong shock and sense of betrayal.
… … Hmm, I’ve talked about it with Sharden beforehand, but I’m not very happy with it.
The place I arrived at, far from the drawing room, was a fairly secluded vacant lot.
Convinced that no one was around, Boris said with a kind smile.
“This seems like a good place to talk, what do you think?”
“I guess so.”
“A little while ago, it was really exciting. Who does a powerless weakling dare to show his teeth to?”
… … Boris’s smile was indeed unfamiliar.
It wasn’t the lively smile he always showed.
It was the first time I had ever seen that smile I made to please the other person.
… … My emotions were slightly shaken by that strange sensation, but I quickly got over it.
“So, why did you call me separately?”
“Before that, let me ask you one thing. Why did Your Highness join hands with such idiots?”
“Of course, for the national interest. Because they are customers who buy from us supplies consumed in the war with you.”
At my words, the pupils of Boris and the escorts widened.
… … Did I say it too casually?
“ha ha ha! I see, you are very wise.”
“Now it’s your turn to answer my question.”
“Yes, Your Highness. Actually, I came here to convince you.”
“persuade?”
“Would you like to abandon the Rien family and make a deal with the Ronberg family?”
Boris’ proposal was simple.
It was a proposal to abandon the Lien family, whose lives were in trouble, and make a deal with Ronberg to make a bigger profit.
I firmly shook my head at him.
“I can’t accept it.”
“what’s the reason?”
“It’s a simple matter. Because the Rien family buys more things from the kingdom.”
Judging from the offer of an alliance and the fact that Boris came directly to them, they feel burdened by the kingdom’s current move.
I’m still not quite sure why… … .
I decided that there was no need to bow first to those who had even come to visit me.
‘All I have to do is play a prince who pursues the national interest on a selfish level.’
Then it will come from the other side first.
You should be able to respond to it, make a point of contact, and dig up the necessary information.
“Isn’t it? At this point, it would be difficult for the Ronberg family to be a better trading partner than Lien.”
“… … ha ha ha! The mind that prioritizes the national interest is truly amazing.”
“I just said it for granted, because I am the crown prince.”
The corner of my mouth went up slightly without my knowledge at Boris’ forced smile.
Because that was one of the habits that showed up when he forced himself to endure discomfort.
“However, there are plenty of other options.”
“If there is room… … ?”
“The kingdom is being subtly shaken by your offer of an alliance.”
Due to the war on the Feyer continent, the royal palace is fighting in two ways: resistance and negotiation.
The queen wants to fight, and the servants want to negotiate, but I’m trying to get the most out of such a situation.
… … He tricked Boris by saying it in moderation.
“So I’m going to ask you directly. What can you give to the kingdom?”
* * *
About two weeks have passed since then.
In the meantime, contacts were made with other great families, including Ronberg.
This became a process and time to fully grasp the situation.
‘It’s an internal division… … .’
Of the four great families, Ronberg, Solstad, and Yorgil.
These three places had similar characteristics.
It is because they are at the pinnacle of the alliance of wizards, warriors, and assassins, respectively.
The remaining one, the Golden High House, Henrik, had a slightly different disposition from them.
It reached the pinnacle of economic power based on fertile land.
In other words, the actual military power was inevitably inferior to the other three places.
It was supplemented with enormous economic power and the number of troops.
As a result, I often took on the role of supporting the other three families.
“That’s where the complaints broke out.”
“yes.”
Currently, I am heading to the Neutral Zone with an escort.
Because I was supposed to meet Boris there.
Hearing my answer, Hella shook her head for a moment before opening her mouth.
“Why is that? There is no way they don’t know that if support is cut off, it will be difficult for them too… … .”
“Because of greed. There must be something like that because it is overwhelmingly strong.”
There were two reasons for this.
One was the information I found out through several exchanges and intelligence.
The other was the distribution of the power of the evil spirit sealed in the Feyer continent.
Super Awakening, Extraterrestrial Spirit, Bowl of Power.
These were shared among the great families, but since there were only three, the distribution was not fair.
“It means that the Henrik family can’t have it.”
“that’s right. So he said he would take care of something else instead, but it looks like that wasn’t kept.”
“People from the Rien family also lamented. The situation has gotten so bad that even such a flow can’t be caught right away… … .”
“… … well, i can’t help it It’s because I’ve been busy like this.”
Naturally, they were continuing their spying activities, such as sending spies to each other, even though they were in a truce.
However, the Lien family lost a lot of the information network they had built up after the war.
It happened because we had to prepare for the next fight while repairing the damage.
“This is just my guess, but maybe Henrik is feeling insecure.”
If this trend continues, you must be thinking that you may soon be dominated by the other three families.
That’s probably why they stopped providing full support and increased their strength.
“Then did they sincerely invite an alliance?”
“No, that won’t be it. The purpose of blocking variables until the Feyer Continent is leveled will not change.”
“… … Well, I guess so.”
“So we have to be even more careful now.”
These divisions, in the end, stemmed from pride.
It comes out because there is no sense of crisis that things will go wrong.
If they feel a sense of danger from an external enemy, they will come together again, as if they never did.
That’s why I was hiding my true feelings by playing the role of a selfish prince.
[Even though they live in different places, their actions are similar, so it seems to be a characteristic of human beings.]
‘Is it similar? who?’
[I mean the kingdom and the great family.]
‘… … is it?’
[Didn’t they fight and divide each other even though there were enemies for their own benefit?]
… … Well, after listening to it, it doesn’t sound like it’s completely wrong.
Even the queen, who is absolute, put in a lot of effort to lead the country in the direction she wanted… … .
In a way, it might be natural for a huge family with overwhelming power to split.
Jjalang-
Arrived at the promised place.
It was one of those bars that were placed in neutral ground.
There was an escort in a familiar purple uniform.
“Welcome, Your Highness.”
“Sorry, am I late?”
“Could that be? Come on, sit down.”
Boris bowed down to me with a forced bright smile.
Since that day, I have had regular meetings with him.
Each time, Boris proposed a deal by presenting various conditions.
The contents were slightly different, but the essence was to end support for the Rien family and exchange with them.
“I also want to listen to your request. But what if Mama is stubborn?”
Perhaps spies from large families have infiltrated the kingdom as well.
That’s why there’s a high possibility that he knows some of my usual words and actions.
“I became the crown prince thanks to the courtesy of my mother, but this position is not yet well established.”
Indeed, the suspicion could be seen in their actions.
After meeting Boris, I met people from other big families.
Since all of them secretly saw my inner thoughts… … .
“Originally, I prevented Mama from immediately forming an alliance with the Rien family.”
“You made a wise decision, Your Highness.”
“I think so too. How long has it been since the invasion and are you still preoccupied with such thoughts?”
“My family is saying something similar. Now is the time for both continents to live in peace.”
“yes. In the first place, the kingdom is also a power that no longer succumbs to the great family alliance.”
“… … ha ha ha! I agree.”
The way Boris forced himself to hide his sneer was ridiculous.
Being greedy, I want to take advantage of this situation and roll it around, but… … .
Unfortunately, I didn’t have that much time.
He had to kill Boris in order to proceed with the plan.
“So I’d like to ask you a favor.”
“Tell me. It’s Your Highness’s request, and of course I have to fulfill it.”
“Thank you. Then I want you to connect me with the Henrik family.”
“… … yes?”
“Did you not hear? Please help me to communicate with the Golden High House.”
Boris’ forced laugh began to crack.