“I have no plans to do so.”

Empress Frédérique completely cut it apart. My hopes were crushed.

The red pandas also lowered their tails.

Sir Johann had a look of loss as he tilted his head.

But I still could not give up so easily. I looked at her with a desperate gaze.

I had to try anything and everything if there was any potential.

Nobody wants to see so many people dying, right?

“Your Majesty. This might not be the crown princess’s intentions.”

She immediately looked at me.

I patted the little troublemakers and calmly continued to speak.

“Werner Venetiaan may have blocked her highness’s eyes and ears. Maybe he swiped the letter in the middle or said some things to cloud her judgment……”

“Is there a need for me to be considerate about something like that?”

I immediately shut up. The Empress had a glass of calvados in her hand as she bluntly answered.

“A spy of the Holy Kingdom disrespectfully caused chaos in my land and is now gone forever. The Imperial Palace was attacked in March and there was a terrorist incident in the Imperial Capital this time. I’m sure even you know this about us. The Riesterians are especially sensitive to the heart of the Empire being pierced.”

“……”

How could I not know?

The Empress’s grandfather was ambushed by the woman he loved.

Julite Statia led a group of soldiers from the Holy Kingdom, including Holy Knights, using the underground portal in the Empress Palace to infiltrate the Empire.

This had been quite a shocking incident for Romero Riester and everybody else.

Not only was the Emperor’s residence and the capital attacked at the same time, the culprit was the Venetiaan noble priestess he was seeking to marry.

The underground portal had been created to make it easier for him to meet with her.

The only reason the Imperial Capital wasn’t taken over that day was simply because of Romero’s usual philosophy.

He had been quite interested in Military Science since his time as crown prince and had already developed the Imperial Capital Garrison and the Imperial Guard into the special forces type of groups the Empire had today.

According to history books, before his time as Emperor, the two groups were more like high-level patrols.

If the Imperial Guard and the garrison did not swiftly take care of things at that time……

And if Romero had not been an extraordinary magic swordsman……

I have no idea how the history of ‘QNW’ might have changed.

“I am the Empress of the Empire. There’s no reason for me to consider things in a way that is convenient for the heir to the throne for a hostile nation because she might be in a difficult situation. What benefit do I get from doing so?

In fact, it should make me put up my guards multiple times higher.” The Empress sharply added on.

We all looked at her with piercing gazes.

“Furthermore, the crown princess’s message last time arrived at the Imperial Palace with the seal of the Agent of the Queen.”

“……”

“In that case, I must accept this as the will of the Queen. That is the promise that has been made. Even if we have had no contact for 30 years, there are things that do not change.”

I quietly lowered my gaze. Everything she said had been correct.

The Empire had been schemed against multiple times.

The Empress holding back until now was already amazing. Anybody who knew anything about tact could not ask for any more understanding from her.

It was hard for me to control my expression after thinking that far.

Even if the Empress does not like war, she had no other choice if her patience was at its limit and the public opinion swayed heavily toward war.

‘Is a collision really right in front of our faces now? Is it something that cannot be stopped at this point?’

“……The crown princess did request a meeting.”

I jerked my head up. My teacher was smiling awkwardly while looking at me. ‘Really?’

“Aurélie.”

“He has a right to know.”

The Empress called out to her soulmate in a low voice and the Cardinal answered in a gentle yet stern tone.

The Empress clicked her tongue and gulped down the glass of calvados.

I did see that scroll during the Sarnez trial.

However, I had only glanced at it behind her shoulder and had not read it, so I didn’t know the details.

“Did it really say that, your Eminence?”

“Yeah, under the part where she said you seem to be sick, my little prince. She said she wanted to meet you in a neutral zone to check on your condition herself.”

“I forbid it.”

The Empress shot it down before I could even say anything.

“Kiiiiiiii……” Demy whimpered in my arms.

One of the Empress’s eyebrows twitched as if she was saying there was no chance. It was the exact same thing crown prince Cédric would do.

“No countries are allowed to bring their soldiers into the neutral zone. That means that you will not be able to have the Imperial Guard’s protection. Furthermore, this is not a time of peace.”

“……Yes, your Majesty. I understand what you mean.”

“I’ve currently banned all religious figures from entering the Empire.”

“Only the regular caravans and those with connections to them are allowed to come and go. Even they are under strict inspections and identity verifications.”

My teacher added on as if to console me. I silently nodded my head.

The incident where they had framed innocent people for generations and rocked the entire Empire just to harm me had ended merely a month ago.

They were still not done dealing with the aftermath either.

It was dangerous and reckless for the cause of that, me, to head out of the Imperial Palace at this time.

I had not even gone shopping with Eva because I knew that was the case.

“You may keep the letter you wrote.”

“……Yes, your Majesty.”

Laura brought over a beautiful gold plate as soon as I answered.

I could see the fancy envelope on it.

Instead of the Riester Imperial family’s coat of arms, the Sérénité coat of arms was stamped on the sealing wax.

As Sir Johann mentioned, it showed no signs of being opened. I felt so helpless, holding the useless piece of paper.

‘I put a lot of thought into that letter. I discussed it quite a bit with my friends too.’

The Empress started to speak again.

“What Aurélie and I requested in our letter was a formal apology from the Venetiaan Kingdom as well as a pledge to prevent any recurrence.”

“……”

We all raised our eyes in shock.

That was an extremely unbelievably magnanimous reaction.

“I had every desire to swear at them to strip the Prince Consort of his title, but I didn’t want to give them any ammunition to claim I was trying to interfere with their internal affairs. I also didn’t want to lower myself to their level. Most importantly…

I can’t ask them to drag down the Queen’s partner when she has lost her sense of reason.” The Empress stopped there and pushed forward her empty glass.

Laura elegantly poured her another glass.

My teacher told the Empress not to drink too much but it looked like she might need it to hold herself from lashing out.

Margrave Caroline Moutet let out a deep sigh and tapped her glass against the Empress’s glass.

Clink! Gulp gulp. The strong brandy poured down the two middle-aged women’s throats.

I exchanged anxious gazes with Vice Captain Élisabeth.

– Tap!

The emptied glasses tapped on the table again.

“That is why there will be no leeway.”

It felt hard to breathe.

“I will also not wait very long for it.”

I had expected it to some degree, but everything felt dark now that it was right in front of my face.

*

The Northern part of the Venetiaan Holy Kingdom. At the border to the Riester Empire.

– Swooooooosh……

– Flap flap flap!

The white cloth of the tent shook intensely.

The inside was warm thanks to magic, but there was only a cold gust of wind blowing in Elise Venetiaan’s heart.

This was the crown princess’s field bedroom and study. But lately, it was only serving as the latter.

It couldn’t be helped because she had not been able to sleep these days. She also had no desire to sleep either.

Elise was standing in front of the round table while reading the message from her coachman over and over.

Her blue eyes were shaking fiercely with anxiety and concern.

‘It’s Maartje, your Royal Highness. I hope you are well today as well.

The details of the rumors spreading around the Royal Capital are getting messier and messier as the days go by to the point it is now difficult to tell what is true and what is false. One merchant claimed Duke Simon de Sarnez was instigating a rebellion before he was captured and executed while a mercenary stated that the Duke was working as a spy for the Holy Kingdom when he was caught red-handed. There are even talks of his Royal Highness, the Prince Consort, being involved with it.

The gossip about the Prince is not very different either. Some claim that his highness safely cleared his name and has become a hero. Another person is saying that his highness lost the trust of the Imperial family and is barely holding onto his life……’

– Crunch!

The white paper crumpled a bit in her beautiful hand.

There was nothing she knew for certain. Her heart felt frustrated and ready to burst.

She felt like she would burst into flames if she just waited like this.

Elise let out a breath extremely slowly.

“Huuuuuu……”

She then thought about her family.

Her mother, who fell asleep after putting the half-wilted tulip into a new glass box. Her sister, Cornelisse, who laughed while saying that their royal father seemed to be more energetic these days.

She even thought about Jesse, who did not remember about Maartje’s injury.

She was a daughter and older sister who loved the three of them, someone who would become the rule of a nation and the head of their family.

Furthermore, she currently had the title of ‘Agent of the Queen.’ So she had to remain steady.

She had to remain calm in all things.

‘……However, the Empire’s lockdown is as tight as anti-magic stone barriers, making us unable to confirm anything. In such a situation, no news is reaching the Royal Castle at all. We’ve not seen any letters from the Empress nor any secret messages.’

“Why.”

Why was the Empire remaining silent? Why were they rejecting any sort of communication?

Her teeth crunched down.

She instantly emptied the glass of water next to her, but this painful thirst did not disappear. She felt as if she was placed under a terrible curse.

If she could not meet her younger brother, she at least wanted to hear that he had cleared his name.

Just the Empress’s signature on it alone would make her feel better. Just to hear that he was doing well……

Even if he truly lost the memories of his past, as long as she knew that he was currently healthy and happy…

If he still had the warm gazes from his friends as she had seen when she last saw him…

That alone would allow her to take a step back.

She would be able to hide her heavy heart, hold back her tears, and look forward to the future.

So why was it that the Riester Empire had locked its doors……

“Your Royal Highness. It’s Jeanine.”

She raised her head. She could see a familiar silhouette outside the white cloth.

She felt apologetic after seeing the woman’s breath visible along with her shadow.

Elise quickly welcomed the middle-aged woman into the tent.

The crown princess’s faithful servant, someone who had never held a weapon in her life, entered with a face pale from the cold.

Her hands that were rough from the cold wind were empty.

“My apologies, your Royal Highness. There is still nothing.”

“……”

The situation was clear despite the few words.

Elise barely managed to suppress her emotions.

She sat the attendant down by the fire instead of showing her anger.

She felt sorry to make this woman suffer like this in a war zone despite her old age.

Jeanine looked at her with an affectionate yet concerned gaze.

“Did you stay up all night again, your Royal Highness?”

“I could not sleep.”

“You also did not eat your breakfast, your Royal Highness.”

“……”

“Didn’t you say you made a promise to his highness?”

The woman’s voice was as warm as her mother’s had been in the past. Silence filled the room for a moment.

She could hear the shouts of knights and soldiers outside the tent.

‘That’s not how you pull out your sword!’ ‘I will do my best, sir!’ The continued shouts as they practiced…

Clang, clang, clang! The sound of banging against bent swords in the distance…

Shaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa- The sound of a Holy Knight’s water moving around…

The specks of chaos around the battlefield…

“We will continue the skirmishes until we receive any sort of meaningful response. It would be even better if we can get a captive.”

“Is it possible that there is a mole, your Royal Highness?”

The two women spoke at the same time. Elise lowered her gaze at this unexpected question.

Jeanine lowered her voice with a serious look on her face.

“Although I have never had an audience with the Empress of Riester, I know she is not someone with this sort of personality. Maybe someone in the middle……”

“Are you thinking that someone swiped the message in the middle?”

The woman nodded her head ever so slightly at her superior’s direct question.

The crown princess took a deep breath while not making it visible.

The person who might do such a thing flashed in her mind. However……

Yes, however…

“Why would my father do something like that? Receiving a letter from the Empress would not harm him or the Holy Kingdom.”

“Your Royal Highness.”

“That’s enough.”

Elise quickly walked away from Jeanine.

She then faced away from Jeanine and placed both arms on the table.

The elevation of this place was not high, but she felt like it was hard to breathe.

A portion of her mind became extremely noisy as well. The Holy Knight violently shook her head.

Maybe she would be able to get these subconscious whispers in her mind out, whether they be from the devil or an angel.

‘Usil, you already know.’

‘You dare to feign ignorance when there is a possibility?’

“All of the evidence is pointing to one place, your Royal Highness.”

“He was quite sick at that time. I saw it with my own eyes.”

“You’ve found the answer a long time ago, your Royal Highness.”

“I do not wish to speak of this any longer.”

“Maybe you knew the truth since that day, your Royal Highness.”

“Enough.”

She sternly raised her hand to stop Jeanine. It felt hard to breathe.

She truly felt a bit tired now.

Handling the truth on her own felt heavy and difficult.

Thirty-one. She was not young anymore, but she had the desire to escape this reality.

Her eyes felt blurry. ‘Why would he go so far?

Turn his own body into a mess to avoid suspicion, order a spy in a hostile nation to cause strife to use the friction between the two nations to destroy a single child……’

“Ugh.”

“Your Royal Highness?”

“Gasp, ugh……”

How could someone be so foolish?

How could he only think about himself like this?

How far was someone, who turned into a god of rage from all this madness and resentment, willing to go?

“Ugh!”

“Your Royal Highness!”

Crash! Jeanine quickly ran over to catch the falling Elise.

Tap, tap! Bright yellow sparks were visible on the Cardinal’s cheeks.

The middle-aged woman’s mouth opened and closed with primal fear.

The crown princess whispered in a pained voice.

“The neutral, region…… Where, the Peace of the Almighty God…… I will go.”

“Your Royal Highness, you must remain alert. You will overload if you continue like this!”

“Must, ugh. Must, meet……”

“Is there anybody outside?! Immediately call the priests! Hurry!”

Chhhhh……! The attendant’s palms started to burn as she held onto the Holy Knight.

The crown princess’s plate was shaking, and her whole body became as hot as a furnace from this uncontrollable flame.

She could no longer hear the urgent footsteps or shouts.

Elise thought about a certain ether as her consciousness went in and out.

‘Please give my regards to Cornelisse and her Majesty as well.’

The power that was as clear as the moonlight, sparkled like the sunlight, and felt warmer than the power of any Cardinal she had met……

—
Translator’s Comments

Elise misses our boi’s ether.

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