Chapter 50

Seiden swirled his teacup of black tea. Reinel watched him as he took in the fragrance of the circle spinning round and round before setting it down.

“The Yurud Kingdom is a country where desertification is still progressing even now. However, there is a plant that grows well even in the middle of the sandy desert. Not a cactus, but a plant whose leaves and petals giving off a distinctive fragrance are in fine harmony.”

“You mean Criashers. Then are you planning to reverse the desertification by using its trait of growing larger and fuller the richer the magical power in the soil?”

“That is right. The Yurud Kingdom is a place where the land itself tends to be rich in magical power, so cultivating Criashers is comparatively easy. Moreover, since it generates magic stones, it can also bring in considerable profit.”

Reinel thought of the Criashers in the garden. As expected of a flower that produced magic stones, the reason Criashers, which preferred land rich in magical power, grew so well in the garden and by the lakeside of the Estrid Mansion was because this land was full of magical power.

‘Besides, it smells so lovely that I always keep some in my room as well.’

Thus, Criashers, a flower with both a lovely fragrance and good profit, was currently exported exclusively by Reinel’s merchant group. However, in order to export Criashers flowers to Yurud in a fresh state, a mage from the Mage Tower had to be present.

That was because the one who cast time-stopping magic to preserve that freshness was a Mage Tower mage who had been Seiden’s classmate.

“But why are you telling me all this? Does it perhaps have something to do with Alpen?”

“It is because if Alpen forms a contract with the Spirit King of Earth in the future, he will be able to use that attribute to turn the deserts of the Yurud Kingdom into grasslands all at once.”

Reinel’s eyes widened. She had known that making a contract with a Spirit King was in itself an extraordinary thing, but she had not realized it could wield power to that extent.

“How can that be done? Did the Mage Tower conduct a simulation of this?”

“One of my classmates is researching Spirit Kings and spiritists. This research revealed that if one contracts with the Spirit King of Water and exercises that power, it would even be possible to make rivers flow through the desert, and if one contracts with the Spirit King of Earth, it would be possible to turn it into fertile grassland.”

“Then……. Yurud will treat Alpen much better. Since spiritists who have contracted with the Spirit King of Earth have been extremely rare up to now, if Alpen makes the contract, he will become a person of national importance.”

“That is not all. Since he would be solving the problem of desertification all at once, Alpen would gain succession rights to the throne. In that case, he would have to fight with his other brothers.”

“That…… does not sound very good…….”

“So you think so too? I feel the same. I do not think it is good for such a young child to become caught up in a war of succession. After all, when spiritists fight each other, most victories are only narrow ones, and if luck is bad, both of them could even die.”

Reinel could not continue her words properly. Even though he had not yet contracted with a spirit, Alpen had still worried about the people at the Academy and set traps for small magical beasts, and when she thought of him, it was hard to believe he might die while fighting his brothers.

“Then…… what do you want to do about Alpen, Brother? I am against Alpen being dragged into a war of succession. It would be good for him to gain power, but I want Alpen to be free and not be tied down by Yurud.”

“Yes. In such a case, Alpen’s own wishes would matter most, but if that child does indeed contract with the Spirit King of Earth, then it would have to be kept secret from Yurud.”

A secret……. Would something like that truly be easy to keep? Watching Reinel’s expression darken, Seiden added further explanation.

“Of course, Alpen will one day have to reveal his power, but until First Prince Aldred Yurud firmly succeeds to the currently vacant position of Crown Prince, it will have to remain secret. Once the Crown Prince is decided, that decision cannot be overturned by most means, so by then Alpen will no longer be swept into the war of succession either.”

While listening, Reinel suddenly thought of the child who was said to have contracted with the Spirit King of Light. She found herself wondering whether that child, too, would gain succession rights and have to compete with First Prince Aldred.

“Brother Seiden, then what about that child who contracted with the Spirit King of Light? Even if First Prince Aldred is the strongest candidate, since the position of Crown Prince is vacant, will that child have to compete with Aldred?”

“That child will not be able to avoid the competition either. Aldred is publicly known to have a gentle personality, but the Aldred I encountered was meticulous and well informed about the political situation. That gentleness is only outward appearance; he will never willingly leave alive anyone who could become a threat to his future.”

Aldred’s Spirit King was wind. Given the geographical nature of Yurud, with its many sandy deserts, it was almost the standard title. But as Reinel listened, she felt sorrow, and she also pitied ‘that child,’ who was not much different in age from Alpen.

“If possible, I want to help ‘that child’ as well. Brother Seiden, would that be overstepping?”

“It would be difficult to call feeling sorry for that child overstepping. However, if we choose to take that child’s side, then Aldred will become an enemy of our merchant group. Since it could become a decision that might even turn the entire Yurud Kingdom against us, I think we must be cautious.”

Reinel thought that, under the current circumstances, helping Alpen was the best course. She knew that the best thing was to help at least Alpen escape the war of succession, yet she could not stop her heart from going again and again to that child who was said to have contracted with the Spirit King of Light.

‘Is it because I have been married once? Ever since hearing that the mother and child were accepted into the royal family, I keep thinking about them…….’

Reinel drank the tea that had gone cold. The maid poured warm tea into the empty teacup, but she did not feel like drinking it. Reinel rose from her seat and said to Seiden:

“Thank you for looking into a route that passes through lands where the Spirit King of Water or the Spirit King of Earth might reside. You must always be busy, so thank you as always, Brother Seiden.”

“It is nothing. If I can be of help, then of course I should help. Do not worry about it, and whenever you need something, just tell me.”

By the time Reinel left the office, it was already past three in the afternoon. Outside, where the rain streamed down in sheets, cold air was flowing. Reinel walked down the corridor, thinking about that child.

But no matter how much she thought about it, under the present circumstances, taking that child’s side was practically the same as making Aldred her enemy. She could not make a decision that would affect the merchant group based on her feelings alone.

‘I cannot help recklessly. Besides, if that child also wants the war of succession, then all the more I cannot interfere…….’

Reinel sighed and turned her steps toward her room. However, before she could go, she came across a maid and stopped walking. The maid, who was holding a bundle of letters, bowed upon seeing Reinel and held out the letters.

“My lady, word has come from the Imperial Palace.”

“Hm? If it is from the Imperial Palace…… could it be from Lord Bain?”

When Reinel returned to her room, she peeled off the sealing wax on the spot with a paper knife. As expected, one was a letter from Bain, and the other three were invitations from people she did not know well.

Since she had no intention of attending tea parties right now, she handed the other three back to the maid and read only Bain’s letter. Reinel’s eyes moved slowly as she read through the words.

“Send letters declining the rest.”

“Yes. Understood, my lady.”

Standing and reading felt a little awkward, so Reinel went into her room. When she sat on the bed and unfolded the letter again, the now-familiar handwriting came into view.

“It seems he wants to go on another date with me.”

At those words, Emily, standing beside her, let out a small exclamation. Without realizing it, Reinel wore a smiling face as she read the letter through to the very last word in one go. It said that before the blessing ceremony, where the Imperial Palace, the temple, and the nobles would all join together to conduct the rite, he wanted to meet her in the garden of the First Prince’s Palace.

“That time, I had to leave before I could properly look around the garden. This time, I will be able to admire the garden at ease and in comfort.”

With a peaceful heart, she checked when he had written that they should meet. If it was two days later, then it would be the day before the blessing ceremony……. Reinel held the letter tightly to her chest, then carefully folded it and slipped it into the box where she kept only Bain’s letters.

***

Two days later, Reinel headed to the Imperial Palace wearing a deep green dress. Outside, lines bearing Visrod’s national flag had been strung here and there for the blessing ceremony preparations, and people chattered loudly in excitement. Reinel, too, though she said nothing, felt her heart flutter with anticipation.

Two months had passed since the spring ball where she had been forced by the Emperor to accept an engagement. Early summer warmth, just beginning to grow hot, filled the outside air, but inside the carriage it was cool because an air-cooling device powered by magic stones had been installed.

‘What kind of date does he want, to call me to the Imperial Palace?’

That ball had almost become a trauma, but after becoming engaged to Bain and falling deeply for his kindness, all her bad feelings toward the Emperor and the ball had disappeared. Reinel, looking forward to her date with Bain, leaned against the backrest of the carriage and unknowingly fidgeted with her fingers.

Before long, she arrived at the Imperial Palace and got down from the carriage with a knight’s escort. Walking under the knight’s protection all the way into the Imperial Palace, she soon saw the First Prince’s Palace. And in front of it, she saw the garden, changed under the influence of the latest trends.

“It has changed again since last time. How fascinating…….”

The gardener must certainly have put a great deal of effort into tending it. Reinel walked inward into the garden. The garden was made like a maze, with the entrance and exit placed respectively on the far right and the far left.

Reinel slowly walked to the fountain at the center. She wondered whether she had come a little too early, since it was before the time she had arranged to meet Bain, but it was better to come early and not be late than to arrive exactly at the appointed time.