7. You Still Don’t Know?

The Founding Festival, heavy with midsummer heat, had finally come to an end.

The excitement that had filled the palace and the capital settled, and everyone prepared to return to their ordinary lives.

“Your Highness, it is nearly time to get ready. The Armos delegation will be departing soon.”

And that included the Eiron royal family and the young duke of the Armos Islands.

“Already? It’s still early.”

“They say the northern seas are rough, so they’re taking the route through Ilion Harbor. That’s why they’re setting off sooner.”

Lady Miller, as impeccably neat as ever even in the morning, said it as she spoke.

“They were already delayed four days, weren’t they.”

The diplomatic negotiations had run long, and the Armos delegation had stayed at the palace well beyond their original schedule.

“Still, it’s a relief the negotiations ended well.”

“It really is. Trade with Armos should become much more active from here on.”

Blair thought it was a good outcome and left her room to see the delegation off.

The reception hall of the central palace was filled with nobles and royal attendants. Given that the Armos Islands delegation was relatively small in size, it was quite a generous send-off.

“The negotiations must have gone very well.”

Blair murmured, watching King Rubens’s pleased expression as he spoke with Rashid Remarque.

“They accepted most of the tariff proposal we put forward. It seems Armos is finally starting to pay attention to diplomacy and the state of the continent.”

Kalintz answered with a dry look toward Rashid.

“You were so displeased with him. I suppose you two got along well enough at the negotiating table.”

“What are you talking about. I still dislike him.”

Kalintz said it firmly, furrowing his brow.

“You said yourself that maintaining a close relationship with Armos is important.”

“That doesn’t mean I have to like him personally. Personal feelings are an entirely different matter.”

Is hiding his identity really worth being this upset over.

When she thought about it, she was the one who had looked at an invitation bearing the name Rashid Remarque and assumed he was a knight escort.

Well. He was also strange for not correcting that misunderstanding.

Blair glanced over at Rashid, who was exchanging greetings with Queen Rhea.

He turned and caught her eye, then walked toward them.

“It was a meaningful visit, thanks to both of you.”

His expression remained as sparse as ever.

“We didn’t do very much, so I’m grateful you think so.”

Blair gave a polite bow as she spoke.

“You did more than you think.”

At that, Blair looked at him with mild curiosity.

“In many ways…… my impression of Eiron has changed, thanks to the two of you.”

“It must not have been very good before.”

Kalintz, who had been standing quietly beside her, said it in an even tone.

“I cannot deny that.”

Rashid replied with equally little emotion.

Listening to the two of them, Blair felt the air between them tighten naturally and found it hard to breathe.

Were they like this the entire time during negotiations.

One look at Ernst’s expression beside them, worn down with exhaustion, made the answer clear enough.

“Either way, I’m glad this visit has helped the relationship between our two countries grow.”

Blair cut in with a bright smile.

“I hope Eiron and the Armos Islands continue to share a good relationship going forward.”

“Thank you for saying so.”

Rashid answered in a courteous tone to match Blair’s formal farewell.

“Then I look forward to seeing you again before long.”

He gave a bow and walked toward the delegation. Kalintz glared at the back of Rashid’s head until the very end, then clicked his tongue quietly.

Shortly after, Rashid and the Armos Islands delegation left the reception hall. The royal knight escort assigned to accompany them to the harbor followed behind.

With that, all the foreign guests who had stayed in Eiron departed, and the palace returned to its usual calm routine.

❀❀❀

Time passed the way it always did, without anyone quite noticing.

The heat of the turbulent summer faded quickly, and before long the wind carried a cool edge.

“Oh, lipberry tarts? It must already be harvest season.”

Tilda brightened at the sight of the dessert tray Lucia brought in.

“That’s right. The sunflowers in the rear garden will be in full bloom before long too.”

Lucia smiled and pointed out the window, and Blair looked at the changing season with a fresh sense of awareness.

Much like the quieter season, the days at the palace had passed without much incident. The social season had ended, and with it the parties and tea gatherings had thinned out, leaving Blair considerably more at ease.

“Your Highness, Lady Regina has requested an audience today. How would you like to handle it?”

“Again today?”

Not that she had more time, only more peace of mind. Requests for audiences and visits had increased noticeably since the Founding Festival.

“It’s all thanks to Your Highness’s efforts during the festival.”

Tilda said it with an expression of pride, as though she had done something herself.

“I wouldn’t call it efforts.”

“Oh, come now. People were absolutely thrilled when Your Highness put Countess Rechis in her place on the first night of the banquet.”

It seemed quite a few people had been quietly suffering under the countess’s overbearing manner for some time.

“And people are saying the diplomatic negotiations with Armos were half Your Highness’s doing as well.”

“That’s a real exaggeration. I wasn’t even at the negotiating table that day.”

Blair waved her hand in protest, but Tilda carried on cheerfully regardless.

“You made a good impression on the young duke of the Armos Islands. That matters enormously in diplomacy. His Grace Remarque had quite a bit of resentment toward the Kingdom of Eiron before this.”

Tilda shrugged as she said it.

“It’s embarrassing to admit, but we’re among the worst when it comes to discrimination against people from Armos.”

The Kingdom of Eiron had a long history, and with it a strong tendency to prize its own traditions and culture. That often translated into a marked hostility toward people from other nations.

“His Grace Remarque knew that well, which is why he didn’t have particularly warm feelings toward Eiron.”

Tilda’s father was involved in maritime trade, which seemed to give her a broad familiarity with these kinds of matters.

“And Your Highness changed that perception.”

“Saying I made the negotiations succeed is still a bit……”

“That’s why I said half. The other half was His Highness the Prince.”

The proposal Kalintz had prepared was reasonable and took both countries’ interests into account. For Rashid, who had seen nothing but unfavorable terms imposed on Armos simply because it had only recently escaped being a minor power, Kalintz’s thoroughly rational proposals must have carried a different weight entirely.

“So the success of the negotiations with Armos is half each, Your Highnesses.”

“Exactly! All anyone talks about at the palace these days is the two of you! They say you were already wonderful, but now people are calling you a perfect pair!”

Lucia joined in enthusiastically with Tilda’s words.

Hearing that, Blair found herself thinking of what Rashid had said. That his impression of Eiron had changed in many ways, thanks to the two of them.

So that was what he meant.

Whatever the case, things had worked out well, and Blair had no particular reason to be displeased.

Though the more people’s expectations of her and Kalintz grew, the more she felt the weight of it. If things went according to plan, both of them would be gone from this palace in two years.

Blair let out a small sigh, her conscience quietly uneasy.

Tilda had been watching her with a puzzled look, and then seemed to remember something.

“Oh, right! When shall I tell them you’ll be visiting the queen’s palace?”

“Come to think of it…… Lady Camille came by, didn’t she?”

Lady Camille had arrived early in the morning with a message from Queen Rhea. A rather modest request, simply that she would like to share tea together.

“She probably wants to spend some time with you before you leave for Valia.”

Blair gave a quiet nod at Tilda’s words.

Two weeks ago, an invitation had arrived from the Valia Duchy. Just as expected, it was a request to attend Grand Duke Kazhar Clovitz’s birthday banquet.

“It is Her Highness’s homeland, after all. She may have something she wants to tell you.”

“……I’m not sure.”

What would Queen Rhea, who had severed ties with Grand Duke Clovitz, have to say.

Blair felt a tension in her chest, but also thought it was perhaps a good opportunity. She had been wanting to ask Queen Rhea about the past and about Duke Brienne at least once.

“Visiting in the afternoon should be fine.”

“Yes. I’ll let Lady Camille know.”

Tilda smiled quietly and left the room.

That afternoon, Lady Camille came in person to escort Blair, which was unexpected.

“Her Highness thought the weather was fine enough to take tea in the rear garden, so I came to bring you.”

Blair preferred the outdoors to a stuffy room, so she followed without a word.

The rear garden of the queen’s palace had a different charm from the wide central garden. With no formal divisions between sections, the various flowers and trees grew together in a natural, unhurried way.

A little further along, a white marble gazebo wrapped in climbing roses came into view. Beneath it, Queen Rhea sat with graceful composure.

But for some reason, her face was shadowed with deep worry.

“Her Highness the Princess Consort has arrived.”