Masquerade - Chapter 8
“If it bothers you so much, just return it.”
“I can’t do that. How could I return something I’ve received?”
“Then fondly remember me every time you look at it.”
She felt his gaze burning through her veil. He seemed to be asking for the answer he wanted.
Hmph, it wouldn’t be fun to give it away so easily.
Elia chose words that might further pique his curiosity.
“We might never meet again after parting like this, so at least remember this absurd encounter that way.”
“Is this the end?”
“I’ve achieved my goal. I won the bet, and I’ve told you all the clues.”
“……”
“Do you know how busy I’ve been running around for this bet? While you just sat comfortably receiving reports. Don’t try to learn more for free.”
Continuing to speak informally while knowing who he was might be the biggest clue of all. But the person before her probably couldn’t imagine that she was the Second Princess, who was famous only for her frailty.
“Did my father make some kind of promise?”
“If it were that, it would have been easier for me too.”
He fell silent again, as if his deductions had hit a wall.
The music from beyond the balcony had ended. They faced each other and slowly let go of their hands. Maintaining a proper distance, Rejun bowed elegantly, and Elia curtsied, holding the hem of her dress.
Before turning away, Elia briefly considered telling him the whole story. But this seemed good enough. With such a strange connection, wouldn’t he keep thinking about it? It wasn’t the best outcome, but it was satisfactory enough. She had found out about her patron and learned that he was friendly enough to arrange a meeting between her and Rejun.
Even if she revealed her identity as a princess here and requested his support, would ‘that’ Prime Minister agree purely out of goodwill? Duke Nisendel must have been unable to do so, which is why he had complicated matters like this.
Of course, as a member of the royal family, Elia could have easily gained his support, given his royalist leanings. But it was questionable how effective a relationship formed without any real foundation in such a short time would be. He was still young and would serve as Prime Minister for a long time. For a relationship that needed to last, Elia decided to stop here this time.
Start lightly.
She approached the balcony window without lingering, saying,
“The handkerchief. Examine it closely.”
* * *
The House of Nobles represented the interests of the noble class.
Launched under the leadership of Count Linzburn, King Crensen I’s closest confidant, the House of Nobles had now been in existence for over a decade, exerting significant influence on the kingdom’s affairs. It was mainly composed of nobles with territories in the west or south who were active in Shilom, the capital, and wielded immense power in the Grand Council with the full support of the king.
The Grand Council was largely made up of three factions: the traditional eastern great noble faction supporting the royal family, the emerging intellectual faction led by the Academia, and the House of Nobles faction. Interestingly, the current king based his support on the House of Nobles faction rather than the long-standing royalist eastern great noble faction.
The House of Nobles had attempted to dominate the Grand Council, but their plan failed when Duke Disiel was appointed as Prime Minister of the Grand Council at an opportune moment. Some remarked that if Shilom’s political arena had fallen into the hands of the House of Nobles, corruption would have run rampant throughout the country. Anyone who saw what the House of Nobles conspired to do would nod in agreement.
A world arrived where the wronged and the opportunistic were mixed, and the more despicable one was, the easier it was to survive. This was due to the improper accounting of merits and faults from the long Eastern War.
After the war ended, the eastern estates suffered the most severe damage, but Crensen I joined hands with the House of Nobles and ignored the cries of the East. It was a natural progression for the eastern great noble faction to weaken as they lost land and subjects. As the post-war territory was devastated and lives were impoverished, people no longer believed in old values like honor and justice.
It might be considered fortunate in misfortune that even the Prime Minister was not appointed from the House of Nobles. People with conscience focused their attention on the Prime Minister’s moves to appropriately check the House of Nobles.
Rejun’s swift steps crossed the corridor of the Grand Council chamber.
“Ah, Duke Disiel.”
“Good morning, Prime Minister.”
“Duke Disiel.”
Nodding to those he encountered, Rejun walked straight ahead and turned a corner. Servants waiting at the far end of the corridor opened the heavy doors as they saw him.
“The Prime Minister is entering.”
Before the servant had finished announcing, he was already inside. His appearance brought a tense atmosphere to the Grand Council chamber. Seated at the innermost seat, he pulled the stack of documents in front of him and opened them with a thud.
“The meeting will come to order.”
At his matter-of-fact declaration, a clerk stood up and recited the formal opening speech.
“The 14,041st regular council of the 10th year of Crensen… Prime Minister, Duke Disiel, and council members including Duke Chloe, Count Triol… and 35 other members in attendance and…”
Another clerk listed the main agenda items. As it was a weekly council, there were no new proposals, but the wild cards were always the councilors eager for personal gain. This is where his role came into play.
“First, the matter of Princess Elia’s engagement.”
One of the members of the Royal Household Department explained the current situation.
“The Young Grand Duke of Castile has now entered Naewin territory and is expected to arrive about a week before the Didante Ball.”
“How is the dowry issue progressing?”
“Ah, the dowry.”
At someone’s question, Count Linzburn stood up.
“Have you all reviewed the dowry proposed by the Royal Household Department? I’ve looked at it carefully. However…”
The negative tone made the atmosphere in the chamber unpleasant. Especially the nobles of the House of Nobles exchanged meaningful glances. As if following a predetermined script, Marquis Nasher spoke up, holding his forehead.
“It does seem excessive.”
“Excessive? Compared to past princes and princesses, it’s an average amount.”
At the Royal Household Department member’s rebuttal, Linzburn clicked his tongue.
“Tsk, tsk. How long has it been since the western famine ended? Moreover, in addition to the engagement, there’s Princess Elia’s Didante Ball. With tax revenues decreasing day by day, how can such extravagance be justified?”
“Extravagance… If we proceed with a royal marriage without even this level of dowry, the princess will have a very difficult married life.”
“Just how large is the Royal Household Department’s budget that this amount is considered average in the current situation?”
At Marquis Nasher’s question, Linzburn smoothly interjected.
“I’m curious too. Every department is crying out for lack of tax revenue.”
“The Royal Household Department oversees royal affairs. But should it monopolize even the realm of finance? Besides, the finances of the Royal Household Department are not even mentioned in the Grand Council.”
“It’s because of Daellum’s Promise. What noble would dare to speak against it?”
“But the world has changed. It’s a world where even commoners are selected to work in the Royal Household Department. Daellum II could never have imagined that commoners would continue this promise.”
“Indeed.”
“Everything is changing rapidly, yet it’s strange that among numerous departments, only the Royal Household Department still holds its own finances.”
“The Royal Household Department can’t be an exception forever.”
The back-and-forth between Linzburn and Marquis Nasher flowed smoothly, as if they had rehearsed beforehand.
Seizing the moment, Linzburn delivered a pointed remark.
“Corruption stems from exceptions. The country’s finances should be managed impartially and fairly, without bias.”
Several members of the House of Nobles faction exchanged glances and nodded. A moment of silence followed. Everyone here knew that Linzburn had recently been wanting to meddle with the Royal Household Department, which manages the royal family’s affairs. It was also known that because of this, he was at odds with Princess Rhienze, who oversees the Royal Household Department.
To think he would even try to touch Daellum’s Promise. Those not affiliated with the House of Nobles began to exchange glances.
The Naewin royal family owned vast lands and granted them to nobles in the form of leases, collecting taxes. Daellum’s Promise was an edict that allocated these tax revenues to the Royal Household Department, allowing the royal family to manage them independently.
If a corrupt royal family were to use taxes so exclusively, Linzburn’s argument might be persuasive, but the problem was that Linzburn himself was at the core of corruption.
As the silence lengthened, someone finally made a wise decision.
“Prime Minister.”
Everyone’s eyes naturally turned to Rejun.
After a moment of gathering his thoughts, he spoke.
“I believe that if Daellum’s Promise is broken, quite a few nobles would have to return their lands to the royal family.”
While nobles belonging to meritorious families directly owned their lands, most nobles reigned as lords over lands granted by the royal family.
Linzburn, being a new noble, was no exception.
In such a situation, if Daellum’s Promise were broken, the nobles would have to return their leased lands to the royal family before the Royal Household Department disclosed its finances.
