Der felt like fire was rising inside. Even recently, Tribal Chief El Silg of Tubium, who’d been his father’s close friend, had conveyed advice through a messenger that withdrawing the marriage proposal request would be good for Kartran. He hadn’t expected pressure to reach even there.

Tribal Chief El Silg was someone Der had regarded like an uncle since childhood. Wise and brave, he led the largest tribe in Tubium and was one of those who didn’t fear the Empire.

Since even Tribal Chief El Silg stepped forward to stop him, he could tell the situation was turning more serious than expected.

He’d heard long ago the rumor that the Emperor, angered by the marriage proposal request, had massively assembled armies in territories near the desert region. They also said the scale and skill itself were completely different from the ragtag troops that Count Cornwall or whatever had brought.

Of course, the Kartran tribe wasn’t one to tuck tail and flee at such rumors. If he had his way, he wanted to lead warriors and wage war immediately.

But even starting a war required all kinds of supplies. That flow was also being choked off by an organization called the Shadow Trading Company, which threatened them to withdraw their request for a marriage proposal.

He too wanted to match his son Tan with a strong, obedient woman from the desert region as a bride. But then Tan’s generation would obviously not receive proper royal treatment either.

Yes, after several generations it might change. But he didn’t want to wait until then. He wanted to send not only Tan’s children but also select the tribe’s smart ones to study abroad in the Empire. He wanted to grow this barren country prosperous and strong with their minds.

But the Empire would never accept current Kartran tribesmen as foreign students. To them, Kartran was no different from a barbaric tribe. That’s why he’d wanted marriage with the imperial family even knowing it was unreasonable, and compromising a bit, he could accept a great noble lady of the Empire.

“We want to be recognized as human…… is that such a wrong thing!”

Tan, who’d been listening to Der’s sigh beside him, quietly stepped forward before his father.

“Father. I’ll go to the Empire myself and request. Our delegation may not have properly conveyed our intentions. The ones we sent as envoys were all…… people with rather high pride, weren’t they?”

“Well…… that’s true.”

“So I’ll express that we’ll treat the bride coming from the Empire with utmost respect, and want to become the Empire’s strong ally through this marriage. If it really doesn’t work, it can’t be helped, but surely they won’t close their ears when Kartran’s heir comes to clear up misunderstandings.”

“……What if you’re taken hostage instead? The Empire’s atmosphere isn’t very good right now. You haven’t forgotten you’re Kartran’s only heir, have you?”

“Just as you worry about my safety, the Empire’s Emperor and nobles probably can’t send their daughters worrying about their safety too. So all the more I must go and persuade them.”

Der let out another sigh before his son who only said correct things.

His son Tan was not admired merely because he was his son; he was genuinely brave and charismatic, as though he had inherited the very essence of Kartran warriors. While such types were usually rough in temperament, Tan had liked animals since childhood, was wise, and from an early age was precocious enough to help him lead one axis of Kartran and desert region organization.

He was a son too good for himself. In his eyes, his face was handsome too, and compared to the Empire’s frail knights, he had a solid body not shameful to the name warrior. Actually, any Kartran woman would blush before Tan.

It was so infuriating and unfair that his son, the world’s best in his eyes, was being treated like a barbarian or beast in the Empire.

‘Right. If they see the groom-to-be directly, the Empire bastards’ thoughts might change. Do they think such a good groom candidate is common?’

Der eventually decided to follow Tan’s opinion and urgently began assembling a delegation to send to the Empire. Unlike the previous delegation that had been prepared for only their heads to return, it was a delegation mobilizing enough personnel and wealth to protect Tan and show Kartran’s level.

At the rumor that Kartran’s heir was coming directly, the imperial palace and capital became unsettled. People were still hostile toward Kartran, but separately from that, they were curious what kind of person Kartran’s heir would be.

Rumors said Tribal Chief Der and his son Tan had giant builds and tremendous swordsmanship skills, but had savage temperaments and appearances close to beasts.

Since the imperial palace was always open to foreign delegations, they waited for their visit, but because of those rumors, security in the imperial palace and capital became much more strict.

“Your Highness Elizabeth. Don’t worry too much. You won’t be forcibly dragged away.”

Watching Elizabeth show clear signs of tension at the news that Tan was coming directly, Vivian gently coaxed her. Elizabeth also responded with a smile to that talk, but her thoughts were somewhat different from Vivian’s.

‘The matter has grown this big, so I can’t send you, Vivian. I don’t know what Kartran was thinking when they sent this delegation, but they must already be quite offended. It was my fault for trying to hide in fear from the start. Born a princess yet hiding behind the people!’

She was truly grateful to Vivian for saying she’d marry into the barbarians in her place. But she’d known from the beginning. This would ultimately become her duty as one who’d lived without lacking as a princess.

Of course, at first she’d been frightened and sad enough to panic, but thanks to Vivian defending and stepping forward for her, she’d learned she wasn’t alone, and that fact had unexpectedly given her great courage.

“Vivian.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

“Even if I end up going to Kartran…… will you write to me?”

“Your Highness! I keep saying you won’t have to go!”

“That’s why I said ‘if.’ If you end up going, I’ll definitely send letters.”

“That goes for me too! I don’t have any other friends to exchange letters with anyway. Ah, of course that’s not why I’m sending them. I…… like Your Highness Elizabeth……”

Elizabeth burst into clear laughter at Vivian’s mumbling mouth shape being cute.

“I really like you too, Vivian.”

Those words made Vivian happy, but Elizabeth’s eyes held sadness, so she didn’t feel entirely comfortable.

Meanwhile, Kartran’s delegation that had departed from the northern desert region approached the capital Cavalon at fast speed and waited outside the gates for permission to enter the capital.

People from the capital and outside the capital gathered near the gates to see them, but they stood silently looking only at the gates without showing a single gap.

The Kartran delegation’s grandeur exceeded imagination. They’d thought them at best a bandit group living by plunder, but they were a scale not inferior to other countries’ delegations, and the warriors escorting the delegation seemed like great experts even to those who knew nothing of fighting.

However, they couldn’t confirm who the rumored heir was. There were several carriages that looked like wagons, and quite a few men had their faces covered with helmets, so it wasn’t strange, but everyone was frightened yet curious about the heir’s appearance.

The imperial palace didn’t open the gates for a full day. However, Kartran’s delegation didn’t cause a disturbance or act aggressively. They just rested in shifts while waiting for permission.

The Emperor, who’d intended to catch fault and break their momentum if they caused problems, ultimately had no choice but to open the gates. There was also some desire to see that shameless face.

The nobles felt the same. They attended the delegation reception banquet with the feeling of going to see a rare animal imported from abroad. However, Kartran’s delegation thoroughly shattered all their expectations.

“Good heavens…… that…… surely that’s not all salt?”

The gift item the delegation brought was rock salt alone. However, the amount of rock salt was tremendous. White rock salt chunks like torn-off rocks were presented to the Emperor in their original form of entangled cubic crystals.

That amount of rock salt was worth about the same amount in gold bars, but anyway, with that much salt, for about the next three years, this vast imperial palace with many people could cook without worrying about saving salt.

However, what shocked people even more than that was Su Mai Tan’s proper appearance and his etiquette lacking in no aspect.

“Kartran’s Heir Su Mai Tan greets Your Majesty the Emperor of the great Caliburn Empire.”

Dark skin, jet-black hair and eyes, a large build solid enough to show muscle definition, attire made of Asafia fabric, desert fox fur, and colorful beads—all exotic. However, he absolutely didn’t look barbaric or monstrous. Rather, several women dreaming of ‘romance with a foreign prince’ blushed at Tan, who precisely matched their fantasies.

And the Emperor also somewhat calmed her anger at his perfect etiquette and attitude.

“I welcome your visit, son of Kartran.”

However, talk about the marriage proposal request didn’t immediately occur at that place. After a banquet much more simplified than when receiving the Shardenian delegation ended, Kartran’s delegation unpacked at the delegation quarters prepared in the imperial palace for the next day’s full-scale talks.

And Tan went out to the garden near the delegation quarters to get some night air to relieve tension. Though imperial palace knights guarded the surroundings, for him as a born warrior, hiding his body in a quiet place while evading their eyes was no task at all.