The inspection team departing from Olstein Castle for the port each boarded separate carriages. Thanks to the experienced coachmen urging the horses during the day, they were able to rest fairly comfortably at the lodgings they stopped at along the way.

Amelia was given a rather luxurious carriage, incomparable to the old one she had ridden when she first came to Olstein. This small comfort was a slight consolation, especially since Helen, who had seen her off at the castle gate, looked so proud.

What had she been thinking when she first left Brienne? Back then, Amelia had cried a little, and the carriage had been cold—so very cold. She hadn’t been able to sleep at the inns they stopped at either. The angry soldiers had almost been a comfort. There had been a romantic sense of duty, as if she were a bird leaving its nest, needing to spread its wings and glide without hesitation.

Amelia sat on the plush bed, knees drawn up, staring at the melting wax of the candle. The road from the castle to the port was well-paved, and the journey in the velvet-cushioned carriage had been pleasant enough, but now that night had fallen, she found herself feeling more drained than she had back then.

Just as she was beginning to miss Helen and Betty, she heard a noise from outside.

“My Lady, His Highness the Crown Prince is asking for you.”

It was Henrik’s voice, which she had heard a few times before.

“…Right now?”

“Yes.”

Reluctantly, Amelia forced herself to stand, wrapping a shawl over the robe she had been wearing. When she opened the door, Henrik was standing there in the cold, holding a candlestick.

Josef was staying in a separate wing, she had been told. Following Henrik, Amelia stepped outside, crossing the frosty lawn where the frozen grass brushed her ankles. The only sound breaking the stillness of midnight was the crunch of dead grass underfoot.

“I greet Your Highness,” she said.

Henrik remained in his captain’s uniform, but Josef, seated diagonally in his chair, was dressed more casually, wearing only a vest over his tunic. His usually neat black hair was slightly disheveled. The way he lounged, tapping ash from his cigarette, made him look less like a crown prince and more like a rogue. His build seemed more fitting for a street mercenary or a hunter. Only his sharp, composed features retained a sense of dignity.

At Josef’s gesture, Amelia sat on the long sofa across from the tea table. She briefly wondered if sitting in a place larger than his violated some sort of etiquette, but he didn’t seem to care.

“Not asleep yet?” Josef asked, resting his chin on the hand that had been on the armrest.

“You summoned me, Your Highness…”

“If you didn’t want to come, you could have said you were asleep.”

After hesitating for a moment, Amelia spoke.

“And if I had, would you have refrained from waking me?”

“No.”

‘I would’ve come to your room.’

Amelia couldn’t get angry, but she didn’t feel like pretending to laugh either, so she remained silent.

“Tell me everything you know about the Levant,” he said, finally getting to the point, and Amelia felt slightly more at ease. As she explained the size of the ship, when it was built, and its role in both the Brienne trading fleet and navy, Josef listened quietly.

When she reached the part about the Levant’s firing range, Amelia suddenly paused. As much as she was a hostage of the empire and the ship was being delivered to the crown prince, she wondered if there was any need to explain everything in such detail. She might have been unconsciously leaking classified information about Brienne’s navy.

“I already know all that,” Josef remarked, as if reading her mind. His face, showing little interest, now appeared somewhat bored, which only stirred Amelia’s sense of defiance.

“…And Admiral Licht will probably come as well,” she said, the words slipping out before she could stop herself. The admiral was in command of the flagship, after all. Realizing what she had revealed, Amelia felt a surge of regret as Josef’s eyes lit up with interest. She had just disclosed important information about the navy’s commander to another country.

“Who is Admiral Licht?”

Josef grinned. Amelia silently berated herself for making him smile. It seemed he already knew how to get what he wanted from her—by provoking her instead of intimidating her, drawing out reactions rather than suppressing them.

“…”

“You should repay me for Helen’s kindness, Amelia,” Josef said, grinding out his cigarette in the ashtray. His expression was as arrogant as when he had once told her that her life was sustained by his favor.

“…He’s the commander of Brienne’s fleet.”

“And?”

Josef began asking more questions, focusing not on the admiral’s authority within the navy but on his personality. Amelia wasn’t sure how such details could be of use, but all she could do was give evasive answers as best as she could to protect what she could.

“Leave now,” Josef said, lighting another cigarette.

“Sleep well. I won’t wake you again.”

Amelia bowed slightly to him before opening the door halfway, then turned her back and left the room. Though she had to face the cold air again to return to her quarters, she felt oddly relieved. She thought she’d rather sit on a torture chair lined with needles than spend more time with him. In the distance, the sound of a carriage passing by could be heard.

***

The inspection team that departed for the port included Crown Prince Josef and several ministers responsible for commerce and trade.

As a result, the internal affairs were proceeding a bit more smoothly, but the decision to expedite the special release of prisoners in celebration of the Crown Prince’s engagement had been made.

That news even reached the ears of the petty criminals in the underground prison of Olstein Castle.

“Useless mercy,” one prisoner grumbled, lying flat on the rotten straw.

There’s nothing to live on outside anyway. During the war, when the capital’s defenses were weak, petty thieves like him had thrived. Now, with guards patrolling all over the city, it was easy to fail or get caught like this.

“Hey, I’ve got a good job for you.”

Another prisoner he’d grown friendly with in the cell spoke up. He had been arrested for beating up an innkeeper while drunk.

“What is it? I’m not doing anything that involves hitting people. Too much hassle.”

The thief, still lying down, responded curtly.

“You just have to keep watch. My friend and I will handle everything.”

The other prisoner whispered that the plan was simple: once they were released, they would catch a noble outside the city gates and rough him up.

“Any noble?”

“That’s what I heard.”

The thief sat up, puzzled. From the way the guy was talking, it sounded like someone had hired them, but the target being “any noble” didn’t make sense.

“Maybe they’ve got a grudge against the castle guards?”

“Ah, could be.”

That explanation made sense. If a noble were robbed, the guards would be blamed. The thief nodded, though he didn’t particularly care who wanted to start trouble. He wasn’t fond of the guards either.

“Here.”

The prisoner pulled out a gold coin from his pocket. The thief’s eyes widened.

“Wow! Is this real gold?”

“Shh.”

He promised there’d be ten more once the job was done. The thief, excited, stuffed the first gold coin into his prison clothes, the first he had ever held in his life.

***

After two more days, they arrived at a wide, well-maintained port. The seawater here looked bleak compared to Brienne’s.

As Amelia walked along, mingling with the group of ministers who were casually chatting behind the Crown Prince, she learned that this place had once belonged to a grand duchy. After losing in battle, the grand duke’s family had been executed on Josef’s orders. The joyless expressions of those drinking around makeshift tables made of barrels reflected that history.

As the inspection team approached the dock, their pace slowed. In contrast, Amelia’s steps quickened when she spotted a ship moored there. Her heart raced as she recognized the familiar figurehead and fluttering sails. It was the Levant.

“Over here.”

One of the ministers, noticing Amelia, conveniently arranged for her to stand near the Crown Prince. Fixing her gaze on Admiral Licht, who was disembarking from the ship, Amelia stood by Josef’s side.

‘Admiral Licht…’

She unconsciously took a step forward, but Josef grabbed her arm.

“If you don’t want to greet him while tied up in ropes, stay still,” he warned in a stern voice. Amelia had no choice but to watch as Admiral Licht approached.

Dressed in the uniform of Brienne’s navy and holding a cane, the admiral still cut an imposing figure despite his advanced age. The imperial soldiers escorting the inspection team eyed him with obvious suspicion, but none dared to openly threaten him or meet his gaze.

“I greet Your Highness, the Crown Prince of the Empire. I am Licht of Brienne…”

The admiral removed his hat and began to introduce himself, but faltered as he started to kneel on one knee. The frost that had fallen overnight had melted, making the uneven ground slippery and muddy.

Amelia knew that one of the admiral’s legs had long ago been replaced with a prosthetic due to several naval battles. Watching him hesitate, she couldn’t bear it any longer.

“Your Highness, just a moment,” she pleaded.

“No,” Josef replied.

“Please… just for a moment.”

Amelia looked at Josef with a pleading expression. Though he still seemed reluctant, she felt his grip on her arm loosen. Half shaking off his hold, she quickly moved forward to the admiral.

“Admiral,” she called.

Admiral Licht bowed his head politely. Without hesitation, Amelia removed the cape she was wearing and spread it over the muddy ground. The murmuring from the people behind her didn’t bother her at all.

“My Lady…”

The admiral looked at her in surprise.

“I’m sorry… This is all I can do for you.”

Ignoring the sorrow that briefly clouded the admiral’s weathered face, Amelia spoke quickly and then turned to return to Josef’s side. The Crown Prince stood slouched, watching the admiral slowly kneel on the cape with the help of his cane.

“My name is Admiral Licht, Your Highness. I humbly present to Your Excellency, the Governor, the flagship of the Brienne First Fleet, the Levant. I request that you graciously accept it.”

Josef’s indifferent gaze swept over the imperial flag fluttering from the Levant and the anxious crew members pacing the deck, before shifting to the figurehead adorning the ship’s bow. The hair of the giant goddess, trapped in the wood as she protected the ship, was delicately carved to look as though it was blowing in the sea breeze.

“And what am I supposed to do with a single warship?”

Josef’s remark silenced the somewhat distracted inspection party. The tone of the Crown Prince was less a question and more of a rebuke. Admiral Licht, now looking as troubled as Amelia, raised his head with a strained expression.

“Is Brienne’s arithmetic different from the Empire’s?”

“…”

“I thought this would hold more significance for you.”

“This”. Josef said, placing a hand on Amelia’s shoulder. Amelia turned her gaze to the distance, pretending not to notice the admiral clenching his fists. Being treated like an object was far more humiliating than the hand gripping her shoulder.

Not long ago, Josef had inquired about Admiral Licht. Had it been to humiliate him? If so, Amelia thought, she would rather he just strangle her instead.

“My deepest apologies, Your Highness. The Duke of Leonid did not intend…”

“Take the Levant or whatever it is, and return it.”

Josef pulled a folded piece of paper from his coat. When Admiral Licht received and unfolded it from the soldier, his face went pale.

“I need a fleet. Olstein will soon have a navy.”

“…”

“Build ten warships identical to that one.”

Josef gestured toward the Levant.

“Then we’ll negotiate again.”

“…What kind of negotiation?”

As the admiral asked, holding the order for the fleet, Josef gently stroked Amelia’s shoulder with a calm demeanor.

“That until then, I’ll keep Amelia alive.”