Chapter 102

She had been curious about news from that side anyway. She had thought she would be able to see Durant as soon as she arrived at the Imperial Palace, but, unexpectedly, the Emperor appeared. Despite her and Yurik’s surprise, the Emperor simply waved them away, telling them to come back in a couple of days.

He didn’t literally drive them out, but with his words about being busy and a gesture to just go, it was practically the same as sending them away.

“They were caught kissing.”

“There’s no way out of that, huh?”

“Exactly. So… Earl Fruyde collapsed in shock. Lydia Fruyde ran away from home,”

“Ran away?!”

“……She’s staying at the Imperial Palace now, I think.”

“Haa…….”

A sigh escaped her lips. What was all this?

“Anyone opposed?”

“Not many. The fact that you’re their friend played a big part. There were even rumors that it happened because of you.”

“That’s not true…….”

Durant and Lydia had fallen for each other without her knowing.

Hearing her mutter, Leticia shrugged and added, “Anyway, that’s how it is.”

“As for the romance itself, everyone was just surprised, that’s about it? There’s hardly anyone opposed. Most people just think, ‘If they’re happy, what can you do?’”

“I heard it was a huge fuss, though. What was that?”

“That was because the Earl made a scene at the Imperial Palace…….”

“…….”

Life really was full of surprises. Earl Fruyde, who seemed like someone who’d never raise his voice, had made a commotion at the Imperial Palace.

‘Well… I ended up as the protagonist of a love triangle, so maybe anything can happen.’

In the end, it meant Earl Fruyde was vehemently opposed to their relationship. One might think having the next Emperor as a son-in-law would be a good thing, but the Earl had always wanted Lydia to be his heir.

But Lydia had little interest in the Earldom. More precisely, she felt that sort of thing didn’t suit her.

So the Earl had planned to pass the title to Lydia’s child, but if the man she was seeing was the next Emperor, then her child would be the next Emperor!

……In truth, the Earl had never wanted to support Durant as a suitor. It wasn’t that anything had happened, but the Fruyde family had never been particularly cooperative or friendly with the Imperial Family.

‘Hmm? But…….’

Suddenly, a solution came to her. It was so simple, surely someone else must have thought of it… She tilted her head, scribbling the idea onto a small notepad.

‘If they have… two children…….’

Then one could be Emperor and one could be Earl. Still, since the Earl was very fond of Lydia, she wondered if he’d accept a solution that would wear out his daughter’s body. But that was for Lydia and Durant to persuade him about. If all else failed, they’d just have to get married and see what happened……

“And now, your problem.”

Leticia snapped her fingers to get her attention and waved a document, reading from it.

“This is an insult to Essen.”

“That’s not it…….”

“If the former 1st Prince thinks of Essen that way, then the Emperor and Grand Duke probably feel the same.”

“Hmm…….”

If one didn’t know their personalities, it was easy to think that way.

“Article 2 of the Maillak Treaty, ‘Essen and Elvirtein shall sign a non-aggression pact.’, and the last clause, ‘This treaty shall be renewed every ten years by sending envoys to each country. Each country is responsible for the safety of the envoy.’ Because of these, there are claims the treaty was violated.”

The treaty’s contents were simple, but if someone wanted to interpret it to their own advantage, there was no reason they couldn’t. Since the envoy usually represents their country, one could argue that her being attacked violated the non-aggression pact.

The last clause… It seemed to apply only to the envoys sent every ten years, but the final sentence could be interpreted to mean that any envoy, at any time, must be protected by the host country.

“Who could have written something so clever?”

“Who else? Your ancestor, of course.”

“Right…….”

Overall, it was as expected, but Leticia’s explanation made the situation seem even more serious.

What was the best course of action? In this situation, her own opinion wouldn’t be much help. Even if she said she was fine, it wouldn’t matter.

In truth, neither side wanted war, but within Essen, there were always those who hated being ignored more than death. If they got involved, things would get complicated.

Of course, Durant wasn’t the sort to be swayed by such talk……

“Well, we’re busy and all, but there’s hardly anything we can do about this issue.”

“That’s true.”

“By the way, My Lady. Could you look at the stack of documents next to you?”

“…….”

She had been deliberately ignoring them since she entered the office…… The days of not looking at paperwork were over.

* * *

“Dione!”

“Lydia…….”

As soon as she entered the Crown Prince’s palace drawing room, Lydia hugged her tightly, not giving her a chance to avoid it. Not that she would have dodged even if she could.

She hadn’t even greeted Durant yet, so she wondered if this was okay. Glancing behind Lydia, she saw Durant waving his hand as if to say it was fine. Relieved, she hugged Lydia back, hearing soft sniffles in her ear.

“Are you alright? Don’t you need to rest more?”

“Yeah. I’m fine. You don’t have to worry anymore.”

As they hugged and checked on each other tenderly, Durant, sitting behind Lydia, fixed his gaze on her. His eyes looked both displeased and annoyed.

“……Why are you looking at me like that?”

“No reason.”

He said it was nothing, but clearly, Lydia clinging to her was getting on his nerves. Yet, he couldn’t say anything to a friend who had almost died, or to Lydia who had worried so much, so he just looked sulky.

As she tried to ignore him, she met Yurik’s eyes, who seemed to be feeling the same.

“What are you looking at?”

“Nothing.”

Nothing, huh……

Friends really did flock together. Of course, this applied to her and Lydia as well.

Lydia let go of her and grabbed her face, inspecting every inch with sharp eyes. It was as if she was checking to see if her cherished friend’s face had been damaged.

“Did you lose weight?”

“No, I ate well…….”

It wasn’t just an excuse; it was true. While she was in Elvirtein, Raihan and Yurik had been desperate to feed her delicious food. And after her near-death experience, they’d gone out of their way to provide foods good for her health, especially those that helped with iron and blood production.

Despite her answer, Lydia furrowed her brow, and then a shocked voice interrupted between them.

“Do you always touch her like that?”

“Why are you making such a fuss over touching my face?”

Hearing Lydia’s annoyed retort and the muttered complaint, ‘You never touch my face like that……,’ sent chills down her spine. The couple’s antics were intense.

‘……Did I used to be like that?’

She offered a quiet apology to those who’d suffered emotionally and took a moment to reflect.

Ignoring Durant’s request to sit next to him, Lydia sat beside her. It didn’t seem like they’d had a big fight, but maybe a minor quarrel. Leaving behind the sadness of a Crown Prince ignored by his lover, she turned to the serious topic she’d originally intended.

“What will you do?”

“I’ve already sent word. We have no intention of going to war, and we’ll maintain the treaty, but since the envoy almost died, an apology and follow-up are needed.”

It was a reasonable response. No nation wanted to break the peace. That was obvious. In the so-called age of barbarism, too many lives had been lost to war. Anyone who knew history would want to avoid such tragedies.

If Essen had made their position clear, what would Elvirtein do? That was the first thing to consider.

“They’ll probably try to win you over.”

“Of course…”

Yurik’s point made sense. Nothing would calm things down faster than the victim herself declaring she held no grudge. Usually, anyway. But she worried that the public was using the treaty as a weapon. That was a separate issue, even if she said she was fine.