Chapter 78: Victory Party
Following along, I entered a dazzling party venue.
It was a standing buffet-style party. In a corner, musicians were playing beautiful melodies.
Less than half the people there were familiar to me. I didn’t know any of the ladies, so that was a given.
I also barely knew any of the civil officials who weren’t involved in the war.
Perhaps because of this situation, I was incredibly nervous.
Well, the main reason was that I didn’t want to embarrass myself in front of Yurisia.
As I stepped forward with these thoughts, people I knew started teasing me upon seeing my formal attire, saying things like, “Oh, what a dignified appearance!” and “Your Highness, you look splendid!”
It’s true that I’d been dressing like a commoner until now.
I was aware that my appearance had changed quite a bit.
“Ufufu, Rui is being praised by everyone. It feels wonderful.”
“Well, I’m fine with just being normal, you know?”
I replied, but she wouldn’t listen, saying, “This is good!”
Amidst that, someone dressed as a butler said, “His Majesty is waiting. This way, please,” and guided me to the second floor.
There, not only were Dad, the Princesses, and the General, but also a Marquis and several people I’d never seen before.
“Rui, that’s your seat. Young lady Yurisia, you sit next to him too.”
While getting my back slapped with a “Suits you, doesn’t it?”, I sat down and was introduced to the unfamiliar people.
“It’s an honor to meet you for the first time, Hero of the Nation, Crown Prince Rui.
My name is Vindel von Fastall.”
When I returned the introduction, Dad explained that he was from the ducal house that had served as chancellors for generations.
He was apparently someone who had supported Dad in many ways while he couldn’t return to the castle.
He was said to be a distinguished Belfast noble whose family name was bestowed by the first king.
And most importantly, it was Mom’s family home.
In short, he was my grandfather.
He apologized for Mom contracting sclerosis due to her own actions of absorbing too many Magic Stones.
I couldn’t hide my bewilderment at the unexpected apology, but when I replied that she was a wonderful, the best mother, he repeated, “Is that so… Is that so…” as if savoring the words.
It seems the two ducal houses, Razbel and Fastall, primarily serve as a place for princes and princesses who have renounced their succession rights.
Though, apparently, it’s often just a formality where only their names are added.
By the way, even if adopted, they can’t become the head of the ducal house. He told me this when I questioned if a prince entering a ducal house wouldn’t cause conflict with the biological children.
Sadly, Belfast only has the Royal Capital as a royal domain. Excluding this, there are only three other towns. If one wanted to become a lord, they would apparently have to marry into another noble family with their consent, but usually, princes are made to refrain.
I see. I shall respectfully decline.
And so, I chatted while being introduced to others, from Marquises I was meeting for the first time to various ladies.
In the course of that, I asked something that had been bothering me.
“Hey, why doesn’t Belfast take Mildrad’s territory?
After all they’ve done, wouldn’t it be better to seize it and weaken them?”
That’s right, Mildrad has been waging wars of aggression for centuries.
Even though we haven’t initiated anything from our side.
If we’re going to be attacked endlessly, I think it’s better to just conquer them…
Now that Mildrad’s soldiers have drastically decreased, we should be able to take one or two territories, right?
“No, it’s something the first king, Fondeil-sama, decided.
We have a rule that we must not wage wars of aggression.
Well, I’m thinking of breaking it myself soon enough, though…”
When Dad said that, everyone, starting with the General, began to rise from their seats.
“Then!! You’re going to do it, aren’t you!?”
“Yeah. Rui’s right.
After all this, we have no choice but to crush them and rule them ourselves.”
The generals laughed belligerently, but the ladies looked worried.
“It’ll be fine. Mildrad should be an empty shell right now. As long as the Empire doesn’t show up, there’s no need to worry. Well, it’s also a matter of taking it before the Empire shows up and snatches it…”
Yes. That will definitely happen.
From what I’ve heard, the Mildrad royalty was supposedly killed by those Empire bastards.
I think they’ve already infiltrated, so it’s a troublesome situation, but being able to stop the enemy before they reach Belfast is a huge advantage.
Or rather, if we can take Mildrad’s northernmost town, we can definitely stop the Empire there.
There’s an impassable mountain range, and the entrance to this peninsula can only be reached by passing through either Mildrad’s or Lestall’s northernmost town.
Well, I learned that during a war council.
Just the other day, though.
“Hey Dad… I mean, His Majesty the King, if we were to conquer all of Mildrad, couldn’t we give Rhys and the surrounding towns to Lestall?”
“Huh? Wait… why would we give anything to Lestall?”
I explained my plan to Dad, who looked unconvinced.
“It’s because if that place is blocked, the Imperial army can’t get in.
Since they’re a country that makes threats, they probably wouldn’t allow military passage.
If that happens, the Empire will probably make a move on Lestall too.
Don’t you think it would be good to form an alliance with Lestall at that time?
This time, with us as the reinforcements.”
Either way, if Lestall and the Empire team up, it’s over for us.
I realized it in this all-out war, but the difference in numbers isn’t something that can be easily overcome.
It was just that Mildrad was too weak, and things went well because the terrain conditions happened to align.
Now that the existence of landmines is known, if we think we can use the same trick next time, we’ll likely have the rug pulled out from under us and be finished.
Even during this war, they tried to attack from the north to avoid them.
To make them think an alliance with Belfast is necessary, I want the two countries to have a decisive falling out as early as possible.
As a move towards that, “dyeing” the border with Lestall seems like a pretty good idea.
They’re the worst kind of country, full of schemes, and just recently laid hands on the Mildrad royalty. It’s clear which side King Lestall, who is investigating such an Empire, would choose to join hands with.
If this succeeds, there are benefits for Lestall too.
It’s only a matter of time before they clash with the Empire, which looks down on neighboring countries.
The shorter the border with such a country, the better.
Right now, they can enter from anywhere in Mildrad as they please. If it becomes a situation where they only need to guard two towns’ worth of border, a strict security net can be established.
Territorial expansion, reduction of the defense line, and an alliance with us. With these three, I think there’s a high chance they’ll accept.
Since the Empire was trying to get both Belfast and Mildrad in its grasp, Lestall should also feel they’re in danger.
Viscount Oldam also sensed the danger from the Empire and was of the opinion that if we fought them as things are, we’d likely lose.
“I understand making it so the Imperial army can’t come here without passing through Lestall, but why send reinforcements then? If the Empire and Lestall start a war, we’ll be safe, right?”
“What are you saying…? You know firsthand how strong the Imperial Soldiers are, don’t you?
If Lestall falls, we’re next.
His Majesty Royce, do you think you can win against the Empire after it has swallowed Lestall?”
When I asked him seriously, he frankly admitted, “No, that’s impossible.”
Good. I was wondering what I’d do if he said we could win here.
I’ve seen the documents on the Empire; they’re on a different scale than Mildrad.
“Any strategy will do.
At the very least, we must not have a falling out with Lestall. If possible, form an alliance.
I believe that is the only way for our country to survive.”
“Hahaha, just as I’d heard, Prince Rui is truly reliable.
For both father and son to be heroes, I suppose it’s as expected of the Belfast royal family’s heroic lineage.”
Duke Fastall, laughing as he said this, added, “However, now is the time to celebrate victory, and the ladies are looking troubled,” but then continued, “I would like to hear more about this at leisure later.”
Indeed, everyone was dumbfounded.
They can’t be happy when the possibility of ruin is suggested while they’re celebrating a hard-won victory.
But the Duke’s eyes were serious when he said let’s talk later.
Yeah. Let’s save this talk for later.
Pulling himself together, the General comically and grandly recounted his great achievements, and the place livened up considerably.
And perhaps as payback for being teased so much, the General also started talking about me, exaggerating wildly.
Dad listened to both stories, roaring with laughter.
People gathered around Dad’s joyful voice, and when the circle had grown to a certain size, he said, “It’s a bit cramped here. Shall we go downstairs?” and they went down the stairs to the main venue, where they got excited talking about the battle.
Yuri and I stepped out of that circle, poured ourselves drinks, and took a breather.
Dad was mainly the center of attention. Everyone seemed happy about his return and was trying hard to exchange even a few words with him.
I took a breath, thinking, It’s a relief Dad’s here~.
If he hadn’t returned, all that attention would probably have come to me.
“Fuu. I wonder if I managed to take responsibility for ruining the mood…”
“So you were concerned about it. It happens often, so please don’t worry.
The survival of the country is a matter of utmost priority, after all.”
The General, who had appeared beside me at some point, offered some follow-up.
I guess that was his way of backing me up? That exaggeration…
“Thank you very much. Perhaps the responsibility was too heavy for me.
I just couldn’t shake the thought that I had to get out of this situation.”
“Indeed… For fifteen years, I, too, constantly wished to escape.
I was caught in a vicious cycle, and there was little I could accomplish…”
“However,” he said, his expression changing as a smile formed on his face.
“Thanks to Your Highness, I’ve finally managed to break free from that cycle.
It’s been so long since my heart felt this light…”
“All that’s left is for this girl to forgive you, and then it’ll be perfect, right?”
When I mixed in a little joke, he gave a slightly bitter smile and said, “Indeed.”
“Why… Why are you so friendly with someone like him, Rui…? Even though he tried to separate us.”
It was the General who first responded to her as she glared at me sadly.
“It was all for your sake… His Highness thought you would be sad if we had a falling out.”
“Er, yes. Yuri is kind, so she’d end up worrying about it later, you see.”
Yuri, who was groaning “Muuu,” after some internal conflict, turned away with a “hmph” but told the General, “I understand! If Rui says it was for my sake, I’ll give you a chance to atone! I still haven’t forgiven you, though!!”
Just then, someone hugged me from behind.
Eh!?
What in the world? When I turned around, it was Cornelia-san, her face flushed red.
“Rui-samaaa… Why haven’t you come to meee?”
“Cornelia-sama, are you drunk?”
It’s true that in this world, it’s permissible to drink alcohol if you’re past fifteen.
However, it’s still not considered something children should drink.
“Is it wrong!? I’m just an old hag anywayyy!!”
“I didn’t say that…”
While replying, I glanced at the General, silently asking for help, but he was already gone. He ran off.
I seriously wanted his help. Especially in this situation…
Because Yuri-chan is pouting.
“Hmph. So that girl is the one Rui is in love with, huh!?”
“Eh!? Yes. Well…”
When I affirmed Yunon-san’s words, Yuri panicked, “Eh, eehh!?”
No, I’ve already told you enough times, haven’t I? Well, that part’s fine too, though.
“Hmph… Fine. I won’t tell you to break up with him.
You’re marrying into Royalty, so you’re the type to accept polygamy, right?
How many are you willing to accept? Well? How about it?”
Yunon-san was pressuring Yuri while asking her all sorts of strange questions.
Yuri looked up at me, her eyes welling up with tears.
“Yunon-san, regardless of what Yuri decides, I’m the type who doesn’t approve, so I must decline.”
“Why not!! Take responsibility!!”
“Tha’s riight, Rui-sama shhould take reshponsibility and marry meee!”
Guh, what troublesome drunks…
Wait, is Yunon-san even drunk?
Either way, they’re equally troublesome. Because we’re the center of attention.
I wish they had just stayed quiet upstairs.
Although it hasn’t been formally announced yet, I went around to the various houses to persuade them to join the war, so everyone knows about them. They’re probably much more well-known than I am.
Besides, this is a space filled with people over forty.
In other words, if you were to talk about their princesses, it would be these two.
It was inevitable that they’d become the center of attention if girls like that were clinging to a prince and making a scene.
This is bad. Extremely bad. A swift resolution is necessary.
Because Yuri is on the verge of tears, giving off an air of ‘I’m not needed anymore.’
Thinking I had to clear up the misunderstanding quickly, I forcibly broke free from Cornelia-san’s grasp, picked Yuri up, and left the venue.
Phew, I sighed, walking down the corridor while carrying Yuri.
Ah, she’s so warm and soft, she might just be an angel, I thought, gazing at the adorable Yuri, but she seemed to be angry about something, saying “That’s enough.”
“What’s wrong… Are you angry?”
“I’m not angry! Why don’t you just go and take responsibility for them!
I don’t even know who they are!!”
“No, those women are my aunts, you know. You shouldn’t take them seriously, okay?”
In reality, I think they are serious, but since they are impossible as partners in that sense, I explained it that way.
However, as expected, Yuri was confused.
“My aunts, what does that mean… My… aunts?” she kept muttering.
“They’re Dad’s older sisters, apparently.”
“Eh!? Um, excuse my rudeness, but no matter how you look at it, they’re quite advanced in age…”
“There are various reasons for that, but it’s the truth. Dad acknowledged it too.”
Although she didn’t seem entirely convinced, Yuri believed me even before I explained everything.
I was happy and explained the whole story, but then she got angry again.
Why? I don’t get it.
“Why don’t you just take responsibility for seeing them naked!?”
“No, I told you, it was just a medical procedure! And I firmly refused, didn’t I?
I already have someone right here to whom I’ve pledged my future!”
The corners of Yuri’s mouth twitched into a grin, as if she couldn’t hold it back any longer.
This girl, she knew and made me say it.
No, it’s fine to make me say it, but don’t trick me like that!
I was actually really scared inside, you know!?
I wanted to tease her back somehow, but since I was carrying her, my hands were full and I couldn’t.
Oh well. Yuri smiled, so it’s fine.
Now then, what should I do? As I stood there, right after leaving the venue, someone called out to me from behind.
“Your Highness, are you already done with the party?”
“Yes, I’ve enjoyed it enough.”
When I turned around, Duke Fastall was there.
“Well then, how about we continue our earlier discussion now?”
Just when I had some free time, I received his invitation and followed him.