~Chapter 34~
I first placed paper and a pen on the desk.
Then, I began writing down the information that came to mind.
“The King of the Narkas Kingdom doesn’t know about Isabel’s powers. What the king wants is a connection to the empire. What Father wants are the warships of Narkas.”
Even though the capital, Velodona, is located inland, it’s close to the sea. Wanting warships must mean…
There’s no real reason to head out to sea, so why would Father need warships?
It must be because the Divine Beast Prison inside Velodona is becoming unstable.
After Zeno’s escape, he must have realized the prison couldn’t perfectly contain the Divine Beasts anymore.
That must bother him. He could be thinking of relocating the prison somewhere else.
‘What if it’s in the middle of the sea, where the Divine Beasts can be safely contained?’
A grin crept across my lips.
Now I had a decision to make.
Should I go and find Father? Or should I wait for him to come to me?
‘Hmm, it’s usually the one who’s feeling more desperate that makes the first move.’
Originally, I was planning to go straight to the Lendsa Castle, but I changed my mind.
It’s not me who’s in a rush, it’s Father.
Of course, I’m worried about Cedric, but since Zeno is with him, he should be fine.
They may argue, but they seem to get along well.
“Um… Your Grace, the Grand Duchess. Is it really okay for us to just sit here and do nothing?”
I blinked while enjoying the scent of tea.
“It’s fine. Do you think the Grand Duke is weak?”
“No, but…”
“The knights are looking for him, right?”
“Yes, of course. Especially Sir Caven, who is out there digging the snow every day.”
I recalled his red eyes filled with madness.
Ever since Cedric went missing, Caven had barely slept, heading out daily with a digging tool in hand to dig through the snow.
Thankfully, the animals in the garden were safe.
Thanks to the magic stones, they were well-protected, and it was the perfect place to avoid the snow.
“My friend has been helping out, so things have been easier, right?”
“Yes, that’s true, but… if anyone from the capital sees this, Your Grace could be in trouble.”
“That’s true. Don’t worry. My friends will inform me of any updates.”
The reason I could remain so calm was because of my friends.
Far away, rabbits were digging burrows, keeping watch to see if Father was coming.
Birds perched on branches, always watching to see if the imperial carriage was approaching.
“The snow will stop in a week.”
“…A week, you say?”
I nodded slightly.
This amount of power would only last for a week. Whether they liked it or not, the snow would calm down soon.
Father would come before that happened.
“I thought he’d be here by now. Is he trying to come up with another plan?”
If so, I might have to nudge him a little.
“Lien, could you bring me some paper and a pen? I need to write a letter.”
“I really don’t understand what Your Grace is thinking.”
Bahala sighed, looking at the endless falling snow.
“Don’t worry, Butler. While the Grand Duke is gone, I am the one in charge here. Nothing will change.”
I started writing a letter on the paper that Lien brought me.
‘What should I write?’
I needed to think of something that would catch Father’s attention.
What if I told him I know about the technology for building sailing ships?
It was a risky approach, but since nothing had happened after two days, I had no choice.
[Father, Isabel won’t stop. If you knew how to stop her, what would you do?]
Hmm, that should do it.
I tapped the paper with the pen before folding the letter and putting it in an envelope.
After stamping it with the duchy’s seal, I was about to hand it to Lien when I approached the window.
Whistle.
At my call, a sparrow flew over, shaking off the snow.
“Deliver this quickly to the capital.”
“Tweet, tweet.” (I’m too small to fly all the way to Velodona.)
At the sparrow’s words, I clapped my hands, realizing my mistake.
“Tweet!” (I’ll go get a friend.)
The sparrow disappeared into the sky, only to return with a much larger bird.
“…Your friend is a hawk?”
I felt relieved that the sparrow hadn’t been eaten.
Looking at the odd pair—a sparrow and a hawk—I awkwardly smiled.
“Screech!” (There’s plenty of food, so there’s no reason to eat this little one.)
“I see.”
“Screech!” (I’m just following the no-hunting rule.)
I glanced back and forth between the hawk and the sparrow, which was easily twenty times smaller.
“…Your Grace, I feel like I’m dreaming these days.”
The butler’s comment made me shrug.
I tied the letter to the hawk’s leg and sent it flying out the window.
“Hmm, do you think I’m lacking as the one managing the Grand Duke’s estate?”
The butler quickly shook his head.
“You’ve been doing an exceptional job, Your Grace. The way you immediately prepared the townspeople for the snow and distributed the magic stones has allowed them to stay warm.”
“That’s good to hear. Soon, the Emperor will make his move, so we should start preparing.”
“Preparing? For what?”
“I’ll need large paper to draw some designs. Parchment (animal skin) would be ideal.”
I spread my arms wide.
It needed to be this big to draw the design for a sailing ship.
“The northern region’s technology is better than Velodona’s, right?”
“…Why are you asking that?”
“I need it for something. Don’t you wonder what will happen if we create what the Emperor wants before he does?”
“What exactly are you planning to make?”
I grinned and drew a ship on the paper.
“A sailing ship.”
“…Sailing ships aren’t used in the north, so they’re difficult to make.”
“But we have skilled craftsmen, don’t we?”
If we have them, it won’t be hard to make what I want.
The butler tilted his head as he looked at the ship I’d drawn.
He seemed completely lost.
“Father needs the technology to build sailing ships, which is why he’s forming an alliance with Narkas. If I know that technology, then Isabel won’t need to be tied down by marriage.”
“Ah…!”
Bahala’s face brightened. He seemed to understand my plan and nodded eagerly, rolling up his sleeves.
“If the marriage with the king falls through, then the princess will stop too, correct?”
“That’s right!”
“I’ll secretly gather the craftsmen right away.”
“Please do.”
The butler quickly bowed and left.
Now, all that was left was to see Father’s reaction.
The Emperor narrowed his eyes as he looked out at the snowstorm swirling outside the window.
[The deadline Your Majesty set is almost here, but the princess has not responded.
“I’m disappointed that our agreement has come to this. If you want to acquire Narkas’s warships, I expect you to honor our original deal and provide the agreed-upon payment.”
It’s surprising that things are different from how you said that the princess would happily accept the marriage. It seems I should hear what Your Majesty has to say about this.]
‘That old man is exhausting.
If it weren’t for those warships, I wouldn’t have even considered sending Isabel.’
Of course, he planned to take the warships and then take Isabel back afterward.
He wasn’t crazy enough to leave Isabel, with her powers, as the king’s second wife.
“Your Majesty, the knights have returned.”
At the words of his aide, Velado, the Emperor crumpled the letter and threw it on the floor.
“Velado, send a message to Narkas. Tell them the gift is being prettily wrapped, and that’s why it’s taking time.”
“… Understood.”
The “gift” the Emperor referred to was Princess Isabel.
The aide remained silent at the sight of the Emperor treating his own daughter like an object.
The knights who had gone out to search for Isabel returned, but she wasn’t with them.
“You still haven’t found Isabel?”
“We used the divine beast, but the snowstorm was too severe to locate her.”
The Emperor’s golden eyes slowly scanned the knights.
‘They aren’t lying.’
With his eyes that could see through everything, lies were easily exposed. However, there was one person whose thoughts he couldn’t read.
‘Claire, that woman, she finally did it.’
He had suspected she was hiding something, but she hadn’t even shown any signs of her powers, and she hadn’t been helpful at all.
If Isabel had married the Grand Duke, she could have had complete control over him. But now that plan has failed.
The Emperor slowly rubbed his chin and looked at the knights.
‘What should I do?’
More letters kept coming from Narkas.
Their king, already persistent, was growing even more troublesome.
If it weren’t for the warships, the Emperor would never have made an alliance with Narkas.
Catching the runaway divine beast was the priority, but thanks to Isabel’s interference, nothing was progressing.
The Emperor’s patience was wearing thin.
“…You returned to the palace without finding her?”
“We’re, we’re sorry.”
The knights immediately bowed their heads.
“Is this how my household is being run?”
Bringing a concubine’s child into the palace had clearly been a mistake.
He’d hoped Isabel would develop powers, but it had all turned into a disaster.
The Emperor stood up and walked over to the kneeling knight.
He patted the knight’s shoulder a couple of times and whispered.
“Find her within a week. Both the divine beast and Isabel.”
