Chapter 128

The envoy delegation from the state of Chinguk had crossed the seas upon the decree of the Cheon-ja.

The head of the delegation, Supreme Patriarch of the Zongzheng Office, Left Patriarch (First-Rank), Khan Guang-Yun, was currently overwhelmed with confusion.

This was due to the cold treatment the envoy delegation from Chinguk was receiving from the Britannia Empire. Collective ostracism had begun right after the welcome banquet.

“The minister is unwell at the moment.”

“Then perhaps tomorrow…”

“The minister is also expected to be unwell tomorrow… In fact, recovery seems unlikely given the severity of the illness. The vice-minister is out on an inspection tour, making a meeting difficult. We regret the inconvenience.”

“Why, this is an outrageous insult!”

“We ask for your understanding.”

In normal circumstances, high-ranking officials from the Empire would have come rushing over to request meetings. But now, they fled on flimsy excuses.

“…Our delegation includes several promising martial artists from distinguished lineages. Would it be possible to arrange friendly duels with your knights as a gesture of goodwill?”

“Duel? I’ll decline on their behalf.”

“But surely their preference should be considered…”

“It’s unnecessary. None of the Empire’s knights wish to be entangled with your Chinguk delegation. At least not now. I guarantee it.”

The martial artists who had accompanied the delegation, hoping to cross blades with the Empire’s knights in friendly duels, were also outright rejected.

To make matters worse, Empress Lianhua, the very person responsible for inviting the delegation—the title “Lady Chongning” being more familiar to Khan Guang-Yun—showed no particular enthusiasm for their visit.

“I heard you committed a major faux pas at the banquet.”

“Your Highness! The crown prince of the Empire employed treacherous tactics!”

“Alan Medoff isn’t the crown prince yet. Stop harboring ill feelings and finish your stay here peacefully.”

“But—”

“He’s not someone you can challenge with ease. Show restraint.”

That was the only warning he received.

‘Surely, we can’t return empty-handed?’

Khan Guang-Yun felt his vision dim with despair.

Of course, the official mission was already complete.

Anaïs, the granddaughter of Cheon-ja. Despite being of mixed heritage, she received a viscount title right after birth. Their mission was to secure her amnesty.

And they had done so.

Anaïs was soon to depart her place of exile and return to the state.

But this delegation had not journeyed all this way just for that.

Returning without achieving more would make the lavish gifts and trade privileges they had brought seem wasted. How would they be treated by the court if they returned without results? The thought of enduring such ostracism back home left him disheartened.

With two weeks still remaining, yet no agenda planned, the delegation found themselves in a bleak state of affairs.

Khan Guang-Yun sighed as he surveyed the palace provided to the delegation by the Empire.

The hospitality was lavish, yet it brought no joy as their intentions had not been merely to eat the offerings.

‘We must do something.’

Would abstaining from wine lead to such cold treatment? Every single official here was scrambling to stay in the good graces of the first imperial princess and her intended.

Breakthrough was needed, but a way forward was still unseen.

* * *

News of Anaïs’ release reached him.

I wasn’t tracking Anaïs, the third imperial princess, in real-time.

She wasn’t someone I needed to guard against, nor did I have the time. Dealing with the manufacture and distribution of narcotics alone was already no small feat.

However, at my side was Siena, who cherished her half-sister deeply.

“Anaïs must have just left the monastery.”

“Why do you know that?”

“Well, the Ministry of Justice sent a covert transport two days ago. …They likely tried to bring her secretly without drawing attention.”

“Did you intentionally investigate this?”

Siena shook her head with indifference.

“Not really. Some person thought I’d be satisfied if informed about Anaïs and did it without asking.”

“…”

“In fact, I also roughly know how she spent her time at the monastery.”

I decided not to ask how she knew. Siena had always had an extensive network of informants. For a princess with no friends and who would occasionally torment her few intimates out of boredom, her ability to uncover information she cared about was surprisingly effective.

That hasn’t changed.

What has changed is how she uses that information.

“To be honest, I don’t feel much about it anymore. She’s not even worth playing with now.”

“Is that sincere?”

“Yes.”

“…”

“Mother has ideas. Surely, she’ll manage Anaïs so she doesn’t cause trouble. I don’t think she’ll be able to slip by unnoticed. Maybe after some fuss, she’ll end up confined in her room, sewing lace to pass the time. What do you think?”

Siena’s words sounded almost alien, coming from her mouth.

If this were the old Siena, she would have surely found a way to provoke Anaïs, even if blocked by the Empress. There was no way she would have let a “reformed” toy go unused.

‘But now, she doesn’t even care.’

At my side, Siena was absorbed in her reading.

A wide-brimmed hat with lace trim, a modest mint-green dress, and a calm demeanor as her eyes scanned the lines of text.

It was as if a literary maiden had suddenly emerged. The peculiar part was the nature of the book she read: an obscene novel with explicit illustrations.

“The content is interesting.”

“That’s why you’re reading it?”

“Yes. The protagonist seduces the enemy’s daughter, gets her to fall in love with him, and marries her. But then he doesn’t consummate the marriage, simply abandoning her. When the wife, unable to bear the loneliness, tries to leave, he traps her with emotional manipulation.”

“And that’s it?”

“No. The protagonist maintains an illicit affair with the woman he truly loves. The formal wife stays a virgin until old age, while he satisfies his desires with his paramour.”

It was an unusual novel.

The protagonist kept his lover, while his wife aged as a virgin.

When I showed interest, Siena enthusiastically slid the book over, showing an illustration of a woman in a revealing slip, awaiting the return of her husband. The illustration was pitiable, but Siena smiled brightly.

Thanks to this, I understood.

The nature of the thoughts in that small head.

‘She’s drawing parallels to Victoria.’

Victoria, who, despite our engagement, has not so much as let me kiss or embrace her.

The only physical contact we’ve shared has been a handshake. There was a moment where I adjusted her ring size, but that was all.

It wasn’t intentional. It simply turned out this way.

But it seemed Siena had found it amusing.

“I can’t leave sister a virgin forever, but I do have other ideas.”

“Tell me.”

“Perhaps brainwashing you, as a partner in governance, to think physical desires for her are wrong? Teaching you that such acts should only be for producing heirs.”

“…”

“Isn’t that beneficial for you? You could save your strength.”

What an audacious thought.

It wasn’t even diabolical. Not even devious. Compared to before, it’s surprisingly innocent and simple. I was the one who prevented any “female pheromones” from affecting Victoria in the first place.

“Doesn’t it sound good?”

“Siena.”

At that moment, I felt a tickling sensation on my thigh.

Looking down, I saw Siena gently rubbing my knee with one hand.

If left unchecked, her hand crept further up my thigh. With two bodyguards nearby, Siena seemed unfazed. Though invisible to others due to the desk, the action was still happening.

‘Interesting.’

A first taste of peace.

Me, devising business plans for cocaine processing—far more complex than other natural drugs—due to its elaborate requirements.

Siena, reading obscene novels by my side.

Victoria is probably somewhere pressuring officials to isolate the delegation from Chinguk right about now.

It was a peaceful day without crisis or trouble.

For the first time, I felt the choice to engage both princesses was the right one. Even if I might be rushing things, living this way was bearable.

“Alan?”

“Let’s continue like this.”

I nearly mentioned a more private aspect, but decided against it.

“Yes,” Siena replied without questioning, as if she could read the subtle shift in my expression. It was always her gift.

Siena returned to her reading, occasionally showing me scandalous illustrations, but it did not interfere with my work. Juggling many tasks simultaneously was something I had mastered in my previous life.

I lightly kissed her plump cheek.

…

Peaceful times didn’t last long.

Three days later.

A major from the Military Affairs Ministry, responsible for overseeing the prisoner battalion, urgently came to me.

“Comte! It seems that Anaïs Your Highness managed to smuggle a letter out of Uryal Monastery with the help of a nun, even before her official pardon. To the cavalry regiment stationed in Lebspadow… Ah, to put it briefly, she sent a letter to Leon Rothe Dale!”

They said Anaïs had sent a letter to the story’s original protagonist, Leon.

Using the name of an old nun.

Everything up to this point seemed like something Anaïs could do. But there was something odd.

“How did the letter reach Leon? Wasn’t it inspected?”

“Of course, the responsible officer inspected it and reported to me via courier. But when the letter arrived, the pardon had already been confirmed. And…”

“So it was simply passed on?”

“It wasn’t directly passed. The officer read it to Leon. Given Leon’s disinterest in letters—even ones from his parents, they’ve been relaying them this way.”

This much was understandable.

But there was something that truly baffled me.

“It went out of control after that.”

Leon, who ignored letters from his own parents,

Leon, who was oblivious to anything outside Monglongyi and Bulongyi,

after receiving Anaïs’ letter, suddenly lost control. Despite the inspectors deeming the content harmless, something strange occurred.

“Please help!”

The major’s contorted face suggested this was far beyond mere disobedience. I had no idea what chaos had ensued.

---