Chapter 89

"Alright, Leaven. I'm leaving Diora in the hands of the Marquis Strateg, so do your best."

"Doesn't that reaction seem a bit off for a princess who's so worried about you?"

Leaven, who had brought Diora's letter, criticized my lack of response.

I already knew that I would be deploying to the nearby countries under the empire's control, and I had written to Diora that we wouldn't be able to correspond for a while.

The reply I received was a plea for me to reconsider my deployment.

There were even traces of tears on the edge of the letter, and it was said that a letter from the Queen of Luciusaria to the Marquis Strateg, requesting a detailed explanation, had also arrived with Diora's letter.

I decided to leave Diora in the hands of the Marquis Strateg, as my plans wouldn't provide any comfort to her.

"To be honest, I'm not sure how much I should reveal, so I'll leave it to your judgment. I'll send you a letter when I return safely."

"Quite confident, aren't you...? What do you mean by 'plans'? Was it because the Duke's side pressured the Emperor to give in?"

I pretended not to hear and turned away.

Leaven seemed to realize something and began counting the favorable conditions that had been negotiated for my father.

I had another task to attend to, so I decided to take advantage of Leaven's confusion.

I took what I needed and placed it in Leaven's hand.

"Here, the master key for this area. And this is an inventory of the items in the room."

"Huh? What are you planning?"

"You were so eager to get it from my nanny before. Take it with a smile."

"Please, I apologize for that. Don't drag me into anything bad."

He refused quickly, but it was too late.

The key and inventory were already in Leaven's hand.

"If anything suspicious is found in this room and there's a commotion, I'll leave it to you to handle it. Oh, and if you want to check the contents of the inventory, do it later."

"Ah! You can't be serious!?"

"Prince Asha, please be quiet."

Ikt silenced him, but Leaven resisted, even kneeling on the floor.

"If something like evidence of assassination or forbidden items is found while we're away, you and your superior will be held responsible for supervision."

"Only the treasurer will remain, but I've instructed him to report to the Marquis Strateg if any issues arise."

However, Helkoff and Wearrel wouldn't let him speak, pushing the responsibility onto him.

Leaven, unable to return the master key to me, stumbled to his feet.

"It's not up to me... I need to consult with the Marquis first."

With no allies, Leaven left, and it seemed I had successfully pushed the supervision of this place onto him.

"Next."

I had other visitors scheduled for today.

"Excuse me."

The visitor was my father's confidant, Okappa, who held the documents I had requested.

The general who had handled the Seven Years' War sixty years ago had left behind detailed investigations and maps of the surrounding areas.

These documents were stored by the general's family and had been retrieved by the military, so I had asked Okappa to bring them to me.

"So, what is it you need?"

"Wow, you're quick."

"You called me specifically, so there must be something. Please be reasonable."

"I've realized that if I say I'm excellent, people usually believe me, especially since my reputation has been low lately."

"Indeed, that excuse worked when I requested the documents from the military. But to those who see through it... I misspoke."

Okappa stopped his criticism.

I think he's not as taciturn as I thought.

He's been deliberately speaking less when we meet, a realization I've had over the past year.

He's one of the confidants prepared by Duke Lukaious for my father, and he's been strict with me, even interfering with our meetings.

However, now that he's allowed to stay by my father's side, it's clear he's trusted.

Our perceptions of each other have changed, and I had something I wanted to ask.

"Who do you serve?"

"The Emperor, who governs this empire."

"Alright, that's good."

I reached for the documents, but Okappa refused to end the conversation.

"What do you mean? Did you call me just for that?"

"Uh, yeah. I just wanted to hear your answer in private."

"I'll answer any questions you have as a prince, regardless of who's watching."

"You don't treat me like a prince, so why start now?"

I didn't call Okappa to get his candid opinion.

I wanted him to speak freely without worrying about others' eyes, even though he's not as taciturn as he seems.

Helkoff and Wearrel, who rarely accompany me to meetings with my father, were giving me cold looks.

Okappa, looking dissatisfied, seemed to be trying to escape their gaze.

"Hmm, if there's anything else, it's a personal curiosity... Why did you change your mind about tolerating what I do?"

He made a displeased face, but since I had asked, he reluctantly answered.

"A child was born. Five years ago."

At that time, I was six years old and had gone to see my father in just a shirt.

After that, I noticed Okappa's attitude had changed, and it wasn't just my imagination.

"Only after experiencing it myself did I realize how inadequate the Emperor must feel as a father, having to rely on someone like me."

"Wow, that's a bold statement to the Emperor, but Helkoff nodded."

"Seeing your son grow year by year, I couldn't help but compare him to you. I must have seemed very foolish, always resorting to underhanded tactics."

"Yeah, your harassment is subtle. Compared to the dukes, at least."

Okappa pursed his lips, took a deep breath, and glared at me.

"I have a question for you."

"Go ahead."

"What did I look like to you when you were a child, in your earliest memories?"

That would be when I was three or four, right?

What did I think of you? What impression did you leave?

"You seemed like someone who did unnecessary things."

"..."

Okappa averted his gaze, as if trying to endure something.

Helkoff asked me.

"Prince, what made you think that?"

"Even if you glared at me, you couldn't stop the Emperor, and it seemed like subtle harassment."

"That's childish. Anything else?"

Ikt, spitting out venom, asked further.

"Setting the clock ahead to separate us early. In the end, it just made my father come more eagerly."

"Ah, the Emperor was quite concerned about not being able to spend enough time with you."

Wearrel had arranged for my father to receive his salary directly and reported on me without revealing what I had told him to keep quiet.

Apparently, this gave Helkoff and Wearrel time to listen to my father's complaints.

After this conversation, Okappa finally came back to life.

"You could handle even the most remote parts of the empire. Why not stand on your own now?"

"Are you suggesting I lead an army, establish a local government, and collect taxes to create a small country?"

"No, I didn't say that much."

"Ah, okay. I'm not interested. I'll come back."

"Don't say things that make me worry about you leaving the palace."

I nodded seriously, even though it would be troublesome later if he thought that.

Okappa looked very suspicious, but I understood that he was loyal to my father, so it was fine.

He seemed to prioritize my father over Duke Lukaious, so he wouldn't go against my father's will while I was away.

"Since you feel bad, can I ask one favor?"

"What is it?"

"Don't be so tense. I know the Emperor and others are worried, so I thought I'd send a letter to let them know I'm fine. If it doesn't arrive, could you check which faction is interfering and let the Emperor know?"

Okappa opened his mouth to say something but then closed it.

"Ultimately, you only say things that benefit the Emperor, don't you?"

"What else would I ask you for?"

Okappa nodded reluctantly, and I took that as an agreement.

Thus, I decided to leave the capital, riding the tide of adult schemes.

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Next: March and the General 1