“I see, so the incident has been resolved.” “Yes, Your Highness.” “Very well. Shuri is there. While we’re at it, it would be nice to enjoy his cooking after so long.” “What about the letter?” “Ah yes. If they don’t mention it, that’s fine. If they do, we can simply say ‘If you can confirm the facts prove innocence, that’s sufficient for us.’ After all, this was originally a scheme to acquire Shuri, which would have been successful if it had worked out.”
I address the returned spy with these words, then lean back against the carriage seat to contemplate. As Tevis Nouviche, I’ve lost most of the purpose for this visit. Though I said that to the spy, at this point the visit would amount to little more than a spectacle.
A few days ago, I learned from my spy’s information that Shuri had been captured in Sounité. Though I could scarcely believe my ears, my trusted spy unit would not lie. When I realized it was true, I thought this was a golden opportunity. First, I could inquire about the reason for arresting a chef I’m acquainted with. This would serve as an official reason for the visit, allowing me to come to Sounité while maintaining my position as a princess. Otherwise, I could only use my authority as an “envoy,” but by “investigating the reason for an unjust arrest,” I could exercise my authority as a “princess” representing the country. It might be a bit unreasonable, but certain things are permissible for a “princess.” Next, I could pursue the incident involving the chef. It’s only natural to want to confirm the details when an acquaintance has been involved in an incident and imprisoned. Well, regardless of the reason, I planned to pursue it as their responsibility, extract an apology and a trade review, and if possible, even turn Sounité into a vassal state. And most importantly, “handing over the chef for fact-checking.” To be frank, I had two benefits in mind for this. One was to place Sounité in a position lower than Nouviche if they quietly handed him over. Allowing a criminal to be handed over to another country for punishment is only justified if there’s a legitimate reason, such as the criminal being a citizen of that country, or if they’re spineless enough to entrust the criminal’s judgment to another country. It’s normally a given that crimes occurring in one’s own territory are judged there. Handing him over would prove the legitimacy of our country. The second was one of those legitimate reasons I mentioned earlier: “being a citizen of that country.” In other words, the moment the handover was completed, I intended to use this legitimate reason to “bring Shuri in as a Nouviche citizen.” If this succeeded, I planned to immediately employ Shuri at the castle as one of our own people and sever his ties with the Gungrave Mercenary Group. If Shuri refused, hiring the entire mercenary group was also an option. If the handover was successful, “Shuri would be a citizen of Nouviche,” and it wouldn’t be strange to give territory to the Gungrave Mercenary Group, which has ties to Shuri, and “highly value them as a knightly order.” Acquire Shuri, and if possible, acquire the Gungrave Mercenary Group as well. But alas, Shuri overturned everything…
“Really… I say I want to meet Shuri, but it’s so hard to actually do so.”
Even thinking back now, I should have forcibly brought him in when we first met. Mapo tofu, mapo don, curry rice – after captivating me so much, to not meet me… Really, what a cruel chef.
“It’s painful enough not being able to eat decent food on this journey, but to come all this way and not be able to acquire Shuri…”
Truly, a person who doesn’t go according to plan. On top of that, he’s going around making delicious food wherever he goes. Just tracking him is hard enough. He has no idea how much the royal chefs at the castle want to cry trying to recreate his dishes.
“Well, no matter. Continue on to Sounité. It’s been a while, let’s go meet Shuri.” “As you command.”
I give this order to the coachman, and the carriage starts moving again. For this visit, I’ve brought along one carriage, three supply wagons, and about three companies of knights. I wanted to prioritize speed, so I’m marching with this bare minimum number of people. And twenty people from the spy unit. Twenty people I trust. I straighten my back again and am about to close my eyes to surrender myself to the swaying of the carriage.
“Your Highness.” “Hmm?” “A carriage is approaching from the front.”
This is what the guard knight tells me as he approaches my carriage. What’s this? Someone daring to approach me? The carriage stops, and the guard knights surround it protectively. Seeing some of them move, I peek out of the carriage window to look ahead. It’s a fairly good carriage. Six guards, two coachmen. What could it be? A merchant’s carriage? Losing interest, I’m about to return to the inside of the carriage when a guard knight approaches again.
“Your Highness. It’s Lenha Sounité. The first wife of the lord of Sounité.”
Oh, the first wife of the lord of Sounité, is it?
This is getting a bit interesting.
Suppressing the urge to let the corners of my mouth curl up, I speak to the knight, trying to remain calm.
“So, what business does she have? Stopping a royal carriage to talk, there must be a good reason, isn’t it?” “Yes. Apparently, she’s come to welcome Princess Tevis.” “I see. Well then, shall we meet her?”
Kukuku, how interesting. With the help of a knight, I descend from the carriage and see a woman getting out of the carriage parked in front of me. I approach the woman. I see, she seems to be a strong-willed woman. With slightly dull silver hair cut at shoulder length, and eyes slanted upwards like a fox. She’s tall and has an overall slender build, wearing clothes that seem rather plain for the first wife of a lord. It’s best described as an outdoor dress that’s easy to move in. This woman, Lenha Sounité, bows her head.
“It’s been a long time, Princess Tevis. I am Lenha Sounité.” “Hmm, I’m glad to see you’re well.”
Indeed, I have met Lenha in the past. It was when I had just become aware, my oldest memory. I vaguely remember Lenha coming to a banquet at the castle.
“Princess Tevis has grown into a fine lady. Is the King well too? I’d like to meet him after so long.” “His Majesty is in good health. There’s nothing to worry about.” “Is that so? That’s wonderful.”
I feel like clicking my tongue at Lenha’s cheerful laughter. Even if we’ve met in the past, we’re not close enough to talk so familiarly. We’ve only met once, and moreover, Sounité is now an enemy who captured Shuri.
“Well, this isn’t the place for small talk. The lord’s first wife has come all this way. There must be something important, right?”
So, I have no intention of having a long conversation. It’s best to end this quickly. At this, Lenha suddenly changes her expression from a smile to a sad face.
“Princess. It’s extremely dangerous to approach our Sounité right now.” “What? What do you mean?” “By now, my son should be staging a coup in the castle.”
A coup, you say.
“A coup is not a peaceful matter. Explain in detail.” “Certainly. You see, while my son excels in military affairs, he’s lacking in domestic affairs. He was anxious about the eldest son becoming the successor and taking away the military and martial officials he had raised, so he staged a coup.” “I see.” “By now, the coup should have failed. The Gungrave Mercenary Group hired by the eldest son should be moving to suppress it.”
You liar, how could the eldest son hire the Gungrave Mercenary Group when you had them imprisoned? Though it’s true that the Gungrave Mercenary Group did suppress the situation.
“Princess. I came to inform you of this. I’m not saying anything bad. Please flee.” “What do you intend to do?” “Even if I return now, there’s nothing I can do. My son might already be dead.”
Oh, cutting ties so cleanly. And without using the word “flee” even once, as if she came here for my sake, trying to gain sympathy.
I’ve had enough of playing along with this foolish act.
“Lenha. Is this the truth?” “Of course it is, Princess.”
How brazen…
“I see. Knights, seize this person.”
For a moment, both the knights and Lenha seemed not to understand what I had said.
“What are you doing? Seize this traitor.” “Y-Yes.” “Princess!?”
The knights surround Lenha’s carriage to prevent her from escaping. Amidst this, Lenha stares at me with bulging eyes.
“Lenha. Did you take me for a child? I know everything. I know that you fled, taking advantage of the disturbance caused by your second son, and sought my help.” “Th-That’s a misunderstanding! It was all… yes, it was the eldest son’s fault!” “What do you mean it was the eldest son’s fault? Moreover, I’ve never heard of someone fleeing in such a situation.” “My husband helped me escape! It’s the truth!” “Oh? From what I know, the lord was confined immediately after the disturbance and wasn’t in a position to even speak with you. And besides, you and your husband had been so estranged that you weren’t even talking to each other for quite some time.”
At these words, Lenha is at a loss for words. Time for the finishing blow.
“Lenha. I know everything. Everything, you understand?”
As I emphasize “everything,” Lenha finally gives up and collapses.
“Knights. Apprehend her guards, coachmen, and carriage and lock them up. It’s a good gift. We’ll take them with us to Sounité.” “Yes. But what good will it do to bring criminals with us?” “It will work out, don’t worry. Now, I’m going back to my carriage. Let’s depart as soon as you’re ready.” “Understood.”
Good grief. Dealing with such a wicked woman, such a fool, is exhausting. However, now I have a pretext to meet Shuri, so I suppose it’s acceptable. If I’m lucky, I might be able to gain some benefit using that criminal.
Now then, it’s been a while, Shuri. Let’s meet.
Check out my Patreon for early access to upcoming updates. Patreon Link
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Chapter 36
“I see, so the incident has been resolved.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
“Very well. Shuri is there. While we’re at it, it would be nice to enjoy his cooking after so long.”
“What about the letter?”
“Ah yes. If they don’t mention it, that’s fine. If they do, we can simply say ‘If you can confirm the facts prove innocence, that’s sufficient for us.’
After all, this was originally a scheme to acquire Shuri, which would have been successful if it had worked out.”
I address the returned spy with these words, then lean back against the carriage seat to contemplate.
As Tevis Nouviche, I’ve lost most of the purpose for this visit.
Though I said that to the spy, at this point the visit would amount to little more than a spectacle.
A few days ago, I learned from my spy’s information that Shuri had been captured in Sounité. Though I could scarcely believe my ears, my trusted spy unit would not lie. When I realized it was true, I thought this was a golden opportunity.
First, I could inquire about the reason for arresting a chef I’m acquainted with. This would serve as an official reason for the visit, allowing me to come to Sounité while maintaining my position as a princess. Otherwise, I could only use my authority as an “envoy,” but by “investigating the reason for an unjust arrest,” I could exercise my authority as a “princess” representing the country. It might be a bit unreasonable, but certain things are permissible for a “princess.”
Next, I could pursue the incident involving the chef. It’s only natural to want to confirm the details when an acquaintance has been involved in an incident and imprisoned. Well, regardless of the reason, I planned to pursue it as their responsibility, extract an apology and a trade review, and if possible, even turn Sounité into a vassal state.
And most importantly, “handing over the chef for fact-checking.”
To be frank, I had two benefits in mind for this.
One was to place Sounité in a position lower than Nouviche if they quietly handed him over. Allowing a criminal to be handed over to another country for punishment is only justified if there’s a legitimate reason, such as the criminal being a citizen of that country, or if they’re spineless enough to entrust the criminal’s judgment to another country. It’s normally a given that crimes occurring in one’s own territory are judged there. Handing him over would prove the legitimacy of our country.
The second was one of those legitimate reasons I mentioned earlier: “being a citizen of that country.” In other words, the moment the handover was completed, I intended to use this legitimate reason to “bring Shuri in as a Nouviche citizen.”
If this succeeded, I planned to immediately employ Shuri at the castle as one of our own people and sever his ties with the Gungrave Mercenary Group.
If Shuri refused, hiring the entire mercenary group was also an option. If the handover was successful, “Shuri would be a citizen of Nouviche,” and it wouldn’t be strange to give territory to the Gungrave Mercenary Group, which has ties to Shuri, and “highly value them as a knightly order.”
Acquire Shuri, and if possible, acquire the Gungrave Mercenary Group as well.
But alas, Shuri overturned everything…
“Really… I say I want to meet Shuri, but it’s so hard to actually do so.”
Even thinking back now, I should have forcibly brought him in when we first met.
Mapo tofu, mapo don, curry rice – after captivating me so much, to not meet me…
Really, what a cruel chef.
“It’s painful enough not being able to eat decent food on this journey, but to come all this way and not be able to acquire Shuri…”
Truly, a person who doesn’t go according to plan.
On top of that, he’s going around making delicious food wherever he goes.
Just tracking him is hard enough.
He has no idea how much the royal chefs at the castle want to cry trying to recreate his dishes.
“Well, no matter. Continue on to Sounité. It’s been a while, let’s go meet Shuri.”
“As you command.”
I give this order to the coachman, and the carriage starts moving again.
For this visit, I’ve brought along one carriage, three supply wagons, and about three companies of knights. I wanted to prioritize speed, so I’m marching with this bare minimum number of people.
And twenty people from the spy unit. Twenty people I trust.
I straighten my back again and am about to close my eyes to surrender myself to the swaying of the carriage.
“Your Highness.”
“Hmm?”
“A carriage is approaching from the front.”
This is what the guard knight tells me as he approaches my carriage.
What’s this? Someone daring to approach me?
The carriage stops, and the guard knights surround it protectively.
Seeing some of them move, I peek out of the carriage window to look ahead.
It’s a fairly good carriage. Six guards, two coachmen.
What could it be? A merchant’s carriage?
Losing interest, I’m about to return to the inside of the carriage when a guard knight approaches again.
“Your Highness. It’s Lenha Sounité. The first wife of the lord of Sounité.”
Oh, the first wife of the lord of Sounité, is it?
This is getting a bit interesting.
Suppressing the urge to let the corners of my mouth curl up, I speak to the knight, trying to remain calm.
“So, what business does she have? Stopping a royal carriage to talk, there must be a good reason, isn’t it?”
“Yes. Apparently, she’s come to welcome Princess Tevis.”
“I see. Well then, shall we meet her?”
Kukuku, how interesting.
With the help of a knight, I descend from the carriage and see a woman getting out of the carriage parked in front of me.
I approach the woman.
I see, she seems to be a strong-willed woman.
With slightly dull silver hair cut at shoulder length, and eyes slanted upwards like a fox. She’s tall and has an overall slender build, wearing clothes that seem rather plain for the first wife of a lord. It’s best described as an outdoor dress that’s easy to move in.
This woman, Lenha Sounité, bows her head.
“It’s been a long time, Princess Tevis. I am Lenha Sounité.”
“Hmm, I’m glad to see you’re well.”
Indeed, I have met Lenha in the past.
It was when I had just become aware, my oldest memory.
I vaguely remember Lenha coming to a banquet at the castle.
“Princess Tevis has grown into a fine lady. Is the King well too? I’d like to meet him after so long.”
“His Majesty is in good health. There’s nothing to worry about.”
“Is that so? That’s wonderful.”
I feel like clicking my tongue at Lenha’s cheerful laughter.
Even if we’ve met in the past, we’re not close enough to talk so familiarly.
We’ve only met once, and moreover, Sounité is now an enemy who captured Shuri.
“Well, this isn’t the place for small talk. The lord’s first wife has come all this way. There must be something important, right?”
So, I have no intention of having a long conversation. It’s best to end this quickly.
At this, Lenha suddenly changes her expression from a smile to a sad face.
“Princess. It’s extremely dangerous to approach our Sounité right now.”
“What? What do you mean?”
“By now, my son should be staging a coup in the castle.”
A coup, you say.
“A coup is not a peaceful matter. Explain in detail.”
“Certainly. You see, while my son excels in military affairs, he’s lacking in domestic affairs. He was anxious about the eldest son becoming the successor and taking away the military and martial officials he had raised, so he staged a coup.”
“I see.”
“By now, the coup should have failed. The Gungrave Mercenary Group hired by the eldest son should be moving to suppress it.”
You liar, how could the eldest son hire the Gungrave Mercenary Group when you had them imprisoned?
Though it’s true that the Gungrave Mercenary Group did suppress the situation.
“Princess. I came to inform you of this. I’m not saying anything bad. Please flee.”
“What do you intend to do?”
“Even if I return now, there’s nothing I can do. My son might already be dead.”
Oh, cutting ties so cleanly.
And without using the word “flee” even once, as if she came here for my sake, trying to gain sympathy.
I’ve had enough of playing along with this foolish act.
“Lenha. Is this the truth?”
“Of course it is, Princess.”
How brazen…
“I see.
Knights, seize this person.”
For a moment, both the knights and Lenha seemed not to understand what I had said.
“What are you doing? Seize this traitor.”
“Y-Yes.”
“Princess!?”
The knights surround Lenha’s carriage to prevent her from escaping.
Amidst this, Lenha stares at me with bulging eyes.
“Lenha. Did you take me for a child? I know everything.
I know that you fled, taking advantage of the disturbance caused by your second son, and sought my help.”
“Th-That’s a misunderstanding! It was all… yes, it was the eldest son’s fault!”
“What do you mean it was the eldest son’s fault? Moreover, I’ve never heard of someone fleeing in such a situation.”
“My husband helped me escape! It’s the truth!”
“Oh? From what I know, the lord was confined immediately after the disturbance and wasn’t in a position to even speak with you.
And besides, you and your husband had been so estranged that you weren’t even talking to each other for quite some time.”
At these words, Lenha is at a loss for words.
Time for the finishing blow.
“Lenha. I know everything. Everything, you understand?”
As I emphasize “everything,” Lenha finally gives up and collapses.
“Knights. Apprehend her guards, coachmen, and carriage and lock them up.
It’s a good gift. We’ll take them with us to Sounité.”
“Yes. But what good will it do to bring criminals with us?”
“It will work out, don’t worry. Now, I’m going back to my carriage. Let’s depart as soon as you’re ready.”
“Understood.”
Good grief. Dealing with such a wicked woman, such a fool, is exhausting.
However, now I have a pretext to meet Shuri, so I suppose it’s acceptable.
If I’m lucky, I might be able to gain some benefit using that criminal.
Now then, it’s been a while, Shuri. Let’s meet.
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