CH 3.17

Incredibly, she had come up with a solution for that problem as well!

‘She truly is amazing.’

The Crown Prince shook his head. Where exactly did the limits of her abilities end? ‘It’s so obvious that Marie’s trying to make it look like Rachel was the one behind it…’

It was evident to the Crown Prince that Rachel invariably took credit for Marie’s contributions as her own. As a result, the more Rachel tried to claim credit, the more it revealed that the person who truly stood out during the selection period was neither Ariel nor Rachel, but the maid, Marie.

How ironic.

‘During the selection period, both candidates should have stood out to me.’ the Crown Prince smiled bitterly. ‘But why is it that the more time passes, the more she alone passes through my mind?”

And so, from the help of Marie, Rachel hosted the delegation from the East Nation.

As Prime Minister Oren pointed out, what Rachel had prepared was neither fancy nor grand, an inevitable result from completely ruling out meat. When viewed in respect to the East Nation’s religious laws, there was absolutely nothing to criticize.

“Ahem,” Kashan cleared his throat and ate the food. It wasn’t particularly satisfying, but he couldn’t really complain. As a result, Kashan, along the rest of the delegation, ate their meal in silence.

Seeing this unfold, the palace manageer, the minister of foreign affairs praised Rachel’s wisdom. “Impressive. She managed to silence them without giving in to their unreasonable demands.”

“It was a very wise move.”

“Indeed. Our empire doesn’t need to bend over backwards to those fools, right? Lady Rachel handled it very well.”

Naturally, Rachel’s status had risen, making Ariel slightly more on edge.

Meanwhile, Marie, the unsung heroine of this affair, was inwardly in agony.

‘It’s great that the matter was resolved successfully. This outcome will likely lead the Crown Prince to view Rachel more favorably now.’

Recently, Rachel’s progress had been remarkably smooth. Unlike Ariel, who kept making mistakes, Rachel always showed a positive image. It was all thanks to Marie working behind the scenes. Because of that, Rachel would certainly be in debt to her. ‘If Lady Rachel truly becomes the Crown Princess, I will gain the status of a free person and be able to leave the palace.’

It was a win-win situation. However, Marie still wore an anxious expression. ‘But why is the Crown Prince still indifferent towards Lady Rachel despite her clearly doing well…?’

That was the problem. Rachel was undoubtedly performing well—much better than Ariel—but the Crown Prince showed no significant reaction. He only showed the same indifference as when they first met.

‘Is Lady Rachel not to his liking?’

It wasn’t like he showed any interest in Ariel either—it was all the same.

‘What should I do? To leave the palace, Lady Rachel needs to be chosen as the Crown Princess. But there’s no guarantee that will happen. I’m worried.’

Marie tried to come up with ways to bring Rachel closer to the Crown Prince. However, amidst such contemplation, a significant development occurred in the palace that made Marie forget about those concerns.

At last, the delegation from the East Nation were granted an audience with Crown Prince Rael. Their representative, Kashan, brought forth an unexpected bombshell to the Crown Prince.

“What… did you just say?” The Crown Prince asked Kashan, his voice filled with a hint of displeasure. And it wasn’t just the Crown Prince. Prime Minister Oren and the other minsters also wore expressions of fury on their faces.

Understandable, given that what Kashan had brought up was shocking. “You’re asking us to provide rations to East Nation?”

Kashan, the representative of the delegation, nodded. “Yes, Your Highness. Our nation has been suffering from severe drought for several years now. We have managed to sustain ourselves with rations, but even that has its limits. People across our kingdom are now starving to death. Thus, the Sultan hopes that the Eastern Empire, can provide some assistance.”

As soon as he was done speaking, the ministers of the empire erupted in anger. Demanding that an enemy country provide them with food was an absurd request.

“Your Highness, there is nothing more to hear. Get these people out of our borders immediately!”

“That’s right. It’s outrageous!”

As the tension began to escalate, the Crown Prince raised his hand. “Stop. Quiet down.”

He stared coldly at the delegate.

“Are you aware of how incredibly impertinent your request sounds? Food aid? It’s unfortunate that you’re experiencing a drought, but what reason do we have to help you?”

“As a neighboring country, we simply hope for your generous assistance,” Kahsan replied. “If you provide aid this time, our nation will forever be in your debt. Should the Empire face difficulties in the future, we will support you as if it were our own endeavors. However, if you refuse to help us…”

Kashan said in a low voice, “We will have no other choice. We cannot simply stand by and watch our people starve to death. The Sultan will be compelled to take military action.”

“…!”

The faces of the ministers, including the Crown Prince, hardened. “Military action? Are you suggesting that you’ll wage war with us?”

“We certainly do not desire war either. War is our last resort, an option only when there is no other choice.”

However, despite what Kashan said, it was ultimately a threat to resort to military action if they didn’t provide rations.

Suddenly, the atmosphere at the assembly became icy.

“I see now that they’re not envoys but a bunch of thieves.”

“I will reiterate once again, our nation does not wish to engage in war with the Empire,” Kashan shook his head and said, “I heard that the Empire has had good harvest for years, unlike us who’s suffering from draught. That there is surplus of food in your warehouses, to the extent that it’s infested with pests.”

“……”

“If you were to compassionately help us with rations out of the kindness of your hearts, then naturally there would be no war. Plus, our nation will never forget the favor we’d receive from the Empire.”

A heavy and suffocating atmosphere descended upon the assembly. Kashan then concluded his words with the following statement: “We await your wise judgment for the sake of both nations.”

After the assembly, the palace was in an uproar. Most of the ministers expressed their anger and shouted, “Where did they dredge up such insolence?! If not robbery, what else do you call that? To boldly brandish threats like that?”

“Who do they think they are to make such demands to our empire?”

“What are you all waiting for? Immediately apprehend the delegation and drive them out beyond the border!”

Everyone was furious. The idea that military action could be taken if food aid was not provided was not a mere suggestion, but a threat.

“War, you say? Let them come and attack us. We are not afraid at all.”

“Indeed, it is about time we show those infidels their place,” one of the ministers exclaimed vehemently.

Despite the East Nation being a powerful state that had dominated the East, the empire’s power was no less formidable. Thus, there was no reason to submit to the threats of the East Nation.

Suddenly, there were those who cautiously voiced objections. “But what if they really start a war? While we may not be defeated, the damage would be serious.”

“If we went to war with the East Nation, the Western Empire under Emperor Johannes III, may take advantage of our vulnerability.”

The ministers who advocated for war fell silent at those words.

Although they were not afraid of the East Nation, considering the East Empire’s power was not inferior, it was inevitable that significant losses would occur in a war.

‘In that case, Emperor Johannes III of the Western Empire would be pleased. He is an opportunistic bastard,’ The Crown Prince, who had been quietly listening from his seat in the conference room, thought to himself. ‘It’s an extremely complicated situation, as neither option seemed feasible.’

First of all, it was out of the question to submit to the Eastern nation’s threats as one of the ministers suggested. It would be an absolute disgrace to the empire’s reputation. But what if an actual war broke out? How would the casualties be mitigated?

‘The innocent people from the borderlands close to the East Nation would be caught in the crossfire.’

The Crown Prince closed his eyes. Even if a war broke out, the nobles would suffer minimal losses. It was the commoner who would bear the brunt of the fighting and bloodshed.

That’s why the nobles could easily suggest war.

‘I am not afraid of war. If it is were to happen, I would not be afraid. However… Is waging war the best option for the people in this case?’

As a ruler, he had to live solely for his people’s sake. From his judgment, avoiding war would be preferable if possible. ‘Is there no other way? A way to avoid war without yielding to their threats?’

With that, Rael delved deep into contemplation.

As rumors spread about the possibility of war with the East Nation, a heavy atmosphere fell over the palace. Suddenly, the Crown Princess Selection became insignificant to everyone. Of course, not everyone was concerned about the threat of war. The nobles, who would be unaffected by the war, chattered without worries.

“Will war really break out?”

“I don’t know. Well, what if it does happen? We have His Highness don’t we? He would easily defeat those heretics.”

“Anyway, it’s so annoying that all the social functions in the capital have been canceled because of that. I already brought new dresses and everything.”

Marie inwardly frowned as she listened to the idle chatter of the noblewomen in the palace.

‘They are so ignorant of the gravity of the situation. Well, if war were to break out, it would be the commoners who would shed blood,’ Marie thought bitterly. In truth, the likelihood of the repercussions of the war reaching the capital was minimal. That’s why those noblewomen could comfortably engage in such casual conversations.

However, Marie, who had experienced war firsthand, couldn’t possibly entertain such thoughts.

‘If war breaks out, countless people will die once again.’

Marie closed her eyes, recalling the horrifying events of the past.

‘It seems that even His Highness wants to avoid war as much as possible. Is there no way to prevent war?’

Because she attend to the Crown Prince every night, Marie knew that he was grappling with the dilemma of avoiding war. The intensity of his struggle was evident as Marie noticed his insomnia worsening.

‘But it’s not that easy. We can’t simply yield to the threats of the East Nation,’ Marie thought to herself with a stiff expression.

As time passed by, it grew late into the night.

As usual, Marie made her way to the Crown Prince’s chamber to soothe his insomnia.

Although all the scheduled events related to the selection process had been canceled due to the threat of war, she continued to visit the Crown Prince late at night to help him sleep.

However, as soon as she arrived at his chamber, she cocked her head. Despite the late hour, the Crown Prince was nowhere to be found.

“The Crown Prince is still in his office.”

Almond, one of the guards who happened to be around his chamber, informed Marie.

“Ah… In that case…”

Marie pondered whether she should just leave or not upon hearing that the Crown Prince was in his office.

But then, Almond said, “You should go to his office.”

“What? But…”

“The Crown Prince is deeply troubled,” Almond said, looking at her. “He would love it if you come.”

Marie blinked at his words. What did he mean by that?