CH 311

The Emperor makes the final decision on whether to conclude a treaty, but even so, the conditions were largely settled, and the diplomats were completely exhilarated that this was a diplomatic victory for their country. The delayed welcoming party was held, and the atmosphere was a resounding success.

“Oh! This is just like our country’s sake!”

“No, it’s much better than the cheap sake in our country!”

“Wahaha!”

“Fuhn…” Kanbee huffed as he sipped on his bowl.

It was good indeed. It seems that it is not inferior to the fine sake of their country.

The food served today is similar to their country’s cuisine, as was promised last night. The boiled and grilled dishes are made by seasoning with miso or soy sauce and served with white rice. The taste is a little different, probably because the miso and soy sauce are made differently, but even so, it’s so good that you’ll believe it’s a regional dish of their country’s cuisine.

The other members of the mission are innocently happy, but this is not the time to be happy. This is a serious situation.

Caan Territory has already acquired knowledge of their country’s agricultural products and processed goods and has succeeded in mass production. It’s not just planting and growing things like potatoes or tomatoes. It is not an easy task to make processed foods such as miso, soy sauce, and sake. It is based on many years of trial and error by their predecessors. And here Caan Territory has already succeeded in mass-producing them with this quality.

Who leaked the technology and knowledge and when? It doesn’t take much to think about it. The black-haired girl sitting on the host’s side, as long as their country’s second princess is on this side, there is no need to think about the source of such things.

And yet, why was Floto asking for technical support at the cost of paying a huge sum, as discussed in this treaty? Kanbee couldn’t figure it out.

Laborers and craftsmen are nothing more than ordinary townspeople in their country. Whether it’s a skilled craftsman or an engineer, it shouldn’t be that difficult to bring them here. If anything, it wouldn’t be a big problem even if she used the authority of the second princess to forcibly kidnap them.

In the first place, it’s probably because they’ve already stolen potatoes, tomatoes, miso, soy sauce, and sake from them. Otherwise, it is impossible that the same thing was made here by chance. If there was such information, it should have reached Kanbee’s ears.

Just as if you had legally obtained the manufacturing method of sake and soy sauce, you could forcefully take it away from their country. There is no law or power to stop it. To put it in extreme terms, there is no law to stop another country from recruiting immigrants who want to emigrate. There are no rules prohibiting interaction with other countries or restricting movement or immigration. And yet, why are they now asking for it officially at such a huge price?

“Come, come, have another bowl,” Floto said.

“Hmm…” Kanbee grumbled, holding out his bowl.

She’s different from the women of their country, but even though she’s a foreigner, he can’t feel bad about being served by a pretty young woman. “I see you, Floto! This part of the strategy, isn’t it?!” Kanbee thought, but he didn’t resist getting a refill.

The others are useless. They are completely floating in the festive air and making noise. They don’t know anything. He wonders if it’s really okay to stay like this, but if he says something to his colleagues now, there’s no way they’ll understand.

Kanbee loses himself in thought while drinking alcohol. Should he stay like this? Will he end his life as one of those diplomats vanishing like bubbles popping on the surface of the water, surrounded by his idiotic colleagues?

After the welcoming party was over, Kanbee went out alone to the balcony and looked up at the sky. No matter where you are, the brightness of the moon and the stars remains the same. As he looks up at the night sky, the cool evening breeze blows him sober.

It’s still too early to judge everything. First thing in the morning tomorrow, the earliest horseback messengers will go out and deliver the contents of today’s discussion to their country. How will the Emperor judge them? This will determine whether Kanbee advances or retreats. He decided to look up at the moon and it seemed strangely clear to him that night.

After entering Caanburg, Isuzu was greeted by a large mansion and observed the work of its House Servants. Manor Floren, and here in Manor Caanburg too, the quality of the people working there is very high. She hates to say it, but they seem to be able to do their jobs better than those in the royal court.

Of course, the details are different. Even if this person works in the palace, they will be fired soon. The etiquette, the content of the work, and the procedures are completely different. However, you can see that the House Servants here are very talented and can do their jobs well.

After confirming that Mikoto seems to be living a good life here, Isuzu stroked her chest in relief. If Mikoto had lived on the other side, she wouldn’t have been able to enjoy herself like this. Isuzu thought she was having a hard time here, but it’s good to find her blessed with a very good environment.

Isuzu thinks of Mikoto as a troublesome little sister. At first… when Mikoto was still young and in their country, it was tough. Isuzu even thought her life was over when she was appointed as a personal maid to Mikoto.

When Mikoto was still young and Isuzu was a newcomer, it was said that Mikoto was a dropout, without a chance of succession. Isuzu thought that by becoming the second princess’s attendant, her career paths would be closed, and in some cases, she might even be disposed of together with the second princess.

In the beginning, both Mikoto and Isuzu became small in the palace and lived quietly so as not to stand out. Far from fighting for the right of succession, they spent their time half-hidden so as not to be killed off if others believed them hindrances to their ambitions.

However, since Mikoto started leaving the palace, it became more and more frequent that she never came back. Isuzu never asked Mikoto where she went and what she was doing. If she had to escape from here or live somewhere outside, Isuzu thought it would be fine.

If you’re stuck in such a small world and living a life where you don’t know when your brothers will try to kill you… if you can escape, then run away. Isuzu thought of preparing for Mikoto’s escape.

However, no matter how much time passes, Mikoto doesn’t seem to leave the palace. On the contrary, she even became involved with various people.

The girl who had always shut herself up in her room, and who spent her days in fear that her brothers might kill her at any moment, now started shrugging off the bullying of those around her and even started talking to some people proactively. She is sneaking out of her room to do something. Along the way, she even roped in Isuzu and made her acquire various things.

Mikoto has been becoming more alive. And just as Isuzu was thinking that… Mikoto came back, her eyes red and swollen, depressed like never before. From then on, she stayed in her room for a long time without even trying to leave.

Before long… when Mikoto came out of the room that she had been shutting herself in, the girl had changed so much that it was hard to believe she was the same person.

The second princess once said to be a failure, her life a target to her brothers, ridiculed and bullied even by those below her, was no longer there.

A rare magician who has acquired all kinds of knowledge manipulates the arcane arts deftly and has enormous magical power. At some point, Mikoto had grown to participate in the succession battle, no, to the extent that she could be said to be the closest to a successor.

What made Mikoto change like that? Most people don’t know. But Isuzu knows. Love changed Mikoto. Mikoto probably fell in love at a time when she was always happy to go out. And the love ended in heartbreak. That Mikoto was depressed and shut herself up in her room was because of her heartbreak.

But Mikoto didn’t stop there. Inspired by her feelings, Mikoto devoted herself to training and made a splendid recovery.

Isuzu wasn’t playing around during that time either. At first… when she was a newcomer, she was made the poor second princess’s servant, and she was afraid that her career would end there, and in some cases, her life might end, too. But nothing will change if she is just frightened.

Mikoto was happily going out every day. Mikoto was depressed because she was heartbroken. Mikoto was working hard to get back on her feet. Having been shown this resolve up close, Isuzu couldn’t just sit around idly.

In order to survive in the palace, and to protect Mikoto, Isuzu spent day in and day out fighting against the demons who lived there with them. Sometimes there are ugly fights between women, and sometimes they are swayed by those in power. Conflicts in the court are not straightforward, and neither defeating the enemy nor seizing power will bring an end to it. If you let your guard down, it will all fall apart in no time.

While continuing to walk such a tightrope, before she knew it, Isuzu had risen to the point of being called the “Empress of the Imperial Court.”

Even if Mikoto leaves the country under the guise of studying abroad, Isuzu continues to protect the royal court for her. She hopes Mikoto can come back anytime…

The smile that Mikoto showed when she came home seemed very happy. Isuzu thought she was the only one who could make Mikoto smile like that. Mikoto has found a place for her. A truly happy place to be, not the palace where the conspiracies swirl all around her.

She’s glad she came here to see Mikoto. Mikoto is definitely happy now.

Congratulations, Mikoto. She was so happy for her.

“Oh~~~! Delicious~~~!”

Isuzu tilted her bowl and drank its contents. She had drank good sake in their country, but this sake is gentler and easy to drink. The finish is likely to be favored by women.

“Hold, Isuzu. I don’t know if you’re drinking too much and getting drunk,” Mikoto said.

“It’ll be fine~!” Isuzu said with a smile.

Today is a good day. She wants to get drunk today.

You can’t really get drunk in the royal court. You never know what kind of trap you might fall into if you show an opening. It is outrageous to get drunk as long as you have to spend your time without any carelessness or gaps. Isuzu would put a bit of drink in her mouth, but she never really drank to the point of inebriation.

But… she wanted to get drunk today. It is a celebration for Mikoto, who Isuzu thought of as her sister. It’s not like she was getting married now, but she witnessed Mikoto’s happiness. That’s why Isuzu wanted to get drunk today.

Coupled with the fact that alcohol is easy to down, Isuzu drank quite a bit. After the party is over, she goes outside to cool off. After being blown by the evening breeze for a while, she went back inside. And while walking down the corridor, she suddenly thinks of a prank.

“Oh, you there,” Isuzu said, catching a maid in the corridor.

“Yes? Do you need anything?” the maid replied.

Isuzu, drunk and full of herself, is about to do a little prank.

“Tonight, Miss Mikoto called me in secret, but I got lost and forgot where she was summoning me to,” Isuzu said. “Could you guide me to Miss Mikoto’s bedroom?”

She declares that without giving the slightest hint that she is drunk. This was a piece of cake for Isuzu, who spent her time in the imperial court where she never showed any signs of weakness.

“Ah… Is that so…? I’ll show you there,” the maid said before she leads Isuzu off.

Isuzu didn’t know about it, but House Caan’s maids knew about the nightlife of the House Head and the women who attended to her, so they had the precedent to accept Isuzu’s words without question. Moreover, from the perspective of those who had heard that Isuzu was the maid at Mikoto’s parents’ home, they could not help but believe that Mikoto was doing the same with her personal maid, as well.

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“Here we are,” the maid said.

“Thank you very much,” Isuzu said. “Well then…”

“I have not witnessed anything,” the maid said. “If you’ll excuse me…” she said, bowing her head and leaving coolly.

If she was the normal Isuzu, she might have wondered a little about those words, but she is drunk, rough, and distracted, so Isuzu stands in front of her door without any particular concern.

“Jyaan! Mikoto! Onee-san ga kitwayo~~! … Te, eeeEEEEEEEHHH?!” 1

Isuzu bursts open the door and jumped into the room… and women are piled up on top of a large bed. Wondering what the hell was going on, Isuzu suddenly sobered up and looked around.

It’s a very luxurious room. No matter how you look at it, it’s not a low-end room. From the things that were deliberately arranged and the appearance of the room, you could guess it was the House Head’s chambers. And there are multiple female figures on the bed with a canopy.

“I~su-zu~!” Mikoto said as she slowly got up from the bed. “Mi~ta~wa~ne~!” 2

“Hii… ! Shi-Shitsureishimashita!” 3

Mikoto approaches Isuzu slowly, her transparent nightwear makes her look like a ghost. Realizing she has seen something she should not have seen, Isuzu rushed back to the door. However…

“You knock when you enter a room. And it’s not good to leave it open after you enter.”

“Hii!”

With a bang, the door closed, and in front of it stood a smiling blonde devil.

“Now that you know the secret… we can’t just leave you alone like this,” said a slender, handsome boy, no, a slender girl, as she approached.

“We’re not going to let you get away with this,” a strong-willed aristocratic lady says as she blocks the opposite side.

“Umm… I’m sorry!” a simple-looking girl said as she restrained Isuzu.

“Goodness… Miss Flora… why are you bringing in so many women like this…?” a dignified girl says as she begins to undress Isuzu.

Her dexterity was unusually good, and Isuzu found her to be a very skillful maid.

“I didn’t bring her here, but… Well, I can’t ask her to leave like this… If you’ll pardon me, Miss Isuzu…” the blonde devil said.

“Hiii! I~~~~ya~~~~!”

On that day, Isuzu’s screams resounded in Manor Caanburg.