CH 323

What happens when a lot of girls get together? Of course, there is no way that the discussion will progress properly without derailment here and there. In the end, we couldn’t put together a good plan for Margarete’s confession, and it was just a waste of time so we dissolved. A few days later, I’m still confused.

About a month after the start of the new school year, I decided to leave the royal capital behind. In the first place, I don’t have to force myself to go to school anymore, so I’m just attending classes for appearances. Just as Wilhelm had said, when I contacted my parents, they told me that there was no need to force myself to stick to the school anymore.

Of course, once you enter school, you can graduate without having to go to class at all. As long as they don’t drop out or die, they all graduate without repeating a year. However, if the grades are too bad, it may be better to drop out of school. That’s why I’m supposed to take exams, but the restriction of having to go to school every day and take classes is gone.

I have to study on my own and maintain my grades to some extent, but if I can clear that, I can have some fun… no, there’s no problem even if I don’t go to school for a while.

I’m in the royal capital because I’m waiting for my appointment as the head diplomat for negotiations with the Demon Country, which was added on top of the construction of Charlottenburg. If the construction goes according to plan, my work will be over in a month… that should be… In the worst case, if I can’t make it in time, I’ll be absent from school and dig a hole all day from the morning.

Regarding diplomacy, Wilhelm and Dietrich are working hard to come up with a bill, so it will be possible in the not-too-distant future. From there, I will work with them to fix the details and then they’ll officially go into effect. That plan is also scheduled to end within a month, so once that’s done, I’ll head to the Caan Knights Nation.

There are many things that must be done in the Caan Knight’s Nation. I’ll leave it after I get there again… if I have any regrets, it’s about Margarete.

I want to give Margarete some good ideas before I leave the capital. Or rather, I want her to dissolve my relationship with Ludwig as soon as possible and stick with Margarete, instead.

That’s why I’m desperately trying to find a better way, but I can’t think of one. There was no way I could think of such a big deal for someone like me, who has almost zero love experience…

It’s very… unrealistic… it’s not like it’s a manga or anime. However, if I fail to do so, I will be in big trouble. The things I’m thinking about are only possible because of manga and anime, and it’s too risky if the gamble’s results are not guaranteed.

What I thought was, for example… I would hurt Ludwig deeply, and Margarete would gently heal the heartbroken Ludwig and make him turn around to see her…

Or I can force them to be physical…

Maybe I’ll write a letter telling him to marry Margarete…

Too unreal… All I can think of is ridiculous opportunism.

It can’t be helped! I don’t have much love experience. Besides, I talked about various things with the wives, but they all said strange things. After all, there is no right answer or how-to about love, and each person has no right answer at any given time, and even if there is the best move, the strongest possible move does not exist.

I know that, but I want to do something about it. In order to protect my happy future with my wives, I need Ludwig to disappear… wait, that’s not right. I need him to marry someone else.

No… rather, can I make him disappear…?

No, no… that can’t be right… that would be a big deal for me. It will be the beginning of a bloody struggle that is the furthest away from a happy future with the brides.

I’d like to think about it a little more calmly, but… I’m going to derail after all… In the first place, I have to think about this and that naive bastard who doesn’t care about anything. All it takes for that idiot Ludwig to marry Margarete and it’ll be fine.

He doesn’t even notice that such a cute childhood friend likes him, are you an insensitive Hero of a story!? Enough of that already! I’m getting mad.

“Fuu…”

I sighed when I came out of the long tunnel with the dirt I dug before and found the surroundings quite dark. Is today’s work time almost over? Since the soil is hardened with magic, there is no need to create supports or reinforce the walls later. The problem is that I have to throw away this dug dirt every time. If I could do something about this, I could shorten the work time even more…

Would I rather make another exit somewhere along the way and let it out from there? Then I don’t have to go back to the only doorway in this situation every time. However, if I create too many exits here and there, I increase the chances these secret passageways will be discovered.

Well… I guess I’ll make it the way I originally thought… It wouldn’t be a bad thing if I changed it later on a whim. I didn’t come up with the design plan by myself, it’s the current shape after coordinating with various places. If you change it on the spur of the moment, you can see that there will be various inconveniences.

During the month I’m in the royal capital, I want to complete this secret passageway, complete the diplomatic preparations, contact the Yamato Empire, and… I want to make progress with Margarete’s love life…

The last one is the hardest… No solution comes to mind. Rather than thinking about solving love problems, it would be much easier to think about the conquest of the Principality of Moscove…

Today I have to take a day off from school and go to the castle. We are going to have a meeting on related bills and actual negotiations. Afterward, the finished black tea was presented. It’s quite a lot if you think about the amount for personal consumption, but if you think about the amount serving not only Wilhelm but also the royal family plus guests, you can say it’s quite valuable.

The amount I had reserved for myself will also be reduced considerably. It’s because I’ve increased the amount I originally planned to present to Wilhelm… Still, I can’t say that the gift is enough, and I’m pretty uneasy about myself. I might be able to pick the next crop in a few months, but…

Well, next time there is little chance of failure in processing, so the amount that can be successfully processed will increase. Before, there was a lot of trial and error in fermentation and processing, so there were many failures. For the time being, the processing and manufacturing method at the current stage has been established, so if you just follow it, you can process the entire amount we picked.

Instead of just processing everything with the current method, we will continue to try new fermentation and processing each time we pick the trees. Instead of being satisfied with the current manufacturing method, we have to search for a better method.

“I was told I was summoned to the castle today…” I said.

“Yes,” the receptionist said. “I have heard that. This way, please.”

Today is a formal meeting, so I’m here in viscount’s formal attire. The receptionist was like an acquaintance to me, so I was let through as soon as I met him.

“We’ve been expecting you, Flora… no, Lord Floto,” Wilhelm said.

“I am sorry to have kept you waiting,” I replied.

It’s before the appointed time, but it’s only natural to say that because Wilhelm was waiting for me.

“Never you mind,” Wilhelm said. “Let’s get started quickly then.”

“Um… is it just us?” I asked.

I heard that today was a formal meeting, so I came dressed up, but there’s only me, Wilhelm, and Dietrich here… This is no different from the previous informal secret talk. No, that’s fine, right? It’s easier than having troublesome officials and bureaucrats, but…

“The meeting is formal,” Dietrich said. “There are many confidential matters, such as amendments to the bill and confirmation of the content of the negotiations. We can’t let others hear this, now, can we?”

“Haa…”

No, I don’t understand what you mean by “can’t let others hear this”… isn’t it essential to share information closely with the people in charge? If it turns out that we’re alone in a closed-room meeting, I’m afraid there will be backlash later…

It might be fine if only I and Wilhelm knew about the content of the negotiations, but I think it would be better if there were people involved to confirm and revise the bill, but… well, if the King and his Prime Minister are okay with this…

“Then can you take a look at this first?” Dietrich said, handing over some documents.

“Yes,” I said.

I look over them. Apparently, this is the bill that serves as the basis for my appointment to head diplomat. First of all, it seems that we will decide on the easiest matters. After looking over the documents, I discussed with Wilhelm and Dietrich what I had doubts about and what I felt was strange.

Bills and powers were somewhat simplified. Since the focus is on checking for deficiencies, there is not much trouble. Officials and bureaucrats make the template, so all you have to do is point out the shortcomings and remove unnecessary fetters.

My authority as a diplomat and how far I can judge on the spot are very important. Diplomats who can’t make any decisions can’t be involved, and if they just listen to what they were told to say and then reply, “I’ll check with my home country first.” things won’t go forward. Even the other party would be angry at me for bringing someone who had no such authority to the negotiating table.

The rough direction and range of concessions will probably be given by the home country from the beginning, but if diplomats can’t decide on the spot to some extent, they won’t be able to negotiate in depth. It would be nice to be in a good position to pressure the other party to make concessions, but in negotiations where you have to compromise with the other party, you need to be resourceful on the spot.

“Then here is the proposed amendment,” Dietrich said.

“Right,” I replied.

I just made minor corrections and some additions and deletions, so it was quickly put together. As far as I can think of now, this should be enough. By the way, or rather because of our close relationship, I was able to narrow down the scope of policies and concessions that I was to make during negotiations while making amendments to the bill.

However… when I negotiated with House Caan in the Caan Knighthood, I thought I could decide everything freely, but it would be difficult to negotiate as the representative of the Kingdom of Ploiss next time.

If I make arbitrary compromises or concessions, there is a possibility that I will be charged with a crime later. What I thought was within the scope of the concession may be said that it was unacceptable after all, upon review.

Going into negotiations in a position where you can decide everything completely freely and speaking as a representative or agent will be quite different. I don’t think I’m suited for that sort of thing, but…

I’m basically selfish and want to decide everything as I think. It would be a problem if someone told me to negotiate within a certain range and conclude the discussion. I’m not good at that sort of thing.

“Princess Flora, don’t think about it so much,” Dietrich said. “It’s just a preliminary negotiation, so don’t overdo it and advance on the royal road.”

“So… I see……”

Even if you say so… I wish I could decide freely on my own responsibility… the royal road…

Royal road…. the royal road…. what is the royal road between men and women…? It’s just…

“Ah!” I cried suddenly as I stood up from my seat.

“Huh? What’s wrong?” Dietrich asked as he and Wilhelm looked at me in surprise.

But that’s not all.

That’s it……. that’s right……. Speaking of the royal road between men and women, isn’t it a date first? Why were you thinking about how to get them married all of a sudden, or how to make a successful confession before even going on a date? First of all, it’s usually the royal road to go on a date before going up there!

That’s right……. indeed……. it’s a date. Have Margarete ask Ludwig out on a date. Then even someone like Ludwig would be aware of Margarete as a potential romantic partner, right?

How else are you going to get them to start dating? It may be easy to ask her out, but where and how to go on a date… and how to deepen their relationship…

“Did something go wrong here?” Wilhelm asked.

“There’s no problem. More than that, I’m thinking about things right now, so please be quiet,” I said.

How to invite to a date and what to do there. I just don’t know. Let’s hear what other people have to say. Also, I would like to hear from not only the wives, but also Bianca and others, and if possible, I would like them to cooperate. If Caanza Trading Firm helps in various ways, it will be possible to have a more interesting date than usual. If that happens, the relationship between the two will also be…

“”…………””

I also need to talk to Margarete. I’m in the royal castle anyway, so I’ll talk to her again on my way home today.

“Is now a good time?” Wilhelm asked.

“Huh? Ah!?”

When I was called out and returned to reality…Wilhelm and Dietrich were in front of me. I think I had just mentioned all that to Dietrich…

“I-I’m sorry! I was thinking a little!”

“It’s alright, it’s alright, if it’s you, Princess Flora, so you were thinking about something amazing again, weren’t you?” Dietrich said.

…… Is this being said in a sarcastic way? I can’t say I’ve thought about how to get Margarete to seduce Ludwig…

“Then let’s fill in a little more details, shall we?” Wilhelm said.

“Yes……”

Even after this, I tried to concentrate, but after all, I was distracted by Margarete’s problem, and the meeting then wasn’t very conclusive