CH 359

When I wake up in the morning and finish my usual routine, I finish my work as much as possible before breakfast and then finish breakfast with everyone. After that, I still have work to do. Before the Yamato Empire’s delegation arrives, there will be a harbinger, so don’t panic. In the first place, I don’t know what time the other side will depart, but it will take some time just to move.

When the harbinger arrives, we have to start preparing, but until then, if we don’t reduce the work that has accumulated as much as possible, there is a possibility that the work will be delayed again when the envoy comes…

“Please wait… Miss Flora is……”

“…Are you saying… need to meet her, don’t I?”

I hear a voice slowly approaching from outside the door. I’m not sure exactly who it is, but I have an idea. And from the footsteps and signs, what’s approaching now is…

“Flora dear, where have you been for so long?”

“Good morning, Mother.”

So it was my mother, after all. I know her mostly by her footsteps and the signs of her approach. Well, if she was seriously hiding her presence, I wouldn’t know if she approached me, but Mother is so special that I can easily recognize her even when she’s usually not around.

“Hey, Flora, my apologies for disturbing you while you’re at work.”

“Good day to you, Big Brother Georg.”

Apparently, my brother was there too. I didn’t know his presence, too. Outside the door, the House Servants who couldn’t stop the two of them are standing apologetically. I told them it was fine and let them go. Then, I turned to the two people who entered the room and stopped my writing hand.

“Did something happen, for you two to both visit me, Mother, Big Brother?” I asked.

“Oh, my?” Mother asked. “Isn’t a mother supposed to be able to visit her cute daughter?”

“No, it’s nothing like that,” I said. “I’m very happy to see you again, Mother.”

My mother said something strange just now, but I responded without showing my turmoil. It’s like she’s confessing here that she’s hiding something if I get upset. Just cut through the facade and see what lay underneath.

“It wasn’t the only time we’ve come to visit,” Georg said. “We’ve been constantly told you weren’t home, Flora, and kept being turned away.”

“I’m sorry about that,” I said.

I have not received any such report. This is bad. If I was coming back regularly, it would be strange not to know about my mother and brother’s visits. If I didn’t know that, I would have confessed that I was gone for a long time.

If there were maids or butlers around like Isabella, Helmut, and Katharina, they would have made such contact. There should have been reports of who visited and when. But the only people left here were those who weren’t able to report directly to me. And I just got back yesterday and I’ve been busy and haven’t heard all the reports.

This is probably around the time when the remaining House Servants are telling Isabella and Helmut. The news will come to me after that. If my mother and others hadn’t come, I would have heard about it in the morning, but maybe it was unlucky, or maybe it was by bad planning, so my mother and brother came before the news could reach me.

“Flora dear, are you up to something?” Mother asked.

“Eh~…”

My mother hurls a fastball at me and my eyes swim. I can’t say that I’m secretly going on an expedition to the Blish Isles without telling the Kingdom of Ploiss or my parents. So here…

“Haah… probably this afternoon, before the sun goes down, a harbinger from the Demon Country will arrive here,” I confessed.

“Huh!? The Demon Country?!” Georg yelled, shocked.

This one will come as a surprise, too. To keep the Blish Isles matter silent, I can tell them some other surprises. Anyway, these will be found out soon. So let’s play this card now.

“Yes. I have received a secret order from Ploiss,” I said. “I’ve been working hard to conclude a non-aggression pact with the Demon Country. They will be arriving by the end of today, and we expect the treaty to be officially signed in the coming days.”

“I see, is that how it was…?” Georg said, nodding like he was impressed.

Mother still seems to sense something, but I don’t think she’ll know unless I say something too much.

“Hmm… Well, that’s fine. Then let’s just leave it at that,” Mother said.

Hmmm… Maybe Mother is aware of something… But I can’t admit that. It’s clear that I’m doing something illegal in this case. The problem isn’t that my parents would be angry if they found it.

If… if I was found guilty of rebellion or breaking the laws of Ploiss, and if my family knew about it, there is a possibility that they would be implicated. Now, if House Caan did it on their own and House Carruthers didn’t know about it, they wouldn’t be implicated. That’s why I can’t tell my family.

“Of course, Mother and Georg can also meet with the Demon Country delegation, can’t we?” Mother asked.

“Huh!?”

Hmmm… Why do they want to meet them…? Do they suspect that the negotiation itself is a lie? I don’t think so… I don’t know what their aim is.

“I can’t let you sit at the negotiation and signing table, but if it’s the welcome party or a dinner party with the delegation…” I said.

I guess this is the place to drop it. Even my parents cannot allow unrelated people to be present at treaty negotiations and signings. I have been entrusted with full power by Ploiss for this treaty. Even though the territory is close by, House Carruthers is irrelevant. Therefore, at most, I can only allow tonight’s dinner party, entertainment, and contact during the delegation’s stay.

“Well, that’s fine,” Mother said. “Then from today, Mother will also be staying here.”

AAAaaAAAAA~~~! That’s the aim! I, the owner of this place, have allowed my Mother to stay here, so that’s exactly what she’s going to do… If only Mother stays after the delegation returns, and if I’m going somewhere, then she’ll know that I…

They say you don’t know your parents’ hearts and minds, but I don’t think parents know their children’s hearts either. It seems that Mother knows I’m hiding something, so she may have the intention of exposing it, but… but I can’t let this matter alone be known.

Even if I went abroad without permission and was judged for treason or something, House Carruthers wouldn’t be punished… I absolutely can’t let it be known to her.

My mother and brother decided to stay at this mansion, and I got back to work. If you don’t deal with the amount that is brought in every day and the amount that has accumulated so far right now, it will become unmanageable if it accumulates too much.

Besides, I want to end the negotiations quickly and go to Eins. I sent him a letter, but there are many things I want to talk to him about directly if possible.

I’d like to confirm exchanges with the engineers from the Yamato Empire, but I don’t have time for that now. Various engineers and craftsmen from civil engineering, architecture, wood processing, agriculture, and paper industry are coming. They are dispatched and not immigrants, so they will eventually return home. I want them to absorb as much knowledge and technology as possible before they leave.

After the afternoon snack time, the harbinger arrived, so I started preparations. Everyone has already prepared for the reception of the mansion, so there is nothing for me to do. All I have to do is take care of myself. Get your work done and then dress yourself.

“How do you like it? Do you think I look good in the clothes you prepared for me, Flora dear?”

“Yes, you look very beautiful, Mother.”

She honestly is beautiful. I can’t believe she’s a mother with children of the ages they are. I envy my father who got such a wife. Well, even with my wives… they look beautiful. It’s not like they aren’t…

We~ll, these days, my wives are a bit disappointing or scary… It’s different from what I thought, but… they will be with me everywhere. Even my mother is beautiful if she keeps quiet and dressed up like this, but if she carries a spear on the battlefield or argues with Father at home, she’s terrifying.

My brother also changed into formal clothes and waited for the arrival of the delegation. We still have some time, so don’t panic. As for me, I want to finish my work until the last minute, but such a rushed state will lead to unnecessary failures. So it’s better to stop your writing hand at once, calm down, and wait quietly like this.

After a long time, I was waiting while chatting with my mother and brother when I heard that the delegation had arrived. Without panicking, I leave the mansion and welcome them. My House’s carriage stopped and who should come down but…

“Ooh! Long time no see, Floto!”

“You’re… Sumeragi Subaru-sama… I hadn’t thought you would come to see us in person, Prince Subaru…”

Mikoto’s older brother, Subaru, The First Prince, and the Crown Prince as well, would come directly to the middle of enemy territory… No matter how much we say that this occasion is for concluding a peace treaty, there is no guarantee that no kind of accident will occur at any time. Even though there is no guarantee of preventing 3rd parties from attacking the delegation to oppose the conclusion of a treaty between the Kingdom of Ploiss and the Yamato Empire…

“Because you’re the ambassador plenipotentiary for signing an important treaty!” Subaru explained. “We can’t delegate that to just anyone, now, can we?!

“That’s… Emperor Kamui’s thoughtfulness is wasted on me,” I said.

Last time I was allowed to do whatever I wanted, but this time I’m representing Ploiss. I can’t do anything too terrible. Subaru looked surprised at me as I bowed my head deeply. Then, Subaru continues,

“This a splendid palace, isn’t it? It’s more splendid than my castle. Its defense during wartime is probably low… but building something this luxurious in a place like this means that the enemy can’t attack this far inside, so it must be a show of absolute confidence.”

“Thank you very much,” I said.

Well… it’s not that I’m confident that they can’t attack this far, but that I don’t do it because I think defense with stone walls is meaningless… If you ask me, stone ramparts and castles are easy targets that can be crumbled by Caan cannons, so it would rather be an easy fight if you shut yourself up in a stone castle.

Japanese castles tend to be thought to be small, but most of what remains today are the castle towers and some of the facilities, and the original castles were very vast, including all facilities such as moats and enclosures. Many were much larger than Western castles.

In particular, Japan’s military strength during the Sengoku Period was the strongest in the world, and the number of firearms such as guns, their modified performance, cannons, and the number of troops that could be mobilized made it a military power that was unparalleled in the world at the time. That’s why other countries didn’t try to colonize Japan during the Edo Period for fear of the reputation the Sengoku Period gave it. 1

During the Sengoku Period, castles in Japan were protected with vast moats, ramparts, and enclosures to prevent cannons from bombarding the main enclosure. Although there are some creative liberties in this story, it is a well-known story that one battle of Ieyasu Tokugawa’s ended in peace because he could not invade Osaka Castle during the Osaka Winter Battle and had the outer moat filled in so much that the inner part of the castle could be kept inside cannon range.

For that reason, I think it’s useless to cover the surroundings with a solid wall. It is important not to let the enemy approach and not to be within range of the enemy’s attack, and I don’t place much importance on when they do reach the defenses.

“By the way, who is that beautiful princess over there?” Subaru asked.

“…… Huh?”

Subaru is fidgeting as I glanced behind me. I can only think of one beautiful person behind me. But she’s not a princess… Or rather, to see him blushing and fidgeting, could it be that Subaru is lusting after my mother?

“My, my!” Mother said. “How flattering of you to call me a beautiful princess. I’m Maria von Carruthers. I am Flora’s mother.”

“Maria von Carruthers………….” Subaru said, dumbfounded. Then, after a while, he became flustered and yelled, “BLOODY MARIA?!”

Subaru had only been focusing on appearances and must have never imagined that such a beautiful and shapely woman would be a saint covered in blood. I agree that Mother’s looks don’t match her title.

“This is my son,” Mother said.

“I am Georg von Carruthers.”

“Ah, I am Sumeragi Subaru… it’s a pleasure to meet you…”

And now after hearing Mother’s name, Subaru stiffened up. Then, the intimidating aura coming from Mother is amazing. It almost knocked me out. Mother is deliberately intimidating Subaru… she’s telling him not to underestimate her too much.

“Well, then, we can’t just keep standing in a place like this forever, so please come this way,” I said.

“Ah, aah…” Subaru went.

We invite the delegation, who is now intimidated and atrophied by Bloody Maria, to the mansion. With regards to Mother, do the demons of the Demon Country have thoughts about her? Or did they think that the negotiations hadn’t been settled yet, and I’d intimidated them into going along with my terms?

Either way, I don’t want to mess things up too much, but…

I thought I might need to warn my mother later, but I’m not in a state where I can tell have a secret discussion with Mother, so I invited the delegation to the mansion, hoping that there would be no trouble, somehow.