Chapter 131: Crown Prince’s Request (1)

Chapter 131: Crown Prince’s Request (1)

The day after the banquet ended, I went to meet His Highness, the Crown Prince.

This was because it was customary to pay a visit for every promotion, whether one joined any princes faction and became a general or an executive officer (equivalent to a Major General).

His Highness the Crown Prince, worried that I might not know this custom, kindly sent a servant to tell me this,

I happen to be free tomorrow. I would like to have a cup of tea with you. But if youre not feeling well due to a hangover, we can postpone our meeting.

It might sound like it wasnt necessary to come, but not going might disappoint His Highness, so I had to go.

As I was pondering this and following the butlers guidance through the mansion, I arrived right in front of His Highnesss office,

Your Highness, Lieutenant General Yaeger has arrived.

The Prince responded with a voice loud enough to be heard through the door, sounding happy,

Bring him in quickly, come on!

As soon as the door opened, the Prince greeted me almost as if he was going to embrace me and patted my shoulder.

I was momentarily taken aback by his sudden familiarity, but the Crown Prince smiled broadly and pointed to a desk set with tea and refreshments, saying,

In fact, Ive been waiting for you for a few days. When I heard that the 12th Brigade was coming to the capital, I asked the merchants to bring in the finest black tea imported from the East. Please, take a seat.

Thank you for taking such care for me.

No, no. Thanks to your efforts, the empire achieved another great victory and gained even more territory than expected. How could I, as the Crown Prince of the empire, not treat you generously?

As we chatted and sat down, I took a sip of the black tea and was filled with a rich fragrance, reminiscent of steeped cherries.

The feeling of comfort that followed suggested that, as the Crown Prince said, this was indeed the finest product from the East.

I never thought I would have the luxury of drinking such fine tea.

I brought it in specially for our meeting, knowing you enjoy tea. I thought you would like it. Ill give you a can of tea leaves to take home so you and your wife can enjoy it.

Im sure my wife, Lieutenant Colonel Laura, will definitely like it too.

Laura, like me, enjoyed drinking tea, so she would certainly cherish the black tea gifted by the Crown Prince.

So, serving her a cup of tea and massaging her shoulders would surely be appreciated, especially since she was still experiencing mental fatigue after the war.

We chatted for about an hour more, and at one point, the Crown Prince looked at me, smiled, and said,

You are really steadfast, arent you? The summary execution of Baron Granz during the last expedition was quite risky. I was quite shocked when I heard about it.

Actually, my public summary execution of Baron Granz was to prevent being checked by the Crown Prince as a member of his faction.nove(l)bi(n.)com

Haha. Its just between the lieutenant, Lieutenant General Yaeger, and me. Come in comfortably.

Then, I apologize for the intrusion.

Saying so, the Crown Prince, perhaps trying to lighten the atmosphere, patted Maxs shoulder in the same manner he did to me and said,

Haha. So, did you make it back alright yesterday?

However, Lieutenant Benner, or rather, my brother-in-law, answered in a rather stiff voice, perhaps conscious of my rank, which was four levels higher than his.

Thanks to your concern, I made it back well.

Is that so? I thought you had gone in with two women on each arm yesterday. I assumed you would be partying all night and not show up until the day after tomorrow.

Since Your Highness personally treated us to drinks and supervised our night out, I couldnt delay my gratitude. However, Lieutenants Otto, Friedman, Schultz, and Wittmann were also planning to visit today. Since Lieutenant General Yaeger and Your Highness are together, Ill tell them to come tomorrow.

Do so. And take this with you.

Saying that, the Crown Prince handed over a can of tea leaves containing black tea, about three grades lower than what I received, from under his office desk.

I received this as a gift, and I heard its fairly good for sobering up. You seem to still have a bit of alcohol flush; have a drink and sober up before you leave.

Thank you.

To an outsider, it might look like the Crown Prince casually drank with young officers yesterday, and the officers, unaware of my visit, came today to thank him, engaging in friendly conversation with him in front of me.

However, logically, a person of the Crown Princes stature wouldnt open the door for a mere lieutenant in a private meeting just because of a minor acquaintance.

The message the Crown Prince was conveying to me by staging this scene was

I have other young officers I favor besides you. Be a bit more cautious in your future conduct.

It wasnt a serious warning, but it would be wise to be a bit more careful in the future.

Additionally, Lieutenant Max, despite being the heir to Duke Benner, didnt even hear an invitation to sit and have a cup of tea.

Though you are the heir to the Duke Benner family, your position is vastly different from that of Lieutenant General Yaeger.

It was a significant pressure, a warning not to overstep based on personal relationships.

What could he possibly want to talk about, since we havent even gotten to the main point yet?

While I was pondering this, Lieutenant Max left the room, stiff as a board.

Now lets get down to the main topic. This is something I would like you to do now that you are a Lieutenant General. Its not particularly difficult for you.

Hearing that, I was certain. It definitely wouldnt be an easy task.