CH 7

“My Lady. Do you have a lord in mind, or a desire to remarry later?”

“… There is no such thing. I intend to live for me and my family.”

Ellen answered clearly to leave no room for anything else.

Marriage.

She didn’t want to use marriage as a means of divorce, which might be another binding.

But Caden seemed to know she would say that, and he spoke without a flicker of embarrassment, like a speaker spitting out prepared words.

“The empress’s seat is harder to come by, but a concubine is no problem. There is no link that is as certain as marriage. So Killian must have done the same.”

“…”

“Think of it this way, you don’t have to go through all the trouble that comes with being downgraded from duchess to earl, and if you want to live outside the palace, that’s fine too. After all, the protection afforded to a loyalist and a member of the imperial family are two different things.”

A long persuasion.

The thoughts of a sixteen-year-old girl who once exchanged her honor for herself, trying to persuade her someday.

Memories flashed through Ellen’s mind.

“If you think soberly, young lady, you will see that this is a proposal that will do more good than harm for the both of us.”

Caden didn’t flinch at the words.

It was almost as if he was confident she would accept.

It was certainly a good fit for their needs.

It’s just that it’s something that Ellen herself has a bit of psychological resistance to.

“… Yes, marriage is also a kind of contract.”

She smiled her usual inert smile.

“Very well, we have a deal, and I will do my best to make sure you are satisfied, Your Highness.”

A smile of deep patience, built up over countless hours of lost time.

Caden’s face subtly hardened at the sight of it.

But it was only for a moment, and he smiled back.

“Very well, my lady. I’ll do my best.”

* * *

When Ellen first saw the crown prince at the hotel, her first thought was, ‘I could use this guy.’

He’s sweet, gentle, and genuinely cares about his people.

But he was betrayed at the last moment by a cousin whom he trusted as a friend and a loyal servant.

But what if she put herself between them?

What if she sowed suspicion between Killian and the crown prince, drive a wedge between them, and put herself in their place?

At this point, Killian hadn’t told her anything about the treason.

He needed her, but he wasn’t sure she wouldn’t turn on him if she knew everything.

And given that he’d framed her and had her executed, perhaps even after directly aiding the treason.

In any case, for those reasons, no matter what she did, it was likely that Killian wouldn’t even have a clue where the rags were being pulled from.

So the Crown Prince didn’t have to do much.

All he had to do was follow her lead.

So at first, suspicion was enough.

Suspicion would lead to investigating, which would lead to needing her help.

Once she’s done that once or twice, it would be easy for them to rely on her, even if they don’t like her.

Because liking and trust are two different things.

‘… Of course, I didn’t expect him to be so different.’

He had become very bold and aggressive, a completely different person.

Still, since he was the prince who survived the imperial struggle, there must have been at least a few tricks up his sleeve.

She had underestimated him too much.

‘Well, he’s not what I expected, but that’s not a bad thing. It’ll make things a lot easier in a lot of ways.’

Anyway, she got him on board and that was that.

“Now that we have a contract, I guess it’s my turn to make the down payment.”

Ellen rattled off a list in her head of small facilities that might be suspicious enough to interest him, but wouldn’t go straight to Killian if things went wrong.

Then, as if sensing that she was sifting through the information, Caden coyly offered her a deal.

“I’d like that down payment to be in the form of as much information as possible. What do you say?”

“Oh my, Your Highness. I also need a foundation to build upon.”

Ellen smirked at Caden’s sarcasm.

“By the way, Your Highness. Please speak comfortably to me. After seeing you in that state once, it’s hard for me to adjust.”

“Ah, if you get used to it, it will be difficult as it is. In order to trick the foxes, I must always wear the wrapper as if it were my real skin.”

He patted her on the cheek with a wry smile.

Maybe it’s possible to look so sneaky with that face.

Ellen held back the urge to suggest that since they were already disguising the packaging, it might be a good idea to dress up the contents of what they were saying as well.

“First, in Istazan, the capital city of the Emperor’s domain, find a shop called the Twilight Dinner. Start there, and you’ll find another.”

“Twilight Dinner?”

Caden, who had been concentrating on what she was about to say, spoke up, repeating the trade name he had heard.

“Yes. Think of it as a place similar to the one I took you to last time. I’d prefer to stay out of the way of what you’re going to do afterward.”

Their eyes met, and Caden nodded in understanding.

“And then… Well, yeah. Um, yes. It would be a good idea to pre-purchase your grain crops. Oh, you might want to check the water storage too. If possible, it would be nice if we could secure personnel capable of coping with pests and diseases.”

“Crops and water? You seem to be anticipating a drought, my lady.”

His brow furrowed slightly.

It was as if this was not a good thing to hear.

“Yes. It’s only March, so maybe you haven’t noticed yet, but it’s been drier and hotter than usual this year. Didn’t you find the winter relatively tolerable, or did you ever think spring would come early?”

At Ellen’s question about his experience, Caden thought for a moment, then nodded.

“Certainly… last winter wasn’t too harsh, and I’m definitely noticing that things have warmed up quickly this year.”

“Look at the historical records,” he says, “and there’s a strong possibility of a bad year. There’s a high risk of water shortages and unmanageable pestilence, and I’m putting the odds at very high.”

“Find the previous records. There is a high possibility of famine this year. There’s a high risk of water shortage. As for uncontrollable pests, I am estimating the probability to be very high.”

Caden tapped his temple a few times with the finger that had been resting on his chin, then turned to Lord Coenheim, who stood behind him.

They both muttered something under her gaze, then returned to their respective seats when they were satisfied that the matter was settled.

“First of all, I would like to applaud your knowledge if possible… Let’s see if you’re right. But where does that budget come from? It is close to impossible to proceed such a large project so suddenly in the first place.”

Caden recited the outcome of their discussion, a little embarrassed.

But when Ellen heard him, she blurted out, unimpressed, like she didn’t know what he was talking about.

“You needn’t worry about such things.”

“No, not for one province, but for the entire empire to support…”

“Your Highness.”

Ellen called out to him, sighing heavily.

Caden stopped what he was doing and stared at her.

He couldn’t quite put his finger on it, but it was a look of frustration.

“That’s why you have Kryant.”

“What are you talking about, Kryant and the empire supporting projects…”

“I mean, on an imperial scale, with Kryant.”

Caden, finally realizing what she was saying, slowly opened his mouth to speak, and within moments he was on his feet.

“You mean you’re going to help me…?”

“You heard right.”

Ellen clapped her hands together in a small gesture of pride.

Then he patted her on the cheek, exactly as he had done earlier.

“And please make the packaging look nice if possible.”

Instantly, Caden’s face widened.

Whether it was embarrassment or embarrassment, she couldn’t tell, but either way, it looked like he’d gotten a kick out of it. So Ellen turned her head to the side, inwardly satisfied.

“So Father, trust your daughter and make a one-time investment. We’ll make up for what you’ve spent, so, um… within this social season1 at the earliest.”

Daniel watched the two of them in a half-dazed stupor, and then, as if on cue, he replied.

“Huh? Oh, yeah, I’ll do that. We can talk about the specifics later.”

He stroked his cheek, still trying to wrap his head around the situation.

“Your Highness, please do not doubt Ellen’s words and speak freely. I’m in front of Your Highness. How dare I speak nonsense.”

Caden coughed once or twice, apparently uncomfortable with the situation, and then, with a flushed face, replied.

“Thank you, Lord Kryant. It seems my choice to visit you today was quite appropriate.”

“I’ll always be grateful that I had a daughter like her.”

Caden smirked as Daniel spoke, not missing an opportunity to brag about his daughter.

“Your Highness is not stupid. At some point, we would have joined hands.”

But Ellen’s next words made him look at her shakingly and quietly finished the conversation, as if he had given up on continuing his words.

“I hope our deal will be successful…”

“I will do my best to make sure it is.”

Ellen sincerely hoped.

May it be successful.

the traditional annual period in the spring and summer when it is customary for members of the social elite to hold balls, dinner parties and charity events