CH 4

Suspicious Rumors

Translated by KaiesV

Edited by KaiesV

It was in early summer, some time after Father’s return, when the autumn wheat harvest was about to begin, that he heard that strange rumors had begun to circulate in the Clanetta territory.

「Princess. I would like to ask for a few moments of your time.」

A steaming, glass-fronted greenhouse on the grounds of our residence. I was crouched in the middle of it, examining the tomato leaves for pests, when I looked up at the sound of Emily’s voice, which sounded somewhat stifled.

「What’s wrong? Your tomatoes haven’t even ripened yet.」

「This is not a snack! This is a big deal!」

Emily’s stern expression did not change even though I tried to soften it with a joke because she looked so thoughtful. I tightened my face too and urged her to continue the conversation. She brought her face close to mine, and with a tremor in her voice, she told me.

「Rumors are circulating that the Ducal of Clanetta are plotting rebellion in the Clanetta territory, mainly in the urban areas. And as the ringleader of the plot…… of course, the name of Eliza-sama was mentioned.」

「It’s a hoax. Anyway, calm down. Emily.」

「I cannot calm down! It is unthinkable that the honor of Clanetta, Eliza-sama, should be slandered in such a manner.」

「I am here, the princess.」

When Emily, enraged by the insult to her master, looked at me and told her about the servants working a short distance away, she kept her mouth shut, as if embarrassed.

「My apologies. I am sorry, but I am not the one who should be trying to be calm in order to be of help to Princess at a time like this…」

「No, on the contrary, we were able to keep our cool, so don’t worry about it. Besides, it makes me very happy that you’re mad at me for doing this.」

「Princess… That’s too kind of you to say.」

I stood up and brushed the dirt off my work clothes, smiling at the sight of Emily, who was now sobbing with tears of joy.

「Let’s hear more about it in the museum. By the way, does my father know about this already?」

「Yes. He have asked you to come to his study when the time is right.」

「Tell him I’ll be there as soon as I change. Also, could you make a pot of herbal tea for the number of people?」

「Yes, ma’am. I can change your clothes…」

「Ask someone else to do it. Because now that the information is uncertain, the fewer things we know about this matter, the better. Emily is in the study, preparing tea.」

「I understand…」

I left the greenhouse with Emily, who replied with some regret. I’ve heard that getting me dressed, which is praised as「doll-like adorable,」 is so popular among the maids that a raffle is held to determine the winner. When she told me this story, I was dismayed, as if I was being forced to play with dolls.

◆

「Father, sorry to keep you waiting.」

「Ohh, Eliza. Thank you for coming. Now, sit down.」

Father, who was sitting on the sofa in his study, tipping his cup, suggested that he sit across the desk from me. As soon as I sit down, Emily, who had been waiting at the side of the room, approaches me without a sound and gently places a cup of warm, steaming herbal tea on my desk.

「Thank you, Emily.」

Smiling and thanking us, she reverently bowed to us before stepping away and standing in front of the door. She seemed to be wary of the outside world. As I sipped my tea and took a breath, my father looked at me with surprised eyes.

「…You don’t seem too upset about this.」

「No, more or less. But it’s a rootless thing, and it will die down eventually.」

「Not so, however, it seems.」

The father looked puzzled and handed me some thin mokkan that had been tucked away beside his desk.

「According to the《Ear.》 Rumors are said to be circulating on an ongoing basis.」

《Ears》is the collective name for the clandestine staff of Clanetta. Unlike the police organization, they are those who snitch on wrongdoers while integrating themselves into the lives of the common people. Just think of it as being like an private detectives without the right to arrest.

「I see, so there are rumors of rebellion against Clanetta in bars, inns, and various other places. The citizens’ reaction is…… so far, few believe it, and,」

I feel a bit of relief as I look over the report. It seems that the Clanetta family is well accepted by the citizens. However, the father made a reluctant face and continued his story.

「No locals seem to believe it, but the problem is the peddlers who stop by the city. If the merchants bring back rumors and speak of them in other territories, some will hear them as truth in places where they do not know us, here in Clanetta.」

「If that happens, it will be one of their weapons should someone attack us…」

「That’s right. It is『proof』of Clanetta’s misdeeds that will reverberate throughout the other territories.」

Silence fell between us. Father seemed to be thinking about who had set this up.

「Does Father have any idea who will do this?」

「There only is one person. Count Yunk.」

「I am thinking the same. Count Edmond Yunk, the first of the Eastern Knight Lords. But I don’t understand why he would go this far.」

It reminds me of the ball the other day. I was well aware of Edmond’s unusual hatred in his gaze toward us, and I knew that he disliked Clanetta, with whom the territory came into contact, but it was too much for mere harassment.

There is a law of the kingdom called the Law of Nobility. As the name implies, these are laws pertaining to the nobility, and one of them forbids the unintentional humiliation of other nobles. It was created to prevent power struggles between nobles, and violators are severely punished.

If a person intentionally spreads false rumors about opposing nobles and is found to have done so, he or she will be punished by having his or her house demolished or imprisoned. Moreover, this time he was trying to frame a ducal family, who are the parent clan of the royal family, for treason, so there is a possibility that they will even be asked for the death penalty. The risks are too high.

「And there is something else that is odd. Let’s say that Edmond is the one who started this rumor. If it is done on an ongoing basis on the scale reported, it would be a significant expense, no matter how much the Count’s family is involved. Where are these funds coming from?」

Rumors have been confirmed in almost every urban area in the Clanetta territory.

「There are those who provide support, so Eliza would like to say.」

「Yes. It would also be a very powerful opponent. It would be difficult to carry out a construction project of this scale without our or greater financial resources. Two houses are mentioned in the kingdom, neither of which has any advantages.」

It is the family of Garandolph, headed by Roger, the current prime minister, and the royal family.

「Mister Roger, who is known for his strictness and honesty, would never support something like this.」

「Yes. Considering the way His Excellency the Prime Minister has been acting, and considering his good relationship with Clanetta, it is highly unlikely that he will be involved.」

「The famine three years ago.」

Three years ago, famine struck all of Rynegard. Every estate was scrambling to secure food and could not afford to look elsewhere. The famine had a particularly heavy impact on the Garandolph territory, where the yield of wheat, the main crop, dropped to one-fifth of the previous year’s level. The market price of grain skyrocketed, and even if the Prime Minister’s family attempted to bail out the situation with their financial resources, there would be people starving to death in the fiefdom.

「Eliza saved the starving people of Garandolph.」

「No, Father. The Clanetta family did.」

「Humble as ever, my child.」

「I am not being modest. I can’t do anything on my own.」

I think back to those days, with my cheeks stained by the warm and raw glances that my father and, casually, Emily also directed at me. An agrarian reform has been phased in since I was a child—— a conversion from two-plot farming with alternating fallow to higher-yielding rotational farming—— which had finally borne fruit, and the Clanetta territory, which was no longer a single crop, was less affected by the famine. The surplus of the crop was shared with the hardest hit Galandolph territory.

「In this way, the territory of Garandolph was able to escape from the crisis. This is still strongly remembered by the people of both sides. If they try to usurp Clanetta’s territory, even their own territory will no longer obey them.」

The father, who respected the Prime Minister, who was also known for his fairness, exhaled in relief and summarized his thoughts.

「Is the involvement of the Prime Minister still inconceivable? And for the royal family, it’s like wrenching their own limbs. That would be like…」

「Although we don’t like to think about it, I suspect the involvement of foreign powers. Father. Is there any way we can send a secret inquiry to the Yunk territory?」

「The merchant’s《ear》is there. Let those people probe.」

After a detailed discussion with my father, I left the room and proceeded to the bath. Sweat clung to my body, even though I had once changed into a dress. It was not caused by the early summer heat, but by the strain of catching a glimpse of a huge shadow behind Count Edmond. In order to take away my worries and discomfort, I performed a water purification ceremony by vigorously pouring water from a vat Emily had prepared on my naked body, and prayed to the god of Rynegard, who has not been seen since its reincarnation, for a victory.