CH 337

Two months passed in the blink of an eye, and it was time to leave Koenigsvelg and return to the royal capital.

In Koenigsvelg, the construction of a new city, re-laying of roads, preparation of farms and ranches for the Caanza Trading Firm, preparations for opening various schools in the Caan Knights Nation to recruit talented people, etc. are all keeping me very busy.

In particular, I have high hopes for those who have learned at school and are likely to become an immediate workforce. Those at the highest levels will probably graduate around the same time I graduate.

Among them, I have particular expectations of Eduard and Bernhardt. If they learn and grow at school, they should become interesting people.

Border tensions with the Principality of Moscove have eased. This is because of Mikalojus’s scheming.

Mikalojus insisted on a plan to further divide the Polsky kingdom, but this was not just a plan to devour Polsky. It seems that Mikalojus’ aim was to weaken the pressure on the Caan Knights Nation by turning the attention of Moscove to Polsky.

Originally, Ploiss and Moscove did not share a border because Polsky was between them, now they have a border due to the division of Polsky. Naturally, the Principality of Moscove became considerably wary of the Ploiss Kingdom, which it had never been touched before.

Long-distance melee attacks are often ordered, and everyone joins hands with others far away and fights with those nearby. If you want to expand your territory, you will seize neighboring territories, right? On earth, from Russia’s point of view, it would be ill-advised to skip the country in between them and just attack France, so it was a natural strategy to attack the neighboring Germany first.

Even if they plan to attack France in the end, they will first cooperate with France to attack Germany in between them. And if Germany, the one stuck in the middle, disappears, the next attack will be on France.

From the perspective of Moscove, it was only natural for them to be wary of the neighboring large country, Ploiss, especially as it now bordered them. Far from being a warning, what’s happening in the north seems like a provocation, but let’s put that aside for now.

If left unchecked, a war could soon develop between the Caan Knights Nation and the Principality of Moscove near the northern border. But the Caan Knights are still unprepared. The state has just recently been established and does not have the power to go to war with Moscove.

Therefore, Mikalojus came up with a plan to further divide Polsky.

Even for Moscove, even if they didn’t think much of the Caan Knights because they didn’t have a system in place soon after they were established, even if they went to war with the Caan Knights Nation, Ploiss would definitely come out on the side of the Caan Knights.

It’s called the Caan Knights Nation, but it’s one of the small states within Ploiss’s territory. If Ploiss abandons the Caan Knights Nation, other territories in the country may give up on Ploiss sovereignty and turn to neighboring countries for protection. Therefore, the Kingdom of Ploiss cannot abandon its domestic territories.

Even Moscove does not want a head-on fight Ploiss, which is a large country located in the center of the continent. That’s why they don’t invade even the Caan Knights Nation, who they underestimate, and repeatedly provoke near the border.

We don’t want to fight each other, but we have to be careful with each other because we are bordering each other. The only way to manage such a relationship is to create a common enemy. Or will it be a mutually beneficial relationship with each other by eating a common sitting duck…?

In other words, at the same time that the Caan Knights Nation divided Polsky further and gained national power and population, Mikalojus also drew attention to Polsky by drawing the Principalities of Moscove and Aust into the division.

Of course, it’s a story of trying to get territory and population by dividing it with everyone, so the enemy will also be strengthened. But if I think about fighting with the Principality of Moscove right now, I want to buy some time and prepare my system.

By the way, if the Polsky Division can create mutual trust and diplomatic relations, there may be a way to use it as leverage to change the hostile policies about each other and form an alliance. Mikalojus said that after considering such things, we should set up a plot to further divide the Polksy.

I understand the idea, and I was thinking about it too… but it was difficult to actually do it or to work on it. Mikalojus was also ordered to teach the other liaisons his methods, and he did it well.

Behind the scenes, Moscove Polsky is moving forward with an agreement on the further division of Polsky, so rather than fighting with us, we decided to cooperate with each other in dividing Polsky first. Mikalojus is a low-life of a man, but he is very useful in a place like this.

Thanks to that, we were able to considerably reduce the number of soldiers we were confronting in the north. From there, we interviewed those who were non-inheriting children of the Carruthers Vassals and succeeded in hiring quite a few to House Caan. The Carruthers Vassals thought themselves lucky that their children have found employment. We are lucky to have people who are reasonably trustworthy and well-trained.

Win-win indeed!

Along with General Janzicka and the former Polsky soldiers who had been taken prisoner, the military strength of the Caan Knights quickly expanded. Of course, it’s still a small force, and we can’t even fight Moscove alone, but even so, it’s a good achievement even if it’s only been able to do this in a short period of time since the founding of the country.

Also, loyalty and patriotism are issues, but I don’t think it will be solved overnight. In order to avoid being betrayed from now on, there’s nothing I can do but gather trust and loyalty over time.

“Well then, let’s go home, shall we?” I said.

“Yes. Indeed,” Kanbee said.

Mother will come home with us this time. In the past, she was immediately recalled after returning to Carruthers Territory, but this time, thanks to Mikalojus’s secret maneuvers, Moscove is also aiming for the Polsky first. I can’t leave this place empty, so my father will continue to stay and keep an eye on them, but I don’t think there will be an emergency where Mother has to go out in the immediate future.

“Let’s go back to the royal capital. And then, let’s go back to our home territory.

The school exams were held after relaxing a bit in the royal capital, and I had plenty of time to spare. Thanks to studying for exams in between work, I haven’t dropped my score that much this time either… or at least that’s supposed to be the case. I wish I could bring home the question paper and grade myself.

Actually, it was a little while ago, but today is the 65th day since I gave Eleonore the picture diary, so I decided to go see her. I said that I would come back after she studied properly and finished all the pages, so I took a day off so that it would be the very last page. It’s not out of pages yet, but if I fail to return when I told her, it might not work next time.

And even though I said I would return when it was completed, I dared to do it a day early. In other words, the last picture diary must depict the joy of meeting me again. That’s what I’m aiming for. If all of them are filled in, she won’t draw about meeting me again.

“I promised to climb up to the castle today…” I said to the receptionist.

“Right,” the receptionist said. “Ah… Lady Flora, His Majesty has allowed you to visit any time without an appointment. Please come and go as you please without worrying about sending prior notice.”

Well, even before I was told that, even if I came without an appointment before, I was immediately let through…

As long as there’s no big emergency, neither the King nor the Prime Minister should be this lenient. It would only be if something terrible happened somewhere, or if some kind of national-level affairs were going on.

That’s why, even if I just come to set an appointment, almost every time I’m passed through to the back of the castle. I shouldn’t take it for granted, but it’s already happening, so if I say that I’m going to go get an appointment every time, I must shrewdly prepare to see the King and Prime Minister anyway, but that’s not how these things are supposed to go.

I made an appointment in advance today, so I’m following the procedure properly. I was almost let through on the day I came to set an appointment, but I said that I wanted to adjust the day for Eleonore, so it’s today.

I enter the inner palace while being guided by a servant. This is kind of funny too… I’m no longer a candidate for marriage to the crown prince, and moreover, I’m only the daughter of a margrave, and my peerage is that of a viscount. It’s already full of pitfalls, but I don’t care. If you worry about every single thing, you’ll either go bald or wear a hole in your stomach.

“Flora? Floraaaaaa!”

“Princess Eleonore!?”

As I was walking down the corridor, I ran into Eleonore. I was going to surprise her, but she surprised me. What’s more, just when I thought she was running towards me as usual, she jumped at me…

“Princess Eleonore, it’s dangerous if you always jump on me…”

“Flora! Floraaaaaaa! Aaaaah!”

Uwah… she’s starting to cry… once Eleonore jumped and hugged my waist, I put her down at once and then picked her up and held her properly. Eleonore obediently let herself be put down, then she started thumping my chest! She’s hiccuping and sobbing, too.

“Princess Eleonore, you are quite the crybaby, aren’t you?”

“Hiku…, ngu…”

Even if I say that, she just presses her face against my chest, sobs, and doesn’t even try to move. It makes me wonder if something happened if she’s showing all this.

“Princess Eleonore~?”

“Eleonore! Where did you go?”

Then I heard the voices of a young woman and a young man coming from the other side of the corridor. Both were voices of people I knew well.

“Crown Prince Ludwig, Lady Margarete, this way,” I said, suddenly popping my head out around the corner.

“”Flora!?”” both cried, identically surprised.

They seem like a well-matched couple after all. In private, I call her just Margarete, but in official places, it would be Lady Greif, as she’s the daughter of a duke, and I am the daughter of a margrave, our social statuses are so different. No matter how close you are, you can’t call her out by just her first name in official situations.

“You’re already back…?”

“Welcome back, Flora.”

“It has been a long time, Your Highness Ludwig. And yes, Lady Margarete, I have just returned.”

I can’t curtsy because I’m carrying Eleonore, but I bow my head as much as I can.

“Oh. Flora, you’ve returned?”

“Your Majesty, I’m sorry for the long absence. I’ve returned.”

“Ah, we can do away with the formalities,” Wilhelm said. “Come here quickly.”

He seemed to have heard the commotion, joined us, and the five of us headed further inside the back of the palace. I was passed through the royal audience room, the reception room, and even into the inner palace. It’s not a place where guests pass through, it’s a place where the royal family privately live their lives. And Queen Elisabeth and Prime Minister Dietrich were also there.

“Ah, Princess Flora, I’ve been waiting for you.”

“Good day, Your Grace Dietrich.”

I made an appointment in advance that I would arrive today… I’m sure they knew I was back in the capital, but they also knew I was coming to the castle today, so they were waiting for me, right?

“Eh~… it looks like everyone is waiting… Shall we bring the dessert out right away…?” I asked.

Anyway, they were all looking for the dessert I brought, weren’t they? I know this well… they weren’t here for me, it’s for the dessert I’ll bring…

I ask them to bring out a tribute that should have been prepared in the background. Today’s dessert is…

“That… ice cream? It’s similar to that, isn’t it?” Dietrich asked.

“It’s similar… but fundamentally they are different… this one is gelato,” I said.

The previous one was a milk ice cream based on cow milk, but this time I added fruit juice and other ingredients to create a gelato. No, I don’t know if there’s a specific definition or a significant difference, okay? I don’t know how much milk fat content there is, or what the detailed classification is like in modern times. If I say this is gelato, then this is gelato.

“Suppa… so sweet!”

Even Eleonore who had been crying until just now, happily ate dessert soon as it came out. Everyone else will be happy. This time it contains fruit juice, so there are many sweet and sour ones. It’s not just simple sweetness, it’s refreshing with the sweetness and sourness of the juice.

“Each color has a different taste.”

“Sho good!!” Eleonore cried.

You can enjoy a variety of flavors because they serve small amounts of gelato with different flavors. Fufufufu. Eleonore is just as happy, and the last page of the picture diary will be full of memories of meeting me again!

Speaking of the last page of the picture diary. Of her experiences that day, Eleonore chose…

“Today I ate sour, sweet, and cold gelato!”

To draw about gelato… nothing about her reunion with Flora drawn at all, instead it was Eleonore eating a large array of gelato to her heart’s content.