Unexpected Reunion
After the promised three months, Ren returned to the castle. The Nord Federation's Ministers, who had not expected him to spend so much time on inspection, greeted him with half anger and half relief.
No wonder they get angry. Ren didn't contact them at all while traveling around the country.
"Well, should I say I'm glad you're okay?"
"What do you mean by saying such things? And there's the matter of Saint Miriam."
"Yeah, that's right"
Lautrec, who had mixed feelings in his mind, said that he was happy that he was safe. However, due to the words of another minister, made his face cloud over, just as he had done inwardly.
"...Ren-dono, a messenger has come from Saint Miriam."
"I see. So?"
"There seems to have been a battle at the border, and there is something they want to confirm about that matter."
"That's all?"
Compared to what Ren had in mind, the contents were quite mild. On the contrary, Ren became suspicious of the true intentions of the Saint Miriam Kingdom.
"That's all there is to it, but the official messenger is actually Princess Amalia."
"Ah, so that's why it's mild?"
However, Lautrec's explanation immediately resolved Ren's worries.
"What do you mean?"
"It's not like we don't know each other, you know."
Of course, this is not the reason. It's not a strange relationship with Princess Amalia, but it's not a friendly relationship either.
"I see... Should I be happy?"
"I don't know. I guess I'll have to talk to her about that."
"Then I shall send out a messenger to announce your return."
"But first, what about the enthronement?"
"That's……"
"I think we can talk about that after we're done with Saint Miriam, right?"
Instead of Lautrec, who was muddying his words, another minister opened his mouth. The minister who said on the first day that it would take time.
"I see. Then I'll wait for it to be over."
"Wait?"
"I can't appear in the diplomatic meeting with no title, can I? So I'll be back to inspect the situation until it's over."
He can see the minister's thoughts. Ren doesn't have the slightest intention of doing what he wants.
"No, the other party wants to hear from Hero-dono."
"Me? I have nothing to say to them even if they ask me. Tell them that."
"How can that be? What did you do? Let's be honest."
"Hmm. I don't have any idea, no matter how much I think about it. Would you at least be a little more specific about what you want to ask me?"
Even if he was asked, he has no intention of telling anything. He has no intention of doing anything for the Nord Federation until the enthronement is realized.
"...I understand. Let's send a messenger and ask."
"Well, good luck."
"Hero-dono, wait!"
Ren, who was about to leave the place after giving a light greeting, is called out by a panicked-sounding voice.
"……Why?"
"It won't take much time to confirm. As a result, we may still have to ask Hero-dono."
"How long does it take, specifically, how many days? It takes quite a while to send a messenger to the royal capital of Saint Miriam and then head here, right?"
Even though they are neighboring countries, they are not within easy distance of each other. The Saint Miriam Kingdom, which has experienced invasion by the Nords in the past, has moved its capital to the west.
"No, it seems that Her Royal Highness Princess Saint Miriam is waiting at the border."
"Yes?"
"I don't know if she's actually waiting, but that's what I hear."
"I see... you'll just have to figure it out when she's not waiting."
It was Princess Amalia who was impatient. The problem was resolved in Ren's mind even before he spoke to her. It had been resolved from the beginning. It was just a hassle to make them understand it.
"No, we don't need to think about it."
"But it's almost time for the church to come."
"Church?"
"You're supposed to give a portion of the Nord territory as a contract fee, right? I think they'll come to receive it."
"You really think they'll come for it?"
"It's a contract. Maybe you don't intend to give it to them? If so, that's a breach of contract."
"No, it's not like that."
The minister's face turns pale at once. Failure to perform the contract constitutes a breach of contract. There is no doubt that severe punishment will be imposed.
"Saint Miriam's response and the church. You're busy, but don't forget about my enthronement, okay?"
"……Yeah."
Ren's accession to the throne is also part of the contract. They can no longer stall it.
"Now, is there room for me?"
"I will guide you."
It was Lautrec who offered to be a guide. He wants to talk in a place where the other ministers aren't around. Following his back, Ren also left the audience room.
He walked to the back of the building and found a room prepared for him.
"This is Ren-dono’s room. All the surrounding rooms are empty. You can use them as you like."
"Heh. You've got a room that's kingly, at least."
"It's not that grand."
"Still, there are so many rooms."
Formerly a border defense castle. Since it is purely for military use, it is not a place where royalty would live. Even so, this corner alone is larger than Babaa's house. It seems luxurious to Ren and the others.
"How should we divide the rooms?"
"That's right. The room diagonally near the entrance is the escort's room. It's a shared room by Bull-san, Bear-san, and Fox-san. Next to Ren's room are the boys. On the other side are the girls. In front of that is Rin-san. Next to that, it's the maid's room. Okay, it's decided."
"......Why do you get to decide?"
Ren looked suspiciously at Shizuku, who was trying to decide on the room allocation. He knows what Shizuku's intentions are.
"But it's not that bad, is it?"
"There is one thing that bothers me."
"What is it?"
"You don't want a room?"
"I share a room with Ren."
Shizuku talks about being in the same room as Ren as if it were a matter of course. Of course, Ren is not fooled by that.
"I reject it. Your room is diagonally to the left of mine."
"That's Bull-san and the others' room."
"You'll share a room with them."
"No."
"...You're reaction is boring."
He expected her to be more upset, but Shizuku's reaction was not as Ren expected.
"It can't be helped. I'll be in front of Ren's room. The maids room is in the other room."
"Don't decide on your own."
In the end, they decided to change both sides of Ren's room to Rin and Shizuku's room. The reason is that it was not good for the children's education and was never explained.
Each of them immediately went into their own room. In Ren's room, the discussion with Lautrec began immediately.
"Is Saint Miriam all right?"
"I don't think they want anything too rough since the princess will go out of her way to go here."
"Yes. But why is the princess coming?"
"Maybe she's cautious? Since they even bid on me, I think they're evaluating me as such. Maybe they think it's their own country that will be hurt by being rough."
"I see……"
Even if the Saint Miriam Kingdom is turned into an enemy, the Nord Federation with Ren will win. Lautrec honestly cannot be pleased that the princess of the Saint Miriam Kingdom thinks so.
"I want to confirm from here as well. Do you have any intention of enthroning me?"
"No, it's not that. Are you sure you're not in a hurry to ascend to the throne? I was surprised when you said you'd go on an inspection again."
"I think you are hesitating because you are afraid of Saint Miriam, and until that is over, you will not be able to proceed."
"You know?"
"Of course. If I had done something, I would have been sued for irrelevance before the contract was signed. That's the idea, right?"
"That's right."
Rather than turning the Saint Miriam Kingdom into an enemy, cut Ren down. This is what the ministers of the Nord Federation think.
"Then you shouldn't have thought about the contract from the beginning. I'm the one who made you sign the contract though."
"Once the matter of Saint Miriam is settled, you will immediately ascend to the throne. But are you okay after that?"
"What do you mean?"
"It doesn't make sense for you to be a puppet."
"I've made preparations to prevent that from happening. We'll just have to wait and see what happens."
"I see."
Ren is not absolutely sure about this matter. He just feels that he has done everything he can.
"Nothing will begin until I ascend to the throne. Until then, I'm going to take it easy. After three months on the road, I'm getting tired."
"...I understand. We will hurry up our preparations."
With this, the meeting with Lautrec was over. For Lautrec, it was unsatisfactory. Ren would not tell him anything about what he had done or what he was going to do.
Fortunately for Lautrec, once he decided to entrust the project to Lautrec, he was prepared to trust him and leave it to him, even if he had some misgivings. As long as he keeps that attitude, Ren will never betray Lautrec.
◇◇◇
It was only three days later that Princess Amalia arrived at the castle as an envoy from the Saint Miriam Kingdom. Her arrival was earlier than expected. That is how long she had been waiting for Ren's return. She may not have been happy about it.
"It was much sooner than I had expected."
"Yes……"
"It's been a long time."
"Ah... R-Ren-sama..."
"What?"
"I-is it, nhh."
"What?"
"Is it... alright... with me, ah..."
"Ah, you mean to say that it's all right for me to be doing this with the maid when the messenger is here?"
"Y-yes."
Ren is holding Emily from behind. Emily's clothes are bare and Ren's hand is reaching under them. Ren invites Emily, who has accompanied Princess Amalia, to his room. While she is happy to see him for the first time in a long time, she finds herself in this situation.
"Do you want me to stop?"
"...That's mean."
"Then, do you want to continue?"
"...Don't make me say it. It's embarrassing."
Emily's whole body turns bright red and she is embarrassed, but she still wants Ren. Ren likes women who react this way. The relationship with Emily, which was intended to be a one-time thing, continued because Ren wanted it to. Even now, it was Ren who asked for it.
It has been a long time since they last saw each other. They would have liked to spend time together, but as expected, that was not possible. Once Emily was satisfied, they stopped further activities.
"I'm sorry if I seemed to be in a hurry."
"No. I was happy."
"Next... let's stop talking. I'm looking forward to the day we can meet again."
"Yes."
If things go according to plan, Ren won't be able to leave the Nord Federation for a while. For Emily, this will be the last time she can come to Nord like this. She may not come next time. That's why they had s*x in the short time they had together.
But even though she had this thought in her heart, she was hesitant to put it into words.
"How was your hometown after a long absence?"
"I can’t go back to my parents’ house. Even though I returned to the capital, I didn't really feel like I had returned home."
"So that's how it is."
"What about the Nord Federation? I hear it's a tough country."
"I don't know much about the government of the country since I haven't acceded to the throne yet."
"Eh? Is that so?"
Emily is surprised by Ren's words. It was surprising that he had not been enthroned even though three months had already passed since he arrived in the Nord Federation.
"It seems that there are various preparations."
"Then what have you been doing so far?"
Emily does not ask why he has not ascended to the throne. If she needs to know, Ren will tell her. If not, she would not ask him deeply. She has made up her mind to do so.
"I've been traveling around the country. I came back to the castle three days ago."
"I see. Then how was the outside of the castle?"
"It was fun. A lot of the people I met were a lot better than I expected."
"Better?"
"I thought the country as a whole was gloomy, with people suffering more and being jealous of others' fortunes. But even though it was hard, I could see that they were trying to make do in the midst of it."
"People are used to suffering."
They cannot live only by lamenting their misfortunes. They are cornered that much, but they still have the strength to make an effort to live as best they can.
"I see. You could say that. Emily knows it well."
"Because my parents are like that."
Emily was originally the daughter of a poor farmer. Although it is better than the Nord Federation, there are many poor people in the Saint Miriam Kingdom. The biased reconstruction policies implemented after the war have created regional disparities between the rich and poor.
"Ah, that’s right. But didn't the money Emily gave make things easier for them?"
"That was different."
Emily's face suddenly clouded at Ren's words.
"……What do you mean?"
"It seems that Father has not touched any of it, saying he can live off with the money he sold his daughter for. I found out when I received a letter from my brother asking me to convince him."
"I can say he's a good father. But to say he sold you is an exaggeration."
"Because I was forced to become a maid because I couldn’t refuse."
"Because Emily is beautiful."
"…………"
"I'm sorry. It was impolite."
"No, it's not that."
Emily's face is dyed slightly red. It was the first time she had ever been praised by Ren to her face.
"So what about persuasion?"
"I wrote a letter to my father. I hope he understands."
"Yeah... let me know if you know more."
"What?"
"How do the people feel about the change of king?"
"...It's a difficult part. No matter who the king is, it would be nice if life became easier. I think there are many people who think that way. However, the existence of the royal family is still special, and there are not a few people who have strong feelings about it."
"Nord seems fine, but..."
If it is Nord, where the royal family has already been destroyed, there is no problem. But it is not only the Nord humans that Ren is thinking about.
"Saint Miriam is an old country. I think the feeling for the royal family is that strong. But there is no one worthy of respect in the current royal family. If only the people knew that."
"I didn't expect Emily to say that much."
"If it's for Ren-sama's sake..."
"You don't have to force yourself. Saint Miriam is Emily's home country. You don't have to do anything to betray your home country, no matter how small it is."
"……Yes."
The fact that Ren says this is a sign that Emily is no longer just an ally to be used. Weak against women. This is the reason why Ren said so.
However, it is not necessarily a weakness, because women are strongly attracted to Ren because of his special kindness, and they are willing to do anything for him.
Ren does not have a relationship with just anyone. Depending on the person, he will never accept them, no matter how much they want him. The women who have a relationship with Ren are special in their own right.
While they were chatting, this not-so-special woman came to them. It was Princess Amalia.
"……No way, you’re still preying on Emily?"
"I know she's probably not busy, so I was just talking to her to kill some time."
"About what?"
"A little reminiscing?"
"I'm sure Emily doesn't want to remember anything about you."
He fooled Emily by deceiving her to become the hero of Saint Miriam Kingdom. Princess Amalia still thinks so. It means that Emily is deceiving her well.
"It's terrible. It was just plain fun."
"No way."
"Are you finished?"
"It's not over. They don't know anything even if I talk to them."
"I see."
"Why aren't you coming out?"
Princess Amalia came to talk to Ren. She got caught by the ministers of the Nord Federation and ended up being questioned about what had happened.
Naturally, Princess Amalia doesn't feel like telling the truth to someone who doesn't know anything. They never progressed and she just ended up wasting her time.
It's a real blessing for Ren and Emily.
"Because I'm still a guest of this country."
"……What do you mean?"
"I haven't ascended to the throne. In other words, the contract has not been concluded. That's why I'm still a guest."
"Eh? Why?"
"Well? Seems like they're busy."
"...What will happen if you don't ascend to the throne?"
"The contract is broken. I will return to the church."
"I wish that would happen."
They should be rewarded for their deception. Princess Amalia thought so, but there was no way that would happen.
"Unfortunately, it will not happen. I have been told that I will ascend to the throne once the matter with you is settled. So, please settle it quickly."
"......It won't be resolved because you won't come out."
"Why? I don't even know what you're talking about."
"You fought our troops at the border, didn't you?"
"With Saint Miriam's troops... was that so?"
Even against Princess Amalia, Ren played dumb.
"Don't play dumb! Five hundred knights and mages have disappeared!"
"Disappeared. So they're missing. Why don't you look for them as soon as possible?"
Ren's methods are cunning. He had wiped out the enemy and hid all the corpses. Some of the evidence of the battle, all the suits of armor, were secured.
"...Are you just going to play dumb?"
"What would happen if I admitted that we fought? An apology? Not only that, are you asking for reparations?"
"That's……"
"They attacked a king of a country. Even if I'm still not a king, they attacked a hero candidate who can be said to have been dispatched by the church. If that is the case, what would happen to Saint Miriam?"
In fact, Princess Amalia cannot blame Ren. The fault is on the side of the Saint Miriam Kingdom.
"Are you going to threaten me?"
"Hypothetically. It's just an assumption."
"...Isn't that right?"
Princess Amalia asked Ren with a superior look. From Ren's point of view, it's an attitude that feels a little servile.
"Perhaps you wanted to hear these words?"
"…………"
"They didn't realize what they had done until after it happened. Or maybe it was the advice of Her Highness the Princess? If you appealed to the Iliad Agreement, it would not be ignored, but taken away. Is that what you thought?"
"Isn't it true? You have influence in the church. Not only that, but you have enough power that even the major powers will not ignore."
The Saint Miriam Kingdom knew nothing about Ren. They thought they could do anything to a Nord hero. But Princess Amalia knows otherwise.
"Isn’t it better not to deny that overestimation?"
"For nothing"
"Condition is?"
"...What do you want?"
"Then, the maid."
"That's……"
This is the worst possible response from Ren. She should have denied it immediately.
"I want to talk a little more, so can you leave?"
"…………"
"We were interrupted in the middle of a conversation. I'm just asking you to leave so we can continue that."
"...I understand."
Without directing her gaze at Emily, Princess Amalia left Ren's room. She feels guilt. But the fact that she felt it meant that she was aware that she had offered Emily.
"I'm sorry. I overreacted."
It was meant to be mean to Princess Amalia, but it ended up hurting Emily. Ren regretted this.
"No, I knew that. Her Royal Highness no longer thinks anything of offering me up."
"It's not that she didn't think anything of it."
"But she did not refuse."
"…Let’s stop talking about this. Now that we have the time, let's talk about something more pleasant."
"I'd be happy to talk about it, but..."
"I see. There's no need to hide it from the princess."
"Yes."
Ren placed his hand on Emily's cheek, which was already dyed red. The shadows of the two overlapped, and she fell slowly onto the bed. The next opportunity may come at any time. The two of them knew this and decided to spend the time they had been given fully enjoying it.
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