The Queen asked,
“He told you not to wake me?”
“Yes, he said that you should sleep more soundly. But you cannot do that. You need to get up. Quickly.”
“Ah, the crown! I need to get my crown.”
“You need to wear these clothes today as well. Hurry. Hurry. It is not polite to keep the royal elder waiting too long.”
As she changed out of her nightclothes under Countess Dvari’s urgent prompting, the Queen yawned, then suddenly stopped and seemed to think of something.
“Dvari.”
“Yes? Shall I bring you some water?”
“But is it all right for me to sleep? Um... I’m the Queen, after all.”
There had to be a reason the Regent had told them not to wake her.
But Countess Dvari appeared to think otherwise.
“Of course it is not! Get up quickly.”
Naturally, allowing a king to lose interest in state affairs and grow lazy was the work of treacherous courtiers who wished to abuse royal authority.
The Queen had learned as much.
She knew it, yet she did not think the current Regent could be like that.
‘You’ll be loyal anyway, so it doesn’t matter.’
The Grand Duke’s words, carrying that meaning, still echoed within her.
He surely had his own way of doing things, but she could not help wishing he would show her the conduct she had been taught to expect.
After all, she knew that, as a queen, she could not be treated only as a childish princess.
‘I wish he were someone who would offer harsh counsel, too......’
She hoped the Grand Duke was truly the loyal subject he believed himself to be.
The girl whose throne was unsteady longed for the adults she wanted to trust to be as trustworthy as she believed them to be.
***
No one enjoys being severely scolded or hearing unpleasant things about themselves.
Except for strange people, that is.
Of all positions, the king is the one that least needs to hear such things.
So I was somewhat puzzled, but I nodded and withdrew.
“Since Your Majesty has accepted my counsel, life has been breathed into this servant’s words.”
“My lord!”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
“I am happy that you always say kind things to me, but I make mistakes too, so......”
Her Majesty faltered and could not finish her sentence, but I understood what she meant.
She was telling me to offer harsh counsel as well.
It was not something one should say to Her Majesty, but she was so admirable that the corners of my mouth curled up of their own accord.
She was not someone who could govern by listening only to me forever.
Therefore, it was right that I clearly point out what was wrong.
“Of course. If anything goes astray, I will stop it even at the risk of my life.”
“Then you may wake me, too. I am all right.”
“That will not do.”
“Um... why not?”
And why was her voice shrinking in stair-step increments again?
“Your body grows faster when you sleep well. If nothing else, Your Majesty must not skip meals or sleep. Therefore, this servant cannot obey that command.”
“Only my head needs to grow!”
Please refrain from that, Your Majesty.
You will regret it.
Though it was not as if one could restrain it merely by being told to do so.
“There is a problem with it, so I will take responsibility and have the crown changed.”
“That will not do!”
“It will not?”
“It is the crown that nine former kings have safeguarded. I-if I am the first to abolish this crown, will I not be saddled with the stigma of having failed to bear even a crown? I will remain with this crown no matter what.”
Yes.
Her Majesty needed that resolve.
If I said change it, then she would change it.
Otherwise, people might think little of me, but I would uphold this crown.
I had raised my voice at Her Majesty in the hope that she would show such stubbornness.
“Then I shall establish a new protocol requiring everyone to prostrate themselves in reverence, so that none may even see Your Majesty wearing the crown. I will have the heads of any who dare raise them cut off.”
“There is no need to go so far as to behead anyone......”
She must have been pleased, for she smiled sweetly.
“Have you calmed down somewhat?”
“Yes! I did not know the Grand Duke could become angry with me, too. Um... mm.”
“Yes?”
“...I am happy.”
That sounded somewhat strange, so I looked behind me at Countess Dvari, but she merely shrugged.
“Your Majesty, then let us treat this as something other than an official event. Why not have a cup of tea without the crown and speak with him at ease? Or I shall deal with him on Your Majesty’s behalf.”
“G-Grand Duke.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
“If I wished to convey, ‘Duke of the East, I do not wish to receive someone like you. If you wish to meet me, bring me my army,’ could I use this as an excuse to refuse him an audience? In other words, ‘I dislike you. That is why I deliberately dropped my crown and pretended there was a commotion.’ Something like that?”
‘Oh......’
I was surprised that Her Majesty had spoken of strategy.
Of course, it seemed more as though she was forcibly seizing upon a pretext because she was embarrassed to have dropped the crown, but was that not also an attempt to deal with her own mistake through politics?
Her thinking was better than I had expected.
“Countess.”
“Yes, Grand Duke? What is it?”
“You often brush Her Majesty’s hair and pat her head. Could you do that in my place?”
“You saw that?”
“Dvari! I told you not to do that! Ah! Honestly. W-why would you...”
I respected Her Majesty; I could never lay my hand upon her head.
“That, too, could be called a strategy of sorts. You are quick to understand. However, Your Majesty, I believe it would be better to coax the Duke of the East if he can be coaxed, so I do not think we can carry out those words.”
“I-is that so?”
“Even so, that was a remark that made even me realize something. I am truly glad that Your Majesty learns so quickly. Hmm?”
The child was admirable, but she was the Queen, so I went down on one knee and bowed my head as I addressed her. Then a small hand, like a curled fern shoot, reached out and touched my shoulder.
“G-G-Grand Duke, you did w-well too......”
There was nothing strange about a monarch patting someone and telling them that they had done well, yet her little fingers were still trembling.
She did not need to be so frightened to do it, but was it still too soon?
There was something I needed to say before the Duke of the East came for an audience again.
“Countess.”
“Yes, Grand Duke.”
“Are there things that Her Majesty used during her days as a princess?”
“Ah, of course. I have gathered the things Her Majesty used instead of throwing them away carelessly. Even something as insignificant as—oh dear, I have overstepped with my words.”
“If you were about to talk about diapers or something, I won’t forget this.”
Were these two performing a comic routine?
Still, they usually lived together like a mother and daughter with no distance between them.
Yet even if the two of them were like close friends, behaving that way before the Regent in a public setting was another matter.
“If you were truly about to speak of such things, watch your tongue, Countess. Can one who attends Her Majesty most closely be so careless?”
“Ah, I-I-I-I beg your pardon.”
“In any event, bring the things Her Majesty used. And Your Majesty.”
“Yes, Grand Duke.”
“He is Your Majesty’s vassal from the east. His achievements and title are great, and he has come a long way to pay his respects, so please give him a congratulatory gift.”
“Does the Grand Duke not have the Key Staff?”
“There is no need to open the royal storehouse with the Key Staff. He recently had a daughter, so how would it be to give him the clothes and shoes Your Majesty once wore, which you can no longer use?”
Countess Dvari, who had been searching Her Majesty’s court wardrobe together with the guards, lifted her head and called out.
“Was that why?”
“It was. Nothing Her Majesty used during her days as a princess is without value, so let her pass on whichever among them she wishes to give.”
“It’s not a bad idea. If we give him treasure, he’ll use it for something improper.”
“Ah, ah. But would that not be trusting him too much?”
“Why not show him trust?”
“That person...?”
Even between an uncle and niece, he had become ‘that person.’
What could be done? He was the one who had picked a fight.
At least it was better than calling him a traitor or a rebel bastard.
Even so, I wished to see Her Majesty show that she knew how to win people over.
“After speaking with him, I could tell that he was exceedingly happy to have become a father. If you acknowledge him as a father with a precious gift sent to his child, he may feel a small measure of gratitude, if not loyalty.”
“Even if it does not gain his loyalty, um, are not the clothes I wore symbols of the Queen and the princess? If I let a ducal daughter wear them, would that not be improper...?”
“That is precisely why they are precious and why it will feel like recognition. To parents, their children are precious like kings and nobles. If Your Majesty elevates a ducal daughter as though she were a princess, might that not bring about a small change?”
“I understand. Countess, is there anything?”
Would a traitor become a loyal subject if we acknowledged him as one?
I did not think the possibility was entirely absent.
My loyalty was nothing so grand, yet I intended to live as a loyal subject because of a small gesture of acknowledgement the late King had shown—trivial for a king.
“These are clothes you wore when you were truly tiny.”
“I wore this?”
“The Queen knitted them herself.”
“Ah, then that will not do.”
“How about this doll? You do not use it anymore, do you?”
“...That won’t do either. I need it sometimes.”
These two were cleaning out her room.
“Your Majesty, grant him the thing you least wish to give.”
“Wh-what!? B-but...”
“...I would like to say that, but if you give even something you truly no longer use and hold no memories of, I shall make as much display as possible that Your Majesty bestowed the item you treasured most.”
“Yes, Lord Protector!”
Though old, children’s clothes and little shoes once used by a daughter of the royal family, as well as dolls, did not look undignified.
Of course, Her Majesty appeared unwilling to give away the doll.
She should give him anything she did not remember, and I would force him to be grateful for it.
While Her Majesty and Countess Dvari prepared the congratulatory gift, I returned to the Privy Council.
I had recommended that the Privy Council’s retainers rest, but several of them were speaking with the Duke of the East.
“Ah, Lord Protector.”
“Have you come out?”
“It seemed that you were shouting.”
“Well, there was something worth shouting about.”
“Grand Duke, I have something to tell you.”
“What is it?”
The Minister of Foreign Affairs greeted me and spoke.
“Recently, bandits who had plundered travelling merchants near this servant’s territory were eradicated, and I hear that a considerable amount of the gold they had accumulated was recovered.”
Was he suddenly boasting of his assets?
It seemed he wished to offer it up.
“Is that so? Her Majesty needs a new crown for official ceremonies.”
“Yes. I believe it to be divine grace brought about by Her Majesty’s accession, and I wish to offer it to Her Majesty.”
I had said it half in jest, but he truly meant to offer it?
“Do so. Her Majesty will look upon you favorably.”
“All of you, make sure to serve the Lord Protector well. Ever since he lost an eye, he has not fought many official duels, so people seem to believe that his strength has declined by that much. I do not think so. This man is merely hiding his strength.”
The Duke of the East suddenly heaped the sort of praise he usually offered upon me, leaving me only bewildered.
It seemed he had conversed with the Privy Council ministers while I was attending Her Majesty, and I could roughly guess what they had discussed.
When I simply nodded without shame, he added another word.
“Perhaps from then on, his temper became like a dragon’s, and he left none of his opponents alive. That would be why word never spread.”
I nodded. So be it.
The more I listened, the less it sounded entirely wrong.
“If they had called it a dragon’s temper, he would have shown the bastard who gave him that nickname what that temper was. Ah. Your Majesty!”
In the middle of our joking, Her Majesty arrived.
“D-Duke of the East.”
“Your Majesty.”
As I bent at the waist, the Duke of the East also gave a small formal bow.
Countess Dvari, who had accompanied Her Majesty, brought out the gold-threaded infant’s clothes from the velvet-trimmed box.
Her Majesty accepted them and held them out to the Duke of the East.
“I cannot idle away the time I am meant to spend learning, so I cannot speak with you at length. But I congratulate you on the birth of my cousin, the ducal daughter.”
“I scarcely know how to receive such grace. Ah.”
The Duke of the East’s expression changed as he performed the customary formality of saying he scarcely knew where to put himself.
“These are clothes I wore as a child. They were worn by the Queen, so give them to the ducal daughter as a gift. It is my wish that she grow up just as precious.”
Once he received the gift for his newborn daughter, he no longer looked like either a politician or a warrior. He seemed like a novice father, embarrassed to wonder whether he should truly receive such congratulations.
“...Your Majesty’s grace overwhelms me. I should have brought an offering as well.”
“No. I am grateful simply that you came all this way. Um, um.”
Her Majesty spoke very calmly, and I watched with satisfaction. Seeing my expression, she answered the Duke of the East.
“You have the bearing of the late King, so......”
Well done. She had done very well.
It was a statement that invited pity for her as an orphan, while also throwing the implication back upon her uncle that he coveted his niece’s throne.
Her Majesty did not stay long, using the time she needed to spend learning as an excuse.
While the Duke of the East received the gift and laughed heartily, I left him with one more remark.
“I do not expect loyalty from you. But Her Majesty holds a small expectation.”
“...”
“I, too, expect you to be an honorable knight worthy of that expectation.”
I did not expect anything, yet I had conspicuously given him an expectation.
There were many watching eyes, so word would spread quickly.
Even so, if he betrayed her now, he would become an even worse bastard.
***
“Leaving the border unguarded? Even in a civil war, one does not meddle with the soldiers at the border.”
“Now is the opportunity, Your Grace.”
After the king’s death, the Kingdom had abandoned the strongholds and fortresses in the northeastern mountain range, its natural bulwark that had guarded the country.
It meant that its internal situation was far from easy.
Naturally, this was an opportunity for those who were hostile to the Kingdom.
“The Kingdom’s east has no strength to intercept us.”
The Kingdom operated the Lion Unit, the elite troops of the Royal Domain, the Northern Army, and the Eastern Army almost as standing forces, unlike the usual mobilization system for vassal nobles.
But of those three elite forces, the Lion Unit and the Eastern Army were shirking their duties, while the Regent had split the Northern Army in order to guard the royal capital and the Empire’s border.
In other words, to scheme against the Kingdom now, they only had to face the Northern Army, and even the Northern Army was deployed in a way that allowed it to be defeated in detail.
“Are you certain the east will not take part?”
“Yes, it will not. Therefore, hire eastern nomad cavalry and break through in one sweep. The Kingdom’s roads are well maintained, so if the nobles do not resist, we can surround the Sanctuary in only two days.”
“But can we truly intervene?”
“As an imperial envoy, I shall attend the funeral and reconnoiter the Kingdom. Your Grace is the protector of the true Queen, so you have just cause to punish the false King and the Regent.”
Beyond the Kingdom’s northeastern mountain range lay a grand duchy called Feltkirch.
Its Grand Duchess was an imperial princess who had once married the late King of the Kingdom and served as Queen.
She had gone into exile with the late King of the Kingdom’s youngest daughter.
“It is time to eliminate that lizard-eyed bastard who stirred unrest by using that bastard girl of uncertain blood and the northern mountain folk.”
“Still, the country is holding a funeral...”
The time of a king’s death might be the best time to invade, but customarily, no one started a war during a funeral.
Rather, even a war already being fought was supposed to stop in such a case.
“Strike as soon as it ends. If we attack at the coronation after the funeral, they will collapse without even being prepared. As for the coronation, what can they do if we say we do not recognize it? My daughter is the King.”
“Very well, my lady. I, too, am not on good terms with Dragon’s Eye.”
“Thank you. At last, I can spit on the coffin of that tiresome ex-husband.”
‘Her madness, truly...’
The Grand Duke of Feltkirch considered his wife, an imperial princess, valuable both as a source of information and as justification for scheming against the Kingdom.
The Empire’s support was also lavish, out of guilt for giving him, a man marrying for the first time, an imperial princess who had already been married once in remarriage.
He was also reasonably satisfied with his wife, whose beauty had not faded despite her previous marriage and the daughter she had brought from her former husband.
Yet even setting aside her strategic insight and belligerence, the Grand Duchess of Feltkirch—Deposed Queen Elined, as she was called in the Kingdom—had an obsessive side that could be frightening at times.
***
The Lion Unit in the east had occupied several empty eastern castles. Having been granted this land, it had slaves who were former pagan prisoners cultivate it, and was stationed there.
The Duke of the East had also asked that this unit be sent to the eastern unrest because he coveted its fearsome combat strength and guaranteed it greater pay and status.
However, they were now being shaken from within.
Deserters had already appeared, along with a group that had raised a banner of rebellion and left the unit.
“...You would betray your brothers for that reason?”
Count Estaron, commander of the Lion Unit, had just suppressed a faction of Lion Unit deserters stationed at the eastern castle closest to the royal capital.
Their sense of solidarity had kept either side from spilling blood, but he could not refrain from punishing those who had been suppressed. He had summoned the three platoon commanders who had resisted and were about to have their heads cut off...
But their protest shook Estaron.
“It is only right that we return, Count! All our overdue pay has been given out. How long are we supposed to plough this barren land and farm?”
“We are a unit of the royal family. The Queen is the late King’s child. What does it even mean that she cannot be served because she is a child?”
“The east’s support is not what it was last year, and does not the Duke of the East distrust us as well?”
Estaron’s worries ran deep.
Queen Casertania had recently ascended as the new monarch.
Then the Lord Protector, the young Queen’s Regent, had opened the capital’s storehouses.
He had not stopped at opening them; he had also paid the Lion Unit’s dependents their overdue wages.
Upon hearing that the dependents had been paid, the Lion Unit’s loyalists wavered, and it had ultimately led to this very unrest.
“Even so, the crime of harming your brothers merits death.”
Estaron intended to punish the rebels, but the looks in the eyes of his comrades around him were not favorable.
“Let us return to the royal capital, Commander.”
“Hmm?”
Among the Lion Unit’s command staff, words defending the traitors instead emerged.
“Is it not our duty to assist the Queen?”
“Their words also have merit. Forgive them, and let us go serve the Queen as they say.”
“Do you believe that child Queen possesses the dazzling martial ability to keep us in line?”
The Lion Unit had begun as a martial training group, formed by those who admired the late King’s dazzling martial ability and wished to learn martial arts.
Because of that, the romance of serving the strong still ran deep within the group.
“What does that matter?”
“What do you mean, what does it matter?”
“With our strength, we could seize not only the Royal Domain, but every land in this country under the Queen’s command.”
It was a dangerous statement.
They meant that they should use the Queen’s legitimacy to seize all the nobles’ lands in this country and divide them among themselves.
The nobles would naturally resist, but the Lion Unit had the strength to crush the likes of them.
“What...? But do not all the orders in this country come from the Grand Duke of the North?”
“Capture the Grand Duke of the North, and let us attend the Queen ourselves. Then, in reward for that service, let us receive from Her Majesty the lands where subjects, who are not properly protected from the oppression of this country’s rotten nobles, live.”
“If we annihilate the east’s main force now, block off the north, and subdue only the Northern Army at the royal capital, is it not entirely possible?”
‘These bastards clearly want to become the new nobility.’
At least Count Estaron had held them in check because he was a noble by birth, from an earl’s family. But the members of the Lion Unit wanted it.
They wanted to eliminate all the current deskbound nobles and become the new nobility themselves.