Chapter 26 - The Deception of the Young Lady Ariarein
Crown Prince Eirik Nadar was in a foul mood.
In his hand were the letter and envelope brought by the messenger from Count Ezrin.
"—And so."
Anger he couldn't quite suppress rode on his voice.
The messenger, who remained kneeling and couldn't even raise his face, answered with a "Yes," as if shrinking his body even further.
The high-ranking officials lined up also just watched the progress of events in silence.
"Since the Count followed the instructions in that letter—"
The Crown Prince looked down at the letter in his hand.
'To Count Ezrin, Lord Renalt Realdi
Under the authority of the Government Administration's Ministry of Internal Affairs and Ministry of Agriculture entrusted to me by His Majesty, I request that the following three items be implemented immediately.
1. Regarding the matter of fake official couriers appearing in the west, the Government Administration has decided on the following response.
(1) A common password shall be communicated to all official couriers.
(2) The password shall be changed periodically, and the changes shall be communicated in the same manner.
(3) For the time being, the passwords shall be "Monster" and "Abyss."
(4) If there is no appropriate response to the password, they shall be deemed a fake official courier and immediately captured and interrogated.
(5) If the interrogation lasts for more than 10 days and no certain background information is obtained, the Ministry of Internal Affairs should be notified to that effect.
2. As there is information of signs of large-scale mobilization in the eastern Melzard Kingdom, the Government Administration has decided on the following response.
(1) Regarding the provisions stockpiled within your territory, they should be immediately transferred to the Marquess Mares territory.
(2) The transfer shall be the entire amount of the military stockpiles.
(3) The transfer shall be by sea from the nearest seaport.
(4) Regarding the expenses required for the transfer, a claim should be made to the Ministry of Agriculture after the confirmation of transfer and receipt is completed.
3. Regarding the preceding two items, copies of this letter should be sent to each of the neighboring lords in your territory as attached.
Furthermore, regarding this letter, in view of the need for confidentiality, confirmation of receipt should not be made.
Acting Appointed Scribe of the Government Administration Ministry of Internal Affairs
and Acting Appointed Scribe of the Government Administration Ministry of Agriculture, Ariarein Hazen'
Concise content.
It bore the signature of that Marquess's daughter.
"—And you, followed this?"
"As you have said," the messenger answered in a voice that was almost fading away.
"You were deceived by this and captured the official couriers!"
The Crown Prince stood up and shouted.
"You were deceived by this and sent provisions to Mares!"
He threw the letter at the messenger.
With a rustle, the letter and envelope fell onto the long-piled carpet.
"And you even scattered this to the neighboring lords!"
With rough steps, he approached the messenger, who was prostrating himself, by one or two steps.
"That is what your master is saying, is it not?"
The messenger could no longer even answer properly.
He just kept lowering his head as if begging for forgiveness.
"Go back and tell your master, your master is—"
Count Nord Ludovico Foscar, who was in attendance, thought, 'This is bad.'
—I must not let him say this to the end.
"Please wait, Your Highness!"
The moment he thought that, he had jumped out and shouted reflexively.
He ended up wedging his fat body right between the Crown Prince and the messenger.
His voice had cracked due to tension and fear.
Of course, he didn't have the luxury to care about that himself.
"Do not interfere, Count Nord."
"Your Highness, please wait here for a moment, just a moment."
He tried to approach to hold back the Crown Prince's anger, but his knees were shaking and wouldn't listen to him.
It was lucky that he managed to avoid the disgrace of rolling over in front of so many people.
"Count Nord, are you saying you cannot listen to my command?"
"S-Someone, take the messenger to another room!
Messenger, the judgment will be conveyed later, so please wait in another room for a while!"
He turned only his head and ordered the chamberlain.
With that as a trigger, the surroundings, which had been frozen and motionless, began to move busily.
Two chamberlains took the messenger by both arms and led him out of the room as if dragging him.
Ludovico also signaled to the assembled lords, saying it was fine now.
The Minister of Internal Affairs, whose face had been twitching, gathered everyone and exited.
The door was closed hurriedly, and a semblance of tranquility returned to the room.
When Ludovico suddenly noticed, the letter and envelope were still scattered on the carpet.
He bent down and picked them up. A drop of sweat fell onto the carpet.
He took out a handkerchief and wiped his sweat. His hands were trembling slightly.
The Crown Prince, letting out a long breath, sat down roughly.
It was not at the office desk where he had been sitting until just now, but on the sofa.
"Why did you stop me?"
"Because I thought it would not be for your benefit, Your Highness.
You may scold me for my insolence in any way you wish."
"—Count Ezrin was deceived by that letter and wasted precious time and provisions. It is only natural that he be punished."
"The fact that he was deceived is true. However—"
Ludovico placed the letter and envelope he had picked up on the table beside the sofa.
"If the seal pressed on the sealing wax is real, then the title and signature are also real.
The content is also not inconsistent. If an official courier riding a horse with the prescribed horse cloth delivered this, who could harbor any doubt?"
"Even so, it does not change the fact that he caused harm to the kingdom."
"It is exactly as you say.
However, Count Ezrin was unable to see through the falsehood because of his loyalty, and he followed it because of his loyalty.
We can judge this content to be false precisely because we know about that exile's case, but Count Ezrin received this without knowing anything and followed it.
If we punish this, Count Ezrin will end up being punished for the law and his loyalty to His Majesty.
If everyone has to confirm even a letter from an official courier before taking action, how much will the national administration stagnate?"
Ludovico was desperate.
He couldn't let the kingdom crack over something like this.
The future wife of the Crown Prince, who would eventually become the king of this country, was his own daughter.
With a foul expression still on his face, the Crown Prince looked away.
"Your Highness, regarding this matter, the one who committed the falsehood using His Majesty's official courier in the first place is that exile.
You will surely punish that crime, Your Highness. I also believe that no matter how severe the punishment for rebellion is, it is acceptable.
However—"
"Then what are you saying I should do?"
The Crown Prince, who had returned his gaze, asked.
Ludovico, who had already steeled himself, did not look away.
"Please forgive him, Your Highness."
"You are telling me to forgive that?"
"I understand your feelings deeply, I too understand them deeply.
The messenger and Count Ezrin must also be aware of your anger.
That is why, Your Highness, please forgive him."
"Fine, that's enough.
I forgive him. Count Nord, you go and tell the messenger."
"That will not do, Your Highness.
Please, convey it yourself."
"—You still say more after all this?"
The words were full of dissatisfaction, but the tone was calmer than before.
"It is precisely because I am thinking of your benefit.
The scolding for my insolence—"
"That's enough, I'm tired of hearing it," the Crown Prince spat out with a sigh.
"Why must I convey it myself?"
"The messenger was in such a state. He must have been filled with trepidation.
With all due respect, it was I who had him removed from your presence.
If I were the one to convey it, your magnanimity, Your Highness, would not reach the messenger or Count Ezrin.
Please, convey it yourself, directly. Tell him that you will not hold this matter against him and to work even harder."
"Will that really change things?"
"If you speak to him directly, the messenger will be moved.
Even more so after you have shown your anger. That you forgave him with a broad heart when he should have been punished.
Your heart will surely reach Count Ezrin as well. The Count is a man of loyalty.
If your heart reaches him, he will surely serve with more loyalty than ever before."
"—Fine, it's my loss.
I forgive him. I will go and tell him so. Lead the way, where is the messenger?"
With a sigh, the Crown Prince stood up.
Ludovico, who had been wiping his sweat, hurriedly followed suit.
He ran to the door, pushed it open, and spoke to a nearby chamberlain.
"Where did you take the messenger?
His Highness will meet him, guide His Highness immediately."
The chamberlain answered with a "Yes" and bowed.
The Crown Prince appeared immediately, and the chamberlain started walking in the lead.
The Crown Prince followed, and Ludovico followed further behind him.
The messenger, who had been made to wait in another room, was so surprised he almost fainted when told of the Crown Prince's visit.
To the messenger, who welcomed him in a state of semi-prostration, the Crown Prince gave words of appreciation and told him to convey that he would not be held accountable and to work harder.
Leaving the room and leaving behind the messenger, who could no longer raise his face in a different sense than before, the Crown Prince asked Ludovico in a low voice as they walked down the corridor.
"Was that alright, Count Nord?"
"The figure you showed, Your Highness, is exactly the caliber of a king.
I was completely impressed—the messenger's impression must be even greater than that."
"I see," the Crown Prince muttered as he walked in the lead.
While feeling a significant sense of relief, Ludovico looked back on why he was able to take such an action.
In the end, he didn't really understand the reason himself.
A dense something between a hard-working, pitiable middle-aged man and a failure of a Crown Prince.