Chapter 331 - Episode 323: The Founding Ceremony ②
On the night they welcomed Queen Anrietta, a dinner was arranged using the hall of the annex.
Noein and Clara, Oscar and Ingrid, and Anrietta dined together; here, rather than discussing politics, they engaged in conversation simply to deepen their mutual friendship.
The primary objective was for Noein and the others, who were meeting her for the first time, to break the ice with Anrietta. With the help of Oscar and Ingrid, the dinner proceeded harmoniously, and Anrietta's expression became somewhat softer than it had been at the start.
Clara, the wife of the head of the Arqvist house, felt relieved by this—and now, following the dinner, she was attending a tea party for the women.
This was a place to deepen ties among the women while sharing tea on the balcony of the annex. Noein and Oscar were likely talking and drinking alcohol with the men, probably including other nobles.
Since Matilda was attending to Noein, those present here were Clara, the guest, and their respective attending servants.
"Your Majesty Anrietta, are you perhaps a bit tired?"
"...Yes, perhaps it is the fatigue of the journey. My apologies."
"No, there is no need to apologize. Long journeys are naturally exhausting."
While showing concern for Anrietta, Clara thought that it was likely not just the travel, but also the mental exhaustion from tonight's socializing.
"...Even so, Lord Arqvist is a very devout person. I was a bit surprised during the dinner just now."
The one who provided a topic of conversation to soften the atmosphere was Queen Ingrid. What she brought up was Noein's action of offering a prayer to God before starting the meal.
In the Kingdom of Lordberg, which had long been secularized, even members of the royal family or nobility did not pray that frequently. Those who, like Noein, always offered a prayer to the God they believed in before meals fell into a rare category. The Kingdom of Lancel was similar.
"Y-yes, that is true. I was surprised as well. Based on what I had heard beforehand, my impression of Lord Arqvist was, if anything..."
"...If anything, did you think he had a personality that valued practical benefit and held no interest in tradition or faith?"
Having Clara say it so explicitly, Anrietta's face took on an expression that said, "I spoke too simplistically."
"M-my apologies."
"Fufufu, it is quite alright. Please do not let it bother you."
Clara smiled gently at the shrinking Anrietta.
"It is true that my husband has a personality that strongly values practical benefit. He always believes that actual power is what protects the house and the people, and that mutual benefit is what creates trust. However... no, perhaps it is precisely because of that he understands the limits of a mindset that prioritizes practical benefit."
"Limits?"
"Yes. In the previous Betumia War, my husband gathered every possible power that could be realistically prepared and employed every possible strategy with a chance of success to fight. Even so, he fell into a desperate situation, and what saved him in the end was a single stroke of luck."
At that time, if the Kingdom of Lancel had not intervened at a timing that could truly be called a miracle brought by God, Noein and the others would have been defeated, and the Arqvist territory would have been destroyed.
"My husband does not blindly believe in God. However, he believes that there may be something in this world that transcends human wisdom. That there may be an invisible power that influences human fate, that allows people to overcome walls. Because he values practical benefit, I believe he now also places importance on faith. All for the sake of our family, his vassals, and the people."
Anrietta, who had been listening as if chewing over Clara's words—laughed with a hint of self-derision.
"Lord Arqvist is a very strong person. Despite not being that far apart from me in age, he is a great man fitting to become the master of a nation... I feel inadequate compared to him."
At that remark, Clara looked at her with a bit of surprise.
"Because Lord Arqvist possesses such strong conviction and resolve, he was able to achieve the great feat of building a nation in this land within a single generation... Compared to that, I am merely a decorative queen whose only value is her bloodline."
Anrietta began to speak in fragments with a dark expression.
"My reign began with a bloody history of compatriots fighting one another. During that time, I merely lent my name so that the vassals could take action. The famine caused by the great crop failure, and the previous Betumia War, were overcome by laying hands on the assets and lands stained with the blood of former vassals who were purged. Even now, the foundation of the kingdom is unstable... I wonder if a queen like me can truly govern a country."
"Your Majesty."
The lady-in-waiting behind her interrupted, knowing it was rude, and Anrietta covered her mouth with a startled expression.
A queen should not easily vent her weaknesses in front of the queen of a neighboring country and a woman who is to become the Grand Duchess of a neighboring country. The fact that she confessed it unconsciously despite knowing this suggested that she was indeed not yet used to diplomacy and was immature as a monarch.
And above all, Clara thought that she was similar.
Anrietta was similar to her former self, the self before she married into Noein's house.
Once, Clara too had lived with such a dark expression. She had lived believing that she had no value other than her bloodline as a daughter of the Koenitz house.
She understood painfully well how Anrietta was thinking and worrying now.
"...The reason you worry so is likely because you are facing your position and duties as queen with sincerity. Your Majesty is a very honest person."
"I am... honest?"
To Anrietta, who tilted her head slightly, Clara nodded with a gentle expression.
"Yes. I am sure Your Majesty has an image of the monarch you idealize. Because of that, you feel you have not yet reached that ideal and are suffering. That worry is something that would not be born unless you were striving every day with an honest heart to be a better monarch."
Anrietta looked down for a moment, and with an anxious expression, as if impulsively, she questioned Clara.
"What should I do?"
"I am not in a position to offer arrogant advice, but if there is something I may humbly suggest... I believe that not fearing to rely on those around you is more important than anything else."
Beside Clara and Anrietta as they exchanged words, Ingrid, as the elder, watched over the scene in silence, sipping her tea.
"My husband is a brilliant man, but he is not omnipotent. He himself does not believe he can do everything on his own. That is precisely why he has heavily employed those with specialized knowledge and skills, and has received their help. Seeing my husband's figure, I thought: a ruler does not govern society alone, but protects society by supporting one another with vassals and people."
Anrietta listened quietly to Clara's story.
"I believe my husband will continue to find the strengths that each vassal and citizen possesses, give them a position suited to those strengths, listen to their words, and develop this land by joining hands with them. My husband always sings of love for his vassals and people. Love is, in other words, trust. Trusting his vassals and people is likely the source of my husband's strength."
"Relying on those around me, and trusting the vassals and people, is it?"
"Yes. That Your Majesty is a beloved queen is conveyed even by looking at the people attending to you. When Your Majesty acts of your own will, I believe those around you will support you with sincerity... My husband has done so until now. I, too, have been helped by vassals and people as the wife of the house head."
Clara had built a school receiving Noein's protection and the help of vassals and people. She had begun working on historical research. While Noein was absent, she had fulfilled her duties as acting lord while relying on the vassals.
Clara, who had been a powerless girl, created a place for herself and gained a reason for her existence with the help of those around her, and is here now. The advice Clara gave was based not only on the figure of Noein she had seen, but also on her own actual experience.
"This is all I can say, but how does it sound? I would be happy if it was of even the slightest use to Your Majesty."
"...Thank you. I feel as though I have grasped something."
Fortunately, Anrietta seemed to find meaning in Clara's advice, and she showed a brighter expression compared to before.
"Until now, I thought only of continuing to act and speak as the vassals and people desired. That I must not show weakness, otherwise I would be abandoned—I thought only of such things. With me, the queen, being so stubborn, it must have been difficult for those around me to interact with me... I will think once more about the way to walk the path toward becoming the monarch I idealize."
While returning a smile to the laughing Anrietta, Clara held two forms of relief.
One was pure goodwill, that she was glad to have been of help to Anrietta. The other was a political relief, that she seemed able to prevent her from becoming a mere decorative queen.
It was easy to imagine that the current Kingdom of Lancel was functioning with aides handling practical affairs while borrowing the authority of Anrietta's bloodline.
The end result of that would be a political system consisting of a puppet royal family and great nobles with bloated power. Even if the current aides were serious, it is a system that would inevitably rot as generations passed.
To prevent the neighboring country from falling into such an unhealthy and unstable situation, Anrietta had to grow while relying on those around her. She had to be correctly supported by her vassals and govern the country of her own will.
Sadly, such political intentions were intertwined in the words and actions of Clara, who was to become the Grand Duchess.
"...Hachoo!"
Suddenly, Anrietta sneezed. At that cute gesture and the sight of her blushing and acting embarrassed, saying "M-my apologies," both Clara and Ingrid couldn't help but laugh.
"It seems you've chilled a bit from the night breeze. Even though it is summer, the nights are cool around here."
"You must be tired from the long journey, so it might be best to rest early in preparation for the ceremony."
"Yes, my apologies... Then, I shall take my leave to rest first."
Anrietta returned to her guest room, supported by her lady-in-waiting, leaving Clara and Ingrid behind.
"Mrs. Arqvist. You have become quite strong."
Then, Ingrid spoke. At the somewhat unexpected words, Clara took on a blank expression.
"I remember when I first spoke with you. It was at the banquet celebrating the victory of the Southwestern Great War. At that time, you seemed not yet used to your position... but hearing you speak just now, I could tell how strong you have become. Not just that you became strong, but that you now possess pride. That is what I felt."
Ingrid, who usually gave a rather strict impression, now had a soft expression.
And Clara nodded to her words with a face full of confidence.
"Thank you. I believe that now, I am able to take pride in the Arqvist house, and in myself."
I am Mrs. Arqvist. I am Noein's wife. I am a mother who leads my child and this land together with my husband. I am a woman who loves and supports Noein together with Matilda. And I am a human being dedicated to education and scholarship.
That is Clara Arqvist. I have that pride now.
"Fufufu, that is a demeanor fitting for the consort of a nation... In that spirit, please get along with me from now on. At my age, being in such a position, making new friends is quite a struggle."
The casual way Ingrid spoke was vastly different from her previous impression, and Clara's eyes widened. Then, she nodded with a smile.
"Yes, if I am acceptable, I would be honored to be added to Your Highness's circle of friends."
"Oh, good, I'm happy. Let us leave the tedious political maneuvering to our husbands and enjoy cultivating a pleasant friendship."
With Ingrid grinning in a joking tone, Clara then enjoyed a chat that had brought them a little closer.