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Marquis Phrygia murmured with a smug grin, his tongue darting out to moisten his lips.

The earthquake that had occurred the previous night was an unexpected gift.

While Marquis Phrygia privately suspected that it might have been orchestrated by the Ernes Empire, proving such an assertion was a different matter entirely. Earthquakes were typically accompanied by mana disturbances, and this one seemed no different, making it challenging to definitively pin the blame on the Empire.

However, whether it was a natural event or the result of machinations, it didn’t matter at this point. What did matter was the opportunity it presented. If the people rallied behind them and Prince Inas delivered a compelling speech……

In the best-case scenario, it would lead to a revolution; in the worst, a riot.

“I need to locate Prince Inas. Do you know where he is?”

“He’s currently at Bennen Hill.”

“Bennen Hill?”

“……It’s something akin to a cemetery.”

“Ha……”

Marquis Phrygia couldn’t help but chuckle wryly.

“No matter how I look at it, he is truly an unworthy vassal for the crown.”

Why would he waste his time with these silly things, instead of seizing the moment?

“It would have been better if he was a woman whose only goal was to tend to her man.”

With a derisive click of his tongue, Marquis Phrygia rose from his seat.

He understood that attempting to extricate Prince Inas from his melancholy would likely prove counterproductive.

So, he purchased a handful of flowers for the deceased and set off for Bennen Hill, adopting a facade of feigned solemnity as he went.

* * * * *

Step-!!

As Marquis Phrygia walked on Bennen Hill, a place heavy with the scent of death, he couldn’t help but ponder the significance of the Roverium Kingdom constructing a cemetery here.

‘The view from here was rather splendid.’

It seemed the Roverium Kingdom wanted to offer the most beautiful moment in the world to those who had returned to the Underworld.

He chuckled at the emotional sentiment, which he found hard to empathize with. But when he saw Prince Inas ahead of him, he quickly masked his smile with a somber expression.

“……It’s an unfortunate incident.”

“……”

Placing some flowers he had purchased nearby, Marquis Phrygia stood beside Prince Inas and spoke calmly.

“Yes, it was… indeed an unfortunate incident.”

“You must find a way to move forward.”

“……”

“Earthquakes are natural phenomena, but they haven’t occurred in years. It’s as if someone wished for it to happen……”

“Do you suggest that the Ernes Empire is involved?”

“I cannot dismiss that possibility.”

“……”

“Even if it were a purely natural phenomenon, we can use this incident to drive the Ernes Empire out.”

Sitting comfortably next to Prince Inas, Marquis Phrygia continued.

“Do you find me heartless for thinking about the future even in this situation?”

“……”

“Prince, the time you spend today is for the tomorrow that those who perished yesterday longed for.”

“Ha Ha Ha……”

“It’s only natural to feel fear after witnessing so much death.”

However…

“As a Royal, you mustn’t fear death. Rather, you should fear failing in your duty.”

“……”

“We don’t have much time. The Ernes Empire will try to seize the advantage before we can respond to this incident… It would be much easier for us if we took the initiative.”

Prince Inas remained silent in response to Marquis Phrygia’s words.

It had been a long time since his own people had been forced to leave their homeland for the capital.

In normal circumstances, a nation’s capital should be a land of opportunity for its citizens.

Prince Inas felt a profound sense of guilt for failing to make it so, as the capital of the Roverium Kingdom had become a prison that stifled their lives.

“Marquis.”

“Yes, Your Highness?”

“Once the work in progress is complete… I anticipate that there will be a shortage of food in the near future.”

“That is a valid concern.”

“…Can you supply enough wheat and barley to us?”

“At the moment, it would be quite challenging. But don’t worry, fall will arrive sooner or later.”

Sooner or later, huh? There were still two months left before the arrival of fall, the season of harvest.

‘Whom……’

Can I trust?

As Prince Inas stood at the crossroads ahead, his breath hitched.

Which path should he choose?

Though he remained uncertain, the weight on his shoulders grew heavier.

‘At least……’

The Elmark Empire was unwilling to bear a certain risk.

Meanwhile, the Ernes Empire was a realm that had battled fiercely to safeguard its Imperial lineage and its history.

When Prince Inas weighed the two against each other, he could sense clearly which way the scales tipped.

“……Would you please leave me be? I’d like a bit more time alone to pay my respects to them before descending.”

“I understand.”

Marquis Phrygia didn’t utter a word. Instead, he rose silently, offering a slight bow, and withdrew quietly.

Now alone atop Bennen Hill, Prince Inas spoke, greeted by the warm caress of the blowing wind.

“I apologize for making this choice.”

Even though he had extended his hand to the Ernes Empire, it was only because it was an option that wouldn’t worsen their predicament. Even if there were better options somewhere out there, he couldn’t select them himself as a bitter laugh escaped Prince Inas’ lips.

“Someday… after the passage of many years… if you are reborn in this world…”

At that time, please step once more upon this land.

“The Roverium Kingdom, which I’m certain will still exist in the distant future…”

It will be a better place than it is today.

“And if, in that future, you hear about the mad prince of the country…”

Raise a toast and share a hearty laugh.

Bow-!!

Prince Inas bent at the waist.

When he straightened up again, his eyes shone brighter than ever before.

* * * * *

“Why don’t you just ask me outright?”

“……”

“Just glancing at me is so unlike you, Lord Louerg.”

Princess Elizabeth turned her head to meet Ferzen’s gaze and offered him a playful smile.

“Did you solve it well…… Your highness?”

“Beats me. Wouldn’t that be something that can only be judged after seeing the result of our talk with the First Prince?”

“……”

“But he cried like a child. Enough to make my skirt wet.”

As she reminisced about the previous night’s solo meeting, Princess Elizabeth raised her hand, resting her chin upon it, clearly enveloped in an unusual sentiment.

In response, Ferzen’s gaze naturally shifted towards her skirt.

He highly valued Prince Inas’ image as a prince of a vassal country.

However, the idea of such a man burying his face in a woman’s skirt and weeping like a child… It was an image Ferzen simply couldn’t conjure in his mind, so he remained silent.

Noticing Ferzen’s gaze on her skirt, Princess Elizabeth smiled sweetly and spoke in a teasing tone.

“Do you have a hard enough job that makes you want to bury your face in my skirt and shed tears?”

She held her skirt with her slender fingers and playfully swayed her fluttering garment, radiating coquetry that was difficult to dismiss as a mere jest.

If someone were to ask about her charm, this very act would undoubtedly be at the top of the list.

“Your Highness, your actions are rather frivolous.”

Ferzen’s voice held a tone of sternness as he commented.

“Why? Am I not allowed to jest as a descendant of the Imperial Family?”

“……”

“Forget it. You already have two wives, and I can’t imagine you crying to the point that their skirts couldn’t handle it.”

As if her playful mood had dissipated, Princess Elizabeth sat up and extended her hand toward Ferzen.

With her older brother, Prince Raymond, standing before her, she naturally bestowed upon Ferzen the responsibility of escorting her.

Ferzen responded by rising to his feet and gently accepting her hand.

He felt a distinct trembling in her fingertips, a reaction that contradicted her relaxed demeanor. Ferzen couldn’t help but gaze at her inquisitively.

“If you’re trying to offer some trite words of comfort, please refrain.”

“……”

“Isn’t there a saying that a moderate amount of tension can be more beneficial than harmful?”

“……There is.”

If her request was merely for an escort, there were other individuals who could fulfill that role besides him.

Hence, the reason she chose him likely pertained to his lineage, as he was a Brutein descendant. Brutein had long been observing the weaker facets of the Imperial Family.

“Ferzen.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

“If…… War breaks out? Do you think we can win?”

“Why do you ask something so obvious?”

Ferzen’s response came swiftly as if he had not even paused to consider it.

At first glance, his words seemed like an attempt to provide her with false reassurance. Yet, for some reason, Princess Elizabeth felt that the internal tumult of her thoughts was settling because of it.

“……I see. I will believe that this Princess will never be passed over as the prize for our enemies.”

As their conversation concluded, the nobles of the Ernes Empire made their way into the palace, following Prince Raymond, who led the way.

The time had arrived to cast the dice each of them held.

And the cogs of history would shift once more.

TL note: I fucking Love Prince Inas character!