The next day, just after lunch had ended.
I was taking a brief breather in my lodging while preparing for the afternoon schedule of the fourth day of the social gathering.
With a light knock, a completely unexpected visitor came to my room.
“Have you been well, Your Highness?”
“No…!”
When I opened the door and saw the face of the person who entered, I nearly dropped the teacup I was holding.
Graying hair, a wrinkled face, and the formal attire of a Sterling Kingdom nobleman—neat, yet somehow gaunt.
It was Count Price, an old minister who was one of the closest aides of the King of Sterling and who oversaw both the kingdom’s diplomacy and domestic affairs.
He was an elderly nobleman who had watched over me ever since I was a childish little boy, back when I often came and went from the royal castle with my mother.
I had liked him very much, with his gentle, grandfatherly smile and calm voice, and he had treated me like a grandson as well.
“…I truly never expected to see you here.”
As soon as the door closed behind him, Count Price, who had stepped into my room, prostrated himself on the floor without the slightest hesitation.
Then he knelt at the feet of me, a false prince, and offered a respectful bow.
“Count Price…”
“…I meet you in this faraway imperial land, Prince Ian.”
Even though he knew I was a fake, he bowed his head to me.
It was likely an expression of gratitude toward me for being dragged into the jaws of death in place of the true prince he served.
With a bitter taste in my mouth, I lowered myself, took the old count by the shoulders, and helped him up.
“Please rise, Count. I truly never expected to see you here.”
“Thank you, Your Highness. I have come as an official diplomatic envoy under the command of His Majesty the King of Sterling for this social festival. I have just come from an audience with His Imperial Majesty this morning.”
Deep wrinkles formed on the old minister’s face, where mixed emotions and joy crossed.
He slowly looked me over from head to toe, then let out a deep sigh of relief.
“His Imperial Majesty praised Your Highness to no end. He said you were shrewd and clever, and that he liked you very much. Since arriving here, I have confirmed with my own ears that Your Highness’s reputation is widespread among the nobles of imperial society. I am truly relieved to see that you have adapted so splendidly in this perilous empire. I do not know how I can ever express my gratitude…”
Count Price’s voice trembled faintly.
I answered with a slight smile, as if to reassure him.
“I am merely doing my utmost to survive.”
“You are admirable, Your Highness. Truly admirable… If there is anything this old man can do to help, please command me at any time.”
“There is… one thing you could help me with.”
Thinking of the unpleasant face I had encountered at yesterday’s banquet, my expression hardened.
“Count Hodeki is here in the Empire. Can nothing be done about him?”
The moment that name left my mouth, Count Price’s face crumpled, and deep distress settled over it.
He let out a heavy sigh and shook his head.
“…Haa. So you met that traitorous bastard.”
“What happened? Yesterday, he boasted to me with great arrogance that he had become an imperial count.”
“It is as Your Highness heard. That man was granted the title of imperial count for selling out his homeland. And using that title as his shield, he is now acting as if no one can touch him within the Sterling Kingdom, committing all manner of outrages.”
Count Price clenched his fist tightly, seething with anger.
“His Majesty the King is also troubled by that man’s tyranny, but… there is nothing we can do. He is no longer a subject of the kingdom, but a subject of the Empire. If we were to punish him under the laws of the kingdom, it might be considered rebellion against the Empire, and we do not know what terrible retaliation might follow. Because of our incompetence, that man was able to show rudeness to Your Highness. I shall apologize in his stead.”
When Count Price tried to lower his head again, I hurriedly caught his arm and stopped him.
Count Hodeki’s matter was not something they needed to apologize for.
I would one day sweep that trash away with my own hands.
To change the heavy atmosphere, I shifted the subject.
“The more we speak of Count Hodeki, the more unpleasant it becomes, so let us leave it at that. So… is the Sterling Kingdom well?”
On the surface, it was a question asking after the safety of my homeland, but its true meaning was whether my family was well.
As I asked, I gazed deeply into Count Price’s eyes.
If it was this man, he would understand what I meant.
“…”
Reading the look in my eyes, Count Price glanced around once, then lowered his voice and answered gently.
“Yes, they are well. Because they have had much to worry about, they have grown a little more frail than before, but… they are safe in the royal castle. You need not worry too much.”
“…Thank goodness.”
If my mother and brother were staying in the royal castle under the king’s direct protection, then the king had at least kept his promise to protect our family.
The royal family was clearly serving as a shield so Count Hodeki could not lay a hand on them recklessly.
That fact alone made it feel as though the heavy stone pressing down on my chest had slid away.
I felt truly sorry that I could not look after the people of our territory… but I would try to save them later.
“I am glad to hear the kingdom is safe. But since we lost the war and must pay additional taxes to the Empire, I worry that the lives of the kingdom’s people may have become terribly impoverished.”
At my question, however, Count Price gave a faint smile, as if it were unexpected.
“That… is truly an ironic matter, but the lives of the people have actually improved compared to before the war.”
“Pardon? The people’s lives have improved? But we lost the war.”
“That is correct. As Your Highness knows, our Sterling Kingdom’s fishing industry was originally greatly developed, but because seafood spoils so quickly, it was only consumed within the country and that was the end of it.”
I nodded.
In this world without refrigeration technology, distributing fish deep inland was close to impossible.
“But once we became a vassal state of the Empire and the borders opened, an interesting phenomenon occurred. The imperial people, who had lived confined inland, discovered the taste of the sea. Demand for seafood simply exploded.”
Count Price continued his explanation in a lively voice.
“In addition, the great merchant guilds of the Empire, having smelled money, began hiring large numbers of mages themselves. Since the mages cast large-scale preservation magic and freezing magic on wagons, seafood that would once have quickly rotted away is now being exported fresh to major cities all across the Empire. Thanks to that, the fishermen and merchants of the kingdom are sweeping up gold coins every time they haul in their nets.”
“…Ah.”
“Even after offering annual tribute to the Empire, money is circulating within the kingdom. The people are eating more heartily than before the war, so the affairs of the world are truly difficult to understand. Therefore, Your Highness, please set aside your worries for your homeland and look after only your august health.”
Listening to Count Price’s explanation, I was at a loss for words for a moment.
My homeland had lost the war and fallen into vassalage, yet ironically, the people were living better than before.
It felt strange, as if all my hardships had been rewarded in their own way.
“I understand. That is truly fortunate news. Thank you for telling me, Count.”
“I shall pray that Your Highness passes the remaining schedule of the social gathering safely. Please, remain in good health.”
Count Price once again offered me a respectful farewell, then quietly left the room.
“…”
After the door closed and I was left alone in the room, I leaned back deeply in my chair and let out a long breath.
I could not help feeling bitter and conflicted in one corner of my heart.
The country had been swallowed up, yet the people were living better than before. Perhaps the people wished for me to remain forever as a hostage in the Empire.
But at the same time, it was also true that relief washed over me, as if a blocked airway had finally opened.
Whatever the case, my real family was safely protected, and the people of my homeland were not starving to death, but earning money and living their lives.
Count Hodeki’s mockery had been only half right, while the other half had been malicious lies meant to torment me.
“Yes, this is enough.”
There had certainly been value in my being dragged here.
Now that I had confirmed that the reason had not been in vain, that alone was enough.
I lightly slapped my cheeks with both hands and steeled my resolve once more.
“Let’s keep going like this. Just like this…”