Chapter 84
Chapter 84
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Translator: Ryuma
Chapter: 84
Chapter Title: The Usefulness of a Treacherous Subject
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The position of Imperial Princess was an object of envy for others, but the one who sat upon that throne could not be called happy.
For one, the mere fact of being a woman made her a bargaining chip in dealings with other noble families or foreign nations, and the more exceptional her looks and talents, the higher her value soared.
Innate beauty, intellect, and martial talent. Having acquired all of these at a young age, rumors about her were already widespread, and many noble families coveted her as a wife or daughter-in-law.
Thus, her management was naturally, and inevitably, extremely strict.
Living under control that monitored her every move, asleep or awake, she had no one with whom she could speak her mind freely.
The father and mother who could be called family only tightened that control further, and her brothers and sisters banded together amongst themselves, leaving her isolated.
Her brothers did so to prevent any unforeseen incidents, and her sisters out of jealousy toward her, who had stood out from a young age with her excessive talents.
The young nobles from her mother's family who presented themselves as followers and clung to her were of little comfort; their eyes were filled with a beastly ambition that provoked an instinctive revulsion.
With nowhere to place her heart, all she could do to protect herself was hone her martial arts and wear an expressionless mask, killing her own feelings to become a doll.
'...Am I the one who is wrong?'
Still, being human, she couldn't help but have wishes; she couldn't help but desire companionship.
She wanted to make friends, have conversations, and live happily like other people.
So, she enrolled in the Imperial Academy with special royal qualifications, but the reality was not much different from being at the palace.
She merely ended up as the representative of the 'Imperial Faction' in the student power struggles she never wanted, due to her outstanding abilities. Compared to the palace, she only faced more persistent advances and dirty looks, learning more deeply just how terrifying human malice could be.
'Heh, heh, heh... Of course, we must follow Your Highness the Princess's words.'
'As expected of Your Highness the Princess.'
'Our family is hosting a party soon; would you consider attending?'
The noble students were all about flattery and hypocrisy, or they rushed at her like beasts in heat over her beauty. Those beneath her, due to the dazzling title of 'Imperial Princess,' dared not even meet her eyes, keeping their distance or unable to speak to her casually.
Gradually thinking the hope she held was unattainable, she sought solace in reading. That was when this man appeared.
'Your Highness the Princess, I apologize for rudely interrupting, but I am indeed the one at fault here. In this world, there are rules one must uphold even if they are not written in the legal codex. Having come from the countryside, I was unfamiliar and unaware of them. Sir Cedron was merely trying to inform me of this.'
'...I still remember.'
Of course, there had been advice from her parents before, and reprimands during her education for her mistakes.
But those were acts to polish her. It was the first time someone had stood up to her, person to person, so boldly.
A person who observed etiquette toward the Princess but confidently expressed his own opinion, who told her that what is called right isn't always absolutely right, who wasn't swayed by the status and appearance of 'Imperial Princess' and asserted his own convictions, making her feel like a person, not a doll. From that moment, Beonald had captured her interest.
'I wanted to get closer, but couldn't approach through normal means... That was the excuse I gave, but...'
Her every move was practically managed by the hands of the Imperial Family. Just creating a pretext to approach him was a great struggle. Fortunately, he was someone recommended by Sir Repart, so there was a point of interest, and for some reason, his delinquent student life provided a suitable pretext to get close.
'And it was fun.'
Being with Beonald, she realized how much of a simple happiness it was to talk freely.
He was wary of her because of her status as Princess, but he didn't just cower one-sidedly; he faced her confidently as a person and conversed with her.
And what was even more astonishing was that now, despite his young age, he was conversing boldly with the Emperor—someone she herself could hardly look in the eye.
"...To achieve a rich nation and strong military, commerce must ultimately flourish. Only then can we nurture more strong soldiers. And to make commerce flourish, we need 'roads.' To create strong soldiers, we need a larger population and the production of high-quality weapons and armor. Of course, the food supply must also be smooth, so we cannot neglect agriculture."
"That is the orthodox path. But the method won't be easy, will it? Also, collecting taxes from merchants is no simple matter. The guilds will resist."
"Then what about establishing and operating a merchant company under the Empire? Strict quality control under the Emperor's name, and if we also engage in banking, it would likely be a great help in securing finances. Moreover, the Imperial Family has the strongest military force within the Empire, but some are engaged in duties like palace patrols, causing their practical combat abilities to decline, so we could send them outside as well."
"Hmm, quite radical, but seems like an opinion worth considering. Truly the idea of a young friend. Hahaha, Sir Repart didn't recommend you for nothing."
The conversation itself appeared to be a wholesome exchange between a spirited youth and a wise old man, but the undercurrent flowing between them was anything but gentle—it was like sharp blades crossing.
The Emperor was throwing out all sorts of difficult questions to apply pressure, yet Beonald, as if performing a trick, remained completely unflustered, responding calmly and even eliciting a 'we'll consider it' from the Emperor. It was truly a continuous surprise.
'...Just what is he? Is this really just a teenager?'
'Even if you're the Emperor, do you think I'd bow to a mere feudal lord ruling less than half the territory of the Unified Empire? Before me, you're no different from a village headman, old man.'
'...Hah! It's simply astonishing.'
His etiquette and speech were both impeccably maintained.
But that composed attitude, parrying even the pressure-inducing questions thrown at him in front of the Emperor, was absolutely not the behavior of a teenage boy.
From Beonald now, one didn't sense the fragrance of a teenager, but rather the demeanor of a high noble who had weathered all storms, someone even the Imperial Family couldn't touch lightly.
'An innate quality? Well, Callermain is also a proper faction of high nobility. Even if it's only half his blood, if he inherited that, such a thing is possible. Hahaha! He's a bigger figure than I thought. Letting such a rough gem go would be a loss. And...'
If such a figure with the potential to become a giant were left free in the provinces, it alone could create a possibility of harming the Empire's peace. The Emperor thought Sir Repart had done an excellent thing.
Thinking he should give Sir Repart a great reward upon his return, the Emperor pondered how to handle Beonald.
'The best would be to marry him to one of my children, but then the bloodline becomes a problem. Before that, this child would surely refuse to go do what he wants to do, right? Then perhaps the only option is to eliminate him in advance?'
'Ah, I see the schemes, I see them. I saw plenty of this during my Count days.'
Whether king or emperor, the minds of those in power are all the same.
Unless they're madmen, they calculate based on their own power. Knowing this principle, Beonald could see the Emperor's thoughts as clear as day.
Watching the obvious thoughts churn, the meal was nearing its end, and a pure white ice cream was brought out for dessert.
"Oh, this is... what is it?"
"Is it your first time seeing ice cream?"
"...Yes, it's my first time. Oh... this... oooh...!"
"I'm glad you like it. Haha."
'...I know about it? I made and ate it out of boredom while doing alchemy research in the Magic Tower, you know?'
In the sorrow of having to feign ignorance like a country bumpkin, Beonald recalled his time at the Magic Tower.
Unlike mages, in the Alchemy department, they made all sorts of magical tools when bored, and among them were many eccentrics who did strange things.
He remembered them not doing their assigned research, conducting weird experiments, or making all sorts of strange snacks with perfectly good ingredients.
'Beonaaald~ Try this prototype drink.'
'Address me as Count.'
'Ah~ Don't be like that, just try it. If it's successful, you can make and sell it too~ Huh? Beonaaald~'
'I said address me as Count! Should I cut your research funds? I'm not your test subject in the first place!'
'Nooo~ Don't cut the funds~'
Feeling the sweet taste of the ice cream, vague memories of the Magic Tower flashed by.
Those times 500 years ago, the mages were eccentrics, but the alchemists were no less eccentric. Dealing with them was incredibly difficult, of course, and whenever they caused trouble, they felt absolutely no guilt, so it was always him—the one with money and common sense—who had to clean up the mess.
'And on top of that, they were all crazy, so even when I became a Count, Marquis, or Duke, they paid no mind and acted however they wanted! Sigh~ And since they produced results proportional to the research funds given, I couldn't do anything about them...'
"Perhaps it doesn't suit your taste?"
"No! It's delicious. It's the ultimate sweetness I've ever tasted in my life, so I'm just not used to it yet. Hahaha. I've never had a flavor like this before. Sigh~ Thinking about when I'll be able to eat it again makes me a little sad... Hmm?"
Dodging Princess Zelcy's concerned question from beside him, Beonald glanced at her and felt something strange.
The ice cream placed before the Princess. It was surely put there for her to eat, yet it was melting without a single spoonful taken.
Noticing this, Beonald quickly assessed the states of the Emperor and Princess Zelcy and immediately understood what kind of person the Emperor was.
'Now I think I get it.'
If the Princess had refused to eat it herself, it wouldn't have been served in the first place.
In reality, Princess Zelcy's face was expressionless, but she kept glancing alternately at Beonald, the Emperor, and the ice cream. The Emperor, acting as if nothing was wrong, ate his own while only watching Beonald.
In other words, this was a routine occurrence.
'This Emperor guy... he's a Felix type.'
The shadow of Felix von Neumel was immediately cast over the Emperor.
A guy who doesn't see his children as humans but merely as tools for the family. This Emperor seemed to be a similar type.
Of course, most nobles and royals have a tendency to view their blood relatives as tools, and Beonald understood that this was effective for family prosperity.
'It's the type I hate the most... the type I absolutely cannot tolerate.'
This kind of control and torment, not seeing people as people, was something Beonald had also suffered in his past life. While his head understood its efficiency, his emotions could not accept it.
Thus, when he became family head, he completely changed the method of raising the next successor to such an extent.
Now, seeing someone doing the exact same thing that made him detest even his own parents, Beonald's disgust for the Callem Empire skyrocketed.
"Your Highness the Princess, aren't you going to eat? It's melting. Please have some."
"......!"
"......!"
And so, Beonald said something he absolutely should not have said in this setting, as if wanting the Emperor to hear it outright.
Princess Zelcy was so surprised she broke her expressionless mask, and the Emperor looked at Beonald with a strange expression.
As the atmosphere clearly indicated he had said something he shouldn't have, Beonald could confirm once again that his prediction was correct.
'Nailed it.'
In the freezing air, cold enough to refreeze the melted ice cream, the Emperor opened his mouth toward Princess Zelcy with a benevolent smile, as if nothing was wrong.
"Haha, I see. I must have ordered it made for you to eat, so why aren't you having any? Hahaha."
'A confirmation kill... you're doing it for me, how kind. Just like Felix.'
But Beonald, who knew very well it was an act, detected the quietly burning light of anger in the Emperor's pupils and thought, 'Of course,' smiling inwardly.
And Beonald decided he would never join hands with this Callem Empire, concluding the dinner.