Chapter 69
Chapter 69
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Translator: Vine
Chapter: 69
Chapter Title: We Must Drive Out Sien Mirmod
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The Crown Prince, who had been watching and listening to Ambassador Heinrich's conversation with Sien, cleared his throat a couple of times.
If they were to chase out that tiny, spirited little girl, now was the perfect moment—while Matthias Mirmod, who had been affectionately tending to his daughter, had suddenly stepped away.
“Young Lady Mirmod. I'm sorry, but it's not a good thing to comment on other people's physical features.”
At that moment, the princess, who had been biting her lip tightly, spoke up primly as well.
“It's a child who doesn't know manners anyway.”
“Princess Sherina Anessa.”
The Crown Prince warned her sternly, and the princess's face stiffened.
“I apologize, Brother. But!”
“Young Lady Mirmod, return to your seat. Be grateful for the leniency we're showing an uninvited guest.”
The Crown Prince spoke coldly, but Sien didn't wilt in the slightest. She simply widened her eyes round. That sight seemed utterly adorable at a glance, causing Ambassador Heinrich's expression to soften.
“I'm sorry, Your Highness. But it's just so amazing! I saw them earlier in front of the palace! People with ears just like yours, Ambassador!”
Ambassador Heinrich tilted his head in puzzlement.
“Pardon? We do have occasional technical exchanges with the Empire. Perhaps you saw something like that.”
“But!”
The Crown Prince cut Sien off sharply.
“Ambassador, if you respond to every word from a child like this, she'll develop bad habits.”
“Haha…….”
It was then, as the sandwiched Ambassador Heinrich let out an awkward laugh.
Sien piped up with exaggerated mischief.
“But they were people with pointy ears, and they were protesting in front of the palace with huge picket signs!”
If Ambassador Heinrich had truly known nothing, he would have dismissed Sien's words lightly as a child's mistake. But Heinrich himself had seen something while riding in the luggage carriage on the way.
‘No way, those people I saw earlier...? No, that can't be. Why would Duchy citizens be protesting in the Empire's capital?’
Even as he thought that, a nagging unease lingered in his heart. Sien seemed to watch Heinrich's expression closely, staring at him before breaking into mischievous laughter.
“Yeah, whatever! It might've just been my imagination!”
Ambassador Heinrich, who had been quietly gazing at Sien, nodded slowly.
“Is that so, young lady? Indeed, what reason would Duchy citizens have to come to the Empire's capital and protest?”
Sien let out a small laugh as she replied.
“I don't know about that, but it said someone stole their idea!”
For the Duchy folk, who had elf blood mixed in, theft or plagiarism were crimes that could never be forgiven.
“Whoever it was, calling it theft... It seems they've been wronged by vulgar sorts.”
Ambassador Heinrich grimaced, and in that instant, the Crown Prince's face twisted. As if he had been stung.
The Crown Prince glanced around. Noticing that Matthias was still absent, he snapped curtly at Sien.
“That's nonsense. How could an Imperial citizen steal an idea from a Duchy trading company?”
Sien's eyes went wide, as if she had been waiting for those exact words.
“I never said an Imperial citizen stole a Duchy trading company's idea, though?”
At her words, the Crown Prince's face turned icy. Ambassador Heinrich's expression hardened as well, sensing something off.
Only Sien gazed at them with a delighted smile.
However, the Crown Prince wasn't one to fall for mere wordplay. Regaining his composure in mere seconds, he stroked Sien's pink hair affectionately and cooed.
“I must have jumped to conclusions from the context, young Lady Mirmod.”
Sien giggled brightly in response.
“Ah, yeah, that must be it, right?”
The Crown Prince replied emphatically to Sien's words.
“Exactly. So, won't you return to your seat now?”
The Crown Prince extended his hand coldly toward the door. A signal for the uninvited guest to leave.
Ambassador Heinrich, who had been silently observing the entire scene, crossed his arms over his chest and muttered.
“I see.”
Yet Ambassador Heinrich wore a distinctly bitter expression.
***
After the celebration banquet ended, a small dinner was arranged among the Emperor, Ambassador Heinrich, the Crown Prince, the princess, and Count Yoter.
The Emperor had named the Crown Prince as his heir, but he didn't fully trust him.
The Crown Prince had suffered repeated failures in conquest wars, purged his close aides, and shown blunders in various areas. Each time he saw him, the Emperor inwardly felt that the Crown Prince was inadequate to rule the Empire and grasp the throne.
Amid this, the Crown Prince had petitioned to achieve results personally in the diplomatic arena.
The Emperor was watching closely to see if his son could truly reap the diplomatic fruit of the Michel Mine's magic stones.
“Ambassador Heinrich, good to see you.”
“I greet Your Imperial Majesty, sun of the Empire.”
After brief pleasantries, the Emperor lightly countered.
“Count Yoter here is developing a paternity test kit, Your Majesty.”
“Oh, it's not just paternity tests, is it, Brother?”
The atmosphere among them flowed quite amiably. Except for Ambassador Heinrich, who seemed lost in thought.
The Emperor, quietly watching Ambassador Heinrich, asked softly.
“Ambassador.”
“…….”
“Ambassador Heinrich?”
“Ah, yes. Your Majesty!”
The Emperor tilted his head as he gazed at Ambassador Heinrich.
“What's the matter? Is something bothering you?”
Ambassador Heinrich mumbled with an awkward expression.
“Well, that is....... It's nothing.”
The Crown Prince, observing Ambassador Heinrich's face, spoke lightly.
“Well then, let's proceed with the Michel Mine contract right away.”
Ambassador Heinrich fell silent, seemingly deep in thought. The princess poured sherry into her glass coquettishly as she watched him.
“The Michel Mine will become a bridge symbolizing the union between the Empire and the Duchy, won't it?”
Ambassador Heinrich bit his lip, staring at the wine sloshing in his glass.
“First, I need time to report to His Highness the Grand Duke.”
The atmosphere instantly chilled.
The Crown Prince stared at Ambassador Heinrich with a stiff expression.
“Is there some problem?”
***
There was no problem. None at all.
Ambassador Heinrich entered the palace annex and ruffled his hair wildly.
‘His Highness the Grand Duke himself instructed me to sell the Michel Mine's magic stones to the Empire if at all possible.’
If that happened, it would invigorate diplomacy between the Empire and the Duchy.
So why had he returned to his room without properly responding to the Crown Prince's words on his own initiative?
‘...Frustrating. It couldn't be that little lady's words are sticking with me, could it?’
Clutching his frustration, Ambassador Heinrich decided to go for a walk.
Though he called it a walk, before he knew it, his footsteps had led him out of the palace to the very spot where the protesters had been earlier.
And yet......
‘What is that?’
The two-person protest group from before seemed to still be right there.
The protesters were being led away by the guards.
Ambassador Heinrich watched the scene, palms sweating.
The two protesters had pointy ears and blue eyes, just as Sien had described. Typical elf half-breeds, and highly likely Duchy subjects.
Forgetting all decorum, Ambassador Heinrich dashed forward like the wind, shouting.
“What is the meaning of this?”
The guards, who roughly scanned him from head to toe, replied indifferently.
“Nothing much. Just arresting them for violating the vagrancy laws.”
“B-but they look like our Duchy citizens.”
At that moment, one of the struggling protesters yelled out indignantly.
“Y-yes, we're Duchy citizens! The Imperials stole our ideas! That's why we were protesting here!”
“Does that even make sense?”
Ambassador Heinrich's face twisted.
“If someone stole something, you go complain directly to the Duchy. I can't understand why you'd come all the way to the Empire to protest!”
His words rang true a hundred times over. The Duchy, which cherished technology and art as much as its people did, was fervent in protecting its technicians.
But as if his assumption was wrong, the protester roughly shook off the guard's hand and muttered.
“Ha. Complain to the Duchy? We've protested endlessly! But the higher-ups wouldn't even listen to us.”
“......What do you mean?”
“It means no one helped us. The administrators took bribes from the Imperials and just played dumb!”
Neither Ambassador Heinrich nor the Grand Duke had known.
That the Duchy administrators handling public petitions were that corrupt. How could interests between the Emperor, high nobles, and lowly trading companies be maintained?
Ambassador Heinrich's face contorted in shock. He hurriedly rummaged in his pocket and pulled out his card.
It was the diplomatic immunity privilege granted to envoys.
The guards tilted their heads uncomfortably.
“You lot, stop protesting and come here. I have something to say.”
***
“Sien Mirmod, you say.”
The Crown Prince's brow furrowed. Princess Anessa stared at him silently, clenching her fist.
“Yes, Brother. Sien Mirmod!”
“She was awfully suspicious.”
“Right? She's no one to take lightly.”
“Even as a child, being a Mirmod after all....... But Anessa, haven't you ever thought that?”
For a moment, doubt flashed in Anessa's eyes.
“What thought?”
In that instant, the Crown Prince's lips curled in a mocking smile.
“That Matthias Mirmod is manipulating the whole thing.”
“......Pardon? What do you.”
The Crown Prince chuckled leisurely, tapping the desk.
“What probability is there that a child from the countryside could orchestrate and set up the situation?”
Common sense dictated 0%.
As she gradually grasped the true meaning of the Crown Prince's words, Anessa's face hardened.
“......Then, that means.”
“Yes, it means Matthias Mirmod is pulling the strings from behind. The trading company that child made, everything. All of it.”
“Matthias Mirmod......”
“It means he's opposing us, Anessa.”
Princess Anessa's expression twisted. The Crown Prince leaned back in his chair with a relaxed smile.
“Sien Mirmod is mere bait. Do you understand, Anessa?”