Ventorino Kingdom - Toward the Second Revenge (1)
Ventorino Kingdom - Toward the Second Revenge
Ventorino Kingdom was a nation on the eastern edge of the continent. Not the very farthest east, though; more precisely, it was the easternmost land if one excluded the territory of the demons. The Demon Realm itself had that grotesque, flask-like shape, but it was still connected to the continent. In other words, Ventorino was the country that bordered it most closely.
But humans and demons were mortal enemies in all but name. Because of that, Ventorino had always been forced to fight them fiercely and keep constant watch. One only had to look at the five fortresses and three gates built to hold back the demons—four of which belonged to Ventorino—to understand just how much of the kingdom’s strength had been poured into that struggle.
The fact that they did not have to worry about attacks from the sea was both a blessing and a curse. Around the sea that encircled the Demon Realm stood a vast barrier imbued with divine power created by the Goddess. Other nations benefited greatly from it, and Ventorino was no exception; it could focus on the narrow throat of the flask instead of maintaining sea defenses. Of course, that same barrier was also why the one route by which demons could reach the continent had become so clearly defined.
There were also advantages that were purely advantages. Unless a ruler had the ambition to unify the continent—like the current Emperor of the Dezac Empire—no one would dare move against Ventorino first. It was far more profitable to use Ventorino as the first bulwark against the demon army than to struggle to seize land that might be lost the next time the demons invaded.
And if the territory were too small and the nation too weak, it could not even serve as a proper bulwark. There was no reason to strip away the borderlands and make it weaker for no purpose.
It was a land safe from human invasion, but one that always had to remain vigilant against the demon host. The soil where Ventorino now stood was probably the place on the continent where the greatest number of countries and noble houses had been born—and erased.
The present Ventorino bore no blood relation to the people who had first founded the kingdom. In other words, the dynasty had changed.
The previous royal line had been annihilated by demons, and the new Ventorino dynasty had been established by a warrior who had once been a comrade and close friend of Hero Pedro.
Marc de Ventorino.
“Your Majesty, the envoy from the Ulsro Kingdom has arrived.”
“Hmm. They got here faster than I expected. I thought it would take a little longer.”
Marc, who had been buried in paperwork in his study, lifted his head at the report from his attendant.
“It must be because they came in such haste. I suspect the Dezac Empire’s covert operations are harsher over there than they are here.”
“So Beatris made the first move and sent her envoy this quickly… That emperor is finally starting to show his ambition. Well, I suppose it can’t be helped.”
It had already been eighteen years since that war ended.
As he muttered it, Marc picked up one of the cigarettes stacked neatly beside his desk and brought it to his lips. When he lit the tip, the thick scent quickly spread through the room.
It might leave its smell on important documents or the furniture around him, but he did not care. His attendant did not care either. They both knew this cigarette was one of the king’s very few indulgences.
He had already abandoned the sword he once loved, and if he was not even allowed a habit like this, then he would have no proper way to relieve his stress. Compared to a king going mad or dying young under too much pressure, a little lingering tobacco smell was a harmless side effect.
The documents would have to be dealt with, but the magic installed in the study would probably keep the scent from soaking into the furniture.
The old memories that had surfaced lifted his mood along with the smoke he drew deep into his lungs.
“Hoo… Where are the envoys now?”
He asked the question of the attendant, though in truth Marc already knew the answer.
They were probably in the guest reception room, meeting his wife—the queen of this kingdom.
The attendant’s answer confirmed it.
The only difference was that she had gone to receive them with their two children as well. When he thought about it, that was only natural.
Before any proper negotiations began, the first objective of this visit was marriage discussions. And the one who handled that in Ventorino was not King Marc. The person who wanted to push forward an alliance through marriage with Ulsro was the queen, not him.
She had probably gone with their son to greet the girl who might become his future bride. Beatris had said she hoped the marriage would be one of love, so it was necessary to build familiarity from this very first meeting.
Even at this age, she still wants more power.
He could not help but think what an extraordinary woman she was.
Maybe age only made her more so. People always said women grew sharper once they became middle-aged, unlike men, whose hearts only softened. Of course, the queen’s personality and greed could not be explained away so simply.
Even when she had still been a young lady, she had been a frightening woman.
Frighening enough to make that absurd proposal to him without hesitation.
Still, I’m hardly in a position to complain after accepting it.
He had become a king thanks to his wife, but now and then, regret still rose in him. Whether that was because he had grown more sentimental with age, or because guilt still lingered somewhere in his chest, he did not know.
One thing was certain: he was still trembling with fear, enough that they sometimes appeared in his dreams.
“I should forget it already. Tch. Easier said than done.”
The click of his tongue came naturally.
He did not understand why he still felt afraid.
There would be no future retaliation.
The only people left alive who knew about that incident were the one who had carried it out and his wife. Even her family, who now strutted about enjoying their power, did not know. How much effort and misery had gone into keeping that secret buried?
He had blood on his hands—hundreds of lives’ worth—and had even been forced to kill the friend who had once been closest to him.
Even now, it was vivid.
The look in his friend’s eyes as he stared at him in disbelief, and the sensation that had traveled through the blade as it pierced that man’s stomach.
“…Your Majesty?”
“Ah, my apologies.”
Only after hearing his attendant call to him several times did Marc finally come back to himself. When he lowered the cigarette from his mouth, one-third of it had already vanished. It seemed he had been lost in thought for quite a while.
“So I don’t need to see them right away?”
“No, Your Majesty. At most, you’ll only need to summon the two princesses and a few of the envoys for the evening banquet and speak with them then.”
“That’s a little disappointing. I thought I might get to escape this paper hell for even a moment.”
It was only half a joke.
The attendant reacted awkwardly to his king’s banter, then quickly withdrew from the study.
Left alone in the room, Marc tried to return to his work, but in the end he could not concentrate and fell into other thoughts instead.
Haa, I suppose I’m thinking too much because it’s been so long since I last met Ulsro.
He had often seen the queen remotely for official matters. That was only natural, given the old acquaintance they shared from eighteen years ago, and the fact that they were both rulers resisting the Dezac Empire.
By contrast, he had not seen the queen’s two daughters in a very long time. Even for national events, the two kingdoms rarely sent their royals to one another. One side had only just been born as a kingdom and had no particularly established royal bloodline, while the other had lost the majority of its royals in the war and had become somewhat protective of what remained.
That was why the composition of this envoy struck him as strange.
Why had they insisted on making the First Princess, Mercedes, the chief representative? She had never even been sent for major events like the king’s birthday or the tenth anniversary celebration of Ventorino’s reconstruction. Of course, she had been far too young at the time, but it still felt off.
What was more, sending the Second Princess, Mari, as well, was odd. On the surface, she was indispensable for the formal pretext, but if so, they could just as well have placed Mari in charge instead.
Sending both dearly cherished daughters with the envoy either meant they held a great deal of trust in Ventorino…
…or they were planning to pull something.
But at this point, he could not think of any plan that would require sending two royals at once.
Still, I should be careful. …That said, the First Princess, huh. Tch.
Whenever Marc thought of the three royal women of Ulsro—more precisely, Beatris and Mercedes among them—he kept thinking of the Hero.
The friend who had once stood beside him, the one he had ultimately struck down with the final blow that killed him.
The queen, too, and the First Princess as well. Both of them really did seem to follow Pedro closely.
Because the two of them had been so deeply connected to Hero Pedro.
The queen could not be helped, but he had tried to avoid seeing the First Princess if possible. He simply had no desire to be reminded of Pedro any more than necessary.
Perhaps that was why he kept thinking of Beatris. If he left his mark on the woman who had never married anyone else since loving Pedro, and who had never been the subject of any rumor, then maybe he could neatly shake off those memories once and for all.
Of course, part of it was simply that he liked women. Beatris was among the greatest beauties on the continent. Even the crystal orb had shown that she still retained her beauty unchanged. For a man who adored lovely women, feeling desire for her was only natural.
“...Hoo. I’m having all kinds of strange thoughts today.”
For no reason at all, unease welled up in his chest, and his head felt oddly unsettled.
It was exactly the same feeling he had had the night before marching on the demon castle, or the night before the plan to assassinate Pedro. A nervousness he had not felt once in nearly eighteen years.
“I’m only fifty-four. Could this be menopause…?”
Thinking maybe he ought to take up the sword again and train his body, he finally turned his eyes back to the documents.
But just then, the white-haired woman who pushed open the door and walked in made him lose focus all over again.
“Haa, Queen. I thought I told you to knock before entering my study.”
“I did. You just didn’t hear it.”
“…….”
Marc frowned at the queen’s bold answer, which had met his irritation head-on.
“...So, what is it this time?”
“Could you stop talking like that? I think I’ve told you a hundred times that it doesn’t suit you.”
“You didn’t order me to do it.”
“That’s only in public. Just speak comfortably.”
“Haa, fine. I’ll do as you wish.”
Marc barely suppressed the irritation that surged up in him.
She truly was a woman he could never bring himself to like. In their younger days, there had at least been some traces of consideration and respect in the way she treated him, but now, whenever they were alone, she acted as though she were the one on the throne. He could not deny that he had only become king because of the power of her family, but even after taking so much from the kingdom, her greed had become excessive.
“Hmm. That tone really does suit you better.”
“You didn’t come here just to say that. If I remember right, weren’t you receiving the envoy?”
“I left that to the children. The First Princess is about the same age as our daughter, so they’ll get along quickly enough. And the younger ones who are supposed to marry should get a little acquainted too, don’t you think?”
“...Has the Second Princess already agreed to marry?”
“Hm? Isn’t that obvious? She’s the second daughter—she can’t even inherit the throne. She’ll marry the boy who’s going to become Ventorino’s next king, of course.”
At the queen’s utterly matter-of-fact tone, Marc could tell she had jumped to conclusions all on her own, while Mari herself had not said a single word yet.
If it had been that easy to accept, there would have been no need to accompany the envoy all the way to this country in the first place. Even if he told her that, the queen would probably not accept it. She seemed the sort of woman who would simply assume the Second Princess had come along to see the face of her future husband.
Still, it was irritating enough to make his mouth itch.
“...I think it would be better to assume that deal isn’t final until we hear a clear answer from the Second Princess herself.”
“Well, if you say so, I’ll leave it at that for now.”
The queen answered with a displeased expression.
“But this marriage has to happen, no matter what. You’re not planning to be satisfied with a tiny little kingdom like this forever, are you? Even if it isn’t for our generation, we need to prepare the justification in advance—for Alfonso, at the very least, and for the child who comes after him.”
“...Do as you please. I’ll leave Al’s marriage entirely to you.”
“Heh. Of course you will.”
It was not as though he felt nothing for his children.
It was just that if they were going to have an arranged marriage anyway, it seemed better to wed into a more prestigious family.
He was not especially pleased at the thought of becoming in-laws with Beatris, but Mari was acceptable. She was from the Ulsro royal family, one of the continent’s foremost noble houses, and she was beautiful too, taking after her mother. From what he had heard, she was also charming and intelligent, which suggested she would take good care of his son.
“More importantly, you need to be careful.”
“Hm?”
Marc shivered at the queen’s suddenly sharp gaze.
She had maintained her lovely appearance into this age through all sorts of magic and elixirs, but her mind and heart had never softened. Even now, that vicious look was enough to make him, despite all his years, flinch.
“W-what are you talking about?”
“Women. I’m talking about women.”
“…….”
“With the envoy here already, if you cause an incident, it’ll become a very serious problem.”
“I know. I’ll be careful.”
After saying that much, Marc sealed his lips.
It was not only because he felt embarrassed. The fact that she could speak so casually while cheating herself was ridiculous. He could not tell whether she thought he had not been found out, or whether she was simply warning him to watch himself.
“Haa, fine. You’re not a child, so I’m sure you’ll manage yourself properly.”
He almost snapped that he had been king for more than fifteen years now, but decided against it, knowing it would only start a fight for no reason.
“Then I’ll be going. I have other matters to attend to.”
With no tender words between husband and wife, no warmth, not even the slightest touch, the queen left the study.
Marc glared at the place she had gone, annoyance burning in his eyes, then took out another cigarette and put it between his lips. Soon, a thin haze of smoke drifted through the study.