Editing Rakuin no Monshou:Volume7 Chapter2 (section)

=== Part 3 ===

Oubary Bilan’s mansion had burned down…

A visitor arrived when he received that information. Noue Salzantes waved the hand he wore his lapis lazuli ring on and the messenger disappeared through another door as his new visitor entered the room.

“Did someone come?”

Zenon Owell, second prince of Garbera, entered the room and asked without any preliminary. Noue had slowly gotten used to this prince’s personality, which was a perplexing mix of the brusqueness of a soldier who galloped through battlefields with the decorum and splendour of an aristocrat.

“It was no great matter, so I had him leave.”

“Oh? It wouldn’t have been a problem to keep me waiting.”

Noue and Zenon. Once upon a time, they would never even have been seen together at the palace. As for being close enough to come and go from each other’s private chambers? Well, those who knew them best were the most astounded at the abrupt change. Zenon had disliked Noue enough to publicly declare that the other’s ingenuity was contrary to the path of chivalry; while Noue, although never openly arguing with Zenon, his social superior, had always had a sardonic gleam in his eye and had clearly looked down on him.

When Lord Eric of Ende had surrounded Zaim Fortress, Noue and Zenon’s actions had hindered one another. Their thoughts and intentions had been at odds with each other and, because of that, Zenon had, in very little time, almost been captured by the enemy. Had Imperial Prince Gil of Mephius not arrived with reinforcements, that would certainly have been his fate.

However, it was precisely because they had fallen into that predicament that the two of them had repented their own over-confidence and come to recognise the other’s skill.

For a while, the two of them made idle conversation. The tea which was brought in had been chilled to Noue’s liking. Garbera, which made vigorous use of air carriers, possessed a cave in a land across the northern sea in which they stored ice shaved from the perpetually snow-capped mountains there. Several times a year, that ice was sold at high price on the markets. Although Noue was known as a dandy, his room was furnished very simply, and he preferred not to spend too much money on his private life. This was one of the few luxuries that he enjoyed.

“It looks like Mephius still hasn’t held Prince Gil’s funeral,” Zenon broached the main topic. “And because of that, we can’t push to take Vileena back. What’s Emperor Guhl hesitating for? I’ve heard one opinion that he can’t accept his son’s death and is escaping into the arms of religion, but I can’t believe that the opponent we fought in the ten-year war would be that feeble-minded.”

“Guhl is already at an advanced age. His first-born son, Gil Mephius, was his long-awaited heir, so it would not be surprising if his love for him ran deep. However…”

“However?”

“According to most of the stories I heard at court, it seems that Prince Gil was, on the contrary, ostracised by his father. Even after he officially became crown prince at thirteen, Guhl was known to remark that if there were a boy with more talent, even if he was only distantly related to the imperial family, he – Guhl – would not hesitate to overturn his son’s position.”

“Hmm,” Zenon brushed back his soft platinum hair, which was so like his sister’s, “I’d also heard rumours that Prince Gil was a ‘fool’. It was to the point that most of our Garberan knights hoped that when he inherited the throne, it would weaken Mephius.”

“I too was a little negligent because of those rumours.”

Noue’s words verged on the dangerous. He had, completely of his own initiative, taken advantage of Mephius’ Founding Festival to try and weaken the country. Because of Prince Gil it had resulted in failure but, at the time, Noue had also attempted to bring about the assassination of Garbera’s princess – in other words, of Zenon’s own little sister.

His actions had been dictated by the belief that this was for the good of Garbera, but even so, Noue questioned whether he would be able to implement the same plan as he was now. ''Have I gone soft? No, it’s just that since the Princess is loved that much throughout the country, I believe that there are other ways of using her.''

Trust and bonds between people were nothing to make light of. Noue believed that he himself was lacking in that area; so Zenon and Vileena, who could well be called unifying forces, were essential to Garbera, as well as to Noue himself.

Zenon, meanwhile, assumed that Noue had been “negligent” in a general sense. Thinking back to the three-way meeting near Zaim between Gil, Eric, and himself; and remembering the Mephian prince’s demeanour, he gave a single nod.

“I thought back then that the rumours were wrong. It’s mortifying to admit, but there’s no denying that young prince was the one who set the pace of the meeting from start to end. Rather than being on bad terms with his father, could it be that Guhl was afraid of his son’s competence?”

“There are reports that he warned the Prince against sending reinforcements to Garbera. It’s entirely natural that a policymaker would not appreciate someone who ignores them and who stands out as a hero. To make things worse, it was the son of his own blood and the heir to the throne. And the Emperor is still passionately attached to power…”

“It’s a situation that would probably be more dangerous than it is now if Gil were still alive.” Zenon shrugged helplessly then glared at the empty space. “Well, things are currently dangerous enough in Mephius as it is. We can’t leave Vileena over there; but, having said that, if we look like we’re trying to take her back by force, sparks might also land on Garbera. When there’s trouble inside a country, it’s easy to point the tip of the spear towards another power. When there’s a foreign enemy, allies have no choice but to band together.”

Zenon had also heard that the emperor of Mephius was trying to draw closer to Ende. Actually, Eric himself had implied as much during their three-way meeting. And when he had been informed that his older brother, Lord Jeremie, seemed also to have forged a connection with Mephius’ emperor through a different route, the colour had completely drained from Eric’s face.

Ende had its own internal problems. But, well, it could not be said that Garbera formed a unified block either.

“What have your brother and His Majesty said concerning what will happen to the Princess?”

“They’re being indecisive,” Zenon grimaced, looking as though he felt personally disgraced. “All we can do for now is wait, we don’t yet know what will happen to the alliance with Mephius – that sort of thing. All I wanted was even one single firm statement that could unite the country.”

To Zenon’s chagrin, the situation within the country was once more growing unstable.

Prince Gil’s death had caused a split in public opinion. Those who had been less than pleased about the alliance with Mephius were actively starting to talk about how fortuitous the Crown Prince’s death was, saying that they should get the Princess returned to them and then settle things with Mephius. According to them, now that Ende was politically unstable, the time was ripe. Those who spoke that way were mostly Ryucown’s adherents. His uprising at Zaim Fortress still exercised a huge influence amongst the knights of Garbera, it was starting to openly be said that he should be honoured for having chivalrously died for his country. Needless to say, Ryucown was a traitor and a rebel, so this was a sign that the royal family’s prestige was declining. The situation might become a trigger to mayhem, but the two of them deliberately avoided touching upon it.

“Still, my poor little sister,” Zenon sighed. “People talk about the fate of a woman born in turbulent times, but she’s only a young girl and she’s been tossed about by fortune every which way.”

Thinking about it, the family that Vileena was to marry into had twice been changed in less than a year.

First, it had been the engagement to Ryucown, which had been decided a year ago. Noue was the one who had laid the groundwork for it, and Zenon had approved of it. However, King Ainn Owell of Garbera had sought to draw closer to Ende as he urgently needed to form a military alliance with them; and so, behind the scenes, he had first persuaded Ryucown and Zenon to agree, and then had started preparations for Vileena to marry Lord Eric of Ende.

However, just as that was happening, they received an offer of peace from Mephius. The negotiations with Ende had been unofficial, so, after some agonising, Ainn Owell had chosen the alliance with Mephius.
The family she was to marry into had been changed again and again, without any account being given to her own desires, then, when it had finally been settled on Mephius, Crown Prince Gil had passed away. Even Noue felt a certain compassion for her. In spite of those feelings however, Noue considered Vileena’s current circumstances with a cool head. He had heard that in Mephius, opinions were divided about how to deal with her.

''It’s possible that by not holding the Prince’s funeral, the Emperor is, in fact, actively trying to induce the Princess to stay'' – was how he saw things. The Emperor might be planning some kind of large-scale action in the near future, and was deliberately keeping Vileena in Mephius so that Garbera would not be able to intervene.

While on the one hand paying close attention to what was going on in Mephius, he also had to keep an eye on the interior situation in Garbera.

''I pushed Ryucown forward as a hero while he was alive, so it’s not as though I’m without responsibility in this matter. Should I go and meet his adherents directly?''

Noue did not have much confidence in his ability to persuade people, but they could not be allowed to stage a confrontation with the royal family, and neither could he leave this to Zenon, who was himself royalty.

“You will soon be returning to Mavant?”

“Yeah. I want to re-organise the Order. A lot of the guys from my unit are stationed in Mavant, so there are plenty of people that I want to see again, since it’s been so long.”

Zenon being Zenon, he well understood that with Prince Gil’s death, the relationship between the three countries might once more tear at the seams and collapse. So he would be concentrating his efforts on making preparations.

“Before that, I’m afraid I need to go show myself at the Kotjun House.”

“That…”

Noue just gave a faint smile and refrained from offering his condolences. The Kotjun House was an influential aristocratic family within Garbera but, because of their origins, they were often scorned behind their backs as “the Moneylending House”. Zenon in particular had always kept his distance from them.

“Please give my regards to Miss Rinoa Kotjun.”

“What? I was planning to take you along. You’ll do it much more smoothly than me.”

“Miss Rinoa dislikes me. Probably for the same reason that a certain prince used to.”

His blunt words made Zenon laugh. The tea was going entirely cold.
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