Chapter 371 (1/2)

Chapter 371

Translator: Nat

–Aegir POV–

Capital: Goldonia – Royal Palace .

After cleaning up the matter with Claire, nothing really happened for a while .

Leopolt and Adolph worked diligently as usual on their regular work, and just when I was thinking of going on a vacation with Nonna while it was peaceful, I was summoned to the capital .

It was probably Kenneth who sent it even though the king’s name was used . Apparently they have finally decided on the schedule for discussions with South Yuguria and want me, as a related party, to partic.i.p.ate as well .

In the letter of summons, it felt like Kenneth was implying “please do something about everyone since the king is not motivated” to me .

With that said, nothing will come of me being cautious, so I pulled the lazy Tristan along .

I’ll say I’m bringing a domestic official of my territory to give him practical experience .

The only other person who was supposed to be accompanying us is Nonna, who insisted on coming this time .

「Muu…… muu……」

That Nonna is grumbling unhappily and staring at me .

Her b.r.e.a.s.t.s, which are pushed up by her formal dress, are also shaking about .

「Good grief . 」

Tristan lets out a fed up tone and adjusts his tight collar .

「I am not suited for these kinds of settings or clothes…… can I take off my necktie and undo two b.u.t.tons on my collar?」

「I’ll punch you . 」

When Tristan complains and is met with Celia’s cold stares, he sighs heavily .

「I can’t remember how many centuries it has been since I last visited the capital . The palace has become quite shoddy . 」

Half of the reason Nonna is in such a bad mood is because of her…… Brynhildr, who arrived in Goldonia first .

The other half is due to her vacation plans being crushed . She was whining about it during the ride, saying things like “you went with Claire though” .

「Hey now . 」

If you say a few hundred years, people will find out you’re a vampire .

I won’t go unpunished if it is revealed that I brought a vampire to the palace .

Though, I don’t think that will happen, since she can walk normally under the sun .

Regular vampires, when exposed to the sun’s rays, would burn and turn into ash .

I wonder why she is fine . I asked whether there is a connection between her and Lucy, who is also fine in the sun, though she didn’t give me an answer .

「I know . I won’t do anything to drive you into a corner . 」

Brynhildr rests her head on my arm .

「Mmuuu…… mmuu!」

Nonna becomes more displeased, though knowing she can’t make a fuss in the waiting room of the palace, she has to settle with kicking her feet and shaking her b.r.e.a.s.t.s .

As Celia tries to soothe Nonna, she notices the giant swinging ma.s.ses and gets discouraged, resting her chin on her hand resignedly .

I examine Brynhildr’s appearance again .

She’s wearing a black dress which draws your eyes in . Her white skin peeks out in four places, the s.p.a.ce between her gloves and short sleeves, ankles, her slightly opened chest area, and the fairly wide slit on her back .

Compared to Nonna, who protects her skin from being burned by the sun, Brynhildr’s skin is a completely different kind of white .

It almost looks abnormally pale, like she’s sick .

「Well, I died a long time ago after all . 」

Brynhildr jokingly says .

The black dress itself isn’t fancy, yet it doesn’t fall short of Nonna’s expensive dress in terms of beauty .

The dress doesn’t have the glitter or s.h.i.+ne like a brand-new custom-made item, rather it feels like someone took care of it devotedly for many decades and it possesses a charm similar to an antique piece of furniture .

More importantly, Brynhildr is wearing the dress like it’s integrated into her small body .

Honestly speaking, she just seems to be more familiar with palace culture than Nonna .

If she had a pair of decent b.o.o.bs, she would unstoppable .

「Shut it . 」

「Guh . 」

Brynhildr stomps on my foot .

Nonna cheers up a little and clings to me, meanwhile Celia also compares her chest with Brynhildr’s and smiles .

Tristan sighs when the atmosphere gets a bit more harmonious…… wait, he’s asleep .

「I’ll wake him up . 」

Celia pinches Tristan’s thigh with a devilish expression .

She can’t be kicking him inside the palace, although this might actually hurt more .

「Nnghーー!!」

Tristan springs up and screams, all within Celia’s expectations, as she covers his mouth with a towel .

It looked like she was kidnapping him .

「Geez…… we’re in the palace…… Aegir-sama? Are you feeling hot?」

Nonna, as she is smiling at the scene, tilts her head when she sees me sweating .

「No, it’s not that . Don’t worry about it . 」

I a.s.sure her even though the sweating doesn’t stop .

My face stiffens when I force a smile .

Seeing that, Celia comes over as well .

「If you have to relieve yourself, the bathroom is far so you should go――」

「I’m fine . I won’t wet myself . 」

「You won’t? Wait, Celia-chan . 」

「I-it’s not what you’re thinking! That was an accident! The floor was polished too much and then when I fell…… I-I told you not to say anything!」

Brynhildr turns away as Nonna and Celia make a fuss .

The reason for my cold sweat is the light ‘tap’ that she gave me .

You wouldn’t think the light sound her foot made had the same force as a hammer .

Not only that, she accurately directed the force to my pinky toe .

「That’s punishment for humiliating me . You would do well to remember this suffering . 」

Brynhildr leans her weight against me and smirks .

「No matter what time and age, the palace is a nest of spectres . You’re unfamiliar with plots…… so leave it to me . When needed, I can ma.s.sacre the lot of them in――」

「You better not . Don’t, you hear me?」

Brynhildr can actually do so if she tries so it’s not something to joke about .

「Then you’ll have to go through danger in the times to come . 」

Brynhildr stands up like the conversation is over .

「Oh look, they’re coming to get you . 」

A few seconds after she spoke, the thick doors opened and permission was given to enter .

「「「……」」」

Brynhildr boldly walks forward in spite of everyone’s doubtful gazes .

「Uuu……」

「What is it, woman?」

Underlying her size, Brynhildr has both a high n.o.ble att.i.tude and majesty to match, which is making Nonna feel daunted .

I have to follow up with that later .

The seats of the conference were divided into the right and left sides of the table, one side for Goldonia and one side for South Yuguria . I, of course, sit on the Goldonia side, followed quickly by Celia and Tristan who take the seats next to me .

Nonna and Brynhildr were guided to another table for attendants not partic.i.p.ating in the meeting .

Seated on the other side of me are Kenneth and his officials and right in the center, seated one level higher than everyone else, is the unenthused king .

Behind the king is a steel box resembling a mobile prison…… is he going to bring that everywhere he goes?

「Then let us begin . 」

When Kenneth gets the meeting started, both sides line the table with doc.u.ments of some sort .

The ones who didn’t make any moves were myself, the king, and a hooded individual seated at the end of the South Yuguria side .

「How rude……」

Celia is right . Even I know not to wear a hood and I’m not the most polite guy .

Obviously the officials on the Goldonia side are disgusted by the behavior, however n.o.body on the South Yuguria side warns the individual .

Eventually Kenneth, who ran out of patience, spoke up .

「Pardon me, don’t you think what you are doing is rude in His Majesty’s presence?」

He maintains a mild and calming tone while making sure to be clear with his intentions .

The responding voice was also gentle and similarly clear .

「How unbelievably rude of me . This was because I did not want my face to be seen by those outside . 」

Once the hood was removed, black hair long enough to reach the floor spills out .

Unfurling flowingly, the hair with a jewel-like blackness emits a sweet fragrance, which wafts through the air to my nose .

It was a scent different from fruits or perfume, and it’s simply an exquisite womanly smell if I had to describe it .

「Uu!?」

「What the-!?」

「Ooh……」

Gasps of shock come from the Goldonia side .

That was understandable .

The woman’s pretty face could not be mistaken .

It was the empress ruling over South Yuguria, Wilhelmina I .

The servants standing by were also baffled .

They knew the placement of seats were completely wrong now that the opposing side’s sovereign is here .

「I came here unannounced on my own, so no need for any concern . 」

Wilhelmina stands up and moves to the chief seat closer to the king…… slowly walking to the seat reserved for the one with the highest authority, where the representative messenger had been sitting until now .

「All hail Her Majesty, the Empress . 」

The representative vacates the chair, practically bouncing up, and pulls it out for Wilhelmina, waiting until she has sat down before standing behind her .

Those movements were not clouded with any doubt . It proves how much she is adored and how loyal her followers are .

「I am pleased to meet you . Your Majesty Alexandro, I ask that you forgive my sudden rudeness . 」

The king could not hide his astonishment either when Wilhelmina bows to him with a smile .

「U-umu…… it is polite to send notice in advance, although the matter may be settled quicker this way . 」

「Yes, very true . There is nothing better than ending a dispute as soon as possible . 」

It didn’t take long for the king to regain his composure .

Kenneth and his followers, on the other hand, remained stunned by the unforeseen event .

「She nicely beat us to the punch . I would say the first battle is a loss for us . 」

Tristan murmurs .

This guy isn’t fazed .

Well, I’m not particularly affected either .

「……」

Noticing me, Wilhelmina smiles and also lowers her head slightly .

I knew a clash with her was inevitable, yet I can’t help thinking how beautiful she is .

In no way can I direct any hostile will towards her .

「Eeh…… why?」

When I smile back, Tristan lets out a strange voice .

Wilhelmina doesn’t acknowledge my smile and immediately turns to face the king .

「Now then, Your Majesty Alexandro let’s get straight to business . I think we should omit unnecessary argument as long as we are here . 」

「……umu, you’re right . I also don’t feel like dragging out the discussion . 」

Kenneth makes a bitter face .

That’s to be expected, since he probably decided on what to say in his head beforehand .

「No, the one who you should be most concerned about is the Margrave, right?」

Oh yeah, that’s right .

「That accidental collision was a reckless act by my foolish subordinate…… and it was something against my will . I offer my condolences to the soldiers of your country who lost their lives in the unfortunate battle . 」

Wilhelmina closes her eyes and lowers her head in mourning .

It should just be a courteous gesture by her, although it seems genuine to me .

「I know words will not be enough . Thus I have a suitable amount of compensation for the bereaved families and the feudal lord . Please understand that we ultimately desire for our nations to coexist peacefully . 」

She bows once to the king, then once at me .

「Most people who come out modestly at first usually are bad-natured . 」

Tristan mumbles softly enough so that only I could hear him .

「Your Majesty . 」

Information Officer Rebecca swiftly steps forward and approaches the king .

The king gives her a glance, one that doesn’t seem very favorable for her .

I’m guessing Rebecca’s standing isn’t completely safe .

Even so, the king turns his ear to Rebecca’s words .

He smiles at Wilhelmina once he finishes listening .

It was by no means a friendly smile filled with affection .

In fact, it was closer to an offensive, mocking smile .

「――Queen Wilhelmina . 」

「Yes, what is it?」

Wilhelmina doesn’t let her cheerful exterior crumble .

「I received a report telling me there are close to 100 000 soldiers gathered on the borders between Libatis, which your nation has devoured, and my nation . Isn’t this a little contradictory to what you said earlier about a peaceful coexistence?」

The meeting place stirs . No, to be more accurate, only the Goldonia side stirs .

Not a word was said by anybody on the South Yuguria side . They were all statues .

「Nothing I said was contradictory . Peace results from the struggles of both sides . 」

Wilhelmina’s smile stays the same while the glint in her eye gets sharper .

「If coexistence was not necessary, it would be peaceful if everyone around gets killed off and the only person left is you . 」

Tristan says something again .

「Hooh, so are you saying that you are on equal standing with me?」

The king glares at Wilhelmina .

「Of course not . There’s no way we’re on the same level as the great nation of Goldonia…… we only want to rule over the southern part of the Central plains undisturbed . That’s it . 」

「I don’t know about that . 」

Wilhelmina averts her eyes from the king .

「So only the South Yuguria empire is enough, right? The south is not needed, right?」

Dammit Tristan, there’s no point telling me .

「Despite coming short of Goldonia, our nation is still capable of preparing 100 000 soldiers . 」

Wilhelmina smiles again at the king, who is not smiling anymore .

「If a war breaks out, it will be a long one . It’s evident that we have no intention to fight . 」

It’s exactly as Tristan says .

Kenneth appears calm on the surface whereas his officials are making unhappy faces .

That was when Erich scrambles to his seat .

Such a situation was not expected on the first day of negotiations so that’s why he wasn’t called upon .

If I knew, I would have brought Leopolt with me .

No, that would put the territory in danger .

A surprise attack would really cause havoc .

And Wilhelmina seems to love surprise attacks .

「I see…… but if I do something to you here, it won’t result in war?」

The meeting place stirs once again .