Akatsuki Translations

The Archduchess led me to a small alcove at the end of a long corridor. It was a narrow space with just one table and two chairs, but the semicircular wall was lined with portraits – a quintessentially noble setting.

A maid poured tea into cups and promptly left.

This was my first time being alone with this woman. Precisely because she was someone I could communicate with, I couldn’t let my guard down. After all, she certainly wouldn’t be careless with me. Especially now that Mia’s safety was also at stake.

“How much do you know about Alfie’s birth?” she asked.

“Only that Alfina-sama’s father was Your Majesty’s brother and the former Archduchess of Berthold, and her mother was from the Fellbach Ducal family,” I replied, maintaining my composure. This was information Mia had researched for me before we got involved with that prophecy.

“When I call her Alfie, you needn’t use honorifics. To be precise, Alfie’s mother was the third daughter of the Archduchess of Fellbach. My niece is the granddaughter of the Archduchess of Fellbach who instigated a rebellion twenty years ago,” she explained.

Alfina’s paternal grandfather was the previous king. Her maternal grandfather was a rebel Archduchess. This was undoubtedly the most crucial factor in her position.

“I might add that the current King, myself, and Alfie’s father are all children of the previous king. And…” the Archduchess turned her gaze to a particularly large portrait. An energetic face with a full white beard glared down at me.

“The cause of the previous rebellion lies with the former king,” she boldly stated. I wished she wouldn’t casually drop such sensitive information about the Western Archduchess criticizing the former king.

“Although we’re siblings, there’s over twenty years’ age difference between His Majesty and me. That’s why I look relatively young to be Alfie’s aunt,” she added, subtly boasting about her youthfulness. Come to think of it, for the Archduchess, Alfina was her niece whether she was a princess or a grand duchess. How complicated.

“The former king was rather… zealous in his duty to maintain the bloodline. I can’t complain since that’s how I was born. I might add, he was a deeply affectionate father to his family, even to me, born of a concubine. Well, being the youngest daughter and my irresistible charm might have played a part,” she said, using her fan to point at a small painting. It depicted a young Archduchess, about ten years old. Surely it was idealized… but looking at the woman before me, perhaps not exaggerated too much.

“The problem for the royal family and the nation was how to handle this. The only option was to force them as adopted children onto notable houses. The Eastern and Western Grand Dukedoms could accommodate this to an extent. But for ducal houses, even if they were relatives, they had strong attachments to their own bloodlines. Especially the House of Fellbach, which is quite ancient. They have a history of being an independent power in the buffer zone with the Empire.”

“I see,” I responded, imagining the Grand Ducal houses as akin to the Tokugawa branch families, and the Ducal houses as the top-ranking hereditary daimyo. But it seemed there was also a powerful outsider daimyo. Was the discontent over having their house taken over the cause of the rebellion?

“Just as the three-year rebellion was settling, the former king passed away. His eldest son, the current king, apparently struggled quite a bit to mediate the family disputes. I was still young, so this is secondhand information. It was then that the fifth brother, who had just inherited Berthold – Alfina’s father – declared he wanted to marry a daughter of Fellbach. Apparently, they had been lovers since their academy days.”

I see, I thought. To announce such a thing while his brother was busy sorting out family disputes would undoubtedly cause controversy. No, it could clearly be called selfish behavior. The king must have had plans for who his brother would marry.

“My brother was an excellent Duke of Berthold. I understand this well, having succeeded him. However, His Majesty and the Prime Minister’s policy was to stabilize the royal family and the kingdom by placing all blame for the rebellion on Fellbach. My brother’s decision directly opposed this. After Berthold settled from the effects of the rebellion, my brother retired – or one might say he was effectively confined to the capital. Alfina was born around that time. Perhaps allowing the couple and their daughter to stay together was the only mercy shown.”

So that’s how the ultra-sheltered princess who had never left the capital came to be, I thought. The West was her mother’s homeland. That explained her longing.

“I know little of my brother’s family life in the capital, but it seems that until they lost both parents in quick succession, their situation wasn’t too unhappy in terms of family life. That’s evident from looking at Alfina now,” the Archduchess continued.

I wanted to believe that. It would be too heartbreaking if their forced love marriage ended up ruining their position and breaking apart their family.

“So, what do you think after hearing all this?” she asked.

“As one of the common folk who would be most affected if the nation’s stability were compromised, I can’t say the kingdom’s policy towards the rebellion was wrong,” I replied carefully.

If the rebellion had been purely internal, reconciliation after its end might have been possible. But with the Empire’s influence involved, somewhat ruthless measures could be justified.

“Oh?” the Archduchess raised an eyebrow.

“However, that’s just from the perspective of a commoner. As someone who directly knows an innocent girl who suffered because of this, I have different thoughts. I apologize, but I prioritize this perspective,” I added.

“You’re saying complicated things. Well, that’s fine. It’s natural for opinions to differ based on one’s position,” she nodded.

“By the way, as a merchant, I must say this country feels somewhat restrictive,” I ventured.

“The country has always tended towards stability, but that tendency strengthened after the rebellion. His Majesty is like this too, but especially the Prime Minister who was entrusted with state affairs while His Majesty was preoccupied with royal family disputes. He’s not incompetent, but he’s obsessed with maintaining budgets and discipline.”

I could feel that myself. And Alfina’s existence must be troublesome for the Prime Minister on multiple levels.

“Your idea to give credit to the Third Prince was correct, but the Prince and the Prime Minister don’t get along well either. Especially after the recent magical beast incident, the conflict between the Prince wanting to expand the Third Knight Order and the Prime Minister managing the budget has become prominent. It must be quite troublesome for the Prime Minister, who has little influence over the military after reducing the Knight Orders.”

The Archduchess covered her mouth with her fan, likely hiding a sigh.

“And now, this prophecy. It doesn’t seem to have taken a clear form yet, but judging from Alfie’s reaction, it doesn’t seem to be a joyous matter.”

With the background and current situation explained, we finally got to the main point. As I thought, the problem was the prophecy.

“You said it yourself, didn’t you? That a second time would be bad,” she reminded me.

“I did. The first time, the prophecy itself was ignored, so we could focus on preventing the calamity. But this time will be different, won’t it?”

“Exactly. Unlike last time, a proper countermeasure meeting is scheduled to be convened. Moreover, it’s to be hosted by the Prime Minister. It’s the highest level of response.”

“…That sounds reassuring,” I said, my voice laced with irony.

In a normal world, some unreasonableness is expected. Even in games, there’s no ideal situation where you can focus entirely on either attack or defense. At most, it’s like the training mode in a fighting game.

But there are limits. They call it internal and external troubles. Whether the prophesied calamity counts as an external threat is debatable, but depending on its content, it could perfectly align with the palace faction disputes. It makes me think the previous time, when it was ignored, might have been easier.

“As I said, the prophecy isn’t confirmed yet. Therefore, the Prime Minister’s countermeasure meeting hasn’t made any serious moves. Though it seems information isn’t flowing to me anymore,” the Archduchess said, twisting her mouth.

“I hope it doesn’t turn out that way, but it’s likely to become complicated. So, what do you want from me?” I asked directly.

“For now, nothing specific. Just be there to support Alfie.”

“That’s quite abstract. My life is at stake here, you know?”

And not just mine. Of course, even the previous time, or even that incident at the Consorts Festival, could hardly be called safe, but this time the risk is even greater. The difference between the Prime Minister’s second son and the Prime Minister himself is like the difference between a lizard and a dragon. No, more like a sparrow and a dragon.

“That’s exactly what I mean. When it comes to palace disputes, I can act as a shield to some extent. That’s what a guardian is for, and I am the Western Archduchess after all. However, there are areas I can’t cover. And there are people who can cover those areas.”

The Archduchess fixed her gaze on me.

“You mean a framework separate from power. For example, I should help Alfina as a merchant, is that it? Increasing safety by supporting her from two different angles. When there’s only one framework, it all collapses at once.”

It wouldn’t make sense, nor would it be technically possible, for me to risk my life as a commoner to be Alfina’s shield. But if it’s like this, it’s within the realm of a mutually complementary relationship and feasible.

“The way you put it. You must not have many friends,” the Archduchess remarked.

“Leave me alone,” I retorted. I’m well aware of how overly logical I sound. I’m mustering unfamiliar resolve here, so I’d appreciate not being teased.

“It’s meant as a compliment. Letting Alfie attend the academy at her request was the right decision.”

“Archduchess?”

In this private space, the grand noble bowed her head to a commoner boy.

“Please continue to look after Alfie. As long as you lend my niece your strength, I will do my utmost to protect all of Vinder’s shareholders.”

It’s unfair when someone of higher status bows their head. It robs you of choices. But well, I can appreciate the sincerity in her phrasing of “all of Vinder’s shareholders”. As a shareholder myself, I can’t go back to being uninvolved anyway.

Besides, I looked at this woman who was too young to be called Alfina’s aunt. For me, who considers himself in an uncle-like position to Alfina, she’s almost like a comrade.

“I’ll cooperate within my capabilities,” I agreed.

“Surely you mean to the best of your abilities… Are you thinking something strange? Your gaze towards me feels somewhat lukewarm.”

“Not at all,” I denied.

The Archduchess tilted her head, puzzled.

“First, we should establish intelligence communication between your side, which can obtain upper-level information, and our side, which can gather lower-level information. Through Jacob and your maid…”

I shifted to practical matters with a straight face. The Archduchess, still looking unsatisfied, rang a bell.

“…Then, we’ll work out the actual communication methods and frequency with your on-site staff,” the butler concluded, delegating the details to the working-level staff. This should improve our overwhelmingly understaffed situation compared to the types and amount of information we need to gather.

“Is that all? The gap between what you know and don’t know is quite large,” the Archduchess observed.

“Well, I’m just a commoner after all. Oh, there’s one last thing I’d like to ask.”

It was a question I’d had before. The role of the shrine maiden princess was a burden forced upon Alfina. Yet, she insisted on the role of delivering prophecies, even going against the wishes of the king and prime minister who imposed it on her.

While it’s like her, knowing the background makes it even more puzzling.

“Why does Alfina—”

“Is something the matter with me, Ricardo?” a voice suddenly called from behind.

I turned to find a beautiful girl fresh from the bath. Instead of her earlier formal attire, she wore a simple dress, almost like loungewear.

Alfina tilted her head slightly, as if shielding her damp blue-silver hair, and I felt my heart skip a beat. A faint scent of bath oils reached my nose.

“Senpai, your gaze is lecherous,” Mia chided.

Mia had returned to her uniform. However, her hair was down, resting on her shoulders, and an unfamiliar scent was enticing. Why do girls become so alluring after a bath?

“No, hahaha. That’s not true at all,” I laughed nervously.

Alfina, unconsciously flaunting her charming appearance, and Mia, unaware that she was also contributing to my flustered state. I forcibly averted my gaze from both of them.