The morning silence of the ancient capital was broken by an unusual commotion.
Over thirty carriages were rushing up and down the streets.
It was a time when the great gate of the ancient capital would normally still be closed.
Half of the people, straining their sleepy eyes, were surprised that the crests adorning the carriages belonged to the Imperial family, but the other half received an even greater shock. This was because the crest of the Eastern Kingdom, a neighboring country often said to be capable of becoming an enemy at any moment, was emblazoned there.
“Quite a commotion, isn’t it, Sebastian?” Conrad stretched inside the carriage, suppressing a yawn.
Though he had drunk heavily, the alcohol no longer affected him. One could not serve as the Emperor of the Empire if they were overcome by drink.
Sebastian, who must have had far more drinks than Conrad, was also perfectly unfazed.
He seemed to have taken a great liking to a colorless, transparent foreign liquor called Tengumai; it was quite impressive that he insisted to the shop owner and acquired a bottle. Given that he usually samples liquors from neighboring countries, he probably has a fondness for rare drinks. It was a well-known fact that he sent spies to various countries under the pretext of purchasing liquor.
Fifteen carriages from the Imperial side smoothly pulled up in front of the designated inn. This was a pre-determined procedure.
Both Emperor Conrad V and Princess Regent Celestine de Oiria, the main figures of today’s arranged meeting, were politicians with many enemies.
The arranged meeting was unofficial, but it was an open secret. There was a risk of attack.
As a precaution, both countries and the Ancient Capital Council cooperated, and preparations had been made with the location of the meeting kept secret until just before.
“‘No one listens to the excuses of those who are unprepared,’ as they say.”
“Do you think information has leaked?”
Sebastian shrugged his shoulders slightly and scoffed.
“It’s not a matter of leaking. The Eastern Kingdom’s Kitanshūishi is Celestine’s direct subordinate organization. Normally, information flows from the bottom up, but today, it’s simply flowing from the top down.”
Translator’s Notes
The “Kitanshūishi” (奇譚拾遺使) is an intelligence or information-gathering organization directly under Princess Regent Celestine. The name literally means “Strange Tales Collection Envoy” or “Curious Stories Retrieval Agent.” This is the group that Jean-Francois Mont de la Vigny is part of.
“That’s true.”
The Saltpeter Collection Bureau had understood that the Kitanshūishi and its subordinate organizations were carrying out various covert operations within the Empire. It was quite serious, as the number of personnel previously assigned to the United Kingdom were now said to have been redirected to the Empire.
Even in the ancient capital where they currently were, they had received reports that a minor figure named Damian might have been acting under Celestine’s orders.
What did the Princess Regent intend by brazenly showing up at this arranged meeting?
From Conrad’s perspective, even hinting at marrying into an enemy country that had been carrying out sabotage was unthinkable. He didn’t even know what she was thinking.
Was this, then, a deception?
That possibility was entirely plausible. She herself would infiltrate deep within the Empire as a blade, carving it up from within. Considering the Princess Regent’s utterly malicious methods, this was what they should be most wary of.
“Security is sufficient, but we don’t know how many opponents there are. Please be careful.”
“Even if I were to try something while being sufficiently vigilant, it would be futile, wouldn’t it?”
“Even just the mindset is important.”
“Ah,” he replied absently, raking a hand through his hair.
What concerned him was his grandfather, the former Emperor.
He understood the advantages of marrying the Princess of the Eastern Kingdom. For generations to come, the Empire would gain a valuable card, allowing it to intervene in the Eastern Kingdom’s succession issues.
But the opponent was that Princess Regent. It could easily turn into a situation where they “lend a stable and have the inn stolen.”
Translator’s Notes
“Lend a stable and have the inn stolen” (厩を貸して宿を盗られる) is a Japanese proverb meaning to be taken advantage of after offering help, or to lose more than you gain. It implies that by offering a small kindness, one risks losing something much larger.
Why had he accepted such an absurd marriage proposal?
The more he thought about it, the less he understood.
It wasn’t that he had become senile. He could assert that was not the case. Conrad believed he knew the former Emperor, an object of his reverence, better than anyone.
“…Must I meet him and ascertain his true intentions?”
“That would be best.”
Even though it was morning, the noren was fluttering at Izakaya Nobu.
While sweeping clean the front of the shop, Shinobu tilted her head slightly once again.
The reason the shop had to open at such an unusual hour was because Reinhold had earnestly requested it.
He absolutely wanted the shop to open from the morning, just for today.
When a regular customer bowed their head like that, it was hard to refuse. While a private booking would be troublesome, opening outside of regular hours had been negotiable since Yukitsuna’s time.
The snow from midnight had stopped, and a pleasant clear sky stretched over the ancient capital today.
It was peaceful.
Seeing the two-tailed cat leisurely walking in front of the shop, she felt like putting away the noren as it was and taking another nap.
“Hey, Shinobu-chan.”
Nobuyuki poked his head out from the gap in the glass door. Even though he had kept the shop open late, the reason he was unusually energetic was because there was something he was interested in.
“Shinobu-chan, what kind of relationship do you think those two from yesterday have?”
Asked in an excited voice, Shinobu let out a heavy sigh.
“Listen, Boss. Prying into customers’ affairs is…”
“Well, that’s true, but…”
Watching Nobuyuki scratch his head and withdraw, Shinobu continued sweeping. The clear air of the winter morning was pleasant.
To say she didn’t care at all would be a lie.
What she was curious about was the man who called himself Conrad.
She shouldn’t have met him directly, but his features were similar to one of their customers.
However, she had heard that that customer had extremely few blood relatives.
If that was the case, then surely Conrad was…
Just as she thought that far, she saw a carriage approaching rapidly from the entrance of the street. Another carriage was approaching from the opposite side as well.
The two carriages stopped right in front of the shop, facing each other.
From one carriage emerged Conrad and an old man with an aquiline nose.
And from the other carriage, the person Shinobu had expected descended, accompanied by attendants.
“Good morning, Grandfather.”
“Good morning, my grandchild.”
The one who replied calmly to Conrad’s greeting was, undoubtedly, the Imperial Former Emperor himself. That he was his grandchild meant…
“Shall we go then, Conrad? No, perhaps I should call you His Imperial Majesty?”