In contrast to the playful former emperor, Emperor Conrad wasn’t even trying to hide his displeased expression.
Once invited into the tavern, the two of them sat down next to each other at a table in the back.
It was a strange way to sit. Perhaps another guest was expected to arrive later. The man with the aquiline nose hung a banner on the wall behind the two of them. A three-headed dragon with hawk talons. If I recall correctly, this was the former emperor’s crest.
Conrad spoke.
“Grandfather, what is the meaning of this?”
As Conrad tapped his fingertips on the table, the former emperor put on an apologetic expression.
“Ah, yes. I suppose an explanation is in order for this.”
“Yes, it is. Very much so.”
“…Using a tavern as the venue was for misdirection.”
The former emperor, with his eyes closed, continued in a solemn tone.
“I considered using a famous inn, but making this tavern the venue was a sort of stratagem to outwit our enemies. I have a messenger waiting at the location I told the other party, so after hearing the message there, they will arrive at this tavern late. Besides, the food here is exceptionally delicious.”
Hearing his food called delicious, the rhythm of Nobuyuki’s knife changed. It was one of Nobuyuki’s virtues to be genuinely happy when praised.
“That’s not what I’m asking about!”
The former emperor nodded at Conrad, who had inadvertently raised his voice.
“I know. It’s rare for you to become so enraged.”
“Of course I am! To suddenly bring up a marriage interview… And with the Princess Regent, no less!”
Hearing the words “marriage interview,” Shinobu’s heart ached with a dull pain.
It felt as if something had been inconsiderately pressed against a still-healing old wound.
The reason Shinobu had run away from home and ended up opening Izakaya Nobu here was that she had nearly been forced into an unwanted marriage interview.
It had been over a year, so she thought she had completely forgotten about it, but apparently, the wound was deeper than she’d realized.
But more than that, she was concerned about Conrad.
What about that woman, Celes, who had looked so happy with him?
There was a bit of an age gap between them, but even to an outsider like Shinobu, it was clear they were deeply in love.
How could he be having a marriage interview now, when it felt like just yesterday he was with her?
Nobuyuki was also tilting his head in confusion.
“That’s right. The Princess Regent. There is a bit of an age gap, but they say she is quite beautiful. And above all, she is intelligent.”
“But she is the princess of an enemy nation! And one who holds the reins of political power, at that.”
“If you’re going to say that, you are the Emperor of the Empire. If you don’t want to marry the leader of an enemy nation, the other party must feel the same.”
“What does that have to do with anything? Don’t tell me you’re unaware of that woman’s utterly villainous methods, Grandfather. Compared to her, even the horned witch of Mount Talankus pales in comparison. Why do you think she accepted this interview? This is a conspiracy!”
“However, that very villainy is what your politics lack the most.”
The former emperor took a delicious-looking sip of the genmaicha in his teacup. It had been his favorite since the Grand Market.
Translator’s note
Genmaicha is a type of Japanese green tea combined with roasted brown rice.
“My politics lack villainy, you say.”
“They do. Your politics are pure, and your reputation is good. But they lack villainy and impurity.”
“Isn’t that a good thing? I know this may sound naive, but if one can avoid resorting to such things, it’s better not to.”
“Indeed. And that is a role someone must shoulder.”
The former emperor’s sharp gaze pierced the man with the aquiline nose attending near the entrance. The man, who was called Sebastian, lowered his eyes and gave a small cough.
Shinobu didn’t understand politics. But she did understand business.
For a young and upright second-generation president to succeed, he needs to be supported by veteran executives who can handle both the clean and the dirty side of things. In the current Empire, that would be the former emperor and Sebastian.
Translator’s note
The author uses “seidaku awasemotsu,” which literally means “to hold both clear and muddy water,” referring to someone who can handle both good and bad, or legitimate and shady dealings.
For his age, Conrad’s way of thinking was immature. It would be fine if he could be supported forever, but both the former emperor and Sebastian were elderly.
The former emperor continued.
“The Empire is at peace now. The most peaceful it’s been in a hundred years. Peace is precious. It must be protected. And to that end, we must be prepared for anything.”
“I understand that peace is important. But how does this marriage interview with the Princess Regent relate to that?”
“Well, now.”
The Emperor was being evasive, despite understanding what the former emperor wanted to say.
Marry someone with a different personality and incorporate their good qualities. That must be what he meant. Of course, there were surely various other political maneuverings involved as well.
But this was probably all he could say as a grandfather to his grandson.
The Emperor also brought the teacup to his lips and sipped the tea. In the silence, only the sound of sipping tea echoed.
Inwardly, Shinobu was cheering for Conrad.
It wasn’t that she was projecting her own experience of nearly being forced into an arranged marriage onto him. Well, she wasn’t, but perhaps there was some overlap somewhere.
She couldn’t help but feel a sense of resistance to the idea of not being able to choose the person you would spend your life with by your own free will.
It wasn’t her place to interfere, but she still wanted to say something.
Just as she was thinking that, Conrad spoke.
“I am against this marriage interview.”
At Conrad’s resolute words, the former emperor, who had his eyes closed, opened just one eye and then closed it again.
“How rare. For you to speak so decisively.”
“Even I speak up when I must. I simply haven’t had the opportunity until now.”
“I see. I suppose that’s possible.”
Despite being contradicted, a smile played on the former emperor’s lips.
That seemed to add fuel to Conrad’s anger.
“The Eastern Kingdom is our enemy. And the Princess Regent is the princess of that enemy nation. This marriage interview could invite foreign trouble.”
“‘Could invite’ means it’s also possible that it won’t. The two of you could build a happy family together. That is what marriage is, originally.”
“I am not playing with words, Grandfather.”
“I am not indulging in fantasies, either. I am recommending this marriage interview precisely because I believe you can do it.”
“I have never said I want to get married.”
“I am not telling you to get married. This is a marriage interview.”
At the familiar-sounding exchange, Shinobu let out a small sigh.
“It’s the same thing, isn’t it? This is a marriage interview between an Emperor and a Princess Regent. If it falls through, in the worst-case scenario, it could even lead to war. That means if I go through with the interview, I have to get married.”
The content of their conversation was like a common family argument, but given their respective statuses, the scale was unnecessarily large. Moreover, it wasn’t a conversation Shinobu could listen to with a calm heart.
As she was nervously helping with the cooking, Nobuyuki gently placed a hand on her shoulder. When she looked up, he nodded at her with a serious expression.
The customers’ business is their own. Focus on your work for now. He seemed to be saying.
She didn’t have to think hard to know he was right. Her own situation was in the past, and right now, preparations were pressing.
As she kept her hands busy, she gradually began to calm down.
That’s right, my own situation is a thing of the past. The thought settled in her mind with a strange sense of clarity.
“Today’s meeting is merely preliminary. That’s why I had the Old Capital Council go to the trouble of booking this rustic tavern. A formal inn would carry official implications, but here, we can frame it as two royals who happened to meet simply sharing a meal.”
“That’s impossible! This is a tavern on the outskirts of the Old Capital. The food here is certainly delicious, but it’s impossible that two royals would just happen to be here at the same time.”
Hearing him state it so definitively, all Shinobu could do was give a wry smile.
It was true that this was just an ordinary tavern on the outskirts of the Old Capital. And yet, just as the former emperor said, this place strangely had many high-ranking customers. It was a case of one connection leading to another.
“Or is there another reason? Don’t tell me you’ve found a woman you fancy?”
It was a sharp blow.
Conrad was at a loss for words, and his eyes darted about for a moment.
It was clear from his demeanor that he was thinking of Ceres. But he apparently intended to keep that to himself.
Having declared to the former emperor’s face that he had no intention of marrying, he probably thought that bringing up Ceres’s name would only complicate matters.
“More important than that, is this.”
After clearing his throat, Conrad gave a look, and Sebastian reverently presented a piece of parchment.
The former emperor took it and scanned it, but his expression remained unchanged.
“You may already be aware of this, Grandfather, but this is conclusive evidence that the Princess Regent has been plotting against our Empire.”
“Hmm, a document demanding the release of a certain Damian, I see.”
Speaking of Damian, he had a connection to Izakaya Nobu. During both the Toriaezu Nama incident and the witch disturbance, Damian had been an enemy of Nobu.
After the witch disturbance, she had thought he’d escaped somewhere through the back door, which should have been impossible to pass through. But apparently, he had been captured at some point and was now imprisoned in the Old Capital’s jail.
This was the first Shinobu had heard of a demand for his release.
“It bears the signature of Princess Regent Celestine de Oiria. That man was a petty operative moving about in the Old Capital, and after his capture, a letter apparently arrived for the Council. I have also received a report from Marcel, the chairman of the Old Capital Council. This is proof that that venomous woman has been plotting against our country.”
“Proof, you say? But this letter… it appears to have no trace of a wax seal.”
A wax seal is made by melting wax to seal a letter. Since the wax is pressed with a signet, it can be used to identify the sender.
“That may be so, but it is a trivial matter.”
“Did you not consider that it might be a forgery?”
“That is…”
Without a wax seal, it meant anyone could have written it.
“Sebastian. How could this happen with you by his side?”
The Emperor’s voice was low. Sebastian bowed his head reverently.
“I have no excuse. The parchment used was of a quality so similar to that used for the Eastern Kingdom’s official letters that I carelessly believed it to be genuine.”
“There are things that can be excused as carelessness, and things that cannot. You are no longer my vassal, so I will leave your punishment to Conrad, but…”
“But Grandfather, it hasn’t been determined to be a forgery yet. And even if it is, that doesn’t mean the Princess Regent is innocent.”
The former emperor nodded at Conrad’s rebuttal, which sounded as if he could bear it no longer.
“That’s right. That’s good.”
The Emperor’s attendant arranged the contents of a bag on the table.
To Shinobu’s eyes, all the parchments laid out on the table looked the same. The quality of the paper was identical.
“To scrutinize a conspiracy, you need both quality and quantity of information. Quality refers to things like the presence or absence of a wax seal. And quantity… is this.”
“Grandfather, what are these?”
Conrad picked them up one by one and scanned them. The former emperor, his hands clasped before his face, answered.
“These are letters in the Princess Regent’s name that have been found within the Empire over the last few months. They all match, right down to the lack of a wax seal and the high-quality parchment they’re written on.”
“And what does that mean…?”
“It means these are all forgeries.”
“…Forgeries?”
“The Princess Regent is being framed.”
Just as the former emperor said that, another carriage stopped in front of the tavern.
The one who knocked on the glass door and peeked inside was Reinhold.
With a somewhat tense expression, Reinhold puffed out his chest and announced:
“Her Highness, Princess Regent Celestine de Oiria of the Eastern Kingdom, has arrived!”