“What did you say?!
That king from the Snow Kingdom...!”
Only a week after our conversation with the second concubine.
Shocking, even disastrous, news has reached the empire.
This was nothing but a declaration of war by the King of the Snow Kingdom.
{To the King of the Empire, listen carefully!
I think the time has finally come to resolve the fight that has been unresolved for 25 years.}
"What undecided fight?!
What madness is this...!
It seems that this madman has completely lost his mind!"
The Emperor clearly showed how shocked he was from the first line of the North King's letter.
{Let's be honest, you admit that you behaved lowly at that time, right?
If you hadn't set traps, I would have been the victor.
But this king of the empire acted cowardly and resorted to tricks!}
"What kind of traps are there in war!
Isn't it, Cassian?"
“Of course, Your Majesty.”
My boss simply replied, smiling as he agreed with the Emperor’s words.
"They're just excuses because he doesn't want to admit his defeat!
Should I, as Emperor, stand by while our knights sacrifice themves?
Hmm!"
The Emperor began to pretend as if he was thinking a lot about the well-being of his knights.
{So, let's settle the matter in a fair and just way.
By the way, aren't monsters wreaking havoc on the border between our kingdom, the Great Northern Kingdom, and your empire?
It's a perfect place to decide the winner.
I'm a big-hearted person, so I won't ask you to bring my sister back!
What's the point of bringing her back after she's had children there and is living a stable life?
But, although I feel some loss, I want to put on a good show in order to promote friendly relations in the future.}
The Emperor's brow wrinkled deeply.
At this moment, me, Cassian, and the First and Second Princesses all felt tense at the same time.
The third prince, who was not much older than them, had completed his royal marriage only a few months ago, and the first princess was eighteen years old, while the second princess was fifteen years old.
Amid the Emperor's continuous angry cries, the Northern Kingdom's envoy continued reading the message in a slightly tense voice.
{My son, whom I intend to make my heir, is seventeen years old.
What if we have a royal wedding if I win this competition?
With this, we can erase all the feelings accumulated between us over the years.}
“How dare you, how dare you covet my daughter?!”
As soon as the envoy finished his words, the Emperor shouted angrily.
“He even addresses me as King of the Empire instead of Emperor, and then that arrogant way of speaking!”
The Emperor almost broke the throne's armrests due to his extreme excitement as he hit them violently.
At that moment, I really wondered about the content of the letter that the Second Concubine sent to the King of the Snow Kingdom.
It seemed very childish, but it was so effective that the Emperor fell completely into the trap.
Just as the Second Concubine knew very well how her brother moved, it seemed that the King of the Snow Kingdom was also fully aware of the Emperor's temperament..
Then, the person we feared would finally open his mouth.
“Calm down, Your Majesty.
After all, he is just the King of the Ice Kingdom, how could he stand in the same rank as Your Majesty?”
“Empress…”
“Your Majesty should not be carried away by his provocations.”
The Empress smiled calmly, as if gently soothing him.
Then she glanced slyly at Cassian before returning to talking to the Emperor, as if she found it interesting.
“Your Majesty is the emperor of a great empire, while that one is just the king of a small kingdom in the far north.”
The envoy was unable to hide his displeasure at her words, but the Empress raised her hand to cover her mouth while smiling sarcastically, before addressing the Emperor in a sincere tone.
“So, it would be more appropriate for one of the princes to be sent to confront him, don’t you agree?”
Gradually, the anger began to disappear from the face of the Emperor, who began to think seriously while fiddling with his beard.
“You are correct... absolutely correct...”
While the Emperor was deep in thought, Cassian bowed at the right moment and said firmly:
“Leave it to me, Your Majesty.
It is true that my father was unable to finish this competition by himf, which makes it disappointing for the other side, but as Her Majesty the Empress said, it is more appropriate for me to take over.”
“Cassian...”
“Since he is such a shameless person, it is okay for him to gossip as he pleases.
However, if he loses to me – and I am just a prince, not the Emperor himf – how will he be able to raise his head again?”
Although his words were polite, the Emperor's eyebrows twitched slightly, as if he was trying to discover his true intentions..
It was only natural that this would arouse his curiosity.
'For the Emperor, the phrase 'chatter as he pleases' must have come across to him as meaning: 'He is afraid of defeat and will end up as a coward on the run again.'
In fact, there had been many previous encounters between the Emperor and the King of the Snow Kingdom when they were on the battlefield before the Emperor became ruler...
On one occasion, the Emperor decided to withdraw to avoid unnecessary losses, but the King of the North took advantage and publicly mocked him, claiming that he had fled in fear.
'Fortunately, the Second Concubine had informed me of these details beforehand.'
I had little interest in such ancient insults, but as soon as Cassian made this suggestion, the Empress herf seemed to be greatly alarmed and said in amazement…
“How can the Second Prince be sent when he is going to represent Your Majesty?!
Since the position of Crown Prince is still vacant, it is more appropriate to send the eldest son, Your Majesty.”
Ah, what an unnecessary move.
You were too hasty, too hasty.
The battlefield was far less brutal than it had been years ago, thanks to Cassian's efforts in clearing it of threats.
That's why the Emperor even considered sending the Fourth Prince there - a crazy decision in itf - but it seems that the Empress wanted to use the opportunity to give the First Prince an honorable military record.
But this time, her defeat was complete.
“Hah, when did I say I would send someone on my behalf?!
Did you become Empress to decide my will as you wish?!”
The Emperor said this, pointing his hand towards Cassian.
His signal was clear: “Your turn is over, you can withdraw.”
“There is nothing more humiliating for a father than to send someone else to protect his daughter instead of doing it himf!”
Ah, but wasn't she about to send Cassian and the Fourth Prince to their deaths moments ago?
“So, don’t worry, my daughters, I will never allow you to be sent to that cold, cruel and dangerous kingdom!”
Upon hearing this confident statement, the faces of the first and second princesses froze.
Moments ago, when Cassian came forward, they looked somewhat relieved, but now?
Their expressions were filled with deep concern.
Of course, I wasn't going to stand by and let them suffer a miserable fate.
As the second concubine said, “Children should not pay for the foolishness of their parents.”
Thus, the decision was made for the Emperor to go out into battle himf.
“…Here he is, Assistant Salis.”
The Winter Castle was in a state of chaos that it had never seen before.
“You made a great effort, Assistant Ashwood.”
Of course, for me, this was nothing unusual.
But for Francis Ashwood, it was very different.
He looked exhausted like never before, and his features were losing their liveliness, which had always been annoying due to its extreme precision.
Even his silver hair, which had always been shiny thanks to careful care, began to lose its luster, as if it was turning a dull grey.
“Rose, how are your supply plans going?”
“We have even completed Plan D.
Are we making one or two more plans just in case?”
“Hmm, it would be best to do so.
The formation of the forces participating in the campaign has not been finalized yet.”
Even in the midst of this chaos, Assistant Ashwood looked at Cassian and me as if we were unaffected monsters, before he finally straightened his feet and left the office.
“What if he suddenly resigns?”
I said that while I was moving my pen quickly, and Cassian laughed faintly..
“He won't do that.”
“Have you heard anything confirming that?”
"not quite."
What an irresponsible statement!
If he resigns, we will lose five competent administrators with him as well.
It took a long time to train the new staff until they finally became useful, and once they became available, they would be immediately snatched up by other palaces..
“By the way, Rose, this plan...”
Cassian pointed to one of the supply plans I had prepared.
It was a plan not included in any of options A through D.
“It seems to be a plan in anticipation of our participation in the campaign, right?”
He said that in a sly tone, and I just smiled.
Most likely, this plan will become a reality.
“Now, with the Emperor himf out, the importance of this campaign has completely changed.”
In other words, the spotlight will be on someone else.
And I learned something very important.
'Actually, there is a hidden reason behind my brother going out on this campaign.'
When I heard this from the second concubine, I made up my mind.
In this campaign, I will be the one who takes advantage of the opportunity that has been prepared for others.
As rumors spread that the First Prince would participate in the campaign with the strong support of the Empress...
[After 20 years, His Majesty the Emperor is personally leading a campaign!
What is the significance of this battle against the monsters in the north?]
[Eliminate monsters...
Who will be the Emperor's assistant in this campaign?
Is this a prelude to choosing the Crown Prince?]
As I expected, the article that the Empress pushed into the newspapers spread with prominent headlines...
And it wasn't just that.
“[The temple announces its readiness to support the grand campaign against the monsters.
Will the mysterious saint finally appear?]”
They seem to be pushing hard to remove any element of concern from this campaign, so much so that they have even put pressure on the Temple, which is known for its reluctance to intervene.
“Even before Prince Charlie's participation was confirmed, the campaign was already...
“They were dramatically increasing the size of the military forces under the pretext of ensuring the safety of His Majesty the Emperor.”
'If it had been Cassian or the Fourth Prince who had gone, they wouldn't have sent even a quarter of this force.'
“Rose, you look very happy?”
“Of course, how could I not be happy when there is an opportunity for Your Highness to show his loyalty to his father the Emperor?”
I smiled slyly as I examined the reports of the knights who had previously gone to reconnoiter the expedition site.
This place was one of the reasons why the King of the Snow Kingdom moved.
[Confirming the signs of the Flame Dragon waking up from its slumber.]
There was an absolutely perfect story to send our Prince Kasyan down the path paved with roses prepared by Her Majesty the Empress herf..
“Of course, when you have children, you should enjoy the journey of honoring your parents for once, right?”
I smiled softly, and Cassian also nodded as if he was enjoying the situation.
Your Majesty, just wait a minute.
I will prepare for you the perfect trip to honor your parents with your devoted son.