37-88

EP.88 Mountain Territory Development (1)  

Mountain Territory Development (1) 

While Prinz and Heinrich were preparing for their showdown, Diane’s group, having left Adria, arrived at Yuno’s territory not by using a teleportation magic circle (which could reveal their movements), but through a trading company run by the Alchemist Guild Association. 

Using disguised identification tags, they passed through the gates of Kiese Castle, parted ways with the company they’d traveled with, and headed for the lord’s manor. 

“Hiriya, Rachel, wake up we’ve arrived! You did well enduring two months in a carriage.” 

“Whew~ So this is Yuno’s territory? The castle is tiny, but the air is so fresh and nice~” 

“Ugh, even after all that sleep, I’m still tired~ Diane, you said Eliza lives here, right? But right now she’s off in the Monster Mountains with her husband.” 

“Yeah. Yuno collapsed and she’s nursing him, so she can’t come out. It’s not life-threatening, but he can’t move. I’ll ask Yuno’s deputy for details. Hiriya, Rachel, you two wait here. We can’t risk being discovered.” 

“Yawn~ Got it. Since the Third Prince isn’t here, I guess it’s fine to use the manor as lodging? I just want to sleep more…” 

“Sigh, such a sleepyhead… I’ll ask about that too. By the way, Hiriya, you don’t even treat me like a princess anymore and just call me ‘Diane,’ but you still call Yuno ‘Third Prince’? Tsk!” 

As Diane grumbled getting out of the carriage and heading for the manor, Hiriya also muttered, “There she goes again.” 

“Seriously, what’s with her? Rachel, can’t you do something about Diane?” 

“Sis! How could I handle Diane? If she has a breakdown from missing her little brother and starts crying, we’ll be the ones who suffer. Hehehe.” 

Despite the awkward combination of Imperial First Princess Diane, her brother’s ex-wife Hiriya, and her sister-in-law’s older sister Rachel, two months of travel had made the three like sisters. 

At first, they’d been formal, calling each other “Your Highness Princess” or “Your Highness Lady,” but now they called each other by name, spoke informally, and teased each other playfully, laughing like close friends. 

Diane, still grumbling but smiling, headed to the manor and asked the guards if she could meet the acting lord. 

“Hey, move along. Our baron is very busy you need an appointment to see him.” 

“Hmm~ Then how do I make an appointment?” 

“Hey, country lady, if you want to see the baron, write your name on this form. Come back tomorrow morning, and we’ll tell you when you can meet him.” 

The guard, at first trying to turn Diane away based on her clothes, changed his attitude as soon as he saw her beauty and explained the procedure to meet Baron Kimberly. 

“Okay, I’ve written my name. So I just come back tomorrow?” 

“Let’s see… Diane… Purpose: residency registration… If it’s for that, you’ll need to meet the baron. He’s also acting as administrator… By the way, Diane, if this is your first time here, how about dinner at a nice restaurant with me…?” 

“Maybe later, Mr. Guard~” 

“Hey, don’t call me ‘mister’! I’m still in my twenties!!” 

Leaving the flirtatious guard behind, Diane returned to the carriage and told her group they’d have to wait until tomorrow to meet the administrator. 

“Well… we could reveal our real identities and meet him right away…” 

“No way, we have to be prepared for anything.” 

“But can’t Hiriya and I take off our face disguises too? It’s so uncomfortable. Who around here would recognize us anyway?” 

“That’s true. I’m uncomfortable too.” 

“Okay, but keep wearing the same clothes, all right?” 

With that settled, they headed to an inn for the night, left their carriage, and went out to look around the territory. 

However, before long, the three women, frustrated by what they saw, ducked into the only teahouse in the castle town. 

“Wow, even in this shabby village there’s at least a teahouse? Amazing ugh, but why does the tea smell so bad!” 

“Seriously, people look so thin. The shops aren’t lively at all…” 

“Looks like a lot of people are malnourished. From what I saw, they rely more on hunting than dairy farming for food. The butcher shop at least had some customers.” 

“If this is the center of the territory, what must the outlying villages be like? Is the administrator even doing his job?” 

“Yeah… There’s a lot of room for improvement everywhere. Yuno’s deputy clearly isn’t managing things properly.” 

If Baron Kimberly, who was working late every night for lack of bureaucratic help, had heard this, he might have grabbed them by the collar regardless of their royal status. But to the women, the territory’s problems were obvious, and their minds were already spinning with ideas for improvement. 

As they discussed various solutions in the teahouse, the door opened and an attractive, armored woman entered. 

“Hey, owner~ One iced coffee, please.” 

“Yes, ma’am knight, coming right up~” 

Diane, thinking the voice sounded familiar, looked up and recognized the woman, blurting out her name. 

“Sir Cordelia?” 

“Huh? Oh? I First Princess?” 

Cordelia, seeing Diane’s face, rushed over, and upon recognizing Hiriya and Rachel as well, she knelt and saluted. 

“Senior knight to the Third Prince, Cordelia! I humbly mmph!” 

“Shhh! Quiet, quiet!!” 

Diane quickly covered Cordelia’s mouth, peeking around to make sure no one had overheard. Fortunately, the shop owner had gone to the kitchen to make tea, and the place was otherwise empty. Only then did Diane release Cordelia’s mouth. 

“Wha… what are such important people doing here?” 

“Looks like news from the capital hasn’t reached here yet. Well, not many people come and go from this place anyway.” 

They explained what had happened in the capital and their current situation. 

“Whew… So that’s what happened… News of Emperor Karl III’s passing only reached here about a month ago. I reported it to Yuno as well, but he still won’t be able to move for another six months…” 

“I see… How badly is Yuno hurt? You said his body is fine?” 

“Yes… Physically he’s fine, but it’s a mental issue. He’s only conscious about six hours a day now. But it used to be just four hours, so it’s slowly improving.” 

“Really? I’d like to see him…” 

“I got permission to enter the elf territory while recovering from injuries from the last monster invasion. But you can’t just barge in without permission.” 

As Diane nodded, she noticed a red glow from Cordelia’s abdomen whenever she looked down and tilted her head in curiosity. 

“By the way, Sir Cordelia? What’s that on your lower belly? I thought I saw something red… Are you still injured? If so, I have a potion…” 

Cordelia panicked at the question. 

“N-no, Your Highness!! This is, um… oh right! I’m on my way to report to Baron Kimberly, so I have to go…!” 

Flustered, Cordelia quickly got up and dashed out of the teahouse without even saluting. 

“Ma’am knight! You forgot your coffee!” 

The shop owner ran after her, but Cordelia was gone, so he left the coffee at Diane’s table. 

“What kind of tea is this?” 

Seeing the unfamiliar black drink, Hiriya, who liked tea, was intrigued. 

“Oh! You must be from out of town? That knight brought this coffee fruit from the elf territory. If you grind it and brew it, the aroma is wonderful! Some people dislike the bitter taste, and for some, it keeps them up at night, but it’s very popular.” 

The owner recommended the coffee both hot and cold, so they each tried a cup. 

“Oh, it’s true! The aroma is wonderful! It’s a bit bitter, though.” 

“That’s why I’ve started growing it in my garden. It’s easy to cultivate and bears fruit quickly.” 

“Hmm~ Really? Could you pack a few of these coffee fruits for me?” 

“Of course! You can experiment with the strength as you brew it yourself.” 

Hiriya’s mind was already racing with ways to make money from this fruit, thinking the administrator should be scolded for not making use of such a specialty product. 

After further exploring the territory and assessing the situation, the women returned to their inn, enjoying the fresh air and the coffee Hiriya brewed herself on the balcony for a peaceful afternoon. 

Meanwhile, Baron Kimberly and Mayer were shocked to receive Cordelia’s report that the princesses had arrived. 

“W-why are they here? Shouldn’t the emperor’s funeral be held first?” 

“Well…” 

Cordelia explained the situation in the capital as Diane had told her. 

“Why didn’t we hear about any of this?” 

“Who would bother coming to this rural backwater for military support? They probably thought it would be a waste of time.” 

“Besides, the Second Prince’s side wouldn’t want to notify Lord Yuno and give him a reason to intervene. Even if he needs six more months of recovery, he might force himself to join in.” 

“Now that I think about it, the Crown Prince probably didn’t want to burden his younger brother Yuno. That’s likely why he sent his sisters and wife here for protection, so Yuno wouldn’t feel pressured to get involved.” 

As Kimberly and Mayer discussed, Cordelia suggested they bring Diane’s group to the manor to hear the full story. Coming to their senses, they quickly took the manor’s carriage to the inn where Cordelia had found them.