“Your Highness Albert,” I addressed him. “I have asked the king to have tea with me, the princess. He accepted that invitation.” Prince Albert raised his eyebrows. The fact he wasn’t able to understand what I was trying to say to him the first time could be proof that he wasn’t too well-versed in high society decorum. That, or he felt he was too high ranking to need take notice. It’s probably the latter. The king, the prince, and the former Marquis Datara all thought of me as a puppet. However, that was before I had gone to Sacula.
“Since you have been saying ‘father, father’ this whole time, I believe that your matters are more personal. I will be speaking as a princess to the head of the royal family. You’re interrupting a formal discussion between two public figures. Please refrain.” Since I would be talking with the king as the princess, I was treating Albert as if he were a rank below me. Albert went bright red, or rather, acted like a child in response.
“H-How dare you! You are speaking to your brother!” Arthur spat out.
“I, as princess, am speaking to you as Prince Albert. How about you speak in a manner fitting your position?” I scolded him as if he were a child. “Now, Your Majesty, please let us proceed to my quarters. I’m afraid that if we stay here any longer, Your Majesty may end up laughing at your heir, Prince Albert, for his inability to be apart from his father for too long.” If the king went back on what he said, it would be problematic. It would send a message that neither the king nor heir could separate personal from official matters. It would be especially foolish to do so in front of Father Birkan, who cleared his throat to indicate he was still present. Plus, we were surrounded by both the king and prince’s subordinates—they would no doubt also form the same opinion.
It seemed Prince Albert was starting to realize that his deliberately large faction was failing and that both his and the king’s failure to coordinate had made them a target for the frontier lords.
“So, Your Majesty,” I spoke as I glanced at the king and began walking. Ideally, I wanted to take his hand and pull him along, however, it seemed my glance was enough to get the point across. Father Birkan simply ushered us along with a wave of his hand.
The king and I traversed the hallways of the palace in silence. As a public figure, I was acting as an obstacle to stop the king from taking any measures against the remote regions, so I didn’t feel like talking with him. As far as personal matters went, he had never once spoken to me as a father, so I had nothing to say to him. It was no doubt the same for the king, who, despite getting on in years, was probably not used to socializing.
The sound of our footsteps echoed through the unreasonably long hallway. “Alicia,” the king started. His voice joined the echoes, and I turned to face him. “About before, do you not think you could be a bit more careful with your choice of words? You two are each other’s only remaining sibling. I don’t wish to see you fight.”
“In that case, then you will be willing to help me with what I’m inviting you to discuss.” I’m sorry. After this, there won’t be much left for discussion. I felt like my steps had quickened as I crushed the beginnings of a conversation beneath my feet. As we arrived in front of my room, we could hear a warm conversation through the door.
“I met you at the Royal Sword Fighting Tournament. If I remember correctly, your family are woodworkers.”
“Y-Yes! I’m delighted that you even remembered someone like me...” It was the voices of Ash and Tolly. The two of them had met while cleaning up after the Royal Sword Fighting Tournament. It seemed I had made the right call to ask her to serve tea. According to Amin’s report, Ash had summoned craftsmen from Tolly’s hometown and had asked them to urgently repair the beds and tables at the venue grounds. It seemed Ash was very satisfied with their work. I was a fan too. Good work, Amin. Her report was correct. The two were chatting happily.
“I never forget the faces of exceptional people. I particularly remember the skill of the craftsmen in your family. They were a great help. As a result, we were able to focus on caring for the injured,” said Ash.
“Oh my! I would also like to thank you for listening so attentively to them. They may have been a bit brash,” Tolly responded.
“Oh, they weren’t brash at all,” Ash counterattacked with his extravagant praise. Tolly usually only ever raised an eyebrow when receiving a compliment, but she was overwhelmed by Ash’s exaltation. “I almost want to invite such an astute person like you to Sacula. Of course, the craftsmen in your family would be invited too.”
“I-I... I’m honored, Sir Fenix.”
I unwittingly let out a laugh.
“Alicia, is there... It seems like someone is already there?” the king asked. I reached out to the doorknob with a smile.
“It’s Sir Fenix,” I said as I pushed open the door, not allowing Ash to steal away my favorite servant. “This is just like you, Ash. She is one of my most capable servants. If I had the chance to steal her away, I would take it too.” Even though I had intruded on Ash trying to solicit someone else’s servant, his smile didn’t waver once. He stood up and gave a tactful bow.
“Well, well, Your Majesty, Your Highness. It is an honor to be able to meet with you both,” he greeted us appropriately. He was an imposing figure, regardless of his origins. I found that wonderful. The king didn’t hide his surprise.
“Alicia, what is going on...?” The king asked.
“There’s no need to be so surprised,” I responded. I thought that it was pretty obvious why Ash was here. He was my strongest ally in Sacula, and he was probably the most important person there at this time. “Ash is from Sacula, and I am offering Sacula support. He is here to offer his thanks.”
“Yes, that is exactly it, Your Majesty. She is simply an unrivaled member of the royal family with her insight and contributions to Sacula, as well as her popularity among our citizens,” Ash followed up. I was happy that he referred to me as being unrivaled, however, only one person could wear that title. It was Ash’s way of declaring his position as being solely here for me, an ally of the Frontier Alliance. The king didn’t have much to say in response, mumbling “I see” as he sat down on the sofa. He could have at least welcomed Ash with a smile. As king, he should start with a friendly approach at first. If he wanted to take a more hostile attitude, he would have made it more apparent. Instead, he just seemed half-hearted.