The next day, Yngvi and Freya met in a room of the royal palace. Although they were twins, they were now part of two different nations and two different royal families. Ordinarily, it would have been inadvisable for them to meet alone, but both Zenjirou and Aura had allowed it.
Freya had not yet been married for long, but she had known both Aura and Zenjirou for a fair amount of time and had garnered a reasonable amount of trust. Now that she had married Zenjirou, Aura judged that she would not let information that would harm Capua slip.
Although they were in a distant place far from their home, the twins—whichever one you accepted as older—had been together since literally before birth. The two silver-haired, blue-eyed royals sat opposite each other, talking casually.
“Good work yesterday,” Freya said. “You were just as sharp as always in that kind of situation.”
Yngvi laughed. “Thank you. I was glad to see that my socialization passed muster here as well,” he replied, taking a cup of tea from the table.
“Well, while the specifics may change slightly, we are all human, so the fundamentals stay the same,” Freya said.
Having visited many countries on the Glasir’s Leaf, her words held a fair amount of weight. Of course, the differences in culture meant that there could be sore spots where they would never expect, so they couldn’t afford to let their guard down. Still, there was no doubt that Yngvi had carried out his interactions in Capua without issue.
“So, I would like to hear your thoughts first of all. Crown Prince Yngvi of Uppasala, did anyone from our nation catch your eye?” Freya asked, her tone somewhat exaggerated.
Her main goal for coming here today was to ask that, and it was also reasonable to say it was why they had been allowed to meet entirely on their own. It was an easy chat between two close individuals, and that was why she could ask the question. Neither Aura or Zenjirou—queen and prince consort respectively—would have been able to do so. Both of them would have to shift their focus to any of the girls Yngvi named. It was only because of their relationship that Freya could talk with him about it so casually.
Furthermore, having married Zenjirou, both royals were considered just as close to her. Inevitably, Yngvi was well aware that their discussion here could end up as part of another private conversation within the inner palace. If he named someone here, that name would reach Aura’s and Zenjirou’s ears as “a very credible rumor,” but being only a rumor, it would be easy enough to take it back if need be.
Yngvi was brash and hurried, though, so he—despite understanding the consideration Capua was giving him—disregarded that. “Well, Lady Mirella was pleasant. She was strong-willed and rather intelligent. She also knew her own role well. That Count Márquez was perfect, though. My future would definitely be bright if I was calling such an insightful, skilled man my father-in-law. In turn, Uppasala’s future would look good as well. Lady Octavia was also delightful. Despite having the wisdom of a noble, her personality and way of thinking are far more pleasant than what I would expect.”
His focus on each woman’s family and their standing rather than the women was, frankly, very much like the prince. Marriage to him was extremely political. He truly felt that there was no point in it if it did not benefit him, the royal family, and the country as a whole. Of course, he also understood that maintaining that benefit would require treating his wife in good faith.
“My one concern,” he continued, “is that Lady Mirella is adopted rather than being the count’s child by blood. In terms of relation, I believe she would be his niece? Additionally, Lady Octavia was not his first wife. What would their rights and obligations as her guardians be in that case?”
“As soon as she was adopted, their rights and obligations became just the same as they would be if she were their child by blood, at least by Capua’s laws,” Freya answered smoothly. She was a member of the Capuan nobility now, so she had learned at least a minimum about the laws of the land.
“Then that won’t be a problem. The count acts upon knowledge and calculation, while Lady Octavia acts on her emotions and principles,” he said, extremely confident about the two individuals he had met last night.
Freya remembered his boasts of how no one had yet betrayed his first impression of them. In truth, that ability of his was a large part of his skill in interpersonal relationships despite his egoistic nature.
“I see. Lady Mirella of the Márquez family is one of the maids in the inner palace, so I am fairly familiar with her and have to say she struck me the same way. Was there anyone else who left an impression? Oh, you needn’t limit yourself to the candidates.”
Yngvi grinned reluctantly at how blatantly she was using his insight for her own information gathering, but he still answered truthfully. “The first would have to be Marshal Pujol. I honestly think Eric’s excitement about having found Thor was no exaggeration.” Even their older brother had needed to put some effort in to hold a conversation with the marshal on equal footing. “First, he is strong. Ridiculously so. Honestly, I cannot even tell how strong. Obviously, I don’t just mean his individual strength, but his ability to lead as well. His ambition could certainly be an issue, but given how it links to his motivation, it could be a great advantage in crucial moments.”
While their focuses veered in different directions, that hunger for improvement was common between both the prince and the marshal, so Yngvi found it rather easy to understand the man. That was roughly how Freya felt as well.
“Right. Considering how things are going, he will be a useful asset to Her Majesty, though I wager she will have her work cut out for her keeping him under control. Anyone else?”
As she pressed, Yngvi’s expression changed completely, all emotion dropping from his face. “Prince Francesco of the Twin Kingdoms,” he answered after a pause. “He is skilled. I don’t know how skilled as a craftsman, but assuming he lives up to his reputation, I assume just as skilled as he is in politics.”
“Yet because of his manner, he doesn’t have a place in the line of succession despite being the first prince,” Freya noted, confused by her brother’s evaluation. As far as she remembered, Francesco acted as his reputation implied. He didn’t say or do anything that would cause a major problem for his nation, but he was generally frivolous and thoughtless, so she could see why he wasn’t suited to being the next king.
Despite that, Yngvi looked like he’d bitten into a lemon as he shook his head. “It’s a lie, definitely. Well, maybe not a lie, per se. He seems like he has the ability but refuses to use it due to how much he dislikes it. Yet he still has enough skill that he can keep acting as he wishes, because his strength in that area is just as high, if not higher. If I had to describe it, I’d say he’s like a flying horse that hates flying but loves galloping, and despite being a flying horse, is far faster than normal horses over land. That’s what permits him not to fly.”
Freya could certainly see where he was coming from. It made sense—being so careless and yet not careless enough to cause irreparable harm was certainly unnatural. Now that she could agree with his estimation of the man, she could also understand his displeasure.
“You hate him that much?” she asked after a moment.
“I loathe him,” Yngvi spat.
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