Chapter 36:
Flower Thief
I FELT NOTHING AT ALL. I WAS FACED WITH THE man whose unrivaled beauty could only be described as mystical. He dazzled like the sun, and his large muscles, coupled with his two-meter height, made him worthy of Villendorf’s praise. The greatest beauty that a Villendorfian could possibly imagine didn’t even come close to the handsomeness of Anhalt’s hero. Faust von Polidoro was the very embodiment of beauty itself; all of Villendorf could agree with that. Yet I felt nothing at all.
“I’m the chief delegate of these negotiations, second-eldest princess of Anhalt, Valiele von Anhalt.”
If memory serves, she’s still fourteen, I thought. She had a childlike air to her as she lifted the hems of her dress and bent her knees in a curtsy. She’s young. What was I like when I was fourteen? That was precisely when the duel for the throne occurred and I became queen. Reckenbell was twenty-four at the time. My mind wandered to my past as another person greeted me.
“I’m her assistant, Faust von Polidoro.”
He was clad in armor but had no helmet as he bent his knees and greeted me. His voice was quiet, but it echoed clearly throughout the throne room. The seats were full. Several knights who surrounded the two envoys from Anhalt squirmed ever so slightly. I presumed that they felt something in their groins. Logically, I could understand that this man’s beauty knew no equal in Villendorf. But that was all. I, Ina-Catalina Maria Villendorf, felt nothing toward Faust von Polidoro. Nothing at all.
Deep down, in the depths of my heart, where an inexplicable something smoldered ever so slightly, I’d hoped something would happen. I’d hoped that I’d feel some sort of emotion toward Sir Polidoro, the very man who killed my advisor, Reckenbell. I didn’t mind if it was rage or hatred. I would’ve gladly felt it. I would’ve loved to feel an emotion akin to sadness from my loss of Reckenbell as well.
But I felt nothing. I knew it. That’s me, after all. I’m the Coldhearted Queen. I returned to my calm and logical self. I’ll even forget my sadness over Reckenbell for now, and focus solely on the benefits for Villendorf. Sir Polidoro will be my crystal ball to see into the current state of affairs in Anhalt.
I stared intently at Sir Polidoro. He didn’t seem to be treated coldly as rumored; at the very least, the royal family was generous toward him. He wore a magnificent suit of Maximilian armor covered in magic sigils. Judging from the Polidoro fief’s finances and his measly citizen count of three hundred, a weak lord like him couldn’t possibly have acquired such a lavish piece of gear. The armor had several scratches, but it all looked new.
I presumed that the royal family had prepared the armor for these peace negotiations. It meant that the Anhaltish royal family acknowledged Sir Polidoro’s feats. However, I wasn’t done just yet.
“Princess Valiele, Sir Faust von Polidoro,” I started. “You’ve displayed sincere dedication in visiting the royal palace without so much as a rest during your long, exhausting journey here.”
“Thank you,” the Anhaltish envoys replied.
“Princess Valiele. I don’t mean to make light of you, but I would like to have a few words with Sir Polidoro. May I?”
The princess couldn’t possibly deny my request.
“Certainly. As you wish,” she replied.
“Thank you,” I said.
Now then, I’ll enjoy a lengthy discussion with him. This is where the real battle begins, Faust von Polidoro. You’d best answer all of my questions. One wrong answer, and I shall immediately start the Second Campaign of Villendorf.
“Do you have any intention of serving me, Sir Polidoro?” I asked.
“H-hey!” Princess Valiele hastily cried.
My first course of action was to invite him over to my side. I ignored the princess completely.
“I shall decline,” Sir Polidoro answered. “No matter what benefits you promise me, I shall never serve you.”
“And why not?” I asked.
“Because I’m Princess Valiele’s advisor, Your Majesty.”
I could tell that he possessed a humble and unpretentious personality. He managed to give off that impression while firmly declining my request. His tone was confident.
“Lord Reckenbell was the best knight captain in Villendorf,” he went on. “However, when you were a child, she was still a normal hereditary knight who succeeded her household. She was a simple knight, nothing more, but she was also your advisor.”
“Indeed,” I replied. “You know quite a bit about her. And what of it?”
“If the Anhaltish royal family had tried to entice Lord Reckenbell with generous rewards back then, when she was still a humble knight, I’m certain that she would’ve provided the same response. She would’ve declined the offer on the grounds that she was the advisor of Princess Catalina.”
I see. Very logical. I suppose the advisor of a princess won’t be so easily won over by an enemy nation. But unlike us, Anhalt’s entailment isn’t decided upon by dueling.
“Then let me ask you another question,” I said.
“Feel free,” Sir Polidoro replied.
“It’s very unlikely that Princess Valiele will succeed Anhalt’s throne. Why, then, do you still insist on serving her? It’s not difficult to imagine that Anastasia, the successor of Anhalt, invited you to join her instead. Why have you declined her invitation?”
There was no merit in his serving the younger princess. Sir Polidoro knitted his brows.
“Do you not see why?” he asked.
“I do not,” I replied. I spoke honestly.
“Even I have emotions and feelings.”
This was an answer that escaped my understanding. Feelings? Then it’s not logic. What in the world is he? It… It feels like…I’m speaking with Reckenbell.
“I do not know how much my feelings are reaching Princess Valiele. I’m not even sure whether she’d reciprocate them if they did,” Sir Polidoro said. He flashed a strained smile as he spoke.
Ah, Reckenbell. When I speak with him, your name flashes across my mind. I can’t understand why.
“But I know that those hopes are different from the feelings that I hold for her,” Sir Polidoro continued.
Reckenbell. All I had now was her name, the something that smoldered in my heart, and the empty space left by my missing emotions. The things she’d tried to provide for me over the past decade or so were ultimately fruitless.
“Queen Catalina, I admit that I don’t know you well,” Sir Polidoro said. “I only heard of you a few days before these negotiations. The minstrels sung of you and your time with Lord Reckenbell. However,” he paused for a moment before he continued, “that’s all.”
That’s all, is it? Indeed, he’d only heard rumors about me, and they weren’t enough to grasp a person’s true nature. It was very logical.
“Hence, I believe that we must talk, Your Majesty,” Sir Polidoro finished.
“Very well,” I replied.
I’ll comply. I was the one who invited you over anyway. Why don’t the two of us chat for a while?
“Then let me continue,” I said. “Sir Polidoro, your fief is very close to Villendorf’s border.”
“You know your geography well,” he replied.
“I got my hands on a map when we destroyed a town by the border during the Campaign of Villendorf.”
I heard someone click their tongue ever so quietly. I presume it came from you, Sir Polidoro. I heard it loud and clear—the frustration in your heart has reached me.
“If I were to start the Second Campaign of Villendorf near your fief and try to invade your territory, what would you do?” I asked.
“I would fight to the death,” he replied.
Oho?
“I would prepare for death and kill dozens of your knights before dying with no regrets,” he said. “I would take my last breath in the Polidoro fief, which has been passed down to me through the generations.”
“Do you not fear for your life?” I asked.
“I do.”
I didn’t expect that. You do? This was a fierce fighter who’d challenged our hero, Reckenbell, to a duel. I didn’t expect him to have such fear.