The moment the query left my lips, Jake frowned. I had apparently touched upon a sore spot.
“Well…” he started.
“Something happened with Eizeria, correct?” I asked.
I’d taken a shot in the dark, but his gaze was informative—I had hit the nail on the head.
With a look of resignation, Jake faced the table. “A certain incident occurred after the Battle of Lionel. We were still on unstable footing.”
“Incident? And what would that be?” I inquired.
“It may be rather cruel to tell a lady of Eizeria. Would you still like to hear about it?” He was gentle, but his gaze was testing my resolve. I nodded.
“I am the wife of Lucas Stock, a man who has the blood of Lapisasther coursing through his veins,” I said firmly. “For my husband’s sake, I mustn’t turn away from the truth.”
Jake sighed deeply, pressed his fingers against his eyes, and slowly stood up. “Why don’t we take a short walk?” he suggested. “It’ll be a great change of pace. I’m sure the opportunity to speak with an Eizerian like you is a fate guided by the hands of God.”
I stood up and looked at Leik and Kiki, silently requesting for them to follow me. My two servants solemnly nodded back.
We left the drawing room and headed deeper into the structure; we were guided toward a square corridor surrounding the courtyard. The glass windows, etched with gentle waves, let us view the vibrant courtyard greenery, emitting a serene atmosphere. I felt like I was stepping into a tranquil temple.
No other employees were in sight. I noticed that paintings were drawn on the corridor walls, depicting Lapisasther’s thorny history and how the nation was founded. Jake walked slowly in front of us.
“Since we’re not here to discuss history, I shall spare you from that story,” he said. “Over there is an illustration of the Battle of Lionel, around forty years ago.”
A massive naval ship of the Eizerian armada clashed with another foreign vessel. Lapisasther had been caught in the middle of this war and was at the mercy of the opposing nations. The painting portrayed the tumultuous sea and the wretched state of Lapisasther, destroyed by the fighting nations. We passed by the painting and saw another one portraying the calm sea.
“After the war, Lapisasther became a buffer between the larger opposing nations, allowing us to maintain our independence,” Jake explained. “But the sea hadn’t stabilized, and times weren’t as peaceful as they are now. A decade after the war, while the ocean was still in the midst of its stormy period, an Eizerian noble had cast suspicion against Lapisasther.”
“Suspicion?” I asked.
“Our sailors were suspected of piracy and harming the Eizerian cities on the coast.” He turned to face me, his gloomy gaze causing me to shudder.
“Please continue.”
He quietly nodded. “Back then, Lapisasther wasn’t as skilled at relay trades as we are now. We were practically forced to be self-sufficient and were so poor that our only way of attaining foreign currency was through fishing. The Battle of Lionel still remained fresh in the minds of the people, and as the Eizerian noble cast doubt on us, our kingdom had no choice but to become subservient.”
He gazed at the painting. Despite it being an illustration of the serene sea, many names were meaningfully written down in thin letters on one side.
“Though they had no proof, many of our sailors were executed,” Jake said. “Those who managed to evade the death sentence were imprisoned for life. To this day, we cannot publicly claim that these were false charges, and so we can only quietly etch the names of the lives lost into paintings. This incident forced us to ban fishing in foreign waters.”
“I…had no idea,” I murmured.
“We then switched gears to relay trading and built our wealth.”
I was at a loss for words. Despite this atrocious past, they still accepted people from Eizeria in hopes of developing their island. Faced with the cruel truth, I could only gaze at the names etched into the painting.
Jake shook his head and kindly smiled at me. “I apologize. To answer your question about the records, I had no choice but to speak of our past. I understand that story is far too cruel for an Eizerian lady to bear.”
“No,” I replied. “Thank you for telling me. As I said earlier, my husband is half Lapisasthan. It’s something that must be known. I appreciate you telling me without hiding the truth.”
“I’m glad you feel that way.” Jake looked visibly relieved by my response.
As an Eizerian, if I were to exhibit malaise, I knew it’d become an international issue. In fact, I was afraid that that would lead to their execution. I was certain that Jake was well aware I originated from a family with a deep history within Eizeria.
In the past, an Eizerian noble had accused Lapisasther of its misdeeds, leading to many wrongful deaths. Telling me the truth today must’ve taken an immense amount of courage. I once again looked up at the painting, depicting the brave Lapisasthan sailors, the name of the incident, and the names of those who had fallen victim.
“Ah…” I gasped, remembering a horrifying tidbit that caused me to shudder.
Lucas’s father was a sailor. And the time of his disappearance matched the year of the incident. In order to maintain relations with Eizeria, the incident had been swept under the rug. Even if I used legal methods to investigate further, I doubted I’d find anyone related to this debacle.
“Now that you’ve told me such an important story, will you please grant me another request?” I asked. “Please show me records of a Lucas who was dragged into this atrocious ordeal.”
Jake nodded without a word—his expression said it all. He and His Majesty, who had personally provided us with assistance, must’ve known who Lucas’s father was even before we requested this investigation. And they were testing me, carefully trying to gauge if I was an Eizerian worthy of trust, worthy of the truth.