Arc 2: The Men Behind the Stage

It certainly took me by surprise the first time I saw her.

Her hair was so light it was almost silver. The pale hue colored her in such a way that she almost seemed to melt into the background, but at the same time, it gave her an aura of mystery that highlighted her adorable features. Her eyes were an aqua gray surrounded by smokey eyelashes, and her face had a button nose and tiny lips. That, along with her pale white skin and dainty limbs, made her look like a porcelain doll.

That was my (Alexei Strasser’s) first impression.

Frankly, it was unexpected. I couldn’t believe this extremely sheltered noble lady was a Bernstein, also known as Sauslind’s Brain. Unfortunately, I had very little memory of her societal debut. The only thing I did remember clearly was that Prince Christopher, this country’s heir to the throne and my cousin and childhood friend, had lost his calm demeanor at the time. I was well aware of the fact that he’d had his heart set on this girl since long ago. When she was elevated to the status of the prince’s betrothed just one month after her debut, it wasn’t surprise I felt but rather exasperation—no, not even that; I applauded his skill. I only wished he would show the same zeal toward government affairs.

Not long after Lady Elianna’s engagement to the prince, I returned home only to be ambushed by my exultant younger sister, Therese. “Alexei!”

No need to shout, I can hear you just fine. More importantly, as the daughter of an earl you should be more discreet about your emotions, whether you’re engaging with family or not.

“Oh, come on! You’re glowering again. This is exactly why you have those persistent migraines.”

Wonderful. Now enlighten me, who do you think might be one of the contributing causes to said headaches?

“Never mind that, I have something to tell you! You know the queen conducted a tea party today, right? This was the first time since the engagement ceremony that I got to see Lady Elianna, and...”

Ah yes, now that she mentioned it, there had been a ceremony for their engagement.

Therese had just turned fifteen this year. She had the same black hair as me, with the same bright auburn eyes as our father. My bias as a family member aside, Therese had a dignified beauty about her. Given how close she was in age to Prince Christopher and her noble status, she had been first on the list of possible marriage candidates to His Highness prior to Lady Elianna’s appearance. An option, I should note, that had gone unconsidered on account of the two being too closely related, since our mother was the older sister of the sitting monarch.

The palace naturally erupted with excitement at their engagement; finally it was clear why the prince had remained so non-committal about choosing a partner until now. My younger sister and the other young ladies who had been considered as possible marriage candidates must have also been abuzz.

As I realized that it must have been those same candidates who were invited to the tea party today, my sister’s face suddenly flushed and she began to tremble. I grew suspicious, but just as quickly she burst out with laughter, unable to hold it in.

Therese, I believe we need to discuss doubling the time you spend with your etiquette teacher as of tomorrow.

“Alexei, knock it off with the sinister looks. You look like one of the devil’s wicked henchmen.”

How impertinent.

Having soothed her fit of giggles, my sister began to elaborate at my prompting. At the tea party, all of the tables around Lady Elianna had been packed full of noble ladies, all previous candidates for marriage to the prince. Before the party even started (although my sister swore she heard the gong proclaiming the commencement of the festivities first), they all immediately began to launch an attack on the prince’s new fiancée.

Insults such as, “She may be the daughter of a marquess, but she certainly is brazen for such low-ranking nobility,” and, “That gold digger doesn’t seem to understand her place,” and, “She may look docile, but I wonder how many men she’s seduced before? Almost like a poisonous insect making its nest in the palace. She may be nothing more than a larva right now, but just you wait...” They laughed together, “Hohoho,” until Lady Elianna opened her mouth.

“The larva period has already passed.”

“What?” one of the ladies blurted, blinking furiously as if she must’ve misheard.

Lady Elianna explained matter-of-factly, “We have already entered the period where foliage begins to grow thick, so the larvae of poisonous insects should be pupae by now. Another couple of weeks and they should reach adulthood and begin hovering around the outside light. Now what you should be careful of is the approaching breeding period and the subspecies that coat their eggs in poison to defend against outside threats.”

“Excuse me...?” The lady beside her spoke, so shocked she forgot to hold her fan in front of her mouth.

“Adults of those species will attach poison needle-like hairs to their eggs, and some of these can be dangerous to touch. Poisonous insects primarily lay their eggs in roses,” Lady Elianna said, her eyes drifting to the hair of the girl who had most haughtily ridiculed her. Whether the glance was purposeful or mere coincidence, none could say, but the girl did screech and rip out the beautiful rose that had been nestled in her hair. She then blanched as she imagined that the very flower she’d placed in her hair might be host to an insect’s eggs.

Lady Elianna seemed entirely unperturbed as she continued. “That’s why, as soon as the larvae of those poison insects have hatched, they are coated in poisonous hairs and group together to hibernate. In case you’re wondering, we collectively call the species of caterpillars with fur ‘hairy caterpillars.’ There are poisonous and non-poisonous subsets among them. Meanwhile, those without hair are simply called ‘caterpillars.’”

From there, Lady Elianna proceeded to talk about the ecology of hairy (and hairless) caterpillars in fine detail. Finally, as she launched into how there was a tribe living in the southern islands with a custom of feasting on the larvae in the trees, the ladies cried out, “That’s enough!”

The noble ladies occupying the surrounding tables looked utterly miserable. One of them, who had specifically had her hair meticulously groomed for the occasion, looked like a shadow of her once glorious self, now disheveled and haggard looking. Half of the ladies were blue in the face, desperately fighting back nausea, while the other half were crying, begging Lady Elianna through their tears to stop speaking.

“...”

Even I was at a loss for words. And equally concerned about my sister, who gleefully declared, “It was a master play, Alexei!”

She continued, “Once the party was over, I spoke with Lady Elianna.”

Therese praised her sincerely, saying, “That was splendid work. Not only did you crush those former candidates directly, but you even bested the queen who intentionally gathered them all together today.”

Lady Elianna tilted her head to the side as if she had no idea what Therese was referring to, so my younger sister subtly prompted Lady Elianna for her own interpretation of what had just happened.

“They all seemed so interested in insects, so I thought I would share some information with them,” she answered earnestly. The way she spoke, as if she honestly believed what she was saying, only further stoked Therese’s interest.

“She really doesn’t pick up on any malice from other people. But it doesn’t appear that she’s impervious to human emotion either. She’s most intriguing. Please, let me meet her again.” The way Therese leaned toward me expectantly, her eyes alight, just contributed further to the throbbing in my head.

There was still much I didn’t know yet about Lady Elianna’s disposition. Allowing a noble lady like her, who created such a commotion without compunction, to meet with my sister, who was all too thrilled by the resulting chaos, would be sheer stupidity. I didn’t want to imagine the mischief they might cause.

I curtly rebuffed her request, only for her to turn glum and mutter under her breath, “Fine. I heard Lady Elianna is close with the three Storrev sisters. I can go through them instead.”

I decided then I would recommend to our parents that Therese be locked inside the house with her tutor for the time being.

~.~.~.~

There was another instance as well.

Glen was casually bringing up the topic of the Hero King and how he’d slayed a dragon to Lady Elianna, when she said, “Oh, you mean the thief story.”

“Th-Thief story?”

It was an action-adventure tale, one that all men of Sauslind read with reverence in their boyhood. For a moment Glen had a dumbfounded look on his face, as if he’d misheard what she said, but Lady Elianna just nodded at him.

“Long ago, humans encroached upon a dragon that had been living quietly and peacefully. When they told the dragon that they wanted his bountiful land for themselves and that he had to leave, the enraged dragon blew fire at them. That’s when the thief, who claimed himself a hero, appeared and began harassing the blameless dragon, driving him away. Then the thief stole the treasure the dragon had been so carefully guarding and bragged, ‘What was once yours now belongs to me! Everything belongs to me!’ That’s the story you’re referring to, yes?”

Alas, the heart of the little boy within Glen cracked and shattered, loud enough that even I could hear it.

Your Highness, I know you’re desperately trying to hide your laughter by turning your head away, but I can see the vibration in your shoulders as your hands cradle your stomach, I thought.

I had already surmised that Lady Elianna was outside the norm based on my sister’s story, but this served to confirm as much. According to the prince, the reason Lady Elianna’s etiquette was beyond reproach was solely because she wanted to avoid any actions that would get her scolded and sent to lessons, which would then cut into her reading time.

While I did wonder about her warped sense of values, I was also surprised by the fact that she read everything she could get her hands on, from cover to cover. No doubt thanks to the Bernstein blood running through her.

As a test, I tried having her assist me with document sorting, only to discover that she was more competent than my halfwit assistant. She could instantly provide me the relevant materials when I was handling a particular matter, on top of supplemental ones that provided an alternate viewpoint for me to consider. She was also precise when it came to summarizing written statements and concentrating them down to key points. Her arm strength (impressive and yet unnatural for a noble lady) was also convenient. If it weren’t for her being the prince’s betrothed, I would have liked to install her as one of my subordinates, but alas...His Highness already glared at me fiercely whenever I enlisted her help, so that was a lost cause.

Still, I often found myself skeptical, wondering, Are you really sure this is the one, Your Highness? Her face, normally as still as a porcelain doll’s, came to life when she was reading a book. But this young lady, at whom the prince gazed so adoringly, was blushing as she read a book titled (and I kid you not), The Ecology of the Jungle’s Wild Animals. I would like someone to explain to me what section of that book could possibly make a young noble lady’s eyes glisten and cheeks heat up.

I sighed at the most recent contributing cause for my headaches and recalled (again) the mutterings of the archive staff as they exchanged bewildered looks.

“We’ve really gotten some strange books in here recently,” they’d said.

I put my hand to my forehead, knowing Lady Elianna had a hand (albeit indirect) in this latest development.

Not long ago, Lady Elianna’s elder brother and my dear friend, Alfred, came to me secretly to consult me, claiming his sister had said something incredible.

“Alfred, when must I return these adornments the royal family lent me?” she had asked.

I was shocked when I heard. Basically, she had mistook all the gifts that the prince had bestowed upon her since the beginning of their engagement as merely being lent to her to elevate her appearance.

I gave Alfred a skeptical look as if to say, “Surely you jest,” but the meek Alfred had a troubled expression on his face as he shook his head. “It’s the truth,” he said.

That instance was more astonishing than it was headache-inducing. Her obliviousness was a problem, to be sure, but I was still in disbelief. Both at how little awareness she had of His Highness despite him sending those gifts under his own name, and at how epically he had failed to capitalize on his reputation as Sauslind’s handsome prince when it came to her. Now rather than cradling my head, I wanted to pinch the inner corners of my eyes instead.

“Ah...my sister is, uh, a bit too literal, I guess you could say... Or, well, serious.”

It was that very aspect of her personality that was capable of morphing the prince’s office into a devil’s lair.

I glanced grudgingly back at my friend. No doubt it would depress His Highness if he caught word of this, or worse yet, if she really did try to return one of his gifts. But worse than that, he would undoubtedly go into a frenzy, the likes of which no one had ever seen before. The first victim would be Glen, that much was obvious, but he was just an unfortunate casualty. More than that, I feared I might be pulled in.

“Ahem, yes, so that’s why I thought we should take some preventative measures,” Alfred said with a bitter smile, trying to quell the intensity of my glare.

I gave him an annoyed look. I already knew that deep down, Alfred was just like his father, Marquess Bernstein. He wasn’t entirely behind the idea of his precious little sister becoming the crown princess. In fact, I had asked him how he felt about the prince’s actions once before.

“Hmm. As a fellow man, part of me would like to support his efforts, but it’s going to be an uphill battle for him since the woman he’s trying to win over is Eli. It will take a while. If he doesn’t give up and actually manages to turn her attention toward him, I would be happy to give them my blessing,” he said with a smile, revealing a more calculating side.

Now it was crystal clear exactly why he had said it would be an “uphill battle” at the time. I never dreamed I would get caught up in the mess as well.

At any rate, I consulted with Alfred, and we decided Lady Elianna would keep the gifts and continue to use them, and at the same time, I would restrain the prince from his aggressive present barrage. I selected a day when the prince seemed to be in good spirits, cleared my throat once, and nonchalantly insisted on a hold on the adornments he’d newly arranged for. The prince must have realized what was going on, because he was unusually defensive and had a disheartened look on his face.

“I know that Eli isn’t the type to get excited about dresses and jewels, but these are all gifts I bought with my private funds. I don’t want to be thought of as a crude man who can’t even send his beloved adornments.”

Though lauded as a wise and great man with a kingly disposition despite his youth, the prince was ultimately still just an inexperienced boy. It was only natural for him to prioritize his own desires sometimes.

I breathed a sigh and found myself offering advice that was very contrary to my nature. “The value of a present is in its ability to delight the person receiving it. Wouldn’t you agree?”

Indignant, the prince furrowed his brows and fell silent.

The aggressive gifting seemed to cease after that, but in exchange, the royal archive had a sudden influx of bizarre tomes. No doubt because Lady Elianna would frequent the palace if it possessed books that drew her interest.

Thus a new contributing factor to my headaches appeared—concern whether this sudden surplus of books would cause people to suspect that the royal archive was abusing its power to obtain them, unaware of the truth behind it.

~.~.~.~

Those adornments, however, also became the catalyst for another incident.

It was about one year after Lady Elianna was engaged to the prince, at a customary dance held by the royal family. The well-dressed Lady Elianna had shed the unsophisticated manners associated with countryside nobility, having been surrounded by ladies of the court for the past year, and was now the polished, refined fiancée to the prince. As I recall, she was wearing a light-colored dress that day, with delicate lace frills, making for an adorable and age-appropriate outfit for a noble lady.

This is off-topic, but up until that point, she had always worn dark colors with white lace at the hem. However, as soon as she switched to adorning herself in lighter colored dresses that matched the shade of her hair, with dark lace at the hem, that style grew popular among the other young noble ladies. The older, conservative crowd drew their brows at the “impropriety” of it, but it caught on with the noblewomen who were awed at how the new color scheme highlighted the paleness of their skin.

Judging by what I heard from Therese, however... “Most of Lady Elianna’s clothing is made with the same color pattern. Apparently that’s because the cuffs get dirty while she’s reading her books.”

For the same reason, she preferred dresses without gaudy designs and unnecessarily heavy adornments, which was why Glen and others were prattling on about how, “Lately those married noblewomen’s dresses have been so easy to take off. It’s been a real lifesaver.” The man had best watch his back, for I suspected he had bigger problems to worry about than being the prince’s punching bag.

Anyway, enough of that.

On that particular day, Lady Elianna looked like a promising bud about to bloom. She had a faint scent of innocence about her that drew everyone’s attention. Part of her splendor was owed to the adornment at her breast, a magnificent sapphire twinkling like an evening star. One that shone so brilliantly that it stood out even amidst the sparkling maelstrom that was the evening party.

The sender of this exquisite gift was none other than the prince himself, whose eyes were the very same color. He seemed to be in high spirits, spinning his princess-to-be around more times than necessary when they danced. With each twirl, the sapphire glimmered in the light, making Lady Elianna’s innocent appearance all the more prominent. Her expression looked unusually soft as well, her aqua gray eyes shimmering as she enjoyed her conversation with His Highness.

To an observer, the two looked harmoniously well-suited to one another. I, however, knew better. Yesterday she happened across a tome she’d been wanting to read, and it continued to attract her interest even now. Her conversation with the prince was undoubtedly wholly devoted to that book.

As I tried to mask the headache I felt, I suddenly noticed a man whose eyes were taken with Lady Elianna. He was a new ambassador from the Miseral Dukedom, a southwestern maritime territory. Previously the post had been occupied by an older, more mild-mannered gentleman. This new ambassador, the same age as Prince Theodore, was sociable and overflowing with ambition.

I had a bad feeling about him. He’d only been appointed just a few days prior and had, I suspected, already seen Lady Elianna before—when she’d sat in on his talks with the queen. Neither His Highness nor I were present for said meeting, so I wasn’t privy to the details, but Alan reported that the man seemed to have taken an interest in her.

Please just abstain from doing anything that might rouse the demon lord from his slumber, I urgently prayed.

Unfortunately, not a single word of that prayer seemed to reach the gods. Was I being cursed for not showing more piety on a regular basis?

“Lady Elianna. This is a confectionery made from muscovado, an import from the southern continent. It’s popular with young ladies in my home country right now.”

The delicately baked sweets he produced earned him a hum of acknowledgment from Lady Elianna, who blinked her eyes in confusion. Both of them were in the break room of the royal archives. According to Alan’s report, the man had readily attended every evening party and tea party just as other guests of honor did, but he’d grown impatient when his target failed to appear there. Per Lady Elianna’s agreement with His Highness, she would not engage in high society any more than was necessary. Thus, the ambassador changed his tactics and made his appearance at the royal archives instead. His target, of course, was Lady Elianna.

As my head began to prickle with pain, I glimpsed Prince Theodore in front of me, flipping through his book catalog as if the matter didn’t concern him. I had only come to the archives to retrieve some documents when he suddenly dragged me to the break room saying, “You’ll get to see something interesting if you come, I assure you.” Now he had the audacity to act nonchalant despite his premeditated crime—which I call thusly because he was now leaving it up to me to settle the matter.

“Please, go on and have a taste, Lady Elianna. I would love to hear your impressions directly,” said the ambassador.

I let out a breathy sigh. Apparently this ambassador had zeroed in on the lady’s extensive knowledge since their previous encounter. I’d heard something about him receiving beneficial advice when he attended those talks with the queen on how to handle some of his country’s domestic matters. The man had a good eye, but his methods for drawing a lady’s interest were too rooted in stereotypes.

Before I could open my mouth, someone—who had entered the room without my notice—passed by me and plucked one of the sweets up from the table. “Black Pearl’s Tear. It looks delicious, Lord Effingham. I don’t suppose you mind if I try one?” It was Prince Christopher, with his dazzling blonde hair and a lovely smile plastered on his face.

The ambassador was surprised at the crown prince’s sudden entrance, but he quickly regained his composure and said, “Please feel free to have as many as you like, Your Highness.”

The prince gave a generous nod. “Elianna,” he said, drawing her attention as he bit off one half of the sweet, smoothly pressing the remaining half past her lips.

“...?!” Lady Elianna’s eyes went wide with surprise, her mouth ajar just enough for the treat to slip right in. The prince watched as her eyes darted back and forth, conflicted and confused. He licked mischievously at his fingertips, which had just grazed her mouth, his concept of manners and etiquette completely forgotten. It was enough to make anyone watching nauseous.

Regardless of whether that’s your method of intercepting the opposition or not, please reserve such displays for when it’s just the two of you, Your Highness, I thought.

Lady Elianna’s eyes were still round with shock, but as she chewed the treat inside her mouth, her face colored with emotion.

“...L-Lady Elianna?” asked the ambassador, voice strained with confusion.

The look on her face was very clearly a vivid response, not to the prince’s actions, but to her feelings about the confection. The problem wasn’t with the Black Pearl’s Tear, an exotic treat beloved even by the young ladies of Sauslind as well. The problem was with the person eating it.

“Are you all right, Elianna?” the prince asked. The calculating culprit, Prince Christopher, ordered a maid to replace the tea. Lady Elianna hurriedly cleansed her mouth with it.

The ambassador had a gobsmacked look on his face, an emotion I understood well. There were three key items to earning a lady’s goodwill: dresses, jewels, and sweets. And Lady Elianna had just flipped the latter on its head. I, too, had been shocked when I first witnessed her revulsion.

Prince Theodore was currently stifling a small chuckle, but just one year ago I could recall him having the same dumbfounded look on his face.

“My apologies... I have an aversion to sweets.” Lady Elianna, contrary to her appearance, was not a fan of sugary delights. But was she the real one at fault here, or was it the man who’d cunningly slipped into the seat beside her, hiding his demon lord persona behind a beautiful exterior?

In fact, Your Highness, your office should be overflowing with paperwork awaiting your approval. What are you dawdling here for? If you have time to smile dryly and glower at this ambassador who has been going to all sorts of lengths to win over Lady Elianna, then I would appreciate it if you’d turn your attention back to government affairs.

“This confection, it’s called a Black Pearl’s Tear?” Lady Elianna asked. Her show of interest drew a look of surprise from Prince Theodore.

Color returned to the ambassador’s face. “Yes, our confectioners labored greatly and spent many hours researching to create it. Originally it was created to spread the word about muscovado, which had just been discovered last year, but lately the treat itself has been growing more famous than the ingredient used to make it.” Now that he’d recomposed himself, the ambassador started babbling.

“If you’d like,” he began to say, his refined face breaking into an inviting smile, “I could send to have a real black pearl brought in for you, my lady. While I am sure the soft color of an ordinary pearl would suit you well, the precious shade of a black pearl would highlight your beauty more.” At the end I was fairly sure I heard him mumble provocatively, “More than a sapphire.”

Dread seized me.

Within Sauslind, not a single man approached Lady Elianna. This was due in part to her being the prince’s betrothed, but also in part because Prince Christopher’s beaming smile and cold gaze warded off anyone who got close. Perhaps the ambassador deserved praise for having the gall to oppose the prince, but I rather wished he would refrain, given how his provocation had only made the prince’s terrifying smile grow wider.

“Elianna,” said the prince. “I think the gem of the ocean—the mermaid’s stone—would suit you better than a black pearl. It matches your eyes, and considering what the future holds, it seems all the more appropriate. Shall I have one prepared for you?”

The prince’s meaningful suggestion of the mermaid stone likely referred to aquamarine. I’d heard it was beloved by young women because of the meaning it carried: a happy marriage.

Oblivious to the antagonistic glances being traded beside her, Lady Elianna simply replied, “No, thank you.” The prince’s shoulders instantly fell. Her interest remained focused on the confections on the table. “A black pearl appeared in a story I read before known as The Legend of Kalee. The book is actually a collection of tales about the gods and goddesses revered by the southern continent’s tribes. It was written there that the jewel known as the Black Pearl’s Tear is the personification of Kahina, a goddess worshiped by the coastal Mawatai Tribe.”

“Aha. Well, then perhaps the confectioners knew the legend and that’s why they gave it that name.” While the ambassador responded coolly, both His Highness and Prince Theodore turned pensive. I, too, began to suspect that this was valuable information.

Rampaging pirates had been the cause of recent problems with the trade routes in the southern seas. The pain of this troublesome situation should’ve been equally felt by the Miseral Dukedom, but they’d come up with their own personal trick to minimize the damage. However, it was possible that by using the rare black pearls mined in their region, they could strike up a deal with the southern tribes, further reducing the raiders’ influence. The coastal tribes had certainly been victims as well, so with the cooperation of both continents, perhaps we could find an effective countermeasure against the pirates.

“Lord Effingham. I have a proposal regarding trade with your country. I would love to discuss it with you in a separate room.” It was clear that His Highness’s intention with this idea was to send the ambassador packing.

“But I...” the ambassador, still captivated by Lady Elianna, began to protest. I’d thought the man sensible at least, but evidently I had overestimated him if he didn’t even realize how the conversation just now could benefit trade with his country. “I would love to bestow a black pearl on Lady—”

Lady Elianna, the only one who didn’t seem to understand what was truly going on, rebuffed him as she had the prince a moment ago. “I am grateful for the offer but I must decline; your gift would be wasted on me.” Then she continued, “Besides... I have my sapphire.”

I knew immediately that the prince’s mood would take a boost from that. But why was it that I seemed to hear her clarify that it was a “borrowed” item? I would pray, for the sake of His Highness’s frame of mind, that it was simply my imagination.

~.~.~.~

His Highness entrusted the ambassador of the Miseral Dukedom with the role of negotiator and sent him off, along with a few others, to the southern continent. Thus, a new ambassador was sent to us—a calm, older gentleman this time.

After that, Lady Elianna would give us the occasional glimpse into why her family was regarded as Sauslind’s Brain, impressing me in the process. The type of pen both His Highness and I were now using was one such example of that. The prince had slipped up during sword training and injured his wrist. When Lady Elianna saw how laboriously he struggled in writing out documents afterward, she presented him with a pen, the same one that would later spread in popularity. At first he had to practice since he was unused to that style of pen, but His Highness was a quick learner and it soon became his favorite. Usage of the pen then spread via (I suspected) the chamberlain, who had witnessed it all.

Another example was after the Maldura issue was solved. His Highness and I were discussing what should be done with extra money from the military defense budget when I suddenly thought to ask for Lady Elianna’s input. Unfortunately, the lady possessed the special ability to tune everyone out when she became deeply immersed in her reading. At one point, Glen even slipped and shattered a teacup right beside her, but she didn’t even flinch. I admired that level of concentration.

I tried to change the subject, realizing my timing may have been off, but His Highness called out to her. “Elianna?”

Her silvery lashes fluttered, and gradually her aqua gray eyes glanced up. Given the way she stared blankly and blinked, it was a mystery to me whether she’d actually heard her name being called or not.

His Highness smiled gently and drew her attention. “There’s extra money left over from this year’s military defense budget. What would you do with it, if it were up to you?”

Again she blinked several times at the sudden question, as if she still hadn’t completely extricated herself from her reading trance.

It made sense now why one of the seven mysteries His Highness’s lady maids spoke of was how strange it was that, even now, Lady Elianna didn’t reciprocate his feelings. Yet the prince understood and even seemed a bit amused by her resistance to his charms. I just hoped his patience for her didn’t run him out of time.

I let a sigh slip out and said in defeat, “I assume you will suggest we use that extra money to increase the number of schools.”

Lady Elianna folded her book shut and tilted her head. “While I do agree it’s important to raise the literacy rate among civilians...”

I figured the Bernsteins would put precedence upon that over anything else, but the hesitation in her voice made me second guess. When I pressed her to continue, she thought carefully before answering.

“For villages in the countryside struggling with poverty, having books or being able to read isn’t going to turn any profit for them. Food for the day is more valuable than anything. Literacy isn’t going to fill their stomachs.”

“...”

Sauslind was one of the most (relatively) stable and affluent countries on the Ars continent, but wealth disparity existed here just as it did everywhere else. It was all the more pronounced the further into the countryside you went. I didn’t expect her to speak of it as if she’d seen it for herself. His Highness seemed just as surprised.

Lady Elianna ducked her head down slightly. “It was written about in Dan Edold’s travel log.”

The name left a bit of a bitter taste in my mouth. I’d developed an interest in Dan Edold since the incident with the Weimar Region and had checked out his book for myself. It was then that I understood why his travel log, which was written more like a report than a diary, hadn’t made waves with the masses. That said, skills like his were difficult to come by. Thus, the Intelligence Bureau had tried soliciting him, but he’d turned them down flat, claiming it suited him better to write travel logs the way he wanted.

So I began to investigate. Who was publishing these travel logs that didn’t sell at all? Who was financing him? Who was sending him off on these trips to the hinterlands? In short, the reason he had refused a post at the Intelligence Bureau was because the Bernsteins had sniffed out his talent before we could and propositioned him, so he was already in their debt.

When I started to wonder just how many others the Bernsteins had similarly noticed before us and employed, my head began to throb. So instead I turned back to the conversation and said, “You mean we should use the extra money to bring relief to those villages?”

“Yes, that would be advisable as well,” she said with a pause. “But first, I think you should leave it up to the regional lord to decide on budgetary allotments for that. For money from the national budget, I think you should use it on updating medical resources in the Krug Region.”

“The Krug Region?” His Highness blurted out, as if he couldn’t believe what he’d just heard.

The Krug Region was located at the foot of a northern mountain range. The area had no notable characteristics, was neither enriched nor impoverished, and rarely came up in conversation.

Lady Elianna nodded meekly. “According to The Valley of Winter, a regional survey from five years ago written by author Max Wise, the people there are deeply entrenched in their indigenous beliefs and values, which has made their society strongly male-dominated.” She recoiled slightly upon realizing how intently we were listening but continued nonetheless. “So I looked into the matter.

“Compared to other regions, Krug has an overwhelmingly low birthrate. I suspect this is likely the influence of those native beliefs and values, not that I mean to sound as if I’m making a judgment call. Simply, I hear that childbirth is an enormous undertaking and health risk for women. Nurturing life and giving birth should not be something that equates to death.

“Resolving those deeply ingrained beliefs cannot be accomplished in a single day, but rather than standing by and doing nothing, Sauslind should demonstrate its will to the people. Indigenous beliefs or not, they are still people of this country, and if their survival is at stake, we must reach out the hand of mercy. All the more when you consider it is for the future children of our country.”

I was inwardly impressed. It was this aspect of her that was most uncommon. She spoke of ideals and used fair reasoning, but she also kept her eyes on reality. I wondered how she’d learned to balance her way of thinking.

“You have been thinking about this for a while now, my lady?” Glen asked, similarly in awe.

Lady Elianna tilted her head slightly. “I’m not sure if I would go as far to say ‘a while,’ but at least since I read the Weimar Region’s community newsletter.”

“And?” the prince prompted, his lips breaking into a smile.

“I could tell by the newsletter that the women in the region were extremely healthy. The same goes for the short comment columns. If the wife of a townsman is energetically administering to the needs of her household, then her children will be in good health as well. And her husband can work diligently for his family’s sake. That’s what keeps morale there high and makes the entire region flourish.

“It was also women who came up with the idea of sami cuisine. Even among those women, there were some who couldn’t move when they were pregnant and those whose physical condition deteriorated after birth. I believe that supporting these women will lead to the revitalization of the region. I also think it ties in to the prosperity of the country as well.”

It felt as though I had been reminded, once again, why the Bernsteins were known as Sauslind’s Brain. Though her being a woman might have also been a contributing factor for her unique approach to the situation.

His Highness was similarly contemplative, carefully mulling over her input. After the prince thanked her for sharing, Lady Elianna seemed to sense the conversation was over and returned to her book. I sighed lightly, foreseeing an increase in work in the future.

Glen gazed admiringly at Lady Elianna, and even I couldn’t deny that I held a deep respect for her as well. However, there was one off-putting thing I would like to note. The title of the book she was reading, which had tickled her interest far more than our conversation, was How to Distinguish Edible Grasses: Now You Too Can Live a Self-Sufficient Lifestyle! Why in the world was the daughter of a marquess and fiancée to the crown prince interested in grass... No, that wasn’t the weird part, the self-sufficiency... No, okay, in the first place, who even ordered that kind of...

There was just too much for me to deconstruct there, and once again I felt my head throbbing.