After that day, the Teutons were utterly demoralized. Not only had they lost the sparring contest, but their leader had become a broken wreck and shut himself away in his quarters. It would have been stranger if their spirits had remained high.

Yet there was one person who was having the time of her life: the princess of Teuton, Hestia Neumann Tudor. She seized the opportunity her uncle's absence presented and finally reclaimed the authority she had previously held as commander in name alone.

The first thing she did upon becoming Teuton's representative in both name and fact was to request a private audience with me out of the blue.

"The princess of Teuton requests a private audience, Your Highness."

I did not refuse. Before long, the princess arrived at my palace.

"Your Highness. Have you been keeping well since we last met?"

"Quite a grand greeting when we saw each other only a few days ago."

"It may have been only a few days to you, Your Highness, but to me they felt like years."

"Is that so," I replied indifferently, then studied her for a moment.

Gone were the smiling eyes that looked likely to give her facial muscles a spasm and the false smile that turned my stomach. She seemed somewhat stiff, but at least her face looked far more human than before.

I had intended to throw her out immediately if she tried that pathetic act and coy flirting again. Instead, I chuckled and asked what she wanted.

"Why did you want to see me?"

She answered as though she had been waiting for the question.

"I would like the suspended negotiations to resume."

"Very well. You have my permission."

Her eyes widened at my immediate answer. Apparently, she had expected me to use the resumption of negotiations as an excuse to make all sorts of demands. I had no intention of doing so.

If there was anything to squeeze out of them, that was Montpellier and Siorin's job, not mine. And they were more than capable of it. The princess might have the makings of a queen, but her talent was only just beginning to blossom. Compared to that seasoned old snake Montpellier and the exacting Siorin, she was nothing more than a hothouse flower. There was no reason for me to waste my breath already.

"Anything else you want?"

She shook her head at my question.

"Nothing at present."

"Then we can end this..."

"But there is one thing I am curious about."

After a moment's hesitation, she asked,

"Why are you being so kind to me?"

I frowned at the unexpected question, and she hastened to explain.

"I mean the exclusive rights to trade in dwarven weapons."

"I never said I'd give them to you for free."

If they tried to lowball me, I intended to scrap the whole trade arrangement with Teuton, exclusive rights and all. In response, the princess laid out her thoughts.

"I may know nothing about swords, but I am not so ignorant that I fail to understand the value of dwarven arms and armor, or how much power the right to trade in them would bring. I am not foolish enough to let petty greed cost me something within my grasp."

"I'm glad you understand."

"I would hardly be the only one. Duke Seymour would be no different if he were here. Whoever stood in my place, the Leonberk Kingdom would not suffer a loss."

She paused, then looked straight at me and spoke again.

"So why choose me, of all people?"

Her eyes were shining with an unusual intensity. Something about that gaze made me uncomfortable.

"Because you are currently Teuton's representative."

I suppressed my unease and answered, only for her to ask again.

"Is that the only reason?"

"And because you're easier to talk to than Duke Seymour."

"If that were all, there would be no need to offer exclusive rights."

"If we're going to keep trading anyway, dealing with one person consistently would be more convenient in all sorts of ways than going through several... No, why does this even matter?"

"It matters to me."

Her reply was positively resolute. I sighed and answered.

"Had Duke Seymour been in your place, he would never have offered our kingdom leadership of the league Teuton worked so hard to build. I merely offered terms to match yours."

"Is that all...?"

It felt as though I were being interrogated, and that irritated me.

"I have no idea what answer you're looking for. Even if there were some other reason, I have neither the obligation nor the desire to explain it."

Naturally, my tone grew curt.

Strangely, however, my curt words only brightened her expression.

"I see. There was a reason you couldn't tell me."

"What utter nonsense..."

"I promise you this. You will never regret choosing me as your trading partner."

Having said whatever she pleased, the princess made that bold declaration with a determined expression.

I had no idea what she was babbling about, but the conclusion was not bad. I chuckled and chided her to finish the negotiations properly before making such claims.

"It won't be easy. The kingdom's representatives are exceptionally demanding."

She answered with a confident smile.

"Do your best."

With that halfhearted encouragement, I promptly sent her away.

Alone after her departure, I frowned. I was strangely exhausted. Our conversation had not been long, yet I felt as though I had been talking all day.

"I'd rather not see her again if I can help it."

The makings of a queen or not, she made me thoroughly uncomfortable. I hoped to avoid running into her again whenever possible.

Fortunately, I doubted I would have any reason to see her while the negotiations were underway. I had left all the practical business to Montpellier and Siorin, after all. We would meet again only after the two sides had settled all their terms.

That was certainly what I had thought. I was wrong.

When I returned to my palace after visiting Adelia, who had only just regained consciousness, the princess was waiting for me.

"Your Highness."

"Let's go inside first."

Thinking she might have something to tell me, I let her into the palace.

"I cannot tell whether that man came to negotiate or simply to obstruct everything."

The moment we were alone, she launched into a torrent of complaints. There was no trace of the demure demeanor she had shown at the entrance.

"To think such an infuriating man exists! And he is so incredibly arrogant."

She had provided no context, but I immediately knew whom she meant. It could only be Montpellier. He had clearly gotten under her skin. That was only natural.

Montpellier had always been utterly meek before the strong and utterly overbearing toward the weak. In his eyes, Teuton, so thoroughly crushed in the recent contest, was plainly the weaker party. Our kingdom, with the enticing bargaining chip of dwarven arms and armor in hand, was the stronger. I could guarantee he was taking out every bit of the frustration he had accumulated from losing his lands and settling in our kingdom on the Teutons.

I understood how the princess felt. But...

"I fail to see why you've come to me to complain about this."

I could not understand why she was venting to me instead of her own people.

"I hope you haven't forgotten that the man you're insulting is my subordinate, whom I personally appointed to oversee these negotiations."

When I told her she ought to be airing her grievances to the Teutons, not me, she answered shamelessly.

"They think of me as a delicate, kindhearted princess. I cannot show them this side of myself. Far from getting to vent, I would only receive a lecture."

"Even so..."

"Besides, it was you, Your Highness, who said I could be myself in your presence."

"This wasn't what I meant."

She did not even pretend to listen.

"Whew. Your Highness, I feel much better thanks to you."

She did all the talking, then offered thanks all on her own. With a quick bow, she was gone.

The next day, she visited my palace again. And the day after that. And the day after that. Sometimes she spoke ill of Montpellier; other times she complained that Siorin was being excessively particular.

Her chatter grew worse by the day, to the point that it gave me a headache. Finally, unable to endure any more, I locked the entrance to my palace. The princess's messengers came frequently to request private audiences, but the Royal Knights turned them all away.

"I should have done this ages ago."

At last, I regained some peace. It did not last long.

"Rumors are everywhere in the palace. They say Princess Hestia Neumann Tudor is wearing out the threshold of the First Prince's Palace with her visits. And that lately, she has been sending love letters instead of coming in person."

This time, the sly Grand Marshal Bielefeld came to torment me.

"Who the hell said that!"

"Well, they are only rumors. Though her frequent visits to the First Prince's Palace seem to be rather more than rumor."

The marquis helped himself to the liquor in my cabinet, pouring a glass as he spouted nonsense. I was about to give him a piece of my mind when his expression grew serious.

"Word has arrived that His Majesty and the Eastern Fleet reached a point four days from port."

My eyes widened.

"The messenger says he set off as soon as he received that news, two weeks ago. By now, His Majesty will have disembarked from his warship and be traveling overland to the capital."

A ticklish feeling stirred in my heart. I could not describe it.

"We're already busy enough negotiating with Teuton. Preparing a triumphal procession will make things even more hectic."

After searching for something to say for a long while, that was all I managed. Even to me, it sounded awkward.

"Do not worry. His Highness the Second Prince has already made all the preparations."

The marquis smiled at me.

"When the time comes, all you need do is go out to the gates and welcome His Majesty and the Eastern Legion."

I answered with a quiet nod.

"Well, I have said everything I came to say. I shall take my leave."

The marquis drained his glass in one swallow and left.

I stared at the closed door for a long time before murmuring to myself.

"So he's finally coming."

Suddenly, I felt a tug in my cheeks. I cupped my face in both hands. Somehow, it seemed the corners of my mouth had risen a little.

The negotiations, which had dragged on for some time, were also nearing their conclusion. Once the finer terms were finalized and diplomatic relations formally established, the negotiations with Teuton would be complete. Officially, at least. The arrangement between the princess and me had to remain a secret pact, not a public treaty.

At last, all the official negotiations came to an end. All that remained was for the representatives of both sides to sign and affix their royal seals.

"The name on this treaty should be His Majesty's, not mine."

I left the final step to the king. It was no small achievement, one that might well be remembered for generations to come.

"I can only admire your generosity of spirit, Your Highness."

The marquis smiled warmly at me. Maximilian and the others wore much the same expressions.

The princess of Teuton alone was not smiling. She said Duke Seymour's condition had been improving rapidly of late and urged us to conclude negotiations quickly, just in case.

Rather than grant her request, I chided her. What could the duke possibly do now, when the delegation's commander was concluding the negotiations? What was she so afraid of, when the exclusive rights to trade in dwarven arms and armor were hers?

Only then did she realize she had been making too much of a fuss, and her face reddened.

"I have shown you an unworthy side of myself again."

Watching her finally shake off her anxiety, I sighed. What a trial this was, all for the sake of benefiting from her potential as a queen. Still, my present troubles would soon yield greater rewards. There was no reason I could not play nursemaid.

In the meantime, a messenger arrived to announce that the king was nearing the capital. I went out to the city gates early in the morning to wait for him.

"His Majesty and the Eastern Legion!"

At last, the king appeared on the plain. His hair, now entirely white, streamed like a white lion's mane, and behind him came the kingdom's knights and elite soldiers. He looked so majestic that my heart began to pound for no particular reason.

I stood quietly, betraying none of it, and waited for him to reach the gates. At last, the king and the Eastern Legion arrived.

THUD.

The Eastern Legion halted as one. The capital's defenders and knights, advancing to greet them, stopped where they stood as well. In a world where everything seemed to have frozen, only the king and I walked toward one another.

TAP, TAP.

Twenty paces. Fifteen. Ten. Five. The distance between us steadily narrowed. Now three.

I stopped. But the king did not. He crossed even those last three paces.

Then he swept me into his arms. At the sudden warmth enveloping me, all I could manage was a dazed,

"Huh?"