CH 415

You Can’t Escape from The Wisdom of the Empire

“So that’s Mia Luna Tearmoon, the Great Wisdom of the Empire…”

Yuhal Tafrif Perujin, the King of Perujin, watched as his people cheered as Mia climbed the golden hill. He could tell that their feelings were real. People who had been annoyed when he told them to get together for the Tearmoon princess’s welcome were now very happy to see her.

“A very clever way to change the people’s minds… That is very impressive. I can see that the Great Wisdom of the Empire doesn’t have to follow pointless noble traditions. Instead, she’s a realist with an eye for what works.”

She was completely ready to ignore the rules of polite society in order to win people’s hearts, which was a lot like how merchants work. Yuhal gave a disgusted snort.

“With her heart, she looks down on us, but with her eyes, she looks up at us. Such a clever girl…”

He knew that the nobles did not all think the same way. There were people among the dumb glory-seekers who were always logical and lived by the idea that “pride is worth nothing compared to material gain.” From his point of view, Princess Mia was definitely one of these rare animals. He thought she was a realist who would put money before pride.

“But does she know anything about the properties of our wheat?”

Normal wheat was sharp and hurt when you touched it with bare hands, and it often made your skin itch for a while afterward. Through selective breeding, most of the thorns on Perujin wheat were taken off, but that shouldn’t be clear to someone who doesn’t know much about plants. If she had stepped on them knowing they were safe, then her sharp mind and senses were something to be careful of, if not afraid of.

“Or maybe she didn’t care one way or the other?”

His eyebrows moved as he realized something. If she had hurt her feet by stepping on the wheat, she could have used that as a way to get more money. Maybe she had always planned to do that. She didn’t think Perujin would be careless with their preparations, but if they were, she wouldn’t mind.

“Either she knew about our wheat ahead of time, or she had faith in how much we cared about our guests, or she knew she could play either hand, thorns or not.”

No matter what she was thinking, her behaviors had to be planned. He couldn’t think of anything else. He might have thought that because he didn’t want to see it as anything else. He had sworn to get even with the empire’s princess, so she had to be a dangerous person. A dangerous enemy with ice in her heart. She had to be a cruel opponent who would crush his people at any chance, or she had to pretend to be kind to the masses until the situation suited her inner cruelty. He had to have her. Because if not, what would that say about him? And all the risks he took?

He would fight for what was owed to him. It was time to make things fair.

Yuhal saw only what he wanted to see. He believed what he wanted to believe. His world was a fabrication that made sense at the time.

“Still, who would have thought that the first time a member of Tearmoon’s royal family came to Auro Ardea, she would walk up the slope herself? Some things are just impossible to predict…”

As he said those words, he felt something strange go through his head. It brought back an old memory that was more of a feeling than a thought.

“No, it’s not possible… The queen consort, who was her mother… She’s been here before, right? Wait, did I just remember a dream?”

In the pool of his thoughts, ethereal pieces gently rose to the surface, but they were too faint to tell if they were real or not. Yuhal made a funny face at how fuzzy this memory was. He finally gave up and shook his head.

“Am I now mixing my dreams with reality? I can see that getting older is bad for memory.” He made a dry, gravelly sound as he laughed bitterly.

—

“It means a lot to us that you made the long trip here to see us in person, Princess Mia.”

Yuhal came out to meet Mia just as she reached the top of the golden hill.

“I am Yuhal Tafrif Perujin, King of Perujin. It makes me very happy to meet you.”

Then, he knelt down on one knee. This was not something a king should do with the princess of Tearmoon. Yuhal, on the other hand, was also able to put his pride aside when he had to. A welcome from the king of a vassal state should be done with a lot of humility, especially if the king needs to draw attention away from his evil plans.

“My, Your Majesty, that was very kind of you. My name is Mia Luna Tearmoon, and it’s nice to meet you as well.” She curtsied in return.

“I know you’ve been really nice to my daughters I’m sorry I didn’t say thank you in person sooner. Even though it’s not much, we’ve set up a welcome feast in your honor for tonight. If you are not too tired from the trip, it would be great if you could be there.”

“Wow, that sounds great. I will definitely be at this party. I will never pass up a chance to try more Peruvian food, no matter how tired I am or how full I am. The food here is just perfect! I can’t wait to have a good time tonight.”

After the normal compliments, Mia put a finger to her chin in a curious way.

“On that note, I do have a request.”

“A request? What is it?”

“This feast is a welcome one for me… Could I request that Shalloak Cornrogue also be invited?”

“Oh?”

Yuhal was surprised when the unmentioned name popped up out of the blue. He took a quick look at Rania, who refused to look at him, and held back a sigh.

So that’s how the secret got out… I didn’t think my own kid would betray me.

He though, without changing a thing about his face, “But he’s just an average merchant. I don’t see how he would be a good fit for your evening dinner party. What do you find interesting about him?”

Even though it wasn’t said outright, it was clear that a trader shouldn’t have been invited to a banquet to welcome the princess of Tearmoon. Mia, on the other hand, smiled and said, “As a matter of fact…”

Her answer was cut off when her carriage pulled up. Two girls about the same age as her walked out, then a maid and a young guy with glasses. Mia turned to face them and said it again.

“In fact,” she said, “my friend Tatiana is very thankful to this Shalloak guy and would love to meet him and thank him in person.”

When she looked at Tatiana, the girl tensed up because she didn’t expect the attention.

I see. She has already prepared the excuse. Well, I guess that’s what I’d expect from someone of her level…

Yuhal looked at Mia, who was younger than his own children, and decided to be even more careful around her.

“Oho ho,” Mia laughed. “I’ve heard he’s a very kind man, and I can’t wait to hear about everything he’s done for her.”

He gave a careful nod, noting that her smile was strange.

“Is that true? I guess I’ll make arrangements for it then.”

He couldn’t get out of the request, so he fought the urge to grimace and did what was asked.