The Duke's Daughter Goes Her Own Way
[Until You Call Me 'Friend'... (3)]
Translated by: ME
Tipping back his glass after the toast, Elrod looked at me and grinned.
Somehow, it was an 'unreadable' smile.
We members of the royal family, due to our work, have many opportunities to meet and talk with numerous people.
We are taught how to behave and speak on such occasions.
We must not say clumsy things and insult the other party, nor must we give them verbal leverage in negotiations that could force us into a disadvantageous position.
And at such times, we are also taught techniques for reading the other party's emotions and thoughts from their gestures and expressions.
For example, small gestures of the hands and feet, eye movements, and how expressions are formed. Techniques to discern what kind of person the other party is from such details.
But the smile on Elrod's face before me didn't fit any of those things I had learned.
It wasn't servile, but neither was it insolent. Yet it wasn't innocent enough to be described as 'carefree.'
I couldn't tell what he was thinking, nor what kind of person he was.
The only thing I could say was that he was probably a tricky character who wouldn't be handled easily.
「Now then, Carl.」
Being addressed without any title, which almost never happens, made me startle slightly.
「What is it?」
「Weren't you supposed to be 'recuperating from an illness' right now?」
His tone wasn't accusatory. It was just a tone of confirmation.
「That's right. ...Did you hear that from my father?」
「Well, you could say that.」
I nodded slightly at Elrod, who gave a somewhat evasive answer.
It's royal family territory within the Macnagan duchy. Since it's royal family territory, there's no problem with a member of the royal family going there.
But to get there, you absolutely must pass through the Macnagan duchy.
So, it wouldn't be strange if a notification had been sent to the Duke Macnagan from the castle's internal affairs office or somewhere. In fact, it would be problematic if one *hadn't* been sent.
And if the Duke had been informed, it wouldn't be strange at all for his heir to have heard about it.
「Is your health much better now?」
「It's much better compared to when I first arrived here.」
As for 'when I'm returning,' I haven't thought about that yet.
I know I have to return.
It's early summer now.
If I don't return within the year, it will be tantamount to abandoning my right to the throne.
But I still haven't been able to decide on a time to return to the castle.
「You don't plan on 'not returning'... or anything like that, do you?」
With the same unreadable smile, he hit the nail on the head.
「No... I don't think so.」
I felt somewhat pathetic for not being able to say it definitively.
Perhaps because of this feeling of inadequacy, I slightly averted my gaze downward. Elrod let out a small sigh.
Had I disappointed him?
When I glanced towards Elrod, he drained his glass of wine in one go.
「Hey, what are you doing? Finish that off quickly.」
I was somewhat taken aback as Elrod pointed at my untouched glass.
Since he told me to finish it, I downed the contents of my glass in one go.
It was an incredibly smooth drink, and I felt it was a waste to have gulped it down like that.
「Alright, let's go.」
Urging me on, Elrod stood up, told the woman who had brought the glasses, 「You can do what you like with the remaining wine,」 and started walking.
「You say 'let's go,' but where are we going?」
Chasing after Elrod, who had started walking, I began to walk as well.
Elrod waved back to the citizens calling out to him, but didn't slow his pace.
「We're going to do a full circuit of the festival. If we don't hurry, it'll get dark.」
「Ah... wait for me!」
I hurriedly chased after Elrod, who was walking off at a brisk pace.
＊ ＊ ＊
After Elrod guided me around the town, and as the sun began to set, he brought me to a park, saying it was the 「final touch.」
It was a hill... or rather, a fairly low mountain, perhaps?
At its top was a very spacious park.
The summit had been cleared to make a square, with promenades laid out and something like a kiosk. Stalls were also lined up near the kiosk.
Since it took a fair amount of energy to climb up, many stalls were just giving out water or serving light snacks.
I received a cup of water in a wooden tumbler and felt relieved.
For someone who had been bedridden until just a few days ago, climbing a mountain, even if it was just a hill, was quite taxing.
「...Is Your Highness alright?」
I smiled at my valet, who looked slightly worried, as I returned the tumbler to the stall keeper.
「I'm tired, admittedly. But I'm fine.」
I probably still had enough energy to get back to the carriage we had parked.
What happened after that, I don't know...
「Come on, Carl, over here.」
Even though he had been moving around just as much, Elrod was full of energy. I'm jealous... I need to work a bit harder on building up my stamina...
Elrod again walked off at a very fast pace.
I found myself half-jogging to catch up once more.
At the back of the large park was an observatory that overlooked the town.
It was probably a popular spot for lovers. There were a great many couples snuggling close. ...I didn't know where to look.
Elrod walked to a less crowded corner and stopped.
From there, you could see a panoramic view of the ducal capital's townscape.
The sun had set during the climb, and while it was still bright from the afterglow, night would fall soon.
Because it was that time, lights were beginning to twinkle here and there in the townscape below.
「So, what did you think of the capital?」
Elrod asked me as I stood next to him, while he gazed at the lights below.
One by one, lights were coming on here and there.
「It was very lively, I was surprised. The people coming and going were all smiling... They treated me, a first-time visitor, with the same smile they'd give a familiar customer... It was fresh, and it made me happy.」
It was my honest impression.
In the royal capital, I often go 'on inspection' to the city below the castle as well.
The people of the royal capital also welcome me with smiles.
But the 'quality' of their smiles is different from the people of this town.
「...Well, it might be because I'm hiding my status.」
If they knew I was the Crown Prince, I probably wouldn't receive the same friendly smiles as today.
Like in the royal capital, there would be those who respect me, those who flatter me, those who curry favor...
「Regarding status, they probably wouldn't care much, I think.」
「You think so...?」
「Didn't you see how people acted towards me? 'Young master' is practically a nickname.」
Hearing that, I couldn't help but let out a small laugh.
It was true; the attitude of the townspeople towards Elrod was not what you would expect towards the lord's son and next Duke.
Everyone called him 'El,' 'El-boy,' 'young master,' and most didn't use honorifics at all.
「Even if you revealed your status, probably only their choice of words would change.」
「If that's the case, that sounds comfortable.」
I realized this as I muttered my reply.
Yes. It had been comfortable.
No one saw me as the 'Crown Prince.'
No one called me 'Your Highness.'
Ah... It seems I still can't go back to the castle...
If the thought of those who address me with respect as 'Your Highness' makes me feel this gloomy...
「Carl.」
Hearing my name called, I lifted my head, which I hadn't realized I had lowered.
There was Elrod, smiling as if to say, 「What am I going to do with you?」
「Keep your face up, if you can. If you look down, your field of vision narrows. ...Now, what do you see over there?」
What Elrod pointed to with his hand was the townscape spread out below.
The evening darkness was deepening, and the town's lights had increased considerably.
The twinkling lights were just like a starry sky.
「The capital of the Macnagan duchy...」
The scene below wasn't a starry sky. It was the town where I had been just moments ago.
「Correct. Now, what are those lights?」
「The lights from the houses, the streetlights... right?」
I should at least know that much.
「Then, what does it mean that the houses are lit up?」
「Because it's gotten dark outside and there's insufficient light?」
What is this question about?
「That's correct, but it's not the answer.」
Saying this, Elrod looked at the even more numerous town lights and gave a small laugh.
「Those lights mean 'there are people lighting them.' 'There are people living and breathing there.' ...So, what is it that we should do?」
We...
He is the 'Lord of the Macnagan Duchy,' and I am the 'Next King.'
What we should do is...
「To protect those lights... To ensure they are never extinguished, to pass them on.」
「Yes. Correct.」
In the blink of an eye, the surroundings grew dark, and in contrast, the lights below were very bright.
「The people you passed by or exchanged words with today are somewhere among those lights. What we must do is probably make them believe that tomorrow will come, just like today did.」
Just like today...
「Well, I don't know what kind of 'monarch' you aim to be.」
But at the very least, this showed that Elrod thought that way.
That tomorrow would come, just like today.
That meant there was no great anxiety about the foundations of their daily lives.
Depending on an individual's standard of living, there might be those for whom life is day-to-day. But even for those people, it meant ensuring they could live without thinking, 'The country might be gone tomorrow.'
And, if possible, reducing the number of people who harbor anxieties about tomorrow to the absolute minimum.
Ah, somehow...
「...It's a monumental task...」
And it has no end.
Is that what I'm supposed to carry?
「But you must not misunderstand.」
Hearing his quiet voice, I looked at Elrod beside me.
He was looking straight at me, smiling.
「You... no, Your Highness, are absolutely not alone.」
Elrod's tone had changed.
That was surely a remonstrance from a subject to his lord.
Even if he says I'm not alone...
「...I have no tangible sense of that...」
A word of weakness inadvertently slipped out.
I have nothing right now.
Like the kings of old, I have no friend I can call my one and only, no beloved partner.
I have a fiancée, but ours is a strategic relationship built on various circumstances; there is some affection, but not much love. ...And I don't know what she thinks either.
「Carl.」
Called in a slightly exasperated tone, I once again lifted my gaze, which I hadn't realized had fallen.
There was Elrod, smiling with the same exasperation I heard in his voice.
「I'd like to invite you to my house on a day that suits you. What do you say?」
「To the Duke's residence...?」
The Duke's residence is located away from the central street of the capital.
Generally, cities are formed around the royal castle in the royal capital or the lord's mansion in a ducal capital, but here it's different. Whether there's a reason or not...
So, I had never seen the Macnagan Duke's residence.
「Well, I don't mind, but...」
「Then I'll send a messenger another day. ...Oh, that's right. When you come to the house, that ill-fitting wig and glasses won't be necessary.」
Ill-fitting...
The wig certainly felt awkward to me too. But I had grown somewhat fond of the glasses...
「They're ill-fitting, huh...」
「They don't suit you.」
Laughing as he said it, Elrod reached over towards me.
Wondering what he was doing, I watched as his hand simply took the glasses I was wearing.
「Whether you change your hair color or hide your face, you are you. You cannot become 'someone else' or 'something else.'」
Feeling seen through, I averted my gaze again.
「Even with just this single small piece of glass between us, the world you see is probably different. You should first look at 'the world' with your own eyes.」
Elrod folded the arms of the glasses he was holding and pressed them into my hand.
「...Well, the sun has completely set. Let's call it a day here and head back.」
Saying that, Elrod started walking, but I was blankly staring at the glasses pressed into my hand.
「Carl!」
Elrod, who had been walking ahead, turned around and called out.
At his voice, I lifted my gaze from my hand.
「Lift your face. Move your feet. Come on, let's go home!」
「...Ah.」
At his urging words, I slowly began to walk.
＊ ＊ ＊
A few days later, a letter arrived from Elrod.
It was properly sealed with the Macnagan ducal house crest, and both the envelope and the stationery bore the ducal house's emblem.
It wasn't that I doubted him, but I had a strange, concrete realization that he really was 'Elrod Macnagan.'
The contents were that he wanted to invite me to his house, and to please let him know a day that suited me.
I wrote a reply on stationery bearing the Crown Prince's crest.
If the wig and glasses weren't necessary, it could only mean that Elrod was inviting 'Crown Prince Carl Edial Belkraine.'
Being the 'Crown Prince'... I felt my mood grow slightly heavier.
＊ ＊ ＊
A few more days later.
I boarded the ducal house carriage that had come to pick me up at the detached palace and headed for the Macnagan Duke's residence.
The Duke's residence was located just beyond the central street of the capital.
Unlike the bustling capital, the area around the Duke's residence was a quiet forest. There were no private houses or such.
Only the road was well-maintained; it was a place with nothing in particular except for the large mansion standing imposingly.
Upon my arrival, the Duke, the Duchess, Elrod, and all the servants came out to greet me.
「We are relieved to see you have arrived safely.」
「Thank you.」
Well, it's only about two hours by carriage from the detached palace. I'd be surprised if anything *had* happened.
There was no point in nitpicking a standard polite greeting.
After exchanging greetings, the Duke and Duchess said to Elrod, 「We leave the rest to you,」 and took their leave.
「This way, please, Your Highness.」
Urging me on, Elrod walked ahead.
He stopped partway and called out to a man waiting there.
「Joey, please have tea brought to my office.」
「Understood.」
The man who bowed politely was the same one who had opened the wine bottle at the festival the other day.
Was he a valet or something?
「Be sure to think *con·ven·tion·al·ly* and bring tea suitable for His Highness the Crown Prince.」
To Elrod, who spoke in an enunciating tone, the man called Joey nodded once.
「By the conventional standards of the ducal house—」
「Wait. That already includes an unnecessary qualifier.」
「The 'conventional' part?」
Elrod let out a sigh at Joey, who looked genuinely puzzled, then looked at a man waiting in the depths of the entrance hall.
「Alf! Sorry to trouble you, but could you prepare the tea!?」
「As you wish.」
The man who bowed with a polite and elegant bow was probably the butler or something.
The man in the tailcoat gave some instructions to the waiting maids and other servants, then left, taking Joey with him.
＊ ＊ ＊
Where Elrod guided me was his office.
A large desk was placed at the far end of the room, with mountains of documents and books piled on it.
「Is your official work keeping you busy?」
At my words, Elrod seemed to notice what I was looking at.
He walked over to the desk and tapped the piled-up mountain of paper.
「These are all things that aren't urgent. I just keep them piled up here where I can see them so I don't forget. ...Please, have a seat.」
I obediently followed Elrod's indication towards the sofa set in the center of the room.
My eyes casually fell upon the table in front of me.
It was a magnificent item, both substantial and elegant.
「Is this table from a workshop in the Macnagan duchy?」
「Yes. The sofa you're sitting on now, and that office desk over there, are too.」
Looking as instructed, they did indeed seem to be from the same workshop.
They weren't flashy, but were solidly built with a sense of substance.
「So, do you prioritize purchasing products from your own duchy?」
There are probably quite a few lords who do that.
As a way to protect their duchy's industries, they buy them preferentially and gift them to other nobles to promote them.
But Elrod laughed merrily at my words.
「No, we don't. Even if we don't buy them, there are probably enough buyers.」
...That's true too.
This table, for instance, is likely a product of a famous workshop in the Macnagan duchy.
It's known for its very high quality, and its simple yet refined, substantial beauty is favored not only by nobles but also by scholars and the like.
「These guys have been here for about seventy years. They're apparently prototypes from when the workshop was first established, made through trial and error by the craftsmen of the time and the head of our house.」
Elrod, who had sat down opposite me, tapped the seat of the sofa he was sitting on and laughed.
「They're ridiculously sturdy, so they're very useful, saving us the trouble of replacement.」
＊ ＊ ＊
Maids came, set tea and sweets on the table, and left.
Since Elrod seemed to want privacy, only he and I were in the room. Well, my guard knights were standing outside the door.
「Now then...」
After taking a sip of tea, Elrod set his cup down, looked at me, and grinned.
「There's something I wanted to confirm with you today.」
Confirm?
As I tilted my head in curiosity, Elrod, with his same unreadable smile, said,
「You plan to return to the royal capital eventually, right? ...By the end of *this year*, at the latest.」
How does he know?
I was both surprised and slightly confused.
The fact that I had left the castle was probably known by all the nobles.
And since the Macnagan ducal house was where I had chosen to recuperate, they must have received some information from the castle.
But.
What happens if I don't return within the year – that shouldn't be known by anyone.
「We received a letter from His Majesty the King addressed to my father. It said he would be using the Golden Lion detached palace... And that the person staying there wasn't just a royal relative or a mere prince, but His Highness the Crown Prince. It asked him to please take good care of you.」
That makes sense.
I can understand that far. In fact, it's only natural.
「That letter contained details. About your symptoms, and the condition His Majesty set of 'within this year.'」
「Why...」
Why would he divulge such important information to the Macnagan Duke, who is just one noble among others in the kingdom?
If it led to talk of usurping the throne or such—
Thinking that, I suddenly calmed down.
That wouldn't happen.
Because it's the Macnagan ducal house.
They don't interact much with other nobles, show no interest in politics, and spend most of the year in their territory.
They don't engage in social activities, yet contribute to the nation through their unique industries and substantial tax revenue.
Even if something were leaked to this family, the path leading forward from them is practically non-existent.
「We have no intention of revealing matters the royal family wishes to keep secret.」
That's what it meant.
「So, it means you are trusted that much.」
「Well, that might be part of it, but it's a little different.」
Elrod took another sip of tea and gave a small laugh.
「His Majesty knows that we do not wish for the country to fall into turmoil.」
「But aren't those who wish for the country to fall into turmoil in the minority...?」
And if someone actively participates in that, aren't they simply traitors?
「There are plenty of professions that profit more when the country is in turmoil.」
「Ah... well, that's true.」
Artisans who make weapons and armor are prime examples. Merchants who deal in such goods would be too. And those who own mines producing the metals that are the basis for all armaments, those who buy and sell food, the foundation of all life...
There are plenty of people who profit when the country is in turmoil and its political functions are paralyzed.
「But you see, this land, the 'Macnagan Duchy,' neither gains nor loses any benefit even if the country falls into turmoil.」
Saying this, Elrod held out what looked like a ledger of some kind to me.
「This is just one example. It's the transaction records of the largest merchant guild in this duchy.」
Taking it, I saw it was indeed the ledger of transaction records for a certain merchant guild.
It was the largest guild in the Macnagan duchy, and one of the top ten in size within the kingdom.
I flipped through a few pages.
This guild's main trade items were crafts and furniture. Their trading partners included workshops like the one that made the sofa I was sitting on.
Looking through it, the purchases were, of course, all from workshops within the Macnagan duchy, and the sales destinations were also largely within the duchy – restaurants, hotels, and noble villas within the territory, like the detached palace I was staying in.
...Well, not just largely; *most* of the sales destinations were within the duchy. There were some merchant guilds from the royal capital among the trading partners, but they were an extremely small minority.
「We produce things within the duchy, and the merchant guilds and we ourselves within the duchy buy them. Then we distribute them within the duchy. Not just furniture, but almost all industries operate this way in the Macnagan duchy.」
Lifting my eyes from the ledger, I saw Elrod grinning.
His smile was hard to decipher in terms of its meaning.
「You have a grasp of the financial situations of the major nobles in the country, right?」
「If by 'major,' then yes.」
I can't manage those nobles who don't hold decent territories or engage in business.
「Then, how much knowledge do you have about our Macnagan duchy?」
The Macnagan duchy is...
I flipped through the data in my mind.
「Its territory is the largest in the kingdom, about twenty percent of the national land. Its industries are diverse, and the tax revenue from the duchy exceeds thirty percent of the nation's annual tax revenue. Its population is the second largest after the royal capital, and its crime rate per capita is the lowest in the kingdom...」
Yes.
Except for the single point of 'population,' this land, the Macnagan duchy, holds the crown of 'number one in the kingdom' in almost every category.
When you think about it, it's an incredible land.
The only area where it concedes first place is population, but the royal capital, while populous, has a significant number of non-working or unemployed people. This is because there are fewer jobs relative to the population.
Additionally, since there are many nobles, jobs serving them require a certain level of education and mastery of etiquette.
But this duchy also has a very low percentage of non-working or unemployed people.
This is partly due to the sheer number of industries, but above all, the existence of unique educational facilities for training artisans probably plays a big role.
There are several policies I'd like the nation to emulate.
「Feel free to copy them if you want.」
I was somewhat surprised by Elrod, who said this while laughing.
「But those are unique policies of the Macnagan duchy...」
「We're not keeping them secret or anything. If you think something is 'good,' feel free to adopt it. We have no intention of faulting you for that.」
What a bold statement.
There must have been trial and error before the 'methods' were established. And 'trial and error' costs both time and money.
And yet, he says, 「Feel free to copy them.」
「Now, our Macnagan duchy is exactly the kind of land you just described. And almost all industries in this land operate within the duchy itself. Even so, profit is generated, and taxes are paid properly. ...So, what would happen if the framework of the 'nation' were to disappear?」
If the nation were to disappear...
Normally, a 'territory' is, first and foremost, under the protection of the 'nation.' A lord, who holds a peerage bestowed by the nation, governs a territory granted by the nation.
If the internal management of the territory falters, intervention from the nation is possible.
If operating funds are insufficient, there are public funds that can lend money.
A territory can enact its own laws, but that freedom exists only within the bounds of the national "Territorial Law."
Even when setting tax rates, they are only granted discretionary power within the range stipulated by the Territorial Law and the Tax Law.
If all those frameworks were removed...
「My prediction is that over half of the territories would become unviable.」
I nodded honestly at Elrod's words.
「I think you're probably right.」
First, those unsuited to being 'lords' would be eliminated. Either they would step down voluntarily, or the people of the territory would overthrow them.
And if someone who cannot understand 'the law' rises to the top, it would become a literal 'lawless zone.'
Funds for operating a territory don't just spring forth on their own. If someone who cannot understand that rises to the top, the finances would easily collapse, and it would become a harsh land to live in.
When freed from that 'freedom within a framework,' the number of territories that would likely become unviable is probably around half, just as Elrod said.
「So, what about the Macnagan territory? At the very least, I cannot see a future where this territory perishes, even if the kingdom were to be destroyed.」
That is certainly true as well.
In fact, without the framework, this territory might expect even greater development.
「If a situation arose where the nation were to disappear, or something like that...」
Elrod paused slightly, then looked straight at me and smiled.
His expression was gentle and familiar, like one you'd direct towards an old friend.
「We will always be 'here.' You can rely on us as much as you need.」
Always, here...
「The Macnagan duchy is that kind of place.」
'That kind'?
As I narrowed my eyes, not understanding the referent, Elrod smiled slightly, looking amused.
「In other words, we are the 'last bastion for you Belkraine Royal Family,' or perhaps the 'place where you are permitted to take refuge.'」
For us...
「From the first generation onward, this Macnagan duchy has been operated with that sentiment.」
「From the first generation...」
From that overly outrageous first Duke...
Ah, but.
The first Duke Macnagan, for all his unconventional and unrestrained words and actions, was always concerned about his younger brother. That much is certain.
Even if his own hands were stained with blood, even if he took wounds in his brother's place.
He was a person who was always there, laughing, neither claiming credit for these deeds nor seeming troubled by them.
...The first King really was lucky, wasn't he?
To have someone he could confidently rely on. To have something to cling to at the very end.
Having that probably doesn't unconditionally make you stronger.
Even so, wouldn't it change one's state of mind?
At the very least, wouldn't it lessen the vague, groundless anxiety I'm carrying now?
「Well, they probably had the strong bond of 'blood relation.'」
Elrod looked at me and smiled, again looking just a little amused.
「We of the Macnagan ducal house are always watching you, the royal family.」
Watching? What does that mean?
「...You mean, like 'surveillance'?」
「No, it's more like 'observation.' Or perhaps it's better to say we're just watching from a distance.」
...Is it appropriate for someone in the position of 'Duke' to 'watch from a distance' the royal family...? Given that they are supposed to be in the position closest to us...
No, perhaps that's precisely what makes the 'Macnagan ducal house.'
Elrod took a sip of tea and let out a small sigh.
「Shall we talk a little about this 'Macnagan ducal house'?」
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