...Though, when Jeanne had entered the room, the first thing that had caught her
attention was the bed off in the corner.
"Sir Souma, what is that bed for?" she asked.
"It's mine," I said. "I'm too busy to have a room of my own."
"You sleep in the governmental affairs office?!"
"I am ashamed to admit it, but yes," Hakuya, not I, said, sounding deeply
embarrassed.
However, it apparently wasn't the fact that I slept in the office itself that
surprised Jeanne. "I never thought there would be a king doing the same things as
my sister..."
"Come again?" I asked, startled.
Her sister... That'd be Madam Maria, right? Huh? The empress sleeps in the
governmental affairs office, too?!
When I asked her about it, Jeanne awkwardly responded, "She does have her own
room, too, of course, but when she finds herself busy with administrative work, she
sleeps in a bed that's been set up in the office, yes. What's more, in my sister's case,
she doesn't settle for a simple bed. She's brought in a proper, comfy one. That makes
it all the worse."
I was silent.
I wonder why, I thought. Right now, I feel an incredible kinship with the Saint of the
Empire.
"My sister needs to realize that she's the ruler of a vast empire," said Jeanne. "I
keep telling her not to do it, and to consider how it looks to her vassals, but all I get
in return is, 'I don't see the problem. I sleep so well in this bed.' She doesn't listen to
me at all."
When Jeanne said that with a sigh, for some reason, Hakuya was nodding along. "I
understand. I don't know how many times I've advised His Majesty to get his own
room and sleep there. Yet, every time I do, he brushes me off with a simple, 'But this
is more efficient.'"
"Oh, I understand," said Jeanne. "I know she's tired from her work, but I wish
she'd consider how her subordinates see her a little more. Especially since my sister
has this image of being a saint, I'd rather she not do anything too unseemly."
"I can understand that," said Hakuya. "I've given up on that front. His Majesty
could have carried the title of 'hero,' but everything he does is so..."
The two of them just keep saying, "I understand, I understand," I thought. Why are
they hitting it off so well?
"I think it's good that when Sir Souma does it, at least he's doing it calculatingly,"
said Jeanne. "When my sister does it, it's just laziness. She can be a bit of an airhead
at times, too."
"Well, at least that's cute," said Hakuya. "In His Majesty's case, I think it's all the
worse because he's planned it out. Why does the king who is so good at listening to
his subjects in matters of state pretend not to hear a word I say when it comes to
advising him on his personal life?"
"I can see you've been put through a lot, too, Sir Hakuya," said Jeanne.
"No, no, Madam Jeanne, you must have had it worse," said Hakuya.
Jeanne and Hakuya were really hitting it off. They looked like they might
exchange a firm handshake at any moment.
And so, right here, right now, the "Association of the Victims of Slothful Masters"
was formed. That was a joke I couldn't laugh at. It was getting awkward for me, and I
wanted to move the conversation along to another topic quickly, but if I interrupted
now, I was going to get a scolding and get slapped with a paper fan, so I decided to
keep quiet for a little while.
I watched carefully for their conversation settle down a bit, then, clearing my
throat loudly, I gestured for Jeanne to take a seat at the long table in the middle of
the room. "Well, anyway, take a seat. Let's get right to the negotiations."
"Ah... Right. Very well." Jeanne's expression changed, and she sat at the table.
Once we were both seated across from each other at the long table, Jeanne looked
me in the eye and began. "I suppose the first order of business is your current
occupation of Van."
I said nothing.
"As much as I truly regret that I must say this, I did give my word to Sir Julius, so
the Empire has a role it must fulfill here," she said. "Could you please return Van?"
"There's no need to rush to the conclusion like that," I said. "I mean, this is a rare
chance for the head of the kingdom and the Empire's number two to negotiate
directly. There are a lot of things I want to take this opportunity to discuss, and a lot
of information I want to share. Let's leave any topic that might put us both in a foul
mood for after all of that."
Jeanne took on a pensive look, but eventually she nodded. "...Well, then. In that
case, I would like to call in the bureaucrats from my country who are standing by
outside the castle here. Would that be acceptable?"
"I'll allow it," I said. "They'll have to go through a body check first, though. ...Is
someone there?"
When I called out towards the entrance, Serina responded, "Pardon me," and
entered the room.
Wait, why's Serina here?! I thought.
"...Didn't I ask you to keep Sir Julius entertained?" I demanded.
"I have already finished with the entertainment," Serina said with a nonchalant
look on her face.
It's only evening, but Julius is already passed out drunk? I thought incredulously.
Serina... you really are a terrifying woman.
"Is something the matter, sire?" she asked.
"Oh, no... Gather our bureaucrats and the ones who came with Jeanne, please. Be
sure to at least give them a cursory search for weapons and the like."
"Very well." Serina departed with an elegant bow.
If there was one person I never wanted to make an enemy of, it was her...