Chapter 92: Three Birds With One Stone
"Sister! I heard that you were ill!?"
I was the most surprised I've been in a while when I saw Rain being ushered into the parlor.
The First Princess Rain is almost the same age as Mother.
A princess who was known for her lady-like martial arts and dynamic personality.
I was surprised to see her, as I had heard that she had been suffering from a serious illness recently.
She was in such high spirits that she didn't look like a sick person.
"I can't be resting, not at a time like this."
"Eh?"
"I need to be thanking, Noah. I came to thank you."
"Thank me?"
I tilted my head, wondering what she was talking about.
"I heard what you did for Arlene."
"Ahh."
"So, just a little while ago, I knocked out all the women staying at Husband's place."
"Husband ...Ahh"
The rest of the story finally came into focus here.
Alan, Rain's husband.
As the princess's husband, he is in a way the man who is doing the most normal thing.
The husband of the Imperial Princess is treated as a subject unless there is something wrong with him.
And because she is a princess, she's not asked to have an heir.
If there is no heir, it can't be helped.
Therefore, many of the husbands of the Imperial Princess have concubines in their lives, rather than only the Imperial Princess.
This is semi-official recognition.
It is better to get rid of your desire with other women than to turn the sluttish thoughts toward the Imperial Princess.
When you are the husband of an Imperial Princess, a quasi-royalty figure, it is only natural to have a concubine or two.
For men, it is better to have a concubine they can control than to have a princess who is above them in any way, and they can maintain their pride.
It is rare for a man to say he wants to be with Arlene like Angus.
"Noah, thanks to you, I can now fight those thieving cats proudly."
"I see."
I chuckled.
The fact that it is natural does not mean that there is no jealousy on the part of the Princess.
Because it's not dignified to be jealous of your subjects, so you can't show it openly — no, you can't do anything at all because it's even more disgraceful to sneak around.
Now that the 'jealousy' was excused, Rain moved quickly.
It seems that what I did for Arlene and the others helped Rain, even if in a different way.
"That's fine, sister, but don't take it too hard. I've read the medical officer's report."
"I've recovered, you know."
"Eh?"
"After I beat those thieving cats out of there, I feel incredibly light."
" .... I see."
It is said that sickness and health begin with the heart.
And there is also mental illness.
I don't know which one Rain's is, but apparently, she was properly cured by that one.
"Thank you so much, Noah."
"You're welcome. So, sister, what are you going to do now?"
"About what now?"
"After knocking out the concubines."
"That's ...."
Hmm?
What is this reaction?
Rain, who's getting pretty old, started blushing and fidgeting.
"Sister?"
"I just remembered what he said to me the night we got married."
"Haah."
I wondered what those words were.
A memory of the two of them, and probably from their wedding night.
I knew better than to ask too deeply.
"So I thought, ... now that the thieving cats are gone, I might as well forgive him."
"I see. Well then, good luck, sister, and if there is anything I can do, please let me know."
"Yes. Thank you, Noah.
☆
There is the word, unintentional.
Noah's sequence of actions was just like that.
Imperial Princesses have had a significantly shorter lifespan than their kinsmen.
In the several hundred years of their history, only two have exceeded the age of 60.
However, after this measure by Noah, the life expectancy of the Imperial Princesses increased significantly.
It was not immediately clear at the time. Still, it was revealed in later generations that the liberation of the Imperial Princesses from the customs that had bound them had greatly increased their life expectancy.
It was a small but certainly historic achievement of Noah's generation.
☆
The next day, in the study.
I called Henry and Oscar over.
We conducted government business in the usual manner, with me sitting and Henry and Oscar standing across the desk from each other.
"That's why Oscar. I want you to review the budget for the Princesses who have married. It may not be much from the annual budget, but it's to show that I'm serious about this."
"Your Majesty, about that, shouldn't we be a little more careful?"
"Hmm?"
I look Oscar straight in the eye as he makes his rebuttal.
"The tradition has been carried on for hundreds of years in the Empire. I don't think it's a good idea to suddenly abolish it. I think it would be fine to call Arlene's case a special exception."
"I see."
Oscar had a good point.
These old traditions are strongly opposed if you try to break them suddenly.
Even the Emperor cannot do everything he wants to do.
This is especially true concerning traditions.
In a sense, tweaking traditions is a challenge to the Emperors of the past.
The resistance and backlash are sometimes stronger than expected.
But,
"It has already been decided, there will be no change."
"I hope you will reconsider."
"..."
"Oscar."
Henry, who had been quietly watching the proceedings until then, opened his mouth to speak next.
"What is it, brother?"
"There has been a move in Turbaif."
"Now the princesses–"
"It shows the seriousness of the Emperor who is willing to lower the privileges of the Imperial Princesses to allow them to marry. Voices of that kind were heard from within the Turbaif."
"–! Your Majesty, ..., now way for this to happen."
"Yeah."
I nodded deeply.
The moment I heard Angus' direct appeal, I had drawn this picture in my mind.
The privileges of a married Princess are not limited to the Empire.
In fact, their privileges come into play when they are sent to other countries.
Naturally, a married Princess is both hostage and guest.
Neglecting her is almost the same as declaring hostility to the Empire.
Therefore, the Princess is treated on the same level even after marriage.
I took that away.
"Was this your intention all along?"
"..."
I smiled at him.
Without responding directly, I stood up and looked out the window behind me.
"I hope they'll behave themselves."
It was a continuation of the words I had used when I decided to send the three princesses off to a political marriage.
"As expected of His Majesty. If you have gone this far, I am sure that Turbaif will shed tears of joy and follow your orders."
"One cannot be too careful, though. Keep your guard up."
"Yes, sir."
Henry bowed deeply.
I stared at Oscar.
Our eyes met, and we stared at each other for a while.
Oscar said, "I understand," and agreed to review the budget.
Henry and Oscar both left the room together.
"Haah...."
"That didn't go so well."
Don said as he came in to take over.
"Hm?"
"His Highness didn't accept Your Majesty's wishes, did he?"
"I'm surprised you noticed that, ...."
"Your Majesty is indeed very good."
I sighed again at Don's compliment.
"I went out of my way to call Oscar, the Minister of the Imperial Household, and spoke to him directly, even though it was just a matter of sending a single document to the relevant department through the Fourth Vizier."
It was to,
"I will do whatever it takes to bring about the reign of the monarchy."
This was to convey a message to him.
Following in my father's footsteps, I'm building an intelligence network.
I'm using more than just Fuwawa's box; I'm also using people who are more in the dark.
And from all over the place came reports of disturbing – if not outright unrest – in Oscar.
If anyone interfered even if it's the Prince–
I sent such a message, but Oscar did not receive it.
He was aware of it, and he didn't dare take it.
Will I have to deal with it someday, or can I only hope that such a day will never come?