Side Story – 2 Years Later (2)

As soon as news of Prince Phanos’s visit arrived, Ethan and I had no choice but to spring into action.

Even if it was a sudden visit, since it was technically an official one, skipping all formalities could give him grounds to pick a fight.

Of course, we had to make sure not to hide the fact that it was merely “pro forma etiquette.” We had absolutely no intention of throwing a festival or anything to celebrate the prince’s visit.

“How should we prepare the guesthouse?”

“Just guide him to the best guest room we have-that should suffice.”

“Shall we serve Blackwood strawberry wine with the meal?”

“Why waste such precious wine on him? Just prepare something decent from the August Trading Company.”

Still, having lived as a duchess for two years now-though technically still a duchess-in-waiting since Harold hadn’t retired-I was used to handling visiting guests.

The list of distinguished guests frequently visiting our territory alone was impressive enough to rival Prince Phanos: Princess Seraphine, Prince Antonio, and even my mother-in-law Hosoin-three members of the imperial family.

Antonio and Mezlen usually visited unofficially to avoid causing too much commotion, but Seraphine made formal visits about twice a year. We even had a near-standardized procedure for welcoming her and her harem with festivals.

After all, Seraphine was destined to be the next emperor, and the Blackwood family had essentially aligned with her faction even before she set out to defeat the Demon King. It was our way of publicly declaring our unwavering support for her.

‘And yet, this bastard dares to send such an impudent letter before visiting, knowing full well where we stand.’

I had no idea what his real intentions were, but we couldn’t let our guard down just because he was the second prince. The fact that he was still in the succession race despite his lack of popularity meant he had the skills to back it up.

Most of the factions supporting him did so because they believed aligning with him would bring them benefits.

He’d probably start by offering us some advantage for our territory. And if we refused, he’d likely use whatever means he had to pressure us into accepting.

‘First, I need to think of a smooth way to decline.’

…Though, realistically, once the second prince made his move, a clean resolution was nearly impossible.

⁎ ⁎ ⁎

The Second Prince of the Empire, Phanos Loen Baltoria.

Even as he entered the Blackwood territory and arrived at the ducal mansion, his mood was far from pleasant.

“We welcome your glorious visit, His Highness Phanos Loen Baltoria, the Second Prince.”

“Yes, thank you for the warm welcome.”

‘I expected as much, but they really only did the bare minimum.’

He hadn’t expected a grand festival like the ones held for his younger sister Seraphine. Given that this trip was hastily arranged to avoid her notice, preparing a festival in just three days would have been impossible.

But they’d had enough time to prepare inside the mansion.

Only a handful of servants were present to greet him, not the full staff. Aside from the imperial carpet rolled out before the carriage, there were no banners or decorations.

In a mansion that should have at least a hundred servants, only about ten butlers and maids bowed their heads-Phanos could easily tell they weren’t exactly thrilled about his visit.

“You mentioned visiting the territory of the Eastern Marquis Pavlon. Though our mansion is humble, we will ensure your stay is comfortable. You must be weary from your journey, so we’ll guide you directly to the dining hall rather than the parlor.”

Even Lilith, the duchess-in-waiting, spoke in such a roundabout way.

Though she maintained formal politeness, to Phanos, it felt no different from being told to eat, sleep, and leave without wasting time on unnecessary conversation.

“Yes, I appreciate the consideration. Then we’ll talk after the meal.”

Of course, Phanos was shameless enough to brush it off for the sake of his goals.

“…Yes, Your Highness Prince Phanos.”

Only Lilith’s growing frustration, anticipating the nuisance ahead, festered silently.

⁎ ⁎ ⁎

Ugh, just leave already.

That was the thought running through my mind as I sat in the parlor after an awkward meal where the second prince had intruded on my precious time with Ethan.

Even Ethan’s voice as he offered tea and snacks to Prince Phanos lacked any real warmth.

“…Please enjoy, Your Highness. I’m not sure if it will suit your taste right after a meal.”

-I subtly hinted I didn’t want to talk, but he still insisted on this meeting.

“Thank you, I’ll gladly accept.”

-Whatever. Try refusing if you can.

Thanks to Lizzy’s noble lady speech lessons, I’d gotten pretty good at cursing in noble-style talk.

So much so that Ethan and Prince Phanos’s conversation naturally filtered into background noise.

He claimed to be visiting the eastern territory of Marquis Pavlon and just stopping by for a day, but if that were true, he wouldn’t have insisted on this conversation.

“It’s been a while since I visited Marquis Pavlo’s territory, but the roads here are well-maintained. Especially inside the Blackwood territory-it’s even more impressive.”

“…The convenience of the people leads to the development of the territory.”

“It’s heartening to see such well-kept roads even in a territory not particularly close to the imperial palace. And even a branch of the August Trading Company, which rarely expands outside major trade hubs. Perhaps the Blackwood territory will one day become the empire’s…”

Prince Phanos rambled on with pointless chatter, deliberately dragging out the conversation to obscure his real intentions.

After about ten minutes of meaningless drivel, he finally got to the point of his visit.

“So, Duke and Duchess Blackwood, I’d like to make you an offer.”

“May I ask what kind of offer you have in mind, Your Highness Phanos Loen Baltoria, the Second Prince?”

“Nothing too grand. The imperial family is currently promoting the opening of a new eastern trade route, and I’d like to propose including the Blackwood territory as a midway stop.”

“……”

“The implications of becoming a midway stop on the eastern trade route are something you, Duke Blackwood, would understand better than I. Increased revenue, elevated status for your territory, and as you mentioned earlier, greater convenience for your people.”

A midway stop on the eastern trade route.

Frankly, the proposal itself didn’t sound bad at first glance.

A direct trade route to the imperial capital would symbolize the Blackwood family’s direct connection to the imperial family and bring significant economic benefits and convenience to the territory.

…At least on the surface. In reality, it would be the second prince’s way of putting a leash on us.

Linking our territory-which supported the third princess-with Marquis Pavlo’s, a staunch supporter of the second prince, was dangerous. A trade route could easily be turned into a military road for invasions if things went south.

And the second prince would undoubtedly use the route’s management as an excuse to station his troops in our territory, effectively turning them into a noose around our necks.

Besides, making any deal with the second prince was problematic in itself. Since we’d already firmly aligned with Seraphine, it would look like we still had lingering ties to him.

This wasn’t a poisoned chalice-it was just poison in the shape of a chalice. Unless we were certain the second prince would win the succession, accepting it would be madness.

“Of course, since it’s an imperial trade route, we’ll dispatch imperial troops to oversee it. We’ll also provide materials and initial funding for development. Originally, we planned to focus support on Marquis Pavlo’s territory, but seeing yours changed my mind.”

-I’ll lend you troops and money, so bark for me like Pavlo’s dog.

“It sounds like a costly and time-consuming project. Wouldn’t it be better to focus your investments on Marquis Pavlo?”

-No thanks. Go play with your lapdog.

“Supporting you won’t reduce what Marquis Pavlo receives. I’ll be investing my personal troops and resources.”

-I’m asking nicely, so eat up and bark already.

“Your Highness’s personal support? Then it would be more fitting to direct it to Marquis Pavlo, who has sworn loyalty to you.”

-Keep your dog on a tighter leash.

Prince Phanos and Ethan continued their political skirmish, trading veiled barbs without a single outright insult.

I wasn’t eloquent enough to jump into their battle yet, so I quietly rooted for Ethan to win this war of words.