Chapter 311
“The Crown Prince is running a bit late.”
The officials sipped their wine, fully aware of Jin’s absence. It had been hours since word came that the procession had ended and they had returned, yet the Crown Prince had still not appeared. Some grumbled it was nonsense and shook their glasses dismissively.
“You’ve worked hard since morning. You must be tired. Since this isn’t an official event, it’s fine if he takes some rest.”
“That may be so, but with his seat empty, I worry it might cause a stir among the honored guests…”
Their gazes drifted upward. Through the curtains, the movement of attendants was faintly visible. The leaders of the three nations were gathered together—without any interference from the royal family.
They had carefully arranged the festival schedule to avoid overlaps, yet somehow a gap had appeared at the very end.
“Almost no mages here either.”
“I heard a couple collapsed upon entering the palace. Someone even bled, they say. Hmm. But don’t worry. They’ll handle things as best they can. We just need to enjoy this grand celebration.”
“Exactly. This is the royal palace. There’s no secret talk to be had.”
“Well then, I take back what I said earlier. Ha ha!”
“I take it back too! Ha ha ha! Oh, greetings!”
“Long time no see. Did you get home safely after the banquet?”
The commotion was no different from outside the palace. It made sense—every royal incident so far had stemmed from the lack of an official heir. Jin was still young, but his legitimacy was firmly recognized. It was clear that, with time, he would flourish. How could anyone not smile at that?
Though the nobles might see things differently.
‘They’re excited,’ Eriphoni thought, peering down through the curtains. To see them laughing and chatting so freely in the heart of the palace, as if they’d forgotten all decorum—it truly was a festival.
Tap, tap.
Unlike the tense atmosphere elsewhere.
Damon pushed a jewel-encrusted chess piece forward, nodding slightly as if daring a response. Noah’s sharp eyes narrowed even further, and the way his hand hovered over the board was prickly with tension.
Eriphoni whispered to Eldert, frowning.
“What on earth is going on? They’ve been like this since we arrived, and they haven’t stopped.”
“They’re from countries that don’t get along well…”
That was a vague enough answer to cover a lot. Eriphoni rested her temple on her fingertips, glancing between the two men.
The problem was that she had missed their final moments together, distracted by a secret meeting with the daughter of the Serro family. Since then, the palace’s deliberate scheduling had kept them from even glimpsing each other’s shadows.
They’d barely met, barely gathered, and yet the atmosphere was like this. If this were Eriphoni’s palace, she would have smashed the chessboard in two by now.
“Excuse me, gentlemen.”
Tap, tap.
Unable to hold back any longer, Eriphoni spoke up. Noah slammed down a chess piece with force. His smile was at odds with the sharpness in his eyes. Annoyance flickered in her third eye.
“Yes, Queen Eriphoni.”
“The investiture ceremony is over, and soon you’ll all return to your countries. Meetings like this are rare—why focus only on chess?”
“Would you like to join us?”
“…Pardon?”
“Please, come closer, Your Majesty.”
Eriphoni scowled as if exasperated. Who did they think they were, ordering her around?
But Damon and the others’ gazes toward the Luswena side were anything but casual. Eriphoni snapped her fan shut roughly and approached the two men.
If things got worse, she really would destroy that blasted chessboard…
Tap.
“…!”
As Eriphoni sat beside him, Noah moved a piece again. Suddenly, the seams between the tiles shimmered, and faint letters appeared in the empty squares.
“What is this?”
They were communicating silently. It seemed to be a secret technique prepared by Burgos to prevent eavesdropping by mages.
Eriphoni’s displeasure was clear as she frowned. Damon tried to soothe her.
“You didn’t join us earlier?”
Right. She had been delayed talking briefly with Lady Alenara.
“Chess is a game meant for two players. Had you said something, we would have made room.”
Eriphoni had arrived late and spent the time silently watching the floor below. So they had simply continued their conversation. It wasn’t wrong, but it didn’t make her feel any better.
“Ha, so who’s winning now?”
“Hard to say. No clear moves yet.”
Tap.
It was Damon’s turn.
“If Clifford truly intends to join the Three-Nation Alliance, please acknowledge that the collateral jewels carry no rights and issue a certificate to that effect. This must remain confidential from Bariel.”
Though they physically held the jewels, they wanted a document stating they had no rights to them. This would help quell the Burgos nobles’ opposition. It implied that once the Bariel palace doors opened, the jewels could be reclaimed.
Noah rubbed his chin, looking troubled.
“There is intent regarding the Three-Nation Alliance. But you must understand: collateral must be carefully managed and supervised by the custodian until the owner reclaims it. There is no obligation without rights. If you issue a certificate of rights waiver as requested, it would mean Clifford rejects Bariel’s proposal—”
Tap.
“That would be like handing the sword to Burgos. Isn’t our history too clear for that?”
An alliance was fine, but issuing such a certificate was an act of hostility toward Bariel. Burgos could easily use it as leverage to stab them in the back.
History isn’t just words on paper. It’s a guide to understanding your opponent, a voice from ancestors warning not to forget the past.
“You’re implying there’s no intent to ally.”
“I’m not implying that. I’m asking for safeguards regarding the certificate. Allow us to import high-grade fertilizer at half the current price, waive tariffs on our exported wine, and double the volume.”
Easier said than done. They didn’t have warehouses as full as Bariel’s, and anti-Clifford factions within Burgos wouldn’t stand idly by.
Damon toyed with a chess piece, looking at Noah. Judging by his attitude, Clifford’s participation in the alliance was clearly off the table.
“You still haven’t recovered from your fatigue, I see.”
That day, Noah had seemed unwell, making conversation difficult. Now, seeing he still wasn’t connecting, Damon’s words held weight.
Noah’s smile faded, a crease forming between his brows.
“Not at all. They say the eyes are the windows to the soul. Perhaps King Damon is uncomfortable, so I appear uneasy.”
“Prince Noah, the Three-Nation Alliance is a far more historic event than today’s investiture. It’s a monumental shift in the balance of power, yet you take such a rigid stance. Truly disappointing.”
Tap.
Eriphoni shook her head, glancing at Eldert with a knowing look. Now she understood why the chess game had been so fierce. They were engaged in a conversation that wouldn’t end so easily.
Knock, knock.
“Excuse me.”
At that moment, a stranger’s voice came from outside. Damon’s hand paused mid-move.
“We have word that Crown Prince Jin will not attend due to health reasons. The honored guests are free to proceed with their schedules to ease any disappointment. Please let us know if you require anything.”
“Oh dear.”
If Jin didn’t show, and the Three-Nation Alliance fell through, there was no reason to stay. Damon sighed, flipping the chessboard over.
“Prince Noah, I’ll concede. It was a pleasure playing. Clifford truly knows how to enjoy a game. Though I wish you knew how to win as well as you know how to have fun.”
Noah’s expression remained unchanged, but Mei, standing behind him, tightened her lips. That was practically an insult to Clifford’s national character.
“Queen Eriphoni, will you be staying?”
“No, not unnecessarily. A ruler’s virtue is knowing where to be and where not to be.”
Eriphoni rose from her seat in response to Damon’s question.
This wasn’t a festival for the three nations—it was Bariel’s festival. What reason was there to stay? Better to go out and finish the work left undone.
“Let’s go together. I suspect Burgos will be the first to leave the palace. We can’t just sit idly. It’s better to finalize the magic stone trade with the Mage Department.”
“I have work as well. Prince Noah, it was a pleasure.”
“Well then.”
The two kings turned their backs without hesitation, leaving Noah seated. Timothy collected the chessboard, and Eldert followed them out.
Noah watched them go quietly, resting his chin on his hand with a meaningful sigh.
“Hmm.”
“Prince, are you feeling unwell?”
“No, not unwell, just… concerned.”
“Don’t worry too much. Burgos has been sharp-tongued for a long time.”
“No, not them. Luswena.”
“Eh? Why Luswena?”
Mei handed Noah a cool drink and asked again.
Eriphoni hadn’t said a word during their chess conversation. She hadn’t done anything to upset anyone. In fact, now that she knew the secret of the chessboard, it was they who should be displeased.
“They showed no reaction.”
“…That’s why I’m concerned.”
Bariel versus the Three Nations.
Clifford’s economy and power didn’t overwhelm the other two, but that was precisely why their presence was so vital.
It was a coalition of similarly sized nations banding together against Bariel, but it didn’t take much thought to guess how big a hole the absence of just one country could create.
Damon, as the one leading the alliance, might have expected that, but wasn’t Luswena worried?
“From what I can tell, Luswena has no intention of breaking ties with Burgos. Since Cliford’s getting close to Bariel’s side, it’s only a matter of time before the alliance’s existence is exposed.”
Even without Cliford, the fact that Luswena and Burgos alone could maintain the alliance suggested they believed they could offset the risks.
It seemed likely that on the very night Damon was cursed, those two countries had gone out and made some kind of secret deal…
“There’s a secret that Burgos and Luswena are keeping. It feels off. We should look into it.”
“I’ll take action right away. The court session is about to start, so time’s tight. But it’s definitely suspicious. If I were king of Luswena or Burgos, I’d have dissolved the three-nation alliance immediately. The fact that they’re continuing it—that’s fishy.”
Mei nodded in understanding. After calculating the timing with the kings who had gone ahead, she also rose from her seat. Though the carriage was turning toward Bariel’s side, this wasn’t the kind of place to enjoy an empty seat.
Tap, tap, tap.
The carriage rocked gently.
Timothy watched Luswena’s carriage fade into the distance outside the window, lost in thought until Damon called him.
“The head of the Mana Stone Management Department is someone named Akorella?”
“Yes. She left the court due to the dragon plague. Are you sure you want to see her?”
“I thought she was almost healed? Since she can’t come here, we have no choice but to go to her.”
“I just didn’t want to trouble you.”
They were trying to export mana stones needed for the construction of the secondary palace, but the matter hadn’t been discussed because the authority was absent from the court.
So they were going to meet Akorella to handle it—naturally, accompanied by a mage.
“Nonsense.”
“But it’s truly a problem. Cliford’s position was decided far too quickly.”
“…Still, it’ll cause confusion. They probably thought things couldn’t run without them, but if the alliance continues, there’ll be plenty to consider.”
Screech!
The carriage came to a halt in front of the Ministry of Magic. As Timothy prepared to get out, a guard approached and spoke through the window.
“Apologies, but the mage accompanying the court session has already left. There was a change in personnel, so I think you were mistaken.”
“Oh? Is that so?”
“We’ve informed the driver of the address, so you can leave immediately. Take care.”
They said some mages had collapsed during the march—seemed like it was true.
The driver took a note from the guard and cracked the whip. Burgos’s escort soldiers turned their horses and followed suit.
The carriage sped off, leaving the palace grounds behind. The streets were quieter than when they first arrived—probably because the residents had exhausted themselves after days of festivities.
Tap, tap, tap!
The carriage raced down a side street near the center, the chaotic crowd flashing past in an instant. Among them, Damon’s gaze caught sight of an old woman.
‘…?!’
Her deeply sunken eyes and straw-thin frame.
The gypsy who devours secrets smiled as she watched the carriage go by.