An Unexpected Gift (2)
No, he suddenly wants to give me a gift just because I asked for information?
And it's supposedly in return for Emilia's gift?
What on earth is he planning to send as a reply to that rabbit doll?
[Then I shall take my leave. I have a mountain of state affairs to clear before I can join the subjugation campaign.]
“Wait, Your Majesty. Just a moment……”
[I hope the gift pleases you. Farewell.]
The communication cut off unilaterally.
“……Seriously, what kind of guy is this?”
All I could do was mutter to myself while staring at the now-darkened orb.
* * *
‘He definitely said he would send a gift during our last communication.’
Surprisingly enough, the gift Kaiden had promised arrived at the 3rd Prince's Palace in just two days.
“Good heavens, what is all this?”
Catherine covered her mouth as she watched the endless procession of gifts being carried into the palace.
“I was thinking the same thing.”
I held Emilia in one arm and gazed at the gift boxes being stacked neatly inside the room.
‘Ha, a gift?’
The long line of presents sent from Adamant was far too extravagant to be called a mere “gift.”
‘This is more like a gift bombardment, isn’t it?’
Emilia’s room had already become so packed with boxes stacked all the way to the ceiling that there was barely any space left to stand.
‘I wondered if sending this many gifts from the most talked-about new kingdom on the continent to the 3rd Prince's Palace might cause problems.’
I glanced at the letter Catherine was holding.
‘To think he would openly send them through the Empress.’
The pretext was quite plausible.
The King of Adamant claimed the gifts were tokens of gratitude for the exceptional hospitality he had received while staying at the 3rd Prince's Palace during the founding celebrations.
‘Besides, every single item is meant for a young girl, so there’s little chance of raising unnecessary suspicions.’
Once the long procession of gifts finally ended, Catherine and the maids began busily organizing them.
“Are all of these really Lia’s? Truly?”
“Yes. They are gifts sent to Princess Emilia from His Majesty the King of Adamant.”
“The King? My friend?”
He was far too old and large to be called a friend, but what did it matter? Emilia herself insisted he was her friend.
“Kyaaah!”
Emilia let out a delighted shriek and leapt from my arms.
She darted excitedly between the piles of gifts.
“Catherine, Neiche! Look at this! There are so many dresses!”
Inside the large boxes were dozens of gorgeous dresses tailored perfectly to the princess’s size.
That wasn’t all. Each box was also filled with matching shoes and jeweled accessories.
‘How did he even know the princess’s measurements?’
I frowned as I sorted through the new dresses.
The dresses in the other boxes were subtly larger in size.
It seemed he had even considered how quickly children grow.
“Goodness, at this rate Princess Emilia could wear a new dress every day for half a year and still have some left over.”
“Oh my, there’s a separate card inside this one!”
One of the maids handed over a small card that had been tucked inside a clothing box.
Written on it in bold, spirited handwriting was a short message.
Fashion trends pass quickly, so wear them to your heart’s content without holding back. I shall send more next time.
“Oh my, oh my. Could this be a letter written personally by His Majesty the King?”
“Good heavens, what a considerate man. It’s true that women’s clothing goes out of fashion quickly. To even think of such a thing!”
“He’s a little scary, but he really is a good person after all.”
The maids fussed over the card, which they assumed had come from Kaiden.
‘Well.’
I raised one eyebrow as I surveyed the gift boxes piled high in every direction.
‘He’s not stingy, at least.’
There had been times when wealthy, high-ranking clients would haggle mercilessly over the commission fee.
Those moments had always left me deeply irritated.
‘At the very least, Kaiden doesn’t seem to be that kind of person.’
The way he had readily gifted Edwin a fine sword and a high-quality bow, and now sending Emilia such lavish presents that it was almost as if he had bought out an entire luxury boutique……
‘As expected, the scale of someone who founded a kingdom is on another level.’
Whatever else he might be, I was glad he wasn’t petty.
That didn’t mean I liked the man himself, of course.
“Kkiiing, kkiing.”
For a moment I thought a stray puppy had wandered in.
I lifted Emilia, who was flailing inside a box nearly as large as she was.
“Your Highness, what are you doing? Leave the organizing to the other maids……”
“Lia wants to read this right now!”
“Hm?”
What Emilia was struggling to pull out was a thick book.
I didn’t recall seeing any books listed among the gifts.
‘Items not on the manifest should have been prohibited from entry.’
The book had a gold-embossed cover. Though thick, it was small in size.
It had probably been buried under the dresses and overlooked by the inspectors.
“Lia wants to read this before bed! Neiche, read it to me!”
“Understood. Please calm down.”
I tucked Emilia under one arm and pulled out the book.
‘A fairy tale collection?’
Since it wasn’t on the manifest, I flipped through it just in case it contained anything inappropriate for a child.
‘Hmm, nothing particularly concerning.’
It was a collection of fables with no especially stimulating content.
As I turned the pages, something felt off.
‘What is this?’
After flipping through several times, I realized what was strange.
‘The thickness varies slightly from page to page.’
About fifteen pages were noticeably thicker than the others, as though two sheets had been deliberately glued together.
“……Princess Emilia.”
I examined the book closely before tucking it away.
“I’ll keep this for now and read it to you this evening.”
“Okay! Sounds good!”
Since I had Emilia’s permission, there was nothing to feel guilty about.
That day, I helped the maids organize the gifts and spent the rest of the time looking after the prince and princess as usual.
“Well then.”
Finally, when deep night arrived after the sun had set,
I read Emilia a few of the fables from the book.
Once the child fell asleep, I took the book back to my room.
“Let’s check it out.”
Rip, rip, rip.
Without hesitation, I tore out the suspiciously thick pages.
‘It wasn’t two pages stuck together. One page had been folded.’
The moment I unfolded the torn pages,
I realized Kaiden hadn’t sent gifts only to the young princess.
“Honestly.”
A strange diagram was drawn on the folded section of the paper.
At first it was impossible to make out, but once I laid all fifteen torn pages side by side, its true nature became clear.
“……This isn’t just teasing someone.”
The pages hidden inside the book formed a tactical map of the upcoming subjugation campaign.
‘Everything is recorded here.’
The map detailed not only the sectors assigned to the princes but also the rear areas assigned to the nobles.
It even included terrain features to watch out for and the types of monsters that commonly appeared in each sector, all written in tiny, meticulous script.
This was information that only someone like the king of a nation fighting on the front lines of the subjugation could possibly obtain.
‘It really was a gift.’
The young King of Adamant, Kaiden—he had truly sent me a gift.
‘It’s good, but……’
That didn’t mean I could simply be happy about it.
I crossed my arms and fell into thought.
‘Something feels off. Why is he being this kind?’
Kaiden himself knew better than anyone that the Lionel Kingdom he had destroyed was the maternal homeland of the 3rd Prince and Princess.
‘Even if our goal is for me to help him and for him to help me place Edwin on the throne……’
Was there really any need to go this far?
While the hidden map explained the secrecy, the effort put into Emilia’s gifts seemed far too excessive to be mere camouflage.
It was difficult to believe there were no other motives behind it.
‘Honestly, he must also be considering the possibility that Edwin won’t become emperor.’
Putting all your bets on a single outcome is foolish.
For a king to pin his hopes on only one candidate for the next emperor is equally foolish.
‘Does he simply not care about diplomatic repercussions?’
If another prince were to become emperor, he would need to keep his options open with the others as well.
Yet I couldn’t understand why he was so openly favoring only the 3rd Prince’s side.
“……Well, it’s none of my concern.”
Right now, I wasn’t in a position to be picky.
‘I don’t know what Kaiden is thinking, but……’
To protect Edwin during the upcoming subjugation campaign and help him stand out, I had to make use of every resource available.
‘Whatever the case, I’ll proceed in my own way.’
I carefully folded the map and tucked it away.
Just as I always did.
* * *
It was another ordinary imperial banquet.
Emperor Cabelius III spoke at the dining table where his sons had gathered.
“Today, I have an important announcement to make to our princes.”
With those words, the atmosphere in the dining hall shifted.
Empress Melanie and 1st Prince Adrian, who usually maintained calm expressions, now showed tension in their eyes, while 2nd Consort Helena and 2nd Prince Lloyd wore meaningful smiles.
‘Finally.’
3rd Prince Edwin swallowed unconsciously.
“I would like the princes to participate in the allied subjugation operation that will take place in half a month.”
Emperor Cabelius III offered a meaningful smile to the three pairs of young eyes looking at him.