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I had been thinking about it ever since I spoke with Rose regarding this matter, but the conclusion remained the same.
Ladan had to be abandoned.
That woman was right.
The fact that this no longer felt unpleasant was a testament to the fact that I must have lost my mind.
As Ray diagnosed his own state with clinical detachment, he let out a deep sigh at the sudden image of Rose that flashed through his mind. It was happening again.
Yet, he couldn't stop wondering what she was doing at this moment.
Today was the day Marcel Garnier visited the mansion to teach her. Even though he was the one who had arranged the meeting, it irritated him.
What were the two of them doing right now?
Since he was teaching her composition rather than piano, they wouldn't be sitting together on one bench.
"Are you mad!"
The Prime Minister raised his voice instantly.
The loud shout managed to momentarily push thoughts of Rose from his mind.
The Prime Minister looked toward the King as if seeking agreement, but she merely took another sip of tea with a composed face.
And for good reason; she had already persuaded the King during the Royal Academy of Arts event. She had no desire to give up her current life, where she could savor art to her heart's content.
"That is the only way to completely eliminate the threat of war from this land."
"Absurd! Do you think barbarians like those in Cuetra will just stay quiet because we gave back a single island?"
By now, the King was staring blankly at the patterns on her teacup as if she couldn't hear a word, as if that were the most interesting thing in the room.
"Fine, if I concede a great deal, we can refuse Ladan's request. But to urge them to give back the island as well? To an ally? Does that even make sense?"
"Ladan cannot handle that island anyway."
"Your Majesty!"
When the Prime Minister called out to the King again for help, she sighed and set down her teacup.
"Last time, you said it seemed like we would have to go to war."
"Calvert, Calvert."
The King called the Prime Minister as if soothing a child.
"Do you have any idea how much of my own fortune I poured out during the last war?"
The King's sigh was deep.
"Do you know how much of my wealth I dumped into the national treasury just to tell the people to risk their lives? You want me to do that again? Look at how many children I have now, and how many grandchildren they have. I, too, must start saving what I can."
"You don't have to pay this time."
The King let out a loud snort. The blatant mockery was so clear that the Prime Minister's spirit visibly deflated.
"Will you pay in my stead? Or will you take responsibility if my head ends up on a pike in the marketplace?"
"Why do you treat the Orturans like such barbarians?"
"When you have no money and you're starving, that's barbarism. What else is there?"
The King replied indifferently and sighed again.
"Regardless, I fear the hunger of the Orturans more than the resentment of Ladan. And I have no desire to send my children into a death trap again."
"What about my niece, who is the Queen Consort of Ladan?"
"She'd rather live in luxury in her own Royal Palace; why would she care about a single island?"
"I will persuade Ladan as well, so do not worry about that."
Despite Ray's assurance, the Prime Minister's face remained dissatisfied.
"Why do you desire war so much? The idea that the Conservative Party can maintain long-term power only if a war breaks out is merely Duke Avery's delusion."
"And there's no absolute need for the Conservative Party to hold power long-term."
The King chimed in steadily, even though no one was monitoring who was violating the constitution.
"...Fine. If we grant this, how do you intend to resolve the strikes?"
The Prime Minister asked with a displeased expression.
"We can move the factories to Dunsville."
Whenever he thought of Rose, everything related to her began to surface without end. Dunsville was no different.
Leaving that region neglected was inefficient, and keeping it as a backward area was not a good thing for Rose—no, for him.
Because he would continue to be entangled with Rose, and that would eventually affect Ray.
"Marilyn is an overcrowded factory zone. There is a limit to supporting wages with government subsidies, so we must move them to Grizzben City, which is close to Marilyn and still has a flexible budget. Dunsville is the only area capable of accommodating that scale."
The Prime Minister pressed his hand to his forehead as if he had a headache.
"Do you think the Orturans are crazy enough to go live in Dunsville? Please, say something that makes sense."
"I am the one who will be negotiating directly with the union anyway; do you really need to know every minor detail? I just need to persuade them. You only need to see the resolved result, Prime Minister."
Exhausted by the Prime Minister's fuss, Ray replied, forgetting his manners.
"That's because I don't know how much you'll give away behind Her Majesty's back!"
"I have no intention of providing subsidies beyond what is stipulated by law, so there is no need to worry."
Of course, in the long run, he thought the law would eventually need to be changed, but he felt that mentioning this would only make the Prime Minister more tiresome.
"This is why your ideology is being questioned. I always protected you because I firmly trusted the insight of the previous Prime Minister who cherished you, but really, honestly..."
"What exactly did I do?"
Ray was sick of the forced nitpicking that several veteran politicians brought up whenever they were bored since the war.
There was no proper reason for it; they only did it whenever something displeased them, which made it look like nothing more than senility.
"During the war, you advocated for free food distribution to the entire population. Neither Bolton nor Cuetra does such a thing. It's natural during wartime, but if you do it in peacetime, does that make you a communist or a socialist?"
"Yes! Exactly! The war ended ages ago, and doing such things now is precisely the problem. You've become truly strange since you married that foreign woman, do you realize that?"
"Enough, enough, enough."
The King intervened, raising both hands and voice.
"I didn't call you here to engage in such an argument in front of me. Stop it, both of you. Is this not far too insolent?"
At the King's reprimand, the Prime Minister flushed and offered an apology.
"I believe I've heard everything I needed to. Duke Calvert, go back and give this some serious thought. Duke Crawford, stay."
"...Yes, Your Majesty."
"Your attitude toward this country's Prime Minister is far too arrogant, so I must have a word with you privately."
The Prime Minister, who had subtly shown disappointment at the order to leave, immediately smiled and rose from his seat at the King's following words.
The King clicked her tongue while watching the Prime Minister's retreating back.
"Calvert isn't usually that stubborn; he must be feeling slighted by you. Seeing how he keeps emphasizing that he's been looking out for you, he seems pouted. Did you do something?"
Slighted. Pouted.
As if he were a child.
The King laughed, as if reading Ray's expression.
"That's how it is as you get older. You get upset over the smallest things. If you just bend a little, they clear up instantly. But I don't expect such things from you. You take after Agatha perfectly. She was the most arrogant of all my ladies-in-waiting."
"Is that not natural? The only person I must bend to is Your Majesty."
"Anyone listening would think you bend to me quite significantly."
The King chuckled.
"But you know, as the Prime Minister said, I think you have changed a bit. I have no further opinions on political matters, but I know a thing or two about you."
The King had known Ray since the days he was a playmate for the youngest prince.
"Your words have become a bit harsh."
Since it was a fact he felt himself, he had nothing particular to say in response.
"Mrs. Crawford has become more reserved with her words, like an Orturan, while you've become the opposite."
Because the statement contained no value judgment, Ray became even more curious.
What did the old King think of Bolton?
Did she view his change positively or negatively?
"...What does Your Majesty think of Bolton?"
"Me?"
The King smiled broadly with her wrinkled face.
"I don't think anything."
For the first time in his life, he had something he was curious about regarding her, but the answer was utterly bland.
"I only think of myself. So, you'll have to work hard. To ensure I can live as comfortably as possible."
It was a shockingly brazen request.
"As long as I can die wearing this crown, I don't care if you marry a foreigner or how you change."
Ending her words in a crisp tone, the King picked up her teacup.
"You may leave."
And so came the order to depart.
"By the way. It is true that you've become a bit more human. I don't know if that should be viewed as a good thing, though."
Ray paused for a moment at the voice behind him.
"That person was simply human as well. I don't think that can be called a mistake."
He recalled something Rose had said once.
Was he becoming weak?
He didn't welcome it. He didn't want to become like his father.
Yet, some part of his body craved her to a painful degree. Still.
Getting into the carriage, Ray headed toward the mansion without hesitation.
He felt as if he had contracted some sort of disease.
* * *
After the lesson ended, Rose was climbing the stairs to the third floor carrying heavy books when she stopped for a moment, having spotted something through a gap.
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