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Chapter 13
<To His Highness, Crown Prince Kaiden Estagio,
Thanks to the pleasantly warm weather, pink snow is now falling even in the Cryante territory.
Fortunately, it has been agreed that we will import food from Bellenios, which shares a border with Estagio in the east.
The main items will be flour, cornmeal, and potatoes grown by Estagio’s local farmers.
If cultivation goes without major problems, it will be enough to feed about 3 million people for four months.
Even if wheat production drops by half, this should somewhat mitigate the impact.
Our preparations are progressing steadily, so all that remains is for Your Highness to navigate matters smoothly.
If anything is needed, please communicate with me via letter.
Until we meet again, may you remain in good health.
—From the people of Estagio, Ellen Cryante.>
“…She really managed to import that much food.”
Kaiden stared at the letter in his hand, his eyes widening.
Who could, based on mere estimates alone, travel to another country and import such an amount of food?
And the fact that it was accomplished in such a short period could only mean that she had already gathered all the necessary information and accurately selected the sources.
Just how much information—and of what kind—did she have in her head to make such a judgment?
“Her execution is really remarkable.”
Kaiden opened the drawer where he kept stationery and envelopes.
“Well, in honor of that execution, I should write a reply myself…”
He dabbed the pen in ink out of habit and began writing a response in elegant handwriting.
<Thank you for your kindness. Let us meet as soon as possible at the previous hotel.
—Kaiden Estagio.>
As he poured wax on the envelope, a strange sense of déjà vu made him tilt his head.
Something was on the tip of his mind, just out of reach.
Kaiden frowned slightly and looked at the envelope more closely.
‘Ah, of course—Lady Cryante…’
He finally realized the source of that faint familiarity. It reminded him of a light he had seen recently, and he realized it was the exact color of Ellen’s hair.
‘That woman manages to make an impression even in the smallest details.’
Thinking of Ellen, who had been a source of stress lately, he lightly dropped the seal.
How had such a vivid presence gone unnoticed for so long?
What was he supposed to do with a woman full of such questions?
Just as Kaiden finished sealing the envelope, he heard the footfalls of the steward returning.
“Ah, perfect timing. Go and get that letter sent.”
Kaiden ignored the steward’s loud voice—“Your Highness, your posture! Someone might see!”—and got straight to the point.
“The letter. Now. Quickly.”
He pointed with his pen to the corner where the letter lay.
The steward eventually trudged out, pouting, to send the letter, and a few days later, a note arrived at the Crown Prince’s palace.
<At the usual place.>
The note was much shorter than Kaiden’s, written in just two words.
The knights assisting the Crown Prince on yet another unofficial outing were not in good spirits.
“When will Your Highness abandon this recklessness…”
Sir Terierd of Cheshire grumbled as if to be heard.
“Stop the blasphemy, Terierd,” said Sir Morris of Koenheim, scolding him.
Yet even he could not deny that the Crown Prince was recklessly daring.
“…Both of you are terribly disloyal as subjects. I’m not going out to do anything wrong; I have the Empire in mind.”
“But Your Highness, do you not consider the citizens of this Empire?”
Terierd exclaimed at Kaiden’s sharp remark as if it was outrageous.
The two knights continued complaining, citing holidays and their demanding superior, until Morris finally intervened.
“Please, Your Highness. It’s not too late even now!”
“Terierd!”
“…Alright, both of you, stop.”
Kaiden sighed as if tired of it all.
Regardless of the internal fuss, the carriage carrying them toward the appointment soon reached its destination.
Clack, clack, clack.
As the carriage stopped, a well-dressed man stepped out.
The man looked around for a moment and met the eyes of a woman seated on the hotel terrace.
“Oh, Ted?”
Startled, Ellen called his name, and he smiled warmly, as if forgetting their previous argument in the carriage.
“Ellen.”
“It’s been a long time since we last saw each other.”
“Yes. Last time, it wasn’t the right moment to greet each other.”
Terierd offered his arm gently for escort.
“You sent a letter? I came to pick you up.”
Cheshire frequently interacted with Cryante.
Thus, they had many encounters since childhood, and the Cheshire siblings could easily be called Ellen’s childhood friends.
“I wondered last time, since you were with His Highness. But you really came together today.”
Ellen raised her hand to his arm in slight admiration, and Terierd lifted his eyebrows and shrugged.
“It wasn’t intentional, but seeing you thanks to it makes it fine.”
“Not intentional? Such mischief.”
“I’m fine. Let’s go. His Highness is waiting.”
He gently held the hand she had placed on his arm, as they had done in childhood.
Upon reaching the carriage, Terierd lifted Ellen and helped her settle into the empty seat.
“Ted?”
“Yes. Did you bump into something?”
“No. I just wanted to show that I can ride a carriage on my own now.”
“Haha, alright. I’ll be careful from now on.”
Thinking she was being playful, Terierd chuckled.
He sat beside Ellen and instructed the driver to depart.
The carriage ran smoothly over the paved road.
Ellen looked across the narrow space at the person responsible for bringing her to the capital.
“Your Highness. I hope you’ve been well.”
“As always, I am healthy. You must have had a long journey. How was it?”
“Yes. It was enjoyable.”
Kaiden subtly asked about her trip to Bellenios, curious about the recent negotiations.
Ellen suppressed a smile.
‘The more curious he is, the better. He’ll value me that much more.’
She simply smiled and changed the topic.
“Your Highness, may I ask why you summoned me?”
“Oh, that…”
Leaning back in the carriage seat, Kaiden straightened slightly and handed her a bundle of papers.
“I investigated based on what you told me before. I’d like you to point out the most promising places or prioritize certain areas.”
“Ah.”
Ellen flipped through the papers with a light murmur of admiration.
Ah, she caught this one. And this one only got this far… This section is empty in the middle… Why is that missing? Didn’t manage to find it…
As Ellen read the report, Kaiden added brief explanations.
“We started from the bottom of the organization. There’s a lot of data, but we couldn’t get much core information.”
“Seems so.”
She acknowledged the lack of substance, and Kaiden’s expression changed slightly.
“…Ahem. So, what I ask of you is, if you have other high-level information, reveal it before more time passes. Not trivial stuff, but a major lead.”
“A major lead?”
“Something close enough to reach the one you call the mastermind.”
“That would be dangerous.”
“If we only scrape the surface until the fruit fully ripens, it’ll be even more dangerous.”
“If anything happens to Your Highness, I also stand to lose greatly. Please remain safe.”
Ellen tactfully declined, and Kaiden sighed.
“Lady Cryante.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
“If you’re going to hesitate like this, why did you show me that information in the first place? Did you think I’d just let them run rampant forever?”
“….”
“If you refused thinking you needed to keep a backup, as you said before…”
He searched his clothes and took out a small case.
A tiny case, the kind that could hold a ring.
“Let this serve as that backup.”
Ellen silently took the offered box.
It felt familiar.
Seeing something familiar made her think she had seen it somewhere before.
Not remembering exactly what it was, Ellen opened the box immediately.
Inside was a thick, dark green velvet cloth protecting the item.
Between the folds was a ring with an older-looking red gemstone.
“…This is… from the royal family?”
“Yes, a royal heirloom. Normally, it would belong to the Crown Princess.”
“Why… give this to me?”
“You said it was the price for the information you provided. With this, you needn’t worry about keeping a backup. The Cheshire and Koenheim here are witnesses.”
“….”
Ellen was struck speechless by his unexpected thoughtfulness.
She clenched her face, confronting an unwelcome fragment of the past.
‘This ring has returned to me even in this life.’
For her, it was an unforgettable object.
