#61
Knock knock-.
Pol rushed in with a somewhat urgent knock.
“Your Highness!”
“What is it?”
“It seems a bloody incident has finally occurred!”
Pol said with an urgent expression. Enrique abruptly rose from his seat.
“A bloody incident? Are they dead or injured? What’s the status of the casualties?”
“The knights from both countries were in a tense standoff for a while, and eventually they clashed. During the incident, a few suffered minor injuries, and one knight’s arm was cut off.”
“The knight, is he from Monta? Or Ruben?”
Enrique asked briefly, moistening his dry lips with his tongue. Pol hesitated for a moment before slowly opening his mouth.
“I heard it was a Ruben knight.”
“…What?”
Enrique immediately furrowed his brow.
It wasn’t that he was disregarding the knights of Monta. Basically, knights are bound to have excellent skills. However, it was a well-known fact across the continent that the skills of Ruben knights were overwhelmingly powerful. A Ruben knight’s arm was cut off? Not the other way around?
“Are you sure it was a Ruben knight’s arm that was cut off? Not Monta’s?”
Enrique voiced the doubt in his mind. Pol immediately nodded.
“I was also suspicious that the servant might have relayed the information incorrectly, so I inquired again, but they confirmed it was definitely a Ruben knight whose arm was cut off.”
‘This is a scheme.’
Enrique immediately concluded.
The start of this incident was suspicious from the beginning. As his friends had said, Anture, who had endured at the place where the ring was presented, clearly calculated to barge into the Monta envoy’s quarters and cause a disturbance after three days. Using such personal emotions as a weapon, he succeeded in provoking Monta and causing a clash with Ruben. After creating a confrontation between the knights, they sacrificed one Ruben knight’s arm through some behind-the-scenes manipulation.
If a person from Monta had been injured, Monta would have used that as an excuse to demand compensation. But it was a person from Ruben who was injured. With a person from Ruben, a military superpower, being injured, Ruben could use that as an excuse to do many things. In short, it was a strategy to create a justification.
‘I will soon become your first husband, your first love, and your only love. And in your life, Enrique, I will be the only existence as a husband. I will make it so. So there’s no need to be afraid of falling in love with me. We won’t part.’
The words Anture had spoken as if making a vow flashed through his mind. Anture must have been planning this since then, or perhaps even before that.
“So this is how he’s playing it…”
Enrique muttered, narrowing his eyes.
Although it was regrettable for Anture, Enrique had no intention of simply going along with Anture’s wishes. As he had clearly told him, loving him and carrying out the plan were separate matters.
Having composed himself, Enrique stood up.
As he opened the door to the reception room, Pol approached.
“I suppose some have rushed to protest to Father as well?”
“Yes. I heard that some of the Monta envoys have rushed to the King.”
“Good. Let’s go there. We can’t let Father deal with those noisy ones alone.”
*
As expected, King Shamier’s office was in chaos.
The Monta envoys had gathered and were fiercely protesting to King Shamier.
“What do you think you’re doing?!”
As Enrique’s shout rang out, the Monta envoys instantly fell silent. They turned their heads sharply to stare at Enrique, their eyes glinting as if they had found their prey.
Enrique approached his father’s side under their gaze. He placed his hand on his father’s shoulder and gave him an affectionate look.
“Enrique, why have you come all the way here?”
The King said, patting Enrique’s hand that was on his shoulder.
“I couldn’t help but rush here when I heard that these insolent individuals were causing a disturbance in front of you, Father.”
Enrique spoke deliberately, scanning the Monta envoys with fierce eyes.
Ahem-. Hem-.
The envoys, instantly branded as insolent, cleared their throats with displeased expressions. The one with the sharpest gaze among them stepped forward and spoke.
“The Ruben Prince, who is to be Your Highness’s husband, severely beat our Monta’s Lord Zeros today and broke both his wrists. He even forced him to swallow the ring that our King had given to Your Highness as a gift. We, Monta, hereby request an explanation from Shamier regarding this matter.”
As soon as the envoy finished speaking, Enrique scoffed with cold eyes.
“The incident was caused by Ruben, yet you’re asking Shamier to take responsibility?”
“The perpetrator is none other than Your Highness’s husband-to-be. Moreover, this is Shamier’s royal palace. As long as we stay here as guests, isn’t it Shamier’s responsibility to guarantee our safety?!”
The envoy retorted sharply. It was clear that they intended to cling to any excuse to drag Shamier into this situation.
“Yes. My husband beat your country’s envoy. I admit that. So go confront my husband about it. I won’t stop you.”
“But Shamier also bears responsibility…!”
“Why? Do you lack the courage to confront the military superpower, the Ruben Empire? Is that why you’ve rushed here to protest to us, the relatively approachable Shamier? So that’s the extent of Monta’s spirit. What an impressive national character.”
Enrique mocked them quite openly. The faces of the Monta envoys turned red with shame and humiliation.
“This was done by Your Highness’s husband! Moreover, the ring he forcibly shoved down Lord Zeros’s throat was a gift sent to Your Highness! Why was the ring in the Prince’s hands in the first place? Did you not intervene when your husband was about to commit such an absurd act?!”
The envoy questioned in a scathing tone. Enrique let out a chuckle.
“Is there a law stating that when people get married, they must chain each other and monitor each other all day long? Are you saying I should have kept a vigilant eye on whether my husband was secretly stealing gifts I received and shoving them into someone’s mouth? Then, after I marry the King of Monta, would it be alright for me to put a dog collar on your country’s king and drag him around? If you say that’s fine, I’ll gladly pay the price for not managing my husband!”
“W-what… What nonsense is this?! This is absurd!”
The envoy cried out with an expression of disbelief. Enrique immediately slammed his palm on his father’s desk with a loud bang and shouted.
“Yes! It is absurd! It’s ridiculous because I’m making such an unreasonable argument. Isn’t it equally absurd for you to get slapped by Ruben and then run here demanding that I take responsibility? I find it just as preposterous!”
As Enrique took a strong stance, the Monta envoys exchanged glances discreetly. Enrique straightened his posture and continued speaking in a calm voice, as if he had never raised his voice.
“I understand why you’re being unreasonable here. You want to reconfirm whether the promise will be fulfilled in four years, right? Let me be clear: I will divorce the Prince of Ruben in four years and marry your country’s king. The agreement will be honored. So stop causing a disturbance and leave.”
The envoys’ expressions calmed slightly at Enrique’s composed words.
“But Your Highness, even if that is your intention, given what the Ruben Prince did today, we’re worried he might not agree to the divorce so easily. Shouldn’t we prepare countermeasures for that?”
A Monta envoy spoke in a softened voice. To this, Enrique smiled coldly with icy eyes.
“Whether Ruben pressures your country or does anything else, that’s a problem for your country to handle. I don’t recall anything in the agreement stating that our Shamier should clean up such messes for your country.”
“That sounds like you’re saying you wouldn’t mind if we, Monta, were forced to give up on Your Highness due to pressure from Ruben.”
“That’s not it at all. I’m very fond of the wedding gifts proposed by Monta. I have not the slightest desire to give them up. So no matter what Ruben does or what pressure they apply, I sincerely hope you’ll endure it somehow.”
“In that case…”
“But don’t think about dumping the troublesome Ruben onto our Shamier. My role is to divorce the Prince in four years and marry your country’s king. That’s the extent of it.”
The Monta envoys exchanged glances. They were clearly conflicted.
“If you continue to cause a disturbance in front of my father, I’ll take it as disrespect towards our Shamier. Think carefully. There are many across the continent who wish to marry me. If satisfactory gifts are prepared, I’m willing to marry anyone, not necessarily the King of Monta.”
At this threat of considering breaking off the engagement if they continued to bother Shamier, the envoys’ demeanor instantly softened.
The envoys exchanged glances and all bowed their heads in respect. Then, as if nothing had happened, they rushed out of the office. They were probably heading towards the Ruben side.
Enrique gestured for all the Shamier people to leave as well. Only after he was alone with his father did he speak.
