第８２７堀：嫌な視線 (Part2)
At the naval port, the consort of Weed and the chancellor of Seasifo shook hands once more. It was a gesture born of mutual, clear-eyed recognition. Only now could the real work begin; after all, the extermination of the sea monsters had yet to even commence.
"In that case, I shall begin my duties to prepare for the conference."
"Understood. Please, make sure the military brass understands the gravity of the situation."
"As you command. If you will excuse me."
With those words, General Lake hurried away. He had a grueling task ahead of him: reining in the insubordinate elements and summoning the captains currently standing by. It was no small feat.
"Now then, while General Lake negotiates with the military, how should we proceed?"
"Well, I would love to tell you to rest until the day after tomorrow, but first, could you explain that ship to Her Majesty? We cannot simply allow a vessel of that magnitude to appear without providing some form of explanation."
"By 'Her Majesty,' you mean..."
"Yes. The ruler of the Kingdom of Seasifo, Her Majesty Queen Emerald Seasifo."
And so, we returned to the castle to wait in an antechamber. It was only logical, of course. Even with the permission we had been granted, the sudden arrival of such a colossal ship demanded a formal account.
Still, the head of the Kingdom of Seasifo was a queen? In a region so steeped in patriarchal tradition, that was quite the feat. It seemed Yuki-san was pondering the same thing.
"Is it common in the Kingdom of Seasifo for a woman to stand at the helm of the nation?"
"No. Throughout our history, Her Majesty Emerald is only the second queen to reign."
"I see. I imagine there are various circumstances behind that, but is the public content with her rule?"
"There are no issues at present. I have heard there were complications surrounding her ascension, but she navigated them all to secure her position. Above all, Her Majesty has already been blessed with a prince—her son with the Prince Consort—so there is no concern regarding the succession."
"I see. So that front is secure. But you say 'at present'?"
"Yes. The monster crisis has become dire. Unless this problem is resolved, it matters little whether there is an heir or not..."
He was right. Even with an heir, the problem wouldn't vanish. If the sea were lost, handing the country over to his son would be nothing more than passing on a poisoned chalice.
"...I understand. So, once Her Majesty resolves this crisis, she intends to take responsibility and abdicate?"
"As expected of you, Yuki-sama, the Prince Consort. Your quick grasp of the situation is a great help. The damage sustained this time is too great to overlook. Someone, somewhere, must take grand responsibility. Yet, in our current situation, we cannot simply purge our military leaders."
So, the Queen would shoulder the collective responsibility and abdicate, leaving the future to the prince. Provided, of course, that the crisis was resolved.
As we spoke, a maid entered the antechamber and whispered into Chancellor Aquamarine’s ear.
"Understood. Tell them I am on my way."
"Yes, at once."
"Everyone, Her Majesty is ready. I know you must be weary from your long journey and the voyage, but I ask for your patience a little longer."
An audience this swift was unheard of. Usually, even if a messenger arrived, one would be left waiting for quite some time. Moreover, we were unannounced guests; we hadn't even requested an audience in advance. Under normal circumstances, we might have been left cooling our heels for a week—or even a month. Yet, here we were, granted an audience on the second night of our arrival. It spoke volumes about how high a priority this meeting was for them.
"Still, these audience chambers all look much the same, don't they?"
"Well, I suppose it’s a good thing they’re standardized, isn't it? It would be a nuisance if the layout were confusing."
"I suppose so. But I’m sure on the other side of these doors, there’s a vast hall with a throne at the far end. Those places are always freezing. The chairs are made of elaborate marble—cold to the touch."
"Ah, Seraria mentioned something similar. Well, usually people just put cushions or rugs down, don't they?"
"We don't have anything like that. Just pure white marble chairs and cold, glittering armor. Honestly, winter is a nightmare."
"I suppose it’s refreshing in the summer, though."
As Yuki-san and I exchanged such trivialities while staring at the great doors of the audience chamber, they finally swung open. Inside, I caught a glimpse of a woman sitting on the throne, a cape draped over her legs.
It really was cold in there, wasn't it? I couldn't help but think of that, even with the serious negotiations about to begin.
Acceptance would not come easily... it was inevitable that factions would rise to oppose us. Now, how would we deal with them? And with the Kingdom of Seasifo led by a queen—if you happen to see any mention of a 'King' of Seasifo elsewhere, please let me know. I will correct it immediately.
Also, tomorrow, March 29th, is a special day, so I will be posting an additional update. Look forward to it. Can you guess why?