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"…So, His Majesty has finally decided to welcome a foreign princess as the Crown Princess?"
"It's still under consideration, but as always, His Majesty told me to prepare a primary proposal. Whether even half of my opinion will be reflected is uncertain, but I must prepare nonetheless."
Unlike Matthias, who sought reform and change, the Emperor was a conservative who valued stability. As the successor of a great emperor who had once brought sweeping transformations to the Empire, he played the role of smoothing over the growing pains that came with such change, and even Ezkhiel himself considered the Emperor a fine ruler.
However, in moments like this, when he and Matthias disagreed, Ezkhiel couldn't help but think how much easier things would be if the two shared similar temperaments.
"Then, first, issue an order to draft a report on the potential benefits and drawbacks, and the political and diplomatic implications of marriage alliances with each nation. And if there's another country besides the three I mentioned that could serve our national interests, include it in the report as well."
"Shall I include an assessment of domestic nobles too?"
"Limit it to the high nobility. You never know when some duke's long-hidden, late-born daughter might suddenly appear in the capital's social circles."
At Matthias's cynical tone, Ezkhiel's heart ached. As the Crown Prince, Matthias could not choose marriage based solely on love, but as his subordinate who wished for his happiness, Ezkhiel secretly hoped that Matthias might at least marry someone he loved.
"I truly look forward to seeing which lady will capture the favor of His Majesty, who so despises conflict."
"His Majesty's will is important, of course, but since she would become Your Highness's consort, shouldn't your opinion matter as well?"
"As long as she fulfills her duties and responsibilities as my wife, I see no reason we couldn't get along. I have no intention of letting my consort be ostracized by society until she withers away."
The faint shadow that crossed Matthias's face made Ezkhiel tense, his grip tightening around his pen. He suspected Matthias had used the expression 'wither away' while thinking of the late Empress Emilia, but, as always, Ezkhiel didn't let his thoughts show and quietly steered the conversation elsewhere.
"If the Crown Princess were to be of foreign origin, she would inevitably struggle to adapt to our high society. And considering that Lady Eskis is still active in the capital's social circles, I believe the old nobles will continue to support her."
"Well, no matter how intense the conflict between the western regions and the capital may be, it would still be less severe than with foreigners, especially since the old nobles of our empire are notorious for refusing to bow their heads even before foreign royalty."
"…It may be best to issue another warning to the nobles during the autumn season."
Across the continent, many nations were eager to form marital alliances by marrying their own princesses to the unmarried young Crown Prince.
Thus, it had become common for such proposals to arrive accompanied by portraits, and during the autumn season, which coincided with Matthias's birthday, some kingdoms even included the princess herself in their diplomatic delegation.
For that reason, ever since Matthias had come of age, the autumn social season had grown far more cutthroat than the spring one.
Even Ezkhiel, who generally attended every event out of duty, often avoided those gatherings whenever possible.
"Then, before my birthday, we'll need to decide who would be most suitable to become the Crown Princess. Prepare the report within this month, I must present it to His Majesty."
"Understood. As for the hunting restrictions, there's a report suggesting that, to address the declining deer population, we should instead encourage the hunting of sea foxes and the overpopulated rabbits. That seems to be the most efficient measure."
"Then this year's hunting tournament will be a fox hunt, I see. You won't be participating again, I assume?"
Ezkhiel, who disliked hunting, had always used work as an excuse to skip the autumn hunting tournaments. Matthias, knowing this, never forced him to attend, instead, he would conveniently assign Ezkhiel official duties so he could avoid it respectably.
But this time, Ezkhiel hesitated for a moment before shaking his head.
"I'll first discuss it with Lady Sharon before deciding. If she participates, I may have to accompany her."
"Did Lady Sharon ask you to hunt for her sake?"
"N-No, not at all! Lady Sharon knows full well that I dislike hunting and said she wouldn't even think to ask such a thing. But if she attends the gathering, then as her lover, it's only right that I accompany her to escort her…"
Matthias's gaze sharpened, and Ezkhiel quickly tried to explain himself.
Once he heard the explanation, Matthias understood what he meant and relaxed his expression.
"Oh, you're referring to that promotional work. Come to think of it, how is Lady Sharon's perfume business progressing?"
"Yes, it seems to be going smoothly. I heard they're aiming for a release before the autumn season, so unless something unexpected happens, everything should go according to plan."
Ezkhiel found it strange when Matthias suddenly asked about Letticia's affairs, but he answered obediently nonetheless.
Hearing his response, Matthias let out a low, ironic chuckle.
"To think she managed to gather the daughters of some of the most powerful families across the factions, forming a social circle that even expanded into business, impressive. Thanks to that, His Majesty the Emperor and Her Majesty the Empress often attend events hosted by Lady Sharon and her friends. It seems the Count of Sharon won't have to worry about his family's next generation."
"…Lady Sharon only wants to succeed in business with her friends. Of course, she does make financial calculations, but she didn't form that group out of political ambition."
When Ezkhiel immediately refuted him, believing Matthias had misunderstood, the latter gave him a look of disbelief and asked.
"You mean to tell me she gathered the daughter of one of the Empire's leading merchants, the eldest daughter of a great lord's house, and the young lady of House Averil of Elrey, all without a single political consideration?"
"Yes. Lady Sharon simply formed a group out of pure friendship, and by chance, they ended up starting the perfume business together. Of course, she isn't ignorant of her friends' family status or influence, but I'm certain she didn't form the group with the goal of being invited to Her Majesty the Empress's tea gatherings."
"…So she just happened to pick one lady from each of the three major factions and made a group, and that wasn't intentional? Do you realize how absurd that sounds?"
Matthias let out a hollow laugh, clearly unable to comprehend it.
From his perspective, a man who calculated and considered every move, someone like Letticia, who simply followed her heart, was not just unusual; she was practically an anomaly.
"Perhaps she says she's doing as she pleases, but maybe, on some instinctive level, she simply acts on what feels right. Of course, it's also possible she truly just followed her heart and happened to succeed, but even so, I don't think that success should be dismissed."
"…There are cases where following one's intuition leads to success. It seems Lady Sharon is the type of person who acts according to instinct."
"Yes. It may not be something that can serve as an example for others, but I believe it's an exceptionally rare and admirable quality."
When Matthias noticed the slight upward curve of Ezkhiel's lips, he clicked his tongue softly.
"So, now that you're in love, you've started bragging about your lover, huh?"
"Ah… I apologize if that offended you."
"There's nothing to apologize for. Anyway, make sure to keep me regularly informed about Lady Sharon's business. It's not well known yet, but once it becomes more public, some might try to interfere, if only because of its political implications."
The tension between the old nobility and the newly risen noble class had yet to die down.
The neutral faction was at least less concerned with factional lines, so the Duke of Averil's incident had largely been dismissed as a single family's disgrace. But for the other two factions, their grudges tended to fester for months.
That meant there was always a possibility that some would attempt to disrupt this new business venture out of spite.
From the Imperial Family's perspective, desiring political stability, such troublemakers succeeding was the last thing they wanted.
"And what of Sir Averil? He's resigned now, hasn't he? How's the Knight Commander faring?"
"It's the same as always. Even within the Order, the knights who used to belong to the old factions are showing hostility, and relations with other departments are strained as well, so the Deputy Commander has been attending meetings in his place."
"Tch. And here I thought appointing a neutral Knight Commander would finally put an end to the chaos. What a nuisance."
The click of a fountain pen echoed softly, the sound that had lately accompanied Matthias's thoughts whenever the Duke of Averil came to mind.
The Duke's sudden attempt to assassinate Lenard had thrown a major wrench into Matthias's carefully laid plans.
His political marriage with Ariette was ruined, of course, but beyond that, both Alexander and Achilles, who had been essential pieces in those plans, had also been affected.
Alexander, an outstanding aide to the Chancellor, had submitted his resignation to take over as acting head of his family, causing delays in the Chancellor's office while responsibilities were reassigned.
Even with several new aides brought in, it was inevitable that a workaholic chancellor would struggle to adjust to the sudden change.
And Achilles, whom Matthias had been eyeing since the early days of his induction into the Order as a potential replacement for Count Wallace, had also suffered.
After the spring incident, Matthias had purged Wallace and his faction, finally steering the knights' loyalty back toward the Imperial Family.
Yet, because of the Duke of Averil's blade and the resulting disgrace that befell his house, Achilles's own authority had been undermined, handing his political opponents the perfect opportunity.
At this point, Matthias almost wanted to accuse the Duke of having done it all just to see him fail.
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