After Retirement, Living a Stud Life in Another World - 54
Chapter 54: Prelude to Battle
The leisurely peaceful life that seemed to continue indefinitely was abruptly interrupted by messengers from the north.
“Beatrice, a marriage proposal?”
“Yes.”
Her porcelain doll-like fair beauty, which could be likened to a doll, now appeared even colder, almost like an ice sculpture.
“Of course, they are aware that Beatrice is engaged to me, right?”
“Naturally, yes. And yet, to send a proposal messenger even after knowing that… it should be regarded as a de facto declaration of war. Belzenbrücke has certainly underestimated us.”
The one who answered my question was Her Majesty the Queen. Just like Beatrice, anger tinged her fair cheeks. Yes, the shameless man who casually sent a messenger to Beatrice was none other than the prince of the Lubriana Empire, who could now be considered an archenemy.
To make matters worse, the offer from the messenger was to take Beatrice as his princess consort. In this world where females generally possess significantly higher magical abilities, the heirs of the upper class are typically daughters, and thus, marriage usually involves the groom marrying into the bride’s family. Especially in the case of inter-country marriages, the norm would be for the bride to marry into the groom’s country to retain exceptional mages. Therefore, the Empire’s act of demanding Beatrice as a bride, knowing this, was akin to offering a hostage as a sign of surrender.
If the queen were to declare the engagement null and void due to Beatrice’s engagement with me, the messenger would smile and say, “Then simply annul the engagement. Surely, there are better spouses than the prince of the Empire.” Beatrice, as the heir, would reject the proposal to marry into another country, stating that she cannot be given away to another country as the successor. To this, the messenger would brazenly reply with unbelievable words like, “Then shall the prince marry into our country? In that case, upon Beatrice’s ascension, both countries will be unified.” The enraged queen interrupted the audience, but the messenger reportedly continued to loiter at the castle’s guesthouse with an air of importance.
Well, even a layman like me can see that this is picking a fight diplomatically. If we refuse, they’ll use it as a pretext to attack, and if we accept, the prince really intends to take over Belzenbrücke by becoming its king consort.
“Do you think we can win if we go to war right now?”
“Probably not. Originally, the Empire’s military strength is far superior. We were able to repel the Empire’s invasion twenty-some years ago solely because Hilda was unrivaled with her fire magic. Without that, it would have been a complete defeat.”
The queen seemed unusually pessimistic. Indeed, I think the regular army of the kingdom without magic is weak, but the number of mages in the kingdom is higher, and our “heroine” mother is still going strong. Understanding what I wanted to say, the queen shrugged.
“Well, I can only vent my frustrations in front of my family. Lutz-kun, you’re already considered one of us.”
“While I appreciate that… Your Majesty, do you genuinely believe that the Empire has the upper hand?”
“Yes, probably. The enemy will likely leverage their advantage in the army. And they must have come up with some way to counter Hilda’s magic.”
Is it really that easy to defend against mother’s magic? I’ve only seen it once, but I was truly amazed when the snowy field turned into a sea of fire in an instant, melting all the snow. I can’t imagine any method to dodge such a transcendent magic, like something a demon king would possess.
“Well, there’s no point in worrying about that. The conclusion has already been reached. We cannot simply hand Beatrice over to those brutes with such a threatening marriage proposal. We will fight decisively… Beatrice, Lutz-kun, be prepared.”
“Of course, we’ll fight.”
“I’ll protect Beatrice. As a meat shield, of course.”
The queen’s tense expression softened at my words, and she smiled brightly.
******
Ultimately, two days later, Her Majesty the Queen sent the messenger back to the Empire.
As for why it wasn’t the next day, there were voices among the high-ranking nobles.
“If Princess Beatrice goes to the Empire, couldn’t the war be avoided?”
“Princess Beatrice must endure for the sake of the kingdom’s peace.”
“Even if Princess Beatrice goes to the Empire, Princess Clara will come to the kingdom.”
In essence, they don’t want to fight. They’re saying they’re willing to offer up just one princess. And for the nobles who originally supported Princess Clara, this provocation from the empire seemed like a chance to suddenly reverse their own influence.
However, Queen Elizabeth would not entertain such nonsense.
“You are willing to accept such humiliating demands to avoid war, casting aside my daughter’s beloved betrothed and essentially sending her as a hostage to the empire,” she stated.
“While I do not tolerate such disrespect, national interests cannot be lightly exchanged for the benefit of a single royal. We must endure and persevere…” one noble began.
“Silence,” the queen interrupted.
“Pardon?”
“I said be silent. Since when have you all become such cowards? Your predecessors stopped the empire’s unjust invasion with their own bodies. It is because of their efforts that you now hold your positions, do you understand? We have no use for nobles without pride in their kingdom. You had better leave for the empire now!”
At that point, no one dared to argue. Faced with the resolute attitude of the usually gentle queen, the nobles responded silently, kneeling in submission.