Redemption of the Blue Rose Princess - Chapter 7.10
Chapter 7-10
Am I serving the Princess just because she reached out to me at that time?
Clovis asked himself this question before pondering for a moment. He slowly shook his head afterward.
“Alicia-sama was the one who saved me… In the beginning, I became her aide because I wanted to repay that kindness…”
Though to him right now, that wasn’t the case anymore.
The longer Clovis spent his time with Alicia, the more he learned of her secrets, her wishes, the deeper his loyalty toward the Princess grew.
“She is sincerely trying to figure out what she can do for her people… And she figured that the path she has to take isn’t an easy one, but a thorny one.”
Even though she had neither the knowledge nor power to fulfill her wish…
Clovis was still dazzled by her desperate attempt to fight back and to avoid a disastrous future for the kingdom. But at the same time, he was afraid she was pushing herself too much. That was why he wanted to protect the kind girl, the fragile girl that would easily fall down on her feet because of the harsh reality she had to face.
“If the path that she chose is enveloped in darkness, I want to be the light that lights her way through her goal. If the peak she’s aiming for is at the top of a steep cliff, then I’ll be the stake for her to step on.”
“…So radiant… Like a knight in a fairy tale… Clo-kun, do you think she’s worth that much?”
Her worth? Clovis almost laughed when the young lord said those words. As far as he concerned, it was he himself who wasn’t worthy of the Princess, not the reverse.
“The future of Heilland lies with her. I’m sure of that.”
“…I see…”
Jude nodded a few times at Clovis’ response as he lifted his lips, turning his expression into that of a smirk. It was the smirk that he usually showed when he was dealing with the merchants, specifically when he was challenging them at a business meeting.
“Hey, Clo-kun… Do you think the Princess will be able to change the country? Tell me your honest opinion.”
“It’s obvious…”
Clovis stared at the man in front of him, a beautiful smile was plastered on his face.
“She will change this country. To a country where everyone will be able to use their strength and wisdom to support each other and to stand up for themselves… You are aware of this already, aren’t you?”
“Hahaha! This is really exciting!”
Finally, the young leader raised the white flag. He raised his hands and shrugged his shoulders with a cheerful smile.
“I give up. You guys are really interesting. You see, I haven’t felt this excited for a long time… The last time I felt this excited was… right, back when I discovered the right clay for manufacturing the porcelains.”
Jude then patted Clovis on his shoulder.
“I’ll do it. I’ll be the head of the trading company. Working for that Princess sounds like a lot of fun.”
“That… Are you sure?”
“Yes, on two conditions.”
Jude smiled mischievously while holding up his two fingers. He then walked slowly around the room, as if he was gauging for Clovis’ reaction.
“You know, I hate useless things, that’s why I want to have only useful people around me. Can you let me select the core members of the trading company? At least the one who will manage the practical side of things.”
“Sure. But, in exchange, we’ll also have the right to look over the member’s list.”
Clovis nodded. He was now acting as the aide to the Princess. After exchanging opinions with Jude, he knew that the man wouldn’t choose an incompetent person to be the core member of an important project like this.
Satisfied with the answer, Jude reduced the number of fingers he held up to one.
“One more condition. I have no intention of changing my stance. There will be times when my position requires me to meet with the higher-ups of the Privy Council, but it’s useless to expect me to get along with them.”
“That’s fine, we’ll take care of that side.”
Replied the black-haired aide, though his expression became a little sullen after hearing that condition. While it was his job to cooperate with the Privy Council, it would be really difficult to do it considering he also had to consider this person with his my-pace personality.
However, even in front of this hardship, Jude still felt that it was worthwhile to take on the responsibility for this project[1]. With Jude having a deep relationship with the merchants and the high amount of trust the people in his territory placed in him, he would be able to act as a contact point to speed up the process of establishing the trading company.
Alicia-sama, you are…
While on the surface he maintained a cool attitude, Clovis’ heart was burning.
The Princess had this strange quality about her. A strange charm that made you want to do something for her, to help her, even though she herself didn’t have any special talent to speak of.
That was Alicia’s greatest weapon and the key to saving the kingdom.
“Please accept my thanks, thank you very much for lending your strength to us.”
“Don’t be so formal, relax and accept me with joy, okay? I prefer it that way.”
Jude smiled and held out his hand to Clovis, who was in the middle of bowing with his hand on his chest. After a moment of hesitation, Clovis took the young lord’s stretched hand and shook it.
“Then, we’ll be in your care, Jude.”
“That’s what I’m talking about.”
The young lord then squeezed the aide’s hand. Then as if he was in hurry, he immediately turned around.
“Now, we have to quickly put together a new draft and send it to the Regional Council! Hahaha! Who cares about their previous rejections! All that matters is that my hands are itchy to write the draft!”
[1] The raw said Jude, but it’s probably meant Clovis instead? Maybe it’s a typo? I’ll follow the raw just to be safe.
TL: Iyo
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