Redemption of the Blue Rose Princess - Chapter 8.0
T/N: Do tell me if something sounds unclear because I think I confused myself when translating and editing this chapter lol.
Interlude – The Calm Before The Storm
Naturally, Alicia was surprised when Jude suddenly stopped being stubborn and offered his full cooperation. She was overjoyed as she expressed her gratitude toward the young lord.
Although neither of them said it out loud, it was clear that there had been some kind of exchange between Clovis and Jude that prompted Jude to change his mind.
“Whatever accomplishments that Lord Clovis will accomplish in the future, I won’t be surprised anymore.”
Jude will never take the job.
The maid, Annie, who predicted that outcome, couldn’t help but blurt the previous sentence out loud when her prediction failed her.
“Seriously, even if one day he told me he’s able to learn how to use magic, I won’t be surprised.”
At any rate, Alicia and her entourage, with the new addition of another member, Jude Nicole, returned to the castle after a series of detailed discussions and finalization of the draft they were writing.
* * *
Several months had passed and the seasons had changed.
During those months, Clovis successfully compiled a proposal based on Jude Nicole’s previous proposal, titled ‘Establishment of the Mercurius Trading Company’, submitted it to the king through the Chancery with consent from the Regional Council.
There was a reason why it took so long for it to reach this point.
Normally, based on the drafts prepared by the various ministries and departments, the Chancery would discuss the proposal, and after many rounds of discussions with the various offices involved in the proposal, the proposal would be presented to the King as an official proposal. Most of the time, everything will be done either after the King gave his agreement or disagreement. However, if the King decided that it was necessary to discuss the topic with the Privy Council, the matter then will be discussed there.
This time, it was different as the proposal that the Chancery picked was a proposal that was previously rejected by the Regional Council.
“The Regional Council was in a state of panic since they felt that they lost their face over the fact that we picked up a proposal that they previously rejected.”
Clovis told Alicia that he had been very thorough and careful while communicating with the Head of the Regional Council, Dreyfus. Even so, it was quite a difficult task to persuade the council as a whole.
In truth, Dreyfus was actually a compassionate and open-minded person.
He was a man of action, if he had decided that he would do something, he would go through with it without fail even if someone tried to stand in his way. He was likable, even the nobles of the Privy Council, who was notorious for their constant backstabbing, liked him and even trusted him. They said that the man always brought a mysterious air that made everyone able to trust him.
But at the same time, he was an old-fashioned man. Because of that, his viewpoint opposed that of Jude’s. From Dreyfus’ point of view, he couldn’t stand the existence of a man like Jude, who refused to deepen his relationship with other nobles and confined himself to his territory.
Of course, when he first received the proposal from the Marquis, he rejected it, though the reason for that was not because of his personal dislike toward the man. He actually carefully read through the content and eventually reached the same conclusion that Alicia reached when she first fully understood the content of the proposal. There was not enough evidence. Because of that, he decided that the content wasn’t important enough to be brought into the Chancery for further discussion.
Sadly, in the end, his emotion got the better of him, and instead of reporting the reason properly, he dismissed the proposal as ‘Incomprehensible nonsense from an unsavory person’ instead.
That was why, when the Chancery handed him the revised proposal, ‘Establishment of the Mercurius Trading Company’ and told him that it was the concrete version of Jude Nicole’s proposal, Dreyfus was so surprised that he splashed the ink bottle on the table.
He then protested and said that the Chancery had no right to step into the domain of the Regional Council.
However, Dreyfus’ initially stubborn attitude gradually softened as a result of Clovis’ persuasion and the fact that the proposal was way more refined than the original proposal.
Then, taking advantage of the timing, Alicia herself wrote an appeal for his cooperation in the name of the future of the kingdom. Eventually, the compassionate Dreyfus finally gave in and gave his cooperation.
Thus, the proposal passed under the name of Princess Alicia and was finally delivered to King James.
After reading through it, the King sent his letters to the nobility.
In other words, he called the Privy Council for a meeting.
* * *
“The day has finally come…”
The morning sunlight streamed in through the large window. Beneath the bright light, Alicia’s face could be seen, tense, as she faced the window.
The dress she wore was bright blue, a symbol of her strong determination. She was accompanied by her black-haired aide, who turned his beautiful amethyst eyes on her.
“Are you nervous?”
“A little bit, yes.”
Alicia looked up at the young man next to her. The smile that she showed him was filled with dignity.
“But, I know that you’re with me, so, I’m not the least bit afraid of what to come.”
“Just like you said, Master…”
Clovis lifted the corners of his mouth, amused. He put his hand on his chest and bowed his head in reverence.
“I will protect you even if I have to discard my own life, please accept this vow of mine.”
“I told you before, stop making that kind of vow… Are you actually messing with me?”
Alicia let out a soft sigh. Maybe it was Clovis’ aim, but his action caused the Princess to ease her nervousness a little. With a small movement, Alicia twirled her dress and stepped forward.
“Let’s go, Clovis, to our battlefield.”
“By your will.”
In the midst of the clear, sunny sky, a bird’s voice echoed as it reached the ears of the heads of the various noble families who were waiting inside the audience hall, waiting for the royalty to appear.
And so, a battle that would be recorded in the history of the Heilland Kindom was about to begin.
TL: Iyo
Join the Discord, so you can pester me about my messy update schedules.