# 78
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The next day, I attended the welcoming party that the Kingdom of Yuris held for me and Sirten.
The start was a late breakfast.
We ate in a greenhouse that smelled delicately of fruit.
“His Majesty the King apologizes for being unable to attend due to health problems.”
“It's okay. I know His Majesty suffers from a chronic illness. Don't worry about it. Grandma already explained it to me.”
Certain answered calmly.
The Kingdom of Joris was preparing for a smooth transition of royal power. The Crown Prince, who attended on behalf of the King, it was no exaggeration to say that he had already become king.
He certainly came with all the powers of a king.
“Thank you for your understanding, Your Highness the Crown Prince. We hope you enjoy your stay.”
The Crown Prince gently commanded the atmosphere. The only people present at the breakfast were the Crown Prince and his wife, Sirtin, myf, and the great-grandmother.
Perhaps this was out of consideration because we had not yet recovered from the hardship of travel.
The Crown Prince's wife was a quiet person. Whenever her eyes met mine, she would smile gently, and her face looked cute.
“Your Highness the Crown Princess, if you have time, how about you visit the temple with me?”
"Hmm? The temple? We go to the temple to say a prayer?"
I tilted my head and spoke the words as if I were a child. I felt the great-grandmother's eyes pointing at me.
Fortunately, those looks were warm. She was worried about me.
“Yes. The Kingdom of Yuris reveres the Ruler of Healing. There is a large temple to him in the capital. The high priest there is a person of high status. He will definitely pray for you, Your Highness.”
She obviously feels bad for me. The Crown Prince's wife's gesture towards me was rather strange.
There weren't many people who were nice to me from the beginning.
“Miracles can happen anywhere.”
The Crown Prince's wife was sincerely making this suggestion to me. She was watching Sertain's expression as she spoke.
“…In fact, it is famous as a tourist site as well. Its architectural design is unique and beautiful.”
The Crown Prince quickly added.
Maybe that was also a kind of consideration.
Just the fact that it was a place worth visiting even if I wasn't sick was important to me.
They are good people.
They are not usually those at the top of power.
"Sounds fun. Would you like to go with me, husband?"
“...I will refuse. I am not much interested in such buildings. Nor am I inclined to revere rulers.”
The audience laughed faintly at Sertin's words.
His voice had a tone of light joking.
Temple of the Healing Ruler,
Maybe I can use it as a convenient excuse. For us to prevail, Duke Spelman must collapse.
Then, I won't need to act anymore, right?
I might be able to use the excuse that I received a blessing from the temple in the Kingdom of Yuris.
While I was thinking this, Sertin placed a light kiss on my forehead.
“May the ruler’s miracle be with you.”
I laughed at what Sertin said. Maybe he was thinking the same thing.
A slight smile appeared on the great-grandmother's lips as she looked at us.
It was a warm dining session, like the temperate weather of Joris.
I didn't attend the dinner party.
The great-grandmother noticed that I had to keep pretending to be sick, so she announced her absence from the party under the pretext of feeling unwell.
She added that she wanted me to stay with her, so I stayed in the palace.
I no longer have to meet so many people.
Now I noticed that the number of servants in the palace was very few. I heard the maids talking that the number was deliberately reduced.
As Certain said, Great-Grandma was a good person.
This was the first time I felt truly cared for by a real adult.
I began to understand why Cyrtain was worried about Princess Elisabeth and thought so long before coming to Joris.
Fortunately she survived.
“Do you like the food?”
“Ah…”
We were at the dinner table, completely alone. Even the servants have been dismissed.
“Yes. It's delicious, grandma.”
“What I struggled with most while traveling across the continent was the food. Glad it suits your taste.”
She swallowed and smiled.
“Thank you, grandma.”
It was warmer than the first time we were alone.
“Is there something you would like to do? Yuris is a thriving trading country, with a lot of fun things to do. In Lixia you will be caught up in a tense atmosphere again, so if you want to have fun, do it here.”
I've never thought of anything like this before.
When she said I could have fun, I swallowed without realizing it.
Can I be freer, see the world?
“There is no need to take servants with us. I will accompany you myf.”
"… Yes."
"What's this response? Is it possible that you haven't thought about it even once?"
Great-grandmother laughed.
“You are a good girl.”
I grabbed the fork in my hand when I heard those words.
Maybe I was so busy hiding myf that I didn't even think about it.
My cheeks turned red from her gentle look at me.
“Think about it. Isn’t there something you want to do? Leave all the annoying duties on Sirtain.”
Certain was planning to gain a lot during his visit to the Kingdom of Yuris. He did not intend to stop at winning only Count Chinches from the west.
Not only did he build friendly relations with the Yuris Kingdom, but he was also planning many encounters with other commercial goals.
Among these plans was to open trade between Curtis's caravan and the family of Count Brisman.
It was me who requested this from Sertin, as I felt that I would be able to benefit from Count Prisman's family in the future.
My great-grandmother lumped all of these things together under the name of annoying duties.
“There is…something I desire.”
I felt my face blushing unconsciously.
"What is it?"
"I had decided to visit the temple earlier, so I want to read a lot of books as well. I can't remember the last time I read a book without having to watch those around me."
I was living a life where I had to give up even the simplest everyday things. I couldn't be myf.
All my time was acting.
“And I want to learn about business. I've never had the opportunity to learn how to run a business. I know I won't be able to learn everything in a short time... but...”
“I asked you to think about things for fun, but all you think about is work.”
“I've had enough fun. I think spending two whole weeks on tourism would be boring.”
On the contrary, I wanted to do things that I couldn't do in Lixia.
“It is true that time is short and not enough to master everything, but...”
“If it's about trade... hmm, isn't the sector that Duke Spelmann monopolizes the defense industry?”
"Yes, this is correct."
Gunpowder is owned by the imperial family. The Duke of Spelmann manufactured rifles and cannons based on requests from the imperial family.
Because the quantities that can be traded are pre-determined and subject to strict control, smuggling is impossible.
Even Duke Spelmann himf had to pay huge sums of money to secretly smuggle it out.
This was not a matter that could be resolved by simply pleasing or deceiving the Emperor. The Ministry of Justice was the supervising body.
However, it was certain that this business field generated a lot of money.
"So, instead of learning a trade, how about you learn about new rifles? There's a museum near here."
museum?
I have a kind of museum shock.
But I started to get curious.
“I believe that the most important thing in business is having a unique idea or product. To achieve this, one must study.”
“I think that would be fun!”
This was my first chance to learn something since becoming Evelyn.
I thought the compulsory education I received in modern society and university was enough, but I was wrong.
Living as an ignorant person is very frustrating. And come to think of it, I was always studying something.
I enjoyed reading books too.
“...I'm surprised you actually like something like that.”
My great-grandmother laughed as if she had no choice but to accept it.
“You're really a good girl.”
This was the second time she complimented me.