Chapter 49 - The Minister's Return <2>
III
Having changed out of his traveling clothes and finally thrown himself onto a bed that didn't sway, Franz stared blankly up at the ceiling. He had absolutely no idea what would become of this journey.
He hoped to go to the Royal Capital and research Artis in the large library, but upon reflection, even where they would stay was uncertain.
For that matter, he didn't know what would happen just by being with Edward.
His gaze drifted toward the room where Ritz and Anna were.
Ritz, who would likely be dragged into some serious trouble from here on out, was taking a brief rest with Anna as his guard.
Seeing Ritz's attitude, perhaps the Royal Capital was not a very pleasant place.
Before he even had a chance to doze off, a servant from the manor summoned him to a round-table conference with a rather awkward atmosphere.
Though it was called a round-table conference, it wasn't formal or particularly serious. It just so happened that the largest table in this villa was round.
The agenda for the meeting was singular. And since it concerned the sullenly silent Ritz, there was no way it would be an enjoyable discussion.
The official topic was the king's return.
Ostensibly, the king was unable to take the throne because he was convalescing from a serious illness. The adults were discussing, with all due seriousness, how to get him into the royal palace without the public noticing.
"There will be fewer people in the early morning. However, it is also true that farmers and traveling merchants are early risers. It would be difficult to go completely unseen," Kenny said.
Everyone except Ritz, Anna, and Franz nodded at Kenny's remark. Ritz just stared out the window, making no attempt to join the meeting. As for Franz and Anna, they knew nothing of the situation in the capital.
"Then what about the evening, Kenny-kun?"
At Chamberlain O'Connor's words, Kenny glanced at his adjutant. The adjutant, understanding his cue, spoke up.
"Wouldn't that be more dangerous? It's the time of day when many people rush in just before the castle gates close. Wouldn't it be easy to be seen?"
Again, everyone nodded.
"The only remaining option is the middle of the night, but…"
Kenny responded immediately to Edward's comment.
"Your Majesty, the castle gates are closed in the middle of the night, and the Royal Capital Defense Corps is constantly on watch. The only people who know of Your Majesty's departure are those present here, the Queen, the Crown Prince, and the Prime Minister. If the soldiers were to find you, it would become a major incident."
"Hmm, I suppose you're right…"
Everyone fell silent, and then they all covertly glanced toward Ritz.
Franz quickly realized that everyone's behavior was strange. The meeting lacked any sense of urgency, and he felt a sense of unease, as if he were watching a poorly acted play.
Perhaps this entire meeting was decided upon without the three of us knowing. If so, the mastermind of this plan was likely Edward.
Suddenly, with a loud thud, Ritz shot to his feet. He had slammed both hands onto the table. Everyone looked up, startled by his sudden action.
"How long are you going to keep up this phony meeting?"
Franz looked up at Ritz. If Franz had noticed how strange this was, there was no way Ritz wouldn't have.
Only Anna, not understanding what was happening, blinked in surprise.
"…I'd like to say until we reach a conclusion, but…"
Edward, who looked at Ritz with a sincere expression, let out a small sigh and spoke.
"A conclusion has already been reached. You realized that, didn't you, Ritz?"
"…Vaguely. Why do I have to clean up the mess from your little escape?"
"Clean up my mess? I don't recall ever dismissing you, so I hardly think those are words for a minister who left the country on his own accord to be saying."
"…"
With those last words, the two fell silent, and the people around them could only fret. Franz could somewhat understand how they felt.
To Franz and Anna, they were merely traveling companions, but they were still the king and his minister.
With the nation's top two leaders glaring at each other so hostilely, even the Chamberlain had lost his earlier bravado and was letting his gaze wander.
Was there anyone here who could stop them?
"No, no, you can't fight!"
There was one person. Anna.
"I don't really get it, but it's better if you don't fight. Because if Ritz and Ed-san are fighting, it makes everyone feel bad. Right?"
"Anna…"
Ritz and Edward called Anna's name in unison, then fell sullenly silent again.
"Ed-san, Ritz, um, I want you to talk things out properly. Because I don't understand anything. Franz wants you to talk, too, right?"
Of course he did. He felt as if they'd been left out of the loop this entire time, creating a sense of alienation. He was fine with solitude, but being alienated during a meeting was somehow unpleasant.
"Yes, I'd like to know, too. We have no idea what's going on."
He fixed his gaze on Ritz, urging him to speak.
"Is it okay if I just give you my prediction?"
Franz nodded at Ritz, who spoke reluctantly. Still, it was much better than knowing nothing at all.
"First of all, this meeting is a lie from the get-go. On the surface, the agenda is about the king entering the capital and taking the throne without attracting attention, right?"
Franz nodded silently.
"But that's just for show. Ed could get into the capital without any trouble by himself. He's escaped plenty of times before, so I have no doubt."
"Ah…"
Come to think of it, he seemed to recall Edward saying something like that. In that case, what was this meeting all about?
"The real agenda of this meeting is, 'How can we block all my escape routes and keep me in the capital?'"
"…You, Ritz?"
"That's right. If you have any objections, say so."
Unlike his usual self, Ritz's eyes were sharp and wary as he glared around the room at Edward, O'Connor, Kenny, and his adjutant.
Kenny and his adjutant looked down, abashed. O'Connor's eyes darted about, and Edward looked away as if to deflect, his gaze fixed on some distant point.
Seeing that no one said a word, Ritz let out a deliberately dramatic sigh and continued.
"If you use a prominent person to draw everyone's attention in the capital, the king can enter the palace without much of a fuss. That's a given. But the king probably wouldn't be found even if he entered normally. So why go to the trouble of making a scene to attract everyone's attention?"
Franz looked up at Ritz, not understanding.
"Why is that?"
"I don't get it either!"
"There's only one answer. They intend to show the people of the capital that I've returned, creating a wedge that will make it difficult for me to just run off."
The room fell so quiet you could hear a pin drop, with only Ritz's voice echoing through it.
"My prediction is on the mark, isn't it, Ed?"
Edward, the one being addressed, gave a bitter smile.
"Yes, that's right. This is trouble. My thoughts are still completely transparent to you, I see."
"What are you talking about? Even a fool like me can figure this much out."
Anna raised her hand as Ritz turned away in a foul mood. She seemed to think one was supposed to raise their hand to speak at a meeting.
"Yes, a question!"
"Go ahead, Anna."
"How are you going to stand out? If you just enter normally, you won't stand out, right?"
That's what they didn't understand. As Franz and Anna looked up, Ritz muttered his thoughts. But even his small, mumbled voice was clearly audible in the dead-silent room.
"The worst-case scenario is they hold a massive, nationwide parade under the guise of 'The Minister's Return Parade,' complete with Sabatieri's legacy."
I see, Franz nodded. There was no doubt that the return of a minister who had been absent from the country for over thirty years would capture the public's interest.
Ritz's explanation continued.
"The minister's disappearance is a well-known story in Yuresla. There are even rumors that the position of minister has been left open indefinitely as an honorary title because the minister is a member of the free-spirited Clan of Light. I think Ed just couldn't be bothered and left it alone. But well, if I come back after thirty-five years, it's going to cause a huge commotion."
Franz, who was unaware of common worldly knowledge, hadn't known about the minister's disappearance, but if it was a famous tale, the shock would be even greater.
"So, what will happen then?"
When he asked calmly, Ritz shrugged.
"There's no doubt that a huge crowd will flock to the streets to catch a glimpse of the minister they've never seen. And since I'll have entered the capital in a grand parade, I won't have any way to escape."
Having finished speaking, Ritz fell sullenly silent again. The atmosphere was so heavy that Franz didn't even feel like opening his mouth, so he simply whispered, My condolences, in his mind.
O'Connor let out a sigh of admiration.
"As expected of you, Your Excellency. That is exactly right. I am in awe of your insight."
"…Flattery will get you nowhere."
As silence fell once more, it was Anna who sighed.
"A parade, huh… That sounds amazing! I'd love to see it!"
"…Anna."
Completely oblivious to the situation, Anna had spoken with a rapturous expression. Franz held his head in his hands and chided her.
"Eh, why? It's a parade! I've never seen one before."
"If Ritz is in the parade, it'll be impossible for us to watch from the outside."
"Why?"
Franz sighed again.
"How are you planning to watch the parade, Anna? Are we supposed to enter the capital on our own and blend in with the crowd?"
"Oh, right."
That's right; it was their first time going to the capital. Without Ritz, they wouldn't know their left from their right. On top of that, a parade would mean a massive crowd.
What would the two of them do all alone in a city where they didn't even know where to go? They would surely end up lost.
Their only option, in the end, was to stick with Ritz and reach the parade's destination: the royal palace.
"That's no fun! I wanted to see it!"
When their exchange ended, Edward cleared his throat.
"So that's how it is. I apologize for such an obvious plan, but can you please try to understand?"
"If I say I don't want to, will you call it off?"
Ritz shot Edward a listless and disgruntled look. Edward met his gaze. It wasn't his usual nonchalant expression. Franz could see that this was creating an irreplaceable situation for Ritz.
"I cannot. The moment we arrived here, I sent a fast horse to the Royal Capital. The arrangements are for you to enter the capital the day after tomorrow. The preparations were already underway."
"…The day after tomorrow, huh."
Ritz stood up and started walking toward the door.
"Where are you going?"
Without turning back to answer Edward's question, Ritz placed his hand on the doorknob.
"To get some air. The conversation will go on without me anyway, right?"
Before anyone could stop him, Ritz left the room. Those left behind let out a sigh as the tension broke.
"Franz, why does Ritz hate being a minister so much?"
At Anna's words, Franz shrugged. For most people, becoming a minister was a pipe dream, something to aspire to. But Ritz was so vehemently against it.
"Edward-san, do you know anything?"
But Edward didn't give them a clear answer, merely muttering one line.
"Ritz wants to be free. I often feel the same way."
Ritz never appeared at that meeting again. The rest of the time was spent with Kenny, his adjutant, and O'Connor meticulously reviewing security measures and making arrangements to get the king into the palace. It seemed most of the plan was already in place, so it was just a matter of confirming things with each other.
However, Anna and Franz, who had been listening to the plan, could only stare at each other in stunned silence, communicating with their eyes.
…This is certainly going to be flashy.
IV
After a lavish dinner featuring an abundance of ingredients from the farm, a small commotion arose. Ritz, who had been present until dinner, had gone missing.
"Your Majesty, surely he hasn't already left!"
While calming the panicked O'Connor and Kenny, Edward looked at Anna and Franz. The two of them had been pacing around worriedly as well.
If Ritz had truly disappeared here, these two wards would be lost on the road ahead.
"Franz, did Ritz leave?"
"…"
"Did he leave us behind?"
Anna pressed Franz, who was too pale to answer.
"Franz, say something! Come on!"
"Calm down…"
"I can't calm down! Ritz might have left us behind!"
To the frantic Anna, Franz replied in a strained voice.
"Even if he ran away… Ritz would surely come back for us."
Franz probably wasn't certain. Franz and Anna would be lost without Ritz, but Ritz could survive on his own.
So both of them knew very well that if Ritz wanted to leave them, he could do so easily.
"O'Connor, Kenny, search the mansion thoroughly."
"Yes, sir!"
As the two men ran off, Edward offered a gentle smile to Anna and the others.
"My apologies, you two. If Ritz has truly run away, I will take responsibility and bring you to the Royal Capital. But it is unthinkable that Ritz would leave you behind. And this isn't just to comfort you, you know?"
"…Really?"
Edward nodded confidently at the two, whose eyes wavered with anxiety.
"Of course. The man known as Ritz despises things like status, honor, and attachments, but he's deeply compassionate. Once he decides to look after someone, he's the type to see it through to the end."
Franz nodded. He probably had a vague sense that Ritz thought of Anna and Franz as family. That's why he decided to tell a story from the past without Ritz's permission.
"Let me tell you a story from the past. A long time ago… yes, back when Ritz looked about your age, Franz."
The two looked up at Edward, their faces asking what he was talking about.
"Back when I wasn't yet king, there was an assassination at the royal palace. The one who was killed was my mother."
"<"
That was a story from about forty years ago. Back then, Edward was still young and lived a life far removed from the throne.
But when that incident occurred, Ritz was already by his side. It was a time when they were honing their sword skills together, training hard for the battle to come.
In the middle of the night on the day he heard about the incident, Edward couldn't stand it and bolted from his house, sword in hand. Looking back, he was probably in a state of turmoil, filled with regret and sadness over his mother's murder. Before he knew it, he had set out to take revenge on the person who killed her.
He thought no one had noticed, but at the entrance to the Traveler's Highway from the narrow road that passed through the village, a voice suddenly called out to him from above.
When he looked up, he saw Ritz, backlit by the moonlight, sitting on a tree branch and swinging his legs.
Even to Edward, who had been with him for so long, Ritz on the tree was somehow mystical. He thought Ritz was beautiful, with his pointed ears translucent in the moonlight and his slender, supple silhouette like a young tree.
'Where are you going in such battle-ready gear, Ed?'
Without a hint of his body's weight, Ritz gracefully landed on the ground from the tree and drew the sword from the surprised Edward.
'If it's revenge, you should stop. There's absolutely no point in going now. Well, if you absolutely have to, I'll go with you.'
"With that one line from Ritz, the thread of my tension snapped. I knew it was pointless, but my feelings wouldn't settle unless I went. But I couldn't risk endangering Ritz as well. I knew if I forced my way, he would come with me."
"But that's because you and Ritz are friends…"
"That's right. Ritz and I are best friends, and to me, he's my irreplaceable right hand. But you two are the same. Franz and Anna are Ritz's companions, aren't you?"
"Yeah."
Still, Edward gently placed his hand on Anna's head as her face clouded with worry.
"It's alright. The reason Ritz and I became friends was because I gave him food when he had collapsed on the road. Even for something as simple as that, Ritz was willing to lend a hand in a dangerous situation. That's the kind of man he is."
"That sounds just like Ritz."
Anna nodded as she said that. Franz nodded back to Anna. They should be okay now.
"Now, you two, it's getting late. Go to sleep."
"Yes."
"Good night."
As he watched the two figures return to the rooms they had finally been given, Edward muttered to himself.
"…Ritz is your guardian. He's not the kind of man who can leave behind people he's supposed to be protecting."
He might not realize it himself, but the real Ritz was a somewhat earnest and dutiful man. There was no way he would run away when he had wards entrusted to him.
Besides, Edward had a vague idea of where Ritz was. He should probably go and fetch him as a friend.
Edward put on some warm clothing and left the building alone.
What followed was O'Connor and Kenny falling into a state of panic when the king, too, went missing, but Edward, surprisingly carefree, had no inkling of such a thing.
Ritz was on top of the largest tree in the forest within the farm. He knew, deep down, that he was being childish. But to him, the royal palace was nothing but suffocating.
Ritz had come to know the palace all too well, for better or worse, during that civil war. What started as a simple act of running away from home turned into being at the center of a succession dispute before he knew it.
If he closed his eyes, scenes of past power struggles would come flooding back. Battle after battle, bloodstained battlefields, and a royal palace filled with the malicious suspicion of its people.
The royal palace was a labyrinth of the human heart. He had to constantly think about who he could trust and who he couldn't, and he always had to be suspicious of people.
He had always been mindful of his friend's life in order to protect him. If he hadn't, Edward would have run out of lives many times over.
Thanks to the efforts of their comrades, the assassins and adversaries disappeared within a year, but even so, the palace was nothing but a painful place for Ritz.
He was sure the palace wasn't like that now, but Ritz still couldn't shake the impression from those days.
Besides, Ritz hated power. Power changes people if they do not continue to discipline themselves correctly.
That's why he would neither hold power nor a position of status. By doing so, his heart could remain free.
At the end of the civil war, that became Ritz's creed. The only thing he could believe in was his own strength. That mercenary way of life suited Ritz's nature. Perhaps that was why he was able to continue being a mercenary for so long.
"Ritz, so this is where you were."
"Ed…"
It was Edward's voice that pulled Ritz, who had been lost in his own thoughts, back to reality.
"Your wards were in a complete panic. Said they'd been left behind."
"…My bad."
Ritz could easily imagine a distraught Anna and a Franz who, despite feigning composure, was in inner turmoil.
But he never thought Edward would find him so easily.
"How did you know where I was?"
"I know what you're thinking. Or did you think I wouldn't, partner?"
Edward said this in the same tone he had used since they were young, then stood silently, leaning against the tree trunk with his arms crossed.
Ritz leaned against the trunk on his branch and looked up at the sky. The stars were beautiful. They had been hazy in the warm summer air, but now that autumn had deepened, the air must have cleared.
Since long ago, whenever Ritz got grumpy or irritated, he would usually be up in a tree. It was a habit from his childhood. Edward knew that well.
"Won't you come down? Let's talk for a bit."
When he was spoken to in that soft voice that had so often soothed him when he was sulking, he couldn't ignore it. Reluctantly, Ritz climbed down from the tree. Now that he'd been found, there was no point in staying up there.
"What do you want to talk about?"
Ritz plopped down next to Edward and looked up at him as he stood. Edward sat down beside him.
"It's just going to be 'Come to the capital' and 'Quietly take your seat as minister,' right?"
"Half yes, half no. There's more to what I have to say. It won't hurt to listen."
Now that it was just the two of them, the king's dignified tone vanished from Edward's speech. This was the kind of guy he really was.
"More?"
Even when questioned suspiciously, Edward remained unfazed.
"That's right. Come to the capital, take your seat as minister… until spring will be fine."
"What?"
"Shasta, O'Connor, and Kenny seem to think you'll live in the capital for good, but I understand that it's impossible for you to remain in the minister's seat. So I'm setting a time limit. Until spring. Just a few months will do."
Edward said this without looking at Ritz. A return for just a few months until spring…
"What's happening between now and then?"
"You already know, don't you? I'm retiring."
"…"
"I've already decided."
He had understood it from the whole series of events, but it seemed Edward was seriously considering abdicating the throne.
"Is spring when you're going to retire?"
"That's right. It's a nice season, isn't it? For traveling, too."
"What are you talking about?"
But Ritz could tell Edward was serious. He was genuinely going to step down from the throne this spring.
"Why do I need to make a grand entrance into the capital?"
He was finally able to voice his biggest question. He couldn't understand why Edward would come up with such a plan, knowing full well that Ritz would hate it.
"To draw the enemy's eye. Stewart is dead, and you have come to the capital. This will be a major factor in shaking up the enemy's side."
"…You… still have enemies…"
"I don't know. It would be good if it ended with Stewart's death, but honestly, I'm not certain. But if the enemy doesn't have the resolve to fight both me and you, Ritz, their plan should fall apart the moment you enter the capital. The supposed mastermind, my brother, is dead, after all. But what if Stewart wasn't really the mastermind…?"
At the faintly hushed voice, Ritz looked back at Edward.
"You're saying there's someone powerful enough to even move Stewart?"
"If so, the enemy will likely think they need to act before you return and our military is firmly established. Your heroic tales are known to all."
"…You, are you trying to smoke out the enemy?"
"I'm not certain yet. But don't you think this will set things into motion all at once?"
Edward was about to take another incredibly reckless gamble. He probably wanted to clean everything up before he abdicated.
Stewart was indeed a lingering resentment from the civil war. It had to be dealt with by Edward and Ritz's generation.
"What if the enemy organization has already collapsed?"
When he voiced this optimistic hope, Edward gave a small laugh.
"If that's the case, I want you to witness my son's trial. Both Shasta and I have grown old. Right now, the only one who can move like in the old days is you, Ritz."
"A trial? Just let him inherit the throne normally."
"No, I want to see if my son is truly worthy in the form of a trial. I've worked hard to somehow get this country back on its feet. I can't bear it if my son were to ruin it. Besides…"
Edward quietly looked up at the sky. He seemed to be remembering something. Was it something from the past that crossed his mind?
"Besides, you have a duty to see my final act as king to the end. My position as king wasn't built by my hand alone. It was built by the strength of everyone."
"…Yeah."
"And at the center of it all were you and I."
Ritz, too, let his thoughts drift to that time. The days spent amidst battle and chaos, aiming for the Royal Capital, were now coming to an end with Edward's abdication.
That era still shines brightly in Ritz's mind, unfaded, but thirty-five years have passed since then.
He was already in too deep. He'd have to see it through to the end.
"…I get it. Until spring, then."
"Yes, until spring."
"You're going to let me escape properly, right?"
"Of course. I'll let you escape proudly through the main gate."
Ritz tilted his head, puzzled by Edward's overconfidence.
How could he escape proudly through the main gate?
"Didn't I say? That spring is good for traveling."
"Don't tell me you…"
Edward grinned. It seemed Ritz's guess was right.
"You were really planning on traveling…"
"Well, yeah. I'm thinking of going sightseeing or something."
Ritz let out a sigh.
"It's a wonder the country held together with this guy as king."
"That's because the Prime Minister is excellent."
Setting his own matters aside, Ritz sympathized with Prime Minister Shasta from the bottom of his heart.