"Greetings, Mister Samuel, this is Lady Elidranthia, my fiancée," Ludwin introduced me to Samuel, one of the RGB musketeers from Elderan. I was taken aback as he smirked at me. Samuel has seen my face in Shadowstep County! We have tried to take each other's lives two times already. "And this is Dregorn, the envoy from Elderan. He is here to discuss a truce between Elderan and Althemer."

"Well, well, who do we have here? What a lovely lady. Your eyes really remind me of a friend in the intelligence department who took care of this eye of mine," Samuel remarked, gesturing to his eye covered with black leather. His appearance, complete with a pistol on his belt, reminded me of a pirate from the movies I had seen on Earth. We were in his room, which was more akin to a small apartment than a typical guestroom, complete with its own bathroom and living room.

"Hm? She is Prince Ludwin's fiancée, Samuel. Keep your distance. We don't need one of your skirt-chasing antics here. My apologies, Prince Ludwin. He's a commoner, so his manners are somewhat lacking," Dregorn interjected, bowing to Prince Ludwin.

"...Eli?" Ludwin nudged me, waking me up from my daydreaming.

"Ah! My apologies! It's a pleasure to meet you, Samuel, Lord Dregorn," I said, bowing.

"Will we have another guest?" Dregorn asked.

"No, today it's just a friendly supper. It is, by all means, informal. By the way, here is our proposal for the day," Ludwin replied, handing him a document before sitting down. The butlers and maids began serving the meal on a simple table. They brought out bread and soup first, with Samuel still standing, clearly more accustomed to the role of a guard than a guest. I assumed he would have his dinner later in private. "Let's start with something light. We have white bread with soup. Our soup used imported spices from theocracy. It is the best it is."

The bread was soft and white, and the soup was savory, dotted with pieces of meat. Behind the maid was a trolley carrying various dishes. The meal was straightforward: soup and bread for the appetizer, followed by sausages with potatoes, and pudding for dessert.

As we leisurely ate our supper, Dregorn skimmed through our documents and frowned. "I see. I must say, I expected a much lower tax rate on our border crossings. Forty percent is too much, don't you think?" I was taken aback. Forty percent tax from both sides? That's effectively 80%! That was outright extortion! Even pirates and bandits took less than that from cooperative victims.

"I agree. But this proposal was drafted by the Ministry of External Affairs. So, we are obligated to present it to you. Let's just say we're testing the waters. Do you have your own proposal? We can compare them."

"I see. Well, in fact, we do," Dregorn replied, signaling Samuel to retrieve the document. Samuel bowed and did as instructed.

"Thank you. We shall review this at a later time," Ludwin nodded as he accepted the paper. Like Dregorn earlier, he skimmed the contents but refrained from making any comments. His poker face was flawless. I am curious to know whether he read the letter and thought it was not a problem or didn't understand what he read. I was eager to take a look myself! But leaning over to peek during a formal meeting would certainly earn me an immediate failing grade in etiquette. So, I held back. Ludwin was such a pain. The least he could do was to comment and summarize the contents of the document.

"Good. I look forward to a prompt response," the envoy said, bowing.

"On an unrelated note, we were curious why you launched an assault against us. While our relations have never been perfect, we have been neighbors for about fifty years, haven't we? Was it merely an attempt to expand?"

"Ah, about that, I am a bit embarrassed to say. There has been a bit of a power struggle in our country. So, someone decided to assault Althemer once it was clear the spawner was under our control."

"I see. So, it was seen as an achievement? Were you aiming for material gain? Or was the act of victory against us the goal? You certainly do us good in the forest."

"We did wish to expand. However, all of our neighbors, including ourselves, are part of the Western Alliance. So, you were the only viable target at the time. It seems fate has decreed our lands not to be disturbed. Either by subtraction or addition."

"I see. Thank you for sharing such valuable information." Ludwin's smile never left his face throughout our dinner, and his gaze remained fixed on Dregorn just as mine stayed on Samuel. He merely smirked back at me whenever our eyes met.

A case of content theft: this narrative is not rightfully on Amazon; if you spot it, report the violation.

"Lady Elidranthia, may I inquire why you gaze upon me so intently?" Samuel bowed slightly as he spoke, his smirk still in place. "To be honest, I find it rather exhilarating to be stared at by your captivating ruby eyes."

"Hm? Yes, why have you been staring at Samuel so intently?" Ludwin chimed in.

"Ah, it feels like I've seen Samuel somewhere before, but I can't quite place it; thus, it bothers me." I scrambled for an excuse. "Ahh! That's right! His face was on a bounty issued by the Ministry of Defense. It was worth a thousand gold!"

"Hm? Prince Ludwin?" Dregorn's brow furrowed.

"Really? I'll need to check with the Ministry of Defense later. We can't have our guest being a wanted individual. If his face is indeed there, I will ensure it's removed immediately. Thank you for your sharp observation, Eli."

"It pleases me to know that I am infamous enough for a country to issue a bounty on me. Likewise, Lady Elidranthia, Prince Ludwin, I've come across information suggesting that reapers might target your lives."

"Hm? Why? There's no way that's true…" I responded instinctively, immediately denying his claim. It was only a moment later that I realized I had walked right into his trap.

"Oh? How can you be so certain?" Samuel grinned at me, causing sweat to begin to bead on my forehead over such a naive blunder.

"I mean, we've used their services frequently; there's no way they would target their clients, right Ludwin?"

"You shouldn't assume so hastily, Eli. Reapers have been rather bold in our country lately." Ludwin chastised me. This idiot really couldn't read the room.

"I see. So, does that mean our lives might be at risk?" I asked him back.

"Hahaha. Even reapers would think twice before targeting royals and the empire's guests. No need to worry, envoy from Elderan. Our imperial guards are well-trained for this," Ludwin smiled. I almost tilted my head at his bold statement, but then I realized he was putting on a front to make our guest feel at ease. "Nevertheless, if you happen to meet those rats, please do inform us."

"I see. I thank you," Dregorn bowed. Likewise, Samuel bowed down and didn't press any further.

"Well, the night has grown late, and our dinner has run its course. We shall not impose on you any further. Let us leave, Eli. Sir Samuel, take this opportunity to nourish yourself, Mister Samuel."

"Your concern is misplaced, Prince Ludwin. I shall dutifully take care of myself," he responded with a bow, and we both left. As we walked into the corridor, I asked Ludwin about their proposals. I was not sure Ludwin even read them, but at least he could show me the letter.

"Taxes to 3% for luxuries, 7% for foodstuffs, and 5% for raw materials," Ludwin answered succinctly. I was surprised that he did read their proposals.

"That seems awfully low." I pondered. Given that the taxes are applied both ways, it's hard to compare to Earth standards, but it still seemed low to me.

"Yes, it is very low. I expected it to hover around 10 or 15 percent, but it's much lower than anticipated," he answered.

"The luxuries are the cheapest. Does that mean they want to drain our silver and gold?" I speculated randomly about their intentions. "Or do they want the foodstuffs to feed their country, so they taxed it the highest?"

"But it's still cheap even by our standards. So, we can't be certain. Usually, if the country needed something, they would tax it the highest so they could procure it. But all of them are low. Suspiciously low. Maybe they simply want to spy on our country, looking for weaknesses to exploit."

"Hm… why don't we simply ask them about their reasons for these tax proposals?"

"Well, I don't think they will spill the beans that easily. I will ask the Ministry of Internal Affairs and External Affairs to review it. We'll hear about their conclusions soon enough. Let the experts handle it," Ludwin said, waving the proposal papers and casually sliding them back into their envelope. We met the crown prince couple. My heart skipped a beat at the meeting with the heroine.

"Yo, Ludwin. Meeting with Dregorn?"

"Yes, Brother Heracles," Ludwin responded politely.

"Ah, bringing your fiancée? Greetings, Lady Elidranthia." Heracles winked and bowed at me.

"Greetings, Prince Heracles and Princess Claire," I curtsied.

"Greetings, Lady Elidranthia, or should I call you Princess Elidranthia?" Claire replied.

"Please! Don't joke about that. I am not a princess," I shuddered at the mere mention of being royalty.

"Well, we are going to be sisters soon. I don't mind calling you princess now," Claire smiled sweetly.

"So, Brother Heracles, will you be meeting with Dregorn too?"

"Claire made an appointment with them. She wants to discuss military behavior and the establishment of a DMZ or buffer zone, and intelligence networking."

"I see. Claire, huh?"

"I'm not very good at this. I support peace, but the details are better handled by the Ministry of External Affairs, right, Ludwin? But Claire insisted on clarifying some points directly."

"Good luck with the meeting then. Now, we shall excuse ourselves." I curtsied and tried to excuse myself. However, as I signaled Ludwin to depart, Claire called out to me.

"Thank you. Um, Lady Elidranthia, if possible, maybe we could have a meeting tonight. Please, be my first guest at my tea party. I brought tea from Elderan. Here is an invitation for you and your lady in waiting. Bring Alicia, Safira, and Nana too, okay?"

"Eh?" I widened my eyes at the unexpected attack.

"Please, you have to come, okay!" Claire started to pressure me.

“Um… if chance permits…” I tried to politely decline, but she persisted.

"Make the chance then, we are soon to be leaders. We need to meet up with each other once in a while. Charlotte will be there too!"

"Um…" It was nice that she included Charlotte, but Heracles and Claire are the hero and heroine. If I want to escape my death flag, I need to stay as far away from them as possible.

"Claire, maybe she's a bit shy?"

"That won't do, Ludwin. Are you expecting a cold royal family where everyone tries to intimidate each other? Don't worry, Charlotte will be there too, unlike me, I'll be alone. There's no reason for her to be afraid. I just want to get to know all of you better!"

"Wait. Alone? Does that mean Ludwin and Heracles won't come?" I prickled my ear.

"Yes. It's just girl talk. So, will you come?"

"Girl talk! An event that I could only have dreamed about in my previous life is coming right at me! She truly is the heroine. How nice of her to invite me like this! Let's attend! Moreover, she'll be alone. As long as I don't pick a fight or accept a killing order from Ludwin to kill her, she won't kill me with Heracles. Moreover, according to the novel, they had to be together to beat me, so if it was Claire alone, I am safe!" My thoughts brightened at the prospect of having girls talk with Charlotte and Claire. She also said I could bring Alicia, Safira, and Nana. So, there's no reason to refuse.

"Sure, I will attend!"

"Great! I'll send the invitation over at your earliest convenience," Claire smiled.