The plan was hastily made, but it was the best I had. The peace treaty finally came. Since I was Ludwin’s fiancée, I was invited not only to the banquet at night but also to the actual signing ceremony, which happened during the day.
Two tables were prepared side by side. The room wasn’t grandiose; it was solemn and professional. We arrived an hour early and were instructed to stand before the table. The entire royal family, including Charlotte, was present. Johann, the prime minister, attended with his son, who was the same age as Heracles. Additionally, some low-ranking nobles were assigned to serve as butlers and knights.
“There are fewer people than expected,” Ludwin frowned.
“Don’t be like that. The other side only has Samuel,” I smiled wryly. Samuel stood beside us, smirking the entire time. His smile was eerie, reminding me of the time he wanted to sell me to a slave dealer when we first met.
The peace treaty began. With a trumpet, the king and Mr. Dregorn entered the room. As they both sat down, Johann, the prime minister, brought the treaty to the king. Afterward, Dregorn signed it.
“With this, a truce has been signed. We hope the peace between us will be everlasting,” Johann smiled toward Dregorn. Dregorn, with a flourish, brought out his precious wine and presented it to the royal family.
“Cheers to King Andre the Wise. May his wisdom ensure that the peace between Althemer and Elderan is everlasting! I brought wine from my home country. This white wine is a bit strong, but please, have a drink.” He smiled and poured the wine into cups, presenting them to the royal family. The wine smelled nice. As he said, it was intense. Even I felt a bit nauseous just from sipping it from a small cup.
As we drank together, a splashing sound of liquid hitting the floor caught our attention. Claire had overturned her cup, spilling its contents purposely. In my etiquette lessons, I learned that rejecting a gift, especially in such a manner, was a clear insult. Claire wasn’t just denying Dregorn’s wine; she was making a statement.
“Claire?” Heracles questioned, his voice laced with confusion.
“This peace treaty is merely a truce, right? I don’t think we should be that close, Mr. Dregorn,” she said, smiling menacingly at him. Panic gripped me as several possibilities flashed through my mind. Claire’s deliberate spill must mean she believed the wine was poisoned!
“Wait, calm down,” I muttered to myself. If the wine was poisoned, she should at least stop Heracles from drinking it. But that wasn’t the case. Could it be that only her cup was poisoned? No, it all came from the same bottle, and our butlers have washed the cups. Could he have poisoned it? He was the one distributing the glass, so it was possible.
“I see. You are certainly correct, Miss Claire. But at the very least, I plan for this peace treaty to last as long as I live,” King Andre responded diplomatically.
“Is that so? Then forgive me for my insolent behavior. Such a joyous occasion was not supposed to—”
Crash
Claire’s speech was interrupted by the sound of glass breaking. I tilted my head in confusion. The attack was supposed to happen during the banquet at night. What were R663, R661, and R25B thinking? I had spent a hundred points to sabotage the banquet, and now they were messing up? I knew they weren’t mages, but were my expectations too high? Or was my commission unclear? Understandably, I am still new to making commissions.
“Guards!” Heracles yelled.
“Sir, a knight did it,” one soldier came to us and reported.
“Watch out! He’s not one of the room’s guards!” Claire warned. I frowned at her warnings. She must have seen this from another timeline. Claire shouldn’t even know who was guarding the room outside. Being a heroine is harsh; she must have died and rewound time just now. Heracles moved immediately to protect his father. However, the knight didn’t aim for King Andre but for Dregorn. Using my dark tentacle, I grabbed a chair and threw it at the knight. The force of the impact blew him away. Thank god for the luxurious and heavy chair. Even though he wore armor, the crash still stunned him. The nearby guards proceeded to subdue him. When I glanced at Claire, she nodded approvingly at my intervention.
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“I’m surprised this empire has survived this long…” I muttered softly at the rogue knight, but Ludwin seemed to hear me. I had just saved Dregorn to gain his trust. The knight’s attack was doomed to fail anyway, given that Samuel was beside Dregorn.
“Hahaha. That was a good reaction, Eli. I have reports that the Theocracy faction is dissatisfied with this treaty.” Ludwin laughed bitterly. “We are certainly being shamed by our subordinates. Maybe we should enact harsher punishments. If only the neighboring countries were not so meddlesome.”
“So, the Slane faction is responsible?”
“I think so,” Ludwin answered. I peeked at Dregorn’s reaction. If he was scared enough and chose to run, that would be my cue to follow him and kill him in the escape path. I had wasted 100 points for nothing! If I had known Slane was going to do the same thing as my plan, I wouldn’t have paid R25B for the commission! It was 100 points! I barely had 60 points left!
“I apologize, Mr. Dregorn. These knights disobeyed our commands. They will be put in jail and will atone for their crimes.” Johann bowed to Dregorn. King Andre couldn’t apologize, so Johann decided he should do it.
“Will the banquet be canceled?” I asked Ludwin.
“Of course not. We have prepared for it. Don’t worry, Eli. I promise that your friend’s ice cream will be enjoyed by all.” His answer threw me for a loop. I almost looked at him incredulously but stopped myself. Did he think I was worried that Safira’s cake and ice cream would go to waste if the banquet was canceled? Now that he mentioned it, it kind of worried me a little. Her ice cream was delicious, after all.
“Mr. Dregorn, will you come to the banquet?”
“I will think about it. I know that our nations were just at war not too long ago, so I understand why some of you are hesitant to welcome us.”
“Oh, I see. But the peace treaty will still stay in effect, no?” Heracles asked. Dregorn nodded.
“Of course. After this peace treaty has been signed by the Elderan senate, the peace treaty will come into full effect.” I peeked and saw Claire’s hand make a fist. She almost made a victory pose right there.
“Thank you.”
“I need to tell you just in case. I think your diplomats might face a similar fate in Elderan. There are factions displeased with the treaty too,” Dregorn warned King Andre. However, his eyes glanced at Claire, seemingly sending some hidden message.
“No need to worry. I will make sure the treaty is a success. I have some friends in Elderan,” Claire smiled, and Heracles supported her.
“Our diplomats might face some disapproval, but it’s a small price for peace. Right, Claire?”
“Yes. You are correct, my prince.”
“Very well. Excuse us,” Dregorn said before leaving.
We soon disbanded, and when I was out of the castle, I contacted R25B.
“R25B, did you know the castle was attacked? I thought you guys missed the date!”
“Come on! We reapers sometimes don’t fully complete the mission, but we aren’t that sloppy. It was during the banquet, right? So, now what? Are you going to cancel the commission? The cancellation fee is 20% of the commission cost. Ah, we have begun preparing, so minus the preparations. So, about 50%.”
“Hm… I don’t know. Dregorn and Samuel didn’t say clearly whether they wanted to attend or not. Let’s just continue.” The plan is now a mess. I don’t know what Dregorn will do. 100 points seemed cheap for assaulting a castle. However, it’s not like I asked them to kill Dregorn directly. I only asked them to send a threat that made it look like Dregorn’s life was at risk. One such plan was to set a timed crossbow outside the window. The chance of actually hitting a moving target with a timed crossbow was low, but as long as the arrow seemed to target Dregorn’s life, I was content with it. And yet, here we are. Dregorn might not even attend the banquet. What did I tell Claire in another timeline? She was weirdly cooperative with me and so hostile to Dregorn.
“Okay.”
“Lady Eli, there is a message from Prince Ludwin. He asked you to attend the banquet three hours early,” Alicia said as she came to my dorm room. My pondering came to a sudden stop at the sudden news.
“That means now, doesn’t it?” I asked her.
“...I’m afraid so.”
“Ugh... let’s use a simple but expensive dress. I also need to wear pants underneath the skirt.” I need to be able to follow Dregorn. But it seems fate has said otherwise.
“Hm? Why would you layer the clothes?”
“Ludwin must have asked me to come early so I could help him with something. The dress is going to get in the way. You know I don’t like gaudy dresses.”
“I see… but that would make your figure a bit bulky.”
“That’s good. At least I won’t look like an 8-year-old kid.”
“The red dress you ordered doesn’t have any sleeves… it’s impossible, Lady Eli. If you want to look mature, I would suggest wearing high heels.”
“Ugh. Okay… at least bring two pairs of shoes. I’ll wear the ones with higher heels later.”
“Very well, Lady Eli,” Alicia nodded, though she frowned because the shoes I was comfortable with didn’t really match the dress. Well, I came three hours early; I wasn’t going to dress up perfectly just to see that arrogant prick.
“...Are you coming too?” I asked Alicia, who continued to follow me to the carriage.
“Yes. The letter said you could bring your personal attendants!” Alicia seemed happy to follow me. However, my mood worsened. I couldn’t do my reaper activity openly if she were around.
“I wonder what that prick wants…” I muttered.
“Please don’t say that, Lady Elidranthia. I know it’s just a jest, but Prince Ludwin’s feelings might get hurt if you speak like that.”
“Yes, mom. Let’s go. Are you sure you want to go there in your maid clothes?”
“Yes! I am your personal attendant, after all!”
And so, a happy girl and a grumbling girl rode a carriage to the castle.