Black-Haired Dad Isn’t Something You Reap - Chapter 96

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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Chapter 96. Even Without Such Intentions, Results Speak for Themselves (1)
The day after the execution, we all set aside our sorrows and headed to the beach. Media Polis was in disarray with the Kisomalos Forces occupying it, but summer was in full swing with brilliant sunshine, making it impossible not to go.
And! Kisomalos has! No sea!
I stepped on sand for the first time, and it was incredibly fun! Of course, tanks surrounded us in case of terrorism, but it was still fun!
Shirley and I enjoyed ourselves, and Choco bounded around with glee. Croa crawled on the sand like a seal, then swam like one in the water. Honestly, he does everything well except walk.
“Don’t go too far, Croa!”
“Yes, Father!”
“I said not Father.”
At first, Croa had difficulty calling me that, but after addressing Father as such at the formal meeting, he began using it without hesitation. Father seems displeased by it, but I was delighted to have gained a brother. How wonderful.
“Emperor, are you working here too?”
When I asked him to come swim with me, Father handed me the documents he’d been reading and stood up, stretching lightly.
“Since the Princess is graciously handling my work, I shall gratefully accept.”
“No! I never said that!”
Regardless of my protests, Father grabbed a surfboard and elegantly rode the waves. Seeing this, Shirley and Croa wanted to try as well, so it seemed Father was buying more boards from the beach shop and teaching them.
“Whoosh!”
I want to learn surfing too!
As I rolled about dramatically in the shade of a parasol, the Chief Chamberlain appeared and said I didn’t need to review the documents. But I couldn’t do that. Father had asked me to look them over, so there was no harm in it.
“Let’s see…”
The first document was a surrender recommendation for the adjacent city-state of Hecta. Ah, right. Hecta’s geographical position is quite ambiguous now. It’s a nation wedged between Ljubljana, Media, and Lint, thriving on trade and serving as a hub for the three powers. But Media has now formed an alliance with Kisomalos, and Ljubljana has become Kisomalos territory. The southern border with Lint doesn’t share much contact…
Having always lived cautiously between three nations, this surrender recommendation was essentially telling them to watch only Kisomalos. If they surrender now, autonomy will be recognized and they’ll be appointed as Duke… Hmm, we’ll have another noble with a ducal title. I need to remember this—King of Hecta, King of Hecta.
“Hmm?”
The next matter concerned the Great Astyages Empire, stating that Media would not involve itself in the imperial succession dispute going forward.
The document noted that Media would continue sending tribute to Astyages to maintain relations… This has become quite complicated. Media’s friendship with Astyages was meant to counterbalance Kisomalos. And involvement in the succession dispute was to secure a position within the empire.
But now that Media has formed an alliance with Kisomalos, protection from Astyages is no longer necessary. Yet if we simply cut off tribute and declare we’re done with them, there’s no telling how the northern empire might respond… This is wasteful spending, but if we don’t pay, war could break out. We’re stuck between a rock and a hard place.
Politics is such a headache. Moreover, it seems Croa may need to travel to the empire to reaffirm our alliance. I can’t send Croa alone, and as his betrothed, I’d have to go too. Just thinking about it makes me feel queasy.
“I’ve read it all!”
Now I want to learn surfing too! I threw off my tube and learned from Father how to ride the board. Since it required balance, my experience with roller skates and bicycles proved surprisingly helpful.
By the next day, Croa’s delicate skin had turned bright red, while Shirley and I had tanned considerably, laughing at each other’s appearance. Shirley’s skin was already dark, but it became even more bronzed, which made her look incredibly healthy.

✦ ✦ ✦
A week had passed since I arrived at the Media Royal Palace. While Father handled the administrative affairs of both Media and Kisomalos until the governor I personally selected arrived, I could see that governance could be conducted from a distance, making Croa’s future remarkably clear.
If technology continued to advance at this rate, Croa could rule Media while remaining in the Kisomalos Imperial Palace. Of course, before that, she’d need to study imperial governance intensively alongside me.
Now that I think about it, I was the only one studying imperial governance at first, but eventually Shirley and Croa ended up learning it together as well. Gaining companions to suffer through it with was cause for celebration. Besides, there were group assignments involved, so having Croa and Shirley around was far better than dealing with elderly officials at the Military Ministry or Ministry of Finance.
“Your Majesty, King Hecta XVI has arrived for a visit. You should receive him.”
Oh, that’s right! He said he’d come all the way to Media. Even though I’d said a written contract would suffice, King Hecta XVI came to Media in person to request becoming a vassal of the Kisomalos Emperor. Despite being a king, he seemed remarkably obsequious—perhaps because he was a merchant at heart.
Father could have met with him alone, of course, but since I was also a representative of Kisomalos and wanted to make an impression on King Hecta XVI, I headed to the Audience Chamber to receive our guest.
There, an exhausted-looking gentleman was bowing deeply and shaking hands with Father, looking absolutely worn out.
“My, is this the Princess Vishnabel?”
“Yes, indeed it is.”
“I am Hecta XVI, who has become your vassal this time.”
“I said I would recognize the autonomy of your kingdom.”
“Ah, but a vassal is still a vassal, after all.”
This man looked absolutely ground down by life! I felt sorry for him!
His hunched back looked so pitiful that without thinking, I reached out and patted his lower back.
“Take heart. Don’t let life wear you down.”
“Ha, the Princess certainly offers encouragement in an amusing way.”
You just looked so pitiable. Still, what kind of king rushes over the moment a great power invades his neighboring country? If I were his daughter, I’d be crying about how much I pitied Father.
My heart ached for him, so I ran to Father and whispered in his ear, saying we should give the man as many conveniences as possible since he was so pitiful. Father chuckled and made a cold assessment of the gentleman.
“That’s all calculated. He’s deliberately playing the pitiful one.”
“…Is that so?”
“Once he returns to his own country, he’ll strut about and curse us.”
He didn’t seem like that kind of person to me… Was Father just too distrustful of people? I doubted him, but Father shrugged and said he’d leave the judgment to me.
If all of that was an act, it was terrifying. Diplomacy really is a brutal business. In any case, just watching was educational.
King Hecta kept his shoulders slumped and his pitiful demeanor until the very end, then departed after concluding the talks.
With neighboring states settled and a governor to be dispatched, Father said it was time to return to Kisomalos.
Nearly half of the forces we’d brought were stationed in Media. The airship ride back made me nauseous again, but being in the control room made it somewhat more bearable.
Father’s personal campaign had been executed flawlessly, and as we entered the Kisomalos Capital, a victory parade awaited us. The citizens all chanted “Long live Emperor Chiron!” and “Long live Princess Vishnabel of Kisomalos!”, and I had to maintain my princess business smile all the way through.
“Ugh! I’m exhausted!”
“You slept halfway through, though.”
Pisha was dignified until the very end. That was impressive.”
As I collapsed onto the bed in my room within the Princess Palace, my friends showered me with praise. I didn’t even have the energy to change clothes and just wanted to sleep, but then I heard a bleating sound from outside, and Mutton appeared.
Baaah!
“Mutton?”
“Mutton, please come back another time. The Princess is exhausted right now.”
Baaah!
Croa tried to stop Mutton, but the full-grown ram was so energetic that she couldn’t restrain him. Wait, when I first met him, he couldn’t even climb a single hill properly—why was he so vigorous now?
Baa!
Mutton bit me and flung me onto his back, then charged off somewhere at full speed. Thinking everyone would worry, I shouted at them not to mind me and to rest, as Mutton carried me to a secluded room in the Princess Palace.
As I’d suspected, the moment we were away from people’s eyes, Kisomalos stood up on his hind legs with tremendous pride.
“Well done, my descendant! Because my bond with Media deepened, I was able to become a divine spirit!”
“I see.”
That’s wonderful. But couldn’t you tell me this tomorrow? I’m absolutely exhausted right now.

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This chapter was translated by Lunox Novels. To support us and help keep this series going, visit our website: LunoxScans.com
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