The Wind Calms the Fire - Chapter 63

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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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Episode 63
Enoch’s brow furrowed as Rayburn sauntered in, but he quickly composed himself.
Rayburn popped a piece of fruit from the table into his mouth as he approached Enoch.
“It’s been a while, First Prince. I trust you’ve been well.”
“I’m always well.”
“That’s not what I’ve heard.”
Rayburn smirked and leaned against the table with one leg crossed, his gaze drifting toward the sofa where Enoch sat.
“I caught wind of an amusing story. Apparently you’re competing with the Fourth Prince over some woman. Is she really such a remarkable beauty?”
The Second Prince’s reputation for blunt, almost crude directness was well-known, so no one was taken aback.
Enoch responded with an air of composure.
“Beauty is a matter of taste, isn’t it? Why don’t you judge for yourself?”
Rayburn shrugged.
“I don’t trust either of your judgments much, so I’m just here to offer my support.”
“Support?”
“His Majesty is on the verge of Continental Unification, isn’t he? If the Fourth Prince monopolizes all the credit and takes the beauty besides, wouldn’t that sting? All the merits the Director of Financial Audit has accumulated might go up in smoke.”
Enoch’s expression hardened momentarily before he answered.
“I wonder why the princess of the Zephyros Kingdom sought out the Northeastern Commander instead of the closer Southwest. That does puzzle me.”
The two princes’ gazes clashed sharply.
“Ah, now that you mention it, I heard the Zephyros princess said something—that the First Prince simply wasn’t her type.”
Enoch’s eyes turned cold as they fixed on Rayburn.
“Well, that’s just the rumor going around.”
Rayburn let out a low chuckle and turned away.
It had been a while since he’d gotten under Enoch’s skin, and the feeling was exhilarating.
A moment later, an attendant approached and spoke softly to Enoch.
‘What is it?’
The Empress had taken charge of arranging the betrothal between the Fourth Prince and the Zephyros princess.
‘Why is the Empress interfering?’
Enoch clenched his jaw, as if the drink he’d just swallowed might come back up.
* * *
“Welcome, Your Highness.”
Livia Barrel greeted Rhea with genuine warmth.
“I’m grateful for your kindness, madam.”
“Grateful? Please, think of this as your home and make yourself comfortable. I’ve been so delighted ever since I heard you would be staying with us.”
Livia squeezed the hand of Veronica, who had come with Rhea.
“Thank you so much, Veronica.”
In the exchange of glances between the two women, much went unspoken.
Veronica smiled and gently patted the back of Livia’s hand that held hers.
That evening at dinner, Rhea was introduced to the Barrel family.
Livia’s husband, Titus, served as the head of the Imperial Ceremonial Affairs Office, overseeing all matters of imperial protocol.
Though the position carried limited direct political power, it wielded considerable influence in high society.
The head of ceremonial affairs controlled the guest lists for imperial functions and the seating arrangements.
The couple had two sons and a daughter.
Rhea was inwardly startled to learn that the eldest was already twenty-three.
‘Madam Barrel doesn’t look like someone with a fully grown son.’
And the eldest son looked somewhat different from his two younger siblings.
‘The younger two take after their father, but the eldest must take after someone else.’
The eldest didn’t particularly resemble Madam Barrel either, but Rhea assumed it was simply how these things went.
Throughout dinner, the Barrel family maintained a cheerful atmosphere of easy conversation.
‘What a happy family.’
The devoted couple and their harmonious children looked like an ideal tableau.
The next day, Rhea arranged a private meeting with Livia at her request.
“Your Highness, I’d like to discuss some practical matters with you. It may not be pleasant to hear.”
When Rhea first met Livia, she hadn’t known her true standing.
Thanks to the personal information Veronica had provided, Rhea now understood that Livia was a woman of considerable influence and renown in high society.
Now that she knew, she could see a sharp acuity beneath Livia’s gentle smile—the keenness of experience.
Rhea spoke with a hint of tension.
“Please, don’t hold back. Go ahead and tell me.”
“Your luggage is quite modest.”
“The journey to the Empire was long, so I kept my belongings to a minimum. The dress codes differ between our kingdoms anyway, and I plan to acquire what I need here.”
“That’s a wise decision. Even so, you’ll need to prepare. A single dress can take considerable time to make. Shall I recommend a good dressmaker to you?”
Rhea recalled the tailor she had met before.
“There’s a tailor who sold me clothes. She was someone His Highness summoned, so I’m not certain which department she belongs to, but her name is Mariel.”
“Mariel. Yes, I know of her. She’s likely the same person I’m acquainted with.”
Livia fell silent for a moment, then spoke.
“I’d like to ask you a rather delicate question. How much financial flexibility do you have? More precisely, how much can the kingdom afford to support you as the princess?”
Rhea found herself without an answer.
“Your Highness, from now on, everything you wear when you appear before others must befit your station as the Prince’s fiancée. The cost will likely exceed anything you’ve imagined.”
Rhea’s eyes snapped open.
She realized afresh how much she still didn’t know.
Ideals alone could accomplish nothing.
This was a matter of reality.
“People will judge the kingdom by looking at you.”
“So if I cannot afford an expensive dress, they’ll underestimate the kingdom’s strength. And my own value will suffer as a result.”
Livia nodded gravely.
“The nobility of the Capital’s society are among the most powerful and wealthy on the continent. That said, don’t underestimate or overestimate them. It’s simply human nature to judge by what the eye can see.”
Livia refrained from elaborating on how nobility from tributary or annexed kingdoms often bankrupted themselves trying to match the Capital’s standards of extravagance.
“Once you marry His Highness, you’ll receive support befitting a Crown Princess. Until then, that’s where the difficulty lies.”
The question was whether she could maintain elegance without the Imperial Family’s backing.
“That is not a matter for you to worry about, madam.”
The kingdom had no money.
Fortunately, however, Rhea herself possessed a considerable sum.
Though it would deplete quickly if she indulged in extravagance.
When that time came, she would simply have to seek out Droen and swallow her pride.
Her self-respect wasn’t so fragile as to crack over such a trifle.
“Since you speak so, I shall not raise this matter again. If I’ve caused any displeasure, please forgive me.”
“Not at all. Who else would speak to me so plainly? Please, feel free to tell me uncomfortable truths whenever they arise.”
Livia smiled gently.
“It will take time to have new clothes made. Until then, might you accept some of mine? We’re much the same height, and a little alteration should make them fit. Since you won’t be going out for a while, it should be fine to wear them only at home, but if you’d prefer not to—”
“Of course that’s acceptable. Thank you, madam.”
Rhea answered promptly.
There was no reason to refuse free clothing.
After her conversation with Livia ended, Rhea found herself surprised.
She had expected Livia to press her about her relationship with Nela or the circumstances of her betrothal to the Fourth Prince, yet she had raised neither subject.
‘What sort of relationship could they have had?’
Nela had merely said to “go and see for yourself,” offering no details.
When Nela departed for the Nortia Kingdom, Livia remained in the Capital, and more than a decade had passed since then.
Rhea could only surmise that the bond between them must have been something extraordinary enough to endure all those years.
* * *
The Empire assembled a delegation to send to the Zephyros Kingdom.
Including auxiliary personnel such as grooms and laborers, it was a massive procession of more than two hundred people.
Ten wagons alone carried the Emperor’s gifts to be bestowed upon the kingdom.
The Emperor desired nothing more than to approve the kingdom’s surrender at the earliest hour and thereby achieve the feat of Continental Unification.
Driven by the Emperor’s urgency, all preparations were completed in less than a fortnight.
News of this spread quickly through rumor.
“Where is Zephyros?”
“It’s a desert kingdom far to the south, or so I’ve heard.”
“A kingdom like that exists? I thought His Imperial Majesty had already conquered the entire continent. Was it too distant to bother with?”
“No, well—actually, long ago—”
As an unintended side effect, the Emperor’s old failure was resurrected on people’s lips.
Because the preparations had been rushed, the selection of delegation members was not carefully vetted.
It was an ideal circumstance for those with ulterior motives to slip their people into the ranks.
Orbin dispatched two Information Bureau agents into the delegation.
He had been troubled about where to obtain intelligence on the Zephyros Kingdom, and he couldn’t afford to let such an opportunity slip away.
However, he deliberated at length over whether to report this to his lord.
‘This time, we act first and report later.’
His view of the Zephyros Princess differed from his lord’s.
If he reported it, the operation would fail before it even began.

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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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