Chapter 89: Townsperson A Celebrates a Birthday

Shortly after the founding ceremony, word arrived that the Sentlaren Kingdom had completely lost the Bulzeni Region. Considering the speed at which information travels, they had likely lost it right around the time the ceremony was taking place.

Well, it was the natural result of their own choices. They had stripped the garrison from Bulzeni—a region where a delicate power balance was being maintained—just to attack Ramslett.

Honestly, I could only call them morons.

Another piece of intel reported that the Second Prince Faction of the Sentlaren Kingdom had raised an army in the north, rallying around the Second Prince himself.

In response, the Crown Prince—who, unfortunately, was still alive alongside Amy—had returned to the Royal Capital. He was currently gathering support primarily in the west, preparing to counter the northern movement from his base in the center.

As for us, we intended to remain spectators for the time being.

We had no particular desire to meddle in their internal power struggle. However, we had to keep a close eye on Amy now that she had become a witch; if it came down to it, I was prepared to assassinate her. There was no telling what she might do if left to her own devices.

Oh, that reminds me. An envoy arrived from the Est Empire to officially recognize our independence.

It was the birth of diplomatic relations between a country harboring the man who killed their prince and a country that had kidnapped our princess. A strange foundation for a friendship, to be sure.

Meanwhile, we still hadn't heard back from Norsane or Westerdale.

Westerdale’s silence was exactly what I’d expected. As for Norsane, it was possible they were simply delayed by geographical factors, but there was another, more calculated possibility.

If I assume Norsane is backing the Second Prince Faction, it makes sense, I thought. If they recognize us as a nation now, it would make things awkward with the Kingdom of Ramslett once the Second Prince takes control.

This was purely hypothetical, of course, but if Norsane intended to exert strong influence over a Sentlaren ruled by the Second Prince, they would undoubtedly have to provide substantial food aid once they no longer had Ramslett’s territory to rely on.

Since we didn't have all the details yet, we decided to simply wait and see how that situation developed.

On a different note, Oscar’s wounds had finally healed. After having Ana "cool his head" with a bit of magic, we were able to sit him down and get his side of the story.

The conversation went something like this:

"Oscar. Why does that woman have that staff? And do you have any idea how she became a witch?"

Ana questioned him in the interrogation room, where Oscar sat restrained. He didn't show any sign of resistance as he began to speak.

"Amy suddenly claimed there was a staff meant for her in a ruined church somewhere in this country," Oscar explained. "She ordered the soldiers to search for it, and we eventually went to explore a ruin in the woods near the Royal Capital. And there it was—a staff that looked exactly like what she’d described."

I see. So Amy had finally realized she could get ahead of the curve by securing powerful items early.

I couldn't have found a specific ruined church when I didn't even know where to look, and back then, the staff had been a very low priority for me. Looking back, it would have been better if I’d secured it first. I was so focused on making sure things proceeded according to the Scenario that I forgot that moving on such a large scale would naturally draw attention. I thought I’d played this perfectly, but it seems I left more than a few gaps in my plan.

"The moment Amy touched it, the staff emitted a brilliant light," Oscar continued. "Then, this... jet-black, malevolent aura started pouring out of her body. It looked like a depiction of the apocalypse from a church fresco. I knew right then that something was wrong, but..."

Oscar lowered his head, a pained expression crossing his face.

"I still loved her. Unlike the women back home who only saw my face, my Divine Protection, or my family’s money, she seemed to understand my struggles. I play the part of a flirt, but I actually hate it—she knew that without me saying a word. She empathized with me. Because of that, I was willing to throw away my status just to be with her. Even if she didn't love me back, I wanted to stay by her side and support her."

Oscar bit his lip.

"But when you called her a witch, it all clicked. It wasn't that she understood me without words... she had just anticipated my worries beforehand, hadn't she?"

He looked incredibly lonely as he said it. In reality, she hadn't known because of "witch powers," but the end result was the same: she had known his character's "settings" from the start.

Oscar then looked Ana in the eye, his tone shifting to one of genuine gravity.

"Princess Anastasia, I apologize for my numerous instances of rude behavior at the academy. I know an apology isn't enough to earn forgiveness, but if my head will offer you any consolation, I will gladly offer it up."

It seemed my hunch was right. Both Oscar and Marcus had seemed conflicted during the conflict.

If that’s the case, Marcus might still be under her thumb as well, I noted.

"Oscar, I accept your apology," Ana said. "It is in the past. Besides, I am happy now. I harbor no grudge against you."

"You have my gratitude."

With Oscar admitting his faults and Ana accepting the apology, the grudge between them was finally laid to rest.

Before he was sent on his way, we gave him a very thorough lecture on the fact that if you hold affection for a witch, her words can twist your very will.

Oh, and of course, we collected a massive ransom, as per the customs of this world. He is, after all, the heir to the wealthy House of Marquis Wimlett. I didn't ask for the exact figure, but I’m sure it was a very pretty penny.

Returning to the matter of the Sentlaren Kingdom...

Because they no longer had the breathing room to worry about us, we had entered a de facto ceasefire. Since our land produced more than enough to sustain our people, we had no intention of expanding our borders further. We refrained from invading them, and a temporary peace returned to the two nations.

As for me, I was back to work. Apparently, once Ana and I are officially married, we’ll be entrusted with a territory of our own. This was my apprenticeship period, serving as my training for that future.

It was mostly paperwork, which wasn't exactly thrilling, but learning how to read ledgers was a new skill for me, so I found it somewhat interesting.

I would have lunch with Ana, work some more, and then finish my duties around tea time. After that came training.

Ana has recovered to the point where she can manage a light jog, so our days were filled with sword practice and—my personal nemesis—dance lessons.

Today was a dance day.

I managed to get through it without stepping on her toes, which I considered a massive victory. I wouldn't go so far as to say I was good at it, but a step forward is still progress.

Once the day was done, it was time for dinner. Lately, it’s become a tradition for the whole family to eat together. Tonight, I sat at the table with the Ramslett royal family and my mother.

The main dish was a beef fillet steak. It was so tender it practically melted on my tongue—definitely a high-end cut.

As I was savoring the exquisite meal, Ana spoke up.

"By the way, Allen. Do you know what day it is?"

"Eh? Er... well..."

I knew she was fishing for an anniversary, but I came up completely blank. Wait, this time last year, I wasn't even allowed to speak to her, right?

As I began to panic, Ana gave me an exasperated look.

Oh no. I forgot something important and made her mad, didn't I?

Just as the thought crossed my mind, Ana broke into a smile.

"Happy birthday, Allen."

"Huh?"

As I sat there dumbfounded, Gerhardt, Elizaveta, Friedrich, and even my mother all joined in with their congratulations.

"Ah... thank you?"

"Honestly, Allen. Why are you saying it like a question? Here, this is from me."

Ana handed me a gift—a handkerchief with exquisite embroidery. The motif featured two dragons, one white and one black, a Spirit (Hentai), and Vuitol, all arranged together like a coat of arms.

"Did you make this, Ana?"

"I did. While I was still unable to move much... well, do you like it?"

"Thank you. It’s wonderful. I’ll treasure it."

Ana looked visibly relieved at my response.

"I heard from Mother Katerina that you aren't fond of grand celebrations. That’s why I decided on something like this..."

"Yeah... thank you. I’m not great with things like that ball the other day, so this makes me really happy."

"I see. I'm glad, then."

Ana gave me a smile so beautiful I felt like I could stare at it forever.

After receiving gifts from everyone else, I realized this was the first time in my life I’d had a birthday celebrated by anyone other than my mother.

Yeah. So this is what it’s like when your family grows.

It was... a very good feeling.