Love Me Just Once - Chapter 46

The treaty made during the previous king’s reign was about an absurd port anchoring right.

The previous king, who had committed misconduct in the past and had no way to rectify it, not only took all his consorts from Brinwell, but also made all sorts of unequal treaties with his in-laws. Ruining the country’s finances was just an added bonus.

After ascending to the throne, Idren worked tirelessly day and night to correct these issues. Without doing so, the country was on the verge of falling to Brinwell within a few years.

Even after devoting himself for months to over a year, there was one thing he couldn’t break free from, and that was the port anchoring right.

While ships from other countries generally couldn’t enter or leave without the king’s permission, in the case of Brinwell’s ships, if the purpose of the visit was for ceremonial occasions, they could dock at Aglante’s ports without permission.

Other unequal treaties could all be terminated after the death of the previous king or queen, but this port anchoring right had no set expiration date.

There was only one way to nullify this treaty. If Brinwell failed to send a delegation to Aglante’s ceremonial occasions even once, the treaty would automatically become void.

So Brinwell would try even harder to enter Aglante’s ports.

Salode added:

“There’s a secret proposal from Brinwell. They say they won’t use the port anchoring right if we hand over the southern plains that were Queen Isde’s domain during her lifetime.”

“They have no conscience, demanding such a large piece of land in the south. It wasn’t even land that should have been given to Queen Isde in the first place.”

“Your Majesty is right, but if political negotiation is impossible, the only way to prevent Brinwell’s delegation is to use force. And in this case, there’s a risk of war breaking out.”

Salode stopped there, but Idren knew what the financial advisor had swallowed. The intelligent man wanted to say how dangerous a war would be at a time like this.

Moreover, it hadn’t been long since the former Lord of Rohos, who had been his support base, had passed away. Although his daughter Anika was working to establish herself, she needed more time.

So forceful prevention wasn’t a very wise choice.

But considering that war would eventually break out in the future anyway, taking a hard-line approach could also be an option.

The key was whether he could sway the Council of Elders before the upcoming wedding… He knew better than anyone that it was impossible unless he killed them all.

Even if he had turned back time, the Brinwell problem still vexed him.

If he could, Idren wanted to drag the previous king out of his grave and demand that he clean up the mess he had made. He begrudged even the land where that mentally rotten king could lay his body.

The only reason he left the previous king’s grave undisturbed was that he knew digging it up would only reveal rotten bones.

Letting out a small sigh, Idren said to his aide:

“Anyway, we need to revoke Brinwell’s port anchoring right, so we must block this entry at all costs. If necessary, even by force.”

And if force was used, he would have to negotiate with the Council of Elders. It was unavoidable as they needed to prepare for the possibility of war.

Since the urgency was on his side, that negotiation would proceed with him conceding more. And the more he met the Council’s conditions, the harder it would be to regain control later.

But no matter how much he thought about it, no good solution came to mind. Idren furrowed his brow.

It was frustrating to think that in a situation where he would lose either way, he had to choose the least bad option.

As he rose from his seat, he said to Salode:

“I’ll be heading back now. Let me know if there’s any new information, and we’ll talk again tomorrow.”

When he returned to the room, naturally, Ophelia wasn’t there.

Although they had shared a room the entire way here, this was Sigrasal Castle. There would be a room prepared for Ophelia, and she would have obviously gone there.

Nevertheless, Idren sat down on the seemingly empty bed and reminded himself not to be delusional.

In their previous marriage, they had used separate rooms for three years. It was uncertain how it would be this time, but it was troublesome to have expectations already.

But the bed with nothing to fidget with was still unsatisfactory. Idren pressed his lips together and looked up at the ceiling.

Throughout his life, the nights he had slept alone far outnumbered those he had slept with someone else. Moreover, Ophelia was as quiet as a doll. She didn’t even talk in her sleep.

It was unlike him to feel this awkward just because one such person was missing.

It was then that someone knocked on the door.

“Who is it?”

The question came out a bit sharp, as he had been facing unpleasant realities one after another.

Then a simple answer came from beyond the door.

“It’s me.”

That boldness of knocking on someone else’s door without even giving a name could only belong to Ophelia.

It wouldn’t be right to do that at someone else’s room, but it was fine with him. Idren got up and opened the door. Ophelia was standing there, dressed for bed with just an outer garment on.

“What’s the matter?”

Instead of answering, the woman cleared her throat softly. Idren pulled her inside before she could catch a cold from hesitating.

“The hallway is cold. Come inside.”

After seating Ophelia in the chair by the fireplace, Idren looked around the room for something she could cover herself with. However, in a room thoroughly arranged for him, there was nothing like a blanket in sight.

Eventually, Idren picked up the outer garment he had been wearing and sat across from Ophelia.

“It might bother you since I was wearing it, but there’s no blanket in the room. I’ll have one prepared next time, so bear with it just for today.”

“It’s fine.”

And Ophelia pulled the garment he handed her a little to cover herself. Idren, who had stirred the fireplace a few times to revive the flames, asked:

“Try not to wander around at night if possible. You’re from the south, so you’re prone to catching colds.”

“I’ve lived here before. I know.”

And Ophelia snatched the poker from him. Idren looked at the side of the woman’s face as she roughly stirred the flames, unsure what had upset her this time. Her white cheeks were red in the firelight.

After poking the fireplace a few times, Ophelia set the poker aside carelessly. She pulled her knees up and rested her chin on them.

“…What did you talk about with the financial advisor?”

Blue eyes flickered with red flames. Idren looked into her eyes that seemed like a sunset.

“Why do you ask?”

“Am I not allowed to ask?”

She seems particularly grumpy today. Idren blinked as he looked at the woman who was uncharacteristically irritable. Did I do something wrong?

But if Ophelia disliked someone, she would just ignore them, not come looking for them like this.

As he failed to grasp the situation and couldn’t continue speaking, Ophelia turned her head and added:

“You were the one who told me to pay attention to public sentiment first.”

Although much was omitted from her words, Idren understood what she meant. Ophelia remembered what he had said and was trying to pay attention to politics.

Finally realizing that she wasn’t angry but embarrassed, he looked at her with admiration.

This would have been unthinkable in her previous life. Ophelia had never used her drive in this way before.

As he remained silent for a moment, overwhelmed by the impact of this change, Ophelia urged:

“Are you not going to tell me?”

“No, of course I’ll tell you.”

“…Don’t look at me like that.”

Like a parent looking at a child who has met expectations for the first time.

Strictly speaking, he had never had anything close to expectations for Ophelia, but Idren roughly agreed with her words.

He had now completely forgotten his low spirits from just moments ago. Strangely, he felt this way even though no problems had actually been solved.

Idren began speaking from the basics, adjusting for someone who clearly didn’t know much:

“Do you know that Aglante is not on good terms with two countries?”

“I know. It’s Tessendot and Brinwell, right?”

And Deos Rakmata is in Tessendot. Ophelia pressed her lips together for a moment, remembering the woman who had been kind to her until the end.

In her previous life, after destroying Reden, she had returned the ring Haslen had given to Deos. It was a ring that no longer fit her finger.

Idren continued:

“That’s right. However, unlike Tessendot, which has weakened considerably and poses little threat, Brinwell is looking for any opportunity to cross Aglante’s border. They want to install my late brother’s son as the new crown prince. Do you remember the war in the previous life?”

“I remember.”

The atmosphere in the castle was very unpleasant then. Whenever both of them were in the castle, they always had dinner together, but at that time, Idren didn’t appear even at mealtimes.

Because she knew several people outside the castle, Ophelia knew what was happening, but the people inside the castle didn’t say a word to her about the situation.

Recalling that period, Ophelia said without realizing:

“Back then, no one told me what was happening.”