Love Me Just Once (Completed Main Story) - Chapter 46

The treaty made during the late king’s reign referred to the absurd right granting harbor docking privileges.

Having committed misconduct himself and left with no way to clean up the mess, the late king had not only taken all his crown princesses exclusively from Brinwell but also signed all sorts of unequal treaties with his in-laws. Ruining the nation’s finances in the process was merely an added consequence.

Upon ascending the throne, Idren worked tirelessly day and night to rectify those agreements—because without doing so, the kingdom would have fallen entirely into Brinwell’s hands within just a few years.

Despite his efforts over several months, even beyond a year, there remained one arrangement he could not sever: the harbor docking rights.

While ships from other nations generally required the king’s permission to enter or leave, Brinwell’s vessels were permitted to dock at Aglante’s harbor without royal authorization, provided their visit concerned matters of state ceremony.

All other unequal treaties had expired upon the deaths of either the late king or the late queen consort, making them easy to abolish—but this harbor docking privilege carried no stipulated expiration date.

There was only one way to nullify this treaty: if Brinwell failed to send an official delegation even once to any state ceremony held in Aglante, the treaty would automatically become void.

Thus, Brinwell would undoubtedly go to great lengths to enter Aglante’s harbor.

Salode added,

“Brinwell has secretly proposed a condition: they vow not to exercise the harbor docking rights if we hand over the Southern Plains—the territory that belonged to Queen Isde during her lifetime.”

“To demand such a vast tract of land in the south shows they have no conscience at all. That land wasn’t even originally designated for Queen Isde.”

“Your Highness is absolutely right, but if political negotiation proves impossible, the only remaining method to block Brinwell’s delegation is through force—and that carries the risk of sparking war.”

Salode fell silent there, but Idren understood the words his financial advisor had left unsaid. The clever man undoubtedly wanted to emphasize just how perilous war would be at a time like this.

Moreover, the former Marquis Rohos—the very man who had formed the foundation of his support—had only recently passed away. Though his daughter Anika was striving to consolidate her position, she still needed more time.

Thus, using military force would hardly be a wise choice.

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