She stared into the void with faint eyes. She wasn’t looking at a specific space. She was contemplating her duties, the old people, and the responsibilities she had to fulfill, beyond the space.

“I had a duty to give back as much as I received from my homeland. Bertrand said that fulfilling the calling God has given us is the purpose of our birth, and that even if we hate it, even if it’s hard and difficult, continuing to try without giving up is the only truly holy sacrifice. I still etch that teaching deep into my heart. Every time I share a meal with your father, every time I face Ruby in the palace, every time I hear rumors that I am a foreign queen who can’t correct her Galician accent, or perhaps every time I open my eyes in bed in the morning, I always remember Bertrand’s teachings. Even if you hate it, endure, even if you can’t, hold on.”

‘Every day’s patience builds eternity. The unbreakable human spirit is truly noble.’

It seemed as though the proverb of the gospel echoed in Queen Marguerite’s ears. The proverb resounded in Bertrand’s voice. Always in the vibrant and lifefilled voice of his early 20s, the last image of him she remembered.

“I ended up marrying into the Etruscan Kingdom. With the dowry, I gained sovereignty over the Gaeta region. In exchange, the Etruscan royal court sent 20,000 ducats of gold to the Gallico Kingdom as my bridal gift, and lent an additional 80,000 ducats. The 100,000 ducats of gold served as the military fund to defeat the remnants of Capetan, who had been in rebellion for 40 years, end the civil war, and unify the entire Gallico region, establishing the United Gallico Kingdom. My father became the king of the United Gallico Kingdom, my elder brother and nephew inherited it, and my old people could farm and bear children safely on the fertile land where the flames of war disappeared. Personally, I cannot say I am very happy, but I have fulfilled my mission for my country. Now, my happiness is to see you grow up.”

She calmly told what happened to the person she loved afterwards. Now she could relay it with a level voice seated next to him, but when she first heard it, she could not have been this calm.

“Father Bertrand volunteered as a military chaplain in the Crusade just before I got married and left for Etruscan. He was originally scheduled to be assigned to the Central Cathedral in Montpellier after the princess’s dispatch ended. His unit was said to have been wiped out by plague and hunger without even approaching Yesac. He passed away somewhere in the eastern wilderness of Ratgalin. Was he happy? I don’t know. Did he feel relief and pass away after fulfilling his mission? My mother believes that he did. In the arms of God, I hope he was happy.”

The past story of Queen Marguerite, who was named after a saint, gradually put on the clothes of the present from here.

“Ariadne is a good kid. She is smart and calm. But she is not the child who is with you on the way to your mission.”

Queen Marguerite spoke calmly.

“The Grand Duchess of Valois comes with cannon technology. Specifically, 20 readymade cannons and 45 libras (about 15 kilograms) of gunpowder are her dowry.”

Those were the numbers Marquez, the Count, wrestled from the Duke of Mireille and the Count of Levian. Fortyfive libras (about 15 kilograms) of gunpowder is the amount used in a year’s artillery troop training and an amount that can be used in one real battle.

“We didn’t get the gunpowder manufacturing technology after all. Instead, for each year that the marriage lasts longer, 45 libras of gunpowder each year, up to a maximum of 3 more years. If they have children in between, they agreed to add a lump sum of 180 libras (about 60 kilograms) of gunpowder for a son and 90 libras (about 30 kilograms) for a daughter. According to Marquez, the Count, it is a wellnegotiated condition. The Kingdom of Gallico must want to get the successor of Etruscan from the belly of the Grand Duchess of Valois.”

The color of Prince Alfonso, who began to guess what the meaning of the story his mother was telling, was gradually turning pale.

“Etruscan is a country where commerce and culture have developed, not a military powerhouse. We have been unaware of decay due to prolonged novelty. The feudal infantry was decayed, but we did not build the military power of the central government directly. We are paying the price for outsourcing defense to Condottiero (mercenary captains) all along. We are very rich and extremely vulnerable at the same time. It’s perfect to be the prey of Erie. ”

His mother did not spare her son. She looked at her son with full of compassion, but she forced him to squarely face reality.

“This country needs a strong military, advanced technology. Can you lead the next generation of this country strongly without obtaining the cannon of Gallico? Do you have the ability to do so?”