“If we can reverseengineer the Gallico Kingdom’s gunpowder mixture, all these problems will be solved at once, but with our current technology, reverse engineering is impossible. In the long run, we need to invest in chemical research by inviting an alchemist from the Moor Empire.”

The page of the report was turned.

“It will be a longterm project of more than 20 years. Anyway, if we can’t do it now and we need a technician from the Moor Empire, we can start with the gunpowder formula from the Moor Empire. Gallico also started like that, and the consensus is that the Moor Empire’s gunpowder is superior to the Gallico Kingdom’s for personal firearms, apart from the gunpowder used in sieges.”

He pointed to a part of the report and said.

“My subordinates report that small quantities of the Moor Empire’s gunpowder can even be obtained on the black market.”

Prince Alfonso, who patiently waited next to Queen Margrit until she finished reading the report, looked at his mother and pleaded earnestly.

“Mother, please give strength to your son.”

Queen Margrit looked at Prince Alfonso with a furrowed brow and said.

“Alfonso. You’ve thought a lot. But even if all the investigations you’ve done are true, it’s a long way around.”

Queen Margrit took off her magnifying glass and placed it on the side table. It was an expression of her desire to end the conversation.

“I will not add more about practical matters. Military affairs are a field that a mother does not know well, and it is right to leave such things to the experts. I will only speak of what I know. Inheriting the throne is a tricky task. Even if you are the only heir to the throne, there are many obstacles to overcome in succession.”

Prince Alfonso was the only legitimate child of Leo III, but Leo III was always unpredictable and an eccentric person overflowing with unique ideas.

Queen Margrit thought her husband was capable of doing something unacceptable in the world of excellent fencers in case of a stumble, such as recognizing the second son as the eldest son.

Queen Margrit’s superior strategy was to lie down as quietly as possible and naturally succeed to the throne along with her father’s natural death.

“I, as your mother, wish you would go in the right way, safely. Disagreeing with your father by talking about national defense and whatnot now is not a good idea.”

Alfonso looked at his mother earnestly.

“Mother. This is not a roundabout way, it is the only right way. The marriage with the Gallico Kingdom is not a shortcut. It is not a road at all. It is a road that the Etruscan Kingdom should not go, even if it’s not Ariadne.”

Queen Margrit looked at her son and gave a sad smile. She hesitated whether to speak or not, but eventually whispered faintly.

“But my son, I want my son’s honor and safety more than the prosperity of the Etruscan Kingdom.”

If it were the usual Alfonso, he would have been surprised at his mother’s words that amounted to disrespect for the state and looked at Queen Margrit.

But today, Alfonso did not hesitate to express his will in front of his mother. He had more important things to say.

“Mother. If I have to live with Lariesa after losing Ari, I will be eternally unhappy. If it’s for my happiness, please support me.”

“Alfonso, do you really need to marry her if you want to be with her? While her being the daughter of a cardinal might be slightly above suitable, her status is not adequate for a wife—.”

“Mother!”

Alfonso’s voice rose.

“Didn’t the color disappear from your life when Father brought that woman?”

Prince Alfonso glanced at the lukewarm citron water his mother was drinking. Queen Marguerite had recently become more susceptible to the cold, and even the water she drank was warmed.

“Even today, he left you alone, not well, to spend time with his mistress.”

“……”

“I cannot do that to a woman’s life. Especially if she’s the woman I love.”

He blurted it out. The gaze of Prince Alfonso, a little surprised after speaking in front of his mother, crossed with that of his mother, Queen Marguerite, surprised at her son’s declaration.

The queen took a sip from her water cup. Her mouth was parched, and she needed to regain her focus.

“Alfonso. This is too sudden. Give your mother time to think.”

She proposed a compromise.

“I will also look into various things based on the report you gave me. Let’s talk again once the crossverification is over, whether this report is correct, whether negotiations with the Gallico kingdom are going well, or whether it seems like it will conclude unfavorably for us.”

She warned her stubborn son.

“And, it would be better to refrain from mentioning this to your father for a while. The introduction of gunpowder from the Gallico kingdom is a key project that your father is pushing. Adding your opinion as a successor is not wise.”

It would be more effective to pity his pitiful son as a man because Princess Lariesa did not like him as a woman, if he wanted to persuade Leo III.

Or she thought it would be hundreds of times better to appeal to his vanity by asking when the Great Etruscan Kingdom started begging the hillbillies of Gallico for strategic weapons in the name of good looks.

“Promise me not to tell your father without consulting me. The negotiations got a little longer because Balloa’s princess was picky. Besides, even if the negotiations conclude tomorrow, there is at least six months until the contract is signed after getting the approval of the Grand Council.”

Alfonso was always a good listener. However, to Queen Marguerite, he seemed more stubborn today.

“One month. Give me an answer within a month. I will wait until then, but if you don’t say anything after that, I will have to seek other ways.”

Queen Marguerite sighed deeply.

“Okay.”

While one mother was experiencing internal conflict watching her son trying to leave her side, another mother chose to explode her obsession and anxiety.

Thump, thump, thump!

Footsteps were heard coming up the stairs from the first floor.

“Hippolytus! Our so—n!”

The warning came through the voice.

Stripped down and lying together in bed, Hippolytus and Maletta turned pale.

“Is it Madam Lucrezia?!”

“Quick, quick, get into the closet!”

Hippolytus hurriedly jumped out of the bed and threw on the clothes that were scattered around the bed like a pile of rubble.

Slam!

“Our so—n! Good morning!”

“……”

Barely dressed, Hippolytus exposed a considerable amount of skin, and with an ambiguous expression, he met his mother’s gaze as she kicked the door open.