Chapter 441 – At the Reconciliation Table

When I headed to another room in the guesthouse with Grand Duke Debonnis, King Melvin, Prince Josiah, and Duke Driscoll were already there. Following the Grand Duke, I bowed and entered the room, and all three of them stood up to welcome us.

“Your Majesty, and Your Highness, and the Duke as well. It seems I’ve kept you waiting.”

“Not at all. Today is a joyous day. We were simply enjoying tea and conversation while waiting.”

As the Grand Duke greeted them, King Melvin smiled gently.

“We’ve been waiting for you, Grand Duke. I’m truly delighted that we’ve been able to safely reach this day, this very moment.”

Prince Josiah stood up and welcomed the Grand Duke as he entered the room. Grand Duke Debonnis returned Prince Josiah’s smile.

“For this old bones… I’ve caused Your Highness quite some trouble.”

“Not at all. I hope this meeting will bring a bright future for the Kingdom of Verdugal… and for the royal family, the Grand Duke’s house, and the Duke’s house.”

Grand Duke Debonnis nodded at those words.

“And Ambassador. Thank you for attending this meeting today. Without your assistance, this day would never have come.”

“Thank you as well. But I believe it’s only possible because of Your Highness Josiah’s efforts.”

If Prince Josiah hadn’t been willing to bridge the gap between the Grand Duke’s house and the Duke’s house, even if various other problems had been resolved, it would have been difficult to reach this situation.

From my perspective as the Otherworld Ambassador, the more stable the country becomes, the better our preparations against demons will be, making my work easier. So if anyone should be thanking someone, it should be me.

“Grand Duke, it’s an honor to meet you. However, I must apologize for causing you concern until the very end due to matters within my household.”

After greeting the Grand Duke, Duke Driscoll apologized for the trouble that occurred after arriving at Termwills.

“No, I’ve heard about the Nightmare incident from His Highness Josiah. Neither you, Duke, nor Lord Leslie are at fault, I’m sure.”

“I’m relieved to hear you say that. I’ve also been quite indebted to the Ambassador.”

Saying this, the Duke directed a gentle smile toward me. I bowed in response.

And once again—the Grand Duke and the Duke faced each other. There was a slight tension and silence.

Just as the Duke seemed about to speak, perhaps to ease the tense atmosphere, and King Melvin also appeared to be about to say something, it was the Grand Duke who acted first.

He quietly extended his right hand. That was all the Grand Duke did.

A handshake—indeed… It might be an easily understandable form of reconciliation or making up.

The Duke seemed somewhat surprised that the elder Grand Duke had initiated the handshake, but he smiled again, nodded, and took the Grand Duke’s hand. The rapidly building tension dissipated like mist. King Melvin quietly closed his eyes, and Prince Josiah also appeared relieved.

“With everyone around us making all these arrangements, it would be somewhat unbecoming for me, as the elder, not to take the lead. Moreover, I couldn’t possibly trouble His Majesty or Your Highness any further.”

“I see. Indeed, perhaps piling words upon words before reconciliation would be rather tasteless.”

The Duke nodded at the Grand Duke’s words. Then King Melvin spoke to both of them.

“The royal family wasn’t particularly at odds with the Grand Duke’s or Duke’s houses… but it’s true there were problems in how we interacted. There were indeed kings in the past who wanted the two houses to keep each other in check. The discord between the two houses until today also stems from the royal family’s lack of virtue.”

In other words, if the two major noble houses—the Grand Duke’s and the Duke’s—clashed and bickered over conflicting interests, it would strengthen the royal family’s influence.

This probably includes not just the matter of the gold mine but all kinds of conflicting interests in general.

“But the royal family subsequently mediated and admirably kept the embers suppressed until today, didn’t they?”

“Indeed. It’s not as if the successive heads bear no responsibility. A fire that’s too large only causes harm. And… I too bear some responsibility for what happened in the palace. I believed my criticism was right without question, and the result of thinking that was my duty ended up being that…”

The Grand Duke shook his head. …He’s talking about the attempted assassination of Marlene.

“If we’re speaking of that, then I too bear responsibility for making the Grand Duke voice harsh words. We are in positions that should serve as examples to other nobles. The Grand Duke’s words were correct. I too, insisting on my own way of uniting others, surely made it difficult for His Majesty to act and complicated the situation.”

The reason the investigation after the attempted assassination was difficult was because Roy had been exploiting the conflict between the Grand Duke and the Duke. So he’s saying that if he had yielded, King Melvin would have been able to move more easily after the incident, and Roy might not have carried out the attack.

King Melvin had his eyes closed during their confessions of regret and responsibility, but eventually spoke quietly.

“Regrets and responsibility… I have them too. I’m the father. There’s no way I could be without responsibility. That’s precisely why… couldn’t we work hand in hand to guide the country toward stability and peace this time? No, if I can’t even do that, I won’t be able to face anyone. Won’t you lend me your strength?”

“Of course. It would be foolish for anyone to become a victim because of our mutual suspicion.”

“Likewise. There could be no refusal.”

King Melvin, the Grand Duke, and the Duke all nodded, extended both hands, and firmly joined them together.

“…Shall we sit and discuss the future slowly? It’s unprecedented for the heads of the three houses to meet face to face and speak so frankly.”

“Indeed.”

In response to King Melvin’s words, both the Grand Duke and the Duke nodded in unison and took their seats. A maid immediately came and prepared tea.

The three men settled deeply into their chairs, slowly drank their tea, and took a breath. Then, as if switching gears, they tightened their expressions and continued discussing future matters.

“That said… once the current policy is settled, there’s not much else to decide. With the situation stable now, I don’t intend to forcibly change the status quo. What do you think, Grand Duke?”

“I too have no objection to maintaining the status quo. Being nobles… there are surely those within our respective camps who desire more… but skillfully appeasing them is also part of our duties. However, that’s something we’ve been doing all along.”

“Hmm… If we deepen our friendship with each other, it should be easier to hold the reins.”

Reconciliation had been achieved, and the domestic situation and previous arrangements would remain as they were. In other words… while the traditional policy of uniting the nobles through the three houses’ power remained unchanged, the fundamental philosophy behind it was different.

What would change is that… for example, even if there were those dissatisfied with the other camps, it would be difficult for them to stir conflict to the point of opposing their masters’ established policies.

If they insisted on maintaining a hardline stance, they would effectively make enemies of all three houses and become completely isolated and unsupported within the country.

Prince Josiah, understanding the flow of the conversation, looked at me and nodded quietly.

“—Ah, that’s right.”

At that moment, the Duke seemed to remember something and clapped his hands.

“What is it?”

“Well, having just said maintaining the status quo is fine, this might seem contradictory… but actually, as thanks for helping with the Nightmare incident, I was thinking of having a villa built on an uninhabited island in the west for the Ambassador to use as he pleases. However, the Ambassador is now an important figure for our country. Considering the balance between the three houses, I thought it better to discuss it with both of you first.”

“Oh.”

“Hmm.”

At the Duke’s words, the two men widened their eyes.

“As long as it’s not under the pretext of territorial concession, there shouldn’t be a problem… Yes, I’m sure Her Highness Marlene would be pleased too.”

The Grand Duke said this straightforwardly. The Duke seemed slightly surprised, but the Grand Duke gave a wry smile.

“My methods are old-fashioned. The Duke inherited his title young and, while using methods completely different from mine, has achieved sufficient results. I’m sure it won’t lead to any negative outcomes.”

At the Grand Duke’s words, the Duke seemed to have some thoughts, closing his eyes.

He probably had various difficulties in managing his territory. Being told this by someone with whom he had clashed over methodology must have been quite poignant.

“Then… we could make Theodore the administrator of the island.”

At King Melvin’s words, the two men nodded. Since the island concerns me too, maybe I should say something.

“Since we have the opportunity… what about incorporating it into this reconciliation? Even if I receive an entire island, I won’t be able to use all of it, which would be wasteful. I was thinking of building facilities that could be used by members of the three houses, not just my villa.”

When I spoke, the three men showed slightly surprised expressions, then pondered and nodded.

“I have no objection. Even though it’s a gift from the Duke, for you to say that is quite humbling.”

“Indeed. We won’t waste the Ambassador’s kindness. In that case… how about splitting the costs for procuring materials for the Ambassador’s use?”

“That would be good in principle… but wouldn’t the Duke end up spending more since he’s providing the island?”

“The island is my thanks to the Ambassador. It won’t be included in the cost-sharing.”

“I see…”

And so, it seemed the handling of the island and various other details were settled.

Prince Josiah watched the three of them, then smiled gently and said to me,

“With this, it seems we can safely hold the celebration banquet. I’m relieved too.”

Indeed. Not just regarding the island matter, but various things that needed to be settled have been settled, giving the impression that everything has reached a satisfactory conclusion.