Chapter 4: Farewell Letter
“I thought I’d be rolling in dough,” Ruri lamented. She still couldn’t cope with the fact that her bracelets had been banned.
Claus smiled wryly. “Those are just far too dangerous. Euclase wasn’t wrong for banning them. I’m grateful that Euclase was able to squash that idea before it went public.”
“No, I get it. But still, I can’t help thinking how much of a shame it is.”
“What’s done is done. Just keep them for your own amusement,” Jade suggested.
“Yes, sir...” Ruri replied. “So, what was it that you wanted to discuss?”
Jade had told Ruri that he wanted to talk to her, but his tone had sounded strangely formal. Hence, she wasn’t sitting in her usual position on Jade’s lap, but rather across from him on the couch inside the royal office. Jade seemed unhappy that she wasn’t sitting next to him, but a discussion would be easier face-to-face, so she’d made him concede.
“The top brass of the four nations are going to hold a meeting in the Nation of the Spirit King,” Jade declared.
“A meeting?” asked Ruri.
“It’s nothing major, just a routine gathering to strengthen relations between the four nations. It’s always held in the Nation of the Spirit King because it’s historically the oldest among the four and because it’s where the supreme-level Spirit of Trees resides.”
“Oh, wow.”
“So, yes, I’d like you to come with me.”
“Wha? I couldn’t do anything even if I did go, though. Any complicated political jargon would go way over my head.”
While Ruri was the Dragon King’s queen, she was also a Beloved, meaning that she led a life completely divorced from politics. At first, she’d tried to study what a queen should be doing, but she was told not to get involved and kept at a distance because a Beloved engaging in political matters would bring about confusion. Ruri was grateful, considering that she’d had no interest in politics in her home world, much less this world, but there were times when she wondered if that was the right call.
Whenever that thought crossed her mind, Seraphie would come out and say, “I was always a shut-in.”
Although Seraphie had remained a shut-in because of Quartz’s possessive desire to keep her from the eyes of other men, her advice as the senior dragonkin spouse did convince Ruri that abstaining was the right call. As a result, Ruri stayed out of the nation’s affairs unless necessary.
Since that was the easiest way to deal with being both a queen and a Beloved, Ruri kept her studies to the bare minimum of common knowledge so that she wouldn’t learn anything she wasn’t supposed to. In retrospect, offering aid to the slums by introducing a school lunch system was toeing the line. Then again, given that she’d only suggested the idea and Euclase had done all the work, it was probably just barely passable.
“You don’t need to talk about politics,” Jade assured her. “Leave that to the other kings and me. But I thought you should participate from now on since there are always other Beloveds attending.”
Jade mentioned the other Beloveds as an incentive for Ruri to go, even though the pact between the four major nations stated that it was not recommended that Beloveds of different nations meet. It could result in unnecessary damage if the Beloveds were to disagree.
For example, the fight between Ruri and the Beloved of Cerulanda was completely unexpected. Nothing disastrous had happened because not only was Ruri’s status as a Beloved higher, but she also had a supreme-level spirit like Kotaro by her side. On the other hand, if the opposing Beloved had been higher in rank than Ruri, the spirits would have promptly turned on her. The pact was instituted to prevent those sorts of incidents.
Beloveds bestowed blessings, but they also bestowed chaos. Gathering that many Beloveds under one roof would make matters even worse. However, in the case of Beloveds from the four great nations, the Spirit of Trees in the Nation of the Spirit King acted as a mediator in case of disputes, so it was never an issue for Beloveds to attend the meeting.
Ruri thought the Spirit of Trees should do the same for other Beloveds as well, but it was said that the supreme-level spirit would not act for any nation unaffiliated with its own and not part of the union. The Spirit of Trees would only intervene when it benefited the Nation of the Spirit King. Their reasons for doing so were unknown, but just as Kotaro and Rin would never act on anyone’s behalf other than Ruri’s or the spirits’, the Spirit of Trees wouldn’t act without a similar reason of their own. And that reason was none of Ruri’s business.
Ruri asked, “The other Beloveds would be Celestine and Lapis, right?”
“Yes. The Imperial Nation doesn’t have a Beloved,” answered Jade.
Ruri was already acquainted with both Celestine and Lapis. Celestine still hadn’t completely given up her feelings for Jade, and Lapis was morbidly in love with Ruri. Both Beloveds had their issues, but Ruri knew they weren’t bad people, which made her feel better.
“You should speak with them while we’re having our meeting,” Jade suggested. “But be careful of Lapis. Don’t let him lay even a finger on you.”
“I don’t think I have to be that wary. He most likely has already found someone new.”
Jade still seemed concerned about how Lapis had told Ruri that he was smitten with her, but it wouldn’t be surprising if the lovesick boy had fallen in love at first sight with someone different the next day. In fact, Ruri was probably out of his mind by now.
“No, you need to be extremely cautious. He is dangerous,” Jade warned, furrowing his brow.
Claus, who was looking on, simply shrugged in resignation. This was probably business as usual for male dragonkin.
“Okay, then I’ll just spend my time chatting with Celestine-san,” Ruri conceded.
“Yes, please do.”
Just as Ruri thought that their discussion was finished, Claus’s expression turned stern and he asked, “Your Majesty, shouldn’t you talk to Ruri about you-know-what as well?”
“No, but...” Jade stammered.
“Ruri is a central player in this issue. There should be several nobles in the Imperial Nation’s entourage coming to the meeting, so it’s in Ruri’s best interest to know beforehand instead of after the fact. I know it’s not a very pleasant topic, but...”
“Yes, it isn’t,” Jade agreed.
Ruri tilted her head and asked, “What is it? What are you both talking about?”
Jade’s expression also turned stern as he replied, “It could be a rather unpleasant subject. Are you sure?”
“It pertains to me, doesn’t it? I’ll listen.”
Jade hesitated, then said, “You see, several of the Imperial Nation’s nobles are launching complaints at the Nation of the Dragon King.”
“Complaints?” Ruri repeated. Nothing worth complaining about came to mind.
“Currently, the Nation of the Dragon King has three Beloveds: you, your mother, and your grandfather. The Imperial Nation, on the other hand, doesn’t have a single Beloved to their name. Thus, the nobles are voicing their apprehensions about us housing three Beloveds, citing it upsets the balance of the four nations.”
“But neither my mother, my grandpa, nor I have done anything,” Ruri protested.
“Just a Beloved’s presence has a massive impact on all around them,” Jade explained. “Spirits are plentiful, and soil becomes fertile wherever a Beloved stays. That is especially true with three of them in one place.”
“Ah, I see.” Ruri remembered that she’d felt like there were more spirits around the castle lately. She hadn’t paid it any mind, but it was probably because two more Beloveds were now in the kingdom.
“They’re worried that the Nation of the Dragon King will gain more influence at this rate,” Jade continued. “I mean, it’s just a bunch of power-hungry nobles howling in jealousy, but there seems to be more of a vocal majority in the Imperial Nation than I thought. My guess is that they’re paranoid because the other three nations have Beloveds, while they don’t have even one. According to the emperor of the Imperial Nation, Adularia, some foolish nobles are suggesting that they buy one of our nation’s Beloveds from us.”
“‘Buy us’? We’re not things,” Ruri huffed.
“Indeed, but there are a surprising number of fools who are seriously considering that as an option, giving Adularia nothing but headaches.”
Ruri had met Emperor Adularia at the wedding. She was a gorgeous woman who emanated sophistication with a sort of East Asian flair. She looked young, but Ruri had been shocked to learn that she was actually a mother of four children around Ruri’s age. In terms of mothers who looked young for their age, she was on par with the mana-rich Riccia. Admittedly, back in their home world, people had often thought that Riccia was Ruri’s sister.
“What should we do, then?” Ruri asked.
“The best option would be to do as the nobles say and let one of our Beloveds go to the Imperial Nation,” Jade answered. “But we can’t force a Beloved to do that. Also, I’m not keen on separating your family now that you’ve finally reunited.”
Nodding his head, Claus interjected, “But I’m certain that the nobles of the Imperial Nation will not stay quiet. They might try to contact Ruri during the meeting.”
“How should I deal with them?” questioned Ruri. She looked up at Claus standing by Jade’s side, knowing that she wouldn’t do well if approached about complicated political matters.
“You needn’t do anything. You can just smile and ignore them. Where a Beloved goes is a Beloved’s choice. No one can twist their arm into doing anything. What’s more, you cannot go to the Imperial Nation since you are already the Dragon Queen.”
“But what if they try to directly negotiate with my mom or grandpa?”
“We will not be taking either of them to this meeting, so the nobles will never get the chance,” Claus answered.
“Well, I feel like my mom will whine about wanting to go, but...”
Riccia had been oddly quiet as of late, but she was normally an active person, so she was likely to be the first in line if she heard about the prospect of a trip.
“We have no choice but to convince them to abstain,” Claus stated. “Personally speaking, we find the claims of the Imperial Nation’s nobles to be slightly hard to stomach.”
Jade nodded in agreement. “No offense to Adularia, but I have no intention of meeting these nobles’ demands. Ruri, please keep this secret from your parents and Lord Beryl. I don’t want to worry them unnecessarily. We’ll handle this issue.”
“Very well,” Ruri replied, nodding.
The discussion was soon brought to a close, but neither Jade nor Claus realized that someone was listening in from outside the room.
◆ ◆ ◆ ◆
Listening outside the office door was Ruri’s grandfather, Beryl.
“Hmm, looks like our arrival is causing problems for Ruri’s husband,” Beryl groaned, his arms folded.
Another man stood beside him, also listening in. It was Beryl’s travel partner for the first half of his stay in this world, the former Beast King and Claus’s father, Andal. He patted Beryl on the shoulder and said, “A lot of the Imperial Nation’s nobles are a greedy bunch who only have their own interests in mind. This is pretty much expected behavior. Don’t tear yourself up over it.”
“Still, it kind of bothers me to pretend I don’t know that my presence is inconveniencing Ruri.”
Even after they’d walked away from the royal office, Beryl continued to hem and haw to himself.
Trotting by Beryl’s side near his feet was the supreme-level Spirit of Earth, Chi. At first, Chi had made a contract with Ruri, but as soon as he got to know Beryl’s personality, he’d quickly canceled his contract with Ruri and made a new one with Beryl. Since Chi lived on momentum and whim, he seemed to mesh well with Beryl. Likewise, he also seemed to get along with Beryl’s travel companion, Andal.
“Man, humans sure can be a hassle and a half,” Chi quipped. From his perspective as a spirit, humans were far too strict and rigid.
“That’s humans in a nutshell,” Beryl replied.
“Uh-huh...” Chi trailed off, thinking that things were much more simple and clean in his mind—something was either fun or it wasn’t.
Just then, a brilliant idea hit Chi. “Hey, hey, listen.”
“What’s up?” Beryl asked.
“The main issue is that there are three Beloveds in the Nation of the Dragon King, right?”
“Yeah, that’s about the gist of it.”
“In that case, all you gotta do is leave the kingdom.”
As if he were struck by lightning, Beryl gasped and shouted, “Eureka! You’re right!”
“Ain’t I, though? I sure am smart~!” Chi said triumphantly with his head held high.
Beryl reached down and patted him on the head. “I originally came here in search of new land, after all. Plus, I’ve already been to Ruri’s wedding, so there’s really no need for me to stay here.”
“Yup, yup.”
“Hey, hold on, now...” Andal said with an awkward smile as he watched Beryl and Chi jovially nod their heads at one another.
“There’s no time like the present! I’ve made up my mind, so it’s time to act today!”
“And I’m coming too~!”
This was just the kind of behavior expected from the freewheeling Chi and the contract-bearer who approved of him.
“What about you, Andal?” asked Beryl.
With his friend and the spirit staring at him with hopeful eyes, Andal couldn’t possibly refuse. “Well, I was planning on leaving soon, so I could go.”
“Then it’s settled!” Beryl exclaimed, giving a thumbs up with a nice, toothy grin.
◆ ◆ ◆ ◆
The next morning, a maid went to Beryl’s room, only to find it completely emptied. She rushed out and went to make a report.
The only thing left in the room was a single scrap of paper—a letter that read:
“I heard that too many Beloveds are causing you issues, so I took Chi and Andal out to go on an adventure. I’ll come back every once in a while, so don’t you worry. I want to see the entire world with my own two eyes! An adventure... That sure does have a nice ring to it.”
After Ruri finished reading the brief letter, she clutched her head and groaned.
“Grandpaaaa...”
Maybe he would be fine since Chi, a supreme-level spirit, was with him? No, that seemed like a recipe for even more disaster. Still, she felt a tiny bit relieved that he was going with Andal, someone knowledgeable in the ways of this world.
Jade was also at a loss for words.
“I’m sorry that my grandpa is far too active for his own good,” Ruri apologized.
“Well, I’m sure he’ll be okay since he’s with Andal,” Jade assured her.
“I’m sure we can locate him if I ask Kotaro, but should I?”
“If Lord Beryl himself left because he wished to do so, then we can’t restrict a Beloved’s actions. And, well...I do share some of the blame for making him worry.”
“No, I’m ninety percent sure he used that as an excuse because he wanted to travel,” she grumbled, knowing her grandfather all too well. “Should I just do a little check anyway?”
“Yes. With all due respect to Lord Beryl, the fact that our Beloved left the Nation of the Dragon King can be blamed on the Imperial Nation’s nobles.”
Jade’s point was that it was the nobles’ statements that had prompted their Beloved to leave. What if something dangerous happened to him on their journey? Would they take responsibility if something happened to the Beloved? Jade had half a mind to ask them. But, at the same time, Beryl would be bestowing the blessings of the spirits to other nations as well by traveling around the world. It was also safe to assume that he might even wind up in the Imperial Nation if he wanted. That all depended on Beryl’s mood, though.
“Be that as it may, he at least could have said goodbye to me in person,” Ruri spat, frustrated that the only farewell she received was a single scrap of paper. Nevertheless, she knew that was typical of her grandfather. “Kotaro, would you mind telling the spirits with my grandpa to inform you as soon as anything happens to him?”
“Yes, you’ve got it. I’ll have them report periodically.”
“Thank you.” She petted Kotaro on the head, and he energetically wagged his tail in response. “Honestly, this is totally something grandpa would do.”
Ruri looked up, feeling slightly melancholic. She took solace in the fact that Beryl was out there somewhere underneath the canopy of the great blue sky.
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