A handsome young man with slightly long golden hair as bright as the sunshine walked in. He exuded a condescending atmosphere as he walked inside the room, stopping right next to Princess Sofia.
"Eh? Brother, did you do something to your hair?"
Sofia asked. Somewhat confused, if she remembers correctly, he once had long caramel-coloured hair like her father; his striking blonde hair looked nothing like it once did in the past.
"Fumu, I decided to change my look, doesn't it bring out my already perfect face even more?"
He asked, glancing at Sofia.
Sensing the forcefulness behind his tone, she could only faintly nod her head. He then turned his gaze towards his father, who was seated on his throne.
"Father, there seems to be trouble with the circulation of goods coming into our kingdom. With the Alberta Kingdom now cutting ties with us, we haven't been getting enough supplies lately."
"Indeed. I am also worried about that, sigh. With the war between the Alberta and Zestril Kingdom coming up, it doesn't seem like we'll be getting an audience with the king of Alberta anytime soon."
The king said, letting out an audible sigh. The conflict between the Alberta and Zestril Kingdom had not only impacted the Watanabe Kingdom, but also all other smaller countries were experiencing the same problem.
The Alberta Kingdom, being the largest and most advanced kingdom on the continent, means more of their supplies came directly from that nation.
With its influence, most merchants always tried to set up their own business, and the kingdom had the largest trading company.
The kingdom usually worked in perfect harmony, trading their own goods with each country, allowing each nation to stock up on items every year.
For example, the Alberta kingdom being surrounded by a large forest meant that they had an abundance of fruit and other goods from the forest.
While the kingdom of Albanian is mostly surrounded by a large lake, this meant it had an abundance of seafood, and the two nations usually worked together to help and develop their own respective economy.
The Watanabe kingdom has an abundance of meat; those supplies are carried over to the Albanian kingdom weekly, but with the war coming up, it is going to be difficult to trade supplies between their nations right now.
While it wasn't mentioned when or where the battle would take place, no one wanted to get dragged into such a conflict.
That is the reason why so many people are migrating all around to avoid becoming another casualty in a crossfire.
The King scratches his bearded chin uncomfortably, pondering how to escape this dilemma. The supplies weren't the only problem.
If the Alberta kingdom were to lose, then the Zestril kingdom would most definitely point their bow towards their own country.
Why, you ask? Well, the reason is simple: the Albanian kingdom is the second-highest military power on the continent.
The King of Zestril had a bad habit of underestimating his opponent and attacking the strong. Of course, he also liked crushing the weak, but the Albanian kingdom is also the closest kingdom to Alberta.
Watanabe gets most of their military strength from Alberta. He didn't think that arrogant king would waste his time going after them.
"Sigh, it seems things got troublesome while I was away."
The king lamented while he reclined on his throne. Sofia also sighed; that terrible premonition she had felt continues to bother her, but no matter what she thought of, she couldn't quite grasp the reason for it.
(Is it because of the conflict between the Alberta Kingdom and the Zestril Kingdom, or is it because of the sudden summoning of the legendary heroes?)
She once again sighed as though to expel the pent-up tension in her body. The Zestril kingdom would most likely try to make use of its hero during the war. If that happened, then the Alberta kingdom could also do the same. A clash between two heroes with inhuman-level powers sounds extremely terrifying. Sofia's face turned pale just from the thought of what would occur if that were to happen.
(The hero from Watanabe used fire, and the hero from Alberta used wind, the hero from our country should have the water element if I'm not mistaken, then.... the hero from the Zestril kingdom should use earth as their element)
No matter which side had the advantage, the outcome would be a disaster, no matter which way she looked at it.
"In any case, I'll order the knights to be on guard in the unfortunate event that the kingdom of Alberta loses. Though our chance of winning is slim, I'll definitely defend this kingdom with my pride on the line."
The first prince said with oozing confidence as he spoke. Sofia's violet eyes widened deeply as she stared at her brother, dumbfounded.
(Eh? This is strange, is he the same cowardly person?)
Sofia looked at her brother with a dubious face. From her knowledge he was always a coward who ran away at the first glance of danger, once he knew he was no match for an opponent he always throws in the towels while acting cool headed, he was a spoiled and arrogant man who always expected to get what he wants, but.... the person in front of her now was completely different from her memories so she couldn't help but wonder if he was really her brother or some benevolent figure.
Seeing the doubtful look on Sofia's face, the king chuckled before opening up his mouth.
"This little lad instantly fell in love with the summoned hero and proposed to her on the spot."
"However, he was instantly rejected by the hero for not being her type, and... well, she said some other things too that I will not say out loud, so he decided to change his appearance to match her type better."
The king explained in amusement. He could easily remember when he first saw the blonde-haired man knocking on his door. He was so startled that he ended up shouting "Guards!" on the spot, and so it ended up being some kind of TV drama with a father mistaking his own son for some intruder and sending him to be detained for interrogation by the knight captain.
Seeing the tired expression on her father's face, Sofia decided not to pry any further into details regarding that matter.
"I see... if big brother instantly fell for the hero, she must be quite the looker, huh?"
Sofia asked while watching his reaction.
"Yes, her beauty was really astounding. I'd say she even outclasses the famous beauty of the Watanabe Kingdom, first princess Hinata."
The first prince said confidently. Hearing his response, Sofia raised an eyebrow in interest.
"Oh, does that mean you're no longer interested in princess Hinata anymore?"
Sofia inquired curiously. She remembered how infatuated he was with the first princess, so hearing him speak so passionately about another woman surprised her.
"Erm... well, it's not that I'm not interested in her anymore, I'm still going to make her my woman, winning the heart of the hero comes first. As it's crucial to the kingdom, adding a hero to the royal family bloodline is necessary for our country's growth, I'm sure the other kingdoms are also thinking the same."
The first prince explained his intention.
(With my own influence as first prince, the Hinata's influence as first princess and the heroes' influence together, there is no doubt that our nation will flourish even more. Once this old fart hurries up and dies, I will be officially named king. Thus, further expanding my own influence)
Sofia and the King didn't know that the first prince had his eyes set on an even bigger goal that would one day send a trimmer throughout the continent, that is a story for another time.
"Fumu, so you're going to use your relationship with the hero to increase the influence of our nation. Huh, not a bad idea, honestly, I was also having the same idea, I didn't think it was a good idea to force the hero into such a relationship. If you could make the hero fall for you and agree to marriage, then I would wholeheartedly welcome it."
The king said, giving his speech in a pleasant tone.
"Sigh, I can understand if it is for the kingdom, if that is your biggest motivation, wouldn't your relationship be shallow?"
Sofia asked, narrowing her eyes faintly. Maybe it was because she was also a woman, the thought of a man playing with the heart of a woman seemed quite repulsive to her as her brow furrowed into a frown.
The prince flinched when he felt the cold gaze coming from his sister and quickly explained himself.
"There is no need to worry, sis, even if that is my biggest motivation, I will still love them both, and of course, with the power of the hero and the smart and talented first princess at my side, our kingdom would soon become the one that holds the highest power on this continent."
He said smilingly. Seeing that Sofia sighed once again.
(He sure seems confident, wouldn't you have at least had to make them both fall in love with you first to do that?)
Sofia thought. With the cunning Hinata Watanabe, there is no way she wouldn't see through his idiotic plans; on that note, it didn't seem like the king had many expectations of him at all. He had probably shared the same thought as Sofia. Though he hides it well with his smile.
"That aside, did you find out anything while you attended the Watanabe royal academy?"
"No, I couldn't, my apologies, I didn't have much freedom while I was there, and I could only stay at the royal castle for a limited time. They also didn't seem like they were willing to share information on their summoned hero to anyone other than the hierarchy of the kingdom."
Sofia explained.
"I see... make sense."
Having valuable information leaked to outside sources was unfavourable to each nation, which is why there are strict rules set up to prevent any bad or unwelcoming situations that could put the kingdom or the royal family at risk of danger.
The king couldn't feel concerned by this because if he were in their shoes, having outsiders listen in on his kingdom's circumstances, he too would feel troubled.
"... But, on another matter, back when I attended the royal academy, there was a new student who had suddenly transferred there, according to Princess Scarlett, he was a relative of the royal family who had been living abroad until now. I have never heard of the royal family having other members outside of the royal family, and a very powerful one."
"Hmm... I also have never heard that the only members of that family should be the royal family, and the others who are living inside the Alberta Kingdom, could he be from there?"
"No, he isn't. It didn't seem like he wanted to disclose his hometown."
"I see... interesting, that little fox of a king, just what exactly are you hiding?"
.....
A/N: Thank you for reading this. If you find any errors, please let me know.