Chapter 75: Coyolles wishes to ally with Galkhein's country

When Rishe searched out their presences, she found Kyle leading Arnold out and away from prying eyes. Rishe said her polite goodbyes and quietly followed.

Once she was close enough, she could tell that it was indeed only the princes out there on the balcony together. Arnold would likely notice any approach, so Rishe suppressed her presence as much as she possibly could. She could walk without making a sound, even in high heels. She hid behind a pillar and strained her ears, splitting her attention between the balcony and Lawvine across the room.

"Galkhein is truly a wonderful country. Its prosperity is a credit to you, Your Highness, and His Majesty as well." Kyle's voice was hard. He was attempting to start the conversation from a casual place and failing. His nervous determination was seeping into his words; there was no way Arnold wouldn't see through him.

"There's no need for prevarication or transparent compliments." Just as she thought he would, Arnold cut through Kyle's facade. "Get to the point. I want to know why you pushed yourself to make the journey all the way here despite your frail health."

After a deep breath, Kyle said, "I truly respect all that you've achieved as crown prince, with every inch of myself. Your policies always have your citizens' best interests at heart. I've come to you instead of your father because I thought you might understand my feelings."

"…"

"I come seeking Galkhein's help for Coyolles. And I don't mean monetary or medical contributions." Kyle paused and looked at Arnold.

"I am requesting military aid."

Rishe gasped. Coyolles was not a warmongering country. They were severely lacking in military might, after all. In an extremely cold region, surrounded by far more powerful nations, Coyolles maintained relations with its neighbors with savvy diplomacy and the wealth its resources afforded them.

"As you know, Coyolles's military is almost nonexistent—but that's not by choice. Our neighbors have long put pressure on us to keep our standing army small. We are suffered only as we continue to provide precious gems to nearby countries and by never building up any sort of strength to resist them."

In another life, Rishe had heard Kyle say these words with the same bitter frustration. Which one had it been?

"The fate of our country is in the hands of other nations. The royal family is constantly threatened with destruction at our neighbors' whims. I wish to escape those circumstances and do everything I can to protect my people. We must become masters of our own fate, and I beg your assistance in achieving this goal."

Arnold's response was more of a growl than usual. "In other words, Coyolles wishes to abandon its relationships with its neighbors and ally with Galkhein instead?"

"Yes, it's exactly as you say."

Silence descended on the balcony for some time, amplified by the din of the party just beyond it. Kyle's anxiety seemed to fill the space to the brim.

After a while, Arnold's cold voice broke the silence. "I'd been wondering what you wanted. Tell me, what is the point of royalty if they have gone senile with peace?"

The air on the balcony grew even more tense.

"Asking for military assistance from a country separated by the sea to wage war against your neighboring nations is foolish. And what could Coyolles even offer us in exchange for our assistance?"

"We would immediately move all exports of gems and precious metals from other countries to Galkhein. We will completely forgo profit and sell them more cheaply than the material you can mine within your own borders."

At last, Rishe understood what Kyle was getting at. On the surface, he appeared to be prioritizing national defense at the expense of everything else. But it was clear to her that wasn't what he intended at all.

You can't do this, Prince Kyle.

Rishe hung her head and imagined how she'd speak to him.

You're too honest. You're not used to lying.

"Don't make me laugh." As expected, Arnold easily picked up on the hidden message behind Kyle's words.

"In your place, I would never make such a proposal to another country, and if I did, I would certainly put a time limit on it. Exporting gems—your country's greatest resource—with no regard for profit is slow suicide."

"That's…"

"There must be a reason you felt no compulsion to limit the deal. Maybe one you aren't even conscious of."

Arnold was right. Rishe knew enough to back up his conjecture—that is, the shape Coyolles's export industry would take in a few short years.

"Coyolles is running out of gems to mine, isn't it?"

Kyle went quiet.

I see…

Rishe had interacted with Kyle in several of her lives, and she felt the two of them were pretty close in each, but she was only ever a lone merchant or apothecary. Naturally, he'd kept such weighty problems a secret from her.

Of course. He could only reveal something like this to the people most central to Coyolles's government.

Coyolles had, in the past, protected itself with little more than political marriages and wealth. Without that wealth, its national identity would disappear. Once it had nothing left to offer its neighboring countries, it would only be a matter of time before they clashed—with the victor inevitably adding Coyolles's territory to its own.

Something like that happened in the future…

When Arnold became emperor and declared war on the world, a country with no military might like Coyolles was forced to surrender before the fighting even started, doing its best to minimize the damage. But the countries surrounding Coyolles didn't allow that.

Ships from Galkhein had to enter the continent through Coyolles's ports—enemy seizure of which would have been an unprecedented blow to the other northern countries. So Coyolles's allied nations forced it to fight, threatening to invade Coyolles themselves if it refused. Having no choice, they entered the war. They mustered what few knights they had and lost almost all of them.