Chapter 52: you will be alone
Alpshar had returned to his kingdom's capital a few days prior, and was currently in a meeting with his generals and ministers at the palace. Despite returning from the war with the Tamerid Empire with a glorious victory, Alpshar's demeanor did not reflect happiness. "So, how long will it take for a new war preparations?" he inquired.
The treasurer wiped the sweat off his forehead before speaking, "Your Majesty, although we have just returned from a war and emerged victorious, there needs to be a period without war for our economy to stabilize."
Alpshar looked at his subordinate in charge of the treasury and said: "I have tons of gold from the war. Isn't all this gold good for something? Economics is not my field, but I know the cost of war."
The head of the treasury attempted to control the trembling in his feet with his hands. Standing before a man who had mercilessly executed many of his unsuccessful subordinates was no easy feat. "Your Majesty, we indeed have a surplus of gold, but these are your gold reserves. The people do not have these gold coins and with every war our people are getting poorer and poorer. if you take the gold you have and put it in circulation, then inflation will increase and that will lead to other problems. If there is a period of time without war, the economy will stabilize and we will be ready for another war again." He explained.
Alpshar pondered over the words spoken, stroking his beard and closing his eyes. "And how long would it take for what you propose to materialize?" he inquired.
The advisor, suppressing his excitement, began speaking, "Your Majesty, considering the stabilization of the newly acquired territories, I would say at least two or three years. During this time, the economy will become more robust, and within these few years, you can recruit more soldiers."
Though initially angered by what was being said, Alpshar accepted the situation. After all, annexing a large swath of land had caused some economic issues. For now, he had to postpone the war he so desired, but during this period, he didn't plan to stay idle. He would use this time to bolster his military strength and increase espionage activities in the new enemy territory.
Once Alpshar had gathered his thoughts in the meeting, he continued discussing strategies with his generals and ministers. He emphasized their focus on enhancing military strength to secure the new territories and prevent internal turmoil. Additionally, he expressed his intention to intensify espionage activities in the enemy country to identify potential future threats in advance. He also reiterated that, during this time, he would continue to evaluate his advisors' recommendations to ensure economic stability. Thus, the meeting concluded within a few hours.
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Ethan strolled slowly through the corridors of the palace, savoring the fragrance of the beautiful flowers by the windows. Descending the stairs, he finally reached the main door, where he encountered his brother, Henry. The Asina Kingdom's royal family had many traditions.One of these traditions is that when a member of the royal family leaves the capital, another member of the royal family must see them off. At the moment it was up to Ethan to do this, and so he had to fulfill this tradition by seeing off his brother, whom he disliked very much.
Ethan approached his brother Henry with hesitant steps. After a moment of hesitation, he gathered himself and approached to fulfill the traditional protocol. "Henry," he said with a forced smile, "I hope your journey goes smoothly."
"Thank you, brother. I heard you'll be leaving the capital soon as well," replied Henry, turning to face Ethan.
"Yes, I'll be leaving in a few days."
Henry noticed the hostility in Ethan's eyes. He knew Ethan harbored animosity towards him. "You know, Ethan, I've never seen you as my enemy. Don't misunderstand me, I'm not trying to belittle you. I've always wanted to see you as my brother," Henry said.
"It's interesting that you say that now and not before, and it's not very convincing, especially when you went from being a weak child to the most powerful prince," Ethan said.
Henry smiled. "Did I can the opportunity to talk to you? I wasn't even living in the palace when you were a child, Ethan." After gazing at Ethan in silence for a while, he sighed and began speaking.
"You know what your problem is, brother? You are a vindictive person. When someone does a small evil to you, you never forgive that person again. According to you, this world is divided into people who are on your side and people who are not on your side. But human nature is not that simple. It is not right to consider the person who has done you a small evil as your enemy. "
"I don't see an issue with that, unlike you," Ethan replied.
"No, brother, this is a problem. And now that I think about it, I remember the first time you harbored hatred towards me. Do you recall when we were children, and my crystal wand went missing, and I blamed you, even though you were just three or four years old? I vividly remember the look in your eyes back then, Ethan. At that moment, you had already declared me your enemy. That's why even when you are king, at some point you will be alone, my brother. Utterly alone... That's your fate" Henry said, turning away and opening his umbrella as he walked towards the Carriage.
Ignoring Henry's words, Ethan returned to the palace with little thought. Unaware that this would likely be the last intimate conversation between the two brothers, they went their separate ways.
Ethan re-entered the grand main door and resumed walking through the corridors. He soon arrived at the dining room and was surprised to find both his mother and father present. Additionally, Luna, Anna, and Duchess Theodora were seated at the table. Ethan bowed to King Richard and the Queen and then approached the table. As he neared, both Anna and Luna looked at him expectantly. Normally, in such a situation, Ethan would have sat between them, but this time, Luna and Anna were seated apart, both looking at Ethan with wide-eyed anticipation. Though this interaction lasted only a few seconds, Luciana immediately noticed her son's discomfort and pulled his arm towards her.
"It's been a long time since I fed you, little Ethan. Oh, how much I've missed feeding you with my own hands," Luciana said.
Ethan reluctantly took his seat beside his mother, coerced into it. He was grateful to his mother for rescuing him from such a difficult situation. Luciana scooped a spoonful of food and offered it to Ethan.
"Here comes the ship to the dock. Open your mouth, little Ethan," she said.
"Stop it, Mother, I'm not little Ethan anymore," Ethan protested, but he had no choice but to open his mouth to prevent the food from spilling off the spoon.
Setting the spoon aside, Luciana pulled Ethan into a hug. "You'll always be little Ethan to me, my little Ethan," she said.
As Ethan tried to wriggle out of the embrace, his gaze fell on the others at the table. They were all struggling to contain their laughter, covering their mouths with their hands to stifle their giggles. Even Richard found the situation amusing. "It's not funny, okay? If you find this amusing, then you're probably laughing at northern clowns," he said.
"Hahha, I'm sorry Ethan, but I've never seen anyone else deal with you so easily, including Richard," said Duchess Theodora.
"Yes, because Ethan's true owner is me, and you're jealous because you're not, even though you're married. Isn't that right, Theodora?" Luciana said.
Theodora sputtered, coughing as she nearly choked on her tea. Her face turned red with embarrassment, and she stuttered for a few seconds. "W-w-what? Don't say such things, Luciana. My daughter has already taken Ethan," she managed to say.
Upon hearing this, Anna also began coughing and stuttering, as if mimicking her mother's reaction. "N-n-no, that's not true. I mean--"
"Hahaha, look at their faces," Luciana laughed, continuing to tease both of them. Even Richard joined in, teasing his childhood friend Theodora and laughing. The dinner proceeded in a colorful and entertaining manner.
Watching this scene, Luna realized that she was experiencing the warmth of a family that she hadn't felt in a long time. The last time she felt this way was when she dined with her mother. Even after everyone finished their meal, they continued to sit around the table, chatting and enjoying each other's company.
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I thought it would be useful to draw a map of the world in which this story takes place. Of course it will be an amateur map, but you can better understand the world in my head. It would be especially useful in the later chapters. What do you think?