The King's Troubles

Translator: Cinder Translations

...

Recently, His Majesty King Rodney XVI of the Kingdom of Aldor has faced numerous troubles.

The first trouble arose when spies of the rebels set fire to the granaries within the capital city, leaving barely enough food to support the daily needs of the hundred thousand residents of the royal city, let alone mounting a southern campaign to quell the rebellion.

The government immediately dispatched officials to the royal demesnes to gather food. What they discovered nearly caused His Majesty to faint again—most of the local warehouses' actual food stocks did not match their official records. Enraged, King Rodney XVI launched a thorough investigation, revealing that some officials responsible for management had been secretly selling off supplies, while others had exaggerated or concealed reports to curry favor.

In great anger, His Majesty sent enforcement officers to bring the offending officials back to the capital for public trial before the masses.

After their crimes were announced by the judges, executioners thrust the criminals into the furious crowd, shouting, "These parasites are the reason you suffer hunger and deprivation!"

The fate of these officials was predictable. The trial, which began promptly at 8 AM, concluded within an hour. The subsequent "execution period," carried out by the populace themselves, lasted for three grueling hours until midday, after which the exhausted crowd dispersed. When the executioners came to collect the bodies, they were barely recognizable. Their severed heads were then displayed atop the city gates, though who among them might have been scapegoats, no one could say.

According to the suggestions of many military generals, the kingdom's government should have immediately implemented a rationing system, requisitioning all food stocks from civilian households and distributing essential provisions based on household size, while ensuring ample supply for the advancing army.

However, this proposal faced vehement opposition from administrative ministers, who argued convincingly: given the integrity of local officials, the amount of food gathered would likely fall short, leading to widespread starvation. Moreover, commoners cared little for loyalty and honor, focusing instead on their immediate sustenance; faced with starvation, they would surely rebel.

After weighing the pros and cons, His Majesty ultimately rejected the military's proposal.

To conserve food, a strict prohibition on alcohol was imposed throughout the royal demesnes: aside from a few licensed breweries, all others were forbidden from producing alcohol. Nobles were restricted to purchasing no more than half a liter per day, while commoners could buy no more than one liter per week from designated outlets. Public drinking and the presence of alcoholic beverages at gatherings were strictly forbidden, with severe penalties ranging from nobles losing their titles and heavy fines to commoners facing death.

To prevent merchants from exploiting the situation to inflate food prices, the government set maximum price limits. Soldiers stationed in front of every shop selling food and drink in the capital ensured compliance. Nevertheless, residents had no choice but to spend significantly more than usual to purchase food.

As food gradually accumulated from local requisitions into the capital, the upper echelons finally breathed a sigh of relief. Yet immediate deployment of troops southward became impractical. Consequently, the loyalist militias were temporarily disbanded, and regional lords returned home to await the next harvest, planning to reconvene their forces next year, contingent upon this year's yield.

The second trouble arose from his youngest daughter's departure from home. With no current means to crush Giles' rebellion, King Rodney XVI had to consider the various fence-sitters across the realm cautiously.

Duke Vibern of the most powerful fence-sitting faction had yet to declare support for Giles' rebellion. Instead, he had sent envoys to propose a marriage alliance with the royal family, a clear indication of his intentions. After much deliberation, His Majesty decided to wed his youngest daughter, Eileen Rodney, to him. The Vibern family had many vassals and strategically crucial territories; it was imperative not to let them ally with Giles.

His eldest daughter, Catherine, was too outstanding to be given away easily. King Rodney XVI hesitated to entrust such a gem to another. The king had no sons; according to tradition, he could only pass the throne to his younger brother, Prince Ocasie, a well-known prodigal who spent his days in revelry with minstrels and jesters. Few believed he could become a competent ruler.

His Majesty had already decided that, a century from now, instead of passing the throne to his inept brother, he would pass it to his eldest daughter, whom he had been grooming as the future ruler of the kingdom.

So I had to sacrifice my youngest daughter, Eileen. Eileen had no interest in politics whatsoever. Despite being a royal princess, she excelled in everything she learned, from poetry and literature to arts and dance. Yet, she also pursued a wide range of other interests in her daily life—studying ancient scripts and scrolls, learning alchemy from sorcerers, collecting specimens of various plants, and raising peculiar animals. These hobbies made her more akin to a scholar, but her broad interests, apart from naming a few uncommon plants, hadn't produced any remarkable achievements.

From the perspective of a father, Eileen indeed made for a good political alliance tool as a princess. But... she ran away from home.

When King Rodney XVI explained his decision to his youngest daughter, she remained composed. After calmly inquiring about the reasons behind his decision, she silently returned to her room.

The king was astonished by his daughter's high level of awareness as a member of the royal family. He felt immense guilt and the next day learned that his daughter had disappeared. Immediately, he dispatched people to search everywhere. While anxious about delaying the marriage alliance with the Vibern family, his greater concern was for his daughter's safety.

The third trouble was that Catherine and her sister had a deep bond. Learning that her sister was being used as a political pawn caused Catherine to enter a cold war with her father, addressing him not as "father" as usual but as the rigid and cold "Your Majesty."

"What a troublesome autumn!" The king felt a wave of powerlessness surging within him.

...

"The troops heading to Thorns Gate have been fully screened. Viscount Cline will command the reinforcements."

Catherine announced this at the military meeting, and the generals present had no objections. Viscount Cline stood up to receive his orders, and then everyone began discussing the recent vexing issue of military provisions.

Although a large-scale army couldn't be sent south to quell the rebellion, reinforcements for Duke Dodge still had to be dispatched. First and foremost, Thorns Vale had to be defended. If Thorns Vale fell, the kingdom's northern heartland would be wide open to Giles' rebels.

After discussing military supply issues and other details, the meeting concluded, and the generals returned to attend to their respective tasks.

Only Ophina remained behind. After everyone had dispersed, she quietly approached the princess and said, "Princess Eileen has settled in a place called Alden Town in northwest Alden."

Catherine nodded. Knowing her sister well, she had already sent people ahead to track down the whereabouts of the young princess before her father could. Rather than forcibly bringing her sister back, she secretly added more guards for protection and set up obstacles to track down those her father sent out.

Catherine was very angry about her father's decision to use her sister as a political pawn. But after several attempts, she could not change the will of the ruler of a country and could only resist in this way.

She asked Ophina, "Who is the lord there?"

Ophina said, "Lord Paul Grayman of the Grayman family."

"Alden? Grayman?" Catherine seemed to have some impression, but she couldn't remember.

Ophina continued, "The message returned said that Lord Grayman recently eliminated pirates who violated his territory and also launched an operation called 'Strike Hard' to clean up ruffians and rogues in his territory. The public security there is now quite good, so Princess Eileen should have no safety issues for the time being."

Catherine's worries eased slightly. Then she remembered. Isn't this Grayman the one who sent envoys to the camp a few months ago in the Highlands to ask for a decree? At that time, she temporarily waived his duty to support the king's rule, and she had also heard rumors about pirates in the northwest bay. It looks like this rural lord does have some ability.

Catherine still couldn't completely relax. "Still, don't take it lightly. Keep a close watch, and if anything happens, send a message back immediately by carrier pigeon. Also, don't mention this matter to anyone else."

"Yes, Your Highness!"

"Thank you for your hard work, Ophina."

(End of the Chapter)