Royal Princess of Blood

On the second day of the assembly, Miyako and Satomi were once again back in the meeting chamber. Miyako listened as the other lords started discussing among themselves, which she had no involvement in. She was going to get into her own interests later on.

She observed the lords, and Miyako noticed that Takehiro, the lord of Tobunoa, had one less servant with him. The man missing was the one who seemed to observe Miyako quite closely. Nothing was really strange when an irrelevant servant was not present, just interesting to see.

For Oboro, the Lady of Minainoa, was the same as yesterday. She still had a depressive air about her, and baggy eyes. Her servants, who may or may not be demons in disguise, were still with her. Miyako found it absolutely insane that demons could just be standing among them ever so casually. It only made the phrase ignorance is bliss even more understandable.

Miyako shifted her gaze towards Yuki, who was standing behind his father. He had shown her something so amazing, one she thought to be impossible. Something that carried hope for the future. But, Miyako had realized that to have a better future — no, the best future possible, they had to do something more than nurturing plant life.

All would be pointless if everything else never changed. Like the constant conflict between each other. The endless pursuit of an ambition that should have been left behind a millennium ago. If the island itself were to change, those standing on it must change as well.

Otherwise, they would only be stuck in a never-ending cycle of conflict, of selfish ambitions. Stuck in the past, and failing to completely look into the future. They would be insane to think that something would change if they kept doing the same thing over and over. That in itself was the definition of insanity.

It made Miyako think of what Estelia had said to her. About bringing change to the island. But Miyako wanted to take a more peaceful approach first. One that may require patience, but was the safer option for all. If Yuki was involved in it, it was possible to achieve it. Miyako was absolutely hopeful and faithful.

Perhaps she had gotten a good degree of trust towards Yuki. Just thinking about him made her chest warm. The thought of marriage even popped up for a moment. If they married each other, then that could mean that both islands may also join together. It could achieve something that has never been done since forever. Two islands remade as one.

Miyako subtly took a deep breath, it was an embarrassing thought. Doing it that way would be too rash. They could do things without involving marriage. But it was still an option.

No! W-Why did I even think of that with him?!

She maintained her composure, keeping a straight face, just as she had practiced. But it was proving to be a bit difficult.

I must be professional. Put the island first. Enough with the embarrassing thoughts!

She closed her eyes and took a deep breath.

Eventually, it was time for Miyako to talk.

"Mister Yoshio, I would like to make a proposal. One that will promote further peace and cooperation between our islands."

"Hm?"

"I want to form a trade partnership between Hokunoa and Nishinoa." Miyako saw a change in Yoshio's expression. Like some sort of surprise, and a hint of dislike. "Make trading easier for both of us. Create a larger and official trade channel, reduce the trade barriers, ease regulations, allow investments between islands, and many more."

There would be a lot of benefits in this. Forming a trade alliance would grant opportunities to people and businesses. It would encourage investment, growth, economic cooperation, lower trade taxes and so on. It would bring a lot of money to both islands, which would be in their best interests.

Miyako realized she might have to do this after seeing this place. Hokunoa was going in a particular direction, it would be a waste not to attempt to join in. Furthermore, this might be a good stepping stone for true peace between the islands. The first step for that might be to open up to each other.

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"Our islands don't have much to offer each other, Miss Miyako. Ours is self-sustaining. Creating a partnership would be a waste." Yoshio seemed to dislike the idea.

"I beg to differ. I believe this will be a good opportunity to strengthen our peaceful relationship. Better trade deals will tremendously help in this aspect. Allow our people to connect with each other properly, be more open. Let them do business."

If both islands' interests align, it would also keep one island from attempting to invade the other. In a way, it was also good for security.

Yoshio let out a sigh. "There's a reason why we mostly keep to ourselves. It keeps us competitive, so we won't get taken advantage of."

"A free market will make us more competitive. It will benefit both our islands, the government and the people. Once our economy grows, how easily we can trade with those beyond our shores. With a better economy, traders from other lands will be most interested in selling here."

Because if the islands were poor in the first place, why would overseas merchants sell here? It would be a waste of time and resources. However, if the economy grows, when people could finally buy more, then that could promote products from overseas.

"That's kind of hilarious," Takehiro suddenly chimed in. "It might also result in one island becoming more powerful than the other. Eventually, they will swallow you. That kind of cooperation is stupid."

Miyako frowned. "You think that way because you always think of the negatives. You always think that one island will take over the other."

"Because they will, pretty girl. Let this be a generous advice from me to you," he grinned. "Don't be naïve. Because if it was me, I would definitely do it. A close trade partnership will only help bring about your own doom."

"He is right," Yoshio said. "It would be worrisome if Nishinoa grew drastically, and Hokunoa fell behind."

That's nonsense. He knows Hokunoa would be the one that would grow the fastest here.

Because he had already started for that.

Still, to think that they wouldn't consider a partnership because of the concern of being invaded and taken over by another. Always assuming that everyone would be a threat. It was incredibly frustrating. She clenched her fists under the table.

These people are always stuck in the ways of the past…

That was the problem. Always seeking to overcome the other, to become the ruler. Become the Shogun. This was why it was hard to get true peace in this archipelago. Shinoroa must go past this to change. The new generation must bring about true change, true peace.

The age of the shogunate had long since passed.

A very, very long time ago.

I must coordinate with Yuki, the heir of Hokunoa's lord. To see if he shares my vision in this.

"Even so, Mister Yoshio, I would appreciate it if you think it over," Miyako said.

***

Once the meeting was over, both Miyako and Yuki glanced at each other, indirectly communicating that they needed to talk. Well, they had talked about going back to the greenhouse yesterday in the first place, so perhaps this was redundant. But it was best to remind or confirm.

Miyako and Satomi walked outside.

"Milady, I didn't expect you would suggest trade cooperation."

"... It also didn't go very well."

Miyako had already expected that it wouldn't go well at first, but it was still frustrating to realize the reason for the rejection. But she had hope that it would go through in the end. She just needed some help.

"The lord of Hokunoa wouldn't want to share what would give him an advantage over others," Satomi said.

"Understandable. But I just disliked the reason for it. Having an advantage over the other without a friendly relation might result in them becoming brave enough to storm our island. That was also something I wanted to prevent."

That trade partnership might have made both islands rely on each other. And in turn create some sort of alliance, where they wouldn't attempt to create conflict against one another. A spark of friendly cooperation.

Yuki arrived, walking up to them with a smile.

"We need to talk, Yuki," Miyako said.

"... Sure. Ah, you might need to get your swords again, huh?"

Miyako wryly smiled.

Together with Yuki, they went on to grab their swords back from her room. After that, they made their way to the greenhouse. Truth be told, Miyako was feeling quite excited to see those living plants again. It felt so refreshing there, the air was kind of different — more pleasant.

"That meeting went quite well," Yuki said with a chuckle. "Looks like the assembly might be ending tomorrow after all."

"... It didn't quite go well for me," Miyako muttered.

"I didn't expect you would make that kind of proposal."

"Let's… talk about it in the greenhouse."

He nodded. "Sure."

Eventually, they arrived at the greenhouse. Miyako immediately felt a sense of relief, and she smiled as she walked around.

"It smells so good here. And peaceful." Was this how it would always be? Being surrounded by living nature.

"Indeed, the air is fresher here."

As Miyako looked around, she noticed something underneath some potted plants. It was a wooden door on the floor.

"Is that a basement?" she asked. It would seem it was being hidden on purpose.

At that, Yuki nervously stepped beside her and scratched the back of his head. "That's not a basement."

"What is it?"

"It's an underground pathway. That's what I use to sneak out of the castle. It leads outside." He chuckled.

"So you don't go through the front gates…?"

"I go incognito, you know."

"I see…" It was quite impressive that he had his own hidden pathway to get outside. "Anyway, I need to talk to you about something important."

"What is it?"

"... To see if you share my vision."