NOVEL NEXT Chapter 49: He likes me the most again!
As usual, Rian and his entourage were waiting for Ren Xiyang outside the Palace’s main doors. The two went to Rian’s quarters. Similar to the first time Ren Xiyang had come, the tailors were waiting for them.
“Good news, your clothes are ready,” Rian said with a self-satisfied smile.
The head tailor stepped forward. “Yes, your Highness, Earl Rosewood. We have made the clothes to your specifications.” They stepped aside, showing the racks of clothes.
Rian walked forward and partially pulled out an outfit “Earl Rosewood, you must wear this set of clothing tomorrow at the evening ball. And you must wear this set at our duel the day after. As for the other clothes, you are free to wear them whenever you wish,” he said generously.
“Thank you for your consideration, Your Highness,” Ren Xiyang said drily.
“Pack the clothes up and send them to the Rosewood manor for the Earl. Write some notes to make sure the Earl doesn’t forget which clothes are for which occasion,” Rian ordered his servants.
“Yes, Your Highness.”
“Now, Earl Rosewood, to the study.”
The two headed into Rian’s study and closed the door behind them.
Ren Xiyang sat down on a sofa. There was a teapot on the coffee table. He poured himself and Rian a cup.
Rian cast the sound-blocking spell as usual. He grabbed some papers from within a pile of study documents on his desk before taking a seat on the opposite sofa. He handed the papers to Ayden.
They were a set of reports about the Angio diplomats and chefs. One of the reports was officially issued by Queen Mira. The other report had been prepared by Rian’s staff.
Ren Xiyang glanced over the papers but didn’t read them. Instead, he gave Rian an expectant look.
“We need to reassess our plans. The Angio diplomats haven’t yet arrived,” Rian said.
“Ah.”
“Everyone knew that they were supposed to be coming. We were supposed to have their cuisine at tomorrow’s evening ball. They accepted my Imperial Mother’s invitation and even sent a list of ingredients to prepare beforehand, which we’ve painstakingly sourced. We’ve prepared their suites, we’ve practised their language, everything has been prepared for them. The Angio chefs should have arrived yesterday, and their diplomatic group should have arrived today.” The more Rian spoke, the more irritated he felt. “We’ve sent messages, and the official response is that perhaps they had been delayed on the road. But from what I understand, they never left Angio at all. We would have known if they were on the road because they should have at least crossed the Sedaveria-Angio border!”
Ren Xiyang sipped his perfect-temperature tea. “We could still have Angio food at tomorrow’s event,” he said. “There must be Angio people in the Capital. Merchants, workers, and even restaurant or food-stall chefs. It might not be Angio court food. But it could still be Angio cuisine, and it might even be more delicious.”
“That could work,” Rian acknowledged. “But on the matter of the Angio diplomats…” He gave a cynical smile. “The Angio King lied to us. As the kind of person who funded the development of the plague-curse…that kind of personality doesn’t appear overnight, and it won’t change overnight either. If he won’t accept such a tiny expression of diplomacy, then we need to do something else.”
“Maybe we should go to the Angio Kingdom.”
Rian snorted. “And have them attack us on the trip? There’s a clear historic pattern between the times when Sedaveria and Angio are enemies and when we are allies. And it starts with whether both sides accept small diplomatic overtures. Angio could well have something in development now, prior to the plague-curse, that never eventuated in my first life.”
“And the Angio king…”
“He’s a tyrant,” Rian said scornfully. “The kind of man who sucks his kingdom dry, not a good king at all. I would be a better king.”
“I believe you’d be a better king,” Ren Xiyang said.
“Thank you for your overwhelming support, Earl Rosewood,” Rian said drily. “A good crown prince and a good king is someone who works to benefit the kingdom as a whole, not himself alone. If he wants to benefit himself alone, then he should be a merchant instead.”
The corner of Ren Xiyang’s lips curled up.
Rian narrowed his eyes. “Why are you looking at me like that, Earl Rosewood?”
“It’s good to know where you stand.”
“Or else you’d join Alexius’s faction?” Rian huffed.
“I didn’t say anything,” Ren Xiyang said innocently.
“Tch.” Rian took a sip of his tea, which had been kept warm at the perfect temperature by Ayden. “Now. The simplest action would be fighting and killing the Angio king directly.”
“Okay.”
Rian suppressed his amusement at Ayden’s I’ll-go-do-it-now expression. “It’s not that simple. He’s a direct-magic lightning mage. Personal sparring shields can’t hold up to his attacks. Though I’ve also heard rumours that he doesn’t like using those shields regardless.”
“So if we killed him during such a duel, it would be as a matter of course?”
“I think that you would lose, Ayden,” Rian said seriously. “I know I would.”
He had previously analysed that diplomacy was the best method to prevent the plague-curse development. But it was becoming increasingly clear that the Angio king had no true intention for it. But attempting assassination? Even though he was powerful, and even though Ayden was powerful, he knew that the Angio king was even more powerful.
Rian disliked feeling weak; the fact that he was in his young, small twelve-year-old body made it even more frustrating.
“The plague-curse was just one of the many things that the Angio king ordered to be done in my first life. If he doesn’t change his behaviour drastically—I believe he won’t—then many of those actions should also occur in this life. The novel followed Cassiopeia’s perspective, for the most part, so you don’t know everything that occurred before it. But as the prince, as the crown prince, I had to understand all the current political movements on the continents. If events proceed as standard, then the Angio king will force the peasants to do a corvée to build a new grand palace building this winter. Construction would continue in spring, pulling away essential farmers from their fields, resulting in a small famine in the Angio kingdom next year. If you improve Sedaveria’s agricultural output, you would make Sedaveria an attractive place for refugees to come…and for Angio to annex. The king might even concoct up a different method to cripple Sedaveria sooner rather than later.”
Ren Xiyang crossed his arms. “The more you talk, the more it sounds like I should be assassinating the Angio king.”
“—And that could provide the perfect excuse for the successor to go to war against Sedaveria.”
Ren Xiyang was not happy about not being able to murder and get it over and done with. “Then we need to know more about the potential successors.”
“I’m fairly sure the rest of the Angio Royal Family hold similar stances.”
“Are you sure, though?”
“No,” Rian admitted.
“If you find the Angio king to be a tyrant, I’m sure there are others who feel the same way.”
“Perhaps. Well. My Imperial Mother will continue exchanging diplomatic messages with the Angio king and court. I don’t know what my Imperial Father is planning yet.” Rian’s gaze towards Ayden slowly turned meaningful. “I can’t contact anyone Angio as a prince, but you are an earl and can act independently of the Imperial court…”
Ren Xiyang grimaced.
Rian hid a smile of amusement. He knew full well how Ayden disliked talking to others (and how much Ayden liked talking to him) ((baring Florence Sage…)), but Ayden was an adult—he could handle it.
“In your capacity as an earl, it’s more suitable for you to contact Angio nobles.”
Ren Xiyang resigned himself. “Fine.”
”In the meantime, I still need to gather my resources. And you should keep managing the Rosewood fief as you have been doing. Speaking about your fief, my other good news for you is that I’ve scheduled a meeting this afternoon for you with master builders and chief engineers that have worked on the water and sewage systems in the inner city.”
“Oh?” Ren Xiyang straightened from his slouched position. “When exactly? Who?”
Satisfied with Ayden’s reaction, Rian answered, “We’ll meet after lunch…”
In the afternoon, Earl Rosewood and Prince Rian took an Imperial carriage to a famous tea house in the inner city. The master builders and chief engineers had booked a private room.
Ren Xiyang laid out what he wanted. Rather than two systems, he wanted four: one for fresh drinking-standard water, one for recycled water suitable for other uses like watering gardens, one for sewage, and one for stormwater. All the systems should have their associated water or sewage treatment plants. And worker safety during the construction process and durability of the systems were key. If necessary, he could either personally help or hire a mage.
The master builders and chief engineers all agreed that they could do it and that they knew where to hire more contractors. They also agreed to hire a certain percentage of Rosewood labourers, the amount to be confirmed at later contract negotiations.
Due to funding and human resources, the plan was to have them work town-by-town, village-by-village in the Rosewood fief. It would be a very long-term, costly project. But a project that would be worth it in the long run.
They scheduled to meet once again in the Capital in a week, and out in Redmond town in a month. After the meeting, Ren Xiyang and Rian left the tea house, boarded the Imperial carriage, and headed to the Rosewood Capital house.
Ren Xiyang was satisfied. That meeting made the trip to the Capital worth it (seeing Rian and meeting Florence aside). “I should thank you for organising that meeting for me.”
Rian smiled. “You’re welcome.”
“Your Highness, your abilities really qualify you to be a male lead of your own story.”
Rian smirked, preening like a peacock. Hehe, as expected, giving Ayden this opportunity made Ayden like him more than Florence Sage! “Since I won’t be dying this life, maybe I am the male lead.”
Ren Xiyang tilted his head. “Are you going to marry Cassiopeia then?”
Rian stiffened.
If Rian hadn’t died, he really might have married Cassiopeia Schauss as part of a political arrangement. And in retrospect, it was uncomfortable to watch and then read about his brother’s romance with Cassiopeia Schauss in so much detail…
Rian narrowed his eyes. “Are you teasing me, Master Ayden Rosewood?”
A small smile floated up on Ren Xiyang’s lips. “I forget, she’s a little young for you.”
Rian chuckled. “That she is. I suppose if she never heals my brother, they might not even fall in love.”
“I can’t imagine Alexius falling in love.”
“You have to cherish the time while he’s still young,” Rian said with faux sadness.
When they reached the Rosewood capital house, Ren Xiyang disembarked, followed by Rian.
“Unfortunately, I’ll be busy preparing for the social event tomorrow, so I won’t be able to pick you up personally,” Rian said.
“I do have a Rosewood carriage, Your Highness.”
Rian smirked. “I’m merely checking that you’re planning to go, Earl Rosewood. You’re a little young to play the grouchy antisocial noble.”
“I wish I could,” Ren Xiyang said bitterly. He was old inside!
“—And don’t forget to wear the right outfit,” Rian reminded.
“Yes, yes.”
Rian gave Ayden a pointed look, before departing. Once in the carriage, he smiled to himself. Unlike Ayden, he was looking forward to the event.
A few weeks ago, Cassiopeia’s father had suddenly hired multiple new tutors and forced her and her brothers to study a lot more.
At first, Cassiopeia didn’t want to. Why did she have to study more? She had finished high school already! And she was technically only ten now!
(She didn’t know that her father had felt pressured by Earl Rosewood’s and Prince Rian Azure’s abilities.)
Unfortunately, her past high school classes didn’t help her with manners, customs, history, aristocratic family trees, and magic practice.
But at least Cassiopeia had read the novel multiple times and knew all the important aristocratic families and nobles mentioned in the book. She also felt that she could learn very well now—unlike in her previous life, in this life, she would listen and understand almost right away. Not to mention, she loved learning new magic spells.
Thinking about the novel, Cassiopeia Schauss was a popular noble lady, well regarded for being kind, knowledgeable, compassionate and courteous; she also had confidence and great comebacks when faced with adversity.
In retrospect, Cassiopeia Schauss could only become so smart because she received so much tutoring! Once she realised that, Cassiopeia stopped resisting the extra classes.
But she was still glad about the upcoming late summer social event because her father gave her and her brothers time off studying to prepare for it (which meant more dance practice, but thankfully no book reading).
The princes would be there, and the new Earl Rosewood too.
The new Earl wasn’t worth Cassiopeia’s time. But the princes were worth it. She’d be able to see Prince Alexius! Of course, she wasn’t thinking about starting the romance part early. She was too young and he was too young—Cassiopeia wasn’t one of those shippers.
At this moment, Cassiopeia was resting in bed after her last dance practice before the event. She suddenly had a scandalous thought. Maybe…she could change the plot a little? Not in a bad way, but she could move some events a little earlier, couldn’t she? If she studied even harder to learn healing magic, maybe she could figure out how to heal the plague-curse early enough to save Prince Rian and save more people.
A servant knocked on the door.
Cassiopeia pushed herself up to a seated position. “Yes, what is it?”
A maid opened the door. “My Lady, your new purchases have arrived,” she said politely.
Cassiopeia’s eyes lit up as a line of servants walked in, each carrying an ornate box. She bounced out of bed and walked over. The servants opened the lid of the boxes, revealing the contents inside: sweet angelic shoes, a new beautiful dress, a sparkling delicate necklace and the most exquisite pair of earrings.
Having rich parents was so good! She was so well prepared for the event tomorrow!
Cassiopeia: My first big ball! I can’t wait!
Ren Xiyang: My first big ball. Blegh. I can’t wait for it to be over.
Rian: (◕ˬ ◕✿)
Here’s an acronym that I found out recently!: water, sanitation, and hygiene (WASH).
ALSO I re-edited this chapter so many times *sob sob*
QUESTION: The current chapters are starting to reach 2.4k-2.5k. Is this too long? AKA, would you prefer two 2.4k chapters a week, or three 1.6k chapters a week? (Same total word count.)