WeTried Translations

Translator: Nemui

Editor: Nemui

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◈ Friedrich's Battlefield

Chapter 166: Marriage (1)

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The postwar reconstruction of the Kingdom of Edelstein was carried out by the royal family and the people as one, while the heat of the legendary coronation and historic victory had not yet cooled.

Financial and social support for the wounded and for the bereaved families of the war dead. Reconstruction work in the western royal domain, which had suffered the greatest damage from the war. The recovery of military power that had been worn down in both manpower and materials, including recruiting for the Royal Army and once again stockpiling supplies at each military base. With the reparations paid by the Arelia royal family as their foundation, these measures were swiftly advanced, and the wounds of war were being rapidly repaired.

From the new year, 1012, measures not only for postwar reconstruction but also for developing the Kingdom of Edelstein beyond its prewar state had begun. These included expanding the development of iron mines owned by the royal family, and opening new land by mobilizing refugees flowing in from the exhausted Loire region of the Kingdom of Arelia.

To make this country stronger. To make this society richer. Saying such things, Queen Claudia Edelstein guided her retainers and subjects as a great monarch. The gifted crown princess who had once handled state affairs flawlessly even before her coronation was now displaying her talents as a brilliant queen who moved the kingdom's society forward.

It was in the middle of May that a major turning point in her life arrived: her marriage to Dustin, fourth imperial prince of the Rigald Empire.

After the solemn ceremony in which they swore eternal love to the one absolute God in the cathedral of the central church of the royal capital, a lavish banquet was held in the great hall of the royal castle to celebrate the establishment of the marriage.

"Today is an auspicious day for both the Edelstein royal family and the Rigald imperial family. Let us wish that the bond between our two houses will become stronger, and that the nations ruled by both houses will develop while deepening their ties even further!"

Claudia's voice rang out grandly through the great hall, where important figures from the Kingdom of Edelstein and the Rigald Empire, as well as representatives of neighboring countries, had gathered. As Claudia raised her cup, every attendee followed.

Looking around at the lively banquet that began that way, Claudia spoke to the consort standing beside her.

"Dustin, you need not be so nervous. When greeting the guests, I will do most of the talking."

"Y-yes... I apologize. I have been like this the whole time. I am sure I must seem terribly unreliable."

The groom, nearly ten years younger than Claudia, answered awkwardly, looking visibly nervous.

Claudia gave the gentle Dustin a soft smile and placed a hand on his shoulder.

"There is no need to apologize. Having you, gentle and kindhearted as you are, at my side makes me feel reassured... Even a queen is human. Rather than remaining tense alone in a place like this, it is easier to have a partner with whom I can support and be supported."

"...If I am of even a little use to you, then I am glad, Claudia."

Dustin looked somewhat relieved. Claudia nodded to him, then gestured forward.

"The attendees have begun forming a line to offer us their congratulations. We must answer them."

"Yes. Let us go."

With Dustin answering her, Claudia faced a long session of social duties.

At a wedding banquet for royalty and nobility, the central couple would inevitably be swamped with greetings from the attendees. Opportunities to gather and converse with so many important people in one place were precious. Since ancient times, marriage had been an important political venue beyond its original meaning.

The order of greetings was influenced by closeness to the hosts and the rank of the attendees. The first to come forward was the representative of Dustin's birth family, in other words, the Rigald imperial family.

"And with this, my youngest brother and my friend have finally become husband and wife, forming a bridge between the empire and the Kingdom of Edelstein. Truly, what a joyous occasion!"

The one who spoke with his arms spread wide was Crown Prince Edwin, who had come as the representative of Emperor William Rigald II.

"Still, it feels strange. To think that Dustin grew big enough to marry into another house... My friend, Queen Claudia Edelstein. Allow me to say it again. Please take care of my youngest brother."

"...Of course. I promise that Dustin and I will become a good married couple. Be at ease."

Claudia nodded with a faint wry smile at Edwin's request, which she had already heard many times.

Unusually for him, Edwin was clearly drunk. Dustin, whose shoulder Edwin had placed a hand on, smiled a little shyly. The eldest brother and youngest brother, separated by enough years to be almost parent and child, seemed to have a good relationship.

Having spoken in the tone of a crown prince up to that point, Edwin moved a little closer so that those around them could not hear and adopted a more private manner.

"If possible, I would have liked His Majesty the Emperor to see Dustin on this fine day, but... Father is old now. It cannot be helped."

"I too regret that the emperor could not visit. I pray for his recovery."

"Well, Father has lived long enough. Even if he were to unexpectedly enter eternal sleep at any time, it would be a full life. Monarchs who lived in the same era, such as His Majesty Sigismund and His Majesty Oskar of Novakia, are waiting for him, so even if God calls him to His side, I doubt he will be bored."

With the kind of risky wording only possible from his position as crown prince, Edwin answered in a way very like himself.

Emperor William Rigald II of the Rigald Empire was not in imminent danger of death, but due to old age he suffered from chronic illness and was avoiding long journeys. The time for generational change in the empire was near. Such rumors were being whispered with an air of truth.

"I spoke with His Majesty the Emperor before leaving the imperial capital. Rather than himself, he spoke of the future Dustin would weave. Now that the imperial family and the Edelstein royal family are connected by blood through Dustin, our cooperative relationship will become even firmer. As for the iron trade... no, discussing practical profits at such an occasion would be boorish. Now is simply a time to celebrate! May fortune bless the beginning of your path together!"

Saying that, Edwin raised his cup and drained the wine. At his somewhat playful behavior, Claudia and Dustin exchanged glances and let out small laughs.

The "cooperative relationship" between the empire and the Kingdom of Edelstein, specifically the iron trade, was proceeding smoothly.

In the decisive battle against the Kingdom of Arelia, Claudia had kept the condition under which she had secured help from the empire: a pledge to export large quantities of iron at a low price for ten years. For the Edelstein royal family, the deal brought almost no profit, but a country that asked for aid and failed to offer thanks would lose trust, so there was no choice but to fulfill it.

The decline in royal revenue could be more than compensated for by the reparations paid by the Kingdom of Arelia. Claudia was not merely filling the gap in income. She was also investing surplus funds into further development of the iron mines.

By increasing the amount of iron extracted, she would build a system that allowed Edelstein to continue exporting large quantities of iron to the empire even after the pledge period ended. If the empire, whose territory had become too vast and was always short of iron, continued to rely on the cheap, high quality iron flowing from the Kingdom of Edelstein, it would mean that in military and industrial matters, certain parts of the empire would depend on the Kingdom of Edelstein. If that happened, the imperial family would no longer be able to exert influence on Edelstein one-sidedly.

It might be impossible to build a fully equal relationship with the imperial family, but she would not simply become subordinate. To build a "better relationship," she would do everything she could. For that purpose, Claudia had already begun to move.

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