*Christof von Verward’s point of view

*pitter-patter*

   The sound of falling rain reverberated against the gla.s.s window .

   Only the occasional turn of paper could be heard through the rain in the otherwise quiet room .

   Depending on the person, some might find this very relaxing . In my case, however, the raindrops only frustrated me even more . The person on the chair across me never once paid me any piece of mind, what a pain . Also, what a time to call me over . Why did you call me in the middle of the night when you could just call me earlier in the day? Moreover, the person who called even forced me to bring along a pile of paperwork .

“Your Majesty . ” I couldn’t endure it anymore and finally called out to him with a stiff tone .

   As if he hadn’t heard me, the man quietly turned another doc.u.ment over . I arched an eyebrow . How could he just ignore me like that? I wanted to tear his skin out and measure it just so that I could measure how thick it was . No, stop right there . Rather than thinking of useless things, wouldn’t it be better to think of my sweet little siblings?

   My gaze left the silent, uninterested king and went to the window behind him . Just as I desired, my thoughts turned to my brother and sister immediately .

“Big brother . ”

   My sister’s angelic smile creeped into my mind . She was mature and rarely expressed anything outwardly, but on rare occasions, she would show such an innocent smile . When I remembered her gentle eyes and dignified voice, I regained my strength . Ah, how lovely .

   My precious Rose . Simply recalling her dispelled my frustrations straight away .

   I was swept up in nostalgia . I kept bringing up my memories of her, one after another . In my mind, I saw the figure of Rose when she was young, long before she left for her journey .

   Beside my little sister stood my even smaller brother . My younger brother, Johan, whom I hadn’t seen for four years was growing up splendidly .  I wonder how he’s doing now?

   The regular letters I got from him were more like reports with hardly any personal affairs written in them . As the eldest brother, that made me feel a bit sad .

   The more he grew older, the further apart we got, and the lonelier I became . I wonder if he was old enough to have a crush yet? I would’ve loved to talk to him about all sorts of things, but that seemed impossible at the moment .

“Did you read the report from Johan?” The king who was tight-lipped until now finally opened his mouth, almost as if he had read my thoughts .

“Is this regarding the matter of the Wind royal family sending diplomats to visit the western part of their nation?”

   Despite my irritation at my blissful thoughts being interrupted, I returned to reality .

   I had also received a report on Johan and the second prince of Wind accompanying the first prince as amba.s.sadors . The king in front of me nodded and handed over a parchment of paper .

“Their aim is to discuss things with the local tribes and reach a resolution in the southwestern forests… Though it’s probably too late at this point . ” His Majesty exhaled a long sigh filled with displeasure .

   It’s not Johan’s report that was late, but rather it’s Wind’s decision that was . There’s no question about it . Even I thought that Wind’s reaction to the entire matter was unusually slow .

   After the trade agreement between Wind and Flamme, the southern forests were being cut down at a terrifyingly fast rate .

   The forests that no one paid mind to were now being uprooted and flipped on their heads . There was a new customer in town, and a trade deal with Flamme was deemed considerably more valuable than mere timber .

   The fight for resources became increasingly dire as the forests opened up . It had gone to the point where the resources of the area near the border had run remarkably low .

“There was a wood trade already in place with Flamme long before we severed our connection with Skeltz . Even a young child would realise that the demand for wood would increase once trade routes are established . They should have set their prices before this happened . ” The king placed the doc.u.ments down and added, “There’s nothing more to be said . ”

“I guess those resources were too abundant . Given how big those forests are, I don’t think people would’ve thought that cutting down one or two trees would cause any harm . However, if everyone thinks that way, all the trees will be cut down in no time . Considering what we’ve just gathered, I believe that Wind’s current situation is incredibly serious . ”

   It was already a tedious—not to mention nigh impossible—process to talk with all the necessary n.o.bles and enact a new law in time . The trees would all be cut down before then . If the forests were no more, the land would undoubtedly become thin and dry, and the daily lives of the people living there would forever be disturbed .

   New trees won’t grow by itself in a barren desert . We have to save the forest before it is lost .

   New trees won’t grow by itself in a barren desert . We have to save the forest before it is lost .

“I wonder how far a discussion right at the border would go . It all depends on Prince Licht’s skills . ”

“It’s doubtful the conversation would even turn into something decisive in the first place . ”

   His Majesty trained his eyes on the doc.u.ments in front of him once again .

   Looking at him, I suddenly remembered that there was an even more disturbing thing other than the inspection and deforestation cases written in Johan’s report .

“Is it the disease?”

   Towards Wind’s western front, a disease seemed to be breaking out in a town right on the border with Skeltz .

   The number of the sick couldn’t be determined at the moment, but depending on how much it had spread, the country’s border lines will surely be the most affected .

“It’s rare for a disease to break out in the west rather than from the south . I hope it’s not a new kind that we haven’t encountered before . ”

“The possibility that this is related to the deforestation is not zero . I shall ready a relief party just in case . ”

“If it’s truly something we’ve never encountered, then our country would need a miracle to handle it . We absolutely have no measures against that kind of thing . ”

   The king abruptly cut off my train of thought .

   Hmm .  He then placed two fingers on his chin .

“Speaking of which, my daughter did leave to find this very miracle we needed, didn’t she?”

   His eyes that were filled with mocking amus.e.m.e.nt showed me that he finally found the topic at hand interesting . There was no obvious change in his expression nor was he laughing, however . Perhaps it was only my imagination, but I could swear that his aqucoloured eyes were sparkling in delight .

“How peculiar . Somehow, one way or another, we landed on the other topic I wanted to bring up . ” His Majesty remarked with amazement and admiration mixed in with his voice .

“Are… Are you referring to my sister, to Rosemarie?”

“Are… Are you referring to my sister, to Rosemarie?”

“Yes . ”

“But… Rosemarie is currently…”

   ‘What was she doing now?’

   The silent question came out under my breath . My dear little sister who had left for a long journey in a distant country . ‘Are you well? Are you in pain?’ I spent many sleepless nights repeating these ominous thoughts .

I wasn’t permitted to give her an escort, so all I could do was quietly pray for her safety from afar .

   The king glanced my way and handed me the doc.u.ments that were set aside on his table .

“The report . ”

“!”

   Report of what? Report of who? His Majesty didn’t say more but somehow I immediately knew .

   I stretched out and s.n.a.t.c.hed it from his hands .

He glared at me who was clearly distressed and muttered ‘How pitiful,’ but I couldn’t give a d.a.m.n right now . Rose’s journey was spelled out to me as I studied the doc.u.ment . It read like any other normal report, but in my eyes, I could clearly picture Rose deepening her relations.h.i.+p with the sailors and various pa.s.sengers while eventually gaining their trust . I could feel her warmth through these stories .

However, a sentence that caught my eye instantly dispelled those feelings and froze my heart in fear .

“… Pirates?!”

“…”

   My shout overlapped with another startling sound .  Bang! The sound of something hard hitting the floor resounded behind me . I reflexively looked back and saw Leonhard’s pale face .

   Seeing him, who had always performed his duties perfectly, shuddered in fear only further spanned the dread in my heart . Now that I truly understood the weight of the situation, my hand could do nothing but tremble .

   My dear sister . My dear irreplaceable sister .

   The beloved child that filled my monotone world with vivid colours .

   My dear sister . My dear irreplaceable sister .

   The beloved child that filled my monotone world with vivid colours .

   I can’t lose her, I can’t accept that kind of future . In my head, I kept denying the possibility and stopped myself from trying to read the next sentence .

“…They’re indeed an outrageous existence . ” His Majesty mused to himself .

“‘What are their weaknesses?’ Just thinking about this intrigued me even more . ”

   I couldn’t wrap my head around what he had said .

   His Majesty glanced my way, his expression hardened, and sighed .

“I don’t care how long you take, just finish reading it already . If anything, the fact that this report exists must mean that the princess is still alive . ”

   After hearing that she might be safe, my worries instantly flowed out of my body . How could I, the future king, be missing these small details? I felt ashamed of myself, but my relief outweighed those feelings by far .

   Behind me, another sigh of relief was also heard .

   His Majesty’s gaze wavered away from myself and focused behind me .

“You seem to be tired . ”

“I’m truly sorry . ” Leonhard, who was still fl.u.s.tered, immediately apologised without any excuses .

“No, I have no need for an apology from you, but…”

   I listened to the words that followed and widened my eyes in surprise .