Shadow Court Magician Chapter 30: Sicily’s Speech

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　It took about thirty minutes by horse-drawn carriage from Sicily’s mansion to reach the Ministry of War.

　The Ministry of War, which controls the military of the Kingdom of Ernia, is surprisingly located in the suburbs. Since it controls the military, it needs a vast space, but if it is not too far from other political locations such as the Royal Palace as much as possible. Since those places may become the target of coup d’etat and terrorism.

　That’s why it’s so far from Sicily’s house that it makes me sleepy when inside a swaying carriage but it doesn’t. When I look at the woman sitting across from me, Sicily, the drowsiness disappears.

　Her pure white dress looked as if it had been made by a white lily fairy. (Although she is a brawny fairy)

　It was very attractive to see her hair tied up with slight make-up.

　――I can’t say it out, but when I ask Chloe to say it she says it’s obvious, “Women are sensitive to gaze, except for their babies.”

　She starts teasing me.

　The princess was hard at work reading a pamphlet of questions and answers I had prepared for the media. She didn’t seem to notice my gaze. Well, that’s a good thing. Sure, Princess Sicily is a very nice woman, but I don’t think she and I will ever get together.

　The status of me and the princess is too different.

　I’m the son of an exiled nobleman, and although I’m a nobleman, I don’t own any land in this country, let alone any property. The princess, on the other hand, is the princess of this country. She has a fancy estate and a magnificent mansion.

　The difference in status between the two of us is exactly like the moon and the sun; the clover grass that blooms in the field, and the white lily in the greenhouse.

　In novels, we often hear the phrase, “If you have love, you don’t need anything else,” but I guess that’s the language of those who don’t know the world. The hardships my father went through after he came to this country are hard to describe. The life my sister and I lived after my father’s death is something I hesitate to even reminisce about.

　I don’t want my spouse to have such a hardship. [T/N: So this is why.]

　When I thought about it, the idea of taking the princess as my wife or lover never came to mind.

　I just wanted to see her smile.

　I wanted to see her smile from the bottom of her heart.

　But in order to make that happen, it was not enough to make her happy.

　It was necessary for others to be happy as well.

　The people around her, the people in this country. Even more so, all the people in this world.

　Everyone should have a job and live a happy life without worrying about tomorrow’s next meal.

　Then surely the princess would be able to smile all the time and not make a difficult face as she does now.

　That’s what I thought, and in order to make that happen, I pledged my loyalty to her once again and offered my assistance.

　I took the list of questions and answers from Sicily and asked her a question.

　I flipped through the pages at random and asked her a question.

“What kind of tea do you drink on camel’s back?”

　The princess was puzzled by the sudden question and was thinking hard about whether there was such a question and answer. It was very cute. It took her a good 60 seconds to realize that I was teasing her.

　She lightly puffed her cheeks and  said,

“There are no such problems.” (Sicily)

　She replied.

　She got peeved from thinking about the answer seriously.

“… Hmm, what? I like black tea, but I also like chamomile tea. What kind of person is the questioner? That alone is too little information.” (Sicily)

　A serious princess makes a serious deduction. Explain that this is a brain teaser, a riddle, and then I give the answer.

“The answer is ‘kelp-tea’, a tea made from kelp that was brought from the east.”

“Why? It’s kelp tea? We don’t know that from the information we have.” (Sicily)

“Because camels have humps? That’s why I drink kelp tea.”

　When the princess heard the answer, she said, “Whaaat!?” [T/N: It’s a pun. “Humps” is pronounced “kobu”, kelp tea is “kobucha” it’s a silly dad/uncle joke. Sorry, I can’t translate humor based on puns and wordplay properly. orz]

　It seems that the image of me she built up is now crumbling.

　It seems that the princess, who is the picture of earnestness, is not good at puns, or perhaps she has never been exposed to them. I was impressed by her unexpected way of thinking.

　I let out a chuckle at the simplicity and naiveté of the princess and took her to the media room in the military office.

　Several media personnel was waiting in line there.

　The plan was to start with general questions and then move to a private room to start a long interview.

　As soon as we entered the media room, cameras were flashing all at once. I thought, “I’ll think I’ll schedule a photo session later,” but the princess was used to it.

　The princess is already famous as a beautiful princess general, and she is often photographed without permission by unrestrained journalists. It is said that if her picture is published, sales will increase by about 14%.

　Well, I can’t help but understand the feeling. She has the looks of a stage actress. If such a woman was on the front page of the paper, it would make people want to buy the papers twice as much.

　Just as I was thinking this, the princess took a seat and was immediately bombarded with questions.

　After expressing her admiration and appreciation for her achievements, one of the reporters immediately asked her if she was the one who had planned this operation.

　As a matter of course, the princess replied,

“I did.”

　She said

　As expected of our princess, she is very confident. It was worth all the practice.

　After that, she confirmed that the method used to capture Macaulay’s stronghold, which had been made public, was the idea of Sicily herself.

　There was an uproar.

　The fact that it took only one brigade to bring down an impregnable fortress was amazing, but more than that, they couldn’t believe that the source of the intelligence used to bring down the fortress was inside the head of such a pretty girl…

　According to popular opinion, beautiful women are dumb. There is a prejudice that beautiful women are stupid, or even that they shouldn’t be intelligent. This was especially true in a world where male egoism was so prevalent. And yet, Sicily defied the expectations of the media and the military and demonstrated her genius and intelligence.

　What a dreadful girl. The reporters present seemed to think so as well.

　After the commotion subsided, the conversation turned to the details of the operation and how she felt when she carried it out. Naturally, she answered these questions without hesitation, but when the series of conversations was over, the princess was a bit perplexed.

　The questions moved from military-related inquiries to political topics.

“Some people are saying that the next Ruler should be Sicily-sama, but about that.” (Reporter)

　I would have liked her to say that she was the one who deserved it, but the princess replied with a few of her sensibilities.

“-It’s up to His Majesty the King.” (Sicily)

“I see, so you don’t have a good relationship with your brother, Prince Kerich?” (Reporter)

“No, I don’t.” (Sicily)

　The female reporter who asked the question muttered, “I see, I guess that’s the extent of it.” Although she is a rude woman, I thought she had a strange point of view.

　I looked at her face. She was wearing glasses and a suit, and she looked intelligent.

　She was quite pretty, but she seemed strong-willed.

　Chloe says.

“… She looks like Leon-sama’s type.” (Chloe)

“… we’re still doing that?”

　Then the question turned to the princess’s personal life.

“How do you spend your holidays?” (Reporter)

“Describe your ideal man?” (Reporter)

“What is your favorite food?” (Reporter)

　Are you going to write an entertainment article?　But these questions were expected or rather appreciated.

　At least much better than the female reporter’s question earlier.

　In the first place, the purpose of this time was to make the world aware of the fact that the princess and the Libra Brigade are amazing, but at the same time, I wanted them to get to know her.

　I wanted her to have the sympathy and respect of the lower nobility and citizens, not the haughty royals like her eldest brother Maxis and her second brother Kerich.

　So it was good to talk about her private life.

　For Sicily, she wonders, “What’s interesting about my personal life?”, But I guess she thinks it’s easier than talking about complicated military or political matters. Her expression softened.

　Incidentally, we hadn’t practiced these kinds of questions. I didn’t think it was necessary.

　I wanted her to show her true self. To begin with, she was always a very charming and lovely woman.

　I thought it would be better for the reporters and the public if she told the truth in her own words, rather than trying to dress it up.

　My expectations came to fruition.

　She captivated reporters with her charming smile.

“On holidays, I go to see the opera and read books.” (Sicily)

“My ideal type of man is the one I fall in love with.” (Sicily)

“My favorite foods are sweets.” (Sicily)

　The candid answers soften the hearts of the frigid reporters.

　A gentle atmosphere spread across the room. Seeing that, I realized that this interview was successful.

　Chloe seemed to think so, and she gave me a slight nod to confirm our success, but at the very end, a reporter appeared asking a tension-inducing question.

　The intelligent-looking woman with glasses from earlier. She talked as she pushed her glasses up the bridge of her nose.

“Princess Sicily, your military service this time has been excellent. However, how will this victory affect the fight against the Astoria Empire?”

　Upon hearing the question, Sicily’s expression returned to that of a soldier’s, but she answered in a calm tone.

“The battle with the Astoria Empire will last for a long time. After all, the war has been going on for nearly 100 years. Maybe it will last for another 100 years.” (Sicily)

“How can a hero of who brought our country glory be so timid?” (Female Reporter)

　Sicily ignores the provocation and replies with her ideals.

“It is no longer the time for a single hero to overcome the war. To end this war and bring peace, we will need the firm will and courage of all the people in the League of Kings

But even with that unity, the dark days are long ahead. And the arrival of spring may not be certain.

But I am waiting for that time to come. I am going to use my body for the good of this country and the world.

I would like to see the people of this country, and people all over the world, going out for a picnic, surrounded by the spring sunshine. I want to see such a scene.” (Sicily)

　The female reporter fell silent as she listened to her words, which sounded like a passionate speech. She seemed to have felt the princess’s firm determination in her heart.

　No, it seems to be the same for other reporters. Everyone is writing it all down.

　I was also impressed by her impromptu answer.

　Incidentally, this speech will always be quoted when introducing Princess Sicily in the future.

　There was something about her refreshing yet grandiose dream, that moved even the people of the future.

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