Chapter 222: Entering the Capital and Heading to the Ambassadorial Residence

There were various procedures, yet we safely entered the capital! Because I was treated as a guest from a foreign country, while looking sideways at the line of ordinary people waiting to enter I advanced smoothly, and at the reception Captain Jobson spoke this and that with the clerk in charge, and we entered the capital. Incidentally I did nothing. I only watched.

I am surprised at the number of people inside the capital. It is the first dense population in a long time and I feel as if I might grow dizzy. Even so, compared with Shibuya or Shinjuku it is sparse, yet still in this world it is quite a lively bustle. Are there no elves? Are there no dwarves? I want there to be demihumans. A beautiful girl with rabbit ears, you know. Of course I want to see one and keep one by my side. Looking roughly, it seems there are only humans?

Yet if I say such a thing Lily is likely to glare at me, so I stop.

The carriage advances without stopping. From the moment we entered, a cobblestone road has been maintained the whole way. With the kotsu, kotsu, kotsu of the horses’ hooves the carriage advances. The standard event of bumping into some noble and coming to the brink of explosion and so on did not occur.

"Prince Robin, we have arrived. This is the Marie Kingdom Ambassadorial Residence!"

At Captain Jobson’s voice I looked outside and saw a two-story mansion. Larger than I had thought! The width of the grounds is 40 m? 50 m? Amazing!? I do not know how deep it is. The building stands solidly in the center, and on both sides there seem to be vacant lots of more than 20 m. Yet the grounds are considerably overgrown; weeds are stretching themselves, you know? It looks as if the care is not thorough. This is not intentional, is it? And among the trees growing on the grounds there are many that bear fruit. Because orange-colored fruit is attached, is that an orange? Or a mandarin? The trees are not lined up randomly but are growing at equal intervals, so there is no mistake that human hands have been involved. Mmm— how should one think about this?

"Lily, doesn’t that look as if fruit trees are being cultivated?"

"Yes, it seems so..."

Lily also wears a subtle expression.

"Is it ordinary for fruit trees to be planted at a noble’s mansion?"

"Well... in the Marie Kingdom I have not heard of it much."

"Does that mean it is a fashion of the Mainz Kingdom?"

"It may be."

While conversing with Lily at the entrance gate, two people who appeared to be a butler and a maid came from the mansion. Both look to be around forty. Even past forty a maid is a maid.

"I understand you are Prince Robin; is that correct?"

the man asked, so I answered,

"Yes, I am Robin Marie, the eleventh prince of the Marie Kingdom. This time I have been appointed ambassador to the Mainz Kingdom and have come. Who are you? You are people connected with the embassy, are you not?"

Thereupon the two bowed courteously, and the man said,

"I serve as the butler of this residence; my name is Rudolf Schenker. Please treat me favorably. This is my wife, who serves as the head maid of this residence; her name is Carla Schenker. Please remember us."

He said, and the two bowed their heads once more. Matching that I also introduced Lily.

"This is Lily Page, the exclusive maid and escort I brought from the Marie Kingdom. Please get along with her."

I do not say lover. I will leave that to be sensed with the passage of time.

"I am Lily Page, who has been introduced. Please treat me favorably."

Lily greets them.

""We also ask that you treat us favorably.""

The Schenker couple returned a formal greeting.

"Come, Prince Robin, it is rude to keep you standing and talking when you must be tired; please enter the mansion."

Rudolf guided us. I had wondered what would become of the carriage we had ridden and the souvenirs for His Majesty the King, yet it seems they will be carried as they are to the royal government office and delivered. I need only take the inventory later. The carriage and coachman were all borrowed from the Mainz Kingdom. I had grown used to them and forgotten.

We walk from the gate toward the entrance of the mansion. A road wide enough for carriages to pass continues toward the entrance, yet weeds are growing here and there. There is the fact that it is not cared for, yet it also means that carriages have not been passing enough for grass to grow.

When we approach the mansion the feeling of desolation that could not be seen from afar is strong—!!

When we enter the entrance hall,

"These are the people who work at this residence. The head cook, attendants, and maids. There are others as well, yet because there are also those who are not full-time, I would like to present them when they come."

Rudolf introduced them. Their number is eight in total... eight people for the size of this mansion. Normally, to maintain a mansion of this size even twice the number would not be enough, would it?

"Please, come this way."

As invited by Rudolf I enter the reception room. And I receive various explanations about the Mainz Kingdom and the duties of an ambassador, and there I am asked,

"Robin-sama (I have them omit the ’Prince’ attachment), how much has Robin-sama been told your allowance is?"

Allowance? Ah, the twenty gold coins that Chancellor Richelieu told me?

"I was told twenty gold coins."

At my answer Rudolf groaned "Uuun." What is there to groan about?

"Rudolf, is there some problem with twenty gold coins? I cannot imagine, yet is it too much? Or is it too little?"

Rudolf made a difficult face and said,

"Robin-sama, because it is something that will be understood immediately I will state the severe matter first. Twenty gold coins is completely insufficient for associating with the royalty and nobility in the capital. At the very least one hundred gold coins are necessary."

Haa!? What? That is ridiculous!? Lily is also surprised and has her mouth open. What does it mean that one hundred are needed yet there are twenty!!

"Does Chancellor Richelieu not know that? Does the Marie Kingdom not know how much money is required here?"

At my question that became unintentionally harsh Rudolf shook his head.

"No, he knows. Actually from the Marie Kingdom three hundred gold coins are sent every month as the operating expenses of the embassy as a whole, and from that twenty gold coins are scheduled to be handed to Robin-sama. By cutting personnel expenses, food expenses, actual expenses and so on of the embassy we are currently operating on one hundred gold coins a month."

"Then as activity funds for me as ambassador one hundred gold coins or so could easily be put out, right?"

"I think it is not unreasonable for you to think so, yet in fact it is not that simple."

"Why?"

"There is debt."

"Eh, debt?"

My voice cracked unintentionally. Because it was far too unexpected.

"Yes, there is debt."

"Is that the embassy’s debt? Did something like repairing the mansion happen?"

Rudolf shook his head.

"No, actually it is the personal debt of the previous ambassador."

He said something I had not imagined.

"Heh, the previous ambassador’s debt?"

"Yes. Is Robin-sama aware that the previous ambassador passed away here?"

"Ah, I know. I heard it was illness?"

"Is that how it has been conveyed to the home country... Actually the previous ambassador took his own life."

The talk has grown heavy.

"Why?"

"The debt borrowed in the name of the Crown Prince had swollen too much and there was no longer any way to manage, so he was driven to extremity."

"What..."

Both the speaker and the listener lost strength in their voices and it became like a whispered conversation. From the sudden dark talk it feels as if my soul might slip out of my mouth.

"Why did he create debt?"

"Gambling."

"Gambling..."

Creating debt through gambling and committing suicide, and those left behind repaying that debt. That the remaining family is reduced to poverty in that repayment hell was waiting for me. What world is this story from! I want to say!