Chapter 288. Rescue (1)
Translator: Aura / Editor: SaWarren
Heinley looked a little surprised. Why was he surprised? Did I say something I shouldn’t have?
“What’s wrong?”
I don’t think I said something I shouldn’t have.
“What’s strange about it?”
At the direct question, Heinley raised his eyebrows and replied with a smile,
“Nothing. I’m just surprised that My Queen wants to take action personally.”
What’s so surprising about that? No one would stand idly by if someone tried to harm their family. Even a very calm person would step forward to protect their family, but I was not such a calm person.
Heinley hastened to add,
“When I was in the Eastern Empire, My Queen didn’t seem to want to properly deal with that woman. I thought you didn’t even want to get involved with her.”
“That’s right, I didn’t want to get involved with her.”
Every time I got involved with Rashta Sovieshu blamed me for everything. In the end, I didn’t even want to be near Rashta.
Besides, my dignity also wouldn’t allow me to intimidate Rashta away from Sovieshu’s gaze.
“But now things have changed.”
Things have changed a lot. If before Rashta was a powerless concubine who was totally dependent on Sovieshu’s grace, now she was an empress who could live perfectly well without his grace. Being the empress, she could harm my parents without hindrance.
Even when I thought she was a concubine without power, didn’t she contribute greatly to my brother being kicked out and Sovieshu divorcing me? I couldn’t ignore her.
Heinley asked,
“Do you have any plans in mind?”
“I’ll make it so she can’t pay attention to anything else. I’ll keep her busy with her own affairs.”
After Heinley left, I called an aide and gave him orders,
“Find a trade team that interacts with the Eastern Empire Bear Corporation and bring in the leader.”
“From a small or large team?”
“From a large team would be better.”
Not long after, my aide brought in the appropriate team leader.
“I understand that you interact regularly with the Bear Corporation of the Eastern Empire?”
The leader of the trade team responded cautiously because he did not know the reason he had been summoned.
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
“I have an assignment for you.”
“I’m at your service, Your Majesty.”
“It’s nothing difficult, so you can relax.”
When I told him he could relax, the team leader became more nervous and clasped his hands tightly. He seemed to think I would make an unreasonable demand.
But he really didn’t have to be nervous. I had a plan in mind so that Rashta couldn’t think of anything else, and that plan didn’t hurt the team leader at all.
“What do you want me to do…?”
“When you trade with the Bear Corporation, induce them to check that promissory notes are being issued and used properly. That’s all.”
It’s easy, right?
“The promissory notes?”
“Yes, whatever excuse you use is fine. You can say that you’ve heard that counterfeit promissory note scams have become popular, or that a trade team has suffered significant losses because of counterfeit promissory notes, you can scare them by making something like that up.”
The merchant swallowed hard.
“Is that really all you want me to do?”
“That’s all.”
The merchant didn’t expect it to be that easy, so he replied relieved that he would do it.
***
The official sent to Whitemond had returned to the Western Empire and immediately went to see Heinley in his office to report the results of his visit,
“The team members are safe. They didn’t cause any trouble.”
“Then why were they detained?”
Heinley asked, leaning his elbows on the desk. Although he had a slight smile, he took this as an offense.
In fact, Heinley wondered if such a small kingdom would have acted this way even if it were a trade team of the Eastern Empire. The answer was ‘no’.
Looking Heinley in the eye, the official said,
“Whitemond seems to regard the West as a threat because it proclaimed itself an Empire.”
Heinley frowned, and smiled,
“A threat?”
It was an imposing voice.
The official nodded and carefully explained.
“Yes. They thought our soldiers would invade them while pretending to go to the port disguised as merchants.”
McKenna, who listened off to the side, clicked his tongue and said,
“Now that we have become an empire, they must have thought we would seek to establish vassal states.”
Heinley muttered regretfully.
“We have been allied countries for a long time, but they acted this way on the pretext that they were concerned. It’s really a pity.”
Heinley’s eyes were on the Whitemond Minister of Foreign Affairs who had come to the Western Empire. The Whitemond Minister of Foreign Affairs was embarrassed and quickly bowed to apologize.
“I apologize, Your Majesty.”
In this situation, the Whitemond Minister felt as uncomfortable as if he were sitting on spikes, so he could not help but clasp his hands together tightly.
Heinley addressed that Minister directly.
“Go back to your country right now, and make sure they know that we won’t hesitate to take our swords, if Whitemond ever acts ‘this way’ towards the Western Empire again.”
“Understood.”
Once Whitemond’s Minister of Foreign Affairs nodded deeply and left the office with the official, Heinley sat comfortably cross-legged and narrowed his eyes. He seemed to be thinking about something, but he had a look of happiness that didn’t match the situation.
“What is it, Your Majesty?”
“It’s hard to trust again an allied country that has betrayed us. Don’t you think so, McKenna?”
“You mean it’s hard to trust them even if they reopen the port of Whitemond for us?”
“Yes.”
“But why do you keep smiling, Your Majesty? You look happy that Whitemond stabbed us in the back.”
“I seriously look happy.”
Heinley said, as he pressed the corners of his upturned lips with his hand.
“I just thought it would be nice to have our own port.”
“You’re thinking of invading Whitemond?”
“They were the ones who got scared and stabbed us in the back. Even if they change their minds now, what about next time? What would happen if they betrayed us again at a more important time?
“That’s true.”
“For now, I’ll have to do the math.”
***