Bibliophile Princess: Volume 1 Read online

  The prince’s graceful features contorted, his expression changing from serious to anguished. “But if I did that, the real puppet master, Viscount Palcas, might have sacrificed her as a scapegoat and feigned ignorance to escape prosecution. So Alex persuaded me against it, and I had no choice but to leave you with two capable bodyguards while I tried to collect evidence against the viscount. That’s where he revealed his annoying talent for discretion. His actions were suspicious enough to stick out like a sore thumb, but credible evidence of his actions remained elusive.”

  The way he glowered and combed a hand through his hair, as if recalling the irritation he’d felt, took me by surprise. Publicly he conducted himself in a way appropriate for his station, but when he was involved in government affairs or with his inner circle, this was the kind of attitude he took. When a man presented himself like that, unembellished and unadorned, it gave a woman the impression that she was special. It was sinful, really, for him to do that to me.

  Unaware of my inner reaction, the prince suddenly let slip a scornful laugh. One I’d never heard before, one dangerous and terrifying.

  “And while I was preoccupied with that mess, they dispatched an assassin to the palace. The poison Lady Irene used wasn’t lethal, it was just dangerous enough to make someone ill...but even so, I felt I’d run out of options.”

  The prince suppressed the flood of hostility he felt, but the rage still dripped from his words and shone in his eyes. “Glen and Alex did what they could to investigate Lady Irene, but they weren’t able to obtain anything definitive. I knew it might look strange in the eyes of the people if I started investigating myself, but I had to do it. And so I had no other choice but to force you away from the palace for a bit.”

  “...That’s why you sought my aunt’s help?”

  “Yes,” he replied with a nod and a sigh. He suddenly stood, long legs striding over to his work desk where he retrieved a tome, then glanced back at me. “It just wound up causing a misunderstanding with you in the end. My mind went completely blank when you thrust your book back at me. But if not for all of that, you might not have realized how you really felt.”

  The way he smiled as he spoke indicated he’d regained his composure. He kept the smile on his face as he approached, settling back into his seat beside me. The prince watched me, his eyes kind and yet mischievous, as if he could see right through to my pounding heart. I could feel the blood rise to my cheeks. Just how much was I dancing to his tune here?

  “But I do regret that I hurt you enough for you to shove your book back at me. I’d been searching for this one for quite a while. I wanted to see the joy on your face when I gave it to you. Would you...accept it once more?” He held out the rare tome I’d returned to him the other day.

  My heart ached as the memories flooded back. When I let go of it before, I’d felt an emptiness like all the color had drained out of me. I’d thought that the gift had been meaningless to him and that there’d been nothing special about it at all. Now that the misunderstanding had been cleared up and I could see the tension in his earnest eyes, feelings that couldn’t be described in words bubbled up within me. He said he’d searched for it for me—to see the joy on my face.

  “Yes... Thank you, Prince Christopher.” It was as if I was taking a hold of those feelings I’d let go of back then, and as I gazed back into His Highness’s eyes, I had to desperately fight against the shame that drove me to want to flee.

  His shoulders relaxed once I took the book in my hands. He looked relieved—genuinely relieved—from the bottom of his heart. “Eli.” Once more he took my hand in his and peeked at my face with a heartwarming smile. And as his dazzling smile and sunny blue eyes approached, the romantic atmosphere silently urged me to close my eyes.

  “Your Highness...” As that sweet air enveloped us, I opened my mouth (as I always did) and cut in to ask, “What exactly is this ‘hidden name’ that my family has?”

  The prince’s head fell in dejection just as he was an inch away from reaching me. “You could’ve saved that question for later, you know,” he mumbled, voice filled with grief for some reason.

  Oh my, did I do something inappropriate?

  He let out a soft, sorrowful sigh and pinched the bridge of his nose, as if trying to recompose himself. Then he turned his gaze back at me. “Before I tell you about that, I want to make sure you don’t misunderstand.”

  “All right.”

  “I don’t want to be with you because of your hidden name as a Bernstein. That’s one thing I absolutely don’t want you to misunderstand.”

  His beautiful blue eyes took hold of me and refused to release me. He’d been calling me by my nickname this entire time, but I hadn’t even had the opportunity to take note of that. His smile was so utterly intense I felt myself recoiling.

  “If you don’t believe me, I can push you down right now and prove it to you.”

  Excuse me?!

  Frantic, I gathered my wits about me and whipped my head back and forth like a bobble head doll.

  The prince grinned and launched into his explanation. The Bernstein family had a hidden name as “Sauslind’s Brain.” Only the royal family and a select few knew of this name. The kings whom the Bernsteins had served all had equally prosperous reigns.

  “Well, that’s...an honor to hear, but...” I was a bit confused. Was he telling me that our house wasn’t actually just a collection of book lovers? But my brother and father were certainly no exception to that rule.

  His Highness gave a bitter laugh. “Marquess Bernstein and Alfred showed enormous, outstanding skill from the moment they were employed at the palace. But the Bernsteins have no interest in power and instead choose to spend their time buried in books. So there were those, like the prime minister and Alex, who were just waiting for an opportunity to saddle them with an official position.”

  “Oh my...”

  It would seem the reason the two of them were weighed down by such heavy responsibility wasn’t solely because I was chosen as His Highness’s betrothed. I was surprised at this revelation, yet it also made sense. The reason my family was able to attach conditions to our engagement was thanks to the influence afforded to them by that hidden name. But compared to the collective authority of the palace, we were still nothing more than a minor noble family.

  Prince Christopher laughed. “The fact that you Bernsteins don’t place much importance on your own skills is both a virtue and a flaw.” Then he added, “Unfortunately, that’s why for several generations now your family has spent their entire lives working in the archives.”

  No, Your Highness, there’s nothing unfortunate about that. That would be the dream job for any Bernstein.

  “You have shown those same skills yourself, Eli. Do you remember?”

  “Not in the least,” I confessed, brows drawn together.

  The prince let out a sigh that almost sounded like a laugh. “The embezzlement incident in the Weimar Region.”

  I scanned back through my memory, using “Weimar Region” as a keyword. If memory served me right, that was just after I joined the prince as his betrothed. Back then, I was still unused to reading my books in His Highness’s office, and the whole thing started because something about the conversation between Alexei and the prince had captured my attention.

  ~.~.~.~

  Weimar was a region facing out toward the sea with a port city. In recent years, fishing there had yielded poor catches and subsequently caused a revenue deficiency, thus His Highness and Lord Alexei were discussing a tax reduction.

  Suspicious, I voiced my doubts without hesitation. “Hasn’t Weimar had a good fishing haul these past six months?” The prince blinked in surprise and replied coolly, seeking more information, so I spoke frankly. “I read about it in a book that came out a month ago, a travel log by author Dan Edold, one talking about the fishing techniques of the Weimar Region. In it, he wrote about how delicious the region’s delicacies—which use the sami fish—are.”

&
nbsp; Lord Alexei furrowed his brows as if to say, “And what’s your point?” He didn’t actually say the words himself, but I could hear the question in my head, causing me to falter. Still, I answered him.

  “Author Dan’s literary style isn’t for everyone, so he’s not very popular, but his records are accurate. He never mentioned anything about the Weimar Region suffering from poor fishing hauls. And the book was written with materials he collected when he visited this year, so he wasn’t referencing the past. Furthermore...” I hesitated a bit. This was a bit embarrassing to say. “I was curious and wanted to know what exactly sami cuisine was like, so...I sent for a copy of the community newsletter.”

  “The community newsletter?” His Highness echoed in surprise.

  I nodded. “I couldn’t find any cookbooks, so I thought there might be something written in the community newsletter. The contents of it were quite lively and interesting, so I sent for copies of each one for the past six months. There were no articles mentioning anything about a poor fishing haul. In fact, it mentioned just the opposite; business was booming for the fishermen. There were also a number of fliers regarding sami cuisine as well. There was nothing about it that gave me the impression they were struggling economically from bad catches though.”

  Things wouldn’t be so lively there if the fishing industry were suffering, nor would the fishermen have booming businesses if that were the case. And there wouldn’t be such a number of delicacies using fish as their ingredient either.

  After I shared all of that, His Highness and Alexei suddenly turned grim and regarded one another. The prince immediately gave his orders. “Alex, conduct an immediate investigation on the liege lord of the Weimar Region and the consul.”

  Soon after, it was discovered that they were colluding and abusing the law, and their embezzlement was brought to light.

  The expression on my face must have looked pitiful, I was sure. “But you and Lord Alexei were the ones who researched it and uncovered their crimes, no?” It was no accomplishment of mine.

  Prince Christopher laughed and shook his head. “If not for what you told us, we’d never have realized. Plus, you were the one who published that cookbook, weren’t you? That man from earlier today mentioned it as well, but that was what caused the boom in seafood popularity.

  “That was also the first time I’d ever even heard that something like a ‘community newsletter’ existed. You were also the one who noticed the short column with the housewife writing about her everyday life and recommended it for publishing. And since that was so resoundingly popular, the publishing companies are now watching to see what captures your interest next.”

  I was a bit flabbergasted. The reason those recipes were collected into a cookbook was because our house’s cook requested as much. As for the comment columns that were combined into a book, that was simply because I wanted to read them all together. I had no idea what would catch on in this world and what wouldn’t.

  “But your biggest achievement was probably the incident with Maldura.”

  I tipped my head down thoughtfully. Now that he mentioned it, I did remember giving several (unsolicited) remarks before, during one of his meetings.

  On top of the usual faces seen in His Highness’s office, there were others involved with crop management there as well. Wheat had seen a bountiful harvest this year, so they were trying to plan how to keep the market from collapsing as a result.

  “You should buy up as much as you can to stockpile,” I said at the time.

  The prince prompted me for an explanation with an air about him that indicated he was used to my intrusions. I still felt a bit unsure of myself but proceeded to explain nonetheless. “Six months ago when I helped air out some of the books in the royal archives, we discovered a memorandum from the curator three generations prior...”

  Lord Alexei, accustomed to the way I led into my explanations from seemingly out of nowhere, motioned for me to continue.

  “According to that memorandum, in the year it was written Sauslind saw a bountiful harvest, but other countries suffered a cold wave and drought. The aftermath of those disasters sent those countries into political disarray domestically and culminated in Maldura launching an invasion on us.”

  “And you’re trying to say the same thing will happen this year?”

  “With all due respect, there’s been no such report from the meteorologists.” The agriculture commissioner regarded me with suspicion. Crop harvests and weather were deeply connected, so of course they were already coordinating with the meteorologists.

  I hesitated before responding, “Climate disasters don’t necessarily happen every year we have a bountiful harvest. I believe that’s what makes it difficult for meteorologists to predict their occurrence. But then I also remembered there was an academic book from almost fifty years ago—one that’s now out of print—a weather log called Breath of Ars by author Yulin Coral. An identical incident was recorded there.”

  I recalled the volume, one I’d read in our regional library long ago. “Author Coral’s book recorded the same precedent as the memorandum, and Coral tried to bring attention to the matter, but their book relied on myths and was discounted for being unacademic, which is why it fell out of print. Still, the point of author Coral’s argument is the exact same.

  “As for the memorandum from the archives, the author wrote that when they were younger, the same phenomenon occurred in other countries. In Breath of Ars, Coral also mentioned that this precedent appeared in the region on a much smaller scale. Both of these people believed that there were certain conditions that would trigger this climate disaster, that there was a law governing them.”

  “Certain conditions?”

  “Indeed,” I said, “and I was curious, so I looked into it myself.”

  It wasn’t just Sauslind Kingdom. If bountiful harvests continued throughout one portion of the Ars continent, that would trigger a climate disaster in another region. Those conditions were difficult to discern, however, since they weren’t one hundred percent accurate. Still, I suspected you could make a statistically-based prediction. So I sought the cooperation of one of the other unoccupied meteorologists and a writer specializing in climate, consulted Prince Theodore, and collected climate information from other countries—which, of course, proved difficult to obtain. Information from other countries often tended to be hard to get a hold of. We were still in the midst of searching back through the continent’s merchant’s records, but...

  “Most likely, or rather, there’s a seventy percent chance that the northwestern part of the continent, including Maldura, will suffer from a cold wave this year.”

  A wave of tension ran through the faces of those gathered.

  “Could I ask to see those statistics?” said the commissioner.

  I sent along a note to give Prince Theodore an overview of what was happening, but Lord Alexei calmly asked us to hold off on sending for the chamberlain.

  “Even if your predictions on the damages of this cold wave are accurate, what reason does that give for our country to buy up the wheat?” He continued, “In fact, I think we should just regulate the market and keep an eye on circulation.”

  “Indeed,” Lord Glen agreed, with the face of a military man. “We should strengthen our watch around the Malduran border. There’s a good chance they’ll try to invade. We should contact the marquess there and prepare a countermeasure.”

  “Do you plan to meet fire with fire every time this happens?” I asked quietly. Every time I read history books, there was always one thing I found strange. Why did it have to come to war? Why didn’t those who perpetrated war try to learn from their forebears?

  I went on. “Does it give you peace of mind to bolster our country’s defenses when you feel the threat of another country’s might? Is it the way of a civilized country to meet violence with violence? We aren’t barbarians. We’re civilized people equipped with wisdom as our weapon.”

  The room fell dead silent.
r />   I continued to voice my thoughts. “It’s easy to start war. However, you also lose a substantial amount (of books, primarily) in the process. That is what history has taught me. We should not wait for war to be waged against us. If we truly are a civilized country, we should nip it in the bud before it begins.”

  “I see your point,” muttered Lord Alexei, deep in thought. “That would be the ideal approach, as Lady Elianna said, but do you think that logic of yours is something a country like Maldura, that prides itself on brute force, can comprehend?”

  I smiled back at him. “No, I don’t. But why must we respond by lowering ourselves to another’s level? We have our own way of doing things. Is it not the role of our civil officials to use their wit and intellect to come up with such countermeasures?”

  Lord Glen looked as if he’d broken into a slight cold sweat.

  Lord Alexei’s ice blue eyes gleamed sharply.

  But it was Prince Christopher who let out a snicker. “Alex, you lost this one. No matter how just the cause, war is an act of murder. The age of warring countries, where the victor is heralded for their might, is over. This is a different age. All that’s left in the wake of war is lives you can never regain and deep-seated resentment likely to trigger another conflict. As someone set to inherit the throne of a kingdom, I don’t want to step into war lightly. If there is something we can do to prevent it, we should consider our options.

  “Send for a meteorologist, my uncle, and the statistics that Elianna researched. Deliver a notice to His Majesty and the prime minister that I want to hold an emergency meeting with them first thing this afternoon.” The prince briskly distributed his orders and everyone set to work.

  I felt a responsibility as the person who had researched those statistics so, as impertinent as it was, I took a seat at the edge of the meeting.

  That was the story the divisional officer from before had been referring to—the story of how our country avoided war with Maldura.

  I shrank back, recalling the number of impertinent things I’d said at the time.