Chapter 79
Chapter 79. Royal Warrant (1)
The lost child Serena had picked up turned out to be a princess.
And so Renoir Mansion's reception room was turned upside down from the very start.
For the time being, some traffic direction was needed.
"I am Kaylun Hawthorne, Senior Knight of the Britannia Royal Guard's Jutland Division."
"I am Ellara Vance of the Jutland Royal Guard. We are entrusted with the escort of Her Highness the Princess."
Kaylun with his distinguished beard, and Ellara in maid's attire.
A weighty gravity emanated from them, befitting the Royal Guard, which was said to select only the finest among the royal knights.
"And this person is……"
"That will do. This person shall speak for herself."
And then, stepping in with a hand planted on her hip, the brazen little brat——
"Lower your heads. This person is Britannia's Fifth Princess, Luiza Alcaion."
——was not a brat at all, but none other than Britannia's Royal Blood, and what's more, a direct bloodline fifth in the line of succession.
Luiza had grown high and mighty, like a child who had been getting shaken down by the neighborhood troublemaker only to finally run into her parents.
"I greet the star of the royal family. I am Penelope Rosemore."
"Mm, you greet well."
Penelope, bewildered by the sudden turn of events, nonetheless demonstrated a polished curtsy.
Gently lifting the hem of her skirt, keeping her waist neutral, bending the knees softly.
The most important thing was to cast one's gaze slightly downward while still projecting a dignity that was not servile.
It was a gesture so refined that even without Penelope stating her full name, it naturally conveyed that she was the daughter of a distinguished family.
The moment Kaylun and Ellara heard the name 'Rosemore,' they furrowed their brows.
"Lady Penelope, what is your relation to Count Rosemore?"
"He is my father."
"……We remember Count Rosemore's dedication to the royal family. We wish him a swift recovery."
"I am deeply grateful for your warm words of comfort. Sir Ellara."
At this point, Kaylun and Ellara exchanged a discreet glance.
"I am Jurgen of Y&P Trading Company. It is an honor to be in the presence of Her Highness the Princess."
"Mm, you greet well too."
Jurgen also bowed and paid his respects to Luiza.
As an aside, Penelope, who had been on edge wondering whether he might address even the princess in his peculiar manner of speech, breathed a sigh of relief.
Seventy percent of Kaylun and Ellara's interest in Jurgen evaporated.
Giving only one's name in a setting such as this was a sign of being a commoner.
And……
"I, I-I-I-I-I, I am…… Serena……Renoir……. To be granted the grace of beholding the countenance of Princess Luiza, whom I have long admired in the depths of my heart…… it is an honor to my family……!"
Serena dropped to her knees and prostrated herself before Luiza.
She was not overdoing it.
Looking back, Serena had delivered a total of 5 flicks to Luiza in the name of teaching etiquette.
Of course, Luiza had done her whole 'This person is the Fifth Princess, blah blah~' routine the previous night……
But who could have known that the little squirt wandering the night streets without a guardian was of royal blood?
"You greet poorly."
Luiza studied Serena prostrating herself in a full bow of submission, then tilted her head to the side and spoke.
"Kaylun! Ellara! Strip this criminal of her Viscountcy at once and bind her!"
"Your Highness! P-please, spare me! I truly d-didn't know! I really didn't know!"
"Ugh! Silence! This person shall personally bring you before the royal court for trial!"
Jurgen, who was well-versed in court politics, knew that the Fifth Princess had virtually no chance of inheriting the throne and, being so young, held no real power.
Even granting that Serena had behaved somewhat rudely when she hadn't known who she was dealing with — a royal court trial for that?
Hmm. Probability: zero.
But Serena had no idea how far the little princess in front of her could actually go.
More vividly frightening than when she'd been kidnapped by Outlaws and faced a Dark Mage. More vividly frightening than when she'd been kidnapped by the Cartel and on the verge of being sold off.
This was far more viscerally terrifying than any of that.
"I was simply showing you kindness."
As Serena made a spectacle of herself, leaking tears and snot and displaying every kind of undignified behavior, Ellara asked with a sour expression.
"So what exactly happened?"
.
.
.
"Calm down for now."
"Hic, hic……"
Having been filled in on the full account of the incident, Kaylun calmed Serena, who was sobbing with hiccups.
Flicking a princess on the forehead was enough to make one's blood run cold — but even by his estimation, there were ample grounds for extenuating circumstances.
"I understand the situation. The discourtesy committed against Her Highness the Princess shall be overlooked."
"Thank you……. Thank you…… hk hk……"
"What?! To release a criminal without this person's permission……! Sir Kaylun! Are you challenging the royal family's authority right now?!"
"Sir Ellara, please calm Her Highness the Princess down. Please."
Princess Luiza, whose opinion had been completely disregarded, flew into a rage — but it was a familiar occurrence for the two of them.
The escort knights of the Fifth Princess were, in some ways, closer to nannies than guards.
"Your Highness, would you like to see this?"
"What?!"
"It's a magic trick where your thumb disappears. You see it here? The thumb disappears~ and comes back~"
"Oh oh! Oh oh oh! How did you do that?!"
While Ellara skillfully drew Luiza's attention, Kaylun quickly spoke to Serena.
"Even setting aside your transgression, the princess's journey to the North is a Secret Civilian Inspection — for the sake of security, this information must not leak outside."
"Y-yes……! I will bear that in mind!"
"The same goes for everyone here. Understood?"
Kaylun, putting on a grave air, also secretly wanted to wrap this up quickly.
The ultimate responsibility for this runaway incident with Luiza lay with the two escorts.
If it were only that, they could breathe a sigh of relief having safely retrieved Her Highness the Princess — but……
The real problem was that, of all people, the daughter of the Rosemore family happened to be present.
The Rosemore Count Family was the head of the Northern Noble Faction.
If she were to……
'Why did you let the princess wander alone?'
'It was we who protected the princess.'
'I wonder what would happen if this story reached the royal family? Heh heh.'
……press the matter in such a way, it would become a headache.
That was why, without uttering so much as a word of thanks for the protection, they had been trying to let it slide by quietly.
How many people could there be who would stand their ground so boldly before the name of the Royal Guard.
"Then we shall take our leave."
Just as Kaylun was naturally angling for an exit——
"Before that, I have one question."
The man who had been treated as little more than background furniture cut in.
"Speak."
"I understand as far as the Secret Civilian Inspection. However, why was Her Highness the Princess out alone on the night streets at that hour?"
"That is none of your concern."
"Isn't it strange? If Serena hadn't protected her, it appeared it would have been a dangerous situation to begin with."
"You, what did you say your name was?"
"Jurgen."
Penelope, startled, moved to stop Jurgen.
The Jutland Royal Guard that protected the Britannia Royal Family were not mere soldiers.
They were the queen's sharpest blade and most loyal private forces.
And a Senior Knight at that — their political influence could not be ignored either.
The Hawthorne Count Family, Kaylun's own family, was itself a military family with a long and storied history, was it not?
"Do not overreach yourself and stand down. Royal Guard members hold the authority of summary execution."
But Jurgen stood firm before Kaylun without backing down.
"How forceful. And to my knowledge, Royal Guard members do not hold summary execution authority. They only hold the authority to detain until trial when it is judged to constitute a clear threat to royal authority."
"Do you wish to test that?"
"Asserting something forcefully doesn't create authority that doesn't exist, does it?"
"Sir Ellara, escort Her Highness the Princess."
"Pardon? Yes."
Kaylun quietly placed his hand on the hilt of his sword, creating an ominous atmosphere.
What had moments before been nothing more than a farce suddenly turned sharp and dangerous.
"Let me establish the facts. In this matter, it was Serena who filled a gap that appeared during the Royal Guard's escort duty. Rather than receiving any gratitude, to be met with intimidation instead — is this the way of the Royal Guard?"
"……"
Both Serena and Penelope stared at Jurgen with wide eyes.
He was bold and at times came up with brilliant strategies, but this level of audacity was the first they had ever seen from him.
Was this alright?
Their opponent was the Royal Guard.
A Senior Knight at that.
Should they perhaps intervene even now?
"I understand the reason you wish to conceal this incident."
"What do you know……"
"You would want to hide the Royal Guard's blunder. Especially a mistake that occurred in the heart of the North."
"……"
"I understand — but wouldn't Sir Kaylun also feel unsettled letting it pass like this? Why not settle the score a bit more clearly?"
Kaylun, who had maintained his silence, looked back and forth between Penelope and Jurgen.
"Haaa……"
The moment Kaylun let out a deep sigh, the taut energy that had filled the reception room subsided.
In truth, Kaylun had come out with such brazen counteroffensiveness partly because there was simply no other way.
"Very well. What do you want?"
"How refreshing to talk with someone reasonable."
Penelope, who had been watching the two of them converse with a heart full of anxiety, was astonished to see Kaylun yielding without resistance.
'This actually works?'
Was this not the picture of a Senior Knight of the Royal Guard bowing to a common businessman?
Penelope too was familiar with Britannia's political landscape.
She knew the Royal Guard was a royalist faction, and that of late the North in particular was in a subtly tense relationship with the royal family.
But 'knowing' something and 'having done' something were different things.
Jurgen had seen straight through the Royal Guard's internal regulations and authority, their chain of command, and even the self-preservation instinct that someone like Kaylun or Ellara would feel in a situation like this.
"We will ensure that none of this reaches the ears of any Northern noble. All you need to do is grant one small request of mine."
"Are you threatening us right now? Before that — do you even have the authority to make such a proposal?"
Ellara, who had been playing with the princess, frowned in displeasure and voiced her doubt.
Jurgen paid a respectful courtesy to Penelope.
"Lady Penelope, if this deal comes to fruition, could you promise not to breathe a word of this matter to anyone? Not a single person in your family."
Jurgen spoke formally — something Penelope had once tried so hard to get him to do.
Yet for some reason, Penelope felt goosebumps prickling up all over her.
It was utterly, incomparably unnatural.
"I promise. On my family's honor."
Penelope had never had any intention of saying anything to begin with.
She had thought of it as nothing more than a passing incident, and hadn't even conceived of the idea that there was something to be gained here.
So she simply went along with Jurgen's lead for now.
"Very well. Then, Your Highness the Princess."
"You called?"
Luiza, apparently bored with the difficult conversation, had been sitting on the sofa feigning indifference, and tilted her head.
"How did you find the Seasoned Chicken?"
"Seasoned Chicken? This person was most pleased with it."
"Would you like to have it again after returning to the Royal Palace?"
"C-can that actually happen?!"
"Thank you for your answer."
Jurgen shrugged and looked at Kaylun and Ellara.
"Please arrange for our Y&P's Seasoned Chicken to be officially supplied to the royal family. As you heard, it is something Her Highness the Princess wishes for as well."
Only then did Penelope, Kaylun and Ellara, and Serena — still pale with fright — understand Jurgen's intent.
A Royal Warrant.
He wanted a 'Royal Certified Supply Right' — the ability to officially supply products to the royal family.
A Royal Warrant was not a simple supply contract.
The moment a Royal Warrant was received, it was as good as having the royal family's seal of endorsement on the product.
It was a perfect fit for filling the story that CCC had been lacking.
"That is impossible. It is not within our authority."
But Kaylun shook his head without a moment's consideration.
And Jurgen knew that to be true.
"Because……"
"Because a Royal Warrant in the culinary category does not exist?"
"……If you already know that, why are you making such a strange request?"
Indeed.
Britannia's Royal Warrant had no 'culinary' category.
Among food and beverages, only alcoholic drinks were supplied to the royal family.
No matter that Kaylun and Ellara were of the Royal Guard, there was no way they could create a non-existent category of the Royal Warrant overseen by the Royal Supply Committee.
"Do not worry. All Sir Kaylun needs to do is grant my one small request."
That far as well.
Jurgen already knew.
Well — he had been the Minister of Internal Affairs, after all.