9: Even During War, Death Only Falls Unreasonably and Unfairly
āThe crown prince of Elda…?ā
āThatās right. After signing the peace treaty, they wanted to display an amicable relationship to the other countries. We were on the verge of defeat, and had the war continued, weād have surely lost. The power dynamic doesnāt allow us to refuse.ā
The crown prince of Elda visited us.
Despite the peace treaty, Elda was still a former enemy country. To make matters worse, the war was started by our side.
āIsnāt the future king being reckless coming to visit us?
Elda had other princes, and even quasi-royalty.
āAs our side failed to acquire Eldaās magic ore, signing the peace treaty is only natural. After all, we donāt know when Cleil will attack and steal our territory.ā
In fact, that was whole reason Paides set its eyes on Eldaās magic ore mines.
Although, as we all knew, it ended in a disaster.
Thankfully, Elda had both common sense and a conscience, otherwise Paides wouldāve been finished.
Hopefully, the royal family of Paides had self-awareness.
Paides had always ridiculed Elda for being a small country with a short history.
ā…Well, it didnāt end there.ā
Eric, whoād been lightly carrying the conversation, suddenly hesitated.
āWhatās the matter?ā
Eric fell silent. Only at my urging did he finally speak.
āIt seems that they want to visit the Lowenberg territory as well.ā
I involuntarily clenched my fist.
What am I getting nervous for…?
Wasnāt it normal for the victorious country to visit the place where the damage was the heaviest? I shouldnāt be offended, he wasnāt the one who murder my parents, after all. No, even if he had, who was I to blame him?
Our country, Paides, started the war. In war, killing was inevitable. In war, casualties were to be expected.
āthis is inevitable.
āI understand. Iāll see to the people. Some of them may harbor resentment after losing their loved ones, which could lead to trouble.ā
The spark of war could always be reignited. We were in a critical period right now. I had to move carefully.
āWhat about you? Will you be alright? You lost your parents, too. Unlike me, you went to the battlefield. Surely, nothing could compare to what you witnessed there.ā
āSo what? You and I both survived the war. We equally share the pain. I canāt just blame them for it. Regardless of how many lives were lost, Paides was the one who incited it. Therefore, we have no right to hate or blame Elda.ā
āāNo one wanted war!ā
Eric voiced his frustration.
āIām sure none of us did, and especially not you, Iris…ā
āIf Paides had won the war, we and the people would have reaped the spoils from them. In that case, would you still say we didnāt care, or that we didnāt want it?ā
āI can. Iām not selfish enough to not appreciate the peace given to us by those who fought in the war. But Iris, youāre using the war and Paidesā position to suppress your own hatred!ā
Ericās gaze pierced me. That gazeāit was the very same look my beloved family used to give me. I used to love it, but now I couldnāt stand it.
āThen, are you saying that I should hate them? What would that achieve? I cannot regain what I lost.ā
āWhy am I the only one who survived?
Why couldnāt they kill me as well?
If I have to live with such twisted feelings until I die, then I shouldnāt have survived.
***T/N: At this rate I prefer to have no romance in this story hehe
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I ain’t wrong though šš¼āāļø you have a talent šš
Thank goodness for JP novels not being Korean ones so they’re not automatically defaulting to choice #1 (or both)!
Is this “queue the ML” moment… or is this “enter yet another shitty prince” moment? Hard to tell with the track record of trash princes Antoinette Vanessa always manages to find šš
shaddap