Chapter 96: Chapter 50.4

Arnold looked calmly back at her.

“That came out of the blue.”

“No, I thought it was strange to begin with, ever since I heard that Count Rovine was going to train the cadets at the Imperial Castle.”

“Huh?”

“Count Rovine defends the northernmost seaside territory of the country, doesn’t he? In the eyes of the rest of the world, that could have been an important base of operations to invade the Garkhain Kingdom. However, thanks to the presence of our warlord, General, Count Rovine, other countries couldn’t take advantage of it.”

Rovine’s existence was a deterrent for potential enemies.

Even in peacetime. Just a few years ago, the world was at war. It was still too early for the nations to come loose.

“And yet, the Count left his domain and came all the way to the Imperial Capital. I can’t believe he’s here to train cadets.”

It was for this reason that it sounded absurd.

Even when she heard that Rovine was joining the training, and when she replayed today’s training in the marketplace.

The truth of the matter could be linked to why Arnold was looking at his watch.

Arnold laughed, revelling in Rishe’s speculations.

He has no intention of hiding it, but he didn’t mean to tell her so easily either.

“What if I told you that there was no deeper meaning and that it was just a show of face? Keeping regular face-to-face contact with your subjects helps in terms of cementing their loyalty.”

“If the wedding hadn’t been imminent, that explanation might have convinced me. But if it was a personal meeting, wouldn’t it have been nice to have the opportunity in just two months’ time?”

If she hadn’t been told that it was Arnold who had called Rovine, her discomfort might have been a little less.

However, Arnold in Rishe’s knowledge would never overlook a key base without reason.

“I can see why you’re suspicious of Rovine’s visit. — What makes you think I’m waiting for someone here?”

“It’s simple. Because this is a place where you can see the castle grounds and at the same time monitor visitors from ‘outside’.”

Arnold no longer cared about the time since he came to Great Gate.

In short, if Arnold waited there, his ‘target’ would come to him. That time was soon, and perhaps it was a guest from outside.

Arnold said with relish, “You’re right, training the cadets was merely a facade. There had to be an ostensible reason for Rovine to lead the corps and stay in the Imperial City.

Why did it feel like instructing her to reward her for guessing right?

Truth to tell, Arnold seemed to be enjoying himself terribly, despite his motive being exposed.

“I received a letter the other day from the royal family of a certain country. They couldn’t attend the wedding, so they’re bringing their congratulations ahead of schedule instead.”

“That’s… pretty sudden.”

“Of course, this isn’t entirely impossible. If there’s a death in the family, they may cancel their attendance in the ceremony. There’s a custom that delaying the blessing is disrespectful, so they’re going to hold an advance celebration instead. So, we also replied that pre-celebration was unnecessary.”

It was a common social exchange of pleasantries. After that exchange, the invited guests who declined to participate would reply, “Well, then, we can always congratulate you at a later date.”