Truly Just Passing By

However, at the sound of footsteps, Rellana spun around. When she saw it was Horace, the blush that had only just begun to fade rose in her cheeks again.

Instinctively, she wanted to glare at him again, but her gaze flickered, and in the end she turned her face away and said sullenly, "What are you doing here? Come to laugh at me?"

"No." Horace stopped. "Just passing by."

Silence.

"Well... just now, I was only..." Rellana tried to explain, but did not know how.

"I just thought... you helped Caria, helped my sister, and I... I'm very grateful. So..."

"So you expressed your thanks with a hug?" Horace's tone was calm, betraying no emotion.

"Can't I?" Rellana seemed provoked. She turned to look at him, the rims of her eyes actually a little red.

"Don't I even have the right to thank someone? Or do you think gratitude from a 'princess' like me is worthless?"

Horace looked at her reddened eyes and sighed. His emotional intelligence told him that this was the moment to comfort the lady knight.

"No. Your thanks reached me," he said earnestly.

"And thank you for speaking up for me in Caria. Uriel told me all about your efforts to smooth things over so those hundred knights could be stationed there without trouble and do their work."

Rellana froze for a moment, not expecting him to say that.

Much of her hurt and embarrassment dissipated at once, replaced by an inexplicable mingling of aching bitterness and warmth.

She lowered her head and looked at the tips of her shoes.

"That was what I should have done anyway. You... you sent your people because you trusted me. I couldn't betray that trust." Her voice grew quieter.

"Besides... besides, you've become a marquis. From now on, you'll be a vassal of Caria. We... really count as being on the same side now."

"Mm," Horace answered.

Silence fell again, but the atmosphere had eased considerably.

"You..." Rellana hesitated, but asked anyway.

"Are you really willing? To become a vassal, accept restrictions, and follow my sister's orders? That's not like you..."

"I have my conditions," Horace said frankly.

"I'll discuss them with your sister tomorrow. If the terms are suitable, becoming a marquis of Caria won't necessarily be a bad thing for Lakeside Town or my people."

Rellana raised her head and looked at his composed profile.

In the moonlight, his features looked especially distinct, and especially... distant.

Even as a vassal, he would still be that independent Horace Loux, with his own ideas and plans.

She suddenly realized that the barbarian chieftain who had once needed her "supervision" and "guidance" had long since grown into a regional lord whom even her sister needed to treat with caution.

(Horace, who regretted having so readily trusted her guidance: No, no, no. The best guidance you could give me is not to guide me.)

The realization left her feeling a little empty, but also somewhat relieved.

"Whatever the case," Rellana took a deep breath and recovered her usual proud tone.

"Welcome to Caria, Marquis Horace. I hope you won't regret today's decision."

"I hope so too." Horace nodded slightly. "It's late. You should get some rest as well, Your Highness. There's still the council meeting tomorrow."

With that, he nodded to Rellana and left along the corridor without looking back.

Rellana stood where she was, watching him disappear around the corner of the corridor, and did not move for a long time.

The night breeze blew past, carrying the cool spray of the fountain and scattering the last traces of confusion in her heart.

She clenched her fists, then slowly relaxed them.

"Idiot..." she cursed softly, not knowing whether she meant Horace or herself.

Then she too turned and walked toward her own bedchamber.

The next morning, Horace met Queen Rennala again in a quiet little council chamber deep within the academy.

This time, there were only the two of them. Even the attendants had withdrawn beyond the door.

"Did you rest well last night, Marquis?" Rennala was not wearing formal court attire today, but a simple dark purple gown, looking more like a scholar than a queen.

"Very well. Thank you for your concern, Your Majesty," Horace replied politely.

"There are no outsiders here, Marquis. No need to stand on ceremony." Rennala gestured for him to sit and personally poured him a cup of fragrant herbal tea.

"Let us get straight to business. The investiture was a public ceremony, a display for everyone to see. Now is the time for the real agreement between us. I would like to hear your thoughts and requests, Marquis."

Horace dispensed with the pleasantries as well. He had already thought everything through very clearly the night before.

"Your Majesty, Lakeside Town and the Order of the Great Rune Knights can serve the Kingdom of Caria as a loyal vassal and armed force. But we need a clear definition of our rights and responsibilities, as well as... a certain degree of autonomy."

"Please elaborate." Rennala leaned forward slightly, adopting a listening posture.

"First, military matters," Horace said methodically.

"I hope the upper limit on the size of the Order of the Great Rune Knights will not be fixed, but will fluctuate according to actual defensive needs. Command of the order will belong entirely to me. The royal house may send liaison officers or military advisers, but will have no authority to deploy it directly unless the kingdom faces a major crisis such as foreign invasion. Lakeside Town will be responsible for the order's equipment, training, and supplies. The royal house may provide some support, but will not be obliged to."

Rennala considered this for a moment. "Command can belong to you. But the royal house must have the right to be informed and to requisition troops under specific circumstances. We can refine the exact terms. A fluctuating size... will require a reasonable assessment mechanism. Continue."

"Second, territorial administration," Horace continued.

"I will have full responsibility for civil administration, taxation, and construction in the Eastern Tableland and Lakeside Town. The royal house will have the right to send tax officials to verify tax revenues, but no authority to interfere with specific administrative affairs. Disputes and cases arising within the territory should also first be heard by territorial courts according to territorial laws. Only serious crimes or cases involving multiple territories will be transferred to the royal courts."

"Territorial laws?" Rennala keenly picked out the crucial point.

"Do you intend to enforce laws different from those of the kingdom within your territory, Marquis?"

"Precisely," Horace admitted openly.

"Your Majesty, forgive my frankness, but the Kingdom of Caria has only just been founded. I imagine it does not yet have a comprehensive, detailed system of written laws applicable to different peoples and different circumstances? I mean a detailed legal code covering every aspect of life, not merely traditional noble customary law or the professional rules of sorcerers."

Rennala's gaze sharpened. She gave Horace a long look. "Have you studied law extensively, Marquis?"

"I know a little." Horace did not avoid her gaze.

"My people come from the Wasteland. The Carians have their own traditions, and the academy sorcerers who have pledged allegiance have their own rules. In the future, more people from different backgrounds may come to Liurnia. A fair, clear, enforceable body of law is the cornerstone of lasting peace and stability in the kingdom. Rulings that vary from person to person will only breed injustice and conflict."

"So you want to try out your own laws in Lakeside Town?" Rennala tapped her fingers lightly on the table.

"And then? If they work well, extend them across the kingdom?"

"That is Your Majesty's authority and decision." Horace was neither servile nor overbearing.

"I simply believe that, as a frontier vassal, I have a responsibility to maintain order and justice in my territory. To achieve that, good laws and institutions that enforce them strictly are indispensable. What I need is for Your Majesty to grant me 'judicial authority' within my territory-the power to establish laws, set up courts, and organize a law enforcement force."

Rennala fell silent. She lifted her teacup and sipped slowly, clearly weighing the matter.

At the heart of Horace's demands was "judicial authority."

This was indeed a power most noble lords possessed, but it was usually exercised within the kingdom's unified legal framework.

What Horace wanted, however, was more like "legislative authority," or at least independent legislative and judicial authority within his own territory.

That was considerable power, practically turning Lakeside Town into a highly autonomous "state within a state."

But if she refused, cracks might appear in their newly established vassal relationship.

Moreover, Horace's words were not without reason.

Caria did indeed lack a mature system of written laws at present. Most places were still governed through traditional customs and their lords' personal judgment.

If Lakeside Town could work out an effective set of laws and a model of administration, it might truly provide a useful reference for the kingdom's future institutional development.

More importantly, Rennala valued Horace's abilities.

This man of barbarian origins had transformed a tribe into a prosperous town in just a few years, established a highly disciplined order of knights with considerable fighting strength, and maneuvered between Caria and the academy with ease... His talent for governance was beyond question.

Perhaps granting him greater autonomy would allow him to prove even more valuable.