Vol. 10 Ch. 7: The Battle over Wheat

The envoys from the Kingdom of Falfuria arrived as scheduled, and diplomatic negotiations began with Felix Arc Ridill, the Second Prince of the Kingdom of Ridill, in attendance.

The Kingdom of Falfuria has a history of having originally been two separate countries: the Kingdom of Fal and the Kingdom of Folia.

The two countries formed a union, naming it the United Kingdom of Fal-Folia; over time, it became the Kingdom of Falfuria as it is today.

Consequently, the descendants of the Kingdom of Fal and those of the Kingdom of Folia have traditionally tended to compete, both between the two ethnic groups and between their rulers, making it difficult to call the country's domestic affairs stable.

There were eight envoys from the Kingdom of Falfuria this time, but the two leading diplomats, Count Barlow and Count Mare, seemed to be at odds, each heading a group of four, subordinates included.

Count Barlow, a descendant of the old Kingdom of Fal, was relatively friendly toward the Kingdom of Ridill—or rather, he was obsequious—but Count Mare, a descendant of the old Kingdom of Folia, was reluctant to expand trade with the Kingdom of Ridill.

Count Mare was probably more concerned with the Empire's reaction than with the Kingdom of Ridill's. The old Kingdom of Folia bordered the Empire and had traditionally maintained a cooperative relationship with it.

(...So the key is how to win over Count Mare.)

Felix read through the diplomatic documents while discreetly observing the envoys from the neighboring kingdom.

The portly Count Barlow probably wanted to strengthen the alliance with the Kingdom of Ridill. He had been openly flattering Felix ever since they arrived...