What's the economy about? Simply put, the economy was the foundation of a nation’s power and prosperity. What is a secret? Simply put, a secret is any information that couldn’t be revealed to another party. What would happen when the economy and a secret were combined together? Simply put, it meant war! A war that could decide the life and death of a country.
Although Deiss was a considerably backward country, it became the beer tycoon of the entire Westland. The entire surface area of the Riel Kingdom was equivalent to only one of Titan’s provinces, but the kingdom produced enough chocolate each year to supply the people of Titans. The winter in Ollier Federation lasted for a total of six months, but the seal oil it produced was unparalleled and unique in the whole world! Some might ask, what was the point for people to know about these? The answer was straightforward: this was the economy, examples of the coveted economy which were possible triggers for the war.
Yet, what was the connection between the economy and secrets? There was all sort of secrets: military secrets, government secrets, royal secrets, just to name a few. People had certainly heard of economic secrets too. The battle for chocolate and sea oil remained the most absurd battles throughout the history, and they both broke out because of two economic secrets.
Take the chocolate war as an example, the Riel Kingdom was the world’s first exporter of chocolate, and they had produced more than 178 colors and over 2,000 flavors of Riel Chocolates. In order to obtain the recipe for making such high-quality chocolate, Titan’s Secret Service Department personally stepped in to steal these confidential recipes. However, the Secret Service agents failed the mission. They were arrested by Riel police and were publicly sentenced for theft. This incident made Titan’s authority lose their face so terribly that they mobilized the army forces to openly grab the recipe! In short, Riel successfully defended their own economic secrets by joined forces with several Western monarchies to defeat Titan’s attack.
What about the battle for the seal oil? It was partly connected to the territorial dispute between Deiss Kingdom and Ollier Federation. Both parties wanted to include the Northland seal’s habitat, which was the area surrounded Lake Sigale, into their own territory. After countless ineffective negotiations, the Deiss was the first to compromise, provided that the Ollier people must exchange the seal oil manufacturing technology for this piece of land. The Ollier people definitely understood the rationale behind this unequal trade, so the two parties fought against each other intermittently. The war lasted for two hundred years and still had not arrived at a conclusion until today.
"Now tell me, what have you learn from these events?" The old marshal glared at his student.
"Ola… I’ve learned that we should stop consuming chocolates, and not shine our boots with seal oil ever!"
"You shine your boots with seal oil?"
"Isn’t that what everyone does?" Oscar was confused, was he wrong again?
"Oh, my good God of Light! That is for hair maintenance purposes. Anyway, that’s not the point, what I want you to know is that economy is almost always the major premise of war. It acts as the negotiator for war, but at the same time it is also the reason…" Marshal Robin paused mid-sentence, "For the sakes of the God of Light! I don’t know why I am even doing this. Judging from your confused expression I know that you don’t understand at all what I’ve just told you!"
Oscar rolled his eyes at the old man, he couldn’t fathom why the old marshal always treated him like he was an idiot who knew nothing.
"Your Excellency Marshal, care to listen what I have to say?" Oscar spoke slowly, "The modern war has escaped the simple purpose of plundering the land and population. In the current times, warfare is aimed at the economic interests of both belligerent countries. Similarly, to put it bluntly, the naval battle between West Percy and Engels happened simply because both sides are trying to monopolize the ocean trade. If I want to launch a war later in the future, I will definitely keep an eye on the enemy’s wealth! You can rest assured about that!"
Marshal Robin made a sound to express his contempt, "What an arrogant and conceited fella! War is not a game!"
"I know." Oscar shrugged indifferently. Since young, he understood the concept that war kills, but to him, wars were nothing but a myriad of nouns stacked together. It was not that difficult to control it as many people might have thought.
"Oh, right! How’s your wife? Have you two got into a small fight?" The old marshal voice suddenly changed into a bantering tone.
"Please, that mad lady is not my wife! If you say that again, I would have no choice but to fight you!" Oscar corrected the marshal as he leaned back to the sofa helplessly. Of course, he meant that crazy woman Catalina. He thought that either she was a lunatic or she was a maniac!
"Haha, young man! A princess is throwing herself at you, don’t act as if you’re anticipating a fierce enemy attack!" Marshal Robin was a firm believer that God of Light praised love, "The hierarchical system of the West Percy Kingdom is extremely strict, and their court etiquette is also the most complete and cumbersome in the world. It must not be an easy task for the princess to study abroad in Titan, and it was definitely understandable for her to get infatuated with a handsome man roughly around her own age. Don’t be so hard on her, and you must never hurt her!"
"Why are you even concerned that I might hurt her?" Oscar shouted in surprise. "I should be so grateful if she would stop beating me up!"
"Alright then!" Marshal nodded half-heartedly, "But you should at least not reject Catalina all the time. Not only she’s a girl, she’s also a princess!"
A dull color washed over Oscar’s face, "Your Excellency Marshal, I’m not sure if you ever heard of the name… Etha?"
"Etha?" Old marshal tried hard to recollect his memories, "That old chief of staff from the previous Southern Army Group? Why do you mention his name all of a sudden? As far as I know, he has long retired from the army and was said to have joined the God of Light last year."
"No! No!" Oscar shook his head vigorously, "Etha is not the name of a person, it’s the name of the top Intelligence Department of West Percy Kingdom. Do you understand now?"
The old marshal was not stupid at all. He didn’t say anything but only nodded lightly at the young man.
"Although the Secret Service Department of our Empire is directly accountable to His Majesty the Emperor, the confidential investigative power of West Percy Kingdom rests fully within the hands of royal family members. Not only that, the other tradition in West Percy states that the royal women are to be held responsible for secret intelligence work. It is said that women’s reasoning ability and attention to details are stronger than men. For this generation, Etha is managed by current queen of West Percy Kingdom, and Princess Catalina is the queen’s most favored daughter."
Old marshal stood there in a numbed daze, he was inexperienced in dealing with spies. "You’re saying the queen is training her successor, is that what you mean?"
Oscar nodded, "This is exactly why I didn’t wish to be close friends with Princess Catalina. Last February, she enrolled in the natural science course at Dulin University. Think about it, wherever she goes she is treated like an extremely important person, that’s because no one will have their guards against a beautiful princess! She is always surrounded by obsequious people trying to flatter her. Do not forget that West Percy is the overlord of the seas, and it’s already the richest kingdom of the Westland. Oh yes, my marshal, did you not warn me beforehand that I shall not mess with your documents? I didn’t explain away because I was still confused at the moment, but now I have to tell the truth, I didn’t touch your files and documents, someone else did! Guess who would that be?"
"A noble spy in my own house? That’s something new!" Marshal Robin cupped his chin in his hand, but for a long time, he could not think of any possible person. "Oh right! My young Oscar, don’t you know a little about intelligence war? What’s your countermeasure?"
Oscar shook his head, "First of all I’m not completely sure about the real reason Princess Catalina is here, perhaps she genuinely wished to visit me and her dear Esmeralda. However, at the very least one thing I can say for sure, that is they’re undoubtedly backed up by Etha support."
"How do you arrived at this conclusion?" Old marshal asked in confusion.
"Her paladin, Colonel Edeis, knew immediately that I’m a direct descendant of Andrew House after being told that I own the Raytheon."
"There’s nothing strange about that!" Marshal Robin shook his head in denial, "Every soldier in the world knows about Raytheon of Andrew House, they are the progenitor of warhorses. That’s general knowledge!"
"There’s another thing," Oscar argued, "I didn’t expect Paladin Edeis to know someone from Andrew House knew how to use a machete, moreover he knows that the person is me. This is definitely not an information the public would know! For example, you had no idea that the weapon I carry around with me is a Persian’s machete, did you?"
Marshal Robin shook his head, amazed. "I really didn’t know about that! That means… they are in fact supported by the Etha, perhaps they even knew all about Titan’s noblemen."
"Exactly!" Oscar affirmed the old man’s doubt. "I’m afraid it’s more than just that! The princess recognized Titan’s military crossbow at first glance. Honestly, even I wouldn’t have known that!"
Old marshal remained silent. This was undoubtedly not a news easy to his ears.
Oscar regretted to have burdened Marshal Robin with such pressure. "Ola! Anyway, this is none of our business. As soon as Esmeralda delivered the foal then we would think of ways to shoo away this unreasonable princess."
"Yes, yes! We’re finally talking about some exciting news." Old marshal said as he stroked his beard, "However, I’m really worried about Esmeralda! What monster has your Raytheon planted in her stomach? Why is it so enormous?"
Oscar shrugged helplessly, "Don’t ask me this, who knows what good thing that fellow has done!"
The conversation between the prince and marshal carried on with more perfunctory remarks, it seemed like they had finally found a way to tolerate each other.
Another winter had passed as flowers gradually began to bloom. In the suburbs, murmurs of water and bubbles quietly sounded in the dried-up stream one day. All kinds of small animals appeared outside together for activities as if they have had it planned beforehand. The brown bear asleep in the dirt hole eventually woke up from his three-month-long hibernation. It, sensing the fresh smell of water shook its thick fur, rushed excitedly to devour the trout in the river.
Green grass and pine trees sprouted new emerald green buds and shoots, some unknown wildflowers eager to show off their charm were already in full bloom. Although the snow in deep corners of the forest had not yet melted fully, the spring birds already performed lovely chorus to inform people of the changing seasons. Of course, all these changes were unknown to the people living in the city.
There was not much scent of spring in the city. There seemed to have nothing new except for the change of clothing from cotton wool into a light coat. The temperature was still incredibly low in the early morning and late evening, and people usually avoid going out at those times. Specks of dust from the burning charcoal fluttered in the sky all over the city, which caused the ladies to leave their house with a thick veil covered their faces. Although people spoke about the monsoon change, neither new shoots nor colorful wildflowers were seen sprouting from the branches.
Until today, Oscar had lived in Marshal Robin’s residence for ten months now, and the long duration would add up to a whole year by the end of April. During these ten months, Oscar had truly experienced the lifestyle and working ways of a marshal. Marshal Robin’s attitude towards life was distinctively clear. Fishing could pass time and ease his mood, farming could improve his physical and mental health which rejuvenated his passion in life, and by playing cards, he could exercise his mind and that kept him relaxed. The sweet taste of alcohol and stimulating hashish were also one of the few things that the marshal now enjoyed in his late life. Other than that, there was pretty much nothing else that happened in the mundane day-to-day life of the marshal. The work of a marshal was boring and monotonous. After all these while, Oscar decided that he would rather die if the emperor decided to make him a marshal.
Every day, the old marshal woke up as the first ray of sunlight broke the dawn. He would set up a table at his usual spot near the porch, as he enjoyed his coffee while reading the summary of news happened in various countries. Although most of them were considered old expired news, Marshal Robin still relished reading them. This was how the marshal started his day. Being a marshal, it was necessary to understand the major political and military affairs happened at home and abroad.
Next, Marshal Robin arrived in his office in the Imperial Military Academy right on dot at eight o’clock in the morning. He spent his mornings dealing with various matters and to read over and comment on the official documents of the academy and the army. If there happened to be a military maneuver, he would be extremely busy! Organizing professors gathered to discuss the project, determine the goals and strength of the exercise, then pick the suitable candidates among the bunch of childish young masters. In short, although Marshal Robin disliked such strenuous efforts, the spirit of the maneuver was nevertheless passed on from the Imperial Army. Marshal Robin the principal had no choice than to obey orders from his superiors.
On any usual days when there wasn’t a maneuver, the marshal would normally return to his residence at two o’clock in the afternoon. Of course, his time to return would be delayed until five o’clock in the evening on the days he had class. Marshal Robin was busy even at home, as there was a special student who lived there with him. Although Oscar spent most of his time doing self-study; when he encountered difficulties he would still seek help or advice from the marshal. Marshal Robin was used to it even if the prince’s tone was not very polite. He knew that this young man was kind at heart, and he believed that His Highness would one day become a qualified soldier.
During this time, Her Imperial Highness Princess Alanis stayed for a brief while in the residence of Marshal Rubin. Initially, the marshal had intended to move out, but it occurred to him of all those possibilities that would happen if he left a pair of unmarried couples alone in his residence. Marshal Robin was intimated by the thoughts, as he felt that it was something the young prince could possibly do. Seeing he had robbed to fulfill his horse’s desire, what would happen if his own desires were aroused... During the times Alanis was here, Marshal Robin kept himself close to the prince by only a few inches. The over-suspicious princess almost thought this old man wanted to snatch her boyfriend.
Interestingly, Princess Catalina, who claimed herself to be the wife of Oscar, avoided Alanis and never visited throughout the whole week Alanis stayed in the marshal’s residence. Oscar had been paranoid during the whole time as he was afraid this mischievous foreign princess would suddenly barge into the marshal’s house to kiss him and call him "Darling!" in front of Alanis.
Fortunately, his worst nightmare didn’t happen! Alanis left quickly enough, as she really couldn’t stand the lifestyle in the marshal’s residence. Both the men constantly argued about military issues that she did not understand, and these guys even went to perform labor work at the farm! God! They were the prince and a marshal, she would probably return to her father and reflect the matter with him. She suspected the old marshal was tired of the dull noble life.
On the other hand, Oscar managed to live a peace and quiet life. He had completely adapted into this lifestyle after almost a year. Furthermore, he obtained a lot of knowledge. More specifically, the knowledge of becoming a marshal. Oscar suddenly realized one day that he was totally capable of performing Marshal Robin’s daily tasks himself. He began helping the marshal to plan the military maneuvers and sort out the variety of tactical papers and combat plans submitted by his students. Sometimes when he was in a good mood, he would even read and comment on these documents himself. The old marshal delightfully observed the growth of the young man. In the end, he began to pass those detailed official documents written by the Military Affairs and Combat Department to be studied by the young prince. Although the young man could not fully grasp the essentials of these documents, a simple analysis of those official reports was already not a problem.
However, Oscar was not completely content with his current situation. The more knowledge he was exposed to, the more he felt himself lacking in knowledge. Military theory and practical operation were two different things. For example, the allocation of money from Imperial Army to Imperial Military Academy wasn’t an operation that could be put into theory. If the amount remained the same each year as listed, then the appropriation would not be enough to even pay the staffs their monthly salary. That actual amount of consumption and the budget assigned simply couldn’t match. It remained the most common problem faced by the Imperial Guards, and Oscar did not know how to deal with it.
According to Marshal Robin’s consistent behavior, without fail, he would send a thank-you letter to the military when he received his first grant each year. Within a week, he would deliver a budget report for the additional appropriation to His Majesty the Emperor and the Ministry of Senior Nobility respectively. Of course, this proposal would not be passed. Marshal Robin would tirelessly press the authority for payment starting from the second month, and basically, the monthly reminder would last for yet another thirty days. When the first appropriation was about to be exhausted, it would almost be time for the second one to arrive.
"What if the allocation couldn’t reach on time? What are you and your staff going to eat? Oscar asked in confusion.
"The first rule of demanding the payment of a debt is to be shameless. Normally I would go to the logistics department of the military when the academy run out of food, and just sit there until my two old friends come to visit."
"Military Affairs Chancellor Marshal Alan and His Excellency Chief of Staffs?"
"That’s right! They are the ones who hold the budgets."
"So why not you go straight to them for help?"
"To beg from the Marshal of Imperial Army and the Chief of Staffs? I’m never doing that! You just need to let them feel your sincerity and that would work out well. Although these two old fellas are big nuisances, sometimes they could be rather understanding too."
Oscar nodded slightly. He made sure he remembered that, be shameless and sincere when asking for money!
"I wonder how large would the crowd be in the logistic department? The Imperial Army is such a massive institution, I’m sure it’s not just you who have encountered this problem." This question suddenly came to his mind.
"Of course! Every Army Group and Region set up their respective offices in the capital, under normal circumstances there would be three or four persons waiting, then they would alternate. It doesn’t hurt to try anyway."
"Ola! But how do you make sure you’re the first one to receive the budget? So many people are competing for it!"
"Silly boy, you have to duel with them! The budget is limited. When it’s gone, it’s gone. This is the moment to fight!"
"Ola!" Oscar exclaimed as if he suddenly saw the light, "This I’m good at! But do we have to battle each time?"
Marshal Robin gave an indifferent shrug. "Most probably, the station troops in the capital are largely the paladins best at fighting."
"My God of Light!" Oscar gave a groan of despair, "Hasn’t there been any accidents?"
"As far as I know, no death has occurred yet, but you should be expected to get beaten to a pulp."
"What about you? What do you usually do? Fight your old life against those strong paladins?"
"Hehehe!" Old marshal laughed slyly, "Most often than not, I would put on my best marshal court attire and bring along my Interimstab, also not forgetting all my medals. Do you think those muscular stupid young man would dare to challenge me?"
"You’re really shameless!"
"Thanks!"
The lesson on how to seize the budget was probably the last thing Marshal Robin ever taught Oscar. It was already the 6th month of year 795. Time flew, springtime came and go in an instant, and University Town ushered in the summer with flowers in full bloom. Oscar counted the days on the calendar. Oh, God! Who would believe that he had been studying in Sparjoxin for four years! At this time next year, he would be able to graduate with a diploma signed by Marshal Robin himself.
Time was really a wonderful thing, Oscar couldn’t help but think so as he looked into the mirror. It was a thing that could be inscribed on the face, but couldn’t be held between fingers. The former round face of the young man had completely disappeared. Oscar’s height reached 175 cm, he also had a generously broad shoulder and a slightly bulging belly. As a young man approaching the age of 20, he had dark brown eyes inherited from his mother, soft lip lines inherited from his father, his mother’s light brown curls, and his father’s tall nose. In accordance with his own habits, he still tied his hair on the back into a tight pigtail. With his fingertips, he then brushed his bangs using a little bit of seal oil. Just like that, a fairly handsome guy presented himself in front of Young Lady Sasha E Nedgabel Andrew.
"Brother! Brother! Guess who I met outside of the house?" Young Lady ran to her brother in pure excitement.
"Ola! It’s Her Royal Highness The Princess Catalina Don Holmes!" Oscar appeared to be greatly honored by her presence. He planted a light kiss on the back of her soft hand.
"Your politeness is so hypocritical! Just call me Catalina."
"Your Royal Highness Princess, we’re not that familiar with each other," Oscar said straightforwardly without concern for the princess’s face.
"Brother, be nice! Catalina is our guest!" Young Lady said and grabbed the prince by his arm.
"Alright, I was only kidding." Oscar offered his other arm to Catalina, "My young princess, come with us if you don’t mind. It could be the next moment, or probably latest by midnight, that we meet Esmeralda’s little foal!"
Catalina turned her head away. Although this damned prince kept insulting her, she didn’t understand why she kept tolerating his meanness.
"It’s okay, I can go there myself!" The princess became reserved all of the sudden. She still wished to maintain some of her dignity.
"Ola! It’s your choice!" Oscar shrugged nonchalantly and walked away with his hand in Young Lady’s. He turned back to the princess before leaving the house, "Oh, Catalina, promise me you will not mess around with the things in the residence. That is a basic courtesy."
Before the princess could defend herself, Oscar had left happily with Sasha by his side.
The marshal’s residence was dead silent, but voices came from the racecourse on the other side. Today was the big day for Esmeralda, everyone in the residence went to the stables to help out.
Looking out to the empty corridor, and again at the cold coffee left on the table, Catalina finally cried. She remembered the last time she wept so terribly was when Esmeralda was being bullied by the big black beast. But this time it was different. This time, the girl herself had become the victim. She didn’t understand what was going on with herself! She was well aware that the people in the marshal’s residence didn’t welcome her, and although the old marshal was very kind to her, she sometimes sensed the cold eyes he cast her way. As for the young prince? He had done nothing other than embarrassing her in awkward situations. Yet, why did she still like coming here, even if there wasn’t anything worth coming for? Was it for Esmeralda? It didn’t seem like it. The princess’s tears fell on the side of her floral dress. What was this for? What was she expecting from all these visits?
Out of the blue, a handkerchief was handed over, and the frightened Catalina quickly wiped off her tears.
"If I’ve guessed correctly, you still have a long way to go until your adult ceremony." Marshal Robin said as he slowly replaced the cold coffee with a freshly brewed one.
"You’re wrong, I’m already sixteen!" Catalina argued in-between sobs.
"Haha, that means you’re already a big girl now! It’s time for you to experience love."
Catalina’s face became bright red. She lowered her head shyly and bit on the edge of the coffee cup.
"Is His Imperial Highness The Prince of my place your cup of tea?"
The young princess finally laughed, "I’m not planning to drink him."
Old marshal nodded, "So, big girl, can you tell me why you like Oscar?"
"I don’t like him at all! Not even a tiny bit!" Catalina’s face burned with fiery redness again. The color of her face resembled that of her Esmeralda’s fur.
"Hmm… let me rephrase that?" Old marshal gave it a little thought, "Why do you want to befriend Oscar?
Catalina tilted her head to one side, "He’s the prince of Titan Empire, also the possible heir to Andrew House. His status and identity definitely make a good match as my friend."
As she felt the strange look cast on her from the marshal, Catalina couldn’t help but ask with cautious, "Why? Did I say something wrong?"
Old marshal shook his head, "Wrong! Absolutely wrong! I know the hierarchical system is essential in West Percy Royal Family, but I would like to ask you, what good would it bring you to befriend a Titan prince? How could you benefit from making friend with the heir of Andrew House? In your opinion, are friends just another manifestation for you to boast about your title and status?"
Catalina opened her mouth to argue but found no words coming out from her mouth.
Old marshal gave a nonchalant shrug, "I know your time in University Town wasn’t really joyous. It seemed that only Young Lady from Andrew House talks with you. Those other ladies stayed away from you because they are threatened by your status, while the young noblemen on the other hand only shower you with nothing else but flattery. Therefore... you admire Oscar, even if he doesn’t look at you properly at all, even if he insults you with harsh words, but you still like coming here. If I’m not mistaken, you are hoping to change your friendship with Oscar, but you have no idea how to do it. Am I right?"
After what seemed like forever, the dumbfounded Catalina slowly nodded, "That… that seems to be it. The more he dislikes me, the more I wish to be accepted by him."
"Big girl!" Old marshal petted the young princess’s head, "The issue lies with the way you treat your friends. Don’t see him as a prince, and don’t think too much about his family background. You can only foster a true friendship with someone if you approach them with a pure heart that wasn’t contaminated by dust. Let them feel your sincerity! Oscar is a sensitive guy, if you manage to do this, I’m sure he would apologize and slowly open his heart to you."
"Really? A pure heart that wasn’t contaminated by dust?" Catalina stared at the old man with her big eyes, "Regard his status and identity as dust?"
"Exactly!" Marshal Robin nodded with affirmation, "You’re absolutely right, those are just dust that layered upon the sincerity, which affects you to lose sight of the beautiful things friendship could bring."
All of the sudden, from the corridor of the residence, rapid footsteps could be heard.
"Ola! Oh my God! Old man! Why are you still here?"
Marshal Robin was so exasperated his felt the hairs on his body erected. "You little bastard who has no respect for elderly! Are you in need of another spanking?"
Oscar couldn’t be bothered at the enraged old man, "My Catalina, hurry, come with me! Esmeralda is going to give birth to the little foal soon! She’s most familiar with you, I’m sure she would calm down once she sees you! She wouldn’t even let the rest of us approach her!"
Catalina jumped up like a spring, "Really?"
Oscar rolled his eyes in annoyance, "Hurry and come with me, my little princess!"
Catalina almost forgot her own existence when the prince’s hand held hers. She could feel his body warmth from the pair of hands, he felt so strong. "I… I like it when you call me that."
"My God of Light!" Oscar slapped at his own forehead, "My little princess, I don’t mind calling you that another time, but this is really not the time for that. Come with me!"
Having said that, Oscar that was restless with anxiety picked up the young princess in one move. He carried her over the shoulder and start darting across the field.
As expected, the old marshal naturally sighed with emotion. "Young people are really simple-minded!"
Along the way, Catalina’s laughter spread across the field like a delightful melody.
One hour has passed, two hours had passed, three hours had passed! Good God of Light! Eight hours had passed!
Everyone in the stable was going crazy as Esmeralda’s labor pain gradually intensified. She stood there in agony, sometimes looking down at her pregnant belly, her overly massive belly... So tremendously massive that she had to cling to the ground as she trembled in pain. Esmeralda had just chewed on a carrot, which made her a little more energetic. The once fiery red beauty had completely changed. Her face swollen and her eyes full of tears. Her beautiful red mane had also completely lost its luster, they now resembled the fur of a foxtail scattered in all direction. Esmeralda looked out to her husband and appeared rather disappointed. The black fella! It had gotten so close to herself when he was experiencing the jolly moment, and now he stood so far away! Male! As expected they were of no good!
The Raytheon was extremely helpless as he faced with his wife’s reproach. He had not been in a good mood lately. Even though that old man had put himself and his wife in the most spacious barn, but he found himself having the constant intention to find trouble with other horses. From time to time he would warn those guys off from his beautiful wife!
Damned! Damned! Damned! The Raytheon looked angrily at the crowd that has filled the barn, which damn fella tied him here today? It was so chaotic that he had completely forgotten the fella’s face! The Raytheon bit at the reins, but it was too tight! All he wanted to do now was to gallop over and give his wife a comforting kiss, and to kick at all two-legged creatures in the house!
"God of Light!" Poison Doctor had prepared for a long time for this moment. But only until now that he finally discovered the crucial problem. "Your Highness, I finally understand why Esmeralda’s labor pains are growing with such intensity!"
"Isn’t it too late to say now?" Oscar doubted his most trusted doctor.
"Probably not!" Percy wiped off the beads of sweat on his forehead with the back of his hand, "She… she’s using her muscle and reproductive organs to adjust the twins’ position. This is an essential step because if the fetal position is not correct, she would be in a danger during the delivery process!"
"Ugh…" The furious Oscar paced up and down anxiously, but there was nothing at all that he could be of help.
Finally! The exhausted Esmeralda plunged to the ground, while Catalina almost fainted as she looked at the blood oozing out from her companion’s lower body. Trembling, she knelt down on the ground and kept kissing Esmeralda’s face. "My dear Esmeralda! What’s wrong with you? Please don’t scare me! Are you doing okay?"
Percy distinguished the cigar with his two fingers, "Fenrar! Hurry! Bring me some distilled water and alcohol! Her amniotic fluid has broken!"
Immediately Fenrar rushed out of the stable to get what was required. On the other hand, a confused Oscar came closer and mumbled some ridiculous question about birth and labor terms.
"Get out of my face! I don’t have the time for your nonsense right now!" Percy screamed in anguish.
The unwelcomed Oscar ran to his Raytheon, who knew the big fella unexpectedly bit him hard on his arm. Oscar shouted in rage when he noticed his own sleeve being chewed into small pieces.
"Hey! What are you doing? Are you crazy!"
Raytheon’s neighs were deafening to Oscar who stood just right next to it. It seemed like he was trying to warn his owner his capability to kick the two-legged creature to a cruel death.
"What… what do we do now? Is she… is she in danger?" Catalina’s face went as pale as a sheet of white paper.
Percy nodded, "The chance of conceiving twins is extremely rare for horses! Moreover… the foal of a Raytheon is much bigger in size compared to normal foal, therefore… therefore Esmeralda is at high risk."
"Isn’t there anything we can do?" Catalina said in a quivering voice, "If anything bad happens to her, I will bury you alive!"
Percy couldn’t help but shiver. He was aware of the tradition in the West Percy Kingdom where servants were buried alive with the dead.
Just at this second, Esmeralda suddenly neighed and stood up with much difficulty. Percy quickly went forward to hold her tail, "It’s coming! The vagina is completely open now, Fenrar! Fenrar! Where’s my distilled water and alcohol?"
"Oh God of Light! I can see its head! It’s a black fella!" Percy managed to attract everyone’s attention. Young Lady, old marshal, Oscar, and Catalina rushed toward the mother in labor.
"God of Light! Can you see it? It’s black!"
"Esmeralda! Come on! Push!"
"Oh God! Its forelegs are out! Push harder! Push!"
In the midst of cheers and support from the human, a small black foal was pushed out from its mother’s body and slid to the ground. With its eyes still closed, the little fella struggled to stand on its feet, but after several attempts, he still didn’t succeed. Finally, Oscar and Young Lady worked together to assist it to its feet. Only then people noticed the little black fella had two pairs of fiery red hoofs.
"Damn it! God of Light! Damn it!" As if forgotten about the existence of the two ladies beside him, all of the sudden Percy began to curse, "Its legs are coming out first! Oh God! That’s a huge trouble! This foal might suffocate in its mother’s stomach!"
Perhaps Esmeralda felt the abnormal fetal position, she began to neigh in immense agony. It kept pushing on its stomach, but the intense pain made her afraid of pressing it furthermore.
"Damn! As expected! It’s stuck! Its head is stuck!" Percy was going mad. He knew the foal was struggling, but its mother wasn’t the most cooperative team member at the moment.
"Let me try!" Marshal Robin rolled up his sleeves and went forward to pull at the foal’s forelegs. "Where is its head? Where is its head?" Old marshal was feeling the rhythm of Esmeralda’s pushing. Finally, he felt the little fella struggled most violently when its forelegs were pulled to this one specific angle.
"There it is!" Ignoring the poor mother’s wail, old marshal adjusted his stance and in one swift move, pulled the forelegs forcefully away from its mother’s body.
"It’s out! I can see its head now!" Percy jumped in excitement.
Finally, a fiery red foal fell to the ground. However, when Oscar tried to touch it, the foal laid still where it was seconds ago, motionless.
The old marshal squatted down his body to check on the foal’s breathing, and shook his head in disappointment, "I’m sorry young man, we were a few seconds too late."
"That’s not true!" The stubborn Oscar pushed the old marshal out of his way and began performing artificial respiration on the foal. Once, twice, thrice... damned! He had already performed thirteen times! Suddenly Oscar angrily grabbed the foal by its head and shouted at it, "Hey you! Unconscious little fella! Wake up in this instant!"
Everyone was shocked at the prince’s action, no one expected him to hit at the little foal’s head!
A miracle happened out of the blue! Perhaps it was due to shock, but the fiery red little fella unexpectedly jumped at once. With tears rolling down from their cheeks, the ladies frantically hurried into Oscar’s arm. They noticed that the black foal’s sister, which was a fiery red little fella, looked just like the opposite of her brother. She had completely black colored ankles and hooves.
"Alright! It’s over now!" The old marshal grinned from ear to ear.
The gratified doctor also smiled as he looked at the two little foals that were searching for their mother’s nipples. "Yes, it’s finally over!"
"I have a suggestion!" Oscar pulled the two girls away from his arms, "The boy is named Oslu, and the girl Catya, any objections?"
"Oslu? Catya?" The princess of West Percy Kingdom suddenly turned shy. These two names were definitely the shorter variation of the prince’s and her own names.
"Anything you say!" Catalina said and planted her lips on the prince’s. The Young Lady who witnessed the event at the side was totally stupefied.
"Ola!" When their lips finally parted, Oscar appeared so embarrassed. This was his first intimate interaction with the Princess of West Percy Kingdom, he felt… well, it wasn’t too bad, to be honest, at least it was sweeter than what he had imagined!
The Raytheon neighed, as though it was saying, "Hey, hey, hey! Have all of you forgotten about me? I’m the children’s father! HEY! You damned two-legged creatures! Let me see my children!"
What's the economy about? Simply put, the economy was the foundation of a nation’s power and prosperity. What is a secret? Simply put, a secret is any information that couldn’t be revealed to another party. What would happen when the economy and a secret were combined together? Simply put, it meant war! A war that could decide the life and death of a country.
Although Deiss was a considerably backward country, it became the beer tycoon of the entire Westland. The entire surface area of the Riel Kingdom was equivalent to only one of Titan’s provinces, but the kingdom produced enough chocolate each year to supply the people of Titans. The winter in Ollier Federation lasted for a total of six months, but the seal oil it produced was unparalleled and unique in the whole world! Some might ask, what was the point for people to know about these? The answer was straightforward: this was the economy, examples of the coveted economy which were possible triggers for the war.
Yet, what was the connection between the economy and secrets? There was all sort of secrets: military secrets, government secrets, royal secrets, just to name a few. People had certainly heard of economic secrets too. The battle for chocolate and sea oil remained the most absurd battles throughout the history, and they both broke out because of two economic secrets.
Take the chocolate war as an example, the Riel Kingdom was the world’s first exporter of chocolate, and they had produced more than 178 colors and over 2,000 flavors of Riel Chocolates. In order to obtain the recipe for making such high-quality chocolate, Titan’s Secret Service Department personally stepped in to steal these confidential recipes. However, the Secret Service agents failed the mission. They were arrested by Riel police and were publicly sentenced for theft. This incident made Titan’s authority lose their face so terribly that they mobilized the army forces to openly grab the recipe! In short, Riel successfully defended their own economic secrets by joined forces with several Western monarchies to defeat Titan’s attack.
What about the battle for the seal oil? It was partly connected to the territorial dispute between Deiss Kingdom and Ollier Federation. Both parties wanted to include the Northland seal’s habitat, which was the area surrounded Lake Sigale, into their own territory. After countless ineffective negotiations, the Deiss was the first to compromise, provided that the Ollier people must exchange the seal oil manufacturing technology for this piece of land. The Ollier people definitely understood the rationale behind this unequal trade, so the two parties fought against each other intermittently. The war lasted for two hundred years and still had not arrived at a conclusion until today.
"Now tell me, what have you learn from these events?" The old marshal glared at his student.
"Ola… I’ve learned that we should stop consuming chocolates, and not shine our boots with seal oil ever!"
"You shine your boots with seal oil?"
"Isn’t that what everyone does?" Oscar was confused, was he wrong again?
"Oh, my good God of Light! That is for hair maintenance purposes. Anyway, that’s not the point, what I want you to know is that economy is almost always the major premise of war. It acts as the negotiator for war, but at the same time it is also the reason…" Marshal Robin paused mid-sentence, "For the sakes of the God of Light! I don’t know why I am even doing this. Judging from your confused expression I know that you don’t understand at all what I’ve just told you!"
Oscar rolled his eyes at the old man, he couldn’t fathom why the old marshal always treated him like he was an idiot who knew nothing.
"Your Excellency Marshal, care to listen what I have to say?" Oscar spoke slowly, "The modern war has escaped the simple purpose of plundering the land and population. In the current times, warfare is aimed at the economic interests of both belligerent countries. Similarly, to put it bluntly, the naval battle between West Percy and Engels happened simply because both sides are trying to monopolize the ocean trade. If I want to launch a war later in the future, I will definitely keep an eye on the enemy’s wealth! You can rest assured about that!"
Marshal Robin made a sound to express his contempt, "What an arrogant and conceited fella! War is not a game!"
"I know." Oscar shrugged indifferently. Since young, he understood the concept that war kills, but to him, wars were nothing but a myriad of nouns stacked together. It was not that difficult to control it as many people might have thought.
"Oh, right! How’s your wife? Have you two got into a small fight?" The old marshal voice suddenly changed into a bantering tone.
"Please, that mad lady is not my wife! If you say that again, I would have no choice but to fight you!" Oscar corrected the marshal as he leaned back to the sofa helplessly. Of course, he meant that crazy woman Catalina. He thought that either she was a lunatic or she was a maniac!
"Haha, young man! A princess is throwing herself at you, don’t act as if you’re anticipating a fierce enemy attack!" Marshal Robin was a firm believer that God of Light praised love, "The hierarchical system of the West Percy Kingdom is extremely strict, and their court etiquette is also the most complete and cumbersome in the world. It must not be an easy task for the princess to study abroad in Titan, and it was definitely understandable for her to get infatuated with a handsome man roughly around her own age. Don’t be so hard on her, and you must never hurt her!"
"Why are you even concerned that I might hurt her?" Oscar shouted in surprise. "I should be so grateful if she would stop beating me up!"
"Alright then!" Marshal nodded half-heartedly, "But you should at least not reject Catalina all the time. Not only she’s a girl, she’s also a princess!"
A dull color washed over Oscar’s face, "Your Excellency Marshal, I’m not sure if you ever heard of the name… Etha?"
"Etha?" Old marshal tried hard to recollect his memories, "That old chief of staff from the previous Southern Army Group? Why do you mention his name all of a sudden? As far as I know, he has long retired from the army and was said to have joined the God of Light last year."
"No! No!" Oscar shook his head vigorously, "Etha is not the name of a person, it’s the name of the top Intelligence Department of West Percy Kingdom. Do you understand now?"
The old marshal was not stupid at all. He didn’t say anything but only nodded lightly at the young man.
"Although the Secret Service Department of our Empire is directly accountable to His Majesty the Emperor, the confidential investigative power of West Percy Kingdom rests fully within the hands of royal family members. Not only that, the other tradition in West Percy states that the royal women are to be held responsible for secret intelligence work. It is said that women’s reasoning ability and attention to details are stronger than men. For this generation, Etha is managed by current queen of West Percy Kingdom, and Princess Catalina is the queen’s most favored daughter."
Old marshal stood there in a numbed daze, he was inexperienced in dealing with spies. "You’re saying the queen is training her successor, is that what you mean?"
Oscar nodded, "This is exactly why I didn’t wish to be close friends with Princess Catalina. Last February, she enrolled in the natural science course at Dulin University. Think about it, wherever she goes she is treated like an extremely important person, that’s because no one will have their guards against a beautiful princess! She is always surrounded by obsequious people trying to flatter her. Do not forget that West Percy is the overlord of the seas, and it’s already the richest kingdom of the Westland. Oh yes, my marshal, did you not warn me beforehand that I shall not mess with your documents? I didn’t explain away because I was still confused at the moment, but now I have to tell the truth, I didn’t touch your files and documents, someone else did! Guess who would that be?"
"A noble spy in my own house? That’s something new!" Marshal Robin cupped his chin in his hand, but for a long time, he could not think of any possible person. "Oh right! My young Oscar, don’t you know a little about intelligence war? What’s your countermeasure?"
Oscar shook his head, "First of all I’m not completely sure about the real reason Princess Catalina is here, perhaps she genuinely wished to visit me and her dear Esmeralda. However, at the very least one thing I can say for sure, that is they’re undoubtedly backed up by Etha support."
"How do you arrived at this conclusion?" Old marshal asked in confusion.
"Her paladin, Colonel Edeis, knew immediately that I’m a direct descendant of Andrew House after being told that I own the Raytheon."
"There’s nothing strange about that!" Marshal Robin shook his head in denial, "Every soldier in the world knows about Raytheon of Andrew House, they are the progenitor of warhorses. That’s general knowledge!"
"There’s another thing," Oscar argued, "I didn’t expect Paladin Edeis to know someone from Andrew House knew how to use a machete, moreover he knows that the person is me. This is definitely not an information the public would know! For example, you had no idea that the weapon I carry around with me is a Persian’s machete, did you?"
Marshal Robin shook his head, amazed. "I really didn’t know about that! That means… they are in fact supported by the Etha, perhaps they even knew all about Titan’s noblemen."
"Exactly!" Oscar affirmed the old man’s doubt. "I’m afraid it’s more than just that! The princess recognized Titan’s military crossbow at first glance. Honestly, even I wouldn’t have known that!"
Old marshal remained silent. This was undoubtedly not a news easy to his ears.
Oscar regretted to have burdened Marshal Robin with such pressure. "Ola! Anyway, this is none of our business. As soon as Esmeralda delivered the foal then we would think of ways to shoo away this unreasonable princess."
"Yes, yes! We’re finally talking about some exciting news." Old marshal said as he stroked his beard, "However, I’m really worried about Esmeralda! What monster has your Raytheon planted in her stomach? Why is it so enormous?"
Oscar shrugged helplessly, "Don’t ask me this, who knows what good thing that fellow has done!"
The conversation between the prince and marshal carried on with more perfunctory remarks, it seemed like they had finally found a way to tolerate each other.
Another winter had passed as flowers gradually began to bloom. In the suburbs, murmurs of water and bubbles quietly sounded in the dried-up stream one day. All kinds of small animals appeared outside together for activities as if they have had it planned beforehand. The brown bear asleep in the dirt hole eventually woke up from his three-month-long hibernation. It, sensing the fresh smell of water shook its thick fur, rushed excitedly to devour the trout in the river.
Green grass and pine trees sprouted new emerald green buds and shoots, some unknown wildflowers eager to show off their charm were already in full bloom. Although the snow in deep corners of the forest had not yet melted fully, the spring birds already performed lovely chorus to inform people of the changing seasons. Of course, all these changes were unknown to the people living in the city.
There was not much scent of spring in the city. There seemed to have nothing new except for the change of clothing from cotton wool into a light coat. The temperature was still incredibly low in the early morning and late evening, and people usually avoid going out at those times. Specks of dust from the burning charcoal fluttered in the sky all over the city, which caused the ladies to leave their house with a thick veil covered their faces. Although people spoke about the monsoon change, neither new shoots nor colorful wildflowers were seen sprouting from the branches.
Until today, Oscar had lived in Marshal Robin’s residence for ten months now, and the long duration would add up to a whole year by the end of April. During these ten months, Oscar had truly experienced the lifestyle and working ways of a marshal. Marshal Robin’s attitude towards life was distinctively clear. Fishing could pass time and ease his mood, farming could improve his physical and mental health which rejuvenated his passion in life, and by playing cards, he could exercise his mind and that kept him relaxed. The sweet taste of alcohol and stimulating hashish were also one of the few things that the marshal now enjoyed in his late life. Other than that, there was pretty much nothing else that happened in the mundane day-to-day life of the marshal. The work of a marshal was boring and monotonous. After all these while, Oscar decided that he would rather die if the emperor decided to make him a marshal.
Every day, the old marshal woke up as the first ray of sunlight broke the dawn. He would set up a table at his usual spot near the porch, as he enjoyed his coffee while reading the summary of news happened in various countries. Although most of them were considered old expired news, Marshal Robin still relished reading them. This was how the marshal started his day. Being a marshal, it was necessary to understand the major political and military affairs happened at home and abroad.
Next, Marshal Robin arrived in his office in the Imperial Military Academy right on dot at eight o’clock in the morning. He spent his mornings dealing with various matters and to read over and comment on the official documents of the academy and the army. If there happened to be a military maneuver, he would be extremely busy! Organizing professors gathered to discuss the project, determine the goals and strength of the exercise, then pick the suitable candidates among the bunch of childish young masters. In short, although Marshal Robin disliked such strenuous efforts, the spirit of the maneuver was nevertheless passed on from the Imperial Army. Marshal Robin the principal had no choice than to obey orders from his superiors.
On any usual days when there wasn’t a maneuver, the marshal would normally return to his residence at two o’clock in the afternoon. Of course, his time to return would be delayed until five o’clock in the evening on the days he had class. Marshal Robin was busy even at home, as there was a special student who lived there with him. Although Oscar spent most of his time doing self-study; when he encountered difficulties he would still seek help or advice from the marshal. Marshal Robin was used to it even if the prince’s tone was not very polite. He knew that this young man was kind at heart, and he believed that His Highness would one day become a qualified soldier.
During this time, Her Imperial Highness Princess Alanis stayed for a brief while in the residence of Marshal Rubin. Initially, the marshal had intended to move out, but it occurred to him of all those possibilities that would happen if he left a pair of unmarried couples alone in his residence. Marshal Robin was intimated by the thoughts, as he felt that it was something the young prince could possibly do. Seeing he had robbed to fulfill his horse’s desire, what would happen if his own desires were aroused... During the times Alanis was here, Marshal Robin kept himself close to the prince by only a few inches. The over-suspicious princess almost thought this old man wanted to snatch her boyfriend.
Interestingly, Princess Catalina, who claimed herself to be the wife of Oscar, avoided Alanis and never visited throughout the whole week Alanis stayed in the marshal’s residence. Oscar had been paranoid during the whole time as he was afraid this mischievous foreign princess would suddenly barge into the marshal’s house to kiss him and call him "Darling!" in front of Alanis.
Fortunately, his worst nightmare didn’t happen! Alanis left quickly enough, as she really couldn’t stand the lifestyle in the marshal’s residence. Both the men constantly argued about military issues that she did not understand, and these guys even went to perform labor work at the farm! God! They were the prince and a marshal, she would probably return to her father and reflect the matter with him. She suspected the old marshal was tired of the dull noble life.
On the other hand, Oscar managed to live a peace and quiet life. He had completely adapted into this lifestyle after almost a year. Furthermore, he obtained a lot of knowledge. More specifically, the knowledge of becoming a marshal. Oscar suddenly realized one day that he was totally capable of performing Marshal Robin’s daily tasks himself. He began helping the marshal to plan the military maneuvers and sort out the variety of tactical papers and combat plans submitted by his students. Sometimes when he was in a good mood, he would even read and comment on these documents himself. The old marshal delightfully observed the growth of the young man. In the end, he began to pass those detailed official documents written by the Military Affairs and Combat Department to be studied by the young prince. Although the young man could not fully grasp the essentials of these documents, a simple analysis of those official reports was already not a problem.
However, Oscar was not completely content with his current situation. The more knowledge he was exposed to, the more he felt himself lacking in knowledge. Military theory and practical operation were two different things. For example, the allocation of money from Imperial Army to Imperial Military Academy wasn’t an operation that could be put into theory. If the amount remained the same each year as listed, then the appropriation would not be enough to even pay the staffs their monthly salary. That actual amount of consumption and the budget assigned simply couldn’t match. It remained the most common problem faced by the Imperial Guards, and Oscar did not know how to deal with it.
According to Marshal Robin’s consistent behavior, without fail, he would send a thank-you letter to the military when he received his first grant each year. Within a week, he would deliver a budget report for the additional appropriation to His Majesty the Emperor and the Ministry of Senior Nobility respectively. Of course, this proposal would not be passed. Marshal Robin would tirelessly press the authority for payment starting from the second month, and basically, the monthly reminder would last for yet another thirty days. When the first appropriation was about to be exhausted, it would almost be time for the second one to arrive.
"What if the allocation couldn’t reach on time? What are you and your staff going to eat? Oscar asked in confusion.
"The first rule of demanding the payment of a debt is to be shameless. Normally I would go to the logistics department of the military when the academy run out of food, and just sit there until my two old friends come to visit."
"Military Affairs Chancellor Marshal Alan and His Excellency Chief of Staffs?"
"That’s right! They are the ones who hold the budgets."
"So why not you go straight to them for help?"
"To beg from the Marshal of Imperial Army and the Chief of Staffs? I’m never doing that! You just need to let them feel your sincerity and that would work out well. Although these two old fellas are big nuisances, sometimes they could be rather understanding too."
Oscar nodded slightly. He made sure he remembered that, be shameless and sincere when asking for money!
"I wonder how large would the crowd be in the logistic department? The Imperial Army is such a massive institution, I’m sure it’s not just you who have encountered this problem." This question suddenly came to his mind.
"Of course! Every Army Group and Region set up their respective offices in the capital, under normal circumstances there would be three or four persons waiting, then they would alternate. It doesn’t hurt to try anyway."
"Ola! But how do you make sure you’re the first one to receive the budget? So many people are competing for it!"
"Silly boy, you have to duel with them! The budget is limited. When it’s gone, it’s gone. This is the moment to fight!"
"Ola!" Oscar exclaimed as if he suddenly saw the light, "This I’m good at! But do we have to battle each time?"
Marshal Robin gave an indifferent shrug. "Most probably, the station troops in the capital are largely the paladins best at fighting."
"My God of Light!" Oscar gave a groan of despair, "Hasn’t there been any accidents?"
"As far as I know, no death has occurred yet, but you should be expected to get beaten to a pulp."
"What about you? What do you usually do? Fight your old life against those strong paladins?"
"Hehehe!" Old marshal laughed slyly, "Most often than not, I would put on my best marshal court attire and bring along my Interimstab, also not forgetting all my medals. Do you think those muscular stupid young man would dare to challenge me?"
"You’re really shameless!"
"Thanks!"
The lesson on how to seize the budget was probably the last thing Marshal Robin ever taught Oscar. It was already the 6th month of year 795. Time flew, springtime came and go in an instant, and University Town ushered in the summer with flowers in full bloom. Oscar counted the days on the calendar. Oh, God! Who would believe that he had been studying in Sparjoxin for four years! At this time next year, he would be able to graduate with a diploma signed by Marshal Robin himself.
Time was really a wonderful thing, Oscar couldn’t help but think so as he looked into the mirror. It was a thing that could be inscribed on the face, but couldn’t be held between fingers. The former round face of the young man had completely disappeared. Oscar’s height reached 175 cm, he also had a generously broad shoulder and a slightly bulging belly. As a young man approaching the age of 20, he had dark brown eyes inherited from his mother, soft lip lines inherited from his father, his mother’s light brown curls, and his father’s tall nose. In accordance with his own habits, he still tied his hair on the back into a tight pigtail. With his fingertips, he then brushed his bangs using a little bit of seal oil. Just like that, a fairly handsome guy presented himself in front of Young Lady Sasha E Nedgabel Andrew.
"Brother! Brother! Guess who I met outside of the house?" Young Lady ran to her brother in pure excitement.
"Ola! It’s Her Royal Highness The Princess Catalina Don Holmes!" Oscar appeared to be greatly honored by her presence. He planted a light kiss on the back of her soft hand.
"Your politeness is so hypocritical! Just call me Catalina."
"Your Royal Highness Princess, we’re not that familiar with each other," Oscar said straightforwardly without concern for the princess’s face.
"Brother, be nice! Catalina is our guest!" Young Lady said and grabbed the prince by his arm.
"Alright, I was only kidding." Oscar offered his other arm to Catalina, "My young princess, come with us if you don’t mind. It could be the next moment, or probably latest by midnight, that we meet Esmeralda’s little foal!"
Catalina turned her head away. Although this damned prince kept insulting her, she didn’t understand why she kept tolerating his meanness.
"It’s okay, I can go there myself!" The princess became reserved all of the sudden. She still wished to maintain some of her dignity.
"Ola! It’s your choice!" Oscar shrugged nonchalantly and walked away with his hand in Young Lady’s. He turned back to the princess before leaving the house, "Oh, Catalina, promise me you will not mess around with the things in the residence. That is a basic courtesy."
Before the princess could defend herself, Oscar had left happily with Sasha by his side.
The marshal’s residence was dead silent, but voices came from the racecourse on the other side. Today was the big day for Esmeralda, everyone in the residence went to the stables to help out.
Looking out to the empty corridor, and again at the cold coffee left on the table, Catalina finally cried. She remembered the last time she wept so terribly was when Esmeralda was being bullied by the big black beast. But this time it was different. This time, the girl herself had become the victim. She didn’t understand what was going on with herself! She was well aware that the people in the marshal’s residence didn’t welcome her, and although the old marshal was very kind to her, she sometimes sensed the cold eyes he cast her way. As for the young prince? He had done nothing other than embarrassing her in awkward situations. Yet, why did she still like coming here, even if there wasn’t anything worth coming for? Was it for Esmeralda? It didn’t seem like it. The princess’s tears fell on the side of her floral dress. What was this for? What was she expecting from all these visits?
Out of the blue, a handkerchief was handed over, and the frightened Catalina quickly wiped off her tears.
"If I’ve guessed correctly, you still have a long way to go until your adult ceremony." Marshal Robin said as he slowly replaced the cold coffee with a freshly brewed one.
"You’re wrong, I’m already sixteen!" Catalina argued in-between sobs.
"Haha, that means you’re already a big girl now! It’s time for you to experience love."
Catalina’s face became bright red. She lowered her head shyly and bit on the edge of the coffee cup.
"Is His Imperial Highness The Prince of my place your cup of tea?"
The young princess finally laughed, "I’m not planning to drink him."
Old marshal nodded, "So, big girl, can you tell me why you like Oscar?"
"I don’t like him at all! Not even a tiny bit!" Catalina’s face burned with fiery redness again. The color of her face resembled that of her Esmeralda’s fur.
"Hmm… let me rephrase that?" Old marshal gave it a little thought, "Why do you want to befriend Oscar?
Catalina tilted her head to one side, "He’s the prince of Titan Empire, also the possible heir to Andrew House. His status and identity definitely make a good match as my friend."
As she felt the strange look cast on her from the marshal, Catalina couldn’t help but ask with cautious, "Why? Did I say something wrong?"
Old marshal shook his head, "Wrong! Absolutely wrong! I know the hierarchical system is essential in West Percy Royal Family, but I would like to ask you, what good would it bring you to befriend a Titan prince? How could you benefit from making friend with the heir of Andrew House? In your opinion, are friends just another manifestation for you to boast about your title and status?"
Catalina opened her mouth to argue but found no words coming out from her mouth.
Old marshal gave a nonchalant shrug, "I know your time in University Town wasn’t really joyous. It seemed that only Young Lady from Andrew House talks with you. Those other ladies stayed away from you because they are threatened by your status, while the young noblemen on the other hand only shower you with nothing else but flattery. Therefore... you admire Oscar, even if he doesn’t look at you properly at all, even if he insults you with harsh words, but you still like coming here. If I’m not mistaken, you are hoping to change your friendship with Oscar, but you have no idea how to do it. Am I right?"
After what seemed like forever, the dumbfounded Catalina slowly nodded, "That… that seems to be it. The more he dislikes me, the more I wish to be accepted by him."
"Big girl!" Old marshal petted the young princess’s head, "The issue lies with the way you treat your friends. Don’t see him as a prince, and don’t think too much about his family background. You can only foster a true friendship with someone if you approach them with a pure heart that wasn’t contaminated by dust. Let them feel your sincerity! Oscar is a sensitive guy, if you manage to do this, I’m sure he would apologize and slowly open his heart to you."
"Really? A pure heart that wasn’t contaminated by dust?" Catalina stared at the old man with her big eyes, "Regard his status and identity as dust?"
"Exactly!" Marshal Robin nodded with affirmation, "You’re absolutely right, those are just dust that layered upon the sincerity, which affects you to lose sight of the beautiful things friendship could bring."
All of the sudden, from the corridor of the residence, rapid footsteps could be heard.
"Ola! Oh my God! Old man! Why are you still here?"
Marshal Robin was so exasperated his felt the hairs on his body erected. "You little bastard who has no respect for elderly! Are you in need of another spanking?"
Oscar couldn’t be bothered at the enraged old man, "My Catalina, hurry, come with me! Esmeralda is going to give birth to the little foal soon! She’s most familiar with you, I’m sure she would calm down once she sees you! She wouldn’t even let the rest of us approach her!"
Catalina jumped up like a spring, "Really?"
Oscar rolled his eyes in annoyance, "Hurry and come with me, my little princess!"
Catalina almost forgot her own existence when the prince’s hand held hers. She could feel his body warmth from the pair of hands, he felt so strong. "I… I like it when you call me that."
"My God of Light!" Oscar slapped at his own forehead, "My little princess, I don’t mind calling you that another time, but this is really not the time for that. Come with me!"
Having said that, Oscar that was restless with anxiety picked up the young princess in one move. He carried her over the shoulder and start darting across the field.
As expected, the old marshal naturally sighed with emotion. "Young people are really simple-minded!"
Along the way, Catalina’s laughter spread across the field like a delightful melody.
One hour has passed, two hours had passed, three hours had passed! Good God of Light! Eight hours had passed!
Everyone in the stable was going crazy as Esmeralda’s labor pain gradually intensified. She stood there in agony, sometimes looking down at her pregnant belly, her overly massive belly... So tremendously massive that she had to cling to the ground as she trembled in pain. Esmeralda had just chewed on a carrot, which made her a little more energetic. The once fiery red beauty had completely changed. Her face swollen and her eyes full of tears. Her beautiful red mane had also completely lost its luster, they now resembled the fur of a foxtail scattered in all direction. Esmeralda looked out to her husband and appeared rather disappointed. The black fella! It had gotten so close to herself when he was experiencing the jolly moment, and now he stood so far away! Male! As expected they were of no good!
The Raytheon was extremely helpless as he faced with his wife’s reproach. He had not been in a good mood lately. Even though that old man had put himself and his wife in the most spacious barn, but he found himself having the constant intention to find trouble with other horses. From time to time he would warn those guys off from his beautiful wife!
Damned! Damned! Damned! The Raytheon looked angrily at the crowd that has filled the barn, which damn fella tied him here today? It was so chaotic that he had completely forgotten the fella’s face! The Raytheon bit at the reins, but it was too tight! All he wanted to do now was to gallop over and give his wife a comforting kiss, and to kick at all two-legged creatures in the house!
"God of Light!" Poison Doctor had prepared for a long time for this moment. But only until now that he finally discovered the crucial problem. "Your Highness, I finally understand why Esmeralda’s labor pains are growing with such intensity!"
"Isn’t it too late to say now?" Oscar doubted his most trusted doctor.
"Probably not!" Percy wiped off the beads of sweat on his forehead with the back of his hand, "She… she’s using her muscle and reproductive organs to adjust the twins’ position. This is an essential step because if the fetal position is not correct, she would be in a danger during the delivery process!"
"Ugh…" The furious Oscar paced up and down anxiously, but there was nothing at all that he could be of help.
Finally! The exhausted Esmeralda plunged to the ground, while Catalina almost fainted as she looked at the blood oozing out from her companion’s lower body. Trembling, she knelt down on the ground and kept kissing Esmeralda’s face. "My dear Esmeralda! What’s wrong with you? Please don’t scare me! Are you doing okay?"
Percy distinguished the cigar with his two fingers, "Fenrar! Hurry! Bring me some distilled water and alcohol! Her amniotic fluid has broken!"
Immediately Fenrar rushed out of the stable to get what was required. On the other hand, a confused Oscar came closer and mumbled some ridiculous question about birth and labor terms.
"Get out of my face! I don’t have the time for your nonsense right now!" Percy screamed in anguish.
The unwelcomed Oscar ran to his Raytheon, who knew the big fella unexpectedly bit him hard on his arm. Oscar shouted in rage when he noticed his own sleeve being chewed into small pieces.
"Hey! What are you doing? Are you crazy!"
Raytheon’s neighs were deafening to Oscar who stood just right next to it. It seemed like he was trying to warn his owner his capability to kick the two-legged creature to a cruel death.
"What… what do we do now? Is she… is she in danger?" Catalina’s face went as pale as a sheet of white paper.
Percy nodded, "The chance of conceiving twins is extremely rare for horses! Moreover… the foal of a Raytheon is much bigger in size compared to normal foal, therefore… therefore Esmeralda is at high risk."
"Isn’t there anything we can do?" Catalina said in a quivering voice, "If anything bad happens to her, I will bury you alive!"
Percy couldn’t help but shiver. He was aware of the tradition in the West Percy Kingdom where servants were buried alive with the dead.
Just at this second, Esmeralda suddenly neighed and stood up with much difficulty. Percy quickly went forward to hold her tail, "It’s coming! The vagina is completely open now, Fenrar! Fenrar! Where’s my distilled water and alcohol?"
"Oh God of Light! I can see its head! It’s a black fella!" Percy managed to attract everyone’s attention. Young Lady, old marshal, Oscar, and Catalina rushed toward the mother in labor.
"God of Light! Can you see it? It’s black!"
"Esmeralda! Come on! Push!"
"Oh God! Its forelegs are out! Push harder! Push!"
In the midst of cheers and support from the human, a small black foal was pushed out from its mother’s body and slid to the ground. With its eyes still closed, the little fella struggled to stand on its feet, but after several attempts, he still didn’t succeed. Finally, Oscar and Young Lady worked together to assist it to its feet. Only then people noticed the little black fella had two pairs of fiery red hoofs.
"Damn it! God of Light! Damn it!" As if forgotten about the existence of the two ladies beside him, all of the sudden Percy began to curse, "Its legs are coming out first! Oh God! That’s a huge trouble! This foal might suffocate in its mother’s stomach!"
Perhaps Esmeralda felt the abnormal fetal position, she began to neigh in immense agony. It kept pushing on its stomach, but the intense pain made her afraid of pressing it furthermore.
"Damn! As expected! It’s stuck! Its head is stuck!" Percy was going mad. He knew the foal was struggling, but its mother wasn’t the most cooperative team member at the moment.
"Let me try!" Marshal Robin rolled up his sleeves and went forward to pull at the foal’s forelegs. "Where is its head? Where is its head?" Old marshal was feeling the rhythm of Esmeralda’s pushing. Finally, he felt the little fella struggled most violently when its forelegs were pulled to this one specific angle.
"There it is!" Ignoring the poor mother’s wail, old marshal adjusted his stance and in one swift move, pulled the forelegs forcefully away from its mother’s body.
"It’s out! I can see its head now!" Percy jumped in excitement.
Finally, a fiery red foal fell to the ground. However, when Oscar tried to touch it, the foal laid still where it was seconds ago, motionless.
The old marshal squatted down his body to check on the foal’s breathing, and shook his head in disappointment, "I’m sorry young man, we were a few seconds too late."
"That’s not true!" The stubborn Oscar pushed the old marshal out of his way and began performing artificial respiration on the foal. Once, twice, thrice... damned! He had already performed thirteen times! Suddenly Oscar angrily grabbed the foal by its head and shouted at it, "Hey you! Unconscious little fella! Wake up in this instant!"
Everyone was shocked at the prince’s action, no one expected him to hit at the little foal’s head!
A miracle happened out of the blue! Perhaps it was due to shock, but the fiery red little fella unexpectedly jumped at once. With tears rolling down from their cheeks, the ladies frantically hurried into Oscar’s arm. They noticed that the black foal’s sister, which was a fiery red little fella, looked just like the opposite of her brother. She had completely black colored ankles and hooves.
"Alright! It’s over now!" The old marshal grinned from ear to ear.
The gratified doctor also smiled as he looked at the two little foals that were searching for their mother’s nipples. "Yes, it’s finally over!"
"I have a suggestion!" Oscar pulled the two girls away from his arms, "The boy is named Oslu, and the girl Catya, any objections?"
"Oslu? Catya?" The princess of West Percy Kingdom suddenly turned shy. These two names were definitely the shorter variation of the prince’s and her own names.
"Anything you say!" Catalina said and planted her lips on the prince’s. The Young Lady who witnessed the event at the side was totally stupefied.
"Ola!" When their lips finally parted, Oscar appeared so embarrassed. This was his first intimate interaction with the Princess of West Percy Kingdom, he felt… well, it wasn’t too bad, to be honest, at least it was sweeter than what he had imagined!
The Raytheon neighed, as though it was saying, "Hey, hey, hey! Have all of you forgotten about me? I’m the children’s father! HEY! You damned two-legged creatures! Let me see my children!"
