The Youngest Prince Of The English Royalty House [EN]: Chapter 183

183. Marriage Alliance with Spain (1)

-Kingdom of England, Rouen-

I became the ‘co-‘ King of England with the grand title of John I instead of King John, but regardless, it was really tough.

Some might say, why is the king, who didn’t even go to the battlefield with his Mongol allies, having a hard time? But they don’t know anything.

Internal affairs always place the ‘responsibility’ on the monarch, no matter how much you exploit people, so I worked hard today to protect my immense power.

While working, I opened a drawer and took out a reply from my brother Richard from the Holy Roman Empire.

[John. I will allow the diplomatic strategy you have devised, so do as you please.]

It was a letter regarding a request related to family matters. To grant permission so readily.

Just looking at the letter makes my heart feel full.

‘Brother Richard, I miss you…’

I miss Brother Richard. Just his existence alone is a noble anchor. Moreover, many of the nobles Richard and his retinue took with them are quite capable in administration. Like the Count of Champagne, for example.

Internal affairs are always tiring. Perhaps any ruler would feel the same. Even managing a single household is not easy, so how could taking care of a huge country be easy?

[Anyway, permission is permission. John, I need a lot of guns, gunpowder, and arrows. And also military provisions.]

As the war continues, Richard’s requests often give me a headache, but I still have one consolation.

‘Still, I’m better than the original John.’

I had ‘pride’ that I, John I, who couldn’t sleep at night thinking about supporting his brother, was different from that foolish King John, who would have turned black and started a rebellion in response to Richard I’s demands.

Although it requires grinding the time of many officials and pouring in the country’s money.

I’m exhausted from carrying out utilitarian supply projects for the greatest happiness of the greatest number and also handling internal affairs.

The piles of papers on my desk. It could be said that this is the weight of the crown I wear.

‘But I don’t die alone.’

But wouldn’t it be better to bear the weight of the crown with the vassals?

“Your Majesty, may your loyal subject enter?”

Saying he is a loyal subject himself, I know who it is without mentioning his name.

“Chief State Secretary, what is it?”

“The work has increased again.”

-Thud.

Another pile of papers was placed on the desk.

What’s really scary is that this is also work that has been sufficiently processed and passed on from below.

“It’s a diplomatic matter.”

“Didn’t we handle the matters related to the Eastern Roman Empire?”

“It’s Spain.”

“I see….”

“And this is a logistics base matter.”

-Thud.

“Ha. Your Majesty, this is practically war. War!”

Peter, who is aging with me, is having a very hard time. This is because the more the war continues, the more Peter has to bear.

No matter how many administrators are added and work is distributed to various agencies, the work did not decrease. Because there was so much to do.

I know that feeling well, but.

“I’m also having a hard time with my hair falling out.”

I’m also having a hard time.

If I had left all the difficult tasks to my subordinates and was just lazing around, I would have felt a little sorry for Peter’s words, but I was also in charge of a tremendous amount of work.

Peter looked at me with a dumbfounded expression at my words, then looked out the window and said in a sentimental tone.

“Huh, my body is not what it used to be. When I think about the time when I drank milk with Your Majesty… You were the first to help me when my maternal grandfather scolded me back then.”

Anyone who hears it would think I’m abusing an old man. Am I some kind of King Sejong [a famous Korean king known for his hard work], treating my subordinates so harshly?

“We are fighting our own ‘war’, so I hope you will work harder. I’m really having a hard time too.”

“Isn’t that because you keep creating work? So many people have died because of Charlesville and Black Dragon.”

“….”

I had nothing to say to Peter’s words. Because it’s true.

Sending additional support troops and supplies to the front lines.

At the same time, the quasi-Flictlock Charlesville-1204 muskets were sequentially supplied to the front lines.

As in any world, systematic supply of military supplies and business is not easy. Moreover, recently.

‘Black Dragon.’

I thought I was dying trying to implement the Turtle Ship [Korean armored warship] in the Middle Ages.

I worked hard to build it. Admiral Yi Sun-sin [Korean admiral who invented the Turtle Ship], may you come to our English sea.

Of course, I succeeded in building the Black Dragon, but that was only part of the job. I really had a lot to do.

To Peter’s words, who was swallowing tears of blood.

“Still… didn’t we sell a lot?”

“That’s right.”

I told him the good news.

No matter how much work there is, there was something that made me feel good. English military supplies are really selling like hotcakes.

To exaggerate a little, I felt like I knew how the United States felt when it sold to the Allied forces in both World Wars.

Of course, I spent as much as I earned, but since English ‘military supplies’ were in charge of both production and consumption, the domestic situation was not bad.

Anyway, the work continued.

“This time it’s a noble problem!”

The Earl of Oxford can at least check his forces that have come to the surface, but the nobles hiding in the shadows are the problem.

The nobles of England were not so foolish, and they were not showing any special tricks now that I was not showing any gaps. That’s why it was even scarier in another sense.

“These are the problems of the direct royal family.”

The problem of my family who will soon come to Rouen from Aquitaine [region in southwestern France]. Well, I’m not too worried because they are my beloved children.

Anyway, Peter, who gave me the work, grumbled and left the seat at that time.

“Oh, when will the problems of England end?”

Knock.

Mary came in with a tired expression as the door opened.

“And you have a problem too.”

“Mary, what problem do I have?”

“You’re trying to do things perfectly. You’re stirring up the people below.”

Of course, I know the concept of ‘roughly’ for a medieval monarch, but.

“I can’t do things roughly if it’s for England.”

“You’re only good with your mouth…. By the way, you seem to be in a good mood today?”

Our Mary, she knows me too well.

“Of course I’m in a good mood. Because your and my children are coming here.”

Anyway, it’s my family that I’m going to see after a long time.

“At first, I resented you so much when you said you wouldn’t bring the children to Rouen. I understand James, but the other children need parents. Especially Louis.”

“Father had no choice but to swing his sword.”

“Ah… I see.”

In the meantime, I left my family in Aquitaine.

This was partly because there were forces in Rouen that would slander me, but also because the residences where the royal family would reside were also a problem.

I also wanted my children to indirectly learn by watching the rule of the ‘eldest’ James.

That was until today. Everyone is coming here.

Twin siblings Charles-Elizabeth, youngest son Louis.

Ah. There are also daughters-in-law.

* * *

The carriages I had been waiting for stopped in front of our palace.

It is a luxury item for nobles that I personally ordered to develop, ‘Baroque Carriage’ [ornate style of carriage].

I sold several luxury goods to the nobles for the war. I gave some as gifts to the children in Aquitaine, and they would have felt the comfortable stability.

Familiar people got off the carriage.

Seeing my children after a long time made my heart flutter.

What is the reason why I work so hard? For the future of England and the happiness of my family.

“You’ve come….”

-We greet the King.

My family greeted me in unison.

It’s a really happy moment.

Since there is an order, I went to the eldest son and his wife first.

James, who is now the head of a family. And the eldest daughter-in-law, Adelaide.

“James, you’ve grown a lot.”

“Then I have to grow. I’m no longer a child who only relies on my father. My late grandfather also recognized me.”

“Oh, so I’ll have to throw more work at you.”

“Your Majesty, only that….”

Yes, I’ll throw it all at you. The work in the provinces, I mean.

Now daughter-in-law.

“Adelaide, thank you always. For taking care of the lacking James.”

“No. James is a wonderful husband.”

And went to Elizabeth.

“Elizabeth… you’ve become very beautiful.”

“It’s because I resemble my mother. Ha, but there are no candidates I like.”

To the words that there is no groom to marry.

“There’s no need to think about it urgently anyway.”

I responded appropriately.

And finally, the youngest Louis looked at the palace in front of him and said.

“Wow, Father, when did you build this palace?”

“How could I have had time to build a palace during the war? I just slightly modified William the Great’s [William the Conqueror] villa.”

As he said, he didn’t build a new palace. It was just a slight modification of what was used as a villa during the time of William the Great (William the Conqueror).

‘Originally, I wanted to build a new one. But Richard opposed it.’

Anyway, I met my family after a long time and prepared a banquet with a happy heart.

“I will hold a banquet today to commemorate it.”

Of course, it wasn’t about holding a ‘Versailles’ style banquet [lavish and exclusive banquet] where only the privileged could laugh and have fun.

A banquet should be enjoyed by everyone.

Beer bread for the people. Beef and wine were freely given to the nobles.

There was also news to make the sudden banquet happy.

“Our great English commanders Charles and Godfrey have delivered news of victory.”

Objectively speaking, England had not yet achieved complete victory in the battle of the Mediterranean and Jerusalem, but it was true that they had won a valuable victory in the preliminary battle.

It will add to the excitement of the banquet.

“To commemorate the victory of the vassals, I will hold a banquet in Rouen tonight.”

“Wow!”

“Long live England!”

“Long live His Majesty the King!”

‘Honestly, I want to feed the commoners meat too, but it’s war, so I can’t even give them chicken carelessly.’

I felt sorry for the people cheering.

And many thoughts came to mind.

“Father…. What are you thinking about?”

“Well….”

That England is peaceful is fortunate?

Then James continued.

“Your Majesty. Rouen is indeed the capital. I feel a different atmosphere from Aquitaine.”

“It was once the place where our ancestors practically made it the capital. So it can’t be different.”

“Isn’t that too old?”

James.

It seems like yesterday when he was a cute little boy. How could he have grown up like this?

“I don’t want to go, can’t I just keep living here?”

“As long as I am a ‘co-‘ king, you can’t be here.”

“Then what about my younger siblings?”

“Their status is different from yours. Now that the capital has been settled, you have to live here.”

“My duty is really heavy.”

“That’s how the crown prince is.”

Even children conceived by the same king have a clear difference between the crown prince and the royal family. No, there must be a difference.

Anyway, my eldest son had to go back to Aquitaine and roll around.

* * *

I heard that there was a rebellion in Spain.

It was not that I did not expect this reaction from the Spanish nobles. There were those who tried to make a fortune when things were chaotic due to the war with Mongolia, and there were those who were dissatisfied with the marriage with England.

But our brother-in-law, Fernando I, quickly suppressed the rebellion as if he had been waiting for it.

That’s why today’s meeting is taking place.

“Your Majesty, a VIP is coming now.”

“I’m watching.”

-Doo doo doo.

A guest came from the Kingdom of Spain.

It’s my sister and brother-in-law.

Last time, only my sister came to England, but this time, the couple came together. What does this mean?

It’s obvious.

The day has come to marry off the second one.

The reason for holding a wedding mass at this time when the war is in full swing was for efficiency.

“I didn’t expect to see you like this.”

“Have you come? Brother-in-law.”

“Yes, I have come. John I, my brother-in-law. It’s really nice to see you like this.”

Fernando I, who is also my brother-in-law privately, greeted me with a smile on his face.

Spain is an important country. Because it is the country to the west of our England. Of course, it was not only this geopolitical location that was important. What was important was that it was a country that could surround the English-French region on both sides with France.

Now, the Angevin England was not an island nation that could immediately say, ‘Oh, we just need to protect the sea off England’ if something went wrong. It was continental England that never had any intention of losing the French region.

We couldn’t let England’s flank be exposed by being careless.

Even that great Napoleon was damaged in many ways by ignoring Spain?

So I changed my mind.

Napoleon said that people south of the Pyrenees [mountain range between France and Spain] are Africans.

I’d rather give North Africa to Spain.

Of course, before that, I have to make my grandson, whom Charles will have, the King of Spain.