Villainess Level 99: I May Be the Hidden Boss but I’m Not the Demon Lord - Volume 5 - Chapter 4

Chapter 4: The Hidden Boss Falls for a Trap

The next day, Patrick and I didn’t actually get to have our lovey-dovey date event. For the second day in a row, we found ourselves meeting with an unexpected guest.

“I apologize for visiting so suddenly. I wish I’d known you were coming to the city... I worried you might immediately leave after you’d taken care of business, so...”

“Wow, I really agree with your impulse to apologize,” I said. “It seems that the second prince lacks common sense.”

“I apologize,” the unwanted visitor repeated. “I only knew you were in the Royal Capital when you showed up at the palace yesterday.”

“I don’t think it’s such a bad thing to suddenly show up to someone’s home unannounced... It’s revolutionary. I’m impressed, Your Highness—I’m impressedness.”

Our visitor was Prince Edwin, and for some reason he didn’t seem very excited about the revolutionary new ways I was working to make language more efficient. Patrick and I were sitting with him, but the second she had heard the prince was here, Eleanora had hidden herself. She was apparently still quite curious as to how he was doing, because she seemed to be right outside the drawing room. Oh, I can almost hear her pressing her ear against the door.

I hadn’t seen the prince in a while, but we kept crossing paths, so it seemed I was karmically connected to him. He clearly had no inkling of Eleanora’s presence, and he was instead tilting his head in confusion over something that didn’t matter.

“Impressedness...?”

“Please pay no mind to that,” I said. “So what brings you here today?”

Prince Edwin shrugged. “I don’t really have a particular reason... I haven’t seen you or Patrick in a while, so I wanted to see you two.”

What’s with this guy? We’re not that close, are we? Maybe I should start referring to him as Prince Idiot when I think about him. I’m not impressedness anymore!

I wanted to tell him to leave now that he’d seen us, but Patrick cut in.

“You only wanted to see the two of us?”

“You got me...” he said with a sheepish grin. “I guess you see right through me, Patrick.”

“You were the male student I was closest to in the Academy, Your Highness.”

“I’m also glad to have met you at the Academy,” Edwin said. “Who knows what would’ve happened if I didn’t have you.”

They seemed to be having a male bonding moment. I think I’m in the way here, so I’ll leave you young’uns to it... I can just eavesdrop on them with Eleanora. I silently stood up, and Patrick turned to me.

“Oh, are you calling her over?”

I stopped short. “Huh?”

“You got up to call Lady Eleanora over, right?”

“Right...” I lied. “I’ll be right back.”

Eleanora, huh? I see. I guess Prince Edwin and Eleanora haven’t seen each other since the commotion caused by Duke Hillrose. Even if the love was one-sided, they’ve known each other for a long time, so I can see why he’d be worried about her now that she’s lost her noble status. I’d gotten up for a different reason, but I decided to call Eleanora over anyway.

We had talked about this a little in the past, and she’d said something about how she couldn’t marry the prince now that she wasn’t an aristocrat. I hadn’t probed her much about it, but I imagined it would be hard to see someone she loved but couldn’t ever be with... That was probably why she’d hidden herself. I decided I would refuse the prince on her behalf if she didn’t seem up to it, and so I headed toward the door of the drawing room. I grabbed the doorknob and listened to make sure that Eleanora had moved away from the door before I opened it slightly and slipped through the narrow gap. As soon as I entered the hallway, the first thing I did was cover Eleanora’s mouth.

“Mmph!”

“If we return right away, they’ll realize that you were eavesdropping,” I whispered into her ear. “Let’s wait a little bit before heading back.” I led her a little ways down the hall where the prince couldn’t hear us.

We should be fine around here. Just to be safe, I spoke softly.

“Did you hear what Prince Edwin said?” I asked. “His Highness came here because he was worried about you, Lady Eleanora. He probably doesn’t know that the duke is alive, so—”

“I won’t meet with Sir Edwin. Please tell him that I’m doing well,” Eleanora said, looking me right in the eye, nodding resolutely to communicate that this was her choice. She seemed firm in her decision.

I feel like it would be fine to meet with him really quick and just say hello... I still didn’t have a proper grasp on how Eleanora currently felt about the prince. Anything related to the complexities of a maiden’s heart was completely outside of my purview.

“Are you really okay with that?” I asked her. “It’s Prince Edwin. I guess it’s fine if you’re not interested in him anymore.”

“My feelings for Sir Edwin haven’t changed,” she admitted after a short pause. Then why won’t you see him? Before I could ask, Eleanora continued, her expression steely with fortitude. “Both my father and myself are under your protection, and though it might not be the whole truth, I am the daughter of an insurrectionist. Sir Edwin is trying to fulfill his duties as a member of the royal family—so he can’t be meeting with me.”

Before me stood an impressive noble lady with integrity. The lady taking a step back in order to protect the man she loved, an illustrious intellectual, was indeed Eleano— No... This is a complete stranger.

I reached out at once to rub her back. “Are you all right?! You must’ve picked up something strange and eaten it. Come on, spit it out.”

“What?! I haven’t eaten anything! I wouldn’t pick things off the ground and eat them...” she pointed out indignantly. “I’m not you, Yumiella.”

I don’t pick things up off the ground and eat them either, I thought, but I didn’t have the time to argue back. This is alarming. At the very least, I’m certain that Eleanora’s having psychosomatic issues. Maybe she’s severely ill.

“Do you feel any pain anywhere?” I asked.

“I’m not injured,” she insisted.

“I’m worried you might have come down with an illness of some kind. I can heal injuries with my recovery magic but not illnesses. Are you in any pain?”

“Pain comes from injuries. When you’re ill, you suffer...” She frowned. “Wait. There are also illnesses that cause pain. Could illnesses and injuries be the same...?”

Yay! Lady Eleanora’s back to her usual self! I wuv you! Anyways, I’ll observe her for a while just to make sure she’s okay. Also, sorry to break it to you while you’re trembling with excitement over this new discovery, but illnesses and injuries are completely different.

“They’re different,” I assured her.

“Oh! The ones from the outside are injuries, and the ones from the inside are illnesses!”

“Well...I guess. I think you’re correct.” I guess injuries can also be referred to as external wounds, so that interpretation seems accurate enough. Are there any exceptions...? It was good to know that I was back to speaking with the Eleanora I knew, but because of our conversational detour, I’d forgotten that we were keeping Prince Edwin waiting. “So you’re really okay with not seeing His Highness?”

Eleanora just gave me a short “Yes” in response to my final inquiry for confirmation. Despite how flighty she sometimes seemed, Eleanora was stubborn, so it was hard to persuade her otherwise when she’d made a firm decision. I guess there’s no need to force her to see him.

I returned to the drawing room and the waiting prince. Patrick and Prince Edwin both seemed confused by the fact that I’d returned alone. All right, then...what should I say?

I chose my words carefully as I began to explain. “Lady Eleanora—Ahhhhhh!” Instead of finishing my explanation, I screamed.

The second prince’s shoulders jolted upward. I know it’s scary when someone expressionless like me suddenly screams, but I didn’t expect him to be so surprised. In contrast, Patrick didn’t even raise an eyebrow—he was the textbook definition of composure.

“Don’t eat things you picked up off the floor, Yumiella,” he said calmly.

“I don’t eat things off the floor—I’m not you, Patrick.” After passing the “scavenger” title that Eleanora had bestowed upon me onto Patrick, it seemed that I didn’t need to provide cover for any suspicious sounds anymore, so I silently took a seat.

I’d yelled in order to hide the sound of Eleanora’s movement in the hall. She’d returned here, following me from a distance, and I could tell that she was already back to pressing her ear against the door. If you’re that curious about him, you should just meet with the prince. Also, I know Patrick said what he just said in order to trick the prince, but what if he really starts to think I eat things off the floor?

Patrick (whose assist I couldn’t praise in good conscience) urged me to continue. “Where’s Lady Eleanora?”

I knew that I was expected to share the details, but I still hadn’t come up with a good excuse. If I told the truth, that would disregard Eleanora’s desire to not be a burden to the prince. But it would sound harsh if I just said she didn’t want to see him.

“Lady Eleanora isn’t feeling well,” I said.

“The Lady Eleanora?! Sick?!” the prince exclaimed.

Usually one would simply say “How unfortunate!” and then the conversation would end, but Prince Edwin had reacted more strongly than I’d expected. That was when I remembered that Eleanora had asked me to tell him that she was doing well, and so my statements became inconsistent.

“She’s been doing well until now,” I corrected. “She just isn’t feeling her best today.”

“I’m surprised,” said Prince Edward. “She’s never gotten sick before. They say that a change in environment can be a strain, and there’s also the issue of Duke Hillrose. You should take her to a doctor while you’re here, just in case.”

“Today’s an unusual case, and she’s doing incredibly well. She’s really active in Dolkness County, and is even more social than I am...” I hadn’t expected him to latch onto this topic like this. Is Prince Edwin just someone who gets really concerned when an acquaintance is ill?

Patrick also contributed some additional anecdotes about how well Eleanora was doing in Dolkness County. That seemed to finally convince Prince Edwin that there were no long-standing issues with her health.

“I’m glad to hear she’s doing well,” he said in a gentle voice, one filled with relief and fondness.

“Are you really that concerned?” I asked him.

“I’ve known Lady Eleanora since before we could even walk properly. I can only recall a single incident in which she came down with a slight cold, but she returned to her usual energetic self the next day.”

I see, so he got overly worried when he heard that Eleanora wasn’t feeling well, since she’s never really been sick. I’d only known Eleanora from our time in the Academy, which meant that Prince Edwin had known her for over a decade longer than I had. I’d only ever seen the two of them interact in the context of the relationship they had settled into as young adults, in which Eleanora had unrequited feelings for him, but Prince Edwin didn’t have eyes for her. Everything I knew about how they’d been before that came from stories Eleanora had told me. I remembered one of those stories now.

“Lady Eleanora fell into a fountain when you two were together and she caught a cold as a result, right?”

Prince Edwin seemed startled. “How do you know about that?”

“She’s told me that story more times than I really needed to hear it. The truth is, she didn’t even catch a cold. She wanted people to visit her, so she pretended to be sick. She apparently got tired of waiting after a day, so she stopped faking it the next morning.”

“I didn’t know that. If she’d been sick for three days, I would’ve gone to visit her...”

Even if I always let them go in one ear and out the other, Eleanora’s childhood tales were forever etched into my mind with sheer repetition. Because of that, I’d ended up accidentally exposing the truth about her “illness.” Lady Eleanora, if you’re listening, I implore you to be merciful when you decide upon my punishment.

I heard a strange “Mm!” sound coming from outside the door. The prince looked at the door curiously, and Patrick jumped in to assist with an explanation.

“It’s the sound of the wind. I think that a window was left open somewhere.”

After that, the strange sound wasn’t mentioned again.

Patrick and I took turns talking about Eleanora’s new life in Dolkness County. Now that I knew how worried he was about her, I wanted to give him as much reassurance as possible. Hearing about how the former duke’s daughter was romping around, Prince Edwin seemed to think that there was no need for him to worry. My past self probably wouldn’t have been able to believe that a day would come when we’d peacefully chat like this.

After our conversation had reached a certain point, Prince Edwin abruptly changed the subject, as if he’d only just remembered it.

“That’s right, I almost forgot. I would like to discuss the matter regarding Count Archiam for a little bit.”

I shrugged. “About the Lord of National Affairs, you mean? We’ve already backed off...is a strange way to put it, but we aren’t planning on getting involved any further.”

Prince Edwin nodded. “That’s good, especially if you haven’t changed your stance on staying out of central politics. It’s a fact that it’s a central position in name only, so it assuredly would’ve been dissolved sooner or later in any case. I came here this morning because I was of course worried about Lady Eleanora, but I wanted to talk about this as well.”

Being uninvolved is definitely for the best. Now that Prince Edwin has also asked that we stay out of it, hopefully Eleanora will give up too... But it might be difficult, since she cares for her friends just as much as she cares for the person she loves.

“Thank you for your concerns. I must say, I’m surprised at how well-informed you are.”

“I heard about it from Marquess Prynan,” the prince explained. “I was feeling troubled about whether or not it was all right for me to come see Lady Eleanora, and he’s the one who pushed me to come, even if it ended up feeling like an imposition. He’s always taken good care of me.”

As soon as Marquess Prynan’s name came up, something felt off. That’s right, the only way that Prince Edwin could’ve heard about the reason for our visit to the palace would have been through the marquess. He must have heard it from the marquess...or rather, the marquess made sure that he heard.

Patrick, who seemed to have reached the same conclusion as me, asked hesitantly, “Your Highness, do you have many opportunities to meet with Marquess Prynan? I would like to know what led to your discussion yesterday about this matter.”

“Why?” the prince wondered. “We pass by each other in the palace sometimes, but it’s not very often. Yesterday he came to me, saying there was an urgent matter he needed to discuss.”

I asked the next question instead of Patrick, but my wording didn’t end up being the most polite. “Was it actually urgent?”

“I thought it could’ve been discussed later... What have you two been trying to get at?” Prince Edwin didn’t seem to entirely understand our underlying motivations, but he did seem to feel that something was off about our behavior. It would probably be difficult for him to accept what had happened.

I responded to the prince’s question with one of my own. “Do you really believe that I would go all the way to the Royal Palace just to protect Count Archiam’s position?”

“I heard that he cried, begging for your help, and you couldn’t turn him down.”

“After seeing me continuously reject offers from various aristocrats during my three years at the Academy, do you really think that I wouldn’t be able to refuse someone just because they cried?”

“That’s a fair point...” Prince Edwin admitted. “But if that’s the case, then why...? Archiam... Oh, it must be because of Dorothea Archiam!” The prince’s eyes widened as he recalled the count’s daughter.

Prince Edwin had lived in the Royal Capital his entire life, so he likely knew about Dorothea and Eleanora’s friendship. If he’d finally made that connection, then he could probably understand why Marquess Prynan had sent him my way.

It was Eleanora who wanted to protect Count Archiam, not me. The marquess wanted to stop Eleanora’s attempt to help by sending the prince to reprove our attempts to help the count—in other words, the marquess was trying to take advantage of Eleanora’s romantic feelings toward Prince Edwin. That was frustrating on its own, but it made me even more furious that he thought Eleanora was such a shallow person that she would turn her back on her friend just because the prince told her to do so.

I suddenly recalled the words that black-hearted geezer had said to me when we had parted ways. “I know what it’s like to want to please someone you love—I feel the same way when my granddaughter asks for my help. I don’t want you to hold on to too much hope, but I’ll try to do what I can. It’s possible that the situation could change by tomorrow.” Trying to manipulate a sheltered girl by using her beloved prince to encourage her to cease in her attempts to help her friend—is that “doing what you can”? I’ll have you know, Marquess Geezer, that Eleanora was even worried about causing you trouble. My anger continued to rise, coloring my tone so that I spoke a little more harshly than I meant to with the prince.

“If you’re here to persuade me that the revocation of the position of Lord of National Affairs needs to go smoothly, you’re talking to the wrong person. It’s Lady Eleanora who needs convincing, not me. And the best person to do that convincing would obviously be someone special to her. I won’t let you say that you don’t understand where I’m going with this.”

To his credit, Prince Edward seemed abashed by my words. “So I was used...” he said bitterly. “Well, now that I think about it, everything about the marquess felt off. I’m at fault here. He nearly manipulated me into hurting Lady Eleanora...” He buried his head in his hands.

It was a truly foul plan, and if one knew what kind of person Eleanora was, it felt like an even more nefarious scheme. While I was extremely peeved, the prince seemed depressed about this revelation. Stoke up those flames of anger! I mentally chided him. Before I could fan said flames, Patrick chimed back in.

“I met him yesterday for the first time as well. I was taken aback by his seemingly kind demeanor—so much so that I lowered my guard. I can understand how you were misled by him.”

“Thank you, Patrick,” the prince responded gratefully. “But it’s still not okay. His oddly timed visit, the information that he so conveniently had, and the fact that he sent me here...it all felt strange. Looking back on it, there were plenty of suspicious aspects to his visit. If I had just thought about it some more yesterday, I should’ve been able to realize what was happening. I didn’t think things through enough. Again.” Prince Edwin sounded defeated. He seemed to be quite upset about this.

Being the second prince, there had probably been many times in his life in which older, malicious aristocrats tried to involve him in their Machiavellian tricks. I felt sorry for him being put in that position.

“I think it would have been for the best if I wasn’t born into royalty,” he continued in a quiet tone. “If I weren’t the second prince, people wouldn’t try to take advantage of me. If my actions cause trouble for others, sometimes I think it would be better if I never interacted with anyone or did anything.”

I couldn’t believe that he seemed to be considering abdicating his place in the succession. I’d never heard of any actual cases of it happening in the past, and I would imagine it wouldn’t be so easy to leave the royal family. He would probably have to leave the kingdom and never step foot in Valschein again for the rest of his life.

Hearing this candid and despondent confession, both Patrick and I found ourselves at a loss for words. I couldn’t just agree and tell him to quit being the prince if he wanted to, nor did I feel that I had the right to stop him from making such a choice.

There seemed to be no escape from this silence, but an evasion came from the door to the room, which was suddenly flung open. All three of us turned to see the very person who’d been pressing her ear against the door, listening to the entire conversation.

“What are you talking about?! That’s not like you to say such a thing, Sir Edwin!”

“Lady Eleanora?!” Prince Edwin exclaimed. “Were you there the whole time?”

Eleanora was furious. She was glaring at him with furrowed brows, which was a wholly uncharacteristic expression to see on her face.

“I thought you wanted to be of help to people. Did you only have such feelings because you were a prince and felt you had no other choice? That isn’t the case, is it?! You wanted to make the world a better place because that’s who you are, right?! You didn’t like academics, swordsmanship, or magic when you were younger, but I know that you worked hard to get better in all of those disciplines so that you could better support your older brother when he became the king!” Her words continued in an unabating torrent, exploding with emotion. Tears sprang to her eyes. “You always said that even if things get worse than they currently are, you should keep pushing forward for as long as there is someone in need of help.” Her words hiccuped between sobs. “I took those words to heart, and I still remember them to this day! You’ve changed, Sir Edwin, and I... I-I hate you!” After getting everything she wanted to say off her chest, Eleanora turned and fled from the room without waiting for the prince to respond.

The sound of Eleanora’s sobs disappeared into the distance, and the drawing room, its door still hanging open, was once again filled with a terrible silence. No one could say anything, and we sat there for a while until Patrick finally mustered up the will to speak.

“Can you go check on Lady Eleanora, Yumiella?”

“S-Sure.” I jumped up from my seat and went after Eleanora. I left without looking at Prince Edwin, unable to bear the thought of what his expression might be.

◆◆◆

It was easy to follow Eleanora. The servants of the estate were also worried about her after they’d seen her running through the halls while crying, and they told me where she’d gone without me having to ask.

I went upstairs to the second floor and walked down the hallway. It seemed obvious in retrospect that she would retreat to her room.

“I’m coming in,” I said before opening the door. I scanned the room, but she was nowhere to be seen.

Did she disappear...? No, that’s not possible. The window is shut and there aren’t any holes in the walls to crawl through. She has to be hiding somewhere. The moment I looked under her bed, I heard something rustling inside her closet.

“I’m opening this door too,” I announced before opening the doors to Château Eleanora (aka her suspiciously rattling closet).

Eleanora sat there, shrunken down in a corner of the cramped closet. She looked up at me, her eyes redder than usual from all of the swelling caused by her tears.

“Sir Edwin won’t come here, will he?” she asked me plaintively.

“Don’t worry. If he does, we’ll hole up here together,” I said, crouching down to her eye level.

Eleanora was still sniffling, but she seemed to be calming down. Though she stumbled over her words, she began speaking. “I... What did I do...?”

“They do say that if taking action doesn’t work, it might be time to take a step back. You shouldn’t worry too much about the fact that you said you hate him.”

“But...I said that I hated that he’s changed... The Sir Edwin I love, the Sir Edwin he used to be...I used that against him... That makes me no different than the people who have troubled Sir Edwin by constraining him, using his position as the second prince to their advantage...”

“Perhaps that’s true...” I admitted.

I’d misunderstood the situation. I’d come here under the impression that I was just going to comfort a girl who’d told the boy she liked that she hated him without thinking. Just moments ago, I had been furious with Marquess Prynan for underestimating Eleanora, but now I was doing the same. Eleanora’s love was incredibly pure. She might be a lover of romance as a concept, but the love she held in her heart for others was true.

I pushed aside the dresses hanging in her closet so that I could join her inside, squeezing in next to her shoulder to shoulder before reaching out to close the door. It was a game of hide-and-seek, which wasn’t something anyone would expect from two women of our age.

In the warm darkness of the closet, I slowly spoke again. “You liked that His Highness worked hard for the sake of others, right, Lady Eleanora?”

“That’s right. I love all the sides of him. When he’s kind, when he’s cold, when he’s smiling, when he’s angry... I love it all. But what I loved the most was when Sir Edwin was doing his best and working hard.”

“Would you still love him even if he stops being the second prince...?”

“That’s not relevant,” she said firmly.

“What if he loses his drive and stops trying?”

Though she had been responding instantly, at this question she suddenly fell silent. My eyes worked fine in the darkness of the closet. I turned my head to the side and saw Eleanora shutting her eyes tightly, twisting her face into a mess as she thought hard.

The silence continued for a while before Eleanora finally said, “I would still love him... Even if that happened, I would still love Sir Edwin.”

I see. If that’s the case, the rest will be easy to deal with. It’s like talking to a grade schooler who’s been mean to their crush.

“Aw, did you tell your beloved Prince Edwin that you hate him, Eleanora dear?” I asked her in a gentle voice.

“Agh,” Eleanora groaned. “What do I do...?”

“It happens sometimes; it’s no big deal. You’ll be all right.”

Man, Prince Idiot really is dumb. I can’t believe he’d continue to ignore the feelings of such a good girl. What does Eleanora mean when she says she likes when he’s “working hard”? If he’s going to work hard, he should start by grinding up to level 99.

Thinking about it now, the reason that Eleanora and I had met was actually the prince. I wouldn’t have known what to do if she suddenly said, “I don’t care about Sir Edwin.”

All right then, it’s starting to get uncomfortable in here.

“Why don’t we get out?” I suggested.

“Already?” she asked with a little pout. “I was starting to have fun.”

I shook my head fondly. “You really get over things quickly, don’t you, Lady Eleanora...?”

“Wait, ‘Lady’? You called me just Eleanora earlier, and even added ‘dear.’”

“Did I?” I shrugged. “I’ve always referred to you as ‘Lady Eleanora.’ It’s embarrassing to change the way you address someone after being used to one way for so long.”

“Yumiella dear...” she tried out, then shook her head. “I’ll stick to just ‘Yumiella.’”

She probably doesn’t think I notice because it’s dark, but, Eleanora dear, your face is bright red. Now my heart’s starting to pound... The part of her I’m pressed against is also soft, and she smells good... What do I do if I make a mistake here? 

I really needed to get out of the closet. Eleanora wasn’t crying anymore, and Patrick would send the prince home sooner or later. I also had a task of my own.

“Let’s get out. We’re moving to the closet in my room.”

“Are we going to hide again?” she asked, only a little hopefully.

“No, I’d like for you to choose a gown for me. I have a party to attend tonight.”

I now understood that Prince Edwin still acted as carelessly as he had when we’d been at the Academy, and I’d learned how deep Eleanora’s love was. I also knew that I was the strongest and that Marquess Prynan was a wicked villain.

It’s time for a rematch. I don’t care whether I end up saving Count Archiam or not. I won’t let Marquess Prynan get his way. I won’t be satisfied until he faces the consequences of trampling on Eleanora’s feelings.

I exited the closet, and I looked back to see Eleanora squinting at the brightness and gaping up at me, jaw dropped.

“You’re going to voluntarily put on a gown?” she squeaked in amazement.

“A beautiful gown is what a noble lady wears to battle, no?” I was aware that I was saying something uncharacteristic, but I wanted to gain a political victory against Marquess Prynan. I wanted to mess him up in a way that he wouldn’t be able to make excuses about, like he would if I got physical with him.

I reached out my hand to Eleanora, which she grabbed and finally let me pull her from the closet.

“Yumiella, please listen carefully,” she said seriously. “Beams don’t shoot out of gowns.”

“I know that...”

“What? But you said you’d be wearing it to battle...” She frowned in confusion. “You’re going out somewhere to fight, aren’t you?”

“Well, that wasn’t quite what I meant. To sum it up, I think I know how to end up saving the Archiam family’s position.”

Though I wasn’t terribly thrilled that I was about to do this, the smile that appeared on Eleanora’s face when I said I could protect the position of Lord of National Affairs made me not care about anything else.

◆◆◆

The swaying of the carriage was making me feel ill. I was usually fine, but I wasn’t in top condition at the moment, and thus I was experiencing motion sickness.

“I can’t do this anymore,” I groaned. “I’ve used up all my stamina.”

“What happened to your enthusiasm from earlier?” Patrick asked with an exasperated look. He was dressed more formally than usual as well.

Aside from the driver, we were the only two in the carriage. The party we were headed to at the Royal Palace was quite the official affair, so Eleanora was waiting for us at home.

Right around the time we’d finished hiding in the closet, Prince Edwin left his goodbyes for Eleanora and me with Patrick before taking his leave. It was hell after that.

Eleanora had suddenly become very motivated. She’d started with selecting a dress, and then she’d curled and braided my hair, applied a full face of makeup, and even sprayed a perfume on me that apparently would smell perfect by the time we arrived at the venue... Several people had worked on my beauty routine nonstop, and it had taken several hours. Thinking back on it, my last chance to escape all of this was when I had been leisurely enjoying my early bath.

It was now evening, and I was being tortured by my motion sickness. I was suffering as much as someone traveling a long distance on a bus eating squid jerky with a slight cold. I let out a sigh.

“I’m sorry you’re not feeling well, but I need to check something with you” Patrick said apologetically. “The plan is to first negotiate with Marquess Prynan again, and then if that doesn’t work, we’re going to talk to Count Archiam and make the case for why he deserves to be the Lord of National Affairs...correct?”

Considering what had happened last time, I’d wanted to come up with a plan, but since we couldn’t discuss things with Count Archiam prior to the party, we were going to make our first charge at the marquess. We might not be at much of a disadvantage if we bring up the fact that he tried to involve the second prince in this matter.

The party to which we were headed was the celebration that always preceded the monthly court conference. It was common for His Majesty to not attend. I’d also heard something about how most of the decisions that would be made at the conference the following day were settled at these parties.

I hated the thought of owing other nobles any favors, but I had a lot to do at the party, like getting the other marquesses on my side. I need to give it everything I’ve got. But I’m so nauseous.

“I’ll go to Marquess Prynan to declare war, so can you find Count Archiam and make plans with him?” I asked Patrick.

“Hm? Is it okay to split up?”

“We might run out of time if we don’t.”

This was truly a race against time. It would’ve been best if we could’ve met with the count prior to the party, but I’d lost time after being attacked by Eleanora’s mob of stylists. I shouldn’t have been cocky and said it was what I was wearing into battle.

The carriage arrived at the Royal Palace—I could finally get out. Patrick exited the vehicle first, then considerately lent me his hand to help me down because I was wearing heels. Heels... I can’t help but think of a heel in terms of wrestling, since that’s what they called the villains... Maybe I should call what I’m wearing on my feet “forcefully heightening shoes” instead. I took Patrick’s hand and stepped onto the battleground.

Patrick looked me up and down before saying, “You really are beautiful, Yumiella.”

“What?” I asked, indignant at his tone. “You say that like I’m some comic relief character that doesn’t care about her appearance.”

“That is what I meant,” he agreed with a teasing smile.

“Excuse you?”

“You should direct that fighting spirit at the marquess.”

As I continued walking toward the palace, breathing in the fresh air, my nausea started to subside.

Despite the fact that an event was being held today, we didn’t see very many people on the way to the great hall. The reason for that became clear when we entered the chamber—everyone was already here. I’d tried to arrive early, but it seemed we were late.

The tables were laid out with bright white cloths and filled with a colorful array of dishes. The partygoers stood by the tables, drinks in hand, chattering away. There were even some attendees dancing in the middle of the hall where there was some open space, moving to the music the band was playing. I wanna go home...

Not only were the heads of noble households in attendance, so were their wives. There were even plenty of young people. This was not only a place to engage in negotiations prior to the council, it was also a space to exchange information, gossip, and meet potential suitors.

One person near the entrance took notice of me and whispered into the ear of the person next to them. The news of Yumiella’s invasion spread quickly throughout the great hall.

“Is that...Yumiella Dolkness?” I heard someone gasp.

“The one next to her is the Ashbatten boy, so it’s probably Countess Dolkness,” observed another.

Huh? Has everyone forgotten what I look like? I’d thought that the fact that I was a woman with black hair would always be enough for them to recognize me as Yumiella.

I quietly asked Patrick, “Why is everyone acting like they don’t know who I am?”

“They’re all surprised by how beautiful you are when you’re dressed up,” he answered in a matter-of-fact manner.

My, my. You flatter me, Mr. Patrick. You’re the only one who would say I’m pretty. Don’t you know that most normal people think I’m some kind of monster? I can’t imagine people’s impression of me would change no matter how dressed up I am.

I suddenly noticed that there was a boy who was obviously staring at me. He looked to be around the age when nobles entered the Royal Academy, and he had stopped in the middle of dancing with a girl who looked to be the same age. I could hear the whispers from the dance floor.

“I didn’t know she was such a lovely woman,” I was able to pick out from the murmurs.

Are they for real? I know, though—I know that if I respond, they’ll go, “Eek, the monster glared at me.” That’s always the reaction to a monster that steps on tanks, chews on trains, and destroys towers.

As fan service, I decided to wink at the boy, which made him turn red before my eyes. Huh...? The girl dancing with him shot me a glare before leaving his side. You’ve got it wrong. I wasn’t trying to act like the older woman seducing a young man. I didn’t mean to tear you two apart when things looked to be going well.

As I stood there, apologizing to them in my mind, Patrick exasperatedly said, “Why are you messing around?”

“You’re wrong,” I assured him. “I’ve only got eyes for you, Patrick. I was just having fun—it was a momentary lapse in judgment...” I trailed off. “I sound like I’m trying to excuse an affair or something.”

“I’m not worried about that. Some people might be fooled by your looks, but that’s because they don’t know what you’re like on the inside.”

“Are you saying I tricked that boy?”

“Yeah.” He shrugged. “I’m probably the only one who could still like you after seeing what you’re really like.”

Should I be happy or upset by that? Unsure of how to respond, I looked away and scanned the venue. There were so many people here that it was going to be difficult to find our targets.

As I tried to pinpoint Marquess Prynan, Patrick whispered, “There are more radicals here than I expected.”

After what had happened with the duke, their numbers had decreased quite a bit, and they were supposed to be lying low... It seemed that they couldn’t stand not attending the big monthly party though. If you’re going to show your face in public only to be treated with disdain, you should just stay home... Oh, I don’t see the marquess, but I found Count Archiam.

“Patrick, over there.”

“All right, let’s go.”

I shook my head. “I’ll keep looking for the marquess, so you handle the planning with him.”

“I have a bad feeling about this...” Patrick protested. “Why don’t we stay together as much as possible?” He sounded anxious.

I could understand why he’d be worried, but I wasn’t stupid enough to behave strangely in a place like this. Though I couldn’t help but wonder what would happen if I, say, suddenly started screaming, I knew that I could suppress my curiosity without issue.

“I’ll be fine. Haven’t I always behaved in these sorts of situations? I’m going to go look for the marquess.” After reassuring my worried boyfriend, I began to circulate through the hall.

Immediately after I split up with Patrick, a stranger started talking to me.

“It’s nice to see you again. It seems you’re doing as well as always, Countess Dolkness.”

“Hello,” I said with a stiff bow. I tried to walk away, but the unfamiliar man persistently followed me.

“When we last met, you took off with Lady Eleanora, so I was hoping to someday have the chance to properly talk to you,” he said smoothly. “What brings you to the Royal Capital? I can connect you to people if there’s someone you’d like to meet with.”

As he rattled on, his identity finally dawned on me. It was the man I’d exchanged a word or two with at that party I’d been invited to at Duke Hillrose’s home. Just like Patrick had observed, this gathering was full of radicals.

I reluctantly addressed the man as I continued walking. “It’s nice to see you again. It appears you were able to escape the roundup.”

“Ha ha ha.” His laugh did not sound terribly sincere. “That Hillrose sure did come up with a foolish plan. I would never have any intent of rebelling against the royal family.”

He’s definitely lying. He probably avoided being caught by coincidence. I’m sure when he heard about the coup he was like, “Hip, hip, hooray! Our great Duke Hillrose is amazing as expected! Huzzah!”

I couldn’t trust this man with his humorless smile. He had definitely been in Duke Hillrose’s little clique. Considering the marquess and his smarmy expression, I could understand why the duke had decided to do a deep clean on the aristocracy of this kingdom.

Still, a guy like him who loves sucking up to powerful people might know where Marquess Prynan is. I’m sure if I walked through the venue from edge to edge I’d find him eventually, but it’d be quicker to ask this guy.

“I’m here to see Marquess Prynan. Do you know where he is?”

“What! You want to see Marquess Prynan?! He’s a wicked old man.”

“I’m aware,” I responded drily.

“He’s trying to take the loyal Count Archiam’s position as the Lord of National Affairs away from him!”

“Like I said, I’m aware. I’m here regarding that matter.”

This guy just keeps lying. Even the count himself has admitted that he’s a Lord of Doing Nothing. Can he just tell me where the geezer is already?

I’d been walking this entire time without even looking his way, but now I stopped to face him. The noble, whose name I didn’t even know, was staring at me, mouth agape.

“Is something wrong?” I asked.

“Are you perhaps going to discuss Count Archiam with the marquess?”

“That’s the plan, yes.”

This is so annoying. At this rate, he might ask me to take care of an issue he has while I’m at it. It’s fine; people have asked for similar favors in the past. I’ll just refuse and ignore him. I’m sure he’d have learned about this sooner or later.

Finally, the man pointed across the hall.

“Marquess Prynan is over there. You can’t see right now because of all the people, but...that’s his usual haunt.”

“I see. Thank you very much.”

My destination was one of the most densely packed areas in the entire venue. Oh, it’s all older men. It’s probably where all the heads of households are gathered. Since this guy next to me is a radical and he isn’t over there, it’s probably all moderates.

I pressed onward with an even more emotionless expression than my usual. Perhaps everyone could sense my anger toward Marquess Prynan, because the crowd parted to make way for me without me asking. I kept walking, and I found the marquess quickly enough. He didn’t move out of the way, so our eyes met, following the path created by the parted crowd.

I strode right up to the marquess, who greeted me with a smile, but my battle spirit wasn’t diminished by his friendliness.

“Oh, what a rare sight,” he said jovially. “I didn’t think I’d be seeing you again, Yumiella.”

“We’re in public,” I responded coldly. “Please refer to me as Dolkness.”

“Hm... Were you unsuccessful in persuading your obstinate little friend?”

“Lady Eleanora, a member of my household, isn’t the type of woman to abandon her friends, regardless of what anyone says to her. That was a really unnecessary thing that you did. I’ll have you know that I’m firm in my resolve, and I won’t be backing down like I did yesterday.”

“Does that mean your demands haven’t changed, Countess Dolkness?” the marquess asked.

“Yes, that’s right. I am asking you to cease your attempts to annul the position of Lord of National Affairs in the court conference tomorrow,” I said, clearly stating my demands.

Since we had an audience, he surely couldn’t make any dishonorable remarks. If he brought up the fact that the position of Lord of National Affairs had no substance, I could use aristocrat logic to make something up and discuss how wonderful a person Count Archiam was. Even if everyone knew it was a position in name only, it would be meaningful to hear me acknowledge it.

Marquess Prynan covered his mouth with his hand and stared at me. If I look away, I’ll lose. The marquess and I continued our staring contest until...the marquess looked away. But I only felt victorious for a moment, because he was staring intently at something behind me. Whatever he’d seen caused him to move his hand away from his mouth to reveal a beaming smile. Still wearing his affable grin, he began to speak in an exaggerated manner, as if he were hamming it up on a stage.

“Oh my! If it’s a request from the Countess Dolkness herself, then even I, the Lord of Finance, must rethink my decisions. It seems that Count Archiam has forged a great connection. I must consider treating him kindly if he is now under your protection, Countess Dolkness.”

It’s that easy? Things had gone exactly the way I wanted them to, but something didn’t feel right. As I wondered what the origin of this strange feeling was, I noticed that Marquess Prynan’s gaze was still focused on whatever was behind me. I quickly turned around to see that the crowd had unexpectedly swelled in size. The man I had been talking to earlier was at the front of the press, and the entire crew was probably made up of radicals. They had gathered like moths to a light, and they seemed to be excited.

“Wonderful!” someone called out. “I thought it was over for Count Archiam, but it seems a savior has appeared.”

“I will follow Countess Dolkness as well,” swore another.

“That’s right,” a third concurred. “Even though we’ve had the rug pulled out from under us, if we gather under her leadership...”

At this rate, they’ll turn from the radical faction to the Yumiella faction. They’d gathered around me, which had nothing to do with what I’d come here to accomplish, and now they were proclaiming that they were in my faction. These people were going to use my influence without my permission and do whatever they wanted.

This is bad. Could this be what Marquess Prynan was after? I quickly turned back around and saw his face twisted into a horrible grin.

“Oh my,” he simpered. “Are those people behind you all your friends?”

“So you’ve shown your true nature...” I observed through gritted teeth. “Is this what you wanted?”

He shrugged. “Ever since Hillrose has been gone, things have been a mess within the moderate faction. However, now it seems that a formidable rival has appeared. We must come together as well.”

This is actually really bad. He’s trying to force me into the position Duke Hillrose used to occupy—as the person who gathers all those who oppose the kingdom in one place. I feel bad for him, but do I have any other option other than abandoning Count Archiam? No... I can’t back down here. Even if I were to turn my back on him and say that his position isn’t necessary, it won’t do anything to solve the problem I’m in now.

At this point, all that could happen was that Marquess Prynan wouldn’t bring up the issue regarding the Lord of National Affairs at the court conference tomorrow. He’d later complain (just like he was doing now) and say, “I don’t have a choice, because this is what Yumiella told me to do.” Just that would be enough of an achievement to say that I’d saved the radicals.

What if I just hid away in Dolkness County while the radicals all get excited? No... That wouldn’t work either. They’re the same people that ignored what the second prince wanted and tried to set him up to succeed the throne. I wouldn’t be able to bear it if the uproar in the Royal Capital affected my county.

It wouldn’t matter how far I might try to backpedal—I’d been forced into a corner. If taking a step back doesn’t work, then I need to press forward. I’ll keep pressing and pressing until he has no choice but to back down.

I launched into a performance as well. I was going to be the successor to Duke Hillrose’s mission, stand at the top of the radicals, and take power from the moderates with everything I had...or, at least I would pretend to.

“Count Archiam is someone who brings honor to the title of Lord of National Affairs so...I think it would be fine to give him more tasks regarding the protection of this kingdom.” I spoke vaguely on purpose, but I was basically telling the marquess that he ought to hand over the right for Count Archiam to have some say in military affairs. Just as I’d expected, the radicals falling into position behind me buzzed with excitement.

“A position in the central army?!”

“How envious. However, what status would he be given?”

“The Demon Lord is endorsing him, so...could he become the Lord of Military Affairs?”

I know you guys are excited, but if you’re going to claim to be in my faction, please don’t refer to me as the Demon Lord. Still, I’m surprised by how wild they’re letting their delusions become.

The Lord of Military Affairs, the position they’d brought up, was the most important position in the army. Historically, one of the marquesses, of which there were only three, had held that position. Something like this would probably require negotiations with other military officers as well, so it would be impossible for someone with no experience (like Count Archiam) to suddenly be assigned the job.

Well, the radicals overreacting like this is convenient for me. I’m sure it’ll be bad for Prynan if things were to become difficult with the other marquesses. Though he’d been the one to manipulate the radicals, they were now under my control.

The marquess flashed a tense smile. “The reassignment of a military position isn’t something I can decide on my own. The final decision would of course lie with His Majesty. I don’t know if the other ministers will agree either.”

“Oh,” I said airily. “But just earlier you said you were considering better treatment for Count Archiam. Aren’t you going to be giving me your full support?”

The marquess took a half step back, probably unconsciously. This is good, I’m pressing him. I’ll just keep pressing and pressing... Where do I stop? I was pushing him so hard because I knew taking a step back would ultimately push me into a corner, but I couldn’t see a way forward from here.

Um, well, let me think. The marquess probably doesn’t want me to actually get involved with politics. He wants someone with no ambition and hates politics to gather all the radicals, so...I need to make him believe that I truly want power. He probably knows that I’m bluffing though.

This battle-hardened old man had probably seen through my posturing. Not only that, but he saw that this was probably going to become an issue, so he was starting to feel a bit discouraged. The one-on-one battle between marquess and countess had already changed. It wasn’t even a battle between two camps. Now that the radicals were involved, this situation was a chaotic mess in which everyone’s objectives and methods were completely different. If we continued arguing, the moderates and even the king could get involved, which would make the situation even more chaotic.

This was more than I could handle, and I wasn’t sure what the right thing was to say next. As I stood there at a loss for words, a euphonious masculine voice reached my ear.

“Hold on, Yumiella.” Patrick appeared on his own, slipping through the crowd and coming to stand by my side with a glass of champagne in his hand. What are you doing drinking while I’m in such a difficult situation?

Fortunately, this gave me the opportunity to reset the stage. The radicals didn’t seem to like this development, and they started booing.

“Isn’t this our chance to push?” one grumbled.

“Disregarding a head of household like that...” griped another. “Who does he think he is?”

Patrick ignored the onlookers and gazed steadily at me. The serious look in his eyes seemed to be saying, “Trust me.”

“You’re doing too much,” he said. “Don’t be too unreasonable.”

“You think so...?”

“The only one we’ve interacted with is the Archiam family, and we don’t know the other aristocrats very well. I’m sure we can find someone else better suited for a military position.”

The buzzing among the radicals morphed into uneasy whispers. They all shot glances at each other. Oh, I see. You guys are so easy. Basically, Patrick had made them think, “Someone better suited? Could it be...me?” Now, the tone had shifted away from me unreasonably endorsing Count Archiam.

It seems like the radicals are all the kind of people who hear the popular girl in class say she has a crush and immediately think, “Is it me?” You’re wrong. You’re all definitely not the popular girl’s crush.

Patrick’s words really got to them because more than the kingdom, more than their own factions, they cared more than anything about themselves. This previously touch-and-go situation had now been resolved.

I’m just going to rely on Patrick, I thought, and so I waited for his next move.

“Yumiella, you...” As he spoke, he started to raise his arm to point at something.

That was when the accident occurred. As Patrick turned his body, the glass in his hand hit against me. The expensive, paper-thin glass of the champagne flute left his hand and dropped to the floor.

The slow motion countdown to an explosion of shattered glass began. Patrick looked at me as if to say he’d messed up. Wow, Patrick, you’re such a clumsy... But that, I realized, was obviously not the case. Patrick or I could still easily grab the champagne flute without spilling its contents.

He’s doing this on purpose. There’s a reason he’s pretending to drop the glass. In that case I should stay still and wait until it breaks... Isn’t it a waste, though? Maybe I can forgive breaking the glass. It’s a waste, but everything eventually breaks. But letting the drink go to waste is...

It wasn’t good to waste good alcohol. I caught the glass just as it was nearly about to hit the floor. As I stood back up from my couched position in one, vigorous movement, I chugged its contents, then tipped the empty glass downward as I crouched again and threw it onto the floor.

All of this happened in the same amount of time it would take a normal person to say “Oh.” I pretended I had been reaching for the glass and then stared mournfully at the broken shards on the floor.

“Oh, I didn’t make it in time,” I said sadly, pretending that I had been trying to catch it.

Patrick shot me a judgmental look. It’s fine; no one could’ve seen what I did. I don’t know what your goal was, but you wanted the glass to break, right? I thought things had gone according to his plan without issue, but instead he seemed panicked.

Patrick pulled out his handkerchief and pressed it against the sleeve of my dress at an angle that would hide it from those around us.

“I’m sorry. It might leave a stain.”

The liquid hadn’t sprayed everywhere; instead, it had ended up in my stomach, which meant there wasn’t going to be a stain. Oh, sorry... That’s what was supposed to happen. 

There was one other problem as well. The liquid I had just quaffed was alcoholic. It was only a little bit of it, but my face was starting to get hot. Patrick’s face (which was looking up at me as if to say, “Why did you drink that?”) was starting to blur.

Patrick stood up as he said, “Your face is beet red. Didn’t I tell you to stick to drinking juice? How many glasses did you have before coming over here?”

“I don’t remember...” I truly had only had one drink, but he probably wanted me to pretend to be drunk. Though my head was pounding, I could understand that much.

I see, so my face looks red to other people. It’s strange that I have poison resistance, yet I get drunk.

“We should probably go home,” Patrick suggested.

“You think so?”

“It wouldn’t be good if you got drunk and lost control again.”

The moment he mentioned I might lose control, the people around us all took several steps back, making the ring of people around us wider. I was about to leave, and now because of what Patrick had said, there wasn’t a single radical against the idea.

Patrick lent me his shoulder, and we began to move away. The crowd backed up and parted for us instantly.

And so, thanks to Patrick’s quick wit, the matters at the party concluded without being settled.

We escaped the great hall. There didn’t seem to be anyone around us in the hallway, but just in case, we spoke in quiet voices.

“Why did you drink it?” Patrick admonished.

“Because it would’ve been a waste.”

“You’re lucky we were able to flee the scene.”

“Thanks. I didn’t know where to go from there...” My stomach twisted. “Eugh, I’m not feeling so well.”

“It looks like we really should be going home.”

We headed outside, and we were led by a servant to where the carriages were. The cold night air felt good, and I felt a little better. I thought we would be heading home together in the carriage, but Patrick didn’t get in.

“Patrick?”

“I’m staying. There’s someone I want to talk to,” he said before shutting the carriage door between the two of us.

The carriage immediately took off. As I swayed with the movement of the vehicle, I started feeling lonely and anxious. No... It was motion sickness that I was feeling on top of the inebriation, and now I was feeling even worse.

After leaving the front lines of the battlefield, I had no choice but to leave the rest to Patrick and pathetically endure the sick feeling of being drunk.