CH 35

Chapter 35/77│Read translated stories and daily updates at: Awebstories.com

“Your Highness, Marguerite-sama, you’ve returned a little late.”

“Welcome back, both of you…”

When I returned to the palace, Hanna gave me a sarcastic look, and Nora bowed deeply with a wry smile.

“I apologize for keeping you both waiting. If you don’t mind, Liz and I will stay in the room for a little while, so you two can rest.”

“That is not possible—by the way, when did your highness start calling Marguerite-sama “Liz”?”

…Hannah, you have a great hearing.

“…earlier. Liz asked me if I could call her that.”

“D-Dee-sama! Did I give you permission to call me that?!”

“Eh~? Didn’t you also ask to call me by a special nickname?”

“Fuaaa~a?!”

Haha… I heard your lovely voice once more.

Okay, from now on, let’s hear this voice at least once a day.

“I’m glad to hear that you two are getting along so well. But I still can’t leave you two alone. I will go with you.”

“I-I’ll be right by your side until Marguerite-sama leaves!”

Well, these two are already on the same boat, so that shouldn’t be a problem, right?

“Okay. Then you two can take your seats. It’s going to be a long night, so I hope you have some snacks to keep us going in addition to tea. Of course, for the four people.”

“Eh?!”

“Y-you mean us as well?”

Hanna gasps, and Nora cries out in surprise as she hears my words.

“That’s correct. It’s all about our future—Hanna and Nora are, in a sense, our comrades.”

“Yes… Please, both of you, assist us…”

Liz bows deeply as I say this.

Yes, Liz and I can’t do anything on our own.

Then there were Hanna, Nora, the Marquis of Friedenreich, the Marquess of Metzelder, and the other nobles of the First Prince’s faction… With the help of many, we will seize the future together.

“With my little strength, this Hannah will undoubtedly help you both.”

“Nora Riche and the House of Riche will always be loyal to you two.”

“Mm… I look forward to working with you.”

“Thank you very much.”

Liz and I hugged them as they knelt and bowed their heads in thanks.

—○█○—

“So… about our future plans.”

I opened my mouth when the four of us sat down in my room.

“Dee-sama wants to eliminate the first queen and the second prince, who will be enemies in the future, right?”

“Yes.”

Liz asked for confirmation, and I slowly nodded.

“May I say something?”

Nora then tentatively raised her hand.

“Well, does Her Majesty the First Queen Theresa have a faction that wants His Highness to be the next king—?If that’s the case, there must be a way to fight together without destroying the First Queen’s faction, let alone the Second Prince’s faction…”

“Well, Nora has a valid point. But I’m not joining forces with the First Queen.”

I made it perfectly clear to Nora.

… If I join forces with the first queen, even if I am crowned the next king, my future will be bleak.

After all, that is what occurred in my previous life.

Besides

“If I am crowned the next king, I will be merely a decoration, and the first queen will have complete control over my power. Those who have followed me will be in a bad situation if that happens.”

“Ah…”

“As a result, the existence of the first queen is nothing more than a hindrance to my being a rightful king.”

Nora looked convinced when I explained this.

“… Besides, I can’t possibly forgive whoever would harm my beloved Dee-sama…!”

Liz said quietly and bit her lower lip, to which Hanna and Nora nodded.

“If all goes well, His Majesty the King will decide who will be the next king when I graduate from the Royal Academy at the age of eighteen. By then, I must demonstrate that I am more qualified than Oscar for the position of Crown Prince.”

Not only that, but we must also prevent His Majesty the King from dying in four years.

I’m not sure if it was the First Queen’s or Oscar’s work.

“On the other hand, we need a lot of supporters. True, Dee-sama was able to rally some neutral nobles to his cause, including my father and Her Excellency Metzelder, but the First Queen has her largest peerage, the Dukes of Wallenstein, and His Highness Oscar has the Marquis of Collengel and many other noble families.

“Indeed. However, the nobles associated with Oscar are not supported by very powerful nobles, and the first queen is completely dependent on the Wallenstein family. There is plenty of opportunity for infiltration. It’s just…”

After saying all of that, I paused for a moment.

There is more to this than simply focusing on the First Queen and Oscar factions.

That is to say.

“What will the second Queen, Ernesta, and Josephine, do in the future…”

“Yes…”

My words were met with three nods from them.

In a previous life, Josephine was working with her brother, Oscar, and smiled as she watched my execution.

According to my observations, she will be with Oscar again this time.

However, since His Majesty the King’s death, the second queen has not been seen at all.

At the time, there were many rumors and beautiful stories about how she was mourning His Majesty’s death and giving up her love for His Majesty.

“…let’s bring in the second queen and Her Highness Sophie’s chamberlain to our side to keep an eye on them.”

“Can you do it, Hanna and Nora?”

“”Leave it to me.””

They bowed deeply in response to my request.

“So, what will Dee-sama and I do?”

“Oh, about that. We are going to intervene in state affairs in order to be chosen as the Crown Prince, and to see which nobles will remain…”

“W-What exactly do you mean by that?”

Liz inquired, her gaze fixed on my face.

“The reason I’m getting involved in state business is to show His Majesty the King that I’m fit to be the next King. And Liz, what kind of nobleman, despite his power, is neutral?”

“Nobles, including the Prime Minister, who continue to support His Majesty the King…”

“That’s correct. How do you think they’ll react if the King dies?”

“T-They’ll switch sides to one of the factions…?”

“No, I don’t think so. I believe they will be apathetic rather than neutral.”

This is also clear from the fact that in my past life, the prime minister, Franz Seifried, did not take part in the fight for the throne.

What this means is still unknown.

“We need to keep an eye on the prime minister and take the lead.”

“Yes…”

“Now that we’ve resolved the issue, Beginning tomorrow, we will enter the battle to become the next king and crown prince. We will seize the future together!”

“””Yes!”””

They all nodded vigorously in response to my declaration.

The first queen… Oscar… or another adversary…

I will not be defeated, whoever it is.

In order to seize our happy future that I was unable to achieve in my previous lives,

I will not give up.