I Thought It Was a Common Transmigration

“It is said that the Langston Arch-Communist faction is constantly attending large and small banquets to shape public opinion.”

 

Princess Catherine, who stopped by Ludwig Mansion to avoid the eyes of others, drank the tea provided by the Duchess and said as if she was annoyed.

 

“I have been avoiding attending the banquet for fear of being told that I am shaking my power, but it seems like that was just an excuse for them to get in trouble.”

 

The Duchess shook her head. Because of the sudden fame and power, the Ludwig family purchased their body out of fear that it would cause even the slightest inconvenience to the imperial family. But no matter how careful she was with good intentions, those who tried to slander her somehow interpreted it in a negative way.

 

“I don’t think we should be intimidated, Mother. But… I’m worried that there will be people who join the anti-communist faction just because of a momentary atmosphere and then get angry.”

 

She expressed her opinion calmly. To people who didn’t know her insides, it would be funny for her, the daughter of Count Rigelhof, to say something like this.

 

“That’s surprising, Miss Edith.”

 

As expected, Princess Catherine spoke in her playful voice.

 

“For Miss Edith, wouldn’t it be good if more people joined the anti-communist faction?”

 

“Why do you think that, Your Highness?”

 

“Does that increase the chances of Count Rigelhof surviving?”

 

Princess Catherine had no malicious intent towards her. She just wants to know what’s on her mind. Of course, her position had already been firmly established long ago.

 

‘Even if the Count Rigelhof wins, I will still be a traitor to them.’

 

But it won’t be that way in other people’s eyes. Anyway, once the territory war was over, everyone would know that she had completely severed ties with the Rigelhof family, but those who would criticize her would somehow get the hang of it.

 

‘It is certain that the Ludwig family will win. If you feel even the slightest bit sad about it, they will accuse you of being a traitor, and if you feel happy about it, they will point fingers at you and say that you are a bitter bitch who abandoned your parents and siblings. It’s obvious, right?’

 

If you’re going to get criticized somehow, the latter was better. She had to save her own life! She wanted to see the people who abused her fall!

 

“Your Highness. People do not have just one position. Her Royal Highness may also experience conflicts between her position as the princess and her position as someone’s wife. Then what should I do?”

 

“Well, I guess I should give priority to the more important ones.”

 

“Who decides what is important?”

 

“Umm… Father or…”

 

She was a princess who was said to be self-indulgent, but at times like this, it felt like she was still trapped within the confines of traditional education. She answered by shaking her head.

 

“What if your life is at stake? Still, can you excuse yourself by saying that you did it because you listened to someone else’s words? Ultimately, you make your own choices.”

 

“Uh… huh…”

 

“I made my choice too. Rather than my own family, who started a territorial war without consulting me even after marrying me into the Ludwig family, my in-laws have protected me all along. No matter what the outcome is, I will take responsibility for my choice, and I will not regret it even if someone criticizes me for this choice.”

 

It was a choice she had no choice about, but since those people probably don’t know that, she hoped they just think of it as something special.

 

“Miss Edith… You’re surprisingly strong.”

 

“Are you surprised?”

 

“I’m sorry, but, yes, I am. Actually, when I saw you before, I got the impression that you were very influenced by Count Rigelhof. Everyone else said that Count Rigelhof was raising you, but in my opinion… It seemed like you were always looking at your father’s thoughts.”

 

It looks like the princess was not someone who did this. Everyone else was deceived, but the princess saw it through.

 

“Because I was young and immature back then.”

 

And there was no place to return to except Rigelhof. If there had been a place to escape to, Edith in the original wouldn’t have lived like that.

 

“Well, it’s not like I’m criticizing what happened back then. Just… I say this because you look much better now. I don’t have much to say, so I apologize if I offended you.”

 

“No. Thank you for being honest.”

 

If everyone were as honest as Catherine, she wouldn’t have to worry about it like this. Catherine nodded and smiled before turning her gaze back to the Duchess.

 

“Oh, by the way, His Majesty had something to tell you. Nothing much will happen, but just in case, I will send some imperial troops to the Ludwig family.”

 

Oh, that’s a very solid suggestion! If the imperial troops protect this area, they will be able to sufficiently prevent Shane’s attack that occurred in the original work. But the Duchess shook her head.

 

“No. Is it really possible to bother His Majesty the Emperor with something like this? There are enough troops guarding the mansion, so please tell them not to worry too much.”

 

She looked at the Duchess with a ‘No, why?’ face. Catherine also frowned and tried to persuade the woman again.

 

“On the contrary, the lady’s refusal only adds to His Majesty’s worries. This was already done to punish a group of traitors, so it is right for His Majesty the Emperor to also bear responsibility.”

 

That’s right! But the Duchess shook her head again.

 

“If a territorial war breaks out, the imperial family must remain neutral.”

 

“Of course, we won’t send in rumors that they are imperial troops. They’ll dress it up like mercenaries and send it to you…”

 

“If a rumor spreads, it would be like giving Archduke Langston another excuse.”

 

The ostensible reason for this territorial war was the discord between the two families, and the fact that the imperial family appears to be taking one side in the territorial war that took place for that reason may be the picture that the other side wanted.

 

‘But that’s only a problem if the territory war continues for a long time. By the time it is revealed that it was the Imperial Knights who were protecting Ludwig Mansion, the entire group of traitors will have been executed.’

 

Of course, this was her opinion as she knew the original work, so it may be an issue for the Duchess to be cautious about. In the end, Catherine also sighed and accepted the Duchess’s opinion. At that time, the Duchess suddenly became startled, took out her handkerchief from her arms, and placed it near Lise’s mouth.

 

“Lise!”

 

“Oh my, Lise! Are you okay?”

 

Lise was bleeding from the nose.

 

“S-sorry. Why is this happening all of a sudden…”

 

Lise also stopped the bleeding with a puzzled look on her face. The white handkerchief handed to her by the Duchess quickly turned red.

 

“It looks like Lise is very nervous because of the territorial war.”

 

At her words, the Duchess hurriedly called Lise’s maid. Those skinny kids seem to get nosebleeds just from being that nervous or worried. In the end, the tea time ended earlier than she expected as Lise returned to her own room with the help of her maid. On the way back from seeing Catherine off, she asked the Duchess subtly.

 

“But wouldn’t it be much safer if the Imperial Knights helped defend the mansion?”

 

“Umm… That’s right.”

 

“Then why did you refuse? Is it really because of the imperial family’s duty of neutrality?”

 

“I guess that’s a big reason…”

 

The woman’s attitude was strangely uneasy. But after a while, the Duchess tilted her head and muttered.

 

“Why did I do that?”

 

“Yes?”

 

Huh? What kind of reaction was this? The Duchess was regretting her actions, as if she was a completely different person than she had been just half an hour ago.

 

“No. What should I do if I have already rejected it? The mansion’s defense force is not small, so you don’t have to worry too much.”

 

“Yeah, that’s right.”

 

No, she wrote it down. This was not enough to fight against Shane’s mercenary army.

 

‘Is the Duchess’ strange behavior also due to the flow of her original work? Even in the original work, there is no mention of the Imperial Knights protecting the mansion. That’s why she was attacked by Shane’s mercenaries…’

 

Because she met the stage 2 exception conditions and overcame the original author’s intervention twice, the flow of the original work was greatly weakened, but it did not completely disappear.

 

‘Since it is the most important event in which I, the villain, die, I think it will proceed according to the original story rather than minor episodes.’

 

But she couldn’t just watch it quietly.

 

‘No matter what, you must not give them an excuse to attack the mansion.’

 

She clenched her fists.

 

* * *

 

From that day on, she went around the mansion every evening to check if there was anything strange. It was a mansion with many guards and servants, but she couldn’t shake off her anxiety.

 

‘Are you going to use sleeping scent again this time?’

 

The reason why Shane was able to raid a mansion with so many people was because, in addition to the unlocked back door of the mansion, he had lit sleeping incense everywhere that put so many people to sleep or made them feel dazed. Of course, in the original work, that role was played by Sophia and a spy who had been planted in this mansion in advance.

 

‘I may not have installed the sleeping incense because I don’t have Sophia, but you never know…’

 

She didn’t know who the spy planted in this mansion was. Perhaps the author didn’t set it up properly. So, she had to inspect the mansion while avoiding the prying eyes of unknown spies.

 

‘First, I have to check the back door every day.’

 

She didn’t know if the flow of the original work, which could not use her, might use a spy to set an unlocking device on the back door. She was checking the door lock with Anna, and when they got near the back door, she had Anna check the other side. If by chance a strange device comes out, she would be in trouble if someone doubted her and asked her how she could have predicted this. However, she ended up running into someone she didn’t want to meet the most.

 

“Uh…? What are you doing?”

 

Lise was standing holding the doorknob of the back door. And when Lise sensed that she was popular, she turned around in surprise.

 

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