After the imperial succession, the residence of the first princess, Raysendella, was moved to a distant palace from the capital. This was a measure taken by the emperor, that is, the younger brother of the first princess, using the excuse of a royal decree. However, everyone knew that for Raysendella, who had become unable to use both legs, this was close to exile.
“Seems to have contracted rabies. The emperor’s pup thinks he can control me.”
The first princess, Raysendella, was one of the few people who knew that the Duke Trepe was agent Estribal.
Her tightly coiled long silver hair was secured with an eagle feather-shaped hair ornament, a symbol of the royal lineage. The flowers in the vase on the table were wilted, but Raysendella’s upright posture made her wheelchair look like a throne.
“The blood of Count Argela has not yet dried…How dare you.”
Raysendella reached out to the side as she glared at Estribal and Ciello. The knight standing behind Raysendella placed a dagger in her hand. Raysendella, holding the knife, opened her mouth towards Estribal.
“What will you do? I think it’s cheap compared to the lives of my subordinates.”
Ciello’s face turned pale. However, Estribal nodded as if he had expected that much.
“If it’s a finger, I’ll give it to you if you want.”
“Duke…!”
Ciello grabbed his sleeve with a shocked face. Estribal spoke calmly.
“However, I thought you didn’t have a hobby of collecting broken weapons, Your Highness.”
“What do you mean?”
“It means that nine fingers are not enough to pull the trigger.”
Raysendella retorted sarcastically to his words.
“Yes, thanks to the emperor and you, I can’t use both legs, so I’m not just broken, I’m a scrap.”
Estribal was silent. Ciello, who was completely weary, rolled her eyes around and interrupted.
“Um, Your Highness. But if you listen to our story, it will surely, um, be helpful in many ways…”
Raysendella looked at Ciello, sighed, and nodded.
“…Yes. I didn’t meet you to brag about my misfortune.”
Raysendella gestured for them to sit. The two sat in front of the table.
“I heard that you secretly support the Peregrine Liberation Force.”
“Yes. I never thought the Peregrine punishment was fair from the start. It was a simple invasion, without any justification or reason. So the second prince of the time, who led the punishment, didn’t gain much, and Peregrine is still demanding separation and independence.”
Raysendella touched her forehead as if tired.
“Honestly, the empire also has no gain in maintaining the colony. Peregrine doesn’t have any significant underground resources, and rather, the headache-inducing protests are frequent.”
It was as Raysendella said. The imperialists, who were dissatisfied with the empire’s efforts to salvage Peregrine, were more harsh on the Peregrine people, and Peregrine naturally did everything to escape from the unwanted rule.
“I’m sure my brother agreed with me…But after ascending to the throne, he seemed to see nothing. In that regard, I doubted you.”
Raysendella narrowed her eyes and looked at Estribal.
“Your family has been loyal to the emperor for generations. Even the imperial family, who were gentle and friendly to the colonies before ascending to the throne, would pursue a colonial suppression policy as soon as they ascended to the throne. Perhaps you’ve been whispering nonsense to my brother?”
Estribal shook his head.
“I understand why you think that way, but the reason I sought you out is for Peregrine.”
Raysendella frowned. Ciello looked at Estribal with a tense face. Estribal spoke slowly.
“Please hide the Liberation Force. And approve the separation and independence when you ascend to the throne.”
Raysendella’s expression hardened.
“Do you want me to trust the emperor’s mad dog? If you’re going to say it’s because you fell in love with a Peregrine maid, get out of this castle right now.”
Ciello flinched. Estribal opened his mouth.
“I, too, am not willing to play the role of a watchdog.”
Estribal quietly unbuttoned a few buttons on his shirt. The thorny vine wrapped around his neck was revealed. Raysendella narrowed her eyes and looked at his neck.
“Ho…Is it a prohibition magic?”
“Peregrine doesn’t have underground resources, but there was a huge amount of such magic tools. The Emperor of the Empire monopolizes this.”
Estribal immediately buttoned up to the neck again.
“The reason I came here, the reason why the successive emperors could not let go of Peregrine’s magic. This should explain it.”
Raysendella stroked her chin and nodded.
“After the Peregrine punishment, the empire considered magic as a private matter and focused on machine development. The palace magician was also minimized. Now that I think about it, it must have been to monopolize magic. But.”
Raysendella crossed her arms and looked at him.
“Can a dog with a collar bite its owner? It’s better off without legs.”
“That, that’s me…”
“You?”
Raysendella’s gaze turned to Ciello. Ciello nodded and looked around for what would be good, then reached out towards the vase on the table.
With a click, Ciello tapped her finger and the wilted flower bloomed brightly, and then it became a bud and closed modestly. Raysendella’s eyes widened.
“…What kind of prank is this?”
‘It’s getting pretty old now.’
Ciello thought to herself and spoke proudly.
“I can turn back time. I can somewhat evade the prohibition magic that the Duke has contracted. If I get stronger, I can fix your body too.”
“The emperor not holding the founding festival this year is superficially because it’s burdensome right after the succession…”
Estribal looked at the flower that Ciello had revived for a moment and then spoke.
“The real reason is Ciello. This child stole some of the magic power that the emperor has.”
Raysendella looked up and down at Ciello.
“It’s interesting. So the bastard Trepe suddenly buried his head in a woman’s skirt.”
Estribal was silent. Raysendella muttered.
“While being crazy about a woman, I wanted to send an assassin, but unfortunately, it seems that it’s not a real love affair. Well, how…”
Ciello’s expression slightly sank. Ciello could guess enough about the words Raysendella omitted. It would probably be a word pointing to Ciello’s status or lineage.
‘Well, anyone would think so.’
Ciello was once again aware of her situation and lowered her gaze. Estribal looked at Ciello and casually threw a sentence.
“But fortunately, anyone would be fooled by such a beauty.”
At the unexpected compliment, Ciello was slightly surprised and raised her head. But Estribal just spoke bluntly as if facing the truth.
“It’s enough to turn the Duke’s eyeballs over. The skin is fine, and the features are pretty without a need to say another word.”
Ciello scratched her cheek awkwardly. Raysendella looked at Ciello with a strange face and opened her mouth.
“Well, that’s that…”
Raysendella crossed her arms and thought for a moment and then opened her mouth.
“The emperor losing his power and not being able to hold the founding festival, is it because he can’t perform ‘The Path of Hunting’?”
“Ah. I’ve seen it from afar. That’s the event of breaking the statue, right? Only the emperor can break it.”
Estribal nodded.
“Yes. It is the statue called ‘Cunning Snake’ looted from Peregrine. It got such a nickname because it recovers even if it’s broken after a year.”
Raysendella touched her chin and asked.
“So, because the emperor’s power was partially stolen, he can’t break it?”
“Your Highness is correct.”
At Estribal’s words, Raysendella thought for a moment and opened her mouth.
“Good. I’ll hide the Liberation Force from the emperor’s eyes as you wish. On the other hand, ruin this founding festival.”
Estribal nodded slowly with a cautious expression. ‘The Path of Hunting’ was an event that was newly added to the Atuna Founding Festival after the Peregrine punishment and has been held without a single omission for 300 years. If such an event is disgracefully ruined, there was enough chance for the princess.
“But the emperor…said he wouldn’t hold the founding festival…”
At Ciello’s small retort, Raysendella raised the corners of her mouth.
“Make sure he has to. The rest is up to you.”
Raysendella put down the dagger she was holding on the table.
“I want to ask one last thing.”
“Please ask.”
Raysendella pulled a pin from her coiled hair. Her long silver hair spilled down to her waist.
“Originally, my brother was not a child who was greedy for the succession. The silver-haired youth who said he would yield the throne and build friendship changed his hair color to the current blonde one day.”
A faint sadness was embedded in Raysendella’s cold expression.
“He brutally attacked me that day, and my legs became unable to move again. Do you know the reason for that change?”
A long silence passed. Estribal opened his mouth quietly.
“When you ascend to the throne, you will know everything. All I can tell you is that your brother would also wish for your downfall.”
****
Although it was quite a distance from the residence of the first princess to the capital, thanks to the magic tool of Peregrine, they were able to reduce the travel time somewhat. Nevertheless, they arrived in the capital quite late in the evening.
“We arrived earlier than the carriage.”
Estribal glanced up at the clock tower. Judging by the time, the carriage of the Duke’s Mansion, which was to transport them from the outskirts of the capital to the mansion, must still be on its way. Ciello looked around subtly and asked.
“Then, can I take a look at the market?”
The market inside the capital mainly made sales during the day, but the market on the outskirts of the capital was more glamorous, making it a main business to sell various foods, prohibited luxury goods, and alcohol every night. Estribal looked around and replied briefly.
“Hat. Wear it deeper.”
Estribal pressed down hard on the large hood that Ciello was wearing. Ciello grumbled uncomfortably.
“If it weren’t for the Duke, no one would recognize me, right?”
“If you were Celo, that would have been the case, but Ciello is not.”
“Hey. That’s about it…”
Ciello shrugged her shoulders and stepped into the market, then stopped abruptly.
At the entrance of the market, the first stall that came into view had a magazine with a huge picture of Ciello. The sight of the Duke’s lips touching a slender finger in a glove was stark.
“…I guess so.”
