The Villainous Princess Saves The Doomed Knights

However, Cassia had a rather indifferent expression.

 

“First of all, as a witness to the duel, I feel like I need to correct something.”

 

Cassia began, narrowing her eyes as she looked at the 4th Knight Commander.

 

“That injury—strictly speaking—wasn’t caused by our Commander, was it? You inflicted it on yourself.”

 

The 4th Knight Commander’s face turned red with anger.

 

“W-What did you just say?!”

 

“Isn’t that right? You twisted your ankle because you couldn’t properly block our Commander’s attack.”

 

Cassia shrugged her shoulders irritatingly.

 

“Honestly, if it were me, I wouldn’t bother complaining about something like that, because that injury itself…”

 

Her red eyes deliberately glanced at the 4th Knight Commander’s bandaged ankle.

 

Then, a smirk tugged at the corner of her lips—a clear sign of mockery.

 

“…is proof that the 4th Knight Commander’s skills are lacking compared to our Commander’s.”

 

“What?!”

 

The 4th Knight Commander glared furiously, almost jumping out of his seat.

 

“Oh, and I have one more thing I’m curious about.”

 

Cassia tilted her head slightly.

 

“If I recall correctly, didn’t you, Commander of the 4th Knights Order, call our Azure Dawn Knights…’monsters’?”

 

She then with a sly smile asked cheerfully.

 

“I guess the 4th Knight Commander is more skilled at insulting people than fighting demonic monsters, right?”

 

…What is she talking about now?

 

The Commander-in-Chief glared at his nephew with wide eyes, and the 4th Knight Commander sheepishly averted his gaze.

 

It was no wonder since he’d conveniently left out any details that could be disadvantageous to him.

 

“So, does Your Excellency, the Commander-in-Chief, believe that in a situation where the Azure Dawn Knights were insulted by being called monsters…”

 

Cassia’s voice rang clearly through the quiet Commander-in-Chief’s office.

 

“…our Commander should have just stood by and let it slide?”

 

“Well, not exactly…”

 

The Commander-in-Chief faltered, unsure of how to respond.

 

Cassia seized the opportunity to continue quickly.

 

“I thought it was a fair duel, and that’s why I attended as a witness. However, the evaluator didn’t even consider being a witness for the 4th Knight Commander, did he?”

 

Cassia wrapped up her point succinctly.

 

“I assume it was because he felt our Commander’s anger was justified and decided to step back.”

 

In truth, the evaluator simply didn’t want to get involved in the power struggle between Giscard and the 4th Knight Commander, so he had thrown in the towel. But Cassia cleverly twisted it to make it seem like the evaluator had sided with Giscard.

 

‘Not bad.’

 

Cassia glanced back and forth between the Commander-in-Chief and the 4th Knight Commander, both of whom were now silent.

 

‘Looks like they’re at a loss for words, huh?’

 

In that case…

 

‘Since I’ve seized the initiative, it only makes sense to settle all the scores while I have the chance.’

 

An insidious smile spread across Cassia’s lips.

 

“Furthermore, as the administrative officer for the Azure Dawn Knights, there’s something I need to address.”

 

Cassia rummaged through the briefcase she had brought, then pulled out a stack of papers and placed them on the table.

 

Thud!

 

The stack of papers was so heavy that it made a dull sound when it hit the table.

 

‘What is this?’

 

The Commander-in-Chief looked down at the stack of documents with a puzzled expression.

 

Cassia cheerfully provided an explanation.

 

“These are the records of the supplies that were supposed to be allocated to the Azure Dawn Knights versus what was actually received.”

 

At those words, not only the 4th Knights Commander but also the Commander-in-Chief’s face turned pale.

 

“Up until now, the 4th Order has been forcibly siphoning off supplies meant for the Azure Dawn Knights.”

 

“Th-That’s a lie!”

 

The 4th Knight Commander shouted, almost hysterically.

 

“Oh my, is it really a lie?”

 

Cassia replied coolly.

 

“Can you take responsibility for that claim?”

 

“……”

 

The 4th Knight Commander glared at Cassia, his face filled with frustration.

 

Meanwhile, Giscard looked at the documents Cassia had presented with a new expression of surprise.

 

They were the very records he had painstakingly compiled over time related to the supply issues.

 

He had protested with these documents multiple times.

 

Yet, the higher-ups had turned a deaf ear, so he had almost given up…

 

‘I didn’t think she would actually bring those.’

 

In hindsight, it seemed that Giscard’s efforts hadn’t been entirely in vain after all.

 

Giscard felt a slight pang in his chest.

 

Finding himself cornered, the 4th Knight Commander tried to turn the tables on Cassia.

 

“W-Well, Astrid the Administrative Officer also…!”

 

Cornered, the commander glared at Cassia with gritted teeth.

 

“Didn’t you snatch away supplies from our 4th Knights Order during the last distribution?”

 

“Oh my.”

 

Cassia widened her eyes in feigned surprise.

 

Her red eyes, now looking straight at the 4th Knights Commander, were clearer and purer than ever before.

 

“Me~?”

 

“Eeek!”

 

The 4th Knight Commander’s face turned beet red.

 

At the same time, Cassia shook her head emphatically.

 

“This is the first I’m hearing of it. But if I really did commit such a heinous act, why have you stayed quiet until now?”

 

“T-That’s…!”

 

“You could have reported it to the Northern Command Headquarters right away to sort out the rights and wrongs.”

 

The 4th Knights Commander looked taken aback.

 

Watching the scene, the Commander-in-Chief felt a throbbing headache begin to set in.

 

He was somewhat aware of how the 4th Knights Order had been siphoning off supplies. The distribution documents claimed everything was allocated correctly, but in reality, they funneled extra supplies to the 4th Knights Order. It seemed this unruly princess had simply returned the favor in kind to the 4th Knights Order.

 

‘Pushing this any further will only backfire on us.’

 

The Commander-in-Chief clicked his tongue internally before cautiously speaking.

 

“It seems there might have been some misunderstanding.”

 

“Aha, a misunderstanding?”

 

Cassia’s eyes curved mischievously.

 

“Yes, a misunderstanding. So, how about you, Princess—no, Astrid Administrative Officer—let go of your anger now?”

 

The Commander-in-Chief attempted an amiable smile.

 

“We’re all under the same Northern Command Headquarters, so there’s no need to dig up old grievances, is there?”

 

He was trying his best to persuade her.

 

“I’ll keep a closer eye on things from now on, so perhaps it’s time to back down…”

 

Frankly, if she were a reasonable person, she would have backed down at this point given that the Commander-in-Chief was persuading her to this extent.

 

Because someone of the rank of Commander-in-Chief of the Northern Command was difficult to treat casually, even if she was royalty.

 

Moreover, aside from her status as a princess, wasn’t Cassia just an administrative officer?

 

In this situation, with such a high-ranking superior practically begging her to relent, most people would nod and agree to drop the matter.

 

However, the problem was…

 

‘Astrid Administrative Officer… is not the kind of person the Commander-in-Chief imagines her to be.’

 

Giscard looked at Cassia with a complex expression.

 

Coincidentally, Cassia’s eyes gleamed wickedly.

 

And somehow, Giscard had a pretty good idea of what was going through that unruly mind of hers.

 

‘Back down? Baaack dooown?? After all the beatings our knights have taken, you’re telling us to shut up and back down?!

 

…That was probably what she was thinking.

 

Cassia was more of a lunatic than the Commander-in-Chief could imagine, and the scariest thing about dealing with a lunatic like her was that you never knew what they might do next.

 

And Cassia, indeed, made full use of her lunacy.

 

“Well, I believe these records are accurate.”

 

She shot back like a machine gun.

 

“The 4th Knight Commander claims they’re false.”

 

Her red eyes were filled with a deep sarcasm as she looked back and forth between the Commander-in-Chief and the 4th Knight Commander.

 

“And it seems the Commander-in-Chief has no intention of sorting out the rights and wrongs of this matter.”

 

Cassia shrugged her shoulders in an annoyingly casual manner.

 

“There’s only one answer then. We’ll have to take this matter directly to His Imperial Majesty, the wise Emperor.”

 

Ever heard of a redress petition?

 

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