“To put it simply, we’re going to use Daniela Enchanto to tarnish the honor of the Duke family.”
“Oh? Specifically, how do you plan to do that? Are you thinking of recruiting the Duchess?”
“No, there’s no need for that. I have a way to control that girl, Daniela, however I want.”
She answered the question with a meaningful smile, then pulled out a small vial from her chest, about the size of an adult’s index finger, and placed it in front of her. Inside was a strange lavender-colored potion, half-filled with liquid. The Duke of Rodian, recognizing it, spoke in awe.
“…This is a potion made from Saint Polana’s flower.”
“Yes, it’s pure essence imported from the Enchanto Empire. I’ll have Daniela drink it, and once she becomes disoriented and loses her sense of self, I’ll use a spell that lets me speak directly into her mind and control her.”
“Control her? How?”
The Duke of Rodian asked, intrigued. Emily slowly began to explain.
“I’ll assign her a young servant on purpose and have her act out, causing trouble. She’ll behave the same way she did with the servants in the Crown Prince’s palace. Afterward, I’ll make Daniela leave the event under the pretense that she needs to calm down.”
“And then?”
“Then I’ll guide her into a deep forest. I’ll have someone I’ve already sent there knock her out and leave a crude love letter next to her.”
“…!”
“People will soon be in a frenzy trying to find the Duchess, won’t they? When I appear and say, ‘I saw the Duchess go into the forest,’ everyone will start looking for her. They’ll find Daniela unconscious, with the inappropriate letter beside her, and they’ll start guessing.”
She paused, then added with a sinister smile.
“They’ll say, ‘The Duchess, trying to have a secret affair behind the Duke’s back, suffered an unfortunate accident.'”
“…So the Duchess, who married the Duke in haste just after breaking off her engagement with the Crown Prince, is now caught having an affair. This will ruin the Duke’s honor.”
“Yes. The Duke will soon be isolated, as no one will want to invite him, especially with such dishonor hanging over him.”
“…And then, we take advantage of that and cause a disturbance in the northern stronghold. If we provoke that cruel Ashid into violently suppressing it, his reputation will be ruined again, after the small improvements he made by dealing with the issues with the Duchy of Resinia.”
The Duke of Rodian laughed, clearly enjoying the thought.
“So, what do you think of my plan?”
“Well, I must say, I love it. So, what do you want me to do?”
Emily looked at the Duke with a deep gaze and said.
“Please ask His Majesty to move the hunting festival forward.”
“That’s easy enough.”
“And once this plan succeeds, please support me in becoming engaged to His Highness, Crown Prince Adrian.”
“…!”
“Can you do that?”
The Duke of Rodian paused for a moment, his mouth tightening. He had been planning to create competition among noble families for the position of Adrian’s fiancée to make a tidy profit. This was a rather uncomfortable proposal for him. His mind briefly raced.
‘There’s no other choice. For now, it’s more important to remove that bastard Ashid from the Crown Prince’s sight.’
The Crown Prince’s engagement issue could wait until later.
After a brief moment of thought, he spoke to Emily. Emily smiled contentedly in response.
Later that evening, Daniela, as the Duchess of Alverick, had to attend a continuous series of parties.
For the first time in her life, she realized that eating, drinking, dancing, and socializing could become tiresome.
After about a week, one night, Daniela returned from a party hosted by a Marquis she barely remembered. She collapsed onto the sofa in the parlor, exhausted and not wanting to move a finger.
Mela, the head maid, looked at her with concern and asked, “Are you alright, my lady?”
“…No. I’m so tired I could die.”
Daniela groaned in response. Kneeling by the sofa, Mela gently massaged Daniela’s swollen ankle and said, “You’re actually attending fewer parties than other noble ladies. If you hadn’t rejected most invitations except those required by the Duke, you’d probably have attended three times as many by now.”
“Three times? Are they all insane?”
Daniela muttered, shaking her head in disbelief.
“My lady! Head maid!”
Just then, the parlor door suddenly swung open, and a young maid ran in, holding a white envelope. Daniela, startled, quickly sat up, and Mela scowled at the maid, scolding her sharply.
“How dare you come in without knocking when my lady is here? What kind of impudent behavior is this, Rosie?”
“Sorry, sorry! But the letter came from the palace, and I thought it was urgent, so I had to deliver it right away!”
“…What? The palace?”
Mela’s eyes widened in surprise. After receiving Daniela’s permission, Mela took the letter and quickly summarized its contents.
“What does it say?”
“…It says His Majesty has announced that the hunting festival will be held one week earlier.”
“What? That’s next week!”
“Yes… Specifically, it’s scheduled for next weekend.”
Mela handed the letter to Daniela, who immediately read it. The letter had a strongly underlined sentence: “Please be sure to attend with your wife.” It seemed like an emphasis or perhaps a warning.
Daniela stared at the line, then asked Mela.
“Why would His Majesty suddenly issue such an order?”
“I don’t know either.”
“…I see.”
Unsatisfied with Mela’s answer, Daniela muttered to herself. Something about the situation felt off.
‘I need to be extra cautious. Something might happen.’
She decided she should at least prepare a means of protecting herself.
After making her decision, Daniela handed the letter back to Mela and said, “Since it’s His Majesty’s order, there’s no helping it. Mela, please hurry and prepare for the hunting festival. And get me a concealed dagger small enough to hide in my dress.”
“Huh? Why do you need that…?”
“Don’t ask why.”
“Understood.”
At the same time, Ashid, in his office, received the same letter with the same news.
After quickly reading it, he turned to Lowell, who had delivered the letter, and asked.
“Any idea why His Majesty suddenly made this decision?”
“…Well, the only guess I have is that Duke Rodian is behind this.”
“Do you have any evidence to suggest that?”
“Yes. According to my sources, Duke Rodian requested a private audience with His Majesty last night. Something must have been discussed during that meeting.”
Ashid chuckled bitterly at Lowell’s report and said.
“That damn old man must be trying to get under my skin again.”
“Surely, he wouldn’t do something so foolish as to harm His Majesty’s son in front of His Majesty, would he? Even Duke Rodian must know the consequences of harming royalty… I suspect he’s trying to announce the Crown Prince’s new fiancée as soon as possible.”
The butler, who had been quietly listening, spoke up, trying to remain composed.
Ashid sneered at him coldly.
“Does His Majesty even consider me his son? He abandoned me decades ago. He kept me alive only because he couldn’t kill me, and if he thinks I’m a threat to Adrian, he wouldn’t hesitate to have me executed.”
“Your Highness, please don’t say such things…”
The butler tried to argue, but Ashid raised a hand to silence him. Then, in a cold voice, he addressed Lowell.
“Tell my informants to keep an eye on Duke Rodian until the hunting festival is over. They must not let their guard down. Understood?”
“What about the Duchess? Should we keep an eye on her as well?”
Thank you very much