After being rescued by my family, negotiations began after the war.
The Commonwealth was defeated; what will happen to them from now on will be horrible. But first, I'll start with the kingdom's situation.
Since many nobles, aristocrats, knights, and ministers fled the kingdom, it was decided in simple and straightforward terms.
"Go screw yourselves, idiots, and don't come back!"
With my summary of the communiqué made through the printers and fax machines I gave the palace before going out to fight. Their relatives still in the capital and other parts of the kingdom were told to get out as well.
Traitors will not be forgiven or put on trial.
They were simply threatened with execution without a trial; their properties, material goods, and money, both invested and saved, will become the palace's.
At first glance, it was cruel, but these idiots deserved it since they were trash.
To make it even sweeter for me, the term "aristocrat" was eliminated from the kingdom's vocabulary; now there will only be nobles and the royal family.
No matter your court rank or status rank, you are a noble, period.
Those who did not answer the kingdom's call, those who presented excuses, and those who said they were on their way but never arrived. They are being interrogated to find out if it's true.
Of course, many didn't know how to lie and were punished with rank demotion and half their wealth being given to the kingdom for the next 100 years.
Everything looks very strict, but it's Mayer-san who is leading this witch hunt.
I don't know why he's doing it, but Ixion told me nobles could rise up in retaliation, so the palace is granting new titles to new nobles.
After those who fled like rats, the punished, and traitors. The number of nobles has dropped to the point that there are more commoners than them.
The palace was very scared by this because if it's discovered; a coup d'état could occur after what happened with the insurrections.
To calm everyone, it was communicated on a massive level that the culprits of all this were Marquis Balzac and the Kingsfort family, who were executed on the battlefield and burned in that same place.
Regarding the battlefield... I don't know how to explain that, but I'll try.
I was informed that at all borders, they saw that Brynhild was fighting the strange creature that attacked us. Thanks to that, the enemies fled terrified and refused to return to attack.
Then, many wanted to know what the hell I fought against and even more about the strange shields.
I told them the best believable excuse of all.
"It was a secret weapon created by the Kingsfort's, and the shields are something from my lost object, but it sank forever, so... questions solved!"
Many didn't understand what I told them, and I less so, but I didn't know nor had any idea how to explain what those things were.
Ixion told me he would talk to me about the huge black thing and a possible explanation about the shields.
I still don't understand how my ring and the shields were related, according to a report he gave.
I returned home to rest after what happened, I mean the harassment from annoying old men; for some reason, my mother and the commoners welcomed us with a great feast.
I'm not happy to be received like that, and the reason I cried was because of the tasty food that awaited me!
As always, Lyle boasting about things he didn't do, Bram backing him up for some reason, my father enjoying the company of young girls while telling stories I don't think they did, and my mother hitting him for flirting with other women.
It was a good one-night rest without a doubt, not counting my convulsions from the effects of the drugs I took, of course; the next morning I had to go to the palace.
Now it's time to talk about the Commonwealth... they got the worst part.
I was in a meeting room observing something I couldn't believe; the Commonwealth king was a small child.
He seemed younger than my sweet angel Paula-chan.
The child was sitting in a chair listening to several declarations dictated by Mayer-san.
I really felt weird; that old man always gave me a good vibe of a kind grandfather.
But the clauses and deals after the Commonwealth's surrender only made me feel nauseous.
It didn't help that the brat was holding back tears while being surrounded by adults making him sign suspicious documents.
A cyan-haired guy identical to a certain senpai I know was informing me of this.
The remaining Kingsfort relatives were executed instantly; they didn't want that blood to occupy the territory again, much less intermarry.
The Commonwealth will have to pay economic compensation of 75% of their annual income and 22% in taxes for the economic losses caused to the capital by those who escaped and the things they stole.
The remaining 1% is the land tax, since the Kingsfort territory will now belong to them, and the Commonwealth will be erased to become a territory annexed to the kingdom under the name of the Duchy of Talis.
That's not good at all; despite having a larger territory, they must pay a tax and economic compensation impossible to achieve.
It's like having a capital of 10 gold coins and wanting you to pay a tax of 1000 platinum coins in a week; no matter how much you work, it will be impossible to achieve that.
The kingdom is squeezing its resentment against the Commonwealth, which now no longer has its own identity.
Being part of the kingdom, they have lost their own freedom, but they will not be citizens of the kingdom; it would be like saying they are the same as undocumented people living in a country that not only doesn't want them but also demands they pay to live there.
And, after learning that country has famine and very limited crops, it makes it even more impossible to pay what they ask.
You could say that I condemned thousands or millions of people to live a hell on earth that only death could save them.
I watched without changing my expression as the ministers detailed the deal with the king; then Commonwealth officials entered to speak.
I really don't like the happy face Mayer-san makes, and even more so with the other problem, the sanctuary.
After what happened with Dixit, who died, Balzac, and the poor idiot Erselica. I discovered that Mayer wanted to destroy the sanctuary and have them controlled by the palace.
It was reported that Erselica was an impostor and deceived everyone.
There was a lot of resentment, but it was communicated that it was all their fault and the others who escaped.
Currently, the sanctuary is on the brink of destruction since there are no cardinals or anyone in high command, only a guy whom all the lower ranks nominated as their representative.
It was also decided that the sanctuary would lose not only their position in the court but also the rank dictated by the king long ago.
Those who support the sanctuary will not receive any benefits or anything from the kingdom.
They will also lose the funds the palace gave them; they will have to sustain themselves with money from their faithful and what they put from their own pockets.
The most annoying topic of all is her, Erselica. After discovering she was my cousin from my previous life, I lost the desire for what would happen to her according to Mayer.
The public execution of the impostor. She hurt me, she wanted to kill me, she is responsible for the rumors that I'm a vandal and entered the women's bathroom, among other things.
They were going to execute her for pretending to be the one this kingdom prayed to.
Would I allow it?
Of course... not.
How the hell would I allow that!
Yes, I know that being a reincarnated person and she too, we no longer have any relation.
But, what about the feelings I had for her? And the good memories I have of her? And mainly, I would feel bad if this idiot, who still owes me an apology, is eliminated without doing so.
That's why I'm here now in the palace, a hall where everyone gathers to discuss important matters; the place is beautiful and decorated with various flags of the houses the ministers belong to, the kingdom's flag, and their seats.
There were many empty seats since many were traitors or escaped; now I had to dialogue with the ministers and Mayer about the release and pardon of that idiot.
I presented false evidence that she was being blackmailed by Dixit and Balzac.
Everything was done by Ixion, who presented edited recordings of their conversations that never happened.
We had to delay her execution until almost the end of December to have everything ready.
And now... to save her ass.
"...Rudel-kun. Do you understand what this means?"
Mayer was interrogating me due to the evidence I presented. He looked really annoyed; his normally closed eyes were open, staring at me fixedly.
"Yes. With this evidence, Miss Reinfield does not need to be executed since it was not her decision to get involved in all this; she was being threatened with harming her late father. Therefore, I request that she not be executed since it would be a crime against an innocent victim."
I could feel everyone looking at me and they didn't seem to believe me, but it doesn't matter since the (false) evidence is on our side.
"Ru... Viscount Bradford-dono."
Mayer suddenly changed his tone with me.
"I recall you yourself told me she would be executed since she was responsible for accusing you of many false charges, among them, that she and the late traitor were in collusion."
Normally in this situation, I would cower since it reminded me of when my section head asked me why the report wasn't ready; when it wasn't my obligation nor job to do it, the bastard deducted my pay.
I inhaled a bit and exhaled before responding.
"I apply the same with the late traitor; I needed evidence to see if it was true or not, no matter how much it bothered me; accusing her without evidence is very immature on my part."
I heard someone seem to laugh; it was Siegwald wiping his mouth with a handkerchief.
Don't laugh at me, old man.
I looked at Mayer, who didn't seem convinced until Siegwald spoke.
"This doesn't seem to be going anywhere. Let's see if everything he says is true."
I looked at him and asked, "What do you mean?" He gave me a terrifying smile while his hands were joined in a perverse manner.
"Viscount, you presented infallible evidence without a doubt, but the matter is that she mocked us, whether innocent or not. And that is something we will not tolerate."
I don't like where the conversation is going.
"Viscount, what are you willing to offer to save her?"
He is definitely getting revenge for what I said to him.
Once again, I inhaled and exhaled, looking at him with my most serious face.
"What do you want?"
His mouth moved to say something I had forgotten. This man is an adult like those at the top of a company; their thoughts and discussions are always about getting everything for themselves.
"We want your island; that includes everything inside, no matter what it is; that territory will belong to the kingdom."
No one protested or said anything; everyone fell silent. I only looked at him and his victorious smile that was evident.
He wanted to show that everything I do to save her is fake.
In this situation, I would have to abstain and say I tried.
I can't bribe them since I no longer have money; the machine to make money with the rocks was stored in my sunken aircraft. I have no way of obtaining income other than through my island.
Before giving my answer, I remembered the reason her execution was postponed, and I used that opportunity to talk to her, and she said something that left me shocked...
◇
I was going down the stairs to the palace's underground prison.
There at the bottom, four people were chained with shackles on their arms and legs.
I greeted the guard and asked him to leave; he obeyed but was very scared to see me.
"So, tell me. What the hell happened up there?"
I asked that question not to Erselica, who was crying, but to the three nuisances on her left.
They were three colors, three idiots who were beaten regardless of who they were.
Those were...
"It's just as you heard, Bradford. I will not allow this injustice."
Said the most idiotic color of all, Liam, whose face was swollen since the ministers themselves beat him mercilessly.
"It's as the prince says, it was an injustice."
"Even if they were our enemies, doing that to them is very cruel."
The red ape with his swollen mouth along with the green moss with purple eyes supported him.
"You're imbeciles, aren't you, don't try to deny it; stupidity is in your souls."
"Don't try to flatter us; we did true justice." Liam said it with a serious and honest look of a very pure protagonist.
"I won't lie; it felt good to do a good deed." Chlust wiped the blood still dripping from his nose while feeling proud.
"No man would stand idly by after hearing those unjust declarations." Frey combed his hair, trying to show off.
"What the hell are you talking about, you pair of idiots!? It's not a compliment! You trio of imbeciles know what you did! Or do you prefer to be reminded?"
The three looked at me since they didn't understand what happened.
To summarize.
Right after Rafiel signed and the Commonwealth officials entered, these three idiots got up from their seats and began beating the foreign officials.
No matter how crazy it sounds or how many times I remember it. What the hell were they thinking!
The ministers got angry and beat them since they were generating a bad image for the kingdom, no matter if they were defeated and humiliated enemies.
If the prince of a country shows he is a barbarian, it means his kingdom is too. Which would imply that future negotiations with foreign countries would fall apart if this came to light.
They could eliminate the officials to prevent the rumor from spreading, but that would only generate that something happened and make things worse.
That's why everyone ran to beat them. To make it even more idiotic than it already is.
The idiot Liam and the other two shouted that they loved Erselica and that if they wanted to execute her, they would have to execute them too.
I was informed that after imprisoning him, he was once again stripped of his title of crown prince and, worse yet, is no longer a prince; but just another noble until he stops being an idiot.
The other two idiots were beaten by their parents; apparently, they were sad about the death of Erselica's father; they cried while hitting their sons and disinheriting them.
Now the three idiots were just simple nobles.
"I'd like to know how your brains thought for a moment that something like that would work to help the Commonwealth? No, wait, I don't want to know! Surely it's something even more stupid than it is!"
These guys scare me; their stupidity is not normal; it scares me to think about the future that awaits them.
I grabbed my head trying to understand them until Liam spoke.
"Bradford, can you tell us what you're doing with that person?"
Liam was referring to the person who had been by my side since I arrived here.
"I just wanted to see them and ask them the same thing."
That person was Rafiel.
"Just like the viscount, I would like to know what you were thinking to do that? Instead of helping us; you worsened the situation, but for yourselves. The viscount was going to help me anyway."
The three idiots responded in unison the same thing.
"Huh? Really?"
I looked at them while scratching my head due to the emotional stress they caused me by hearing them.
"It's impossible for them to pay what they're asked and be able to eat; so I told Ixion to give them some artifact so they can live off the land and trade it."
I remembered these three harassed Ixion when they saw him in the secret hangar; he got angry and electrocuted them since he couldn't stand them.
The three were amazed while looking with their stupid faces how grand and benevolent I was.
Seeing Liam's face, I remembered when I told him and Alisa about Klein's death.
I tried to embellish it a bit so they wouldn't think he was trash to the end, although he was.
Liam seemed to believe it, though he doubted at first; Erselica tried to comfort him, and it seems the idiot took the opportunity to fall into her flat chest to be comforted; the other two got jealous.
As for Alisa, she just smiled and said "thank you."
I wondered if that smile was something good or bad.
Returning to these idiots, Erselica kept crying.
I went down the stairs and approached her.
She lifted her head since I called her, and she ran to grab my shirt between the bars.
"Onii-chan, please help me! I don't want to die!"
I wanted to scream at her.
(Don't call me that in front of everyone; they'll think badly!)
But I kept quiet since it would be much worse to respond, so I'll ignore what she said.
"Even if I wish it, your situation is very annoying; thanks to these idiots, you've bought extra days of life since the ministers are compensating and apologizing to the foreign emissaries."
(Your situation is really bad, so sorry, I don't think I can do anything for—)
My thought was interrupted by what she said next.
"If you don't help me, I won't tell you anything about the next danger coming in the second year!"
"Danger... what do you mean?"
I asked in a low voice since everyone seemed curious.
"That shitty knight is dead, so the game must be over now."
In the same tone, she responded.
"Bandel was a threat, but what will come after will be much worse than him. We will all die if we don't stop it, so if you want to save yourself and those girls, you must save me too!"
◇
(Just remembering I was blackmailed by a little pest... makes me feel really bad.)
After remembering why I was doing this, I felt an anger better discarded, so I responded without interest.
"You want my territory? Have it."
Everyone was amazed, even Siegwald himself who asked.
I kept telling them to take more of my things.
"You want my family's workshop and shipyard? It's in my father's name, so my brother will inherit it, and I won't, so sorry, you can't have it."
"As I will be degraded soon. Why don't you also take my noble title? After all, I don't even want to be one. I'll look for a new unexplored island as a commoner since no one is prohibited from adventuring regardless of status."
Everyone began to murmur after that; for some reason, Siegwald only looked at me, and his face was serious.
While Mayer...
"Viscount Bradford."
Gave me a look that clearly showed he was annoyed.
"Do you know what I hate most in this world?"
I responded "no." While he said.
"I hate betrayal and even more when you stretch your hand to someone and they bite it without remorse."
I knew what those words meant, but I can't back down now.
"It's a shame, truly, Mayer."
"Call me Prime Minister Ritzburg, viscount."
I looked him in the eye when he said that.
"It's a shame and a nuisance, truly, to say this. But, the palace will accept as a deal your island and title in exchange for forgiving the impostor, but, it will only be a one-year sabbatical where she can be free from her execution!"
So after sacrificing my territory and title, they only guarantee her one year of life, huh?
I turned halfway and spoke while walking.
"It seems a deal is made. In a year, I'll bring you a great gift so you no longer bother her and... I suppose I no longer belong to any faction?"
"Believe me, I won't allow you to join any."
His words were cold and cutting; I put my hands in my pockets and gave my last words.
"See you at the degradation ceremony. I'll start looking for where I can get a new place to live."
I opened the door and left there never to enter again. And thus, it was how I destroyed my future and my best ally to save her ass.
◇
I was walking calmly through the corridor; the sunset was beautiful.
Undoubtedly, this beautiful day, no one imagined it would end in such a horrible way.
"Is this correct?"
The one asking that was Ixion, who had been hidden all this time listening to everything.
"What are you talking about?"
I asked him.
"Giving up the island you found with effort, and that I worked hard for the future resort it was supposed to become, now vanished."
"...Are you angry?"
"You make my processor overheat, so I will no longer try to think about your craziness."
"Sorry."
I offered my sincerest apology.
"But... where will you live now?"
"Well, I don't think we have to worry about that for now after what I heard, since soon—"
I heard footsteps approaching; Ixion disappeared since upon turning to see who it was, I saw her, the Queen, coming with some maids.
"Good afternoon, Hero of the Kingdom."
"Good afternoon, my queen; I don't deserve to be called that."
I bowed respectfully to greet her.
As always, she is radiant and beautiful.
"Did you just come out of a meeting with the ministers?"
"Yes, just now I was closing a deal with them. And you, where were you headed?"
"I also had to talk with them about what will happen from now on to inform His Majesty."
"..."
"Any problem?"
I asked since she lost her smile suddenly.
"Viscount— Rudel-kun. Could you spare me a little of your time? There's something I would like to tell you."
I was left speechless by what I heard, but that means it's that, right?
By "that" I mean "that"!
"I have all the time in the world if you desire!"
Unintentionally, I accepted in a way that made me look like a weirdo.
◇
We entered a private room without her maids.
This made me feel more anxious. I never expected that "that" would really happen in my life.
But if she asks me in a private room, it must be important.
After serving her tea that I prepared, she began to speak.
"Rudel-kun, do you know why the Kingsfort's did all this?"
Something that wasn't what I expected; my disappointment didn't show on my face, but life is cruel to me, and I must get used to it.
"No. They wanted the crown since they were scoundrels; isn't that supposed to be the reason for starting the war?"
She looked at me and said something shocking.
"Let me tell you a secret that no one but me and my husband knows. Neither Mayer nor even the other dukes know this."
"It all began when the Saint named the royal family before dying. The kingdom needed lands; that's when the first duke family came, the Talis."
I had heard from Ixion that Rafiel's family originated from the kingdom, but hearing that this so-called Saint isn't a tale... and even more after learning from Erselica that Airi will become the next saint woman... is amazing.
"The Talis had gained a large part of the territories; noble titles began to spread throughout the world; my land also went through a great change since the system was different back then."
Who would have thought, the Queen is a foreigner.
"Just after marrying them to a daughter of the king several generations ago, that's when they arrived, the Kingsfort's."
Things seem more serious now.
"They came directly from royal blood; they were considered substitutes in case the main branch fell. Sometime later, another branch arrived, but with less clean blood, the Belmont's."
I've heard that surname a lot, but who are they?
"The Belmont's locked themselves in their territory to protect our borders. The kingdom was already growing more, and that's when that happened."
"That?"
"What do you mean by that?" I wanted to ask, but she answered it herself.
"Do you know the origin of our second name and the reason for having it?"
"Yes. It's the first thing they taught me to know the difference in status and how they can ascend."
"Good. All that is a lie."
"...Huh? My Queen, what are you talking about, a lie?"
What did I just hear?
She looked at me fixedly when she spoke.
"You must know about the king's younger brother called 'van,' right?"
I responded a bit fearfully, "yes...".
"That younger brother was actually the head of that time of the Kingsfort's; they were exiled because they tried to get their hands on that, the Saint's legacy to the royal family."
I listened attentively to the cruel truth that was escalating.
"They tried to take over that ship, Liebe, wasn't it? But they couldn't; the king decided to punish them, and their punishment was exile and creating a line that separated those who had power and those who served them."
I continued listening without making a sound.
"My land and the kingdom were allies back then; they decided to call 'van' those who are disposable puppets for the 'von,' those who command. In the ancient language of my land, van is a mule and von is its rider."
My mouth tried to open at what I heard.
(So all this time we've been a mockery for the kingdom!)
"The palace of that time decided to have by their side those loyal to them and those they could control. That's when they implemented court ranks and two false noble titles. Earl and margrave, so lower nobles could feel important having a false title that was erased from the entire world previously."
"Because of that, barons and viscounts were the useless ones, countryside nobles who protect the border and can be replaced; the important ones were the bourgeois and high-caliber adventurers who became counts with their found wealth. But not even they were saved from the royal family who greatly enjoyed mocking others. A change was made in history and education; the academy was created, which little by little went from being an educational institution to three. Thanks to barons to margraves being pawns, the van; and counts to marquises the von; they were allowed to use the name only the royal family used, it was because there was dissatisfaction at that time when the Saint Church was born and was no longer a simple sanctuary to pray, its power and influence terrified several nobles and even the palace itself."
She rested her throat for a moment and took tea to refresh herself.
"Because of that, the dukes demanded to also be called von; the royal family accepted since the dukes had much power. Sometime later, the first world war broke out. The kingdom wanted to use that opportunity to gain more territories, but were defeated by a foreign force that didn't prevent them from passing. That same force asked to join the kingdom; their reasons were unknown, but the king of that time cared more about his neck and wanted to have powerful allies."
She stopped for a moment to look at me.
"Do you know what that family that became part of the kingdom was called?"
I couldn't speak, so I just shook my head, and she gave a strange smile.
"It was a family with long golden blonde hair like the sun, they used powerful fire magic that could burn aircraft, and precious intense red eyes; that family married a princess and ascended to become a house of a grand duke, a title that, of course, was false; they rejected the surname they were going to be given since they had their own and wouldn't change it; they called themselves the Bismarck's."
I had just heard the history of Alisa and her family, but my head was too weird to want to ask certain things.
"At that moment, the kingdom had the four great families protecting the kingdom's borders. A time of change was supposed to come for good... but that's when the Kingsfort's decided to take over the kingdom."
"The head of that time, Klein's great-grandfather, had deceived Liam's great-grandfather that the Talis wanted to stage a coup along with the newly established republic. The king, of course, believed him; he gave him the newly created position of supreme commander, and along with his strongest knights, the Nosferatu Household, and the other dukes invaded the Duchy of Talis and expelled them."
My hands began to tremble; this isn't something you tell someone like me who will be degraded.
"Klein's great-grandfather returned triumphant with conquered land to expand his territory; he expected a reward, promotion to an official title created at that moment, a duke."
Stop, enough. Why are you telling me all this? I'm just a peasant.
"To his surprise, not only him, but the other two were also promoted, and thus the three lords of the kingdom were born."
What do I gain by knowing this? Stop.
"Time later, two misfortunes occurred for the kingdom; the first was the destruction of his most loyal and strong knight house, the Nosferatu. Alisa's father, who had no political influence since he was young, was secretly contacted by Klein's grandfather. This is something we found out later; according to details Siegwald wrote, he said it was a mistake what happened; he only regretted not eliminating that boy who escaped. There were more secret reports from butlers saying that boy wasn't sane; from his childhood, he showed violent and destructive behavior; several years later, the second world war occurred, and that's when our greatest fear was born, the Bloody Knight."
Shut up, please! Why are you telling me as if I were someone important? You're terrifying me since this is bigger than a state secret.
"After that, the dukes were informed that we could be attacked and that we had an ace in case the capital was attacked. That was our biggest mistake since Franz could confirm we were hiding something, and his plan to have his son extract information from Liam grew stronger. I'm not proud of what I'll say, but I also used him, my son, the fruit of my womb, to spy on Klein... but Liam turned out to be a terrible headache, and you already saw what happened."
(No more, I beg you!)
(Are you mocking me!?)
(Is this my punishment for harassing her and looking at her breasts and imagining doing things to them!?)
(I'm sorry, I'll never do it again! But please, no more!)
(I think they're going to kill me for telling me something so important as this!)
(Uwaahh, Ixion, they're going to kill meee!)
I was busy trembling and thinking horrible things that would happen to me when she finished talking.
"And, that's all, this is the cruel and horrible truth that not only the kingdom but also the royal family hid. I'm sorry to bother you with things that didn't concern you, but I did this because of what happened. As our most loyal nobles, ministers, and knights abandoned us at the first opportunity and how you criticized us as if you knew we were trash who deserved it. Truly, viscount, I thank you from the heart for saving us and apologize for everything you've suffered for this country."
The Queen bowed in her seat; her breasts moved a bit, but I decided not to look at them since I was terrified.
Upon getting up, she saw me tremble.
"You shouldn't worry about anything; I guarantee my husband nor anyone else will know this; consider it a Queen's secret to the hero."
She winked at me when saying it; that phrase should give me a lot of happiness since it seemed taken from an immoral book. But my panic about what she said was greater than my craziness.
"N-no need to worry. I-I-I understand you were venting to me."
I grabbed my teacup, and it wobbled a bit.
"Let's change the topic to a more pleasant one before I go to the meeting."
She said it while joining her hands, her mature face showing a pure teenage smile.
How do you want me not to bother you when you look so charming?
"I would like our relationship, Queen and hero, to start from scratch. I'm willing to erase everything bad you said in this time if you think it's okay."
This was an opportunity to eliminate all my harassment of her and have a healthy adult relationship.
"O-of course, I also wish to have a better friendly relationship with you!"
(Now that Mayer has turned his back on me after what I did, only the Queen is my only ally in the palace, and I can't lose her.)
I didn't notice the queen blushed for some reason. Don't tell me I harassed her again without realizing it?
"Well... what you said was a surprise, about wanting to be friends."
"...Huh?"
I don't understand the flow of this conversation now.
"The thing is... I'm not someone with many friends, rather... the only person I talked to when I arrived in this country was Alisa's mother since we had something in common. And, not even the maids want to have a casual conversation with me."
Please stop acting cute! Her fingers touching awkwardly, her legs rubbing together from embarrassment, and her moist eyes looking at the floor don't help at all to keep me from enjoying bothering her.
Someone tell this mature woman that her destructive power of cuteness reaches radioactive levels!
"That's why... I was a little happy that you want to be friends with an old woman like me."
When you call yourself old, it only makes my dark desires increase! Stop, I beg you!
"Not at all! I am someone whose only company by my side are two friends, nothing more; I would like to get along with the Queen since, from our previous conversations, it's noticeable you're a woman who really enjoys dialogue. I'm sure we can have a healthy conversation between two people."
I tried to calm her since her cuteness destroyed me inside.
Suddenly, she stopped and looked at the table.
"So at this point, you still treat them as friends..."
"Excuse me?"
"Nothing, sorry, I'm no one to interfere in relationships and problems between teenagers, much less the nonsense of my son and my second daughter."
(Why is she talking so weirdly? I know Liam is an idiot, but second daughter? ...oh, right, I remember Alisa said she considered the queen as a second mother, so it's normal for the queen to treat her like a daughter, although I think she made a mistake saying second instead of just daughter.)
She clapped her palms to change the conversation to a better one than it already was.
"More importantly, Rudel-kun, what do you plan to do from now on? The academy will take a while to open, so I see no problem in you wanting to complete your studies after your degradation."
I smiled at her since no one knows this, but I can't lie to those pink cheeks and radiant blue eyes.
"I've been thinking about it, and I think the best I can do now is this. I'll go study abroad."
When I told her, for some reason, her smile vanished, and her blue eyes turned black as they stared at me fixedly.
◇◇◇
Right after Rudel left the ministers' meeting room, this happened.
"Prime Minister, this is really bad!"
"We expected him to retract, but this got out of hand!"
"We didn't imagine his relationship with that girl was the same as the prince's!?"
"At this rate, the kingdom will truly be lost! After all, if we lose the hero who sowed fear in our enemies, the country will be invaded since there will be no one to defend us!"
The ministers were scared because of what Rudel told them.
"We did propaganda to neighboring kingdoms and spread that he was the one who finished off that man. His degradation was supposed to be just a lie for his promotion to earl!"
"If Viscount Bradford really leaves. What guarantees us keeping him tied to the kingdom!?"
Rudel's name and what he did were spreading by order of Mayer himself; they wanted to tell the whole world that the Kingdom of Altfode was their worst threat and enemy since they had the ruthless hero who killed the Bloody Knight.
All this was planned by Mayer after meeting Rudel.
He was sitting with both hands on his head while looking at the documents Rudel presented.
The ministers shouted at his desk about how he could allow that approval.
(If I hadn't done it, that boy would have realized there was something more than just wanting that girl's execution; at this rate, what I and Leonis talked about will go to waste. There must be something I can do to make him change his mind?)
Everyone was excited.
"We can't threaten him by taking his lands or title since he gave them up willingly!"
"We really must reconsider a renegotiation with him without him thinking something is weird."
"What can we do so he doesn't want to leave and stays in the kingdom?"
Mayer thought while all the ministers looked anxious.
(I truly wanted to help you and have you live a happy and peaceful life, but I am the prime minister of the kingdom; a large part of the King's responsibility falls on me. That's why I used you, so you could help me lighten the load and eliminate the country's pests; you were going to work as a soldier only at specific times and live peacefully in your territory, but why did you do all this, Rudel-kun?)
A voice rose among the ministers' shouts; it was Siegwald, who was sitting in his chair without moving.
"Gentlemen, you forget there's one thing you forgot."
Everyone turned to look at him.
"What did we forget?" A minister asked, and Siegwald showed a triumphant smile.
"What do you think is the best way to tie a man to a country and take legal measures to prevent him from leaving?"
Mayer lifted his face to see him and murmur before Siegwald himself responded.
"Bismarck, don't tell me this is what you wanted?"
Smiling, the duke told everyone.
"Engagement. There's nothing and no one in any country that can escape it, so we only have to select his future wife so he doesn't flee."
Everyone raised their voices at that simple but chaotic answer.
"Engagement is an excellent option, but he has rejected many letters about invitations, hasn't he?"
"The problem here isn't finding a house loyal to the kingdom. But how to get the viscount to accept that girl!"
"We should look for the most beautiful young women in the kingdom so he becomes interested in them."
"That boy has rejected many invitations! Even from my daughter; as a father, I recognize her beauty is high, but if he treats the daughter of Count Roseblaire casually. What makes you think he would accept a girl he doesn't know?"
"Then, whom do you propose for it?"
A mouth was about to open, but it was closed because someone entered the room with strong footsteps.
It was Lecia, sweating from running.
"Mayer, we have problems!"
"...And now what's happening, Your Majesty?"
Lecia's mouth dropped a bomb because of what she said.
"Rudel-kun... Viscount Bradford, is planning to escape abroad!"
The uproar began again since their suspicions worsened; Mayer dropped his head on the desk while Siegwald...
"Viscount— ...no, Rudel-dono, thank you for making things easier for me."
Smiled as if he had already won.