109 First Princess Stefania
"If you trick me...I don't know who will benefit the most from it."
Rosemary folds her arms and walks around making noises. The look on her face makes her smile. She looks like she's having fun.
“I don’t know...is that just uncouth to ask?”
"That's right. I have many enemies and I have earned grudges."
But――well. Regardless of who did it, what would happen if it gave Rosemary a bad reputation is that it would serve as a sabotage when Rosemary wanted to inherit the throne.
Sabotage, huh? It would be too risky to aim for the princess's life. If that's the case, it wouldn't be surprising if there was a way to make the hand a little more powerful.
"If you're going to do something like that, I'll make sure we can rehash the Marlene incident later."
“Ah….They fabricated evidence that I or someone from my faction was involved, and then they decided to cut the bill when it would hurt the most.”
Also, it is desirable to have a shape that is not clearly black and white. Suspicions alone can drive supporters away. Or, they will assassinate him while giving him a bad name.
...This has something to do with succession to the throne.
The royal family and their close aides. Or maybe a maternal relative or someone important in the country. This is a picture drawn by someone close to the center of power.
"But wouldn't that have been good for you and Marlene?"
“…Is it because it’s confirmed that Marlene is safe?”
"That's right. Once you're married, even if your words return, you won't have to worry about any succession disputes."
Well...in theory, that's the case. Similarly, Prince Albert, who is a bit of a dropout due to a dispute over his successor, and Hellfried, who is not seen as a likely candidate, are unlikely to be assassinated.
"I'd like to say that I'm also excluded from the succession dispute...but, well, in my case, there are other matters as well."
Rosemary laughs when she says that.
...There's a risk of assassination. Should I do something about this?
"Are you okay?"
"There aren't many ways to set things up in the north tower. The gargoyles here are also my bodyguards unless I try to escape."
Gargoyles are placed not only inside the floating stone shaft, but also in the passageway and in this room.
“So, the only way to do that would be to use the trick you mentioned earlier, but do you think you can kill me with poison?”
Rosemary laughs fearlessly.
"Well, I understand. What about the type of poison that was given to Marlene?"
“There are a few candidates, but judging by the symptoms you get when you make a mistake in the amount...”
Rosemary ran a quill on a piece of paper and handed it to me.
“I think a strong candidate would be Mermaid’s Lament.”
Again――Magic potion, huh? If that's the case, it wouldn't be strange to be able to dispel the spell with the Necklace of Evil.
"This is a sea witch's secret potion. It is linked to a spell and is said to take away the voice of those who drink it. Unless they regain their voice, there is no way to break the spell."
got it. Marlene's voice, which has been suppressed somehow, needs to be released.
Whether Marlene wants to talk about it even if she gets it back is another story...it belongs to Marlene. There's no reason to leave him alone.
"It's been quite a while though. I wonder if he's trying to catch up with me?"
“To a certain extent.”
The perpetrator must have been silenced in some way after the incident, and the same goes for the magical inquisitor. If you move someone during that period, there will be traces left behind.
A method of blackmailing the source of poisonous substances. Well, let's do some research. The recipe for mermaid's lament... doesn't seem to be as special as Alraune's kiss. The materials from the labyrinth alone can cover everything.
"Yes. Then, if you find the culprit, I'll ask for your share in false accusations."
Rosemary covered her mouth with a feather fan and narrowed her eyes.
"I need to talk to you. May I have a moment?"
When I finished talking with Rosemary and came down from the north tower, Prince Helfried called out to me. Apparently, he was waiting for me to come out.
It doesn't seem like they're talking about small talk...I think it would be a good idea to go to the salon in the King's Tower and listen.
“What are you talking about?”
When I said this while sitting across from him in the salon, Prince Helfried said with a somewhat embarrassed look on his face.
“The other day...I was wrong for saying something that made people doubt you without knowing you well.I should have apologized to you before you allowed me to meet with your sister. think"
"No. It's not like they did anything special to me."
"……no"
Hellfried shakes his head.
"Something happened. Um...I wasn't satisfied with that, so I decided to investigate your situation. In the process, I also asked about your mother, or should I say..."
It seems like it's hard to say, but he tells me that.
Did you also find out about your mother? As for Silvatoria, it's just the guild leader's speculation, so even if it doesn't come out...the details of the battle with the sleeping king will probably come out soon if you look into it.
Prince Helfried bowed his head deeply and said.
"So--if you think about it, I think I acted quite rudely. Please forgive me for doubting you."
When Prince Helfried looked up, he seemed to be in tears.
Well. No...I wonder what the reaction will be.
But I see. The reason why my attitude was so different from last time was probably because after hearing about her mother, I started to think about my situation.
I agree with that, but I also feel like I can understand Rosemary's opinion. I'd say he's emotional and his reactions are honest. Certainly, some would say that she is not suited to be a king. From Rosemary's point of view, it's even more so. Well... it's not really related to me though.
"I understand. I will certainly accept your apology."
"I see... that was good."
Prince Helfried patted his chest. Although I'm grateful to know about her mother and say that. I feel a little uncomfortable when you come to me straight like that.
"Ah, Helfried. You were here."
As I was tilting my teacup, a young woman peeked into the salon. she is in a white dress. Her appearance and demeanor suggest that she is quite high-status.
"Her Royal Highness Stefania"
"Ah, it's fine. Please just take it easy."
She casually urged us to remain seated and joined us.
First Princess Stefania. This means that I am acquainted with all the princes and princesses.
"You're...Theodore-kun, right?...Yeah. Your hair and eye color are very similar to Lisa-sama."
“Auria-sama from the Adventurer’s Guild also told me so.”
"n/a"
When he said that, Princess Stefania broke down. Apparently Princess Stefania also knows her mother.
“Looking like this, I wonder if Hellfried was able to reconcile?”
"……yes"
Hellfried nods in awe.
"Yes, that would have been nice. I guess there was no need for me to come looking for you."
, he put his mouth to the teacup brought by the servant.
I guess Prince Hellfried consulted Princess Stefania. Judging from the way she speaks, she was the one who told me about her mother's story...I wonder what it was like.
"Lisa-sama and I met a long time ago. We met on the ship."
“By boat?”
"Yeah. That was on my way back from a friendly trip to Silvatoria."
that. Something that seems to support Auria's speculation has come out, hasn't it? No, well. Just because he seems to have come from Silvatoria, I don't think it would be a good idea to make this a far-fetched story about political change or something.
"I heard that he was employed as a ship's guard. It would be more correct to call him the ship's doctor. He used magic to treat illnesses that were spreading among the crew. From that time on, he was a beautiful and wonderful person. That's what I thought."
...The ship's doctor? Well, assuming her mother was as usual.
“After that, he continued to be active as an adventurer.I have collected many stories about Lisa-sama.I talked to Hellfried about these things as well. I'm sorry if I made you feel bad."
"no"
I smile bitterly at Princess Stefania's words. It's like she has no reason to feel bad.
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