Chapter 28

Chief Steward Sarius.
Chief Scribe Mondia.
Grand Chamberlain Gouranval.
And Chief Knight Commander Sunbrag.

Alongside them were Head Maid Arlgokia, Guard Captain Steen, my personal handmaiden Delawear, and other prominent knights who made up the core of the “Court.” They were all assembled before me.

“Now then, Sir Sunbrag… Please provide your report once more.”

Sharing information is crucial.
Suppressing the growing anxiety within me, I gave the order to Knight Sunbrag.

“Three days ago, the Allied Kingdom Army, including the forces of Duke Budoudarl—your father—launched an invasion into Duke Cartaria’s territory.”

The ensuing battle ended in defeat for the Allied Kingdom Army.
The damage was severe, and the allied forces were forced to retreat.
The Budoudal forces also withdrew, but many knights were captured.

As for Duke Budoudarl—my father—his fate remains unknown.

That’s all we know for certain.
Even though we were supposed to have the upper hand, why did we lose?
What happened to the king and Prince Karvenil, who were leading the alliance?

So many questions remain unanswered…

“There’s truly no information on my father’s status?”

“None. As of now, his whereabouts and condition are unknown.”

“…In that case, we must consider the possibility that he has fallen, and prepare for what lies ahead.”

Struggling to keep my voice from trembling, I reviewed the situation.

I am the designated successor to the Budoudal Ducal House—its co-ruler.
Right now, I must be the one to protect it.

Calm down… You have to stay calm…

“I request your counsel.”

I managed to force the words out and took my seat.

Fortunately, the knights’ opinions were aligned, and a course of action was agreed upon without issue:

For now, we must focus our efforts on gathering intelligence.

To avoid panic, we must be cautious about releasing information.

To prevent unrest among the lords and knights, Princess Roselia must remain here.

Princess Blanche, currently waiting in Budoubel Palace, and Duchess Antocia must also be ordered to stay put.

In case of emergency, trusted knights will be informed of the situation and preparations made to mobilize troops.

The Grand Duke of Plumera must be briefed on everything we know so far and asked to prepare.

That’s it.

In short, there’s nothing I can do right now.

“Please, Your Highness, get some rest.”

That was the message from the knights.

Easier said than done—how could I possibly sleep?

A week passed.

“M-my father… was killed in battle…!?”

The moment I heard that report from Knight Sunbrag, my voice trembled.
My head was spinning.

“It’s just a rumor circulating among the commoners. The source is unclear. We can’t say it’s reliable.”

“But where there’s smoke, there’s fire…”

“There are those going around lighting fires.”

Sunbrag’s reply helped me regain a bit of composure.
That’s right… If we still don’t know whether my father is alive, there’s no way the public could know.

“...The Vultures, then.”

“Most likely.”

“They were quick to sniff it out, weren’t they?”

“Their only real strengths are their eyes and noses.”

Exploiting succession disputes, civil wars, plagues, and disasters—that’s the Empire’s specialty.

The moment they caught wind of the allied army’s defeat, they must have started spreading information harmful to House Budoudal.

Spreading baseless lies costs them nothing.

“We believe there’s little chance His Grace has perished.”

From the start, Father was hesitant about war.
It’s unlikely he would have been on the front lines—he would’ve positioned himself in the rear.
He’s never sought battlefield glory. He would choose surrender over death in combat… Even with all that explained to me, I couldn’t shake the unease.

“And… there’s one more piece of bad news.”

“…Let’s hear it.”

“A group of minor lords in the Plumera Grand Duchy has risen in rebellion.”

…What?

“A—a rebellion!? I—is my grandfather safe!?”

“The Grand Duke has already deployed troops to suppress it. It’s a small-scale uprising. It’s unlikely to escalate.”

“That’s… a relief…”

If I lost both my father and my grandfather…

“However, the Grand Duke will be tied up with quelling the rebellion for some time. We won’t be able to rely on him.”

The royal family is unreliable.
My grandfather can’t be counted on.
I don’t even know if my father is alive.
And the Empire watches from the shadows, ready to strike.

If a rebellion were to break out here as well…

“…Understood.”

All I could do was nod at Knight Sunbrag’s words.

Another week passed.

There was still no word on my father’s fate.

And yet, the situation showed no signs of improvement.

Rumors that Father had died began to spread on their own, and the lords and knights were growing restless.

Some had even begun to suspect that we were deliberately hiding his death.

And now, the situation worsened again.

“Count Couranbel has made a move.”

It was Knight Sunbrag who spoke, his voice calm during the meeting.

I didn’t want to hear it…

“He’s calling for the establishment of a Council.”

“A Council…?”

“He says that, in the absence of a governing ruler, we must unite to protect the duchy. But in truth, he simply wants to push unfavorable treaties through and have Your Highness sign them while the Duke is away. It’s the usual trick of the lords.”

So, it wasn’t a rebellion… not yet.

That thought alone gave me a brief sense of relief.

“As of now, Count Mariabel and Count Kiwiubel have expressed support for Count Couranbel’s proposal.”

They were all close allies of Count Couranbel—nobles commonly referred to as the “Anti-Roselia Faction.”

If anyone was going to lead a rebellion, it would be them. That much had always been expected.

There were only three counts so far, but more would likely follow.

Should we suppress them by force while we still can…? Or would that only provoke them further?

I didn’t know what the right course of action was.

…For now, I would follow Knight Sunbrag’s counsel.

The last thing I wanted was to say something careless and make the situation worse.

But there was one thing I needed to confirm.

“Is Budouberl Castle secure? I mean… Duchess Antocia is there.”

My stepmother hates me.

Her older brother is Count Couranbel—the one leading the council faction. It wouldn’t be surprising if she were colluding with him.

There’s even a possibility that Budouberl Castle has already fallen…

“You may rest assured on that front. Budouberl Castle remains firmly under our control—the Court Faction. Duchess Antocia has no means of acting, and we will not allow her to do anything.”

“And what about Blanche? If her mother influences her…”

Blanche is Count Couranbel’s niece.

I don’t want to doubt her, but the possibility continues to linger in my mind.

I don’t think she’d go out of her way to harm me, but she’s not exactly the most dependable person. It’s entirely possible she could be swayed.

“Lady Blanche is currently accompanied by my foolish younger sister—the Deputy Head Maid. As long as she remains by Blanche’s side, the girl will not stray from the right path. You need not worry.”

The Deputy Head Maid was also Blanche’s wet nurse.

In other words, more of a mother than her real one.

“If you’re still uneasy, perhaps writing her a letter would help put your mind at ease.”

“...Yes, perhaps.”

Is that really all I can do?

Another week passed.

The number of nobles aligning themselves with Count Couranbel began to rise.

Even those previously considered neutral were starting to shift toward the “Council Faction.”

“Please… try to remain calm, Your Highness.”

That day, Knight Sunbrag and the senior retainers came to my office.

But it wasn’t time for our usual meeting.

I had a very bad feeling.

“The Empire has mobilized its army.”

I felt the blood drain from my face.

The moment I had dreaded had finally arrived.

But Knight Sunbrag’s report wasn’t finished.

“There are also signs of unrest along the western border.”

Some of the royalist nobles along the border shared by the Budoudal Duchy and the royal domain were apparently preparing to invade our territory.

They were mid-ranking nobles who usually wavered between supporting the Budoudal faction and the royal faction.

Normally, they’d be easy to deal with.

But in our current state…

“In response to that movement, Count Couranbel has begun mobilizing his forces. At this point, it’s safe to assume the Empire and Count Couranbel are working in concert.”

Count Couranbel aims to seize Shumission Castle and the surrounding area to sever the Budoudal Duchy from the Torinia Duchy.

While we’re isolated with the Duke of Torinia, the Empire will move to occupy the lands of Count Authen.

And depending on how things unfold, they may even try to capture me—or Rouge.

That’s the strategy they seem to be employing.

“…This is a letter from Count Couranbel.”

I silently broke the seal and read the contents.

As I read, I felt a powerful urge to rip it apart, but I clenched my teeth and held back, then handed the letter to Knight Sunbrag.

“Please review it. I’d rather not say it aloud.”

The letter contained a marriage proposal—between me and Count Couranbel.

He was mocking me.

My blood boiled.

“…An utterly insulting proposal.”

Knight Sunbrag let out a sigh, clearly appalled.

“There is no need to entertain such a thing.”

“Then… will we hold the castle?”

Should we prioritize subjugating Count Couranbel after all?

But if we focus on besieging him and get struck from the west at the same time, everything could fall apart.

Other lords might raise their own troops too.

And if we hesitate, the Empire could arrive…

Given all that, maybe it would be safer to consolidate our forces at Torinia Castle and hole up until reinforcements arrive.

“No. We’re retreating from Torinia Castle.”

“…What?”

“Right now, the safety of Your Highness and Lady Rouge must come first. The castle can be reclaimed later.”

If we chose to hold the castle, we’d be trapped until reinforcements arrived.

But there’s no guarantee they’d come in time.

Knight Sunbrag insisted that the best course was to withdraw to a safe location first.

“Once we’ve escaped… where will we go?”

“Our first destination is Count Lazabel’s domain. From there, we’ll pass through royal territory and head for the city of Budoubel.”

Afterward, the plan was to coordinate with Grandfather and raise an army to reclaim the Torinia Duchy. That was Sunbrag’s strategy.

Certainly, gathering knights in the Budoudal Duchy, where we still have support, would be more effective than in the unstable Torinia Duchy…

“But wouldn’t that essentially be handing the Torinia Duchy over to Count Couranbel?”

“It’s not a concern.”

Knight Sunbrag dismissed my worry without even flinching.

“The Council Faction nobles are only united by their hunger for power and privilege—they don’t actually follow Count Couranbel. If he truly wishes to rule the Torinia Duchy, he must capture Your Highness, Lady Blanche, and Lady Rouge. Without you, he gains nothing.”

Indeed, unless he seizes the ducal family, Couranbel remains nothing more than a single count.

There are still pro-Roselia and neutral nobles in the Torinia Duchy. Expanding control won’t be easy for him.

But even so—or perhaps because of that—giving up the duchy now feels premature.

“Can’t we send messengers to Budoubel Castle and have them gather troops there?”

Knights stationed at Budoubel Castle—Blanche included—could assemble an army.

We could then sandwich Count Couranbel between that army and ours from Torinia Castle.

“I doubt Lady Blanche’s name would hold enough sway, given that she just debuted in society. Besides… she is the daughter of Duchess Antocia.”

We trust her because we know she’s under the care of her wet nurse.

But knights unfamiliar with Blanche wouldn’t know which side she leans toward.

To them, she’s still a blank slate.

So yes—having her gather troops would be difficult.

To rally soldiers for certain, they would need my seal—and that seal is embedded in the ring on my finger.

“More than anything, we don’t know how long Lady Blanche’s resolve would last on a battlefield full of malice.”

If Blanche were to break, everything would be lost.

We can’t afford to gamble on that.

“In time, the rebellion within the Plumera Grand Duchy will settle. Once the Grand Duke of Plumera begins to move, the Empire will withdraw. The royal family may be in disarray now, but once that stabilizes, we can expect reinforcements. If the Duke is safe, he will return. Time is on our side. Please do not forget that.”

Knight Sunbrag declared this with full confidence.

I see.

Certainly, rather than forcing a confrontation now, it would be wiser to withdraw, regroup, and strike back after we’ve prepared. That would raise our chances of victory.

Knight Sunbrag is correct.

From a military standpoint, this is likely the logical moment to retreat.

But… is that really true?

Isn’t choosing to flee the coward’s path?

I couldn’t shake the doubt.

More than anything...

“P-Princess!? Y-Your mana—!”

Running away... is just infuriating.