The Regressed Son of a Duke is an Assassin

Chapter 17: Imperial Visit (4)

The Emperor of the Ushif Empire, Dionne Sevellerus, had two wives.

His first wife and former empress, now deceased, Diana Quazel, and his second wife, the current empress and the real power behind the empire, Cassandra Nepellis.

From the former empress, the first prince and the second princess were born, and from the current empress, the third prince and the fourth prince were born.

But what about the fifth princess?

In public perception, she’s known as the offspring of a fallen marquisate.

However, among the central nobility, there was no one unaware that she was born from a concubine.

Even though the emperor personally acknowledged her as a princess, she never received equal treatment compared to her four siblings.

With only the title of princess but lacking any real power or influence, she couldn’t intervene in the intense power struggles among the imperial family.

Merely a princess in name, she was powerless. Despite appearing helpless, realistically, what could she have done with the body of a feeble woman?

Unable to do anything on her own and failing to establish any supporting factions, she was eventually driven out of the imperial palace due to internal conflicts, only to die quietly from illness without any notable achievements.

Such was the tragic life of this princess.

A true princess of misfortune.

It’s fitting, isn’t it, even though we don’t know who coined it?

She may live peacefully with an innocent face now, but in a few years, tears will surely fall from those clear eyes.

“How long have you been here?”

“About a month.”

“Alone?”

“I live with a maid.”

“Oh, I see…”

Just as the conversation seemed to continue, my indifferent responses abruptly cut it off.

The princess’s gaze became even more uneasy, and Emily’s glances, coming through the cracks, grew more piercing.

“I, um, first of all, I want to apologize for what happened earlier today. I feel like I behaved very inappropriately as a princess. You were right; if I couldn’t help, I shouldn’t have interfered….”

“You don’t need to worry. I also apologize for any rudeness I may have shown you as well.”

As I rose and bowed, she also stood up. She seemed about to clap her hands but hesitated and sat back down.

“Um, well, you see…”

The princess hesitated, debating whether to say something or not.

For now, I decided to wait without saying anything.

“Why did you come to the frontline?”

“I wanted to gain various experiences before enrolling in the academy.”

“W-weren’t you scared?”

“I’m in the process of overcoming it.”

“I see…”

A heavy silence fills the tent.

Eventually, unable to bear it, I asked first.

“What do you want to say?”

“Huh?”

“You didn’t come here to ask about my personal background, did you?”

“N-no, it’s not that big of a deal! I just wanted to ask about you!”

“You want to ask about me?”

[Our master seems quite popular, huh?]

Kaeram, lying on the bed, remarked sarcastically as she observed the situation closely.

“Yeah, I’ve felt that way since I first saw you at the border gate. You seemed quite different from me, more mature, maybe?”

“Despite that, it felt like you were looking at me with rather unfriendly eyes…”

“Ah, I’m sorry about that! I think my jealousy unintentionally showed.”

By now, I had a feeling why this princess had come.

So-called personal counselling.

It seemed like the intention was for peers of the same age to get to know each other through various conversations.

Honestly, it was a bit out of the blue…

But regardless of my own state, she had come all the way here on this ambitious night to have a conversation with a guy she had just met today.

Is the princess really that lacking in people around her?

“I’m sorry, but it seems I have nothing to tell Your Highness. It would be difficult to share my personal stories, and I’m not as mature as the former princess might think.”

Even if I felt a bit conflicted, I couldn’t spare the time to counsel someone else’s life when I was busy taking care of my own.

Even if she’s from the imperial bloodline, she’s no better than a roadside pebble if she doesn’t benefit me.

[Sigh, what should we do with our foolish master?]

Kaeram let out a sigh, showing signs of frustration.

Emily’s gaze felt even sharper, but I didn’t show any reaction.

In the first place, I’m not here to figure out what they think.

“What’s the reason…?”

Her tone suddenly changed.

“Are you ignoring me because you see me as just another superficial princess?”

“You misunderstand.”

“No, I can tell by your tone. You want to end this conversation quickly and get rid of me. I know I came here unannounced, but honestly, I feel quite uncomfortable.”

Her gaze felt like a sharp dagger piercing through me.

“I understand. From your perspective, I’m just someone you won’t benefit from even if we become friends.”

“Why do you think that way?”

“I know myself best. I’ve realized it through countless experiences since birth. Being a princess, nobody has ever genuinely cared about me.”

I could only remain silent.

I, too, am no different from the people she’s encountered, so there was no need to make more excuses.

The princess, with a sigh, rose from her seat.

“Sorry for taking up your time. I thought I could sort things out by talking, but I guess I was mistaken. You’re quite different from your brother, Lord Aschel.”

…What?

For a moment, I doubted my ears.

“What did you just say?”

“I said that you seem completely different from Lord Aschel. Even if you’re siblings, you can’t be alike.”

Why?

Why is that boy’s name coming out of her mouth?

The princess seemed startled by my uncontrolled expression of emotions.

“W-What’s wrong? Why are you looking at me like that?”

“Aschel… No, how do you know about my older brother?”

She asked quietly, briefly averting her gaze.

“Oh, we happened to meet last year when visiting the Royal Academy. You know, my father is acquainted with Duke Vert… So, it was a natural introduction…”

“…”

The air felt heavy.

I felt queasy, and my breathing became erratic.

Just hearing one name stirred up too many emotions.

Stay calm.

What’s the use of getting worked up over this when we haven’t even met in person yet?

Even now, if I don’t control myself, it feels like my limbs will be torn apart in an instant.

I have to endure it.

I shouldn’t let myself face such a futile and uninteresting end, right?

My inner excitement gradually subsided.

Quietly raising my head, I spoke again with a composed expression.

“I see. I apologize for not showing a fitting appearance for him.”

“Y-Yeah! You seem like you need to resemble him a bit! Besides, Lord Aschel has given me sincere advice!”

…?

Who gave you what?

“… My older brother gave you sincere advice?”

“T-That’s right! He told me to maintain an upright and confident demeanor as a princess, regardless of what others say! He also asked me to become a princess who can truly help the empire!”

Unbelievable.

That extreme opportunist gave sincere advice? I know his devilish character better than anyone.

Whether it’s genuine or malicious, he doesn’t seem to care about anyone who won’t have any impact on him.

It was right after I graduated from the academy that I started receiving attention from him.

During my incompetent days, he wouldn’t even bother to acknowledge me, almost treating me like a complete stranger.

And yet, that guy, who isn’t even another prince or princess, gave advice to that delicate princess, Arin?

The 5th Princess, who is considered to be part of the most insignificant and feeble faction within the royal family.

She’s practically nonexistent in terms of influence, and if it were the guy I know, he would have just passed by with formal greetings.

Honestly, I want to believe it’s a lie…

But in the innocent eyes of this princess, there’s no trace of such falsehood.

“…”

At my unexpected reaction, the princess was left hesitating, unsure of what to do.

As I’ve mentioned before, he never acts without reason.

If he gave sincere advice to Princess Arin, there must have been some value in doing so.

He wouldn’t have made such remarks just to flatter her.

Moreover, if it was a year ago, it would have been a time when it had no impact on my current self.

That means it’s a story from a past life.

A princess who can help the empire…

It was such an unbelievable statement.

The situation hasn’t changed.

Arin, the princess, is ultimately a woman of no value to me.

No matter whose puppet she may be, she’s not my concern.

But if the puppeteer is Aschel…

Then the story changes.

Regardless of whatever plans or schemes that guy might have, I have no intention of going easy on him.

Now that I know, I’ll delve into every detail and thoroughly sabotage whatever he’s up to.

*Kiiing*

I created a mana sphere the size of a bean at my fingertips and casually flicked it away.

The sphere dispersed into dust, forming an invisible magical barrier around me and the princess.

“What… what was that just now?”

“It’s nothing. Don’t worry about it.”

To ensure that nobody else can overhear our conversation, I cast a privacy barrier.

Beyond the barrier, anyone else would only hear the faintest whispers.

“You said you want to be a princess who helps the empire?”

“Yeah, I don’t want to live a doll-like existence. I want to be useful to the country and its people as a princess.”

“Then I dare to ask. Does the princess have any interest in the throne?”

The mention of the throne startled her.

“W-what are you talking about! The throne? I, I have no interest in such a thing…!”

“Then let me ask again. How can someone who has no interest in the throne be of service to the country and its people?”

Arin’s face turned deeply red.

“I, I don’t want to be an empress! It’s not even a possibility! Right now, it might be tough because I’m young, but if I work hard, I can surely contribute to the empire as a princess…”

“How pathetic.”

“What?”

“Do you even understand the reality of the empire? You claim you want to contribute as a princess? You think it’ll change after ten, twenty years? With that attitude, you won’t achieve anything but lingering on the streets.”

Her pupils quivered and her lips trembled.

It was a moment when the fragile faith she held onto broke down miserably.

She must have known it herself.

But even knowing, she tried to deny it.

Regardless of anything else, it was crucial to thoroughly instill in her the understanding of her situation.

Treating her lightly just because she’s a woman or because she’s young would only be detrimental.

First and foremost, this princess needed to deeply understand her own situation.

Tiny droplets of tears formed at the corners of her eyes.

“S-So… then…”

Struggling to steady her trembling voice, she asked, “What should I do? How can I live in a way that benefits the empire?”

“Isn’t it simple?”

“…?”

“Take the throne.”

The princess seemed to freeze, as if under a petrification spell.

It wasn’t an empty remark thrown out for the sake of it.

With determination and strength, humans can achieve anything.

A beggar who scraped by for food could one day pull out a holy sword and become a hero, and an emperor who ruled the world could be chased out in a revolution and become a beggar.

If nothing else, wouldn’t even becoming an emperor be valuable to me?

-clang! clang! clang!

At that moment, a familiar sound rang out.

With three tolls of the bell, the princess regained her focus, her eyes returning from their momentary daze.

At the same time, the guardian knights waiting beyond the barrier rushed in.

“Princess, you need to evacuate urgently!”

I immediately lifted the sound-blocking magic.

“Ar-Are the monsters attacking?”

“It seems so. Quickly, to the rear camp…”

-Boom!

Followed by a signal sound indicating the direction of the monsters’ appearance.

People instinctively covered their ears due to the incredibly loud noise.

The sound was close.

Very close.

At least near the faction’s camp.

-Rumble

As if heralding the arrival of a giant monster, a fierce vibration could be felt beneath the ground.

———