Chapter 66: Kneel Before Me!
I don’t know who this girl is, but she looks remarkably like Rouge. The hair is styled with a magical tool that Rouge also uses, and while her face can be subtly altered with makeup, her physique is truly a mirror image of Rouge.
It’s no wonder Lily mistook her at first glance. She really does resemble Lucretia in appearance. However, upon closer inspection, the contours of her face and the height of her nose are slightly different, and most importantly, she lacks the expression and aura that make Lucretia who she is.
Even without the «Ninja» Skill, I could easily see through this level of impersonation.
“Let me introduce you both. This girl is Merry. She’s my servant and Lucretia’s stand-in.”
“Um, nice to meet you! I’m Merry! Please take care of me!”
The girl named Merry, who was dressed as Lucretia, stood up from her chair and bowed repeatedly to us. From her lack of a noble title and her demeanor, it was clear she was of common birth.
However, hearing her voice was quite jarring. While her voice quality is similar enough that she could mimic it, it seems Merry lacks the skill to pull it off convincingly.
“Both of you, stop standing around and take a seat. Merry, you should sit down too.”
“Is it really okay…? I’m just a commoner, unlike everyone else…”
“I told you, didn’t I? You’re Lucretia’s stand-in. As long as you’re in her guise, you need to act like her and live as royalty; otherwise, it’s pointless.”
“I see! Kneel before me!”
This fake is getting a bit too carried away all of a sudden.
Even Prince Lucas, usually composed, firmly grabbed Merry by the head and forced her to sit down. We ignored the commands of the imposter and took our seats across from them.
“Um, Prince Lucas, why do you need a stand-in for Princess Lucretia…?”
Lily asked Prince Lucas with a wry smile, a question I was also curious about.
“As you all know, Lucretia is living under an assumed identity at the Royal Academy. Naturally, she’s away from the Royal Castle during this time, but if she doesn’t show her face for several days, people will start to get suspicious. If a stand-in can spend time at the Royal Castle as Lucretia, it will divert attention from the real one, right?”
Initially, it seems they planned for Lucretia to return to the Royal Castle once every week or two. However, if they did that, it would eventually be discovered that Lucretia was at the Royal Academy. Finding a stand-in was a pressing matter for Prince Lucas.
“I was originally looking for someone who could serve as a stand-in. But I couldn’t find anyone in time for the entrance exams at the Royal Academy. Then, by chance, I met Merry recently.”
“I was so surprised when I was suddenly told to work at the Royal Castle! And to pretend to be a princess, too! It was such a shock!”
“While I couldn’t fool Hugh, judging by Lily’s reaction, she seems to pass as a stand-in. This way, it should be fine to show her to my brothers, at least. They probably don’t remember what my sister looks or sounds like anyway.”
“Well, as long as she doesn’t speak, I think it’ll be fine… probably.”
Merry gives off a vibe of being a bit of a jokester. Rouge is just a bit clumsy, but Merry seems to be on a different level. While she might look the part, I suspect many would feel something off if she starts talking.
Well, I suppose Prince Lucas intends to manage that aspect himself. Worrying about it won’t change anything.
More importantly…
“Prince Lucas, could you tell us why you called us here?”
Surely, you didn’t summon Lily and me just to introduce Lucretia’s stand-in. If you wanted to surprise us, mobilizing over ten members of the Royal Knights Order and using a secret Knights Order base for a secret meeting is a bit excessive.
I don’t want to keep Rouge, who probably hasn’t slept, waiting too long; I’d like to get to the point quickly.
“Right. Let’s skip the small talk and get to the main topic. From here on out, I need you to keep this strictly confidential.”
Prince Lucas changed his tone, emphasizing the importance of his words to Lily and me. Looking around the room, I could see tension in Roan and Alissa’s expressions as well. Perhaps they hadn’t been informed of anything by Prince Lucas either.
In the silence, the sound of someone swallowing echoed.
Prince Lucas slowly spoke the words that would change everything.
“My father’s condition has worsened. According to the doctors, he has about a week left.”
“Wha…?”
At that revelation, everyone in the room widened their eyes, speechless.
Prince Lucas’s father… in other words, His Majesty the King. Everyone in the kingdom had known he hadn’t been well, but to think his condition was this dire…
The medical technology in this world is nowhere near what it was in my previous life. A week’s prognosis isn’t very accurate either. There’s a real possibility that his condition could change drastically, and he might pass away at any moment.
That’s why Roan and Alissa couldn’t relay this information to us beforehand. Even if they trusted us, if this information were to leak by some mistake, it would cause an uproar.
Roan placed his hand on his forehead and sighed, “Seriously…,” while Lily covered her mouth with both hands, her eyes filled with shock. The one who seemed the calmest among us was Merry, but that was likely because she didn’t understand the implications of the King’s death.
If it had been me a while ago, back when I was in Pnosis Territory or just arrived in the Royal Capital, I wouldn’t have grasped the severity of the situation like Merry does now.
Having decided to assist Prince Lucas in the succession war and having studied various matters, I can now vaguely imagine the impact of the King’s death in this current climate.
“…This is more than just a bad situation.”
The struggle for the right of succession is still ongoing. The frontrunner, Prince Slay, has lost momentum since the incident at Duke Lecherie’s Mansion, and now he’s being matched by Prince Brute. Meanwhile, Prince Lucas is steadily building his own faction. The battle to determine the next king is genuinely a three-way struggle.
What will happen if His Majesty the King dies in such a situation?
“Civil war will be unavoidable.”