**Chapter 119: Celestine’s Resolve**
After a small tea party at the House of Marquis Rosemary, Celestine Crocus stepped into her carriage.
“Phew…”
Surrounding the carriage were mounted guards. Though it seemed excessive for a journey within the Royal Capital, it was hardly surprising given the current situation with Marquis Aiger’s rebellion. Celestine, as the daughter of the Prime Minister and the betrothed of Lord Rodel, the Third Prince, occupied a precarious position. It was not out of the question for political adversaries to reach out with their sinister hands for assassination or kidnapping.
(Well, my status as that man’s fiancée is about to come to an end anyway…)
The engagement with Rodel was set to be annulled soon. Specifically, it would be announced at the same time as the formal declaration of Marquis Aiger’s rebellion. With that, her duty of cleaning up after the foolish prince would also come to a close. It felt as if a heavy burden had been lifted from her shoulders.
(Still… I’m glad Rest accepted the proposal.)
In a pinch, it would be possible to impose it by royal decree, but that would tarnish the royal family’s reputation. Celestine wished to avoid any resentment towards the royal family. Though she hadn’t mentioned it to him, Rest was becoming an increasingly sensational figure for the royal family.
(Defeating the Lord of the Demon Territory, Subnock, all by himself… No, Lord Lyubase helped as well…)
When Rest and Lyubase returned from the depths of the Magic Territory with the report of Subnock’s defeat, the palace officials initially refused to believe the information. Subnock was a beast that had repelled numerous extermination parties in the past. The idea that it could be defeated by just two people—effectively just Rest—was utterly inconceivable. However, once the investigation confirmed Subnock’s corpse, the palace hurriedly conducted interrogations to understand how the Lord of the Demon Territory had been vanquished. The revelations were astounding: Rest possessed an immense amount of magical power, rivaling that of an entire army.
The palace was torn between celebrating the birth of a force capable of destroying nations and remaining cautious. Ultimately, they decided to embrace him as a “hero.”
Fortunately, Rest was under the banner of the House of Marquis Rosemary. Marquis Rosemary was the Chief Court Magician, a loyal servant with the royal family’s deep trust. Rest himself had no issues with his character; he was not the type to wield power recklessly for personal gain. After discussions among the kingdom’s upper echelons, it was secretly decided to actively utilize Rest for the kingdom’s development rather than eliminate him.
(First, we’ll grant him a title and territory. He will assist in quelling Marquis Aiger’s rebellion and, through that achievement, be elevated to count. He will cultivate the plains left desolate by the loss of their lord, establishing himself as a young noble responsible for transformation.)
The Magic Hunt Festival had caused significant damage, and now a rebellion had erupted. To improve the somber mood of the nation, the presence of a hero was essential. The palace hoped that Rest would become that hero.
(As a commoner, Rest should be well-received by the populace. Next would be Lord Lyubase, who hails from a lower noble background…)
In this situation, the Third Prince Rodel was being propped up, while the high-ranking noble, Marquis Aiger, instigated the rebellion. It was precisely because of this that they intended to deliberately favor commoners and lower nobles. They aimed to inject a fresh, youthful breeze into a kingdom still burdened by the old atmosphere of the Queen Dowager Faction.
(If we can defeat Marquis Aiger, we can eliminate the internal strife plaguing the Aiwood Kingdom. By cultivating the plains, we can enrich the nation and focus on external threats…)
The Aiwood Kingdom faced several external enemies. The most prominent were the barbarian tribes to the north and the potential threat of the Geisel Empire, an allied nation to the east. The empire had long been ruled by a moderate emperor, but recently, radical factions advocating for external expansion had been gaining momentum. If these radicals were to seize power, they might turn their sights toward the Aiwood Kingdom.
(…I genuinely feel sorry for those who have become victims in this incident, but perhaps it’s fortunate that Marquis Aiger chose this moment to act.)
If Marquis Aiger initiated the rebellion, they could openly exterminate it. The only issue was that Rodel was being used as a figurehead for the rebel forces. If they were to defeat Rodel, who was the child of a royal consort from the empire, it could sour relations with their neighboring nation.
(Confrontation with the Geisel Empire seems unavoidable… but this is something we must brace ourselves for. It’s an issue that was bound to arise eventually. The time has come to address the problems we’ve been postponing. The moment to set the stopped clock in motion has arrived.)
There is a flow to the times. Since the death of the Queen Dowager, the Aiwood Kingdom had seen that flow dammed and stagnated. However, with the emergence of Rest, the young hero, momentum was beginning to return, promising various transformations.
“First, we must deal with Marquis Aiger and Lord Rodel. If we lose here, it will be meaningless.”
With determination, Celestine clasped her hands together. She vowed, in the name of the Crocus Duchy, the foremost noble family, to protect and lead the Aiwood Kingdom toward prosperity. For that, she would have to muster all her wisdom and strength. No matter the sacrifices required. No matter the pain she would endure. As one of the individuals responsible for the kingdom’s next generation, Celestine solidified her resolve to fight.
“Since I’ll be breaking off the engagement… perhaps I wouldn’t mind being embraced by Rest after all?”
Celestine murmured, her tone ambiguous between jest and sincerity, as she turned her gaze gently toward the scenery outside the window.