Yukino’s thoughts were filled with disbelief as she received the news of the fall of her homeland, Levaze. It had come much sooner than she had anticipated. She had expected it to take at least two years, yet it had been achieved in just a year and a half. Was it due to Aurila’s exceptional capabilities, the overwhelming strength of the Federation, or the incompetence of Levaze itself?
The news had been delivered by Cyril.
“Your parents are being relocated to this Royal Palace.”
She looked up from the book she had been reading, titled “The Origins of Aurila.” If they were coming, it could only mean one thing: an engagement ceremony. It had been over a year since Yukino had arrived in this country, and she thought it was no longer feasible to keep her position as a candidate for the prince’s bride. Perhaps they intended to elevate her status to that of a fiancée and buy another year of time.
However, the phrase “being relocated” quickly made her realize that the royal family had lost their power. Yet, she couldn’t help but wonder why they hadn’t been executed on the spot and brought here instead.
“The Kingdom of Levaze has relinquished the Royal Seal to the Tiadry Federation. In the future, General Vander, who has been adopted into the royal family of the Federation, will establish a base and form the Bandol Regional State.”
A bloodless surrender. Without a fight. It was typical of her father, but one could almost admire it as the best method to avoid causing trouble for the citizens, despite his competitive nature.
“What will happen to my father and mother?”
And what about her nine remaining siblings?
“The former king and queen will face judgment for not adhering to the treaty with Aurila. Similarly, those involved in national politics, as well as the prince and princess, will each be punished based on their level of responsibility.”
It was undoubtedly the king who had made the decisions for the country. Along with him, Rowan Steel, the prime minister, bore responsibility. Naturally, the queen’s accountability was significant, regardless of her involvement. The fourth prince, the crown prince, and the first prince, who had been involved in the administration, would not escape their fates either. It was likely that they would face the death penalty.
The remaining individuals would likely have their sentences determined by the weight of their responsibilities—imprisonment, forced labor, or perhaps a fall to commoner status.
“There is a matter regarding your future that the king wishes to discuss. Prepare yourself and proceed to the audience chamber. …There is no need to worry; I will accompany you.”
As Cyril left, Olive entered in his place. After changing into a dress, Yukino handed Olive a leather pouch.
“It contains jewels—sixteen in total. Take this and escape.”
“Your Highness?”
“Levaze has been obliterated. The king and queen will face execution. I am no longer needed and will be disposed of as well. So, you must flee. You know the door that leads to the usual Back Garden, right? Leave through there with a casual demeanor, then pretend to be a servant and somehow make your way outside. Do you understand? Well, I suppose you were a servant after all, haha.”
Perhaps sensing that she was taking too long to change, a knock sounded from outside, followed by Cyril’s voice. Yukino urged Olive to open the door.
“Thank you for your patience!”
She smiled brightly and followed him into the audience chamber.
Awaiting her were the king and queen, the first prince, and the king’s advisors. The still-young third prince seemed to have been kept at a distance.
“Cyril, thank you for your efforts. Princess Wendy, raise your head.”
After the usual awkward greeting, she waited for the king’s words and lifted her gaze. Their stern expressions reminded her of the long journey she had just completed from Levaze.
It felt like an eternity, but compared to the sixteen years of being ignored in her homeland, it was nothing. She had ridden horses and even embarked on a brief journey.
“You have likely heard from Cyril, but your homeland, the Kingdom of Levaze, has relinquished its power to the Federation. The nation has violated its contract with our country and has been deemed unwilling to correct this, resulting in sanctions from the Federation.”
“I see.”
Yukino listened with her usual vacant expression, causing the king to frown.
“While the functions of the state will remain intact, a new king will be selected and dispatched from the Federation. The name Levaze will cease to exist in a month, marking the end of its history.”
“Is that so?”
She couldn’t open her fan in front of the king. Yukino struggled to suppress a laugh.
“And… regarding your treatment, it will be discussed after the punishment for the king and queen has been finalized. Until then, you will not be allowed to leave your room. Understood?”
“When will my father and mother arrive?”
She asked in an unusually drawn-out tone, eliciting sighs from the prime minister and other dignitaries. But she paid them no mind.
“They are scheduled to arrive tomorrow. However, whether you will be allowed to meet them will depend on their attitude.”
So they had kept silent until the last moment. Of course, this was to prevent Princess Wendy from taking any rash actions upon hearing the news. A capable nation indeed. If it were Levaze, one of the princes or princesses would have gleefully come to inform her, laughing all the while at her despair. They thrived on the faces of those in despair. Even when Yukino was to be wed, they had loudly proclaimed how barbaric Aurila and the Federation were, detailing the hardships she would face. None of it had been true, but to them, the truth mattered little.
“Princess Wendy Lee Dawsett, you are hereby placed under house arrest.”
At the king’s words, Yukino decided she no longer needed to hold back and let out a soft chuckle. A bewildered silence filled the room. Ignoring the atmosphere entirely, she looked directly into the king’s eyes, no longer wearing her vacant expression. Yet, she couldn’t hide her smile.
“Hehe, hohohohohoho!”
“Your Highness…?”
“I understand perfectly.”
Her voice was firm, reminiscent of the time she had intimidated the unfortunate guards at the Hall Viscount’s estate. The king looked at her with wide eyes, and even the queen beside him forgot to cover her mouth with her fan, her lips slightly parted in surprise.
“I express my gratitude for your country’s treatment and offer my apologies for the rudeness of Levaze as its last princess. Though I am cursed with a violation of the contract, I sincerely wish for the prosperity of this nation.”
With that, she executed a deep curtsy, her dress sweeping the floor as she turned her back to the assembly. She had been training her strength in the Back Garden for this very moment.
In a reflexive motion, Cyril’s hand reached out from the side. Yukino looked up at him.
“I can manage on my own, Sir Knight. Would you kindly escort me back to my room?”
She pointed to a familiar knight with her fan. After he glanced at the king for permission, he immediately moved, indicating that he had received it. Without looking back, Yukino left the audience chamber.
The murmurs behind her grew louder, but they were soon muffled by the closing door, leaving a profound silence in its wake.
Four knights surrounded her as they escorted her back to her room. When the door opened, it seemed that two knights remained on either side. As another pair attempted to enter, she simply stated, “I need to change,” and they nodded, stepping back outside. She closed the door behind her.
No one was inside. It appeared that Olive had successfully escaped.
Laughter bubbled up within her. That country, which had so easily discarded a child like Wendy, was now crumbling to dust. The feeling was less about the treatment Yukino had received and more about the retribution against a king who thought nothing of oppressing a small child. In any case, her objective had been achieved. What happened to Yukino from here on out was no longer a concern.
She retrieved her feathered fan, pulling out three of the decorative feathers. The base was sealed with wax.
“Which one shall I choose?”
She pointed to each feather in turn, reciting a familiar phrase from her past life. As the deity had instructed…
“This one.”
Removing the wax from the base of the last feather, she revealed a hollow cavity filled with granulated medicine, which she poured into her palm. Just as she was about to swallow it all at once, the door burst open with tremendous force. Startled, Yukino’s hand was knocked away, and her gaze instinctively followed the fallen granules.
They landed at the feet of the intruder.
“What do you think you’re doing?”
As she followed the legs up to the face, she saw Cyril, and peering desperately from behind him was Olive. She frowned involuntarily.
“Olive, I told you to run!”
“I never said I would comply!”
What kind of nonsense was that? She grimaced but winced as her arm was gripped tightly, causing her to click her tongue in pain. Ignoring her discomfort, Cyril’s gaze was fixed on the three feathers she had pulled out.
“Ori, Dan, take her to the guest room on the third floor. Katias, collect the fallen medicine and the remaining feathers, and investigate their nature with the apothecary. Do not touch them with your bare hands. The rest of you, thoroughly search this room for any other suspicious items.”
The knights moved fluidly, and Yukino found herself flanked on either side as she was escorted to the third floor.
As she stepped inside, it took only a few minutes for the castle maids to arrive, swiftly stripping Yukino of her dress and removing all her jewelry. The simple dress they replaced it with was slightly ill-fitting, suggesting it was either a ready-made garment or, heaven forbid, something belonging to the Queen herself.
Everything she wore was taken from her, save for her undergarments.
“This is troublesome. The earrings and the jewelry box were both laced with poison. You betrayed me, Olive. You were the one who informed them, weren’t you?”
“I was the one instructed to lace them with poison, and I was also told to relay that information at the right moment.”
The vast array of dowry prepared for Wendy’s marriage contained hidden poisons in several places. Olive had informed Yukino of this upon their arrival in the kingdom. The implications were clear.
Your death would resolve everything.
That was the meaning behind it. Rather than fulfilling Aurila’s demands, they could simply create the illusion of sending a princess, and if she were to die before proving her worth, there would be no breach of contract.
From the moment Yukino learned this from Olive, she resolved to die when the royal family fell. That way, the bloodline would be severed entirely.
A nation that sought to marry off a princess with a breach of contract, inciting death to evade responsibility, deserved to perish.
“Weren’t you told to make me drink it?”
“I was indeed instructed to do so.”
Olive answered nonchalantly, pouring tea as she always did. Every meal and drink came through Olive’s hands. The maid, who was supposed to have poisoned her, stood calmly against the wall. Yukino took a sip of the tea. It tasted just as it always did.
“Why didn’t you make me drink it? You might find yourself targeted by the remnants of Levaze. After all, if you hadn’t killed me, that nation would have fallen.”
“That would be shifting the blame. A mere maid cannot bear such a role.”
Indeed. Olive was right. The king of that nation seemed to believe that by entrusting the task to a maid, it would simply be resolved. He must have thought that servants would faithfully carry out his orders.
“Tell me, are you actually a spy for Aurila?”
“What are you talking about? I have been by the princess’s side since the day she was born.”
“That’s true.”
It was utterly absurd to elevate a mere maid to the status of a lady-in-waiting and command her to commit murder. It was likely that the king genuinely believed Olive would follow his orders without question. The sheer lack of execution must have thrown them into a panic.
“Why haven’t they come to kill me?”
“They have, you know.”
“What?”
“But really, one wouldn’t expect a princess of a nation to be living in such a corner, would they?”
This was a nation that had not seen war since before the previous generation. The military had weakened, and along with it, their skills in espionage and assassination had likely diminished. They had lived in peace for far too long. They could not infiltrate other military nations and kill.
“Wait… I’m feeling a bit drowsy.”
“Yes, I was also given a sedative to administer.”
“Why now…?”
“Well, it would be best if you took a little nap, Your Highness. When your head is spinning, you cannot make sound judgments.”
Though she seemed to speak sensibly, it was strange that she would not poison her but would administer a sleeping drug. Yukino slowly succumbed to sleep.
When she awoke, it was night. A tremendous headache throbbed in her skull. The room was empty, yet it remained the same guest chamber where she had been taken. She sighed and drank from the water pitcher, her throat parched. Despite having been drugged, she found herself gulping down water without hesitation, bemused by her own actions. If there had been poison, it would have been a two-for-one deal, but unfortunately, there was none.
Yukino realized she had been changed into nightclothes without her knowledge, so she moved lightly to the window. She attempted to open it, but it seemed to be tampered with, refusing to budge. From the third floor, she could have jumped to her death, but with her feeble strength, she could not manage to open it.
Deciding to give up for the day, Yukino resolved to sleep. Following Olive’s scheme, once the excitement wore off, she found it bothersome to seek a way to die in a place where it was not easy to do so.
With the remnants of drowsiness, everything felt hazy. She wished that she could simply fade away, losing the boundary between herself and the world.
Little did she expect to be confined for ten days. The first to step into the room, where only the maid Olive had been allowed to enter, was none other than Cyril.