Chapter 141 - Episode 3: The Start of a Fun Dinner Party, I Say
Greetings! I am Violia Nico Fortesia!
I am currently receiving a report from Chris, who has just returned.
"...And so, there is almost no damage on our side. The injured are as listed in the report. I have entrusted the seized assets to that skeleton-like man."
"Yes, good work. You did quite well. By the way, that skeleton is named Giovan. See that you remember it."
...As expected, I suppose. Chris really is quite useful for these sorts of tasks. He led the army of slaves and successfully raided the slums of Poaris and the Settlement.
Thanks to that, the news has already reached Elsemarin. I have successfully created the 'fact' that the Royal Army attacked civilians.
"You may step down and rest now. A meal has been set aside for you, so eat as you please."
"...Excuse me."
Chris seems to have some doubts about how he is being treated lately, but I suppose rebelling twenty-four seven is simply exhausting. He has become remarkably docile recently. It seems a slave mentality is finally taking root in him; how wonderful.
"Hey there, young lady. How are we feeling?"
"Quite well. With this, Carol has an excuse to reject the Royal Family's invitation tomorrow."
As I answered Giovan, who entered the room just as Chris left, he gave a smirk as if to say 'That's good to hear'... then, he suddenly knit his brows.
"...By the way, young lady. Is this next dinner party going to be alright?"
"What do you mean? Do you think Carol needs extra guards after all?"
"No, I'm not talking about military strength."
For now, I offered Giovan a sofa and some wine, and sat down opposite him to listen. The refreshments were simple—just wine and no snacks—but that should be fine. Yes.
"The fact that Prince Dactor went out of his way to come here personally is what's bothering me. Personally, that is."
Giovan said this as he immediately took a sip of his wine, wearing a sour expression.
...Indeed. That has been on my mind as well.
It could be taken as an emphasis on the Royal Family's intent for friendship... but if that were the case, would it really lead to a dinner party?
Even if they were trying to be extremely hospitable, the King should be the one appearing at the dinner. I do not understand the reason for using someone in such an ambiguous position as the Seventh Prince.
"Young lady, any ideas?"
"No, none at all. And you? Do you have a theory?"
No matter how much I think, I am at my wit's end from here on. There are limits to being an armchair detective. After that, well, unless I gather more information—perhaps by hearing from Carol or attending the meeting myself disguised as a Holy Knight—my deductions will not progress any further.
"...I've got one idea."
Oh?
Does this mean Giovan has had a flash of inspiration where I have thrown in the towel?
"Might I hear this 'famous deduction' of yours?"
"It's not really a 'famous' deduction. If anything, it's a 'fatuous' one."
"You certainly are being coy about it."
"Well, it's such a ridiculous idea that I'm hesitating to say it."
Giovan gave that preamble before... speaking.
"Is there any chance the Seventh Prince is thinking of acting independently from the Royal Family, just like that Lital kid?"
"...I think not. Their attempt to build a cooperative relationship with the Cathedral is clearly a 'Counter-Violia Nico Fortesia Measure.' If Dactor-sama were trying to join my side at this stage, I do not believe he would be doing this in the first place."
"No, that's what I'm saying. Even if the King and the rest of the royals are hardening their stance against the Revolutionary Army, maybe Prince Dactor alone has a mind to betray them?"
...I considered it again, but it is a rather unconvincing answer...
After all, Dactor-sama is the type of person who yields to the powerful. He is not a man of such spirit that he would think of betraying everyone else—the King and all the other royals—to act on his own.
"I suppose the possibility that Dactor-sama is moving separately from the King's will for some reason is not zero. Or perhaps the King simply dumped the task on him, saying 'I'll leave the Cathedral to you.' ...But I do not think there will be a betrayal at this late stage."
I thought about it again after saying that... but no, it still seems unlikely. It is even doubtful whether Dactor-sama has a will of his own to begin with.
I know he is reasonably competent, but I do not believe he has the judgment required for a critical moment like this...
"Oh, is that so? Then I guess my deduction really was just a fatuous one."
Giovan said this with a slightly relieved look and reached for his wine glass again. I refilled my own glass as well... since we are here, I might as well indulge him a bit more.
"By the way, Giovan. Why did you think of such a thing?"
"Hm?"
"The idea that Dactor-sama would betray the Royal Family to do something is quite interesting. I wonder what led you to that thought. Depending on the reason, it might actually be a 'famous' deduction, you know?"
When I asked, Giovan made an incredibly awkward face.
"Ah... you want to hear that? It's nothing much... it's really just a random thought of mine, but you still want to hear it?"
"Yes. I would very much like to hear it."
I shall listen closely. Once I become curious about something, I simply cannot let it go. When I turned an expectant gaze toward Giovan, he sipped his wine awkwardly before finally starting to speak.
"...I just suspected the Prince might still have a thing for you, young lady."
"...And what exactly does that mean?"
"I'm saying, I wondered if Prince Dactor might have decided to betray the Royal Family for the sake of his love for you, that's all."
My, my... that is quite a wild leap of the imagination.
"If he has only now awakened to love for the person he served a notice of broken engagement to, that would be quite hilarious."
"Yeah, yeah, exactly. I thought it was a stupid idea too. Yeah. When it comes to you, 'joining the side that's likely to win' is much more persuasive than stuff like love and romance."
Indeed. I think so too. Ohohohoho.
"Even if Dactor-sama were to do something regarding me, it would likely be part of a strategy. Like receiving an unreasonable order to 'Go and win over Violia Nico Fortesia.'"
"Yeah, so basically something with no love or romance involved."
Quite so. It was an engagement for a political marriage to begin with. Considering that, while 'faking love for the sake of the Royal Family' is plausible, 'betraying the Royal Family for the sake of love' is simply impossible...
"...That's it."
"Eh?"
In that moment, I realized it.
"Dactor-sama's goal is cooperation with the Cathedral. That part is true... however, in order to surely obtain the Cathedral, he is trying to win over something that is not the 'Cathedral' itself!"
"Eh? Eh? What do you mean? Is he targeting you after all?"
"No!"
Oh, why did I not notice this sooner! There is only one reason why someone in the Seventh Prince's ambiguous position would go out of his way to step forward!
"Dactor-sama's target is the Saint!"
"In other words, Dactor-sama is targeting Carol! He intends to lay a hand on Carol! I will not allow it! That bastard!"
Yes. Now that I have realized it, my anger cannot be stopped.
I will not allow it. It certainly makes sense as a move for the Prince. If he marries the Saint, the Cathedral will have no choice but to stand against the Revolutionary Army, and the Royal Family's status will be secured. But that is exactly why I will not allow it!
I will not forgive him for trying to approach Carol for such a reason, nor will I forgive how clumsy his methods are! Above all, I cannot forgive the sheer gall of him trying to lay a hand on my cute student!
"I shall personally slaughter that man! I will absolutely not forgive him!"
"...Is that because the Prince's feelings are directed toward Carol?"
"That is right! I will not allow it! I absolutely will not allow it! I will protect Carol!"
"Ah, so it's that way."
"What do you mean 'that way'? What else could it be?"
"...No, I just thought... maybe you were jealous."
...At this point, I regained a bit of my composure. When someone says something so outlandish so suddenly, it's as if the shock kills your momentum and forces you to be calm...
"Um... did I not mention it? I intended to kill Dactor-sama anyway...?"
A cruel death was already waiting for him. Yes. His balls were scheduled to rot off before he died. Yes. And on top of that, me being jealous? That is simply not possible...
Hmm... even thinking about it carefully, it really is impossible...
"...Yes. It is unthinkable. I feel nothing but murderous intent toward Dactor-sama."
"Yeah, I know. I know. So forget what I just said. ...Right. There's no way you'd have those kinds of feelings. Yeah..."
It would be difficult to say if there was ever love to begin with. Of course, as his fiancée, I made an effort to hold and receive affection, but if that was love, it was a love entirely built on calculation.
On top of that, with the broken engagement and everything else, even that hollow love has vanished. And now that I know he is trying to stretch his demonic hand toward Carol, my murderous intent has only doubled! Yes!
"...So, well, basically it was just a pathetic man's jealousy. Just laugh it off."
"It is a joke I cannot laugh at, but I suppose I can let it slide."
My murderous intent toward Dactor-sama has been blunted because of all the surprises. Honestly. Well, I shall make sure to sharpen my murderous intent perfectly by the day I accompany Carol as her guard! Yes! I shall be meticulous in that regard!
"Even so, you are quite the worrier. Or perhaps I should say suspicious."
"Well, you know... I mean... it'd be a problem if our Queen left us now. I was just confirming."
My, my. Hearing that to my face doesn't feel all that bad.
There is absolutely no way I would leave now. It is not a matter of whether I have an aversion to betrayal. It is simply because my goal is the destruction of the Royal Family. That is why I will absolutely not step down from this board at this stage.
"My. You certainly have very little trust in me."
"That's just how it is. It only takes a second to go crazy. And there are so many people who go crazy for things like love and romance."
The look he cast my way was somehow damp. Combined with what he was saying, he was being quite effeminate.
"From my perspective, that is a story far removed from me. I imagine it is the same for you."
"Oh, you're going there? Well, you're not wrong. It's definitely a story far removed from both you and me."
As he took a sip of wine with a bitter smile, Giovan quickly emptied his glass and impudently demanded a refill. Well, in light of that impudence, I shall pour him another.
"...Well, from my perspective, I think the people who can go crazy are probably happier."
My, my, what a romantic. Or perhaps just a madman.
...But, I suppose.
"It is not that I don't admire it, but I have no talent for going crazy over love."
It is not that I don't admire it at all, you know? I admire it as much as the next person. But well... I have no talent for that sort of thing. Even I can tell.
If anything, I am probably bad at building bright, soft, beautiful... decent relationships with people.
"...Well, either way, that's a story far removed from both you and me, right?"
"That is true."
Well, it is a waste of time to think about 'what ifs' that never were.
It is far more meaningful to use my time and consciousness for the delicious wine that definitely exists right here.
And so, the time has come.
The Royal Castle. The dinner party.
The start of a fun event where we shall thrust a rejection at the shitty prince targeting Carol!
I am standing gracefully behind Carol today as well! I am wearing Holy Knight armor, but come to think of it, since it was recently discovered that Doran was inside the Holy Knight armor, wasn't I in danger as well? Well, if that happens, I'll just pull a dragon out of my bag and escape, so it's fine!
"Thank you for inviting me today."
"No. It is an honor for me to have the opportunity to speak with Saint Carol."
Dactor-sama, who came out to greet us, is smiling while looking firmly at Carol. Yes. His face isn't bad. I suppose you could call it a face unique to royalty, where beauty has been bred with beauty.
"Please, come this way. The meal is ready."
Behind that face, I can see right through his heart's desire for the Cathedral and Carol! I will not allow it!
Now then.
We were guided to the dining hall, Carol and Dactor-sama took their seats, and the meal was served.
The first dish was oysters slowly simmered in oil with herbs, and a white fish and vegetable mousse. I shall not eat it, but I imagine it has an elegant taste suitable for a royal dinner. I shall not eat it. Yes. I shall not eat it.
"How is it? I hope it is to your taste..."
"Yes. It is very delicious."
Carol proceeded with the meal with perfect etiquette and a bright smile... and then, the appetizer plates were cleared.
In the interval after the plates were taken away and before the next dish arrived, Dactor-sama tried to say something.
Whether it was about the weather or flowers. He probably didn't intend to bring up the main topic yet anyway... but well, it is all futile.
"Dactor-sama. There is something I would like to say first."
Carol interrupted Dactor-sama just as he was about to speak and told him this!
"The Cathedral refuses to cooperate with the Royal Family."
"Eh...?"
Now! Dactor-sama is stunned, but the dinner party still continues! Rather, the fun dinner party starts from here! In this atmosphere, do your best to enjoy your meal! Ohohohohoho!