kscans

Chapter 16 - If It's to Protect Her

A deep, heavy sigh escaped him. Aristerios, having received a detailed report from his butler, Jif, about the messages coming to the ducal estate, was seriously beginning to consider abandoning this country. He had thought about it when Lupia's engagement was so easily dissolved, but he had hesitated, thinking there might still be room for improvement. It seemed there was no longer any need for restraint. The letter of protest from the King regarding Lupia's memory erasure was, as expected, predictable. Why wasn't it conducted with the royal family present? Why wouldn't she cooperate with the Crown Princess when they had requested it? Was she just being stubborn? Upon reading it, Aristerios had simply scoffed. He immediately requested an audience with the King, and upon entering the invited room and both being seated, it was Aristerios who spoke first.

"I thought it was acceptable since Your Majesty broke your promise first. My, I never imagined I would be blamed for it."

"Hahaha," Aristerios laughed cheerfully, but his eyes held a simmering rage. It wasn't just a promise; the royal family had unilaterally dissolved an engagement they had sought, and then tried to foist the role of cooperating with the next Crown Princess onto them. As a 'parent,' more than as a duke, he could not forgive it. So, even if he were to be reprimanded as a duke, he chose to prioritize protecting his family.

"What is wrong with protecting my daughter?"

"B-But, you have been far too unfaithful in response to our request!"

"Your Majesty, when you commanded our house to accept the engagement, and when you dissolved it. Do you claim those actions were not unfaithful?"

"Urk...!"

"You sought a connection with our house, forced an unwanted engagement upon my daughter, and when His Highness fell in love with a talented girl, you said you wanted to prioritize those feelings. Who was it that said that?"

He stated it dispassionately, not hiding his disgust at the King's attitude, which still demanded cooperation with the Crown Princess. The King had completely underestimated the magnitude of Aristerios's anger. He had seen the strict education Aristerios had given Lupia as the next head of the family, and those around them had whispered, 'Such harsh training for a young child...' which led him to believe that 'the parent-child relationship in the ducal family is cold.' The Queen and Crown Prince Liam had also been under the same impression. That was why they had assumed that Lupia being chosen as a Crown Princess candidate would be an honor for the family and a source of pride for her. In reality, it was completely different. The royal family didn't know, but upon hearing the words 'royal command engagement,' Lupia, slowly understanding her situation, had turned pale in front of all her relatives, her parents, and the servants, and had wailed and cried. 'I don't want to,' 'I'm going to be the Duke of Calmond!' she had cried, resisting the role of Crown Princess candidate to an extent unimaginable now. But after understanding the meaning of 'royal command,' Lupia, unable to give up, had thought it through and declared to her father and mother:

'One day, if that day ever comes, please make me the head of the family. No matter how hard it is, I will see it through.'

Her words were few, and though her eyes were red and swollen from crying, she had made her resolve, holding onto the wish hidden deep in her heart. And now, that day had simply come. Her father, Aristerios, had moved to grant his daughter's wish.

That was all there was to it. What was wrong with that? he asked with a feigned innocence, and the King's face turned beet red as he glared at Aristerios, but it didn't bother him in the slightest. The thought that this man had probably just been scheming to win Lupia over, making his own assumptions about the ducal family's relationships, only made him want to laugh more.

"She is talented, is she not? The Crown Princess. Weren't you people the ones who praised her to the heavens with one voice?"

The words they had spoken with such confidence were all thrown back at him by Aristerios. Yes, they had indeed said that and proceeded with the annulment of the engagement so easily. Who had done it? None other than the King, Queen, and Crown Prince, yet now the King was criticizing him for it. He seemed to have finally realized that he was doing just that. His face turned blue, then red, and his eyes blinked rapidly. He was quite busy. But what was so enjoyable about watching an old man's expression change so drastically? Aristerios thought, his own expression becoming indescribable.

"If you do not even understand that your own words and actions have bought the antipathy of the high nobility, you would do well to reflect on the past year. ...The only ones fawning over that Crown Princess are those who were her followers at the Royal Academy."

"W-Wait, Duke, where are you going?!"

Aristerios stood up with a heave, and though the King tried to stop him, his words and outstretched hand failed to reach. What came back was a rejection.

"I can no longer find any meaning in staying in this country. You might say it's just because of how my daughter was treated, but..."

The temperature in the room dropped so low that the King shivered.

"...Our family, you see, Your Majesty, is closer than you nobles might think. For example, my wife and I, and even our servants, love Lupia so dearly that we would abandon our country for her sake."

He was smiling, but the gaze he directed at the King held no warmth. He had the will to do anything to protect his beloved daughter, and the wealth to carry it out. Furthermore, Aristerios had his closest person as his greatest ally. She had no hesitation in using that connection and was already contacting them in parallel.

"Wh-where will you go if you leave here?!"

"...Oh my, have you forgotten where my wife's family is from?"

"D-don't tell me..."

Aristerios grinned, slowing his speech slightly to make it easier to hear.

"Yes, my wife's family has agreed. They have told us to come to their country, that they will arrange our titles and everything."

The homeland of Millière's family, the 'Qua Kingdom.' Millière was a former princess of the Qua Kingdom, and though her right of succession was quite low, she had been raised with great care, being much younger than her brothers and sisters. Aristerios, being the eldest son of a ducal family, had met her at an international exchange event. Millière had fallen in love with him at first sight and had married down from the royal family. She had completely renounced her right of succession in the Qua Kingdom upon marrying. But at the time of their marriage, her father, mother, and siblings had told her, 'If anything ever happens, rely on your homeland. Do not hesitate.' Millière had not hesitated to ask her brother, the current king, for help. She told him everything that had happened to Lupia and asked if they could immigrate, and he had given his permission without a second thought. Instantly. Both Lupia and Rupert could speak the language of the Qua Kingdom without any problems, and the country's standards were no different from the kingdom they currently lived in. The twins, who saw it as simply moving from their current country to their mother's homeland, had nodded without hesitation at their mother's proposal. And Vernella, for her part, had also readily agreed, saying, 'It's not as if my engagement to Rupert will be dissolved, so there is no problem.' In the Qua Kingdom, the nobles had been abuzz with the news of a princess who had married into another country returning, but Millière herself had written in a letter, 'Right of succession? I have no need for such things. As long as I can live in peace, that is enough,' and had requested the current king, Rod, to make its contents public. She had also told him to show the letter to anyone who expressed dissatisfaction without hesitation. It seemed that adding that as long as her work and status after returning were guaranteed, she would manage the rest, had been a good move. Without any major opposition, the request was accepted, and preparations for their arrival began to proceed steadily. However, it would still take some time. Until then, Lupia would rest and prepare for the move, but the King's face had turned a pitiful shade of pale.

"Your wife is..."

"A former princess of the Qua Kingdom. Oh my, had you forgotten? As long as we can work and live peacefully as a family after immigrating, that is all we need."

"B-But if you leave, all of the Calmond family's relatives will too!"

"It is not for me to decide whether they leave or not, but for our relatives."

"We will carry out our duties properly until we leave," he added, before continuing in a different tone.

"...And one more thing, please keep His Highness the Crown Prince and Her Highness the Crown Princess firmly in check, will you? If they break their promise and try to come to our home, we will respond accordingly. Yes, just like we did with the baronial families that assaulted our estate."

Those two baronial families that had attacked the ducal estate had been mercilessly crushed. So thoroughly that they could never be re-established. He had not held back.

"You were the ones who first treated our house as unnecessary. Do not forget that."

Turning his back on the King, Aristerios left the room. All that remained was the King, who could say nothing in return and could only accept the facts, and his aide.

"...Was I... wrong...?"

No one picked up his whisper, and no one was there to answer yes or no.