kscans

Chapter 20 - No Escape

Smack! A sharp sound echoed as a fan struck the back of Falty's hand. She wasn't supposed to cry out in pain. She wasn't, but the sound escaped her lips anyway.

"O-Ouch...!"

"...A young Lupia was capable of it, you know. Not crying out when struck. Not letting it show on her face. ...Why is it that you, a graduate of the academy, cannot?"

The Queen's voice was ice-cold. At first, she had undoubtedly been welcomed. By this very person. But now that everyone was finally beginning to understand what the royal family had lost, the situation was changing.

Falty had been told what was necessary for the Crown Prince to remain the Crown Prince now that he had lost the backing of the Calmond Ducal Family, and it was enough to make her feel faint. If her own family achieved some incredible feat and was elevated in rank, their standing as a backer would be sufficient, but if asked whether that would happen, the answer was 'not at the present time.' As a Crown Princess's family, they were a barely passing count house. So, what was next? She was told that 'Falty herself must prove to be an exceptionally outstanding Crown Princess,' not just to the nobles of her own country, but to those of other nations as well, in a way that was clear for all to see.

"My sincerest apologies."

Every time she made a mistake, her hand was struck. It hurt. It was agonizing. It was painful. She had wanted to be loved, but her own desires had come first, and in her ambition to achieve the Grand Finale Route, she had missed one thing and ended up on the 'Queen Route.'

The 'Queen Route' was a path where, after becoming Crown Princess, the protagonist was guaranteed to eventually become queen. Falty didn't know what had become of the rival lady, but she had assumed that if they stayed on reasonably good terms, she would always be by her side. She had been convinced of it, even without any promises.

Now, she was being forced to learn that reality was neither so sweet nor so kind. She had tried to protest lightly, saying, "Stop comparing me to Lupia all the time!" but the response was a calm, lecture-like reply: 'You were the one who said you were superior to Lupia. In front of His Majesty and me, and in front of Liam. In that case, is it not to be expected that you be compared to what a young Lupia was capable of?'

Her own careless words came back to her like a boomerang, time and time again. She may have been the protagonist, but she was being reminded, without words, that she had not forgotten she was just a 'count's daughter.' Falty felt like crying.

"If you have time to cry, could you please also master your deportment? Just as you are learning languages and the cultures of other nations."

She was good at cramming knowledge into her head and making it her own. Ever since before she was chosen as the protagonist, she had excelled in her studies, and for that alone, she was praised. But the deportment required of royalty was not knowledge. It was something that couldn't be faked with a last-minute effort, something that questioned the beauty of all her movements.

"I will do my best..."

"Putting in effort is a given. Even a small child can make promises."

"...Hmph!"

She could feel it in the Queen's every word, in her attitude—a sense that she was 'nothing special.' She found herself wondering what she would have done in this situation. Lately, that was all she could think about. It was no use imagining 'what ifs' now, but she couldn't help it. She thought she understood that there was no escape, and yet...

◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇◇

Lupia-Calmond. The daughter of the Calmond Ducal Family and the next Duchess, a girl on whom the immense expectations of her family and all her relatives rested.

Her lustrous silver hair reached the middle of her back and was usually styled in loose curls. Her bangs were just long enough to brush against her eyes. She normally wore them down, but for evening parties, she would neatly pin them up. The accessories she wore were deep blue sapphires, the color of her eyes, mostly gifts from family and relatives. The dresses she wore were often of a simple design rather than ornate, wrapping around her slender, tall frame to create a beautiful silhouette. Her slightly upturned eyes showed the strength of her will, and her eyelashes were long and curled upwards. Her aura might seem cold, but to those she was close to and to her family, she was very gentle.

When she was engaged to Liam by the royal family, there were various incidents that were not widely known. It seemed that even the King and Queen were unaware of the full details.

So, what happened back then?

Lupia, upon being named his fiancée, had despaired with incredible force, crying and screaming. No, stop, if this is a dream, let me wake up. So she had raged in her room. The wallpaper was torn to shreds, feathers flew from her pillow, and cotton peeked out from her cushions.

'She won't say anything because she knows no one will believe her,' was Aristerios's account, but Rupert, who remembers that time, mutters just one thing:

'I've never seen my sister like that.'

Lupia, who was raised to be a perfect lady. Lupia, the daughter of a ducal house, had screamed, thrashed about in her room, and cried herself to sleep. It was said that she had reached the limit of her physical strength from crying too much, but Lupia, who had been building her stamina as the heir to the ducal house, was healthier and had more energy than other children her age. The Calmond Ducal Family was responsible for the nation's defense. From a young age, she had built a solid foundation of physical strength, with a training regimen tailored to her growth so as not to overdevelop her body. Could it be that this had backfired?

The room was a wreck, and in the middle of it all, a young Lupia slept, exhausted from crying. This is bad, Aristerios had sensed, and he thought he must somehow refuse the engagement to prioritize his child's mental well-being. But when Lupia woke up, she told him:

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

"...Lupia..."

"If Prince Liam accepts me, and if the day comes when we marry with a full understanding of what this engagement means, then I will become Queen or whatever is required of me. But if not..."

"You'll choose the path of the head of the ducal family, is that what you're saying?"

"Yes."

Her words were so calm, it was hard to believe she had just thrown such a terrible tantrum. And the one who said this was a child not yet ten years old. Her eyes were bright red, and though she must have been drained of stamina from crying, she stated it clearly before her father, the head of the ducal house.

"It will be hard."

"I won't run away. ...No, I will not run away."

"...Well said, my daughter."

He ruffled her hair with his large palm, and a surprised 'Wah' escaped her. From that day on, Lupia gritted her teeth and endured many things. Lupia's personal maid, Richel, and her guard, Alfred, continued to support her from the shadows. When they saw her fall asleep from exhaustion, they would carry her to bed. When she looked sleepy, they would bring her tea. If she was injured, they would arrange for ointments, patches, and even a healing mage to help her recover quickly. Supported by those around her, Lupia desperately completed an unconventional educational program. It was impossible for the people of the ducal house not to adore her. The same went for all her relatives. At first, some voices had mocked her, but as they watched her continue to put in the effort, never resting, and desperately keeping up, those voices dwindled. In fact, the number of people cheering her on grew.

Therefore, this recent incident caused the anger of all her relatives to explode. Discontent with the royal family, and with the Crown Prince and Princess, swelled. Furthermore, relatives who had heard from somewhere that the main Calmond Ducal Family was planning to move to another country were deciding one after another to move with them.

What about their lands? Well, as luck would have it, the entire Calmond family was responsible for the nation's defense, so their lands were located rather close to the border of a neighboring country.

Yes, right next to the Qua Kingdom, their destination.

It was no exaggeration to say that when Millière married Aristerios, the deciding factor was that it was a neighboring country. Being neighbors, travel between the two was relatively free. Of course, a permit was needed to cross the border, but discussions were steadily underway about whether to move the entire territory, and a proclamation had been issued to the people of the domain. The people, who did not live in the capital, did not know the details of this incident. After being informed, dissatisfaction with the royal family naturally erupted.

Lupia had spent her early childhood in the domain, and the people knew that during long holidays, she would visit and study not only estate management but also matters of national defense.

When the people heard that she would be stopping by the domain to recuperate from this incident, they welcomed it with open arms, and hearing this, Lupia was relieved. In the capital, the 'miraculous love story of the Crown Prince and Princess' was audible from everywhere, and the voices directed at Lupia were mostly mocking ones, calling her 'the pitiful former fiancée who couldn't support His Highness the Crown Prince.' So, she decided that was enough and gave up.

Having been abandoned by the entire ducal family, and with a future that was anything but bright approaching, how many people, one wonders, were aware of it?