The Emperor collapsed right before the noble assembly.
It was a misfortune for Rosemary who was controlling the Emperor. If she couldn’t work him like a puppet, this eting was going to be a disaster. Forget accomplishing her goal, she couldn’t even predict how the eting would end.
However.
Well, it should work out sohow.
If she backed off due to sothing like this, she wouldn’t even be able to go anywhere and claim that she was a Cataclysm.
She urgently went over the plan and considered all the possibilities of how she could et her goal.
Above all, Rosemary already had experience of bringing three countries to ruin. She had more than enough knowledge.
She walked the corridors while checking the plan. To others, she was a Duke’s daughter in a lush dress. Today, she looked like the most beautiful and precious existence out of anyone in the palace.
Besides sis.
Big sis, considered an incomparable beauty even amongst the Golden-Eyed, was the exception. Rosemary recalled Aether’s face.
Big sis coming to the palace had been unexpected, but Rosemary deliberately didn’t send her away.
Rather, she let her in to make her an ally. It had been based on the judgnt that it would later help with bringing her back to the Demon Army if she heeded her request without provoking her.
“Uh....”
Now, however.
Rosemary was making a dumbfounded face, wondering if she had made the wrong call.
“Wh-what is this.”
In the short ti that she had vacated, the main hall of the palace had beco chaos.
Nobles who were supposed to be dignified were busy arguing. When she tuned in, they weren’t productive conversations. Words like ‘Give back my money’ and ‘There’s sothing wrong with this betting’ were flying around.
“Did they start a casino or what?”
“Well.... That would be correct.”
“Oh, yes. Butler. What is happening?”
The butler, who had appeared before Rosemary, gave an explanation like he had just been doing. For so reason, she was getting a sense of déjà vu.
“The Golden-Eyed girl that you let in engaged in a duel of knowledge against Duke Hasfeldt, My Lady.”
“What does that an? No, so what happened?”
“There was a bet as to which of the two would win, and the Golden-Eyed girl won just a mont ago.”
The butler pointed sowhere. There were a few lackeys who were raking in the gold on the gambling table, as well as the Crown Prince Klino who was counting gold coins while grinning.
He’s like that even when he’s no longer brainwashed.
It was ridiculous.
“Oh no, My Lady!”
“My Lady, are you alright?“
Rosemary pretended to stumble while grasping her forehead. Two maids imdiately rushed over and supported her.
The plan couldn’t be ruined because of Aether. She’d even modified it! At this rate, she would have no choice but to force her out.
“Sis!”
Pushing a bunch of people aside, Rosemary made her way through the crowd.
It wasn’t difficult finding big sis. Golden-Eyed. Maid dress. Stunning beauty. There was only one person to whom these three keywords applied.
“Here is the key to my lab.”
“Thank you.”
Clink.
At that ti, Aether was being given a key from Professor Cai-Lussac.
With that, she no longer had a reason to be at the palace. All that was left to leave.
Thinking that she should first get out of this awful maid outfit, Aether whipped her head around.
“Sis! What is going on?”
“Hey, little sis.”
Sis, little sis.
A common title used between sisters. But the target they were referring to was special.
One was a Golden-Eyed of commoner origin, and the other was a daughter of a Grand Duke family. Two people who didn’t seem compatible with each other. Yet though they didn’t know when, where, how they beca close, they were calling each other sisters.
“Do they know each other?”
The nobles’ attention was drawn to the two.
Rosemary instantly read the subtle air, but didn’t necessarily respond to their question.
“They beca close at the Academy.”
“Ah, I see.”
Because ones like Cai-Lussac explained for them, anyway.
“Sis, have you finished with your business?”
“Yeah, so I’m going to leave now.”
Aether took off the frilly headdress, her expression saying she was sick of pretending to be a palace maid.
“A good idea. Uh.... but sis, did you have wine?”
“Yeahh, a little while talking with the professor.”
Aether’s pronunciation was a little slurred. Rosemary huffed a laugh at Aether’s drunken behavior.
“Your eyes are completely out of it. You should head ho and quickly rest.”
“No, I have to do research.”
This, too, was drunk talk. Sis had always been like this. If she drank even a little of sothing with a high alcohol percentage, she would get drunk right away and instead of hiccupping, she’d use the fogginess as fuel to get through stuck points in her research.
So before, there had been tis that Rosemary would feed Aether alcohol. The developnt for a weapon to destroy humans was slowing down? Then all they had to do was feed her, the technical advisor, a glass of hard liquor and it’d be solved.
Wait.
When she drank, her research efficiency increased imnsely. That would an....
Her spine felt cold.
I can’t let her go ho.
Rosemary had to go back on what she had originally planned. This wasn’t a choice but sothing that was forced.
Because she didn’t know what kind of result Aether would produce if she researched in a drunken state.
“Research? Who studies while they’re in this kind of state!”
“Haa.”
“Just stay here for a bit instead. And sober up so.”
Rosemary slightly tugged on Aether’s wrist. Aether, who’d been mumbling with her lips, clicked her tongue and followed her. The nobles who witnessed this were murmuring but she couldn’t afford to care.
**Rosemary sat Aether on the bed. She had her take off the maid outfit and brought her her clothes.
She anxiously looked at the clock. 6:57 p.m. The noble assembly would begin in exactly three minutes
There was no ti to see her sober up, so she asked a servant to take care of her. With this, she would be able to attend the eting with a little peace of mind.
“I’ll be getting back to work, sis.”
As soon as the door closed.
Eyes sharp. Back straight, shoulders squared. As she walked arrogantly down the corridor, Duke Blanton, who was acting as her father, followed after her.
The two people.
No, the two Beasts were planning to ruin soone at this eting.
“There cannot be any problems with this, Father.”
“I am aware, my daughter.”
For now, one target.
Marquis Robespierre.
They needed to eliminate him so that it made taking over Tilette easier.
If she could, she wanted to get rid of Count Heerlein with him as well. But she was on friendly terms with big sis. Second sester. That was the new information she had gathered during the short ti she spent with Aether in the sa classroom.
Of course, there were others she wanted to exclude besides Heerlein. If possible, she was going to tie him up with Robespierre and sink them together. With such thoughts, Rosemary headed towards the main hall again.
Unlike a little while ago, the main hall was cleaned up nicely. There were no traces of gambling to be found anywhere. With a satisfied expression, Rosemary sat in her seat.
“This eting will be led by Crown Prince Klion.”
“Is His Majesty alright?”
“It is a simple cold.”
“However, it seems that he cannot hold himself up yet.”
The nobles went to find their places. The ones standing in the very front row were four Dukes.
Hasfeldt, Blanton, Totzfel, Argana.
The Four Grand Dukes who were each responsible for the north, west, south, and east.
The gazes of the four vassals turned to the Crown Prince. Klion cleared his throat and looked over the procedure written on the scroll.
“First, I would like to thank everyone who has gathered here after four years. As His Majesty is currently ill, this one will take care of this general noble assembly alone. You have my word that I will not be disappointing you.”
As bad as he was, he was still the Crown Prince. He had learned Imperial studies to so extent as fitting of his position. Taking care of national affairs for his sickly father was doable.
“First I will start with the most important issue. Duke Hasfeldt.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
“How is the situation up north?”
There were two items that were considered as particularly important in the general noble assembly.
One was eliminating corruption, and the other was discussing preparations against Beast invasions.
These two were proposed first before anything in every eting. It was these two things that needed preparation. If that wasn’t done, then the Empire would fall.
“As you all know, if you report anything false in this eting, you will be beheaded.”
Because it ca from the Crown Prince, it could sound like a threat. But unexpectedly, it was a law clearly stated in the code of laws.
“Yes, the current situation in the north is highly favorable.”
“Be specific.”
“Currently, the front has reached the second line of defense, and we’ve set up a base near the first line of defense. If there are no particular changes to the front, then we will build a village along with an outpost and incorporate it as recovered territory. Also....”
“Excuse .”
Duke Blanton, who had been listening to Renawill’s report, raised his hand.
In the eting, one could interrupt like this and ask questions. The Crown Prince flicked his hand and gave permission to speak.
“Was it Flare that made that possible?”
“...Yes, I cannot say that it didn’t play a part.”
Duke Blanton hmm’d and stroked his beard.
“Are you aware that a legislation has been proclaid that the production of Flare is now being overseen by the state?”
“I received a report last ti.”
“Hooh, I’ve heard that Flare is quite expensive to produce.”
“Because it’s an Ultimate Magic.”
“It would be for military use, so from which governnt departnt did you procure the material and funds?”
“The Ministry of Education.”
“The Ministry of Education instead of Defense?”
“I received the blueprint and funds directly from the Academy and produced it.”
It wasn’t a lie. The paper on Flare was published by the Academy, and like Klais, Renawill read that paper and produced scrolls locally. In the process, he had to have help from a central nobility who was part of the Ministry of Education.
Blanton knew who that ‘central nobility’ was.
“Marquis Saliston.”
“Yes, My Lord.”
“Are you not the one overseeing the Ministry of Education?”
“Yes, sir.”
“Is it true that you provided the materials?”
“It isn’t confird.”
Just look at that shitty way of talking. Rosemary desperately held back the laugh that was trying to spill out.
She wanted to say sothing, but right now she was the Duke’s daughter; she could watch but directly speaking wasn’t acceptable.
“Why did you not check it?”
“Please be patient. I will disclose all the financial statents of the affiliated institutes.”
If they lied even a little, they were going to end up on the guillotine. Marquis Saliston gathered all the governnt-notarized docunts and laid it out before everyone.
“Hmm.”
Reading the financial flow, Blanton humd lightly.
“There is a large discrepancy between the assigned budget and reported spending.”
“Wh-where is it...?”
“Tilette.”
Robespierre felt a chill.
Reviews
All reviews (0)