“.......”
When I ca to, I was lying on a fluffy bed.
It was a comfort that one couldn’t experience with dorm beds. This wasn’t the Academy. It looked like I fell asleep montarily at the palace.
“...Euugh.”
When I sat up, a zombie-like noise escaped my throat.
My head was pounding, a sensation as if soone had hit on the back of the head with a hamr.
Both cheeks were still warm from being hungover. The scent of sweet wine wafting every ti I breathed was a bonus.
“Excuse , are you awake?”
When I looked around, so maid approached with a concerned look.
“Who are you?”
“I’m a maid serving Lady Blanton. I still have much to learn as I am an apprentice, but.... Um, I was asked by my lady to take care of you.”
Ah, I see.
I got a rough picture of what happened even though my head was hurting.
“Thank you.”
With a perfunctory word of gratitude, I looked around the place. It wasn’t hard to find the clothes that I ca in. After putting on the dress shirt, functional cotton pants, and robe at once, I went to the door.
“It wouldn’t be polite of to stay for too long. I’ll take my leave now.”
“Ah, you can’t leave right now!”
As I thought, the maid stopped .
“Why’s that?”
“Because the nobles are in a eting out there at the mont. You can’t leave as you like.”
“I can leave through another way.”
“That.... I’m not familiar with the place except for the main entrance.”
The maid kept giving excuses to prevent from leaving, and tried to coax by offering to serve refreshnts and tea.
With this, I was certain. This maid was a device that Rosemary put in place to keep here. Though it didn’t seem like this person knew that they were being manipulated by a Beast.
“Does the noble’s eting last that long?”
“I think there will be an opportunity in one or two hours. My apologies, but you’ll have to wait here until then....”
I knew the general noble assembly to be quite a large national matter of the Empire.
The best nobles of the Empire all gathered and discussed important national agendas. A place where the Emperor attended, the Four Grand Dukes attended, and prominent Marquis and Counts fought desperately for promotions.
It was the perfect event for a Beast to sabotage.
“Hm, then I suppose there’s no choice.”
“I appreciate your understanding....”
“But to leave now.”
The maid’s face turned dumbfounded at my abruptness, scrambling as she kept going “Huh?” In that ti, I opened the door and nearly jogged down the palace corridor.
“Y-y-you shouldn’t be doing this...!”
The maid stopped chasing and drooped her shoulders.
Like master, like servant. See, she should’ve assigned a tougher person who was all business instead of a soft-hearted kid.
“The next is my jurisdiction. Hm... Count Saliere?”
After ditching the maid and getting to the main palace hall, a familiar voice could be heard.
It was Duke Blanton.
“I received the tax managent statent, and isn’t there quite the expenditure in the grain section? Why did you order so much grain from the central?”
Blanton was scolding soone. As I listened to what was being said, he was attacking Count Saliere. The Count and Duke’s voices were heard in turns.
“Do you not prepare for it every year? Or perhaps it was done particularly poorly this year.”
“Not at all. Despite being properly prepared for it, the damage was great.”
What the two of them were discussing was what had happened during sumr break.
Jǫrmungandr, Primus of the Great Nine chas, loved the beastkin terribly despite being one of the Demon Army. It was because the beastkin had strong comradery with one another, and the dragons race she was part of was also categorized as one of them.
And that Jǫrmungandr was reluctant to leave her place for so reason. However, she had known that a strong typhoon would soon co upon the beastkin.
And so, Jǫrmungandr made a deal with who happened to co to her, asking to take care of the Youko.
I kept that promise. The only damage that the Youko had taken from the typhoon this sumr was to property. No one died.
Moreover, I was able to request aid from Count Saliere in the form of a loan and even borrowed grain. This was a huge accomplishnt.
In the end, sumr break passed without much problem, and in return for keeping the promise, Jǫrmungandr gifted highly-enriched uranium and plutonium.
Hence, protection of the beastkin was the will of the highest seniority in the Demon Army.
It was a will that loved the Youko, and it was also my will as one who had Freyr as a friend.
However.
“The beastkin are completely uncivilized. Their kind always responds to help with betrayal so why would you give them food?”
He dared.
“Blanton, that son of a bitch.”
He dared to try and sink Count Saliere....
Count Saliere was Lotte’s father. I absolutely couldn’t stand by and watch him ss with a friend’s father on top of saying things about where Freyr lived.
I scowled. Turning the corner, I stuck my head out slightly.
The nobles were sitting with their backs to the direction I was walking. As such, I couldn’t see all their faces.
Only one person.
The Second Prince was looking this way.
“......!”
Klion and I suddenly locked eyes. Then he challenged the words of Blanton who had been on a roll.
What was he so confident about? He must be wanting to die.
Blanton was pressuring Count Saliere while continuing to criticize the beastkin. They were remarks that would earn him dragon claws to the face if Jǫrmungandr had heard them.
I waited for the right mont, timing when to step forward while counting in my head.
“We will proceed with the vote.”
Alright. Now.
“Please raise your hand if you think that Saliere’s decision was reasonable.”
I moved forward with my hand raised. Not realizing that I raised my hand, Blanton was only counting those sitting at the front. What the. Was he desperately trying to ignore ?
“Alright. So it isn’t the majority of the seats. Then the punishnt for Count Saliere is inevitable....”
I revealed my presence which I’d been hiding on purpose. One of the nobles at the very back noticed and turned around. Making eye contact, the noble then inford Blanton.
“My Lord, you haven’t counted soone.”
I didn’t know why this unknown noble said it like that.
But that was enough.
Blanton’s eyes t mine. I glowered like I was trying to kill him.
Everyone’s eyes followed his stare and turned to . I fixed my gaze on Blanton all the more.
A mont of silence. In this mont, the world beca void of any noise.
“Euhck, kehugh! Kek! Kehck!”
It was Rosemary who broke the quiet. At my appearance, she choked on the water she had been drinking. She kept coughing while pounding on her chest. It wasn’t very Lady-like.
“My Lady!”
“A-are you alright?”
Rosemary’s complexion changed by the second. First it was white, then soon turned red. And not long after, she turned ashen.
Sorry, little sis.
But you took things too far.
“Who is that?”
Blanton pointed at , frowning. On the other hand, his forehead was breaking out into a cold sweat like it was raining.
“It’s the Golden-Eyed from earlier.”
“What brings you here?”
“Wasn’t she a servant? She shouldn’t be in here.”
There were a variety of reactions. Blanton was still unable to hide his bewildernt.
That wasn’t all. Cai-Lussac, Heerlein, Robespierre, etc.– the people I knew all seed to be flustered. Renawill Hasfeldt, who I t for the first ti today, wasn’t much different.
“Oi, why do you have your hand up?”
“Servants can’t participate in noble voting. Put it down.”
A few nobles pointed out my raised hand with sharp tones. I ignored them.
My eyes remained on Blanton. I folded my spread hand and ford numbers.
With the left hand, one.
Then two.
─ You’re currently making a decision opposing the will of Primus and Secundus.
...expressed the sign language unique to the Great chas.
Blanton’s face stiffened in real ti.
I opened my mouth for the first ti.
“I heard your eting as I was passing by. With all due respect, I wished to express my personal opinion in this way.”
I put my hand down after sufficiently relishing in the reactions of the two Beasts. Taking that as cue, Duke Blanton.... no, Orléans’ poor acting began.
“Take that impudent Golden-Eyed servant away. Imdiately!”
At first glance, it sounded like he wasn’t thinking straight. But he was being quite clever.
Robespierre and Heerlein knew Duke Blanton’s identity. So if he made a friendly remark towards in that kind of situation? It would only draw suspicion from Robespierre.
If that happened, then it was obvious what I would do to avoid that suspicion.
─ Do anything stupid and I’ll kill you.
I had no doubt that my intention was conveyed up to here.
“What are you doing! Hurry and get her out of the palace!!”
At Blanton’s urging, several palace guards who’d been waiting outside entered.
I wish I could act like I had earlier. It’d be nice to punch so dough with my staff.
But with the location being what it was, that was impossible. If I used violence here, then I would even lose the trust of the nobles I was friendly with.
Because while it took ages to build trust, all it took was a mont to lose it.
However.
“Please hold on a minute.”
On the other hand, it ant that once the trust was established, it didn’t break easily.
The first to stand was Count Heerlein.
riga Heerlein. My ntor who saved from the pit of slavery and the horoom teacher of my class.
“That child is my student.”
“A student?”
“Yes. Aether is a student who I teach at Tilette.”
“And what does that have to do with it?”
“You all know.”
If one graduated from Tilette Academy without any problems, then their status was elevated.
“That child has practically received peerage.”
“Not yet, she hasn’t.”
“How do you know whether or not she’ll be expelled?”
Then a dandy gentleman with red eyes stood this ti.
“Pardon my sudden words.”
Marquis Robespierre.
Jakob Robespierre. The chairman of Tilette Academy who gave unlimited scholarships and support, valuing ability over status.
“That student is already at the top of her class. As the chairman, I guarantee that she will graduate with honors.”
My trust with those two ran short but deep.
It wasn’t just simple trust. We were in the sa boat from the mont that we decided to overturn the palace run by Beasts.
A relationship based on money and life were stronger constraints than empty loyalty.
Of course, that might not be the case for Miss Heerlein. She was soone who genuinely cared for her students.
That wasn’t what was important. There was soone in this place who would voluntarily stand up for . That fact made feel like I didn’t waste my ti in this world.
Blanton would be nervous right now.
“But she isn’t yet. Commoner or servant, her being in the eting is a problem in itself!”
“Well, that doesn’t an you need to chase her out.”
This ti, it was an unexpected figure.
Duke Argana.
Was he a leader of the rebel party with Robespierre? I didn’t know much about political things. But I rembered him as the one with the highest status out of those who ca out to the secret eting.
Most of all, I rembered him as the father of Leader Shadiel of the Disciplinary Committee.
“My daughter is part of the Student Council at Tilette, and I’ve heard complints about that child until my ears went numb. Her behavior isn’t bad so let us be generous.”
“I agree.”
Next was Professor Cai-Lussac.
“It seems you may have taken it too far, Duke Blanton.”
“There is no need to get so upset from the beginning. The eting takes place for three days, yes?”
Viscount Eliyev.
Count Saliere.
“Duke Blanton.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
“I said I didn’t give permission for the voting itself, so why did you insist on it and complicate things?”
“.......”
“You want to get in a rage? Huh?”
Didn’t they say that once three people agreed, then it beca a bandwagon?
It was that exact situation. Blanton was sweating so profusely that he was at a loss.
He cleared his throat and spoke.
“Let us take a short break.”
With those words, the tension of the audience relaxed a bit. Inwardly relieved, I turned my head.
Rosemary wasn’t the only one who was dumbfounded.
Renawill Hasfeldt was staring at with a dazed look.
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