The Monarchs' Intervention
Hugo Frandel knew the true worth of author Milene. He practically drooled as he showered me with goodwill.
“Imprisoning someone over something so trivial was absurd from the start.”
“The reason is that I can wield the dark attribute.”
“It’s true that the dark attribute is shunned, but once you become a commoner and work as a writer, it loses all meaning. There might be some gossip at the academy or among nobles, but that’s the extent of it. In the end, Glacia’s tendency is especially strong simply because this is the land of Heroes and Saintesses. In other countries, no one cares about the dark attribute.”
Oh. So that’s the angle. Right. Everyone with half a brain was treating this as nothing more than children squabbling. As for the Holpert family, Sophia had already manipulated its members from within, and the duke’s long-standing hatred for Milene’s mother, the legal wife, had done the rest.
“But His Majesty—”
“As you may already know, Portmus Publishing is a giant in the industry. We naturally distribute books to the royal family as well.”
“Then…”
“I will explain the young lady’s circumstances directly to His Majesty and arrange for your safe return.”
“Understood. In that case, it would be best to discuss the contract after that.”
“Of course.”
Who would have thought a publishing house would become Milene’s patron? With this, even if the future remained uncertain, the present was secure. And if I positioned myself as the pioneer of this world’s novel industry, the money would practically shovel itself into my pockets.
Near the southern border of Glacia Kingdom. Around this time.
The king and queen of Glacia were traveling toward a southern nation via the southern border. First Prince Schwald, who had been handling Milene’s disposition, had accepted Sophia’s suggestion and persuaded the royal couple to delay their return.
“Hmm. I wonder if that fool Schwald is actually governing the country properly while we’re gone.”
“He’s about to become crown prince. I’m sure he’ll manage.”
“Queen. That may be so, but I feel uneasy. Didn’t he once sing at length about how the woman he loved was Sophia?”
“That… is true.”
“From the moment that boy tried to discard his fiancée, I found it distasteful. And now he suddenly tells us to enjoy our tour at leisure?”
A few days earlier, Schwald had spoken so sweetly about how difficult state affairs had been and urged them to enjoy the journey while they were at it. The royal couple had felt somewhat at ease. King Adolf, completely unaware of the true motive, felt deeply unsettled. That was why he had decided to use the neighboring tour to strengthen diplomatic ties.
No matter how he looked at it, something felt wrong.
But then—
“Your Majesty, a man seeks an audience.”
“Hm. Who is it? For the captain of the guard to report personally, he must not be ordinary.”
“It is a man named Jerry, sent by Hugo Frandel, president of Portmus Publishing.”
“Oh. I know him well. But what brings him all the way here?”
Was he on vacation? The Cretan Principality to the south was famous for tourism. If he happened to pass by while the king was present, a greeting would be expected. Perhaps they could discuss next month’s palace deliveries while they were at it.
That had been his initial thought.
But the moment Jerry was granted an audience, he delivered devastating news.
“His Highness Prince Schwald announced at a social gathering that he would condemn Lady Milene and become engaged to Sophia.”
“What!?”
“Lady Milene admitted to all wrongdoing. She reportedly told the prince she could wield the dark attribute, after which she was thrown into prison.”
“That insane fool!”
Slap!
A vivid handprint bloomed on Jerry’s cheek. In a surge of uncontrollable fury, the king had struck him.
“Your Majesty! Jerry is not Schwald!”
“Ah… um. I got carried away. Tell me everything. What exactly happened?”
Jerry, clutching his stinging cheek, relayed every detail he had heard from Milene. He was slapped once more by the agitated king for good measure.
“Have you ever seen such a pathetic excuse for a son? No matter that Sophia is from the same house, to stir up such a scandal just to replace his fiancée!”
Love had blinded him and turned him into a frog stuck in a well. Milene was not the type to commit such acts, and even if she were, the punishment was wildly excessive. Imprisoning her simply for possessing the dark attribute? Foreign nations would laugh at them.
The king clutched the back of his neck. Things had never been this bad before Sophia appeared!
The queen, who had been listening silently, wore a grave expression.
“Milene is the child I personally trained to become crown princess. I do not know the full story, but should we not retrieve her from prison at once?”
To an outsider it would sound like nothing more than his son’s romantic folly.
“The queen is correct. That idiot Schwald has done something unforgivable. No wonder I felt suspicious when he urged us to stay away longer! Forget a letter—we must return immediately! Captain of the guard, turn the carriage toward the kingdom at once!”
“Yes, Your Majesty!”
The king’s carriage raced back toward Glacia.
Some time after Hugo Frandel’s visit.
The guard uncle came running with a cheerful smile that looked entirely out of place on his aged face. What now? That expression… Was he here to brag about his children again? Or perhaps something about Portmus Publishing?
“You look happy.”
“Young lady! Wonderful news! His Majesty has returned and personally issued a royal command to release you!”
“Oh. Is that true?”
“It is! That pot-bellied publishing president wasn’t just making empty promises! So I’ve come to free you. His Majesty ordered me to escort you to the palace!”
Why was he more excited than the person actually being released? Still, the timing was perfect. The publishing company had done its job well.
“Hmm. I was starting to think it was taking too long.”
“Let’s go, then!”
“Yes.”
With that, I was finally liberated and headed for the palace.
And soon after, I stood before the king and queen.
Seeing the novel’s major characters in the flesh felt strangely surreal, but I quickly schooled my features into a pitiful expression and began to sniffle pathetically.
“Just how long were you imprisoned for your face to turn that deathly pale?”
“It is nothing, Your Majesty. Have you been well?”
“She must have suffered terribly for her speech to become so stiff.”
I hadn’t actually suffered at all, but whatever. Still, was the original story supposed to go this way? It felt like far too many things had changed. Portmus Publishing’s involvement must have been the decisive factor.
I see. In the original work it had been glossed over so vaguely that I never realized, but without outside intervention the king and queen would have arrived too late. By then everything would have been over, leaving them powerless. And since Milene died shortly afterward, they would never have found her.
The relationship between the royal couple and Milene had not been bad. Until the condemnation, they had lived together rather harmoniously, almost like real family.
After all, to King Adolf and the queen, Milene had been perfect.
King Adolf and the queen wailed. To them, Milene was the ideal daughter-in-law—equipped with knowledge, political acumen, culture, and every other quality. No one else came close.
The royal couple had wanted a daughter-in-law who would serve the nation, not one who played at romance.
Schwald had hated that even more. The royal couple had valued his fiancée more highly than they valued him.
Perhaps the condemnation had stemmed not only from Sophia but also from resentment toward his overly competent fiancée.
In any case.
Unlike the original story, my complete confession had left the prince without a clean justification to dispose of me. That delay, combined with various overlapping interests, had led the king to pull me from prison.
It had worked out well. From their current reactions, these two were furious with their son. Above all, they had probably expected something like this would happen eventually.
In the first place, the author had been an idiot for writing such a low-plausibility heroine and hero.
“I knew that boy would cause trouble someday. I am sorry.”
“Um… then what happens to me now?”
“We must of course restore everything to its original state.”
Original state? That was a problem. Didn’t that mean re-engaging me to that prince? Absolutely not. The situation was already too tangled. If Sophia were from another family it might be different, but she was also a Holpert lady. The two were already openly in love. Forcing things back would change nothing—except make Sophia even more vicious. I would be the one left dealing with the annoyance.
Even if everything could be reversed, I refused. Why should I become engaged to a man? No chance. None.
If the real Milene returned, perhaps. But as long as I had to pilot this body, I could not accept marriage to that fool.
Then it was time to test the waters.
“May I make one request?”
“Speak freely.”
“In any case, I am bound to be expelled from the family. Sophia already controls the Holpert house completely.”
That route was impossible. In the setting, Sophia’s mother had been a courtesan. Thanks to that background, she had melted the entire Holpert family from within. As I had said before, she had devoured them from the inside out. I still didn’t understand why everyone fawned over that plain, flat-chested girl. Of course, she had used Milene to sow discord along the way.
“How can that be? Then what of the claim that you tormented Sophia?”
“It is true I failed to respond properly. If I had handled it better, would the prince have gone to her? It is all my fault.”
Since I had already admitted fault to the prince, I repeated it here. This was merely confessing that I had been unable to stop Sophia and had lost in a petty catfight between women.
Now was the time to gamble.
“Then what do you propose?”
“Given what the prince has already declared, claiming none of it was true after the broken engagement would cause too great a scandal, would it not? The best solution is for me to be cast out. If one person sacrifices herself, everyone else can live comfortably.”
I was prepared to accept both the broken engagement and exile. For the sake of this kingdom. That was the impression I needed to plant. These two had clearly been watching Schwald’s antics with growing displeasure.
“I see…”
“My only concern is whether Prince Schwald, who places love above all else, can become a wise ruler like Your Majesty—the light of the kingdom.”
I had to spend the goodwill the previous Milene had accumulated. If Milene was exiled, at the very least that bastard Schwald must not ascend the throne. Honestly I didn’t care what happened to him, but if Sophia became queen, there was no telling what harm she would inflict on me as a novelist. That was exactly the kind of woman she was.
If I had to compare her to a historical figure, she was like a foolish Wu Zetian.
Therefore, while preserving the original work’s framework, since this was the country I had to live in, I could not allow empty-headed fools to rule.
“You doubt Schwald’s ability?”
“If he places love before country, what can be done? For now, because Sophia is a Holpert, he can force matters somehow. But what if, even after ascending the throne, he remains swayed by her? I am already finished, but I cannot help worrying about the kingdom’s future.”
“Indeed… there is a problem. Especially with the empire’s diplomatic issues looming, ugh.”
Exactly. In the original story there had been friction with the empire—the largest neighboring power, with frequent border disputes. Later, after Schwald and Sophia resolved those matters, the royal couple would acknowledge them. But not yet.
So right now, I had to drag them down.