The Wedding Proposal #4
When I first conceived the plan, I had to consider the optics. If I had to move in secret to avoid raising the suspicions of other nations, it would be a delicate operation.
Conversely, one might think, "Why not just hand the information over to another country and cooperate?"
However.
"Well, they certainly exist, don't they?"
"With the exception of the Holy Kingdom, I’m sure they’re everywhere."
What am I talking about? What else? Spies.
In the Empire, which is my domain, I’ve pulled them out by the roots, but things outside the Empire are beyond my reach. Even in the Imperial Capital, there were rats hiding in the walls; why would other countries be any different? I don't know for sure, but there must be plenty of them. They’re undoubtedly mixed into the high society as well.
"If we share the information, the probability of them finding out increases."
If that happens, the imposter will react immediately. It would be easier if they just ran away. Lily can track them down. In fact, the probability of them running is high. A person who has been marked by me, staying put without fleeing? It’s rare to find someone with that kind of nerve. If they did, they’d be a lunatic.
The problem is:
"...The issue is that the heretics are a collection of those very lunatics. They are the type of people who will do anything if things don't go their way."
"That is true."
Elizabeth nodded. It seems she takes pride in being a Black Mage, feeling she is better than the heretics among the three major villains.
"...Wait, you aren't thinking of anything strange, are you?"
Anyway.
It would be fortunate if they just ran away. But if they didn't? There’s no telling what that guy might do. Just how far could a heretical fanatic who has seized control of a royal palace go in their madness? It was a difficult question to gauge.
To put it bluntly, suppose there is a treasure that symbolizes the unknown. The possibility of some bizarre event occurring, like offering the entire Kingdom of Velos as a sacrifice through a strange ritual? It might be low, but it wasn't zero.
Ultimately.
"As planned, it is better to proceed in secret among ourselves."
"Let's do that."
Everyone agreed. It would be a bigger disaster if we handed information to another country and they failed to handle the situation. It’s better to be called "The Empire is dangerous!" than to deal with the summoning of an Outer God by a crazed fanatic.
"Serena."
"Yes. I asked Levi, and he said he can erase any form of ability."
Serena said with a determined face.
"...Stealing someone else's face. I can't just stand by and watch such a wicked act."
The female protagonist is, indeed, the female protagonist. Even though she just returned and was handed a new task, her sense of justice is burning bright now that she’s heard the details.
"Alright, then."
I clapped my hands.
"How should we do this?"
The core of the plan is the power of the Leviathan that Serena has contracted with. In other words, Serena must somehow get close to the fake King of Velos. By what means?
"Disguise Serena as a maid..."
Various opinions were tossed around, but:
"Let's do it this way."
"U-um."
"...Will it work? This method?"
"Probably."
In the end, everyone converged on my idea.
"Summon the Princess."
In the drawing room of the detached palace, I looked at the hesitant Sylvia and said bluntly:
"For now, we will proceed with the marriage proposal."
"Yes...?"
Sylvia’s eyes widened.
"Um, Your Majesty. By any chance..."
"Ah, I have no intention of marrying you, so don't worry."
"Oh, ...I see."
Sylvia’s expression became complicated. It was the answer she wanted, but hearing "I don't want to marry you" so directly made it hard to even feel relieved. It was that kind of look.
To Sylvia, who was drinking tea with a complex expression, I replied indifferently:
"You didn't really intend to marry me anyway, did you?"
"..."
"I don't find it rude that you used me, so be honest."
"Yes. ...That is true, but."
Right. She only had thoughts of returning somehow to stabilize the Kingdom of Velos. She had absolutely no intention of marrying me out of the blue. I proposed it because I knew that.
"You have quite a lot of nerve."
"...I thought it was the last resort. I believed that if things continued like this, there would be no future other than being defeated by the imposter."
Even so. My image has only recently been reformed within the Empire. Outside the Empire? I heard a rumor that I was a monster who ate people. Sylvia wouldn't be swayed by such third-rate information, but regardless, my image outside the Empire is still that of a mad tyrant. And she bet on someone like me?
"You could have asked another kingdom for help instead."
"...No."
At my words, Sylvia answered firmly.
"If I had entrusted myself to another kingdom, they would have only schemed to use me to swallow our kingdom whole."
"You seem to think I won't do that. Why is that?"
Shall I test her? I began to slowly leak my pressure. It was a pressure so intense that a normal person’s heart would stop, and Sylvia’s complexion turned deathly pale.
.
.
.
"...I, apologize."
"I asked for the reason."
Clutching the hem of her dress so hard it almost tore, Sylvia answered clearly.
"Be, because Your Majesty is a person without greed... Even if you were to make our kingdom a vassal state, I thought you would not erase the name of the kingdom, *hic!*..."
"Good."
"H-hic...!"
I withdrew the pressure. I looked at Sylvia, who was gasping for air, and tapped the table with my fingers.
"So, I have no greed."
I don't. To be precise, I have no desire to turn the continent into a single nation under the Empire. In that sense, Sylvia’s assessment of me was correct.
"Your Majesty has, until now, had many opportunities to expand the Empire's territory, yet you showed mercy, *hic*... The matter of the Barka Kingdom is one such example..."
From that perspective, she was right. Other kingdoms would try to swallow Velos the moment they got the card named Sylvia. Naturally, they wouldn't intend to let it go, so they would erase the name 'Velos'. Thinking of it that way, the Empire was the only correct answer for Sylvia.
"Enough. Let's continue with the plan."
"Yes, yes. Did you have something in mind, Your Majesty...?"
"Well, it’s a royal wedding, isn't it? Naturally, the King of Velos must lift his heavy rear and come here in person."
"Ah."
Sylvia’s mouth fell open. Unless that guy is a complete lunatic, he wouldn't dare tell the Emperor of the Empire, "What? So what? If you have a complaint, you come here." If he has any sense at all, he would know that he has to make the journey himself. And once he comes, that’s it.
Naturally, since he’s come all the way to the Empire, it would make no sense for him to skip the event. We just need to sprinkle the purification of the Leviathan in a public setting. I didn't tell her the details, but Sylvia seemed to understand well enough. Not asking for details is probably her own way of surviving. She’s sharp.
"...Will the imposter listen obediently? Won't he make all sorts of excuses..."
"I have thought of everything, so don't worry."
Did she really think I hadn't considered even that much?
"Your Majesty, the King of Velos has sent a letter saying he has suddenly fallen ill."
"Take a panacea from the Imperial Treasury and send it to him. He is to be my father-in-law, so I should at least do this much."
"...Yes, Your Majesty."
If there are many obstacles in the world hindering me, let's consider that I have no shortage of money or wealth to clear them. Because most problems can be solved with money. How many excuses has the fake King of Velos sent me so far?
"This is the seventh time."
"That guy is persistent."
"Perhaps he is sensing that something is off?"
"Who knows."
Seven times now. By sending him items from the Imperial Treasury, he must know that we are calling for him. There is no excuse to refuse, so the situation is at a stalemate. Above all, I had secretly cast a bait.
I don't know if he’ll see it and move, but:
"It would be a shame if things didn't go according to plan, but it wouldn't be a disaster either. So don't worry too much."
Furthermore, to prevent him from sensing the danger and running away, I had sent Lily.
"Lily."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
Swoosh.
Lily, who should have been in the Kingdom of Velos, poked her head out from the shadows.
"How is the situation?"
"It is somewhat chaotic, but it seems to be because the royal wedding with the Empire is being pushed forward. The interior of the royal castle is protected by a barrier, so I could not look inside in detail, but..."
The situation in the Velos royal castle flowed from Lily’s lips.
"I see. Good work."
"Yes. Then, please call me whenever you need me."
Swoosh.
Lily disappeared back into the shadows.
"...It’s amazing every time I see it."
Lily could move freely between the places where she had placed a mark and my shadow. In other words, there were almost no restrictions on her range of activity. Thanks to this, it was nearly impossible to escape Lily’s sight in this situation. This is exactly why Lily is one of the most troublesome hostile figures to deal with in the original work.
Just then.
"Ah, Your Majesty."
Lily’s head, which had disappeared, popped out of the shadow again.
"What should I do if he looks like he’s going to run away?"
"Just suppress him for now."
"Understood."
Swoosh- Lily disappeared again.
The plan is for him to come all the way here, but if he senses something is off and tries to run, I’ll just have to suppress him and drag him here. If he stays holed up in the palace, it’s difficult for Lily to infiltrate easily due to the barrier, but if he comes out of the palace to flee, Lily will suppress him immediately. However, the fact that the Empire can easily kidnap a foreign king would be revealed at that moment, so I hope that doesn't happen. It’s a last resort, in a way.
By the way.
"Haha, it seems His Majesty is finally taking a partner."
"The Empire has nothing left to do but soar high once again."
I saw the bureaucrats who firmly believed that I would truly marry Sylvia. When I said I had no intention of marrying, they didn't even listen, but they believe this kind of thing so perfectly.
"What are you all doing? Why aren't you moving already?"
"Yes, Your Majesty..."
A disguise is a disguise. To deceive the opponent, you must first deceive your own allies. I’m sorry, no, actually, I’m not sorry. If you felt wronged, you should have believed my words.