Chapter 77: Prince Maker (2)
Translator: RaidenTL
Chapter 77: Prince Maker (2)
For the sake of my chastity, I had to funnel all the credit to Esid.
“So, I need your cooperation.”
That was why I decided to recruit Uncle Aeryun, the man in charge of Prince Esid.
“…Is there really a spy inside? How did you find out?!”
Because your First Prince is gay.
I had phrased it delicately, but the meaning was delivered bluntly.
Uncle Aeryun was shocked by my information network, which had uncovered the Empire’s dirty secret in less than a day. However, his shock didn't compare to mine when I had briefly thought, ‘Ah, maybe he’s not that gay,’ after being bombarded by the gay prince’s offensive of material wealth.
To see a gay man and think he’s not gay...
Even now, the back of my head felt like it had been struck.
Of course, thinking rationally, I was a noble from another country. Moreover, I was an agent of Leon—a nation that even the Empire couldn't easily mess with.
If he didn't know that, it would be one thing, but there was no way someone of the First Prince’s stature was unaware. Therefore, logically speaking, even if he were interested in me, he shouldn't be able to touch me.
But I couldn't let my guard down.
In the first place, thinking common-sensically, the First Prince of the Empire, a man who was already married, shouldn't be a homosexual.
But this world’s genre was RoFan.
It was a terrifying world where anything was permitted in the name of love. Compared to RoFan, a place like Rias couldn't even be called a demonic realm.
Indeed, if RoFan wasn't a demonic realm, what was?
So, this was a world where it wouldn't be strange for the First Prince, blinded by my charms, to hatch a plan to turn my exit into an entrance.
I could never let my guard down.
“Fine. So, how exactly do you plan to help?”
From what I had gathered, the First Prince was a man capable of suppressing his sexual identity for the sake of his goals.
A gay man and a lesbian who slept with the opposite sex every night just to become Emperor and Empress... It was a combination of madness I had never even imagined, but it also meant they were that serious about the throne.
“If the Crown Prince’s position is in jeopardy, he won't be able to think about anything else, right?”
“So… you’re going to interfere in the succession struggle?”
Uncle Aeryun’s expression twisted. It was understandable, given he’d just heard a foreign agent say he would interfere in the Empire’s fight for the throne.
“On my end, I’m feeling a threat to my chastity from the Imperial family. If you can stop him, I have no intention of interfering.”
Honestly, I was hoping for an answer saying he would stop it. I didn't want to do something that might cause problems in another country for no reason.
However.
“Well. Then I guess it can’t be helped.”
“You son of a…”
I couldn't help but swear at the sight of Uncle Aeryun folding immediately.
“Wait, an agent of Leon is openly talking about interfering in internal affairs, and you’re not going to stop me?”
“You said your chastity was at stake.”
“Then stop him!”
Just what on earth had happened for a man who knew the Imperial family so well to act like this? The warning light in my head began to turn from orange to red.
“Hmm. Right. You’re offering to help our faction; I can’t exactly refuse.”
“You should have just said that from the start!”
“Fine. So, how do you plan to help Prince Esid?”
At Uncle Aeryun’s blatantly shameless attitude, I let out a small sigh and explained the plan.
“The operation name is Tsukishima.”
“What kind of hard-to-pronounce name is that?”
Usually, operation names tended to use everyday, intuitive words. Therefore, while this operation name might not be everyday...
“Everything that has allowed us to resolve the crises at the Academy so far was all thanks to Prince Esid.”
“……?”
There could be no operation name more intuitive than this.
Since the beginning of this year, the Academy had been breached left and right. Rias, who had come under the guise of a field trip to prevent that, was just a bonus.
For the Empire, this would be a shameful secret they’d want to hide.
“But at the same time, it’s an opportunity.”
The fact that many incidents and accidents occurred was a hellish trial for those in charge—people like the Academy Director or Uncle Aeryun.
Conversely, it could be an opportunity for someone else. Especially for someone like Esid, a RoFan male lead candidate who was destined to remain at the center of every RoFan incident.
“You want to fabricate it?”
“You were going to put the best spin on things for Esid anyway, weren't you, Uncle?”
“I was. But I still kept within the limits of the truth.”
“You didn't keep them because you wanted to; you kept them because you’d be in deep trouble if an investigation happened later and you got caught.”
The First Prince had many reasons for visiting, but one of them was surely to verify these events.
While Prince Esid hadn't been the one to solve the incidents so far, he had been involved in the process throughout. Even if he wasn't the one who closed the cases, he could be consistently framed as a helpful collaborator.
For someone in the position of a Prince, that was more than enough achievement.
It was just that the other RoFan male leads, like Prince Ellen, were freaks. For a Prince or a Prince, it was normal to command from the rear!
“So, if Daisy and I just get our stories straight, fabricating the achievements is easy.”
If we added Violet to the mix, the fabrication would be perfect. In fact, all the early incidents had been handled by us anyway.
“If it can really be done that way, I don't mind.”
If it can really be done.
I told the muttering Uncle Aeryun not to worry, but...
“I refuse.”
I ran into an unexpected variable.
“Why…?”
It was a task that helped her friend and also protected the chastity of her (fake) boyfriend. Therefore, Daisy refusing was something I hadn't planned for.
“Hmm. Well, because Violet taught me that lying is a bad thing?”
Is it you again, Boradori?
…But as I thought that, I noticed the corners of Daisy’s mouth twitching slightly.
“Then it’s possible if we get permission from Violet?”
“Hmm. People can change at any time. Violet might take back her past statements. However, the childhood Violet who remains inside me is very precious to me.”
She was talking a lot of nonsense, but the summary was: Not a chance.
“Just what is wrong with you?”
“Hmm. You’re already a cheating boyfriend anyway. Even if an Imperial Prince is added to the mix, nothing really changes for me, does it?”
The cheating thing again.
Since she knew the whole situation, I thought she’d let it go easily, but this was lasting longer than expected. Or was she just planning to keep using it now that she had the chance?
“…What do you want?”
“Hmm…”
Was it just my imagination that she was adding a ‘hmm’ to everything today?
“Well. First, a one-year extension as your lover?”
“Do you even want to negotiate?”
I was debating whether to even give her a one-month extension, and she started with a year. They say it’s standard to start high and work your way down, but there are limits.
Unless it was six months, starting with a year meant she either had no intention of negotiating...
“I thought it was reasonable.”
Or she actually thought the proposal would work. Why did Daisy’s attitude seem closer to the latter?
“Why?”
When I asked with genuine curiosity, Daisy looked at me as if she were the one who couldn't understand.
“There’s no reason not to extend it.”
“……?”
My head was full of question marks, but since people’s thoughts can differ, I asked for her reasoning.
“First of all, since I became Mr. Adam’s lover, all the annoying social troubles have disappeared.”
The problem was that they had disappeared too much.
Adding that one line with a deep sigh, Daisy continued.
“And… I have a strong feeling.”
“About what?”
“I don't know why, but I have a hunch that the girls in the club will confess to you the moment you break up with me!”
And that day would be the day the Flower Arrangement Club met its doom!
“Still, the President’s wish was for the club not to be disbanded before she graduates… She’ll be sad if it gets disbanded right after she leaves.”
Looking at her, that seemed impossible, but according to Violet, she was exactly that kind of person.
“So, if we stay together for just one more year! I think the other girls will see you as a friend’s friend rather than a target!”
I nodded at Daisy’s claim that all she needed was time.
“But that has nothing to do with me.”
While those were more than enough reasons for Daisy, they weren't reasons for me to extend it for a year.
“Pardon?”
At my answer, Daisy’s eyes widened, and she tilted her head. She looked like she truly didn't understand why I was saying that.
“No, did you really think you could fleece me just because you caught an opportunity?”
Even if my chastity was at risk, the title of the RoFan heroine’s boyfriend brought its own share of hardships. That’s why I was going to refuse, but...
“…Wasn't I supposed to just give my reasons?”
“Why would you think that?”
“Because… Mr. Adam, you’re already fleecing me plenty.”
“What?”
I never imagined the words ‘fleecing me’ would come out of Daisy’s mouth. And to think I was the one doing it.
“Fleece you for what?”
When I asked out of sheer absurdity, Daisy began to list the benefits I was receiving as the Saintess’s boyfriend with a nonchalant face.
“First, as a condition of our contract, I’m maintaining an ‘iron wall’—to use Violet’s term—against Ellen.”
That was true. I wasn't trusting Daisy for no reason. In a typical RoFan development, rumors with the male lead should have been flying. But in the Academy rumors regarding Daisy, there wasn't a single one involving Prince Ellen.
Not only that, but according to the testimony of Boradori, the agent dispatched to the club room, she was maintaining a perfect iron wall.
“On top of that, every month, I get permission from the Goddess and provide you with the highest-grade potions, made in secret from the Holy Kingdom.”
This was also true. Potions that made even the Royal-grade potions used during the Silence incident look like a joke were being provided at a rate of at least one bottle per month.
Their value... I had agreed with the Commander to hand them over to the Royal family at a low price, but even that ‘low price’ for a single bottle was equivalent to six months of my salary.
I might be making more from incentives than my base salary, but considering the salary of a Royal Instructor—a permanent government position—wasn't small, it was a testament to the value of the Saintess’s potions.
“Even so, that’s no reason to extend the contract…”
Those were the natural conditions of the contract. Conversely, the fact that such conditions were necessary showed how difficult the position of the RoFan heroine’s lover was.
“And! Even though you’re two-timing, I’ve made sure not a single word is said about it!”
“What?”
But Daisy was just getting started, throwing out things beyond the contract.
“No, why would that…”
“No matter how open the Academy is—actually, because it’s open—two-timing is bound to become a hot topic. Why do you think no one is talking?”
“My senior said she’d take care of everything.”
“Senior Loreliya? I’m sure she would. Unless she’s insane, she wouldn't want to make enemies of an Imperial Ducal house and the Saintess.”
In short, Daisy was claiming that Senior Loreliya hadn't done anything.
“Really?”
“Really. It’s easy to prove.”
“How?”
“I just have to pick a fight with her. We’re quiet now because we give off the vibe that we’ve reached an agreement. If we just grab each other’s hair and fight once, the rumors will spread across the Academy by the next day.”
“Wait…”
A catfight between the Saintess and a Duke’s daughter… that’s a rumor you could never stop…
“And!”
But as if she still had more to say—or rather, as if this was the real main point—Daisy glared at me with fire in her eyes.
“You’ve used me every single time something happened!”
“Pardon…?”
Daisy’s statement was something I hadn't expected. It made sense, as it was common knowledge that the Academy got terrorized, just as it was common knowledge that incidents happened around the RoFan heroine.
But the RoFan heroine before me wasn't an ordinary one.
I had forgotten that she was a RoFan heroine who had developed ‘wits’ thanks to Boradori—the mastermind who was expected to surpass even the Demon King as the final boss of this world, provided the Evil God didn't show up!
“I’m not an idiot. Every time you asked to go on a date, a dark mage popped out. Did you think I wouldn't notice?”
She was a RoFan heroine who had noticed from the start that the male leads liked her. Therefore, Daisy had even realized that I had used her as bait every time I made a plan!
“……”
No, you’re the one who summons them.
I wanted to say that, but there was no way to explain it with common sense. Rather, the explanation that I had used Daisy to set a trap was much more rational.
…And it was actually true.
“I know I started it with a bit of blackmail… but I gave you material things (potions), I accepted your two-timing, and I even pretended not to notice when I knew you were trying to use me behind my back… I really did everything for you!”
“……”
Faced with a shout I couldn't possibly refute, I had no choice but to remain silent for a long time.