Chapter 8
Chapter 8
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Translator: penny
Chapter: 8
Chapter Title: Saving Duchess Elena (2)
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Elena stared at me from inside the underground dungeon of the Rozier estate.
Her haggard appearance suggested she'd been locked up here for quite some time, and my teeth ground together in natural fury.
"...What happened."
"Didn't you hear from Father?"
"I only heard that you're under house arrest. He said the details were a family matter he couldn't discuss."
"Then understand it that way, Your Highness Cedric."
"......"
Elena put on a ladylike tone and pretended to be nonchalant, probably because Rinel was beside her.
She didn't seem inclined to explain what had happened. Whether it was because her younger brother was there or she'd never intended to tell me in the first place, I couldn't say.
"...How long is the house arrest for?"
"Until Father's mood improves, I suppose. Probably no more than half a year at most?"
"Enough. Get up. We're heading to the palace right now."
"I'm sorry, Your Highness Cedric, but as a lady of the Rozier family, I can't ignore Father's punishment and entrust myself to another man..."
"Get up now!"
"...Why are you suddenly yelling?"
Even in this situation, Elena sat calmly in the underground dungeon, responding with composed ease.
As frustration built because I still didn't understand why she was here, Rinel couldn't stand watching us talk alone any longer and approached again. That's when the clue slipped from his mouth.
"S-Sis didn't do anything wrong."
"...Rinel?"
"D-During the mana aptitude test... I-It was all my fault because I couldn't control my mana properly..."
"......"
Rinel muttered anxiously, and Elena bit her lower lip slightly, averting her gaze from her brother.
I didn't know the details, but I could at least guess it had happened during the mana aptitude test. And that Rinel was involved somehow.
"Rinel, if something happened, could you tell me..."
"...Sigh. I'll explain myself, Your Highness Cedric."
Elena sighed, apparently figuring it was better for her to explain since I'd find out anyway.
She sent Rinel away so we could talk comfortably, then described what had happened.
"Things just didn't go as planned. Sorry for the hassle."
"...What happened, Elena?"
"Nothing unusual. Just one of the minor events from the original story."
"You getting locked in an underground dungeon like this?"
"Well... I didn't expect to end up confined myself..."
Elena gave an awkward smile and looked away, as if she hadn't anticipated this either.
But unlike her seemingly calm smile, my heart refused to settle.
"I just tried to do something right, and it backfired."
"...Explain, Elena. What exactly happened?"
"Hmm, well. It started with Rinel's mana aptitude test."
I'd already heard about Elena's stepbrother Rinel and his dark mana aptitude.
A boy born with exceptional talent for dark mana, adopted into the main Rozier ducal family from a branch line because of it.
"Dark mana is inherently dangerous. In the original story, he rampaged during his first aptitude test—that was an event."
"...And?"
"I use dark mana too, so I thought if I intervened, I could stop the rampage somehow."
"...But it didn't work out, and things got worse instead?"
"No... If anything, the damage was much less than in the original. In the story, a few servants died, but thanks to my mana interference, at least no one was killed."
"......Then why."
"Because only I know it was less damage thanks to me stopping it. To everyone else, it looked like I meddled and caused Rinel's mana to rampage. Father got mad, saying I unnecessarily interfered in Rinel's test and triggered it."
"......"
"Even if I'd said, 'If I hadn't intervened, the damage would've been worse,' no one would've listened in that atmosphere. So this is how it ended."
...So that's why contact cut off after the mana aptitude test.
Now that I heard it, I could understand fully. At least why Elena was being punished.
Of course, my mind grasped it, but my pounding heart wouldn't calm down.
"S-Sis didn't do anything wrong. I-It was all because I couldn't suppress my mana properly..."
"Don't say that, Rinel. It's just a few months locked up—no need to feel that guilty."
"B-But... Because of me, you're stuck here alone..."
Now everything clicked. Why Rinel told me Elena's location. Why he urged me to take her back to the palace.
His beloved sister was suffering punishment because of his own mistake—he couldn't help but feel guilty.
'Maybe Duke Rozier saw this as an opportunity too.'
It didn't matter much whether Elena had truly tried to stop Rinel's rampage or not.
He probably wanted to use this chance to impose house arrest on her and solidify Rinel's position as heir to the Rozier ducal family.
According to Hadi, Elena still held considerable public support in Rozier territory.
"Alright, I understand the situation."
"Glad you do. In about half a year, I should be able to contact you again, so come back to the Rozier estate then..."
"No. Elena, your house arrest ends now."
I drew the sword I carried for protection and infused it with flame mana.
I swung the blade, now blazing with fire, straight at the iron bars of Elena's cell.
-Slash!
Two swings later, the bars clattered to the floor.
It was my first time using swordsmanship outside of monsters or sparring, but fortunately, it worked perfectly.
"Come out, Elena. Let's go to the palace."
"...Hmm. Can you handle the fallout? If I just go to the palace like this, my relationship with Father..."
"That's not for you to worry about, Elena."
"...Well, true."
The bars were already sliced anyway.
Knowing she wouldn't bear the blame if she escaped, Elena walked out obediently.
-Stumble.
"Ow?!"
...Or so I thought, but after a few steps—likely from being confined so long—she tumbled forward.
-Thud.
"Be careful, Elena."
"...Thank you, Your Highness."
I caught her as she fell, and luckily, she didn't scold me for the skinship in a moment like this.
Thinking this was my only chance, I scooped her up princess-style and left the underground dungeon.
"...I'm heavy. Put me down already?"
"You're not heavy. You seem unwell anyway—don't push yourself."
"...Well, this is convenient for me."
Carrying Elena like that, we passed through the dungeon and returned to the estate's back garden, where Duke Rozier appeared before us.
I'd been away too long; we'd been caught. Even Hadi could only stall for so much time.
"Your Highness Cedric."
"Yes, Duke Rozier."
"I won't ask how you found where my daughter was. I won't hold you accountable, so hand Elena over to me."
Of course, I had no intention of complying from the start.
I'd already planned how to take her away.
"I just heard about Elena's mana rampage incident, Duke Rozier."
"...Is that so."
"Therefore, her punishment will be carried out at the palace. Misuse of dark magic is a matter the kingdom must judge directly."
"......Pardon?"
"You wouldn't presume to ignore the palace's authority over punishment and continue your own, would you?"
An ancient law from before dark magic was recognized as legitimate.
Duke Rozier's expression twisted slightly; he clearly hadn't expected such an old statute from me.
"...How do you plan to proceed with the punishment?"
"That's not for you to worry about, Duke Rozier. More importantly, I hear no report reached the palace about Elena's misuse of dark magic."
"......"
"I won't pursue that responsibility. If you just transfer her punishment authority to me."
He knew it too. Butting heads with me here would only tire him out.
Even if invoking a defunct law meant I'd ultimately lose, for Duke Rozier, engaging in political maneuvering against a mere thirteen-year-old prince was a loss in itself.
Especially since punishing Elena was part of securing the succession for Rinel without backlash.
"Understood. If that's your will, Your Highness Cedric."
"Thank you for your cooperation, Duke Rozier. Then we'll head back now to escort the prisoner. Hadi?"
"Yes."
Hadi and the other servants had anticipated my orders and prepared the carriage.
I seated Elena in the back of the rather ornate carriage—lavish for a prisoner transport—and gave Duke Rozier a final bow.
"Farewell, Duke Rozier."
"...Yes. Safe travels."
On the surface, it was 'for punishment,' so he couldn't really object and let Elena go.
Once we'd put some distance from Rozier territory, Elena relaxed against the carriage backrest.
"Haa, I'm dying~."
"You had it rough, Elena. Really."
"Yeah. If it weren't for you, I'd have been stuck there months longer. Saved my life, dude."
...Yes, this was the Elena I knew.
The slouched posture she never showed others, and her relaxed tone that clearly showed her trust in me.
Rinel probably never even seen this side of his sister, which made me smile for no reason.
"Man, how'd you even know about the dark magic laws? You're only thirteen, right?"
"Princes must study law too. Good thing I did—it's proving useful."
"I was ready to throw down big time and had magic prepped if needed."
"...That would've made taking you away the least of our worries—we'd be fretting over the kingdom's peace."
"Fair point. Going smoothly is the safest bet, huh?"
"It'll take a while to reach the palace, so sleep if you're tired."
"Oh, can I? Then I'll catch some Z's."
She accepted my offhand suggestion without hesitation and promptly closed her eyes to sleep.
-Flop.
"Mm... Nngh..."
I watched her peacefully lean her head on my shoulder the moment she dozed off, as Elena and I headed to the palace.