Chapter 91
The Flower That Bears a Sword - Chapter 91
Translation: godsn
"Please grant me this request."
"Why must you refuse the engagement? You said you would support me."
"There's no necessity for that support to take the form of an engagement."
"Isn't it the cleanest and simplest method?"
The Crown Prince genuinely looked puzzled as he asked again. Marriage was both proof of alliance and a political strategy. To him, it was an unquestionable truth. Yurien shook his head slowly.
"I have no desire to do so."
"Is Lady Diassant not to your liking? There are many noble ladies on our side—we could arrange another—"
"There is someone I desire. If it is not that person, I have no intention of marrying."
"Huh?"
The Crown Prince's eyes widened in shock. His expression turned utterly dumbfounded as he scrutinized Yurien before scratching his chin.
"Today truly keeps surprising me. Whoever she is, can't you just take her as a concubine or keep her as a lover? Lady Diassant doesn't seem the type to care about such things."
"I refuse."
"But, well... Ahem."
The Crown Prince cut himself off with a forced cough. Even as he said it, he couldn't possibly imagine Yurien keeping a lover while married. He pressed his fingers to his forehead and let out a pained sigh.
"What kind of woman is she?"
"That is a private matter."
"...Well, who she is isn't the important point right now... So, that's how it is... But listen, Yurien. That condition is difficult to accept. You must realize that, don't you?"
"Is it because, if this engagement does not proceed, it will appear as though I do not support Your Highness?"
"Exactly. You understand well. Even if I trust you, once you refuse the engagement, no one will believe you truly support me."
"I have no intention of becoming Your Highness's vassal, so it makes no difference to me."
"It may not matter to you, but it matters to me. Do you not understand why I wanted your support in the first place?"
The Crown Prince spoke with a grimace. Most of the Empire's military forces stood with the Second Prince. The current Emperor, who held military authority, supported the Second Prince. There was also the fact that the Second Prince, Karem, was an exceptionally skilled knight in his own right.
The Crown Prince had the backing of numerous nobles, including his maternal and marital relatives, but the private armies of the nobility paled in comparison to the Imperial Army and knightly orders.
The Imperial Army, being directly under the Emperor's command, was difficult to sway. However, the knightly orders were different. Stationed in key fortresses and responsible for regional defense, they were highly autonomous groups deeply intertwined with local noble houses. And for the most part, they remained neutral.
Yurien was the idol of the Empire's knights. Many factions within the Empire who secretly wished for Yurien to become the next Emperor were primarily affiliated with knightly orders and their connected noble houses. Thus, if the Crown Prince secured Yurien's support, drawing in the neutral knightly orders would become far easier. It would give him the strength to oppose the Second Prince, who held military dominance.
Power without force was inherently precarious. Though he wished to avoid this competition escalating into civil war, the possibility of conflict always had to be considered. That was why the Crown Prince had sought to bring Yurien under his influence.
"I need your name. The mere declaration of your support is what I require. Words alone are difficult to trust. Is there any method as straightforward as an engagement to prove it?"
The Crown Prince's situation—and this demand—were expected. Yurien took a deep breath. He recalled the words Rosalin Diassant had spoken to him.
"For the record, even if you refuse the engagement, it makes no difference to me. Frankly, I'd prefer it if you turned it down."
"However, should you truly reject the engagement, rest assured—I will exact my price."
He could pay any price—so long as it did not involve Echinacea. Yurien voiced the decision he had already made.
"Then I shall enter into a false engagement. Only until Your Highness ascends to the throne."
"What? False? That's utterly preposterous—"
"I will negotiate with Lady Diassant myself. After reaching an agreement with her, I shall discuss matters with Duke Diassant as well."
"Why go through such convoluted measures when a simple marriage would suffice? Or is it that you stubbornly refuse unless that woman you desire can be your legitimate wife?"
"This has nothing to do with her. She has already rejected me."
The Crown Prince, now beyond astonishment, clutched his forehead.
"...Unrequited love? You? And because of this unrequited love, you refuse even an engagement? Without any guarantee you could marry her? Have you lost your mind?"
[He has. Completely and utterly. Though honestly, all my masters are like this... Then again, only the most upright become my wielders, so I suppose it's inevitable.]
The Holy Sword muttered in resignation. Yurien pretended not to hear and answered the Crown Prince.
"It is my choice. I will present the detailed plan after negotiating with the Lady."
"Well, I'll be... I've known you since childhood, but this is the first time you've seemed human. So you do have desires after all."
"I shall take that as your acceptance."
Yurien replied impassively and slid a document toward the Crown Prince.
"The remaining demands will be discussed at a later date."
"Hmm."
The Crown Prince accepted the papers while handing over the previously signed parchment. As Yurien stored it away, he broke the seal and examined the contents.
The documents detailed how Emperor had acquired the Magic Sword Valdergiosa, the framework of the conspiracy he and the Second Prince had plotted with it, and precisely where and how to investigate to uncover evidence and specifics.
It was an expanded version of the documents the Crown Prince had given Yurien before the regression, written with greater detail as Yurien reconstructed the events from memory. He deliberately omitted that the family chosen as the demon sword's sacrificial offering had been the Roaz Count Household. In the past timeline, the Crown Prince had never discovered which family had been selected, and if Yurien kept silent now, he would never learn the truth.
'He might deduce the Roaz connection from the fact I took her as my squire... But even if he does, he cannot touch them. They are my squire's family.'
As the Crown Prince read, his lips tightened, then drained of color. By the time he turned the final page, his fingertips trembled violently.
"If this is true... they've gone mad. Completely, utterly mad."
He flung the documents aside and raked a hand through his hair. A groan escaped his lips.
"Valdergiosa... This is beyond sanity. I never thought Father was entirely sound of mind, but this... Deliberately inciting massacres with a Magic Sword? Only the truly deranged would... If this were exposed—"
"Every citizen of the Empire would turn their backs on the imperial family. The Azure Sky Knights would declare a holy war against the throne to reclaim the Magic Sword. Foreign nations might use this as pretext for war."
The Crown Prince shuddered and rubbed his nape. Yurien continued quietly.
"Which is why, before that happens, Your Highness must use this to secure the Azure Sky Knights' support, depose the Emperor, and claim the throne."
The proposal Crown Prince Cruen had made to Yurien before the regression was now being offered by Yurien to the Crown Prince. The prince stared at the documents with darkened eyes, his silence stretching to the point of tedium. When he finally spoke, his voice was hollow.
"Seeing this, I finally believe you truly have no interest in the throne."
"...?"
"You are Captain of the Azure Sky, guardian of Giosa, sovereign of Agenka—the knights' holy land—and a prince of the Empire. Had you brought this forward yourself instead of delivering it to me, you could have become both Agenka's ruler and the Emperor of the Empire."
"......"
"If you had drawn the Holy Sword Langiosa and declared that you would punish the Emperor wielding the evil Magic Sword, you could have gained the support of the masses and entered the imperial palace as the new Emperor. Your tale might have been passed down like the legend of a hero who vanquished the Demon King."
"I have no desire for such things."
"Indeed. Since you brought this to me, I can see that's your true intention. Truly......"
The Crown Prince trailed off, then gazed at his half-brother with unfamiliar eyes. Crown Prince Cruen had always been a passive observer of the twisted relationship between the Emperor, the Second Prince, and the Third Prince. He had long abandoned any affection or expectations toward his father and had frowned upon the Second Prince's inferiority complex.
As for the youngest, the Third Prince, he had felt nothing. Though pitiable as a boy who suppressed his desires to the point of not knowing them, he hadn't felt particularly attached. Partly because the boy was simply too exceptional in every way. During his time in the imperial palace, Yurien had been a beautiful youth with cold, passionless eyes who accomplished everything flawlessly. Watching him up close sometimes sent chills down one's spine—he hardly seemed human.
'He's changed so much. It's like he's a different person.'
The Yurien he knew would naturally have no interest in the throne, but he wouldn't have come outright offering to make him Emperor in exchange for demands. Nor would he have stubbornly refused marriage without reason.
'Is it because of that woman he claims to want? I'll have to look into this.'
Separate from his cold judgment, the Crown Prince found the current Yurien more to his liking than the one from before.
"I'll trust you, Yurien."
He smiled faintly and continued.
"Make me Emperor. In return, I shall repay you—not as a subject, but with the courtesy due an ally."
"Thank you, Your Highness."
Yurien bowed his head. The Crown Prince rested his chin on his hand, looking satisfied.
"Now then, shall we discuss this in earnest?"
Within the secret chamber, their conversation stretched on for a long time. Beneath the surface, something had begun to stir.
Upon returning to Agenka, Echinacea rested for an entire day.
Though she had grown accustomed to hardship and no longer fell ill as severely as before, she still thought it best to take a break. She pretended not to know the reason—even though it was because Yurien had pointed it out.
The moment she arrived, Alice informed her that several cadets, including Bread von Poum and others from the Noblesse Club, had withdrawn from the academy. Officially, it was due to family circumstances, but rumors swirled about whether their reasons were serious enough to warrant leaving the Agenka Military Academy.
Eki, in truth, had no interest in Bread, so she paid little attention to the gossip. She had far more pressing concerns. After a brief moment of puzzlement, she quickly forgot about them entirely.
Once rested, she threw herself into a flurry of activity. She visited the Great Temple to check on Shai's adjustment and promised to visit often. Then, she stopped by the knight headquarters to see Nicole, who was staying there, and requested a few books—ones she had referenced when researching the Nodes in her previous life, as well as those she hadn't been able to obtain back then. As the disciple of a Sage, Nicole would have no trouble acquiring them.
'Truthfully, I'd like to confide everything about the Nodes and discuss it with him.'
But it was difficult to mention that the backlash from Rakia-giosa might be related to Kairos Giosa—or that she had turned back time. In the end, she had no choice but to investigate alone.
Lastly, as a precaution, she sent a telegram to the Roaz County, requesting that they refrain from hiring new servants or bringing in outsiders for the time being. This was to guard against Wedge's potential infiltration. Nicole had left some preparations behind before departing, so it likely wouldn't be a major issue.