96 – 96. Princesses
The princesses were confronting me.
I would have been more understanding if they were engaging in a confrontation over the title of Crown Princess.
Those two were powerful contenders for the throne.
Until now, Victoria had been the frontrunner, but now it was uncertain. Victoria had declared that she would obliterate her own political base.
The next plot development had truly become unclear.
But the reason those two were confronting each other was not because of the throne, but because of me. I was confused, but I decided to listen for now.
“You’re going to subjugate the Montvale family? Can my sister really do that?”
“Why do you think she can’t?”
“It’s like cutting off your own arms and legs, isn’t it? I’ve never behaved recklessly against my in-laws either.”
“Your in-laws avoid you because you’re a danger to them. And I’ve already prepared myself. I might get hurt, but it’s better than leaving it to you.”
So, Sienna had threatened to send the Montvale family. I had suspected that much.
What surprised me was the continuation of the conversation.
“You seem to be under some misunderstanding. Alan won’t go to your sister just because you do that. Do you think he’ll stand by her side out of pity?”
“Sienna, that’s inappropriate right now.”
“I doubt anyone ever asked Alan for his opinion. Looking at his expression now, it seems like he doesn’t understand a word you’re saying.”
“The chaos in the royal family doesn’t work that way. And it seems like you haven’t asked for Alan’s opinion either.”
Dispute. It couldn’t be dismissed as unheard.
Sienna, pressing Victoria with an impatient expression that didn’t suit her. Victoria, trying hard to appear calm, with a hint of effort evident. The two of them were not currently exchanging jokes.
“Victoria was considering marriage?”
This, in itself, was not surprising.
Victoria, the enemy’s daughter.
A noble without the intention of marrying and producing an heir could not become the emperor. If Victoria suddenly declared herself single, that alone could shift the position of the imperial princess to a competitor (no matter how much Sienna might be).
But she couldn’t casually let it pass upon hearing that the opponent was me.
“Victoria must have her reasons as well.”
My family is too hostile to produce a daughter.
Victoria might not even consider this a disadvantage.
The empire had become a nation where the concepts of territory and soldiers had become scarce. Power was concentrated in the emperor. More than 80% of the imperial territory was administered by bureaucrats dispatched from the center. There was no need to count the years through marriage.
Although my notorious reputation made it difficult to consider me as a candidate for marriage,
“Victoria probably doesn’t care about that either. Perhaps she thinks my reputation is tarnished because of her.”
Perhaps Victoria didn’t even realize that she had thought of marriage as a means of protecting Alan by keeping him by her side. Once she became a part of the imperial family, everyone would be cautious.
For the sake of our dispute, she even explained why she was willing to send away her relatives.
“I didn’t just think of proposing to Alan as a means of making him my husband. It did give me the courage, but…”
“Didn’t you think about the pressure Alan would feel when all my relatives were sent away and you proposed? That’s quite a thoughtful gesture.”
“Sienna, you, thinking about others’ feelings, is surprising.”
“…”
“You, more than anyone, tried to borrow my strength because you weren’t sure of Alan’s feelings. If I formally requested your engagement, Alan would have to accept it regardless of his own wishes. Even if he didn’t want to.”
Finally facing Victoria. Then, Sienna, pausing in thought.
A stillness pervaded the alchemy room.
And it was a very long and uncomfortable stillness.
I, too, could finally take a moment to untangle this complex situation with composure.
Now, two direct heirs of the royal family desired me as their partner. It wasn’t just a matter of being a mere candidate; they were preparing a solid middle layer to confine me. In the process, it seemed my opinions wouldn’t be considered.
“I expected Sienna to come out like this.”
I had prepared myself from the moment I summoned Sienna to avoid Anaïs.
If Sienna suddenly lost interest in me and left, well, that was uncertain. If that proved difficult, I was inclined to gradually tame things my way to ensure safety.
So, I granted her access to the workshop and taught her the basics of the solvent extraction process. Everything had been smooth so far.
But I hadn’t expected Victoria to be like this.
At this moment, Sienna slowly turned to me.
“Allen?”
She called my name softly, with a clenched fist.
One of Sienna’s eyelids trembled faintly, and her small hand was concealed within the clenched fist. The anger had surged to the tip of her head, but she probably couldn’t figure out what to say.
Even the mischievous Sienna hadn’t anticipated a situation like this.
Before I could respond to Sienna, Victoria stepped forward this time.
“Sorry, Allen. I didn’t mean to burden you like this.”
At least she offered an apology. It didn’t provide any comfort, though. The difficulties I was facing right now hadn’t diminished in the slightest.
Instead, Sienna began to taunt her sister again.
“If you knew it would be a sorry situation, you shouldn’t have come, sister.”
“I didn’t tell you.”
It begins again. In a situation where answers don’t come, one thing was certain.
If I just stand there foolishly, the situation only gets worse.
**
“Both of you, stop.”
Exhaling a short breath, I took a step forward.
Intentionally fixing my expression, I alternately looked at the two princesses.
Their reactions were different. Siena narrowed her eyes, and Victoria nodded with a determined expression. Both seemed to hold some conviction toward me. Maybe they were hoping I would take their side.
It would be foolish to indulge in petty conflicts and pass by.
This is not an academy, and these two are not academy students quarreling over one guy. If they start a serious fight, it would create chaos even up to the imperial regulations. People might start getting hit by stray bullets.
Can I escape unscathed once the disturbance spreads?
Not likely. The problem is not just those two.
The emperor is already restraining me.
If his patience reaches its limit, there is no law preventing him from using poison.
Rather than being monitored as a part of the imperial family, I might be considered an extremely dangerous resource to be eliminated. It would be unpleasant to see princesses, responsible for the future of the empire, suffering because of me.
‘I should take sides with one of them.’
From Noble mtl dot com
If it were before I knew Victoria’s intentions, I would have sided with Siena. Siena is unpredictable, and Victoria is relatively easy to anticipate. Above all, Victoria only sees me as a loyal subject.
But now the situation has changed.
Victoria declared the expulsion of the outsiders.
It might not be solely because of me, but once committed, the need for a competent aide to fill the vacancy of the expelled outsider would become urgent.
Taking sides is a handshake.
First, it was necessary to separate the growling princesses.
As soon as I made up my mind, I approached Victoria.
“Your Majesty Victoria. Did you just say that you will punish the Wolffall family?”
“Kyung won’t be burdened. I will handle everything.”
“I’m sorry, but it’s already a burden. And it’s a very heavy burden.”
Victoria looked at me in surprise. On the other hand, Siena faintly smiled.
“I can guess why Your Majesty made such a difficult decision. You must have seen the shadow of the Wolffall family after Siena’s ‘proposal’. You might think that the empire’s peace can only be guaranteed by settling this now.”
“That’s right. Thank you for understanding my heart.”
“But if you handle this punishment poorly, it will bring trouble to the empire.”
“……?”
“For almost 20 years, the Wolffall family, as Your Majesty’s relatives, has had a strong influence in the military thanks to the glory of being an external family. It will be difficult to calculate the benefits they received by dealing with the Wolffall family. Just leaking the Morphin won’t be enough to completely punish them.”
“Alan Kyung. I am already prepared.”
“Even without a valid reason, punishment is possible. …But 1st Princess, do you want to be a ruler who punishes dozens of officers with insufficient justification? And how would you… no, I will refrain from speaking about this.”
She deliberately pretended to be disturbed and mumbled her words.
People will say that if you choose me as your husband after the punishment, it will be a heavy burden for me, and they will say that you punished the external family because of the horoscope of a guy named Alan. Even without mentioning it, Victoria would know.
“But that doesn’t mean she will change her decision about the external family because of me. It’s not something Victoria’s personality would do.”
Still, Victoria’s face became increasingly pale, unable to hide her worries.
I looked at her and informed her dryly.
“I will give you some advice. I will help you meticulously and quickly deal with the Wolffall family.”
“Allan Kyeong…?”
Victoria’s face brightened again, and her cobalt-colored irises began to shine once more. I thought she had a blunt personality, but today she seemed quite unstable. It would be abnormal if I were calm after deciding to get rid of her, but it’s not for the sake of the royal family, it’s for my own well-being.
“Please refrain from taking any action until I give you separate instructions. It’s not for the sake of His Highness, but for my own safety.”
“I understand.”
Victoria left with a relieved expression. As she walked away, she looked back at me several times.
…
The only one left is Sienna, the owner of this palace.
Sienna was looking at me with a desolate expression. She must be wondering why I left room for helping Victoria. She probably expected to see a scene where I coldly reject Victoria in front of her.
“Allan, let’s talk for a moment…”
Before I could say that I wanted to talk, she interrupted me.
“Sienna, you haven’t done anything right. …When you corner someone, you should always show them a way out. Otherwise, accidents like today happen. Because of His Highness’ impulsive actions, I was exposed to danger.”
“Allan?”
“Thanks to that, I had to put in unnecessary effort.”
A heavy reproach. But it was a notice that I was not helping Victoria’s grandmother’s persecution.
“Sorry, Allan. I should have consulted with you beforehand.”
Sienna fell silent for the time being.
Of course, I knew that we couldn’t hold out like this for long.
I had to come up with a plan somehow.