Chapter 53: 53
Royal Palace, Royal Administrative Office
Brandish, as the queen and a member of the royal family, constantly monitored the internal and external affairs of Alain Kingdom.
This included the influence of officials on policy decisions, the reputations and power dynamics among nobles, and battles occurring in the border regions.
To lead the kingdom and maintain royal authority, it was essential to balance the interests of the royals, nobles, and commoners.
Strategic marriages of direct royal descendants were part of this balancing act, though personal desires sometimes played a role.
‘The family is not bad. The siblings are without fault, and they have never caused trouble with the royal family.’
Brandish had to use her children as pawns in political marriages, just as she had been used to maintain military and political power.
The first prince was already married, and now only the second prince and the third princess remained.
‘However… they already have partners, so there’s nothing I can do.’
While it was possible to break off an engagement, doing so would be difficult.
If she hurriedly broke off the engagement and married the third princess, she could smooth things over.
However, the other family involved was Grand Duke Adelaira, and Zion Laird had already made a name for himself.
Moreover, she had recognized their relationship, making it difficult to backtrack now.
‘If it’s Zion Laird, he can certainly become Setinos Quasar…’
Having a noble-born Setinos Quasar as an in-law would benefit both herself and the royal family.
It maintained the necessary justifications and reinforced royal authority through the Setinos Quasar.
Depending on the situation, she could elevate their titles to keep other dukes in check.
‘Was my judgment that poor?’
Brandish blamed herself but didn’t dwell on it.
Even as a queen, she couldn’t foresee all truths and futures.
She was just a human with the position and talents she was born with.
‘Yes, he said something like that.’
Brandish recalled Zion Laird’s words and set aside her regrets.
Zion had stood before her, the queen, and declared that they were both just humans.
Initially surprised, Brandish found Zion’s audacity and fearlessness intriguing.
Furthermore, Zion had mentioned his vows to his fiancée, making Brandish laugh.
‘Is it because he has no greed?’
Although he could have gained much more, he gave it all up for his fiancée.
After marrying, he would likely begin his activities in earnest.
No later than a year, they would be married, and by then, she could make other offers.
“…Captain of the Royal Knights.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
“Wouldn’t it be a good opportunity to overhaul the capital?”
Gloné understood the meaning and showed a tense expression.
It meant deploying the forces in the capital to eliminate the vile elements.
The Supreme Commander and his subordinate units would mobilize, possibly even involving some members of the Royal Knights.
“I dare suggest, the nobles might resist.”
“If we demand their private soldiers, they will back down. But…”
Brandish had already considered the other military options.
Setinos Quasar, independent knight orders, mercenary groups, and magic societies.
Though there were many constraints, she chose the easiest path.
“Duke Adelaira and Marquis Laird won’t remain idle.”
“If those two families act, other nobles won’t be able to interfere.”
“Let’s observe a bit longer. We’ll have an answer soon.”
* *
Duke Adelaira’s mansion, Hanette’s room.
Zion quietly entered the room but didn’t speak.
Hanette was about to say something but sensed the tense atmosphere and kept silent.
She had things to say, but he seemed to be pondering something important.
‘Why isn’t she leaving?’
Zion had been fixated on this thought.
By now, Hanette should have followed the protagonist to the border regions.
But she hadn’t left her room for days.
‘Is it because of the rebels? No. Is she afraid to run away? Not likely. She’s already met the protagonist…’
Through their conversations, Zion learned about the protagonist.
A young man named Seran Sylase had approached her, inviting her to join his knight order.
He called it the Sylase Knights and said he’d wait at the Baldwin Mission Request Office.
He was undoubtedly the protagonist, currently gathering companions.
‘Is it because of me? What did I do?’
Zion reflected on his actions.
He had thwarted an ambush during their trip and promised Hanette he would protect her as long as she stayed by his side.
He had lost his temper, telling her not to leave, and had protected her during the second attack, staying by her side.
‘…It seems I did do something.’
But he hadn’t intended anything specific.
He had just done what he needed to do and wanted to comfort Hanette.
Telling her not to leave was his own mistake.
“Hoo… Sister.”
“Go ahead, tell me. What’s been bothering you?”
“Why are you here?”
“What do you mean, why am I here?”
“You hated being cooped up in the mansion.”
“That’s true, but… I feel much better now.”
“Why do you feel better… Hoo… why?”
Zion struggled to control his emotions.
She must have been influenced by him, but it wasn’t enough to cause a major change, and she still diligently learned magic, so it didn’t seem like her goals had vanished.
“Weren’t you planning to follow that guy?”
“Guy? Who are you talking about?”
“The one who invited you to join his knight order.”
“Oh, that? I didn’t think much of it. Why would I join?”
“No, you should join… ha… this is driving me crazy.”
Zion held back his frustration.
He couldn’t reveal the secrets about him to Hanette.
She wouldn’t easily believe him, and it would only disappoint her.
Above all, his words and feelings toward her had been genuine, and he didn’t want to taint them with lies.
“Okay, then why do you want to stay here?”
“There’s no special reason. It’s my family’s mansion, so I’m staying.”
“Not that answer.”
“What answer do you want?”
“Hoo… What do you want right now?”
“Hmm… to be by your side?”
“Why do you want to stay by my side?”
“Because you told me not to leave.”
“I told you to forget that.”
“I already heard it. How can I forget?”
“You’re not joking, are you?”
“Joking? Do you think I’m you?”
“Haa…”
Zion sighed, looking at Hanette.
She glared at him with a displeased expression.
Continuing this conversation didn’t seem like it would change anything.
“I wanted you to live freely. How…”
“Hey, you seem to be mistaken. I already feel free. Why are you acting like this? Are you hurt?”
“Am I hurt? My heart is breaking.”
“You’re saying nonsense, so you seem fine. Or are you just whining?”
“Does this look like whining?”
“If not, you must be out of your mind. If you have complaints, speak up. I’ll listen.”
Hanette answered calmly, sipping her tea.
She couldn’t understand what Zion was saying.
It seemed he was hiding something, but since it was only a guess, she let it go.
“You hate me, right? You said I show off, talk too much, and do useless things!”
“And I’ve been putting up with it well, haven’t I? As the older one, I should support you, right?”
“You said you wanted to break the engagement because you didn’t want to marry me?”
“Then will you do it? I’m too scared.”
“If I break the engagement, what will change?”
“Hmm, what will change? I don’t know.”
Hanette had already decided to stay by Zion’s side.
She had no intention of accepting a broken engagement, and Robbenz and Yenid would strongly oppose it.
Moreover, she knew Zion’s words weren’t sincere.
“Hoo… One more question. Do you want anything from me?”
“No.”
“…You must want something. There must be a reason you want to stay by my side.”
“You swore by your life for me, didn’t you? You didn’t forget what you said in front of the king, did you?”
“That…”
“And you said you’d protect me as long as I didn’t leave.”
“……”
Zion fell silent, giving up his resistance.
He couldn’t deny or even make excuses for her words.
Many factors must have led Hanette to make such an extreme choice.
‘Things were already getting twisted.’
With the protagonist’s appearance, it was just the beginning.
If Hanette had been targeted by the rebels before the story started, it would have been mentioned or brought up in conversations.
But there was no such content, and it wasn’t revealed until later in the story that Hanette was a target for assassination.
‘Even though the story hasn’t started, too many things are odd.’
The first ambush might have been coincidental, happening during their trip.
But from the second one, it seemed too contrived and intentional.
There was no reason for the rebels to expose their presence in the capital and target Hanette.
‘If something changed regarding Hanette…’
Zion thought of a hypothesis but dismissed it.
Hanette was the heroine of this world, meant to be with the protagonist until the end.
There was no way such a disaster would occur before the story even began.
‘Actually, this might be good. I should clean up the capital in advance.’
The soldiers of Duke Adelaira and Marquis Laird were already moving.
Rumors were spreading that the city guard captain and the police captain had mobilized, and even the royal knights might get involved.
‘For Hanette’s sake… I need to end this quickly.’
* *
Duke Adelaira’s mansion, office.
After leaving the room, Zion went straight to the office.
Robbenz was busy with many tasks but gladly made time for him.
Zion probably had a request related to Hanette or something else to discuss.
“What brings you here?”
“I have a favor to ask.”
“If it’s your request, I’ll listen. What do you need?”
“Please give me a chance to take revenge.”
The office fell into a sudden silence.
No one spoke, and Robbenz looked concerned.
Eventually, Robbenz averted his gaze and broke the silence.
“What do you want me to do?”
“I want to personally punish those bastards. For my sister’s sake, I want to step up. Can you grant me that?”