When it was announced that the first child of Princess Giselotte Orteas was stillborn, the Kingdom of Orteas was filled with sorrow.

　However, a new prince was born the following year. And although he is not as good as his mother, he is a man of good qualities. She overcame her sorrow and lived up to expectations, and became more and more popular.



　In contrast, the authority of King Zirk Orteas has been on the decline.

　He has not made any notable failures. But no remarkable achievements either.

　Because Gieselotte had been lifted up, the people despised the king in comparison.



　The king, who is facing all odds, clings to only one ray of light.



　Ten years have passed since Prince Reinhard was abandoned in the woods.



　



"You wanted to see me, Your Majesty?"



　A beautiful blonde-haired, blue-eyed girl visited the king's private chamber.

　She was twelve years old and had an air of innocence befitting her age, but at the same time she exuded an air of maturity and bewitching charm.



"Oh, Marianne. You've made it. Come here. Come on, come closer."



Excuse me.



　She bows and steps out with refined, gentle movements.



"Don't be so afraid. This is my room. And you and I are on the same side.



　With the corners of his eyes slackly lowered, Zirk has aged considerably over the past decade.



　The girl, Marianne, stood within arm's reach of him, smiled and brushed her blonde hair back behind her ear.



　On the back of her left hand was the royal crest.

　She is the daughter of the former queen. She is the half-sister of Harte.



"So, father, what is this you call me here at this hour of the night to talk about?"



　Marianne, sitting next to the king on the long sofa, asked.



"Yes. It's about the next provincial tour.



"It's my first official visit. Don't worry, I will fulfill my duties well.



"Well, you know. Lias told me to take you with me.



"Raius?　But the boy is only nine years old. It would be a disaster if he gets sick on a long journey. After all..."



　At Marianne's next words, Zirk stood up, his face flushed.



　--He is the next king.



"I will not let him be king!"



　Marianne recoiled at the sound of his angry voice.



"The next king will be you, Marianne. It will never be Lias.



"I am ...... a woman. There is no precedent for a queen in the kingdom.



Then you shall give birth to a son, and he shall be the next king. This is my decision.



"Why do you hate Lias so much?　He may be a little selfish, but he is much better than I am.



　Marianne is not much lower. Moreover, at the age of twelve, her magic level is generally in the mid-single digits, and she was a gem of a girl who was close to fifteen.

　However, Prince Lias, who has the blood of a princess of flashlight, is even more gifted than Marianne, and his level is rising rapidly.



"Anyway. Be careful what he says and does. He may be up to something.



　Zilk reaches into his pocket and pulls out a dagger.



"Take this. It contains the spirit of wind, your main attribute. It is also equipped with a function to detect danger and deploy defensive magic.



　The dagger that was pressed against him was distorted in shape. The blade was short and thick, with a large curved edge. It is difficult to use it for cutting or stabbing.



"Thank you for your kindness. But--"



"Don't say it. These guards are all under my command. I'll give them a heads-up. But Lias's guards are under Queen Giselotte's thumb. Do not allow your hearts to be in it."



　Oh, yeah. Marianne's shoulders slump.



(Does your father hate your mother-in-law, not Lias? ......)



　Marianne recalled her grandmother's fears about her mother, Queen Mother Dowager, who had been the mother of the previous king.

　People whispered that the king was jealous of the queen's popularity and believed that she would take over the royal family.



　For Marianne, the queen is the object of admiration.

　Although she is not related to the queen by blood, she has no memory of the queen's coldness toward her. Rather, she taught me and trained me well in the art of sword and magic.



　If the queen wanted to kill Marianne, she would have done it long ago.



　The king no longer had anyone to rely on but his beloved daughter.

　To thwart Giselotte's plot he will raise Marianne as a rival to Laius.



　But this secret talk seems to have had the opposite effect.



（The quarrel among themselves will lead to a civil war. For the sake of the country and the people, I must mediate between the two of you.)



　With the dagger in her hand, Marianne decides to make friends with her brother Lias on this journey.



　





　The next day at the palace.



　A knight, a member of the king's entourage, visited Giselotte. He is the captain of Marianne's bodyguards on a tour of the countryside. Naturally, the visit is made in secret.



"Yes. As usual, Your Majesty, you're a very smart man."



　Rolling over on the big sofa in her nightgown, Gieselotte giggles.



"It's good that you are aware of the danger, but it's useless to point it in the wrong direction, or you won't be able to respond to a frontal attack. This is why men with little experience in warfare ......"



"Our words no longer reach the ears of the king. He has turned his attention only to His Highness, and has neglected the affairs of state."



"I'm sure. That's why I have a knight like you, who reports directly to the king, serving me."






"Of course, that's not all. I am convinced that you are the right person to lead the kingdom. I think that is the greater reason.



　The knight lifted the edge of his mouth in a grin.



　They may talk about the good of the kingdom, but for them it is more important to get on the winning horse in the future.

　The knight, who is supposed to be loyal, betrays his lord with his calculations.

　It has been more than ten years since the Demon King was defeated, and the country's center has become corrupt due to the long period of peace.



The prince is the first in line to the throne. Even if Her Highness Princess Marianne grows to the maximum magic level from now on, it will not be shaken. The kingdom of the next generation belongs to you, my queen."



Yes, of course. Killing that little girl won't do you any good now. It's better to--"



　Gieselotte got up slowly and picked up her wineglass. She takes a sip of the red liquid. Her eyes change to a sharp look, as they would have on the battlefield. The Princess Flash reveals her murderous intent.



"It is Charlotte Semphis who is in my way, born of royal blood and with more qualities than I! That d*mned girl must be eliminated as soon as possible.



　The knight gulps and spits, feeling fear in his back.



"No, it won't interfere with our plan. However, I am assuming that the princess's consciousness will be strongly focused on Raius, so we need to be a little more careful.



"Hmm. I wonder if Your Majesty's < might be an unexpected obstacle?　Oh, yes."



　Gieselotte's girlish smile blossomed for a change.



"How about we blame Marianne?"



　The plan was for Lias, who was close to Charlotte in age, to lure her there and make it look like an accidental death. Lias is also in danger, but I have given strict orders to be cautious and protect him only.



　If he cares about Lias, Marianne will follow him anyway. Then we can take advantage of that and blame her for Charlotte's accidental death.



　If it works out well, we can put the king on bad terms with Lord Semphis, the most powerful member of the king's faction.

　The king will lose his stronghold and give up everything.



　There is still time to leave. We must gather the brains and rework the plan in detail.



　The knight asked Giselotte, who was very excited, in a fearful tone.



By the way, Sir Semphis has another child, a boy. What are your plans for him?



Oh, yes, there was. But you're talking about scum with a maximum magic level of 2.　He's also adopted, so there's no problem to leave him there. And if you die while you're at it, that's fine, too.



　Magic level 2.

　A word that reminds Gieselotte of her black history. Naturally, her brow furrows.



（But it's rare to see two such extreme jerks in the same time period. ......?)



　The same prince who once abandoned us in the woods. Knowing this, it is understandable that Lord Semphis went to the trouble of adopting a commoner orphan. He is a man who is easily moved by emotion despite his face.



（Well, thinking about scum only makes me feel worse.)



　I don't know about her, but I stopped thinking about it after all.



　He is the son she once abandoned, and the biggest obstacle of her life.