Power Struggle Within the Royal Palace – Part 05
“Are you serious? You’re going to continue Roland’s research?” Hikaru asked.
Kujastria nodded. “Since you’re acquainted with Roland, would you be willing to assist me?”
“…”
An unexpected turn of events. Hikaru’s main purpose was to gather information about Lavia’s wanted status, and talking to Kujastria was merely an afterthought. He hadn’t planned on staying in this room for so long.
“That’s an interesting proposition,” Hikaru muttered.
Kujastria’s face lit up. “To tell you the truth, I planned to continue his research once I lost my right to the throne. But a lot of the materials are difficult to obtain—”
“Whoa, whoa, whoa. Hold your horses. I didn’t agree to anything.”
“R-Right. How embarrassing. I see a bit of Roland in you, so I couldn’t help myself. But still, even without your assistance, it’s comforting to know that there is someone who understands. You seem to have grasped the contents of the spell just by looking at the words written on that paper.”
“A suspicious person like me?”
“That again?” Kujastria giggled.
Hikaru felt his tension ease. Then, he noticed something about her.
She’s not fixated on Roland… She wants to study sorcery for herself.
In their brief conversation, Hikaru gleaned that Kujastoria had been suppressing herself all this time. She used her wish to study sorcery once she was safe as a source of solace, an attestation to how mentally challenging her situation was.
“Who are you?! Stay away from the princess!”
The door burst open—kicked down—and a familiar face, Commander Lawrence D. Falcon, barged in.
Hikaru didn’t notice Lawrence coming. The sight of Kujastria’s paper and the relief he felt caused his Mana Detection to deactivate momentarily—only for a minute or two—and during that time, Lawrence swiftly rushed in with the speed of a bullet.
His 6 points on Instinct!
Hikaru remembered how Lawrence had a rare 6 points on his Soul Board’s Instinct stat, allowing him to sense Hikaru even when he was using Stealth. He must have noticed the presence of someone in the princess’s private chamber.
“It’s you!”
Lawrence realized that the person facing the princess was Silver Face. Because they were indoors, Lawrence unsheathed his short sword, around sixty centimeters in length. His hostility was palpable.
“Commander, please stop,” Kujastria said. “He’s the boy who defeated you, isn’t he? If he wanted to, he could have killed me already.”
“Move away from him, Princess.”
“Commander.”
“…”
Despite Kujastoria’s plea, Lawrence did not lower his sword.
This is bad… Of course, I already considered this possibility.
Hikaru took a step closer to Kujastria. “Excuse me.”
“Huh?”
He drew his Dagger of Strength from its sheath and pressed it against Kujastria’s throat.
“Drop the sword, or she gets it,” Hikaru said in a perfectly monotone voice.
“Are you mocking us?”
“If I don’t do this, you’ll make a move. Can you just, like, wait there a bit?”
“Wait?”
A minute later.
“L-Lawrence. Climbing up to the fifth floor without stopping is quite exhausting. What’s happening here?” Grugschilt entered the room, panting heavily.
“It’s best to keep the attendants away,” the masked intruder said. “I have a quick temper, you see.”
“I thought you were a burglar or something, but your tone is unusual. What is going on, Princess? Knights and royal guards will be here soon.”
“Ah… O-Of course,” Kujastria said. “Please make sure no one comes near.”
“Understood. Lawrence, you keep them away.”
“But Sir!”
“I don’t think you realize how worked up you are.”
That settled it. With a startled face, Lawrence sheathed his sword and left the room, shooting a final glare at Hikaru.
“So… Going by the silver mask, I take it you’re the one who defeated Lawrence?” the Margrave said.
“I had some help.”
“Is that so? That’s news to me. Just so you know, trespassing into the princess’s room is a crime punishable by death.”
“I was just accepting her offer. I’m leaving.” Hikaru handed back the paper to Kujastria.
“You can keep it,” she said.
“…Okay.”
Hikaru folded the paper and tucked it into his pocket.
“Wait, Silver Face. If you leave now, I will label you an insurgent and notify the whole kingdom. But if you stay for a while, I might reconsider.”
“You gonna put me on the wanted list? A masked man in a hooded cloak? Good one.”
“Hold on now. I know it’s ridiculous, but you would agree it’s troublesome, no? Besides, it might be in your best interest to stay and hear me out.”
“…What do you mean?”
“Princess Kujastria, could you steel yourself for a short period of time?”
Grugschilt’s eyes glinted fiercely. It wasn’t a matter she could easily refuse.
After stopping the incoming knights, the commander returned. Grugschilt instructed him to keep people away from the door, then made a formal announcement.
“I want you to ascend to the throne.”
“Margrave, like I said—”
“It will only be temporary. Hmm… About six months to a year. We will support you throughout, and I promise you your freedom after abdication.”
“Freedom…”
Hikaru could easily tell that the word resonated deeply with Kujastria. She desired freedom so desperately that she would do anything to attain it. Even if Austrin ascended to the throne, it would take several more years for Kujastria to gain freedom. This was because Kujastria would retain the first right of succession until Austrin had a child.
But freedom after only a year?
“The throne can only be handed to those who have the right to succession. Currently His Majesty can only give it to either Prince Austrin or you, Princess Kujastria. However, the law includes provisions for exceptions.”
Kujastria’s breath caught. “The ducal houses?”
“You’re well-versed in the law, too. I expected nothing less. The law specifically states that if all the existing ducal houses agree, even distant blood relatives can have the throne. However, in that case, marriage into the royal family is required.”
Hikaru pondered over the matter. He wondered why they were so fixated on the royal blood, and apparently the laws of succession were very complex. From nobles to privileged classes, all positions were inherited through blood relations. The royal family, the epitome of the system, had even greater restrictions.
A ducal house consisted of individuals who had royal blood but belonged to a separate House entirely. Hence, they bore surnames that began with “G,” just like the royal family.
“There are currently three ducal houses, and they are known as the Three Grand Dukes. The head of House Jackrune and I have known each other for a long time. He should cooperate with a little persuasion. The head of House Golbishop is an opportunist. Therefore, they will undoubtedly give their approval if the remaining two Houses are in agreement. Some compensation may need to be arranged, though.”
“B-But Margrave…” Kujastria stammered.
“The last one is House Nightblaze. They have a 17-year-old son who will be the next head, and I believe he would make a suitable temporary prince consort for you.”
“You mean Sir Galeicrada. But isn’t he ill?”
“He is. I’ve heard that House Nightblaze’s head is unable to focus on his duties because he’s worried about his son’s health. However, this presents an opportunity as well. If you marry Lord Galeicrada, thus making him part of the royal family, a significant budget can be allocated for his treatment.”
“That’s… That’s true. But we will be taking advantage of their weakness.”
“No, Princess. From House Nightblaze’s perspective, they can allocate the nation’s resources for the treatment. Once he recovers, you can abdicate the throne. It’s a mutually beneficial arrangement, wouldn’t you say?”
“But…”
Kujastria seemed troubled, but her hesitation indicated that she considered the proposal as a viable option.
She feels uncomfortable using a family and taking advantage of someone’s illness. It obviously benefits the Duke, and this level of political maneuvering should be common among nobles, but she’s so upright. Wait… upright?
Realization dawned on Hikaru. “Are you the Masked Princess?”
Kujastria gave a start and turned sharply towards Hikaru. The tip of his dagger almost grazed her.
“You must be—”
“No. He only told me about you,” Hikaru quickly said, concealing the dagger.
The late Roland had memories about a girl he met at a masquerade ball and exchanged letters with afterwards.
In their letters, Roland passionately discussed his research, though the content was a bit too academic for correspondence between a young boy and a girl. They never revealed their true names and referred to each other as the “Masked Boy” and “Masked Princess.” Since the correspondence was primarily handled by the Masked Princess’s attendant, Kujastria knew Roland’s true identity, but not the other way around.
What Hikaru gleaned from the letters was that Kujastria was extremely upright and had a strong aversion to causing trouble for others.
“What are you two talking about?” Grugschilt asked curiously.
“…”
Even the Knight Commander was watching them from the doorway.
“Um… Anyway, I’ll look into this,” Hikaru said.
“Look into what?” Kujastria asked.
“Galeicrada G. Nightblaze’s condition. I have some idea about his illness. If Galeicrada is healthy, then you won’t feel bad. Am I right?”
“Y-Yes, but…”
“Hold on a moment. Silver Face, why are you getting involved?” Grugschilt asked.
Hikaru had already seen through the old man’s intentions. For the Margrave, it didn’t matter if this Galeicrada person recovered or not. What mattered was preventing Austrin from ascending the throne. To ensure that this upright and wise princess took the crown.
Why did he make Silver Face stay?
The Margrave saw that for some reason, Kujastria trusted Silver Face. As long as he was present, she would consider all of Grugschilt’s proposals, Hikaru deduced. But he didn’t want Silver Face to be further involved. The presence of an outsider would introduce uncertainties to Grugschilt’s plan.
I won’t let everything go according to your plan.
Hikaru had already gotten deeply involved in this matter.
“Because in this room, I’m the one who cares the most about her.”
“What?”
“You don’t really care whether Galeicrada gets better or not.”
“That’s not true.”
Even when Hikaru hit the nail on the head, Grugschilt was crafty enough to give an immediate response.
But that was fine. Kujastria, wise as she was, would realize Grugschilt’s true intentions in due time.
“A deceased friend asked me to take care of this upright girl.”
If Roland were alive, he would have asked for his help.
Thus, Hikaru decided to help her obtain freedom.
NEXT CHAPTER
RELEASE RATE
Rule Breaker (Light Novel)
Speed up schedule by 10 hours
Current schedule: Every 70 hours
… this feel weird for some reason, i can’t explain exacly what but… like: “what thf is happening?”