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Chapter 50 Part 5 – Alisa and Scarlet in the previous「108 times」. The Queen and the Maiden of Salvation. Malice is like a burning fire.

Alisa did not respond to my words after we had talked for a while. I could hear her peaceful breathing.

Her innocent sleeping face was like that of a little girl, which made me smile. If I had a younger sister, I might feel like this. Alisa and I are the same age and were born on the same day at the same time, so in this case, we would be twin sisters.

…… Twins with such a troublesome child …… Sorry, but I’d like to refuse that.

I chuckled.

I can’t even count how much trouble you’ve caused me. And yet you keep saying you love me like a fool, so I finally missed the chance to break it off with you. You stupid girl.

「…… Alisa, you idiot …… you’d better be able to take care of yourself when I’m gone. Otherwise, I’ll be so worried about you that I won’t be able to do the duties of the queen …… Do your best and be happy. I’ll be rooting for you. …… Goodbye, Alisa ……」

I bent over and gently kissed Alisa on the cheek in gratitude and blessing.
It seemed that I must have been tired.
As soon as Alisa fell asleep, I too was struck by sleepiness.

My head tilted back, and I sat back down on the sofa so that Alisa’s head would not fall off my lap.
I rested the back of my head on the top of the backrest to support the weight of my head. The posture was somewhat undignified, but the stability was excellent. It was okay because no one was watching anyway. Function is more important than appearance.

That reminds me. Now that I’m queen, I’d like to make a few improvements to the useless decorative parts of the royal palace …… Such as the living room with a chandelier, if the doors were to always remain in an open state, wouldn’t the room have enough light even without lighting the candles? And also ……

I began to think about various things, but I couldn’t resist the drowsiness and before I could gather my thoughts, my thoughts came to an end.

…… That’s why I didn’t notice.

That Alisa had woken up quietly, just like a shadow, some time after I fell asleep.

「…… Ahaha, Scarlet, I also enjoyed the childhood I spent with you. You were so dignified and brave. You could overcome any hardship when it was related to yourself. …… But what if it was an ordeal of sentencing『Alisa』, who you consider as a beloved sister, to death? The gentle you would probably suffer much more than if you were the one killed. Fufu, you must become the saddest and loneliest queen of all. I will help you. Then your life will come to an end after being betrayed by the citizens and receiving no recognition for your efforts.」

Alisa gracefully bent down and laid her lips on mine as I slept.

「…… This is my declaration of war to you. Now, let us open the second part of the tragedy. I, the〈Maiden of Salvation〉, and you, the〈Evil Queen〉. Light is darkness and darkness is light …… Fufu, I wonder how many people will realize the truth. Goodbye, Scarlet, the most lovable and detestable person in the world. See you next time in hell. Ahaha ……!!」

And then Alisa lifted her mouth into the shape of a crescent moon and left the room as quiet as a poisonous snake.

◇

The assailants were truly unlucky.

After confirming that the carriage of the members of the parliament was leaving the Duke’s residence, the black-clothed assailants were supposed to move quickly after them. However, a thick fog suddenly began to obstruct their vision. Even those with good night vision could not see the positions of their companions ten steps ahead of them. If this was in a deep mountain valley then it would still be understandable, but they were currently in the woods on the grounds of the Duke’s mansion. They looked at each other anxiously at this impossible, mysterious phenomenon.
All of them felt a chill, as if they had stepped into a forbidden area.
No, there was one person who was out of place and in high spirits.

「…… Scarlet will become the queen. Screw that, she’s just a lowly woman with nothing but diluted royal blood in her. Watch me. I will bless that woman with my noble blood …… Cry with joy and be thankful. That’s right, this is for her sake as well ……」

Their employer smiled despicably through gritted teeth. His obstinate eyes glaring with no regard at all for the other party’s circumstances. The situation was worse because he was not joking, but rather that he truly thought so. His face, full of pimples from neglecting his health, combined with his ugly heart, made him look just like a toad.

Although he called Scarlet a lowly woman, he was madly obsessed with her.
Every time he looked at her, he felt a lustful desire for her beauty.

Although he was one of the candidates for the throne, he was no match against Scarlet in terms of capability. He wanted to be on top of her, but he was always tormented from his inferiority complex toward her.

The only thing that made him feel superior to Scarlet was the fact that he had more Hydrangea royal blood.

Having no other merit than his bloodline, in addition to the fact that he was also stupid, he was spared from the fierce competition among the candidates for the throne. In short, he was treated as trash and not even considered an enemy. The other strong candidates for the throne, who had fought fiercely against Scarlet, thought of the royal bloodline as nothing more than a ticket to participate in the succession contest. They, including Scarlet, tried to make their way, not by bloodline, but by their own talent.

It was only natural. The authority of the Hydrangea royal family had long since fallen to the ground and lost most of its power. Only he, a pathetic man, would cling to his bloodline.

「…… Hey, you toad. A rider who participates in a race will try very hard not to be outdone by the other riders. If a rider doesn’t even try to make his horse run in a race, but instead gets arrogant at the start, then he is an irredeemable fool. You are that fool. The battle for the throne is a deadly competition. Look at us, you are just an incompetent fool whose only merit is your bloodline. Do you think you can fight against us? You should know your place. Now you’d better immediately renounce your succession right to the throne.」

Some of the candidates even spat harshly at him for his stubborn refusal to renounce his candidacy for the throne. His pride was shattered as he became the target of the candidates’ scorn.

Scarlet was the only one among the excellent candidates who smiled at him. She even defended him implicitly when he was being treated too badly.

If he had observed Scarlet carefully, he would have realized that she was always on the lookout for her many friends, including Alisa, but his narrow-mindedness got the better of him. He assumed that Scarlet was in love with him.

He pursued Scarlet, but it was in the middle of the battle for the throne and Scarlet was not very good at love, so she did not even notice that he was courting her. He resented her for playing with his heart, but he could not sever his attachment to Scarlet and eventually developed a terrible delusion.

When Scarlet is chosen as queen, he considered if he can reign as the prince consort by forcibly raping her and making her his own ……

Obsessed with a mad desire, he has been vigilantly watching for an opportunity, and has finally decided that tonight is the night to commit the crime. Once Scarlet moved her residence to the royal palace, he could no longer touch her. He wanted to rape Scarlet while she was at the Duke’s mansion after she was decided to be queen.

…… He heard rumors in social circles that Scarlet was still a virgin, as if his whole body were his ears, and he took them to heart. He thought shamelessly and conveniently that as long as he had her in his arms, she would not be able to oppose her first man.

His lust-clouded mind could not comprehend that Scarlet was such a strong-willed young lady that even though she was constantly targeted by the four princes of the four great kingdoms, she had managed to continuously fend off their attempts to rape her.

He scraped together his fortune and hired the most feared bandit chivalric order in the neighborhood.