Chapter 12: The Cruel Truth

Chapter 12:
The Cruel Truth

 

“IT BEGAN WITH the archduke’s rebellion. You know by now that when a person is on the defensive, it puts them at a serious disadvantage, yes?”

“Yes. Considering our objective during this battle was to defend the capital, we had it rough,” I said.

Queen Mylene nodded. “The archduke caused great suffering for the royal family. We feared another noble might follow his example. As a regional lord yourself, I am sure you must have realized it as well. Anyone above a baron rank can rapidly amass military power.”

“By increasing the number of airships at their disposal, right? I heard that years ago they used to accumulate power by conquering neighboring houses.”

Airships gave attacking combatants a clear advantage in this world. And Suspension Stones made it shockingly

cheap and efficient to create and maintain airships. So, with their cheap airships, regional lords could gather power and duke it out with each other for more land—always on the offensive, never having to defend. Even a baron could be a threat to the kingdom if they were resourceful enough.

Queen Mylene confirmed that was how things had once been. “Some regional lords holed themselves up in their own regions, but many grew bold and launched attacks on the capital itself.”

Those stupid enough to try had been defeated, but as the defender was always at a disadvantage, the kingdom had also suffered significant losses.

“The kingdom established the academy as a way to demonstrate its power outside of battle. We could discourage regional lords from ever opposing us by showing the difference in our strength.”

Luxion had mentioned something along those lines once. But what did that have to do with the truth underlying the world? If I remembered right, Luxion had said something about the kingdom pushing the burden off onto men.

“And,” continued the queen, “the kingdom designed an additional strategy. In order to further chip away at the power of the regional lords, they strove to instill a new value system.”

“Uh, what kind of value system?”

“Do you understand why women are treated immensely better than men in this country?”

“I don’t—”

“Because of all the war, men were in short supply,” she said. “It isn’t as noticeable at the academy, but after graduation, the imbalance becomes dramatically more apparent. In fact, women can’t get married at all.”

In that case, why did women have more power when it came to marriage? Normally, simple supply and demand would put men in the position to pick and choose. Wait a minute. Was this male population shortage the reason Zola tried to marry me off before I entered the academy?

The pieces were falling into place.

“We arranged things so nobles who attended the academy would develop the same set of values. Cruel as it was, we enforced the tradition of absurd favoritism toward women in the kingdom.”

Hold on just a second. You’re telling me the kingdom did this on purpose?!

“W-wait, stop for a moment. What’s the point of doing that? I mean, come on! By undermining the nobles like that, they wouldn’t be able to perform as assets when you actually needed them!”

That was exactly the issue we’d just run into trying to fend off the principality. Some of the boys in my position had even tried to switch sides.

“Please, be calm,” said the queen. “Our predecessors admittedly failed to predict those complications. They only hoped that with shared values and a sense of camaraderie, the regional lords would lose a bit of the seditious impulses they previously fostered. However, the effects of their policies far exceeded their expectations. Women grew…arrogant.”

Displaying the kingdom’s strength via the academy had drastically reduced the number of idiots trying to revolt. But the balance of power had shifted more dramatically than the kingdom anticipated. Now the favoritism system had warped the entire system of marriage.

“And no one stopped to think, ‘Hey, maybe we should fine-tune this a bit’?” I asked.

“They didn’t think it necessary at the time. In fact, if I had been alive back then, I probably would have missed the unintended consequences as well. The political outcomes were too convenient for the kingdom to think that deeply about it. The regional nobles were drained, financially and mentally, and wealth was concentrated in the capital. Revolts all but vanished.” The queen’s tone was flat. “Also, the kingdom had one other objective for establishing a center for education.”

Wait, I know I tuned Luxion out when he was talking about it, but I think he brought this up before, too.

“By establishing the academy, we devised a means for the common people to receive an education alongside the nobility. You understand what that means, don’t you?”

I averted my gaze.

She smiled. “In a few more centuries, this world will no longer need the nobility.”

Crap. I did not want to hear all of this. If I wasn’t careful now, they might decide to get rid of me so I wouldn’t leak the truth.

“When the academy was first established, our predecessors thought to revolutionize our political structure over the course of several centuries. Well, I’m sure they felt it was the only way forward.”

In other words, since the royal family had grown tired of dealing with the nobility, they figured they might as well overhaul the entire political structure of the country.

What the hell? Weren’t they thinking way too far ahead?

“It was a dark time. Like the archduke’s family, other nobles were filled with greed and ambition. You have dealt with your peers, I’m sure you must understand, Viscount Bartfort.”

There were some good nobles, sure, but there were far more scumbags that made you shake your head in disgust. In fact, most seemed to want to accumulate power so they could climb the social ladder—unlike me.

“We tried to correct the heirs’ way of thinking while at the academy. The aristocracy could have continued if nobles behaved themselves. Alas, the royal family failed to predict the outcome of their design.”

Once again, that favoritism scheme had screwed it all up.

“The girls of noble families of earl rank and below ran amok, letting power go to their heads. The situation has devolved far beyond our expectations.”

Which leads us to how things are at present… “Yeah, that is pretty brutal.”

“Indeed,” she agreed. “However, it also means regional nobles’ fortunes are concentrated here in the capital. These women who want to live in luxury in the city continue to play a convenient role for the royal family. And that is what created such a burden on men in this kingdom.”

Okay, so if I had this straight—the kingdom didn’t trust the nobles, so it designed a future where aristocrats were obsolete, and they let the noble girls run wild at school because, hey, they’d be thrown out soon enough when the revolution came.

Ha, was that why the highest-class girls were forbidden from owning slaves? Did their families suspect—or even know—about the change that was coming? After all, if they kept their daughters in check, they were in a better position to assume political roles in the new government to come.

In any case, I could see why the royal family had thought they’d always be able to rein the situation back under their control, given their secret psychic attack ship.

I’d never dreamed the academy’s messiness was the result of intentional political maneuvering. I’d have to tell Luxion about all this later and ask him to explain the finer points to me.

Also…

“Is that the reason you had Livia enroll at the academy?” I asked.

“We thought it was time to move to the next step of our long-term plan. The nobles needed to feel threatened. We intended to start with Olivia and gradually increase the number of common folk enrolled every year. Every move we make is with an eye to the future a hundred, or even two hundred years from now.”

Hadn’t I learned about this in Japan? The next step after feudalism was centralized authoritarian rule—in other words, an absolute monarch, right?

“You mean centralization.”

“Oh, yes. That’s a good, frank way of capturing what the royal family is aiming for.”

She was complimenting me, but I wasn’t the least bit happy about it. The royal family planned to take everything from regional lords like me and give the nobles’ jobs away to the common people.

“Sadly, things aren’t going quite the way we’d planned.” Queen Mylene gave a self-deprecating smile.

Stop. Don’t put me on the spot like this. Were they getting rid of me after telling me all this top secret information? If the noblemen learned of this, they’d snap and go berserk. I knew blaming the current royal family wouldn’t do any good since this had been decided long ago, but what a mess!

“Heroes like you really are of a different caliber,” the queen was saying. “I was completely dumbstruck when I first heard all of this, but you’re quite calm, Leon. I thought you might curse at me. I couldn’t have blamed you if you did.”

I was only silent because I was inwardly panicking, but apparently that had given her the wrong impression.

“I have one more thing to speak to you about. Not as the queen but as Mylene.” She stood from her chair and knelt on the floor, bowing her head as she prostrated herself before me.

Wait, what? She’s kowtowing?! I didn’t think they did that here in this world? Maybe she’s just mimicking the way I apologized during the school festival?

“H-hold on a minute! Stop right there, please. What’s this about, all of a sudden?”

“Viscount Bartfort, I realize it’s impertinent of me to ask this of you, but please, I beg of you… Won’t you save Julius for me? As his mother, I implore you.”

What’s that idiot done this time?!

 

***

 

There were six of them in the dungeons—Marie, Julius, Jilk, Brad, Chris, and Greg—waiting silently for their punishments to be handed down.

“I’m sorry, everyone,” sobbed Marie.

“Don’t even worry about it,” Julius reassured her. “This was the only thing I could do to help you.”

Jilk’s expression was tinged with sadness. “It’s unfortunate you couldn’t join us on the battlefield, Your Highness, but at least a man calling himself the ‘Masked Knight’ helped us out.”

“Yeah, although he just up and disappeared on us after the battle was over,” Brad grumbled bitterly. “He was pretty skilled, though.”

Greg sat cross-legged, a hand on his chin. “I wouldn’t say he was as good as Julius, but he was pretty capable.”

Chris nodded. “I’ve never seen the Armor he used before, but his sword technique wasn’t bad. I never did figure out who he was in the end. Bartfort seemed to know something about him.”

Julius smiled quietly. “Really? I wish I could have met him then.”

“That’s completely unnecessary,” said Jilk. “The man came out of nowhere and took immediate command. If we do meet him again, we need to find out his true identity.”

Marie watched their exchange, utterly exasperated. Surely you guys can’t be serious? “Guys, that masked knight was Juli—”

Footsteps echoed as someone approached, cutting her off. The knights guarding them saluted, and the man who entered motioned for them to leave. A woman with black hair followed him into the dungeon.

“Ah!” Marie’s eyes lit up when she recognized the man—Leon! Princess Hertrude—no, that wasn’t her title anymore—Lady Hertrude lingered a few steps behind him.

“You’re all complete morons. I’m seriously pissed at you guys,” Leon groused.

Marie clung to the bars of their cell. “I really did try my best, I swear! Please save me!”

Leon massaged his temples as if dealing with a migraine. “Do you guys understand what they’re charging you with?”

Julius looked Leon straight in the face. “We have nothing to be ashamed of.”

“Well, you sure should be! We barely finish signing a treaty with the daughter of Fanoss House and our prince suddenly launches a surprise attack on her? How ridiculous is that?! You’ve brought shame on the entire palace!”

Hertrude sighed, eyes glued to the floor. “You did it for me, didn’t you?”

“That was part of it,” Julius admitted. “That treaty was unreasonably cruel. The way things were going, I would have had to marry into your house. Besides, Marie requested that I intervene.” She had wanted to do something to help out the former principality’s territory.

“Ah, so that’s the real reason.”

The palace wanted to keep the newly minted Fanoss dukedom under their thumb by sending them Julius. If they forced Hertrude to marry him, it might soften her people’s animosity toward the kingdom, making them easier to control. Julius had launched a staged attack to prevent this from happening. It had been a complete embarrassment for the palace, and they’d had to make concessions in their treaty as a result. That included, of course, ending all talk of Julius marrying into Hertrude’s house.

Although I would have been fine with them marrying, Marie thought to herself.

Leon turned his gaze to the other four. “And do the rest of you understand what you did wrong?”

Greg wiped a finger under his nose, trying to keep a cool facade. “We did it to protect Marie. There’s nothin’ for me to regret.”

“You should feel regret! Did you seriously drive out the temple officials who came to fetch her? Are you an idiot? Come on, be honest with me. You’re all morons, aren’t you?!”

Chris held his head up proudly. “It was legitimate self-defense.”

“You went too far,” Leon insisted. “Now the temple is protesting to the crown about your actions! I had everything planned out, and you screwed it all up!”

The temple officials who’d come to Marie after the battle had only been meant to retrieve the three holy items she held. However, some among them had deemed her a liability; they’d brought poisoned alcohol and tried to force her to drink it. Four of her boys had stopped them, however, and driven all the temple officials out of the palace, even the ones who hadn’t been involved with the poison. That in itself was a problem, but Marie doubted even Leon could fault the boys for that.

“Look, those items identified Marie as the Saint,” said Leon. “Whether she calls herself a fake or not, there’s no mistake that she is the Saint. You with me so far?”

Marie blushed. “What, really? Aww, I guess I really am the Saint then.”

“Yeah, and the Saint’s lovers just drove a bunch of priests out of the palace—that’s the real problem here! You didn’t ask any questions, you just chased them all away. Now the temple’s getting riled up and insisting they won’t recognize Marie as the Saint anymore.”

Hertrude opened her mouth as if she wanted to say something but ended up just closing it again.

“Do you even realize how many strings I was pulling in the background trying to make this all work?” Leon went on. “Answer me. Why did you have to ruin all of my efforts?”

Brad leaped to his feet. “Are you telling us we should have just let them kill Marie?! None of us could accept that!”

“Okay, what you did there was justified. Those losers did try to poison her. Even I think they were total fools. But that doesn’t mean you should have driven them out and caused a fuss! You went at them with your fists swinging—that makes you all idiots.”

Marie interjected, “Hold on! The temple tried to execute me. They were only preventing that from happening.”

“But then they got their Armors and went on a rampage! That’s not prevention, that’s just violence! After the temple’s little poisoning stunt, I had things all lined up to work out perfectly, and you all ruined it!”

To hear Leon tell it, the palace officials considered the six of them serious eyesores.

“You have it rough,” Hertrude said to Leon. “Care to stay with me? I can still promise you favorable treatment. I’m happy to prepare a place for you in my territory.”

“Not interested.” Leon immediately stepped closer to Marie.

Hertrude’s forehead wrinkled with disappointment. She mustered a sad smile. “I was being genuine this time, but you turned me down again.”

“You know what they’re calling you?” Leon asked Marie. “A fearsome witch—for enticing five former heirs.”

“Aww, they really said that?” Marie fidgeted, cheeks going red.

“Because of all of you, the palace is flooded with appeals! Your houses are absolutely livid,” Leon berated the boys, “the palace officials refuse to forgive what you’ve done, and the temple is so furious that they’re demanding you all be executed!”

Marie latched on to Leon’s ankle. “Please save us!”

“I tried to save you! But again, I reiterate, you all ruined everything!” Leon spat. “You have a grudge against me, don’t you? How did you guys even get yourselves into this mess? I’m at a total loss here—as is everyone else!” He looked like he was on the verge of tears.

“We were just trying to do what we could to stop it!” Marie protested. “And it just got kind of messed up along the way.”

“This is a disaster! Think before you act!”

Tears poured down her cheeks. “Does that mean we’re all going to die?”

Leon opened his mouth but then seemed to swallow whatever he was going to say next. He turned his back to them. “I asked Queen Mylene for her help. I’ll do everything I can, but don’t get your hopes up.”

Marie smiled. This was the big brother she knew from her previous life. Once Leon got involved, things always worked out. Thank you, Bubby!

 

***

 

I made my way to the king to see about resolving the incident with Marie and her love interests. Seated with His Majesty were Mr. Vince and Minister Bernard. They all wore disapproving looks when they heard my plea.

“It seems you don’t understand the gravity of your request.” The king’s voice was cold—come on, it was his own son’s life hanging in the balance!

“You can keep all of the reward money you intended to give me after the war. If that’s not enough, I’ll supplement whatever else you need from my own fortune,” I said.

The king snorted. “I hear you transferred the right to your workshop over to your father. As for your Lost Items, they were destroyed. What pittance you have left is inconsequential. To top it all off, you destroyed the royal family’s ship as well, did you not? Shouldn’t you be taking responsibility for all that?”

Ugh, his malicious nitpicking was insufferable. The Partner and Arroganz could both be repaired, but I wasn’t going to tell them as much. Unfortunately, it was more convenient for me to keep them in the dark.

“Still, I beg of you,” I said.

His Majesty leaned back haughtily in his chair, smirking down at me.

This jerk really has some kind of grudge against me, doesn’t he?

Minister Bernard said, “Sparing their lives is simple, but we can’t simply leave them unchecked. Prince Julius is still royalty. The other four are also former heirs. On top of that, they have the ‘fake’ Saint with them.”

The king whipped around to stare at Minister Bernard in disbelief, but Mr. Vince agreed. “It would be best if we could send them off to their own island where we could keep an eye on them. Alas, we don’t have the means to secure such accommodations for them at the moment. I doubt the palace has the luxury of spending resources looking for such a location right now. In which case, our only option is to use the one you claimed for your own, Leon. Is that acceptable to you?”

His Majesty glared at Mr. Vince. Evidently, unlike the king, he didn’t think the loss of the royal ship was my responsibility. It was a relief to see him on my side, but it pained me to lose the land I’d been cultivating into an ideal home.

Although… Wait a minute. Maybe it’s better for me to get rid of my territory? Outwardly, it’ll look like I have nothing left. That’s a good thing, isn’t it? I straightened. “If that means you’ll spare their lives, I don’t mind.”

“Why would you go so far to protect the prince and his friends?” Minister Bernard asked. “Pardon me for asking, but what drives you to do something like this?”

I contemplated for a moment. I could give him the answer he wanted to hear, but I’d learned by now that kissing up to people got me the opposite of what I wanted. Better to be honest.

“I’m tired of being a noble. I don’t need a viscount title. Honestly, I’d like to return it all. I’m content to spend my life peacefully as a baronet.”

“Interesting.” Mr. Vince stared at me, but I had no idea what was going through his head.

“I already lost my airship and my Armor. The way I am now, I’m of no value to you, so I’m content to start over from the beginning. I guess the reason I want to help them is because, for better or worse, I just can’t leave them alone.”

The three listened intently, each wearing a serious expression.

“Just can’t leave them alone, hmm? The prince has certainly found a good friend in you. Your Majesty, do you agree to the terms we have discussed?” Minister Bernard glanced over at the king.

He seemed lost in thought. “Huh? Uh, yeah. Sure. I’ll see to it they’re pardoned.”

Mr. Vince motioned for me to go. “All right then. We’ll take care of things here. Seems we’ve put a lot on your shoulders.”

“You’ve got that right.” I shook my head. “So please, save me this time. I want to enjoy my retirement in peace.”

“Retirement at your age? Well, you do have a point. We’ll be sure to compensate you for all you have done.”

Being frank with them had paid off. In fact, I was anxiously looking forward to the repayment he promised.

 

***

 

“Well, everything you lost we can recover quickly enough,” said Luxion. He and I were in my room, speaking privately.

“Don’t say that. Losing that island was a big blow. We finally started harvesting rice, and I was ready to move on to making miso and soy sauce next.”

“I’m surprised they actually accepted your retirement.”

I shrugged. “I think it’s more they didn’t know what to do with me. It works for them either way. They probably don’t think I’m a threat anymore.”

“You seem happy.”

“Eh, I dunno.” Things hadn’t ended entirely the way I’d pictured, but it wasn’t all bad. My efforts had at least paid off. “And now that I’m returning to life as a background character, maybe I should consider going adventuring.”

“I will accompany you, in that case. You couldn’t do a thing without me.”

I shot him a look. “You don’t have any manners.”

But now that I was free, I could use Luxion’s main ship to go on a trip. I was sick of dealing with other people’s messes. Although… Hold on a sec…

Spending some quiet days back home wouldn’t be too bad either. Nicks, the second oldest son—well, actually the oldest now that we knew Rutart wasn’t legitimate—was the new heir. I could spend my time helping him out.

“My life has only just begun.”

“If it’s only just begun, what would you call everything you have been doing up until this point?” Luxion asked snidely.

Flailing, honestly. I’d been in a panic ever since Zola tried to sell me off to that perverted old bat.

“First, I have to graduate.” I paused. “Wait, is the academy even going to resume classes?”

“I haven’t confirmed as much, but based on the situation at the capital, I doubt things will be the same as they were even if it does immediately reopen.”

The door to my room swung open, and Livia raced in, panicked. “Leon, I heard you’re leaving the nobility?!” She was gasping for air, completely winded.

“You already heard about that?” I motioned for her to sit, but she refused. “The viscount title and lower-fourth court ranking never suited me. I already ceded my territory, and even if I did gain independence, the best I could hope for is a knighthood. Although they’re pretty much already treating me like a knight anyway.”

“B-but you worked so hard. This is too cruel. And after what Angie put herself through…”

“Angie? She worried about me, too? Tell her it’s fine. This is how I wanted things.”

“No, that’s not it.” Her gaze fell to the floor, fingers clutching at her skirt as the tears began to well up. “She prostrated herself in front of Marie to try to save you. Now it’s blown up into this huge problem. Now on top of that, you’re losing your titles, too!”

“She…she did what?”

 

***

 

Angie’s father had summoned her to the palace, where he was taking care of things in the wake of the war, to question her about what had transpired at the academy.

“I’m disappointed in you,” he said.

“I know.”

She, the daughter of a duke, had prostrated herself in the academy plaza before hundreds of students.

“You denigrated our house’s name.”

“I know.”

She’d done it for Leon, and although she had no regrets, she knew it was unacceptable behavior for a member of Redgrave House.

Her father continued. “The man in whom you saw so much potential has lost all standing. Territory, status, and every honor that came with it. That’s the kind of person for whom you tarnished our house’s reputation. How am I supposed to deal with this?”

Angie had no words. It was up to her father to decide what to do. But if he wanted her to say something, then… “Are you going to ask me to take my own life?”

“You’re resolute, I’ll give you that.” He gazed up at the ceiling. “I can’t have a daughter like you in my house. I’ll prepare a fitting husband for you, so make preparations to leave our estate.”

As far as punishments went, this was considerably kind.

“Very well,” Angie mumbled.

Her father smiled. “Aren’t you curious who it is?”

“Who?” She didn’t care for reasons of the heart but for reasons of the head—she needed to look into this man to prepare herself for dealing with him.

“Some idiot knight who relinquished all of his titles, ranking, and territory,” said her father. “The fool wishes to retire even though he’s still so young, but I think he’ll be a perfect partner for you.”

“Pardon?”

“Our house will be looking after the both of you. I’ve heard all about your other friend, as well. She may be treated as an official mistress.”

Angie’s mouth parted. Her father had done a thorough investigation if he knew that much about their relationship. She bowed her head low, prompting him to laugh. “Th-thank you so much!”

“It’s not completely set in stone yet. I still need to speak with the groom—”

Before he could finish, Gilbert came flying into the room. “Father!”

“No need to shout.”

“Th-there’s a big problem. Leon is—”

 

***

 

“Let me goooo! Her head…her head is mine!” I tightened my grip on my sword, brandishing it through the air of the dungeons.

Marie trembled in the far corner of her cell, pleading for her life. “Wait! It’s not my fault. Everyone else got carried away and made her prostrate herself!”

“Finished talking? Good, now give me your head. I’ll be merciful and lop it off with one swing.”

Knights and soldiers tried to hold me back.

“Please calm down!”

“Viscount, lower your weapon!”

“We understand how you feel, but please cool your head!”

The palace had already decided on the punishments for Marie’s lovers, so they’d been dragged out and lectured for their poor judgment. Marie was the only one down here now. And I couldn’t let her get away with what she’d done.

“I was an idiot for showing you any compassion!” I bellowed. “You can repay me with your life!”

“You’re the one who said you’d save me!” Marie wailed.

“You honestly think I’d forgive you after you made Livia and Angie get down on their hands and knees? I’m going to pass judgment on you right here!” I waded forward, dragging the knights and soldiers behind me.

Footsteps echoed from the stairwell, and two people raced into the dungeons from behind me. Livia and Angie.

“Leon, wait. Calm down!”

“You idiot, what are you thinking?!”

I pointed at Marie. “I want her head.”

They both gaped.

“You want her head?” Livia drew her brows. “But why?”

I drew my arm over my eyes, wiping them. I felt so guilty for making the two of them endure such humiliation that the tears wouldn’t stop. “I’m going to give it to you two as a present.”

“Leon, I don’t need her head,” said Angie. “Now calm down. This acting out isn’t doing you any favors.”

Oh… But if she didn’t want Marie’s head, what could I give her?

The soldiers and knights still holding me back all volubly agreed with Angie and tried to disarm me. But any fondness I’d felt for Marie was long gone. If nothing else, I at least had to get rid of her with my own two hands. I’d been cleaning up after her since my previous life. As her (former) older brother, it was my duty to behead her.

As I continued to struggle against them, an alarmed Queen Mylene came racing down the steps. “Leon, wait right there!”

The moron patrol was hot on her heels. In the blink of an eye, the five of them had me surrounded, and the knights and soldiers fell back.

“Bartfort, have you lost your mind?!” Prince Julius demanded.

“Not as badly as you have!” I snapped.

Marie ran to them, crying. “Save me! He’s trying to take my head!”

Greg grabbed my arm. “Bartfort, I can’t believe you! I won’t allow you to do that!”

Chris snatched the sword from my hands. “You won’t put a single finger on her!”

“Stand down!” Jilk demanded from in front of her cell.

Brad grabbed me by the neck and tried to drag me away. “They already decided on her punishment. What are you throwing a fit about?!”

“I don’t wanna hear that from you! Let me go! Luxion, unleash your attack!”

“Are you sure about this?” Luxion asked.

“Do it already! They’re getting in my way, so don’t show them any mercy!”

“As you wish.”

An electric wave shot out of his body, sending a numbing shock through all of us.

“Gyaaaaaaah!”

Six strangled cries echoed through the dungeon as we all collapsed.

“Y-you bastard,” I rasped. “You weren’t supposed to get me caught up…in it…”

 

***

 

When I came to, I found myself lying on a couch. Queen Mylene sat nearby, along with Livia and Angie. Relief washed over their faces when I opened my eyes, but just as quickly they looked annoyed.

“Unbelievable. I wondered what it could possibly be when I heard all the fuss.”

I gave her an imploring look. “Your Majesty, I want Marie’s head.”

She drew her brows together, troubled by my pleading. My plan to trigger her mothering instincts seemed to be working, but alas.

“I’m sorry, but once a punishment has been decided, it’s difficult to overturn. I regret being unable to honor your request after all you have done for us, but we must keep the Saint alive.”

Angie scanned me up and down. “What’s with you all of a sudden? Didn’t you want to save her so badly that you offered up your own territory?”

“She made you two prostrate yourselves.”

Livia’s dropped her gaze. “Well, we did that because—”

“Oh, you just learned about that?” Queen Mylene’s eyes widened. “I thought you knew. That’s why I followed their example when asking for a favor.”

Marie, that brat. This isn’t Japan! What was she thinking, spreading a custom like this?!

I sat on the couch with my knees drawn up to my chest.

“Leon, can we talk?” asked Angie.

“About what?” I glanced up.

Angie and Livia were holding hands.

“The cruel truth.”