Chapter 591

Princess Rodenlight’s Visit
My meeting with Princess Rodenlight was arranged to take place in my room so as not to draw any unwanted attention.
Well, the maids clean it every day, so at least it’s tidy!

“I’m sorry to keep you waiting, Princess Rodenlight.”

“It’s been a while, Lily… Have you lost some weight?”

Oof, sharp as ever.
Ever since I moved into this mansion, Plum’s been putting me through some rather merciless training.
On top of that, the head chef keeps all my meals perfectly balanced—there’s no way he’d ever serve something fattening.
So yeah, there’s really only been room to slim down.
Guess it’s noticeable enough for her to spot it at a glance.

“Well, I’ve been training. More importantly, what’s this matter that was important enough for you to sneak out and tell me in person?”

“Yes, let’s talk about that.”

Princess Rodenlight straightened her posture and, in a clear and steady voice, declared her intent.
She was going to cut off Crown Prince Sharon and his faction at the upcoming presentation.

“‘Cut off’… that’s a rather extreme way to put it.”

“Ah, forgive me. I don’t mean to say we’ll literally execute them on the spot. The plan is to apprehend them during the event and later transport them to the capital.”

I see—so, during the ceremony, they’ll only be captured, and I’m to turn a blind eye.
Still, I wonder if all of Sharon’s associates are actually attending.

“They should be. Marquis Vardmoi made sure invitations were delivered to even the more troublesome houses among the opposing factions.”

“Ahh, so the goal’s to make them lose their cool and lash out.”

“The reason for their outburst doesn’t matter. The moment they do something foolish, have Kiblinki Saltas arrest them.”

So this whole presentation’s also meant to weaken the opposition faction…
High society really is terrifying.
… Wait a minute, though.

“Is it really all right to capture Prince Sharon himself? If he’s disinherited, your engagement to him will be void, won’t it?”

“It will. But lately, he seems far more taken with some viscount’s daughter, so I don’t particularly mind.”

Wow. That’s… a mess.
I’d better make sure to stay far away from all that drama.

Still, that would leave Princess Rodenlight without a fiancé.
The McFarlane Dukedom was supposed to become an official state through her marriage, wasn’t it?
What’ll happen now?

“You needn’t worry. His younger brother, Prince Taur, will become my fiancé instead.”

“Prince Taur… Oh, I’ve only heard of him by name. He’s fifteen, right?”

“Nobles must bear many burdens. The eldest, Sharon, will be disinherited. The second son was killed in battle with monsters. The third, Lord Vic, already belongs to Lady Kou, and Duke McFarlane himself considers it politically unwise to separate them now. That leaves only the youngest, Prince Taur.”

The world of nobles really is frightening…
Even a fiancé gets cast aside the moment he becomes inconvenient.

Anyway, the reason she came today was to give me a heads-up about the plan so I wouldn’t be caught off guard.
Apparently, Lord Sharon will likely object to my promotion to Platinum-rank Merchant, which should make him easy to detain.
How very convenient, I suppose.

I asked if she wanted to see Amira before she left, but she said it wouldn’t be wise to stay any longer.
Amira will be attending tomorrow’s presentation anyway, so she’ll wait until then.

Even though blood ties have left Amira as Princess Rodenlight’s only family now, they can no longer openly call each other sisters.
Still… just for tomorrow, they’ll be able to meet properly.
That’s something, at least.

I hope you’re looking forward to it, Princess Rodenlight.

What do you think about this chapter?