I Will Not Help You
Those words finally made my eyes widen.
(Suspect…!?)
Since when had Veronica become a suspected criminal?
What on earth had happened since I left the castle?
(Come to think of it, earlier, Lord Runken asked if His Majesty had ‘fled the castle’…)
Which meant, he was already aware of this situation, wasn’t he?
When I looked at Lord Runken, silently asking for confirmation, he nodded once in response.
Then, fixing his gaze on His Majesty again, he spoke.
“Your mistress has quite the sticky fingers. There is suspicion she stole national treasures from the treasury—and even lost them. As such, Your Majesty, you are responsible for explaining this matter.”
“I have no idea. She acted on her own. I have nothing to do with it.”
“The value of the jewelry taken from the treasury is estimated at forty thousand pounds. How do you intend to explain such a loss to the people?”
“Silence!! This has nothing to do with you!!”
No, it has everything to do with him.
After all, Lord Runken is the Minister of Finance.
Suppressing the urge to retort aloud, I felt a stomachache from the headache-inducing trouble now at hand.
(So… Veronica…)
She took national treasures from the treasury…!?
And then vanished!?
If this was true, it was a catastrophe.
Some of the treasures had been gifted by royalty from other countries.
If this scandal leaked, it could easily develop into an international trust crisis.
I quietly fixed my eyes on His Majesty.
His face was pale as a sheet, but his eyes were unnaturally wide, pupils dilated.
From that abnormal state, I could only conclude Lord Runken’s words were true.
“Your Majesty, is what I just heard true?”
In response, His Majesty smiled.
“You’ll take care of it, won’t you, Clementina? You’d do anything for me.”
(… I see now.)
So that’s why he suddenly switched to pretending to be affectionate after treating me so horribly all this time.
I smiled back at him—my most dazzling, brilliant smile—and said,
“What are you talking about? Nonsense should be spoken while asleep. Are you half-asleep, perhaps?”
“Wha—”
Clearly, he hadn’t expected such a cold response.
Watching His Majesty gasp in shock, I turned to Lord Runken and said crisply,
“I’m returning to the castle.”
“… I was thinking the same.”
Lord Runken agreed.
Veronica’s theft of the national treasures.
I didn’t know how widely the news had spread, but first, we needed to control the information.
If this became public knowledge, the Leviathan dynasty itself would be endangered.
“Your Majesty, please return to the castle.”
“No. I refuse.”
“Your Majesty?”
He denied it, voice full of bitterness.
Seeing that, I understood.
(Lord Runken’s comment about fleeing the castle wasn’t entirely wrong after all.)
That’s why His Majesty had gotten so furious earlier.
But we couldn’t leave this mess unattended.
There were issues in Nympée too, but Veronica’s case was an urgent crisis.
Besides, if His Majesty was to be held accountable, I could bring up Nympée’s situation in that process as well.
I didn’t have time to waste on an adult throwing a tantrum like a spoiled child.
So, I said to His Majesty,
“Then please remain here. I expect messengers from the castle will come soon enough.”
Of course, those would effectively be summons to a political tribunal.
Choosing to evade responsibility instead of resolving the issue would only worsen his reputation with the House of Lords.
My unspoken message—no, my open dismissal—must have registered with him.
Desperately, His Majesty grabbed my arms.
(That hurts! Honestly, such brute strength!)
What did he take me for, a lifeless scarecrow?
I am a person. I feel pain.
“You’re supposed to fix this! That’s what this marriage was for!”
“……”
His words stunned me into silence.
Then came a sneer, full of bitter ridicule.
“… Do you truly think the Clausenitzer family will help you if your position becomes threatened over this?”
“Wha—”
“Surely you’re joking, Your Majesty. I’ve told you countless times—you cannot ignore the House of Lords. Leviathan may be a monarchy, but it’s far from a united front. Besides, you were never interested in governance enough to wield absolute power.”
“What are you saying…!?”
His grip tightened painfully on my shoulders, but I refused to back down.
“The Clausenitzer family will not help you.”
After treating me like a disposable tool to handle administrative work, there was no way Father would support him now.
Glaring at His Majesty, I declared,
“And no respectable noble will side with you either. You never built enough trust with the nobility to make that possible.”
“You…!!”
His hand reached for my throat.
For a brief moment, I thought he might actually kill me.
But before he could, someone forcefully pulled me back from behind.
“Ah—!”
Arms wrapped around my waist, pressing on my side uncomfortably, making me let out an awkward sound.
It was Lord Runken who had pulled me back.
I saw Kevin and Luke both gripping their sword hilts, ready to draw at any moment.
An unprecedented level of tension filled the air.
Lord Runken, seeing the confrontation escalating, must have decided to separate us.
Shielding me with his body, he spoke to His Majesty.
“Such barbarity is unbecoming of a king, Your Majesty.”
“Stand down!!”
“And your speech is just as crude. So, what will it be? Will you return to the castle with us, or…”
Lord Runken continued calmly, his voice cool and steady.
“Will you wait here to be ‘retrieved’?”
What do you think about this chapter?
