The Jade Princess’s Manipulation
[Princess Flora’s Side]
We had finally arrived at the true capital of the Albul Kingdom, hidden within the Forest of Demons, together with the South Margrave Army.
Even when monsters attacked us repeatedly along the way, Father-in-law Gray would cut them down before anyone else could react. I merely handled scouting for approaching monsters and provided support with my tree magic.
Thankfully, the Three-Nation Alliance’s reach had not yet extended to the capital hidden in the Forest of Demons. We still had a little time left, so I had Father-in-law Gray meet with my father, His Majesty the King.
“Father, Flora has returned. Lord Gray himself, head of the South Margrave family, has come to our kingdom as reinforcements.”
This was my father, Hazel de Albul, the current king of the Albul Kingdom.
“Welcome. We are truly grateful you have come. Since our families shall soon be relatives, I hope we may continue to work together for the sake of both our houses, Lord Gray.”
“What a courteous greeting. I am humbled. Princess Flora is a lovely and admirable young lady, far too fine a beauty for my foolish son. Since we are taking her into our family, we shall do so responsibly. First and foremost, let us focus on restoring peace to your kingdom.”
Seeing my father and father-in-law clasp hands firmly together made me so happy. It felt like they had truly acknowledged me.
The Jade Princess Flora immediately began moving to dissolve the alliance between the three nations.
Spies from the Albul Kingdom infiltrated the armies of every nation and began spreading rumors...
That all three countries desired Princess Flora for themselves.
The three nations might have joined forces, but only one country could ultimately obtain Princess Flora.
Which meant the other two countries would remain shackled by the alliance while gaining absolutely nothing in return.
And so, the spies Princess Flora had planted among each nation’s soldiers spread whispers everywhere.
“That country plans to monopolize the Albul Kingdom for themselves. They intend to use us as disposable pawns.”
“That country was secretly discussing how they alone would take everything. They plan to keep all the wealth for themselves and use us as bait.”
The invading Tsutora Kingdom, the Jill City-State Confederation, and West Derobi were all led by greedy rulers to begin with. Just hearing those rumors was enough to make them suspect their own countries might gain nothing from this war.
Distrust and suspicion spread between them, and the atmosphere among the three nations occupying the Albul Kingdom’s temporary capital rapidly turned cold.
Even if they had suddenly joined hands, there was no way they could coordinate properly. It was only a matter of time before they fell apart.
“So far, everything is proceeding smoothly. Until Lord Julius arrives, let us continue dismantling them from within.”
“Whoa... scary. No wonder they call you the ‘Scheming Princess.’ Intrigue really is your specialty. If Julius pisses you off, he’s definitely not getting away unharmed.”
Julius’s father Gray shivered at Princess Flora’s brilliant maneuvering.
“My, how cruel. Father-in-law, is that truly how you think of me? I’m heartbroken.”
Princess Flora looked dejected with a little hmpf, and at that moment she looked adorably like a girl her age.
“Ah~ well, no, that’s not what I meant. I just thought that even if Julius did something stupid, you’d probably be able to smooth things over for him. So don’t look so down...”
“Ehehe, goodness, Father-in-law. Please don’t take it so seriously. But I was happy to hear that. Thank you very much.”
“Haha, I see now… So, what’s the plan? Are we attacking the capital? It pisses me off letting those Three-Nation Alliance bastards do whatever they want forever.”
“Ehehe, yes, indeed. It is true that I would like to retake the capital before Lord Julius arrives. However, several of my plans are not yet fully complete, so I would prefer to wait just a little longer. Therefore, I would like to entertain you, Father-in-law, with tea made from our kingdom’s finest tea leaves. What do you think? I would love for us to share some tea together.”
“Hm? Is that so? Then I’ll gladly join you. Julius really did find himself a wonderful bride. You are every bit as impressive as my wife Alice.”
While drinking tea together, the two continued organizing the steady stream of incoming reports and forming strategies.
And among the Three-Nation Alliance, the first target Flora had set her sights on was the Jill City-State Confederation, a loose gathering of smaller city-states, each ruled by its own representative.
The overall leader of the confederation was Debero, the wealthy merchant and lord of the trade city Sanraldo.
However, the representatives of the other city-states each had their own agendas as well, and some cities were opposed to the war altogether.
Princess Flora dispatched envoys to them and began turning the various cities to her side.
—
Princess Flora knew that if she requested help from Julius, Gray, and the South Margrave Army, they would absolutely win.
Even so, this was still her nation’s war… Even if they borrowed their strength in the end, Princess Flora still worked day and night gathering information and devising plans to minimize the damage as much as possible.
Watching her work like that, Gray and the South Margrave Army also burned with fighting spirit as they awaited their turn to enter battle.
About three months had passed since they left the South Territory when reports finally arrived that the Three-Nation Alliance had begun turning against each other.
“Everyone, the time has finally come to move toward reclaiming the capital. And the operation shall be... this strategy.”
“Hold on a second. You’re seriously planning to do that? No matter how you look at it, that’s reckless. Shouldn’t we think of a different plan?”
“Thank you very much, Father-in-law. Hearing you say that truly makes me happy. However, as someone who is to marry Lord Julius, I cannot simply stand by and do nothing. Please... accept my resolve.”
“... You’re certain about this? You may reach a point where there’s no turning back.”
“Yes. I made my resolve the moment I decided to unite with Lord Julius.”
Princess Flora covered her mouth with her spotless, beautiful hand and softly laughed.
“Hehe...”
The emerald glow in her eyes shone with such unwavering determination that no one could stop her.
What do you think about this chapter?
