A month went by since my imprisonment.
Piles of tax documents, administration materials, and reference books that civil officials had brought to me covered the crude desk in my cell. Ever since the party, Friede hadn’t visited me once.
“Does he not worry about the confidential information in these documents leaking in the dungeon?”
I flipped through the papers facing me, fed up with the prince’s irresponsibility.
“Though I always knew Prince Friede wasn’t the most meticulous, I never would have thought he could be so careless...” I whispered to no one in particular.
My voice echoed softly in the dungeon.
“Oh?” I whispered.
A few hours passed, and I held a crimson book as I stood up.
“Excuse me,” I said louder.
“What can I do for you, my lady?” asked the guard monitoring the dungeon in a polite manner.
I could tell he was clearly unhappy to see me behind bars. He had no choice but to obey the prince, currently the most powerful person in the castle.
“Could you come closer, please?”
“O-Of course.”
Just then, the man followed my request and walked up to my cell. He was neither wary nor able to react in time. I extended my right arm and snapped my fingers, to which his eyes went hollow as his face relaxed. He appeared to be in a daze.
The dark attribute spell I’d used, Hypnosis, wasn’t all that difficult to counter. Why did the guard fall for it so easily, then? Perhaps because he had been far too careless.
He would never have imagined that a helpless, considerate young lady such as myself would attack him when wearing an antimagic collar. Besides, many knew my proficiency in water magic. This guard had trained with the knights several times and witnessed me freely wielding water and ice.
Everyone knew that, excluding fundamental spells, people could only use attributes they had an affinity for. As such, that guard couldn’t have expected me to cast a dark attribute spell.
“Go back to your seat and forget everything you’re about to see,” I said.
“Yes... Certainly, my lady...”
The guard wobbled back to his chair and sat down, staring at the air with a vacant expression on his face.
“You can come out,” I said.
There was an unnatural distortion in front of my cell, then a maid about my age appeared.
“I apologize for the wait, my lady,” she said.
“It’s fine, Mireille. Thank you for coming.” The crimson book I was holding disappeared into thin air.
Mireille was my waiting maid, as well as my confidant. I’d asked her to follow the messenger to check His Majesty’s and my father’s reaction.
“So, how did it go?” I asked.
“Well...” she started.
As I listened to Mireille recount what she’d heard, I felt a dark rage surge inside me. They were perfectly aware of how serious the situation was, yet they left me to deal with the aftermath.
When I thought about it, this had been happening often recently. King Bulat summoned me anytime Prince Friede got into trouble to fix it. My father was the same, telling me it was important to uphold Friede’s image for the good of the kingdom; I had to do all the prince’s work and ensure he got all the credit.
Mireille seemed worried for me but continued, “After returning, I found out that rumors that may tarnish your honor were spreading, my lady.”
“Rumors?” I repeated.
“Yes. People are saying that you tried to murder Lady Sylvia out of jealousy and that you’re getting involved in politics to seize the prince’s power. They are undoubtedly groundless accusations, but they are spreading nonetheless.”
“Did you learn the source?” I asked after a pause.
“I got some of our people to investigate and pinpointed a few merchants and nobles. They all have ties with that waste of spa— Erm, I mean His Highness.”
“Right,” I said with a brief sigh. “How widespread are those rumors?”
“I’m afraid getting rid of them entirely will prove impossible. The merchants and nobles who know you don’t believe a word. But many people already believe them to be true.”
“I see.”
“As for your firm, my lady...”
Mireille referred to the firm I managed. After pushing for relief policies and seeing those projects fail due to a lack of funding, I set up a firm when I was twelve to earn money I could spend freely.
Over the years, my firm became one of the most influential businesses in the kingdom. I used it to give jobs to as many people as I could while running a different charity, helping to reduce inequality.
“The prince has ordered an investigation into it after deeming you a traitor to the nation. He is also actively placing merchants and nobles under his control in key positions at the firm.”
“This is ridiculous! Even if I’m the suspect of planning a coup, they should only remove me from the firm! What right does the government have to mess with the personnel? There is no legal basis for this, is there?!”
“There is none. Prince Friede has been misusing his authority and forcing everyone to comply. The executives are standing up to him as much as possible, but they cannot keep the crown prince in check.”
I clenched my teeth.
A shadow passed over Mireille’s face as she hesitated momentarily. She looked straight at me and said, “I know it’s not my place to ask, but... Why do you devote yourself to this country, my lady?” She struggled to conceal the anger in her voice.
“Why, you ask?” I said, then paused. “That’s because I’m a noble lady...”
“Do you believe it is worth it even when they have treated you like this?” she asked. She gritted her teeth in frustration and continued, “My lady, I... I respect you. You saved me when my house fell to ruin. Without you, I’d be a slave or a beggar, yet you made me your trusted confidant.”
“Mireille?”
“I—!” she suddenly exclaimed.
It surprised me to hear her shout, so I quickly cast Silent—a soundproofing spell—over the entire dungeon.
“I despise this country! The nobles treat you like a convenient tool they can discard whenever they please! I hate the masses for turning their back on you after hearing absurd rumors when you’ve done nothing but help them! And I despise the king and Duke Leiston for relying on you all the time and ignoring you in your most dire moment! Above all, I loathe the prince!”
Mireille’s voice echoed in the freezing dungeon.
I didn’t know how to react. Mireille was always by my side, discreet like a shadow. She had presented herself as a levelheaded person, and I’d never seen her let her feelings take over like this.
The echoes quieted, and her anger permeated my heart. Every emotion I’d repressed all these years, unaware they had existed, exploded like a raging volcano.
“You’re...right...” I said with a sense of realization.
As if answering Mireille’s outburst, the rage that had welled inside me made my entire body shake. I could feel a fire spreading through every nerve. The anger I’d felt earlier was nothing but a small ripple. But this overwhelming feeling was my true fury.
“Why?” I whispered. “Why did I...”
Since I came into this world, I’d devoted my entire life to this nation and Prince Friede. As I was his future queen, my duty was to support this country. I wasn’t allowed to make friends and had to study martial arts, magic, and etiquette relentlessly.
What was the point of it all?
The person I was ready to dedicate my life to had trampled over me, the nation I’d worked so hard for had abandoned me, and those I’d done everything to protect had betrayed me.
I smashed my bare fist into the wall of my cell, which made a large crack appear with a thunderous noise.
“Why did I do all this...? What was the point...?”
“My lady! Your magic!”
Mireille’s voice brought me out of my trance. I noticed my mana was leaking uncontrollably and took a deep breath, forcing myself to calm down.
“Thank you, Mireille,” I said. “You’ve opened my eyes.”
“My lady...”
“Let’s leave this damned country!”
“Leave? But what will you do, then?” she asked.
I gave her a smile that came from the bottom of my heart. The raging inferno that was burning in my chest had settled down into a cold fury. Now, I was ready to announce my intentions to the world and make a vow.
“I’ll take revenge.”