At that point, I took the cookies on the plate and stacked them on top of each other.
Finne watched with a curious tilt of her head. That small gesture alone was alluring enough to steal the heart of someone who wasn't accustomed to looking at her. I definitely couldn't ever let Count Baelz get such an opportunity. He'd be after her hand in marriage before I knew it.
I, however, remained unaffected and proceeded to break the lion cookie on top into pieces.
"No! Not again!"
"Calm down. They're going to get eaten anyway, right? This is the way Zandra gets the people she wants as ministers."
"What do you mean?"
"Let me rephrase. The lion cookie represented the current minister. The bird cookie that used to be underneath was the potential candidate for that ministerial position. By breaking the lion, the bird now has a chance to take that spot."
"I get it now! So Princess Zandra is preparing a potential candidate for minister to have on hand, and ousting the current minister."
Finne was getting the idea now. She was always smart enough, but just lacked the knack for this type of strategic methodology. Not that she couldn't also be frighteningly naive from time to time.
"That's right. She can place a supporter into vice minister or other higher-up position, or coax the one already serving in that position into supporting her. Then, once the minister above them are cast out of their seat, she'd have the influence of the imperial minister."
"I see... So then, what does all that have to do with Count Baelz?"
I sighed.
"What position does Count Baelz hold?"
"Vice minister of engineering? ...Oh!"
Finally, the dots were connecting.
Well, it was relatively complicated. I couldn't blame her for taking a few minutes.
"Zandra has been manipulating Bettina via her mother's family. Bettina was basically being urged to go and spend money with abandon, so she happily acquiesced. Then, more recently, Zandra gave Bettina a new command."
"There's more?"
"This is the most important piece. Bettina was having an affair with the current minister of engineering. Purportedly it was the minister who started things, but I think it's safe to assume that Bettina was the one who seduced him. What's more, the minister of engineering's wife is the daughter of a personal friend of the emperor. Apparently, it was actually the emperor who introduced the couple in the first place. So the emperor would obviously be enraged to find out about an affair."
"So you're saying...all of that was Princess Zandra's doing, from the very beginning?"
"Yep. Zandra orchestrated the whole thing. She provided Count Baelz, up to that point unlucky in love, with a beautiful woman, then had her cause him trouble. At the same time, she was setting up the minister of engineering, preparing to have him kicked out of his position. Then she could wait for the perfect timing to swoop in and save Count Baelz, and report the minister of engineering's affair to the emperor. And voila! One of her supporters is now a minister."
"H-hang on a minute! Then, that means..."
I grinned at Finne's look of disbelief.
The multi-year plot was a huge undertaking. Zandra had probably begun putting it into motion way back when the crown prince passed away. Unfortunately, she made a fatal mistake at the final step.
"Yep. We foiled her plan. She's probably furious right about now."
"But that can't be good! Why would you anger Princess Zandra right when you and Master Leo are about to leave the capital?!"
"It's precisely because Leo and I are going to be away that we have to do something about Zandra. We can't block any attacks as long as we're gone. But what if the balance of influence among the three front-runners is thrown off? Zandra lost an important strategy thanks to our interference. That's going to be a blow to her amount of influence. Erik and Gordon won't overlook the opportunity that affords them. They can take us out anytime, but they can only attack Zandra now, while she's weak. If I were them, I'd make a move to cut off her influence."
"You had all of that thought through?"
"It's all thanks to Sebas. He got valuable information out of the assassin, and he also investigated into Count Baelz."
Zandra had made some stupid mistakes, too.
She sent the same assassin she used in her plot around Count Baelz to then come after me. Because of that, her entire scheme was exposed. She probably hadn't expected the assassin to break down and betray her, but that was her fault for underestimating us.
"Umm... I've been wondering. Just who is Sebas, really?"
"Hm? Didn't I tell you? Sebas is a former assassin and a skilled one at that. His nickname was the 'Grim Reaper,' and he was famous across the entire continent."
"What?! Why is someone like that working as your steward?!"
"I'll tell you all about it another time. It's a long story. So, now that you know everything, are you still upset with me for helping Count Baelz?"
"N-no..."
"I didn't think so. I bet Zandra even had a hand in making sure he never had any luck with women. He's been a vice minister for the last three years. Normally he should have had plenty of eager dates."
"I'm starting to feel really sorry for him."
"Me too. He's been Zandra's puppet for years now, even down to his marriage. We rescued him from a life of manipulation. Though we are still using him for our own purposes, just like Zandra was."
I remarked as I finished organizing my papers. It was all documentation regarding the minister of engineering's affair. I would have Count Baelz submit them to my father.
We were about to begin waging a secret battle against Zandra. Gordon would undoubtedly take the opportunity to act as well, so the battle for the throne would finally be intensifying. But that was okay. Gordon saw Zandra as an arch enemy, and knowing Zandra's personality, I bet she would loathe nothing more than him getting the better of her. The two of them attacking each other would be advantageous to us, and Erik wouldn't take any deliberate actions amid those circumstances.
While Leo and I were away from the capital, we'd let Gordon and Zandra wear themselves out fighting over influence.
I mulled over those thoughts as I popped a piece of broken cookie into my mouth.
4
"Is this true?!"
Emperor Johannes thrust the documents submitted by Count Baelz at the minister of engineering. Flames of anger flickered in his eyes.