The art of words was a vague one. Small changes to a sentence could alter its meaning. For example, “I’ve seen him submit documents numerous times,” and, “I’ve seen him submit numerous documents,” had subtly different nuances. The former implied the speaker had seen the man turn in documents many times over, whereas the latter was more ambiguous. It was unclear whether the man turned in many documents all at once or if the speaker had seen the man turn in documents more than one time.
It was likely our foes twisted their words and numbers in similar ways to put themselves at an advantage.
“Dealing with crochety vermin like them is so tiresome, but we don’t have a choice. We’ll do our best.”
“I’m counting on you,” I said, then sighed. “We need to get rid of anyone supported by the Great Five as soon as possible.”
There were only two men I really trusted: Gilbert and Tommy. I supposed I trusted Brian and, by extension, Gilbert’s other cohorts. But Gilbert’s men lacked the social status and experience needed to deal with those tied to the Great Five, leaving only Gilbert himself. As such, I could not let my guard down at any point.
“If things were as they should be, it’d be prudent to accept opposing forces in the kingdom’s government,” Gilbert pointed out.
“True. Those who are overly loyal to me would be afraid to point out any mistakes I make. Opposing opinions should be welcomed,” I said. “But things are far from what they should be. The Great Five are only concerned with their own wealth and power—they don’t care about the country itself. Their actions have no place in my kingdom.”
“I agree, Your Majesty.”
“This work must be very hard on you, but I’m counting on you to do what’s right.”
“Understood. I shall see it through.”
Gilbert then left, and I sank deeper into my chair. I finally had some free time, even if it was completely dark outside. I stared at the unfinished pile of paperwork on my desk and pondered. Should I just finish it now or put it off until tomorrow? With those opposing thoughts clashing in my head, I picked up the first paper on top of the pile and glanced at it. This was not something I could delay—a habit from my previous life, no doubt. I saw that their due date was tomorrow, sighed deeply, and got to work.
I went through the papers faster than I expected, without much thought on my part. And just as I’d finished about a fifth of the pile, someone knocked on my door. Shortly after, Freesia entered the room alongside a certain man.
“Ah. It’s been a while, my dear marquess,” I welcomed him.
I flashed a sly grin in his direction. This man was one of the leaders of the Great Five Marquess Houses, and the only one who knew what I hid beneath my guise as the Doll Princess.
“It has been quite some time.”
As he bowed in front of me, I gave an order to my servants: “None of you, aside from the marquess, are to hear us speak. You will forget all that happens here beyond the fact of the marquess visiting.”
I gave that command using the magic I was born with, Heart Realm, as naturally as breathing. It allowed me to hear others’ innermost thoughts and desires and manipulate them as I pleased. My servants would forget my discussion with the marquess entirely.
“So, what business do you have with me tonight?” I asked. He was a busy man, so I urged him to get to the point. He should’ve understood, yet he stared blankly at me.
“Oh, just some small talk,” the marquess said.
“Small talk? From you? My, things must be quite amiss.”
“Quite. So, how about that circus in town, eh?”
A smidgen of surprise hit me. No, no, this is bad. I shouldn’t reveal my thoughts so carelessly.
“Oho. Have you an interest in clowns all of a sudden?” he prodded.
“Enough with the jokes. Tell me what you know.”
“Terrible things. In every town that’s hosted them, children have gone missing.”
My brow furrowed. “Did you know of this the whole time?”
His response to my overly forward question was a simple smile. He knew what I was asking, and that smile alone was enough for me to understand two things: that he knew what I was aiming at and that I knew what he wanted.
“Just to be clear, do these disappearances have anything to do with you?” I pressed.
“Hardly. My main concern is that of my own house. It wouldn’t have made a difference if I’d informed the former Doll Princess of these happenings. But regardless of whether the children vanished in my territory, it does weigh on my heart to think that the commoners are suffering.”
Every word out of his mouth was slimy. His reactions, his words, all of it made me want to gag. Even more so because nothing he said was technically untrue.
“My, those are kindhearted words coming from you,” I said. “By the way, I’ve noticed Lord Beckford seems to have quite a pretty lady accompanying him these days.”
“That he does. It would be easy to see her as a beautiful flower had she chosen a better patch of land to bloom upon.”
“Quite the scathing review. Is she not fit for high society?”
“Her very existence disrupts the order of nobility. Don’t you see something wrong with those who vie for her affection?”
I giggled. “Indeed, a woman lacking the blue blood of nobility is likely to be gawked at in confusion. Lord Beckford would surely be the laughingstock among them for his poor taste, enough to damage the reputation of the Great Five.”
“And yet he maintains his influence. Truly bizarre, and warranting of Your Majesty’s firm hand, I’d say.” He said this knowing full well the current reach of my political power—what a merciless man.
“Say, have you noticed that she seems to obtain more and more luxurious accessories lately? Does that have something to do with the disappearances of children?” I asked.
“Who can say? I’m a boor with no grasp on what kinds of baubles women like or their value. I must praise her ability to gather so many shiny things, however. I’m not resourceful enough to pull off something like that.”
“Hmm. These are interesting topics you’ve brought to my attention,” I said.
“I merely hope they’re not ignored. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have other business to attend to.”
“Very well.”