Weeks passed with us going back and forth between the provisional government and the revolutionary government. Both sides doggedly refused to concede anything to the other. Rae supported me to the utmost of her ability the whole while, not just helping me with her usual maid duties but also planning and formulating arguments to help convince both sides. I was truly thankful to have her.
Unfortunately, things reached a boiling point despite our best efforts. It happened on November 10, 2015 in Kingdom Years. The protests escalated into an armed uprising. Half the provisional government’s army defected to join the revolutionary government as conflict began. Every newspaper reported things as being in the revolutionary army’s favor.
“I was too late…” I watched the mob fight the kingdom’s army from my dorm window, feeling powerless, useless, and bitter about it. I clenched my teeth. It was too late to do anything about it all.
“You did everything you could, Miss Claire. Things were just too far along to be stopped,” Rae said.
“But if I had only tried harder…”
“You tried as hard as you possibly could.” She tried to comfort me, but I was inconsolable. My head was full of what-ifs—what if I had started working sooner? What if I had found a better compromise? The thought of commoners, the people I had a duty to protect, being hurt this very moment tore at my heart.
And yet, I had no right to play the tragic heroine. I was a noble. If the times had chosen to move in this direction, then I had only one duty left to fulfill.
“Now that things have come to this, all that remains is for me to graciously admit defeat, as a noble of the old era.”
The commoners had chosen to rid themselves of the nobility. It was our duty as nobles to accept the wishes of the commoners. House François was the most prominent of the noble families. Thus, as a representative of the nobles, it was best for House François to announce our time had come to an end before the damage on both sides mounted any further.
I was aware this would probably end in our deaths, just as it had in Phrance. The wrath of the commoners was simply too great. I’d be lying if I said I wasn’t afraid of death. But I didn’t want to go so far as to hurt commoners to cling to my position.
I was ready to accept the choice the commoners made. But Rae could not say the same.
“No, Miss Claire. You will stand on the side that denounces what came before.”
“…What?” I couldn’t believe my ears. I gave her a questioning look, making her straighten her posture. “Rae, whatever are you on about?”
“I’m saying you will stand in support of the new era and see off the old.”
“You’re being ridiculous. I am the daughter of House François. I am the quintessential symbol of the world that preceded this one.”
Rae was talking nonsense again. Her expression was serious, however. This didn’t seem like one of her usual jokes. “You aren’t. Master Dole is.”
“What’s the difference? We’re both François.”
“There is a difference. Because you will be the one to spearhead the movement to convict Master Dole and the old ruling class—the nobility.”
“Wh-wha…what are you saying?!” Upon finally understanding what she meant, I raised my voice. She wanted me to forsake the nobility. “You want me to depose the architects of the old era, then brazenly live my own life free of any connection to them?! Absolutely not! Never!”
I didn’t want to die in vain either, but I still had my pride as a noble. There was no meaning in living a life of disgrace. I was just about to try and make her understand that when she said something I could never have expected.
“This was Master Dole’s design as well.”
“…Huh?! W-wait a second. My father?” I was in shock. Why was she bringing up my father now, of all times? Was he not one of the corrupt nobles who only acted out of self-interest? “I…I don’t understand. E-explain yourself, Rae!”
“The one who put this revolution into motion was none other than your father, Master Dole.”
Her words only made me even more confused. My father planned this commoner uprising? “I don’t understand a single word that’s coming out of your mouth!”
“Then let me start from the beginning. This’ll be a long story, so please take a seat.”
Despite how worked up I was, Rae remained calm. After she made me sit down, she slowly began to reveal everything.
“As you already know, our kingdom’s government is corrupt. Most of the nobles only care about personal gain, vying for power with no intention of allowing meaningful change.”
“…I’m aware. But I don’t see what that has to do with this.”
“There were a few nobles who still worried about Bauer’s future. One of those nobles was Master Dole.”
“My father? But he sidelined the royal family to take power himself…” I knew this fact better than anyone else. After running back and forth between the two sides for weeks, it was apparent to me that my father didn’t have the country’s future in mind. He couldn’t even consider what tomorrow might hold.
“Master Dole sacrificed himself to gather all the corrupt nobles in one place. He did so to ensure the commoners could finish it all today.”
“…What? No, that’s…preposterous.” All my father’s wicked actions had just been an act?
Rae continued. “There was a time when your father unquestioningly accepted the superiority of the nobility. That all changed after what happened to your mother, Melia.”
“…After the carriage accident?” That day had left me with a deep wound that would never heal. Just what had it done to my father?
“It was no accident. The incident was contrived by another powerful noble. It was murder.”
“No…!” I said in disbelief.
“That day, Master Dole decided things had to change. He continued to play the role of a corrupt noble while secretly supporting the revolution.”
Then the father I knew and loved hadn’t actually gone anywhere. Even now, he was still the same patriotic man I once knew.
“Do you remember the day I became your maid?” Rae asked.
“…I do. I recall you said something to my father, causing his demeanor to change.”
“This is what I said to him at that time: ‘Irvine Manuel, March 3rd, five hundred thousand gold.’ That information pertained to the financial support Master Dole was secretly providing to the Resistance.”
According to her, that was information only my father should know. The amount of monetary aid given to the Resistance’s treasurer, Irvine Manuel. She’d hinted at the fact she knew about my father’s secret plans to convince him to hire her.