In front of them, a red-haired girl had both arms wrapped around Chancellor Yggdrasil’s neck, her body shielding the man from the empress.
“…Charlotte, let go.” The chancellor’s eyes were wide with surprise, then narrowed when the girl didn’t obey, shaking her head instead. “Listen to me, Charlotte.”
“…No.”
“Charlotte—”
“No, no!!” The girl wailed as large tears fell from her eyes, rolling down her cheeks and upon the chancellor’s shoulder.
Yggdrasil remained unmoving, unsure what to do, when a different voice spoke.
“Why don’t we just stop this?”
It was Barnabas McGregor, vice chairman of Ist. Stepping forward from his comrades, he looked at the chancellor, his expression mixed.
“No matter what you’re planning, no matter what your heart truly desires, you’re an important father and benefactor to her. And to me, too… Please don’t let us down.”
The guards nearby hesitated, too, not knowing if they should pull Charlotte away from her father. The empress hadn’t made a move either, remaining restrained by the Heillander adviser.
At that moment, Alicia made her move. The crowd parted for her as the Blue Rose Princess of Heilland made her way up the dais to stand next to the empress. There, she whispered some words to the empress, then curtsied. Moving towards the crown prince, she picked up the written oath from six years ago that Fritz had dropped in the frenzy and turned to face the chancellor.
“Chancellor Yggdrasil, I hereby withdraw my earlier statement and am once again accusing you.”
With Charlotte still clinging to him, the chancellor raised his head. His usual gentle smile was absent, as was the passion that burned in his eyes just a moment ago. Now, he looked blankly at Alicia as she held the oath out.
“This oath was not signed between you and me but between you and the late Duke of Sheraford, Loid Sutherland. Is that not true?”
Yggdrasil didn’t, or couldn’t, answer because Charlotte tightened her arms around him before he could speak, making him hesitate.
Alicia hadn’t been expecting a response, anyway. Looking down at the frowning Yggdrasil, she continued.
“Your goal is to establish a unified empire. To that end, you tried to worsen the relationship between Heilland and Erdal, inciting war. However, six years ago, your attempt failed, and you had the people involved killed. That included Loid Sutherland as well as Adam Fisher. All this has been uncovered by Loid’s son, Riddhe.”
Riddhe bit his lip and clasped his hands tightly as he watched the exchange. Robert gave him a light pat on the shoulder, though their gazes remained fixed on the dais.
“You grew wary of Riddhe as he got closer to the truth. In a panic, you devised a plan to poison Her Majesty and frame him as the culprit… That is the true series of events that has led up to this trial.”
Crouching down to Yggdrasil’s level, Alicia met his eyes and asked, “Why are you doing this?”
The empress’s brow twitched. Though she remained silent, everyone could clearly tell she was displeased that Alicia was asking a question with an obvious answer. Even so, Alicia continued unhurriedly.
“You’re a smart man, well-liked, and admired by everyone… I believe there must be some truth in that. With that drive, I’m sure you would have made a great politician.”
“…Yes, perhaps.” Yggdrasil finally answered in a hoarse voice, his expression twisted as he leaned into his daughter, who still hadn’t let go. “Yes, you’re right, but I am no longer capable of being a politician. Not that it matters now. She’s always treated human lives like those of insects, killing anyone who stood in her way. She and the foolish citizens who admire her made me sick. So, I promised. What she deems unnecessary, I will prove essential. I will reduce that great, admired empress to nothing… Prove with my own two hands that her glorious legacy is worthless…!”
“That’s stupid.”
For a moment, everyone present, even Clovis, couldn’t believe what they’d just heard. Alicia’s voice was colder than anyone had ever heard it before. The chancellor’s eyes blazed with rage at her dismissal.
“Stupid…? What do you know about me?!”
“Nothing, and I don’t care to know,” she snapped back with a sharp glare. “Disrespecting lives and eliminating those who get in the way? Who do you think you’re talking about? I say that you’re just referring to yourself.”
“That’s—”
“I hope you are ashamed of yourself, Yggdrasil. And I hope you repent.” Alicia stood, looking down at Yggdrasil as she proclaimed in a noble and dignified voice. “I will not allow you to hurt the people for your selfish justice. I will not let you do as you please. I will deny you again and again for the sake of the people I serve!”
Yggdrasil’s eyes widened.
For the sake of the people… Those words had struck a chord in him.
The young princess, with faith burning in her eyes and powerful declarations, dazzled him, filling him with envy. While it would be easy to dismiss her thinking as youthful naivety, something about her made him unable to do it.
After a long moment, Yggdrasil understood.
He’d always hated Elizabeth. The cries of those she’d defeated echoed endlessly in the darkness of night, screaming that she’d fooled them and it was all her fault. Each time, he’d cursed his own helplessness, apologized to the dead, and vowed to take revenge for all the comrades who’d entrusted their wishes to him.
However, deep in his heart, he knew she was a capable ruler. The forceful passing of radical policies and oppression of the opposition didn’t sit right with him, but her firm commitment to the Erdalian Empire was definitely admirable.
Would it benefit the empire? The answer to that question formed the basis of her judgments, which sometimes led her to make ruthless decisions that lacked humanity.
He knew that. Elizabeth didn’t lie to steal the throne from him. She’d weighed the empire’s future against her personal feelings and made her choice based on that.
But how could he have accepted that? If he’d given it up as a lost cause, who would be left to mourn the dead? Who was left to remember Raven’s last wish?
The one who’d made that decision and cursed his own life was none other than himself.
“…Maybe I was the fool,” the chancellor whispered, head bowed.
Then he whispered something to Charlotte, whose face was still buried in his shoulder. As if sensing the change in her father, she obediently complied this time and let go, allowing Yggdrasil to turn and face Empress Elizabeth.
“I confess to all my sins,” he declared, looking up at her.
With those words, the battle of Alicia’s reprise on life was over.