/
On the way back from sword training with trainees, I ran into some young ladies in the palace’s corridor. I was about to give a light bow and pass by, but the young ladies visibly welcomed me and started talking to me.
“Oh, Princess! Long time no see! Are you on your way back after seeing His Majesty?”
“No. I am on my way back after training with the Red Knights.”
Wasn’t it obvious since I was not wearing a dress? I looked at the two young ladies suspiciously.
‘It’s Bebinca and Hector who used to follow Yulika.’
Why would the two children, who used to laugh at me arrogantly, be my business?
“I saw you swinging your sword from a distance. You were so cool that I would fall in love with you.”
“Me too. You were so graceful that you looked like you were dancing.”
The two young ladies made a fuss and pretended to know me.
I suddenly remembered the time when they got along with Yulika and spilled a drink on my dress, and I burst out laughing.
‘Will they cling to me after Yulika?’
Were these people the kind of people who couldn’t live unless they stick to something?
“Come to think of it. I know that Lady Brande has left the capital. Is she doing well?” I smiled softly and asked the two young ladies.
The young ladies were startled by Brande’s name. Although she was not punished, she was suspected of participating in the plot to harm the emperor. Maybe they thought there was nothing good about being associated with her.
“Oh, well, who knows? I haven’t been in touch.”
“Is that so? You two were close to Lady Brande, right?”
“Close? Not at all!”
“Yes! Conversing with other young children is just formalities.”
“Ohh, formalities.” I followed Lady Hector’s words and nodded. It wasn’t meant to be sarcastic, but the two young ladies covered their mouths with their fans in surprise at my reaction.
“Oh, that… I-I heard about the news of your engagement with His Majesty!”
“Oh, me too! I congratulate you, Princess. I knew justice would win in the end.”
The two young ladies skillfully changed the topic and began congratulating me.
“It didn’t get it by winning. I decided to get married because I adore His Majesty.”
“Oh, of course! Of course!”
The two young ladies nodded violently and agreed with my opinion as if not wanting to make a slip of the tongue somehow. Today, they would probably agree with me even if I said, “The world will end tomorrow.”
“Anyway, don’t forget us, Princess. We were rooting for you.”
“That’s right. I always wondered how someone could be so suitable for the empress’s position.”
“I see. I’m grateful.” I smiled at them.
“Unless the stain on my dress is removed, I will never forget your love. Don’t worry.”
“The stain on your dress? What do you mean…”
Both of them looked like they didn’t understand. It wasn’t that they pretended; they really didn’t remember.
Yes, kids who play pranks usually don’t remember.
“Oh, did you forget? Why, during the crown prince’s coronation party-”
At my explanation, the two people’s expressions changed. “Ah,” they said with thoughtful expressions on their faces, and immediately they turned white.
“Ah, I guess you remembered.”
“A-At that time, it was… L-Lady Brande, she made a terrible mistake…”
“I told you then, right? I will remember to repay you someday.” I smiled and looked down at the two young ladies. The two of them took a deep breath simultaneously in my gaze.
“Don’t worry. I will definitely pay everyone back. Grace and foes alike.”
“… Well, I suddenly remembered something urgent, so I need to excuse myself.” Hector hurriedly excused herself, her face white, and walked past me.
“Oh my, Young Lady! Let’s go together! Oh, excuse me, Princess. My apologies, my apologies!” Lady Bebinca also walked away, dragging the tail of her dress with an apology.
I sighed briefly as I saw the two young children waddling away.
“Should I have been gentler?”
I had merely teased them because I thought it was a little disgusting. I didn’t know they’d freak out so much. Well, maybe I had done it because their reaction was fun to watch.
***
Of course, the young ladies were not the only ones who changed their attitude toward me.
Bessie and I were about to leave the imperial palace, but the male nobles called and stopped me this time.
“Wow, who is this? Aren’t you Princess Peresca?”
“The duke is blessed to have reliable children like this.”
Unexpectedly, all three of them had been on Valer’s aides.
“Princess, are you returning after seeing His Majesty?”
“No. There was sword training in the Knights.”
How many times did I get asked this question?
I’d been in and out of the imperial palace for swordsmanship training, so why did I suddenly end up going back and forth to see Caesar? Why?!
“You are working very hard. Well, you will soon be unable to do it even if you want to, so it must be very regrettable,” the blond man said to me with a benevolent expression.
I asked with a tilt of my head, “What? What do you mean I can’t do it?”
“Because you’re the one who will soon become the empress. Don’t you think so?” the blond man winked in one eye as if asking, ‘You know, right?’ I didn’t know what to say, but it was just unpleasant.
“Being an empress and swordsmanship training has nothing to do with each other. You’re impatient with something I’m not even thinking about.”
To be honest, teaching swordsmanship was annoying, but I thought I would teach my students like before, even after marrying Caesar. However, I was dumbfounded by those who arbitrarily determined my career path.
“No matter how great your skills are, after becoming an empress…”
“Shouldn’t you put down your sword and focus on household chores after becoming an empress?”
“So, would you please take away your anger at Duke Valer?”
“… What?” I stared at them, frowning blatantly. “You’re asking me to forgive those who tried to murder His Majesty?”
“Valer’s sins are indeed great, but the duke can’t be ignored. However, His Majesty only thinks of purging him right now. Sigh.”
“Isn’t that what an empress does in the first place? You should be by his side and help His Majesty make the right choice.”
“Anyway, once you become empress, you will need a base of support, so let’s take this opportunity to help each other.”
This ‘helping each other’ was asking me to become their puppets and sway His Majesty. I smiled and said to them.
“I guess everyone’s been kept in the dark.”
“Yes? Kept in the dark?”
“Valer is still alive because His Majesty is merciful. I was the one who wanted to cut it all off.”
The faces of the three people visibly wavered at my blunt statement.
“C-Cut it off.”
“P-Princess is inflexible.”
“Yes, I am a bit inflexible. I see an enemy; I cut them off. There is no room for extenuating circumstances.”
The three men were perplexed and began to look at each other. All three of them were thinking, ‘Oh, this isn’t it.’ I could read it intact.
“Valer is a family of rebels. With His Majesty’s mercy, the lives of those who should’ve been thrown out of the city, along with their servants and livestock, are saved.” I showed my anger without hiding it. A smile was on the corners of my lips, but I didn’t hide my piercing gaze.
The eyes of the three men began to shake like a stiffened frog before a snake. Oops, I must have touched the wrong person, they must be thinking.
“Are you guys trying to protect such a Valer right now?”
“N-N-No. They don’t deserve it!”
“I-I-It sounds like I’ve said something stupid. Forget about it, Princess. It was a mistake.”
“I see. I’m so glad. I almost cut off innocent people.” I put away my ferociousness and smiled. Despite my smile, the three of them didn’t smile at all. “I believe in your loyalty. Please do your best for His Majesty.”
The three of them hurriedly bowed their heads to me.  They must’ve thought I would be easy to manipulate, unlike Caesar.
‘Fools. Who do you think taught Caesar?’
Looking down at the three backs of the heads, I let out a snort.
***
“May I ask what you have done?” Two days later, Hamilton, who came to the duke’s residence to meet Father, asked as soon as he saw me.
“What are you saying as soon as you saw my face?”
“Rumors spread among the nobles. ‘If His Majesty is a wolf, then the princess is a demon king’.”
“Well, to say that a human suddenly became a demon king…” I wrinkled my brow and muttered.
I could guess the cause. The three people I met yesterday seemed quite frightened.
“They told His Majesty to forgive Valer, so I said I’d kill them if they said it one more time.”
“T-T-That’s terrible!” Hamilton gasped and opened his mouth. I nodded and replied.
“Yes. It’s terrible. How can they ask me to forgive Valer?”
“You have no mercy.”
“That’s not mercy. That’s a pushover.”
“Aaah, I’m doomed. It was my dream to serve a gentle and compassionate majesty and a warm and kind empress…!” Hamilton sobbed, cupping his face with his hands.
Are you seriously crying?
“Oops. I’m sorry for ruining your precious dream, Viscount.”
“Is there any chance you will change in a way that doesn’t shatter my dreams?”
“Because being kind to people is too troublesome-”
“Ahhh, how the hell do you breathe? Don’t you think it’s also troublesome?” Hamilton screamed. “It’s still before marriage, but the nickname of the future empress is already ‘demon king’…!”
“Isn’t it good? There won’t be any nobles who will tease me in the future.”
“It sounds like you’re going to be the bloodiest couple in history!” Hamilton groaned and suddenly grabbed his stomach and bent down. “Ugh… My stomach… My stomach hurts…!”
… I was sorry for some reason.
“Mm, excuse me.” I had nothing to do, but I quickly left Hamilton behind. After all, he didn’t come to the duke’s residence because he had business with me, so it wouldn’t matter. Otherwise, he would keep nagging as I stood in the hall.
‘I’m the demon king, anyway.’
Come to think of it. I think Dalton called me that when I accompanied the Red Knights to their summer training camp.
Am I that scary? I think I have lived a good and tolerant life in my own way. Sadly Marianne’s body and head aren’t separated.
“Ah, my lady.” As I was about to go up the stairs, Kegor, who had spotted me on the other side of the hallway, hurriedly approached me.
I wondered if there was any urgent business, so I stopped and waited for him.
“What’s going on?”
“Have you heard from the viscount? Miss Evergreen will come by tomorrow.”
“No, I haven’t. I see.”
He hadn’t even mentioned the important thing!
“She will come to prepare for the engagement ceremony. Like last time, I’m sure there’ll be a designer and a few carriages full of jewelry.”
“I guess so. Mmm. Could you clean the dressing room and prepare plenty of refreshments?”
“All right.”
The engagement preparations were finally starting.
My insistence that I didn’t like bothersome things was accepted, and the engagement ended with a modest party in the imperial palace. Even so, it was true that I had to meet many nobles, and this caused Rowena’s eyes to shine, saying she’d never let me go in vain.