喵绅HCMOIC士网页版

Chapter 107

Chapter 107

“Your Highness.”

A familiar title, yet uttered in an unfamiliar voice.

Above all, it was the last thing I expected to hear at the freshmen orientation.

I turned around instinctively.

There stood a male student wearing a second-year badge.

“May I speak with you for a moment?”

“…Follow me.”

Something felt amiss, so I led him outside.

“…Senior.”

I deliberately addressed him as ‘senior,’ hoping he might be mistaken.

I am a foreign exchange student here. I wanted him to understand that he shouldn’t address me that way.

But his response wasn’t what I had hoped for.

“Edvard of House Lauterbi greets Her Highness, the Fifth Princess.”

“….”

House Lauterbi.

I had heard of them, if not much.

They were a noble family aligned with the Second Princess’s faction. I had seen some of their members by my sister’s side.

This meant that this senior, this student, belonged to a family that served my sister, someone who could easily have me killed.

He could be here to monitor me, to report back to her.

“…I think there’s been a misunderstanding, Senior.”

I must bow even lower.

I came here to survive.

Some may say I maintained neutrality and honorably kept my promises, but that was also a means of survival.

Therefore, I cannot falter at such a simple test. My sister must be doubting me again.

“I am indeed of the Lasker royal bloodline. However, that only holds true in Lasker. Here, at the Imperial Academy, I am a student who has come to learn. For the next three years, I wish to be treated as an foreign exchange student, not a princess. I hope you understand my intentions.”

I believed that such a roundabout refusal would have been sufficient. I thought this was what the watcher, and my sister beyond him, wanted.

“…Your Highness.”

Yet, this man persisted in addressing me as a princess.

That’s when I found it strange.

“I won’t deny that I and my family were part of the Second Princess’s faction. However, Your Highness, Lasker is now drifting further away from the honor it once held so dear. Trust is broken daily, promises have become trivial, and loyalty is worth less than nothing.”

“…”

“All this has happened since the Second Princess’s victory. If we condone this, how can we call ourselves Lasker, the Kingdom of Knights?”

What is this man rambling about?

Just a while ago, he was with my sister, no, he even instigated her to eliminate all rivals, and now he’s saying what? That my sister’s victory is the problem?

If he says that, what does it make my Fourth Sister, and the nobles who followed her, and the few people who remained neutral, including myself?

“Your Highness, the Fifth Princess. Just say the word. If you lead us now, we are ready to follow you immediately. If you believe this is the Second Princess’s test, I swear on my family’s honor. This is an opportunity for you.”

“…”

“If we support you, would you reconsider? Would you fight a real fight, not a neutral one? Would you become someone more befitting the name of Lasker?”

I’m confused. My head aches. I can’t decide what to answer.

My reason screams no.

Never to say such things again.

But my instinct holds it back, saying it might be beneficial to hear him out.

“You must be wondering why we’re doing this. The reason is…”

His following words were.

At first, they believed the Second Princess was the best successor, but they realized she wasn’t. She showed too many unknightly behaviors.

She was autocratic, overly aggressive, and above all, motivated by something other than honor.

Those were the reasons they gave.

After hearing it all, I finally knew what to answer.

“Edvar of House Lauterbi.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

“You said you would give me a chance to return to politics.”

“That is correct. We can certainly make that happen.”

“Then this is my answer. I decline.”

“…Your Highness?”

Now I understand.

Why they suddenly approached me.

Why they abruptly abandoned my sister and chose me.

It’s not for Lasker, nor for their honor.

Those were just excuses.

They want this because my sister is becoming far more powerful than they anticipated.

They want her to rule the kingdom with absolute power, not through discussions and consensus with the nobles, but through her own unwavering will.

I know what kind of person my Second Sister is, even though we’re estranged now.

As they said, she focuses on things other than honor and readily abandons loyalty if necessary.

That’s certainly not right.

That’s why I chose neutrality and didn’t side with her.

However, I also chose neutrality for another reason, not siding with my Fourth Sister either.

“I know what the Second Princess is aiming for. It’s to effectively control and subdue you, the so-called descendants of great knights who, under the guise of honor, constantly try to rival the royal family.”

“…Your Highness.”

“Although her methods are excessive, there’s some truth to them. Yet, you dislike that very thing and are asking me to oppose my sister.”

Ah, now I understand. Now I’m certain.

Why my sister sent me to the Empire instead of keeping me in our home country.

She knew this would happen. She knew that factions dissatisfied with her would inevitably approach me.

She was considerate enough to send me away, so I wouldn’t be caught up in their problems since I didn’t oppose her.

What I thought was exile was actually a thoughtful arrangement. It was a message to avoid getting involved any further.

“Therefore, I decline.”

“Your Highness, please reconsider…”

“Enough. I’ll give you a chance. I’ll keep quiet about this, so don’t mention it again. You wouldn’t want to see your family fall apart because of the Second Princess, would you?”

I can’t talk about this anyway. If I do, I’ll likely become a target myself.

So I spoke as if I were offering them mercy.

Please, please let this be the end of it, I pleaded silently.

If I’m not careful, I could get involved despite my sister’s arrangements.

“…Then, Your Highness, do you intend to stand by and watch Lasker’s honor crumble?”

“Why would honor crumble? Are the actions taken to become king the actions that destroy honor?”

“The Second Princess is doing that right now. She continues to act excessively!”

“Are those excessive actions truly harming Lasker? Or are they harming you? I’m afraid I don’t know the answer.”

Cowards.

In my eyes, you are the most dishonorable ones.

You supported my sister to become queen to protect your own honor, no, your own reputation.

And now that she’s not being favorable to you, you’re trying to switch sides?

I must have seemed easier. You must have thought I’d be easier to manipulate.

Because I remained neutral until the end. Because I didn’t seem ambitious.

You might be partly right. I’m not interested in the throne. I’m content with living like this.

But I can say one thing for sure.

You’re wrong. I’m also a member of the royal family.

The path my sister is taking, though it may not be honorable, is undoubtedly for the sake of Lasker.

“This can’t be happening, Your Highness. This is all for Lasker…”

Tap Tap—

Just as the man was about to make another argument, or rather, force his opinion, the sound of someone tapping on the window from inside interrupted him.

“I wonder what you Lasker folks are discussing that’s getting louder and louder.”

And the person behind the voice was someone I had already met several times. It was none other than Karl Adelheit.

“You are…”

“I’ll be brief. If I had heard more, I could have offered some advice, but I just arrived and don’t know exactly what happened. Nevertheless, I’ll say one thing.”

He gripped the man’s shoulder tightly.

As a groan escaped the man’s lips, Karl continued.

“Let’s just stick to welcoming freshmen at the orientation. Don’t do anything foolish. If you cause trouble and get caught, we’ll all be in a very difficult situation.”

The man nodded profusely at Karl’s eerie warning.

Once Karl released him, he apologized and quickly hurried inside.

“Anyway.”

Clicking his tongue, Karl looked at me and said.

“Are you alright? It seemed like a difficult situation.”

I nodded in response to his question.

Strangely enough, he always seemed to be around whenever I found myself in trouble.

Perhaps he already knew everything that was going on between me and that man.

* * *

Sigh.

There’s always a troublemaker trying to muddy the waters.

Did he think I’d be easy prey just because I’m an exiled princess?

He claims to be a Lasker noble, but what a disappointment. You start hitting on your own kingdom’s princess right off the bat.

I have no intention of interfering with relationships between peers.

However, forcing a freshman to confess during the orientation is disgraceful behavior.

‘That’s way more out of line than my public confession. Totally!’

I have to put him on my watchlist.

His crime? Senior hitting on the newbie.