"What...?”
“The knight under my direct control almost suffered great harm. Am I sane right now?”
“...!”
Hearing Eve's words without a trace of laughter, Stephania and Derek shook their shoulders in shock.
Only then did they realize that Eve was in an unusual mood.
Because of the backlight, Eve's appearance was as dark as a shadow, and only her amber eyes were looking down at them.
This was being lifted up.
It looked like a beautiful glow from Stephania and Derek's angles.
“Sis, Sister, look at her eyes..."
“Why is she like this today? She wasn't this kind of kid..."
“I wonder if she got sick of being stuck in a corner of the room doing alchemy..”
“Anyway, that’s true. I just scolded the knight under her direct reports..."
I heard everything.
I immediately raised one hand. Once again, conducting was conducted without music.
Duung!
“Aaaah!”
“Kwaaaak!”
An invisible force oppressed Stephania and Derek.
Stephania knelt down and Derek fell down like a four-legged animal and put his head on the ground.
There was no trace of the imperial family's physical stamina whatsoever.
“I, I, I can’t get up."
“Oh my... My body is heavy... Ugh, what's this..."
I once again gave a friendly explanation.
“This is step 2 of real-life gardening magic. It is useful when you need to tamp down the soil again after plowing it. Well, it’s just gravity magic."
“Are you really not afraid of the aftermath?”
I responded calmly.
“Then, are you going to cover it with dirt and press it down so there are no repercussions?”
“...!”
Stephania and Derek slumped their shoulders at the words, which felt deeply sincere.
They looked at each other and whispered while crying.
“Sister, sister, I know very well, but those are eyes that cannot see..."
“Well, I guess so. It would be better not to provoke her..."
It seemed like the conversation was finally progressing a bit.
“It looks like you have something to say. Why did you call Michael to a place like this without my knowledge? Cover him with dirt?”
“Oh, no, we just... The knight under your direct command is neglecting his ‘duty of service’. I was just trying to give him some mental education because there were rumors going around.”
After being silent for about three seconds, I asked what I understood.
"Therefore... You scolded Michael for neglecting my nightly service?”
"Yes!"
"Yes!"
Stephania and Derek shouted at the same time.
It was as if he was relieved by the words.
Of course, my mood was not relieved at all.
The usual bright light in the amber eyes was fading away.
After a moment, I waved my hand in the air.
Patter!
“Kaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa?!”
“Woah, wow!”
Dirt from the edges poured into the hole.
Stephania and Derek were frightened as they saw the pile of dirt growing like an hourglass.
“Well, I answered! Why are you doing this!”
“S-Stop! Save me, Eve!"
I didn't really intend to bury them alive, so I stopped the level of the dirt pile at about waist level.
I fixed my gaze on Stephania and asked again.
“Who ordered this?”
“I don’t want you to waste your time. I’ve already heard the same thing, people talking about poetry at night, at tea time.”
“Then why do you need to ask what you know?”
“There’s nothing I can do if the only evidence is my heart. I have no choice but to hold the two criminals in front of me responsible for all the crimes. As you can see, I am quite well-versed in real-life gardening magic.”
“You, you, crazy..."
At this point, it seems Stephania couldn't hold back the swearing.
Stephania comes to terms with the reality of being subservient to me, whom she had looked down on for so long.
I couldn't decide.
She maintained her pride until the end.
“Eve, you are making a mistake! Do you think there will be no repercussions even if you dare touch me and Derek?”
“Ah, I can’t believe you’re trying to teach me even in a dirt pit. Nia is truly a role model for older Princesses.”
The sound of Stephania's molars grinding was heard.
“Me and Derek can’t leave now. Do you think I'll just come out and stay still? No, it's not? Order Sir Wint right away."
As soon as the barrier is lifted, the surveillance golems will flock in!
“I’m staying quiet because I don’t want to make a fuss that could lead to a scandal!”
“I didn’t know that my sister and brother were people who cared about such things.”
"Hey! Of course! There is talk of my younger brother Derek becoming engaged to Elphys Hillenion.”
"Oh yeah? Congratulations."
I clapped half-heartedly.
Stephania felt as if she was bursting with heat.
“You don’t know Elphys? She is said to be the next successor to the famous Duke Hillenion. Therefore, Derek, who will marry Elphys, will become the Duke! You’ve just touched the future Duke!”
“My brother has such a bright future ahead of him. I did not know."
“Listen seriously!”
The marriage talk with Duke Hillenion was a great event.
In terms of status, the imperial family was higher than the nobles.
However, since the Emperors had 18 children, only when one was in the top three in line to the throne did receive proper royal treatment.
Other members of the royal family, especially those without a peerage like me, were in a worse situation than the second daughter or second son of a decent Count.
When I just reached my age in the imperial palace, the order was to stay until the end of the reign and then leave the palace immediately after getting married or the coronation ceremony of one's siblings.
So, in the Hadelamid Empire, the term 'just' a Princess or a Prince was used as a joke.
Compared to members of the royal family who had nothing, the position of Duchess or concubine must have been a great position.
If these marriage talks go through, Derek will become an exemplary example of a Prince who has successfully married.
However, unfortunately for Stephania and Derek, there was no 'Duke Derek' in my memories from my past life.
‘The Duke and Duchess think they can be anyone. And my target is the Crown Princess, but they are targeting the Duchess's husband instead of the Duke?'
It was natural that I was unimpressed.
“You don’t know what’s going on in this world, how can you be so carefree when you mess with the future Duke! Oh, it's not just any duchy, it's the Hillenion duchy! As for the Hillenion family..."
I waved my hand and cut off her words.
“This is an upright family that values principles and honor. I don’t know if a family like that would want to bring in a son-in-law with a broken personality.”
“W-what...?!”
“Interesting. My brother summoned his half-sister's knight to a secret place and confronted him while he was defenseless. How will they get out of the Duke's family if they hear that you ordered it to do so? Indeed, will my brother and Lady Hillenion’s engagement be successfully concluded?”
“...!”
It was a nice backlash.
Stephania's eyes looked as if they would pop out and her mouth opened wide.
She probably wouldn't be able to keep her mouth shut even if I scooped dirt into her mouth and fed it to her right now.
“Nuh-uh..."
Derek looked at Stephania with puzzled eyes.
She soon calmed down and walked out.
“Are you going to tell the duchy?”
“I saw it.”
“That’s funny, Eve. Do you think the Duke and Lady will listen if you tell them? No, should I meet you there? For a princess with no friends or connections, your dreams are too foolish.”
It meant understanding the topic well.
I completely agree that Duke Hillenion and his wife would not give us time for this.
It was clear that this would be viewed as a power struggle within the imperial palace between members of the royal family who had no backs.
Nevertheless, I smiled leisurely.
'Smile?'
Stephania had an ominous feeling.
Soon I spoke.
“Nia, too. In today’s world, who goes out of their way to deliver the news?”
I looked at the lace sleeves as if to show off.
A silver-gray object the size of a ripe apple was held in my right hand.
Its identity was clear as it wanted to fly into the sky, waving its long tail.
“Go, surveillance golem!”
The surveillance goal brought in by me had so far regarded the situation inside the barrier as an 'abnormal phenomenon' and had begun recording videos.
In the future, if a mid-level or higher wizard injected magical power into contact, the information would be read into his mind, so it was perfect as physical evidence.
I held the surveillance golem like a beloved pet and opened my mouth.
The name of a clear route to contact the Hillenion duchy has been revealed.
“I can report it to the Empire’s live media, the Hadelun Times.”
“...!”
My smile brightened as I added, 'I don't need a friend or connection.'
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