What I asked of Prince Philos instead of giving me a birthday present was to let me meet his older brother, Prince Alex, the likely next King.
But I was embarrassed when the topic of marriage came up.
As I stared silently, Prince Philos placed one hand on his chest and spoke seriously.
“Although I don’t have more than my brother, I can guarantee that I care about Young Lady more than you do. I can make Young Lady happier than you can.”
"Ah."
You said you had been thinking hard about my request for the past week, but you misinterpreted it strangely.
“So please choose me over him...”
“That’s not it.”
I cut it off before unnecessary misunderstandings got worse.
“I have no intention of marrying Your Royal Highness the Prince, nor His Royal Highness Prince Alex.”
Prince Philos asked incredulously.
“Really?”
“Of course. I don’t know why you misunderstood in the first place. Didn’t you know that I have a fiancé?”
Prince Philos kept his mouth shut. It meant that he knew.
Of course, it would be. My engagement with Perdes was rumored to be the romance of the century and spread throughout the continent.
What was stranger was that he didn't know.
“But why did you misunderstand like that?”
Prince Philos hesitated and could not answer easily.
“Did you really think I was such a shameless person who proposed to another man while my fiancé was still with me?”
“How could that be!”
Prince Philos was startled and denied it.
“It’s just that Young Lady’s fiancé is a bit of a problem, no, rather than a problem, it’s just that...”
And he started stammering and talking nonsense.
I felt like I knew what he wanted to say without even having to listen.
“His Highness Prince Perdes, my fiancé, is so foolish that you thought I had turned to someone else.”
Let me say that instead. Prince Philos blushed slightly and avoided my gaze.
“I didn’t necessarily think so.”
No, that's right.
Although his absurd misunderstanding was a little disconcerting, I understood why he had made such a misunderstanding.
“I tell you again, I have no intention of marrying either of you.”
“Then why did you want to meet my brother?”
“I have something to tell His Highness Prince Alex.”
At the same time, I wanted to meet him to propose a deal.
Because then I can achieve what I want.
“Could you please tell me?”
"Yes."
Prince Philos' expression darkened as I answered firmly.
He thought for a moment, then looked at me with a determined expression.
“Since it has come to this, I will get straight to the point.”
The eyes of Prince Philos looking at me were the most serious I've ever seen.
“I want to be King.”
It was as embarrassing as the idea of marrying me, but it was also a little interesting.
I hid my interest and asked him back.
“Why are you telling me that?”
“Because I need Young Lady’s help to become King.”
Hmm. The story is turning out to be more interesting than I thought.
Prince Philos took a deep breath and continued speaking as I looked at him as if telling him to continue speaking.
“Although there is no Crown Prince officially designated yet due to His Majesty the King’s decision, it is almost a foregone conclusion that my older brother will become the next King.”
Yes, Prince Alex actually became King.
“People think that way not because he is more capable, but because he is the eldest son.”
As with most countries, the Kingdom of Artina also had a rule of primogeniture unless the eldest son had a serious defect.
“Isn’t it truly unfair? It’s not like I wanted to be born late, but for that simple reason, I’m not even given the chance to become King.”
Prince Philos clenched his fist so hard that the blue tendons stood out.
“That’s why I want to become King even more.”
A burning desire appeared in his eyes.
“To those who always shout that the eldest son is the best, I want to show that other children can do it too.”
“So that’s why you’re asking me to help you. Most of the nobles of the Kingdom of Artina will be on His Highness Prince Alex’s side.”
“Yes. Some nobles support me, but most of them are in the same situation as me.”
Prince Philos smiled bitterly.
“That’s why I want Young Lady to help me. If it becomes known that Duke Leopold’s family supports me, it will be much easier to win the nobles over to my side.”
“I suppose you are also thinking of using the enormous financial power of the Leopold family there.”
“I won’t deny it.”
I laughed at the honest and serious answer, but I was also troubled.
Supporting Prince Philos was a big gamble.
Because, unless something unexpected happens, Prince Alex will become King shortly.
So it would have been right to refuse, but I couldn't do so because I saw myself in Prince Philos's appearance.
I feel very resentful and aggrieved at not being given the title of Duke just because I am a woman.
So, I couldn't refuse because I could clearly see myself struggling to get the position of Duke by any means necessary.
And because I knew the future, I knew a good way to make Prince Philos the King.
I just wanted to support Prince Alex because it felt safer and more comfortable...
“Okay, I’ll help you.”
This too would be a complete failure if Prince Alex refused, and I would have to wait until I could meet him, so I decided to take this opportunity that was right in front of me.
When I nodded, Prince Philos' face suddenly brightened like a full moon.
“Really?”
“Yes. But please grant me three requests.”
Of course, I had no intention of just helping Prince Philos.
“What do you want?”
I like the fact that you don't just say that you'll do it in a happy mood, but rather carefully touch on it and move on.
“First of all, I have many requests for Your Highness the Prince, so I hope you will carry them out without any complaints or doubts.”
“Unconditionally... You mean?”
“Yes. If you don’t like it, then decline now. I don’t want to waste my energy on it.”
I said firmly that if he tried to save face as a royal or asked why he had to do that, nothing would happen.
Prince Philos thought for a moment and then shook his head.
“No. I will do as Young Lady says.”
“You thought about it well.”
“Then what is your second request?”
“For the remaining requests, I would like you to write a memorandum instead of a verbal promise. Is that okay?”
A concrete guarantee was needed, as the Emperor had been forced to consent to the engagement between me and Perdes because of the memorandum.
Prince Philos' expression darkened slightly at my words.
He hesitated again and then nodded.
“Okay. Let’s write a memorandum so that we can trust each other more.”
“Then please sit on the sofa and wait for a moment.”
I sat Prince Philos down on the sofa, took a piece of paper out of the desk drawer, and wrote a memorandum.
Both the second and third required a memorandum, so I wrote them all up.
“Here it is.”
And first of all, I handed over the note containing the second request to Prince Philos.
“Please check the contents and if there are no problems, please stamp Your Highness’s seal.”
The reason I asked him to stamp it instead of signing it was to prevent him from saying anything else later.
Because the effect of the seal was unconditional.
His eyes grew wide beyond his limits as he checked the contents of the memorandum.
“Do you really... want this?”
Prince Philos asked me in a tone of utter disbelief.
“Yes, I want to.”
His eyes trembled helplessly as I answered firmly.
I looked straight into his eyes and told him what I had written in the memorandum.
“If Your Highness becomes King, I hope you will start a war and completely erase the Eleftheria Empire from the map of the continent.”
I wish I had some incredible power that could single-handedly destroy an empire, but unfortunately, I don't have that ability.
So, we had no choice but to borrow the power of the Allied Powers.
“...”
Prince Philos' expression changed from moment to moment.
His eyes, filled with shock, bewilderment, and absurdity, stared blankly at the memorandum, then soon disappeared between his eyelids.
Looks like you need some time to think.
Of course, it was not easy to decide on such an important and difficult issue.
I was about to say that I was satisfied with him not refusing outright and that I would give him time to think about it if he wanted, but Prince Philos asked.
“...If the Allied Powers and the Empire fight, what do you think the chances are that the Allied Powers will win?”
“As of now, it’s less than 10%.”
Is the empire called an empire for nothing?
It was impossible to defeat the Empire unless all the nations on the continent united.
Prince Philos's expression crumpled unpleasantly after hearing my answer.
“But why did you ask me this? We have no chance of winning...”
“There isn’t any right now, but if I help you, there will be one.”
If the power of the Allied Forces were added to the information I know, it would be enough to destroy the Eleftherian Empire.
Prince Philos looked back and forth between my face and the memorandum without saying a word. His eyes were stained with suspicion.
“I guess this is...”
“You must not forget my first request, Your Highness.”
Prince Philos kept his mouth shut.
“If you are going to break your promise, let’s just pretend this deal never happened.”
As I spoke firmly and tried to take the memorandum, Prince Philos hurriedly pulled his hand back.
“No. I will believe you.”
Then he took out the seal ring he was wearing around his neck and stamped it on the signature line.
The enchanted seal was smooth and well-made even without sealing wax or beeswax.
“You should take a seal of Young Lady too.”
“Please check this before that. This is my third request.”
Prince Philos, who checked the note containing the third request, smiled as if he had expected something like this, even though he was dumbfounded.
“Is this why you asked me to destroy the empire?”
I answered with a laugh and asked back.
“Will you listen to this too?”
Prince Philos also responded by stamping his seal on the signature box without saying a word.
This put the second button on the road to revenge in motion.
But I was embarrassed when the topic of marriage came up.
As I stared silently, Prince Philos placed one hand on his chest and spoke seriously.
“Although I don’t have more than my brother, I can guarantee that I care about Young Lady more than you do. I can make Young Lady happier than you can.”
"Ah."
You said you had been thinking hard about my request for the past week, but you misinterpreted it strangely.
“So please choose me over him...”
“That’s not it.”
I cut it off before unnecessary misunderstandings got worse.
“I have no intention of marrying Your Royal Highness the Prince, nor His Royal Highness Prince Alex.”
Prince Philos asked incredulously.
“Really?”
“Of course. I don’t know why you misunderstood in the first place. Didn’t you know that I have a fiancé?”
Prince Philos kept his mouth shut. It meant that he knew.
Of course, it would be. My engagement with Perdes was rumored to be the romance of the century and spread throughout the continent.
What was stranger was that he didn't know.
“But why did you misunderstand like that?”
Prince Philos hesitated and could not answer easily.
“Did you really think I was such a shameless person who proposed to another man while my fiancé was still with me?”
“How could that be!”
Prince Philos was startled and denied it.
“It’s just that Young Lady’s fiancé is a bit of a problem, no, rather than a problem, it’s just that...”
And he started stammering and talking nonsense.
I felt like I knew what he wanted to say without even having to listen.
“His Highness Prince Perdes, my fiancé, is so foolish that you thought I had turned to someone else.”
Let me say that instead. Prince Philos blushed slightly and avoided my gaze.
“I didn’t necessarily think so.”
No, that's right.
Although his absurd misunderstanding was a little disconcerting, I understood why he had made such a misunderstanding.
“I tell you again, I have no intention of marrying either of you.”
“Then why did you want to meet my brother?”
“I have something to tell His Highness Prince Alex.”
At the same time, I wanted to meet him to propose a deal.
Because then I can achieve what I want.
“Could you please tell me?”
"Yes."
Prince Philos' expression darkened as I answered firmly.
He thought for a moment, then looked at me with a determined expression.
“Since it has come to this, I will get straight to the point.”
The eyes of Prince Philos looking at me were the most serious I've ever seen.
“I want to be King.”
It was as embarrassing as the idea of marrying me, but it was also a little interesting.
I hid my interest and asked him back.
“Why are you telling me that?”
“Because I need Young Lady’s help to become King.”
Hmm. The story is turning out to be more interesting than I thought.
Prince Philos took a deep breath and continued speaking as I looked at him as if telling him to continue speaking.
“Although there is no Crown Prince officially designated yet due to His Majesty the King’s decision, it is almost a foregone conclusion that my older brother will become the next King.”
Yes, Prince Alex actually became King.
“People think that way not because he is more capable, but because he is the eldest son.”
As with most countries, the Kingdom of Artina also had a rule of primogeniture unless the eldest son had a serious defect.
“Isn’t it truly unfair? It’s not like I wanted to be born late, but for that simple reason, I’m not even given the chance to become King.”
Prince Philos clenched his fist so hard that the blue tendons stood out.
“That’s why I want to become King even more.”
A burning desire appeared in his eyes.
“To those who always shout that the eldest son is the best, I want to show that other children can do it too.”
“So that’s why you’re asking me to help you. Most of the nobles of the Kingdom of Artina will be on His Highness Prince Alex’s side.”
“Yes. Some nobles support me, but most of them are in the same situation as me.”
Prince Philos smiled bitterly.
“That’s why I want Young Lady to help me. If it becomes known that Duke Leopold’s family supports me, it will be much easier to win the nobles over to my side.”
“I suppose you are also thinking of using the enormous financial power of the Leopold family there.”
“I won’t deny it.”
I laughed at the honest and serious answer, but I was also troubled.
Supporting Prince Philos was a big gamble.
Because, unless something unexpected happens, Prince Alex will become King shortly.
So it would have been right to refuse, but I couldn't do so because I saw myself in Prince Philos's appearance.
I feel very resentful and aggrieved at not being given the title of Duke just because I am a woman.
So, I couldn't refuse because I could clearly see myself struggling to get the position of Duke by any means necessary.
And because I knew the future, I knew a good way to make Prince Philos the King.
I just wanted to support Prince Alex because it felt safer and more comfortable...
“Okay, I’ll help you.”
This too would be a complete failure if Prince Alex refused, and I would have to wait until I could meet him, so I decided to take this opportunity that was right in front of me.
When I nodded, Prince Philos' face suddenly brightened like a full moon.
“Really?”
“Yes. But please grant me three requests.”
Of course, I had no intention of just helping Prince Philos.
“What do you want?”
I like the fact that you don't just say that you'll do it in a happy mood, but rather carefully touch on it and move on.
“First of all, I have many requests for Your Highness the Prince, so I hope you will carry them out without any complaints or doubts.”
“Unconditionally... You mean?”
“Yes. If you don’t like it, then decline now. I don’t want to waste my energy on it.”
I said firmly that if he tried to save face as a royal or asked why he had to do that, nothing would happen.
Prince Philos thought for a moment and then shook his head.
“No. I will do as Young Lady says.”
“You thought about it well.”
“Then what is your second request?”
“For the remaining requests, I would like you to write a memorandum instead of a verbal promise. Is that okay?”
A concrete guarantee was needed, as the Emperor had been forced to consent to the engagement between me and Perdes because of the memorandum.
Prince Philos' expression darkened slightly at my words.
He hesitated again and then nodded.
“Okay. Let’s write a memorandum so that we can trust each other more.”
“Then please sit on the sofa and wait for a moment.”
I sat Prince Philos down on the sofa, took a piece of paper out of the desk drawer, and wrote a memorandum.
Both the second and third required a memorandum, so I wrote them all up.
“Here it is.”
And first of all, I handed over the note containing the second request to Prince Philos.
“Please check the contents and if there are no problems, please stamp Your Highness’s seal.”
The reason I asked him to stamp it instead of signing it was to prevent him from saying anything else later.
Because the effect of the seal was unconditional.
His eyes grew wide beyond his limits as he checked the contents of the memorandum.
“Do you really... want this?”
Prince Philos asked me in a tone of utter disbelief.
“Yes, I want to.”
His eyes trembled helplessly as I answered firmly.
I looked straight into his eyes and told him what I had written in the memorandum.
“If Your Highness becomes King, I hope you will start a war and completely erase the Eleftheria Empire from the map of the continent.”
I wish I had some incredible power that could single-handedly destroy an empire, but unfortunately, I don't have that ability.
So, we had no choice but to borrow the power of the Allied Powers.
“...”
Prince Philos' expression changed from moment to moment.
His eyes, filled with shock, bewilderment, and absurdity, stared blankly at the memorandum, then soon disappeared between his eyelids.
Looks like you need some time to think.
Of course, it was not easy to decide on such an important and difficult issue.
I was about to say that I was satisfied with him not refusing outright and that I would give him time to think about it if he wanted, but Prince Philos asked.
“...If the Allied Powers and the Empire fight, what do you think the chances are that the Allied Powers will win?”
“As of now, it’s less than 10%.”
Is the empire called an empire for nothing?
It was impossible to defeat the Empire unless all the nations on the continent united.
Prince Philos's expression crumpled unpleasantly after hearing my answer.
“But why did you ask me this? We have no chance of winning...”
“There isn’t any right now, but if I help you, there will be one.”
If the power of the Allied Forces were added to the information I know, it would be enough to destroy the Eleftherian Empire.
Prince Philos looked back and forth between my face and the memorandum without saying a word. His eyes were stained with suspicion.
“I guess this is...”
“You must not forget my first request, Your Highness.”
Prince Philos kept his mouth shut.
“If you are going to break your promise, let’s just pretend this deal never happened.”
As I spoke firmly and tried to take the memorandum, Prince Philos hurriedly pulled his hand back.
“No. I will believe you.”
Then he took out the seal ring he was wearing around his neck and stamped it on the signature line.
The enchanted seal was smooth and well-made even without sealing wax or beeswax.
“You should take a seal of Young Lady too.”
“Please check this before that. This is my third request.”
Prince Philos, who checked the note containing the third request, smiled as if he had expected something like this, even though he was dumbfounded.
“Is this why you asked me to destroy the empire?”
I answered with a laugh and asked back.
“Will you listen to this too?”
Prince Philos also responded by stamping his seal on the signature box without saying a word.
This put the second button on the road to revenge in motion.
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