SSS-Class Suicide Hunter

Chapter 369: Reverse Scale (3)

5.

Just because I don't do something, doesn't mean I can't.

"Summon the Blue Lion Knights."

Right after I left Raviel's bedroom, I commanded the ducal household staff.

The ducal servants showed a clear sign of dismay. Well, it must be surprising. After all, I had never interfered with the affairs of the Duke Ivansia's family before.

For the servants who had spent half a day kissing the cold hallway floor because of blocked acupoints had their faces twisted in anguish.

"Lady, with all due respect, even if you are the lady of the house, commanding the knights is something you can't just…"

"Did you think I couldn't? Ta-da. Turns out I can."

I pulled a family crest from my pocket and showed it to them.

"Raviel has given me full authority. My commands are as good as those coming from the mouth of Duke of Ivansia itself. If you're not thinking of switching your jobs to being rebels, then just follow quietly."

"..."

The servants gritted their teeth and glared at the family crest, as if staring it down would somehow turn it into a fake.

I smirked.

"Why? If you doubt me, why don't you run and ask the Duke whether my words are true or bullshit? Of course, all that would do is add another footprint to your already trampled pride, but every experience is precious. It will serve as nourishment for your lives."

"...We will, obey your command.... Duchess."

"Oh, thank you."

I pocketed the family crest and waved my hand flippantly. I gestured with an angle specifically designed to irritate humans the most, mimicking Yoo Soo-ha's pose. In some ways, isn't that the best example?

"So, why are you dawdling around? Get to work. Do you think you get your meals for free? I knew Ivansia did charity work for its citizens, but I didn't realize that extended to feeding the servants for free too. Eh? As your lady, I must have neglected household duties too much, right?"

"...Grit!"

"If you have time to grit your teeth, then accept the command first. Summon the knights."

"Knights, assemble!"

The servants scattered, each with a look of 'let's see about that.'

Of course, I wasn't scared at all. From the moment they neglected to protect Raviel from possible poisoning, they were going to get chewed out by me repeatedly.

They hadn't realized yet that they weren't marking me; I was the one marking them, and they wouldn't need much time to figure that out.

"Sylvia Evanail."

"Ah, yes. My, my lord..."

After issuing the summoning order, I called Sylvia.

The household members following me had already taken control of the ducal annex. Among them, close aides waited in the corridor outside the bedroom, and Sylvia, previously known as the Lady of the Golden Silk, was among them.

Sylvia cautiously gauged my expression.

"I'm glad to see you seem to be in a better mood than earlier…"

Ah, just for reference, from Sylvia's perspective, I had come out of the bedroom just an hour after entering.

In reality, Raviel and I had been playing around repeating the same day for about two weeks. We perceived time differently.

"So, how did I seem earlier?"

"Do you want an honest answer, or one that sounds nice?"

"Just be honest."

"A lunatic who was already a lunatic had his eyes rolling back as he twitched the corners of his lips in a smile. Oh, this bastard can become even crazier, wow, he seems to be trying to break the limits of the term 'lunatic.'"

I chuckled bitterly.

Sylvia speaking like this meant that my mood had significantly improved. The fact that she felt safe enough to joke showed that my expression was very favorable.

"Sylvia. I have something I want to ask you."

"What is it?"

"You used to date the Crown Prince seriously, even discussing marriage. So, I'm curious, did the Crown Prince truly love you?"

"..."

Sylvia furrowed her brows.

"…Wow. This is an unexpected question."

Her slightly furrowed brows were still filled with the distinctive arrogance of nobility. In a good way, it was dignified; in a bad way, it was disgusting.

Indeed. Although she is now the head servant of our household, originally she was a lady who, along with Raviel, dominated the social circles of the empire.

"Love? Hmm. Did the Crown Prince love me, you ask? If you ask whether he fell for me, well, I seduced him, so of course he did, but umm."

Sylvia tapped her chin thoughtfully.

"…Probably not. No. The love you're speaking of, my lord, it wasn't that."

"Why do you say that?"

"Since I've been taken into your care, my lord, the Crown Prince has not once sought me out."

Sylvia simply stated the facts.

"Do you know what we talked about the most when it was just the two of us?"

"I can't imagine."

"Try to use your imagination. Gossip, it's gossip. Whenever we met, we would badmouth the Lady of the Silver Lily… Ah, I guess I shouldn't refer to her that way anymore. Anyway, we disparaged the Duke Ivansia."

Sylvia sighed and shrugged her shoulders.

"The reason we deliberately chose dating spots where students could see us was not anything trivial. We wanted someone to witness us flirting and then go and tattle to Duke Ivansia."

"To make Raviel feel humiliated?"

"Yes."

"You were a more pathetic couple than I thought…."

"How else would you expect? You, ah, sorry. You know best, my lord. Duke Ivansia is someone who wouldn't be shaken by what others do."

Sylvia narrowed her eyes.

"Her only weakness was love. Love. The Crown Prince had no other way to shake the Duke of Ivansia except by cheating with me. That's all he knew."

"..."

"Falling short in studies, diplomacy, administration, public affection, and even schemes. Probably would be the same in swordsmanship too? Despite being born in the most noble imperial family in the empire, there was not a single thing he was better at than the Duke of Ivansia."

"So you're saying he wanted to have a secret affair with you to feel superior to Raviel?"

"Yes."

"He's trash after all."

"Is this your first time seeing trash?"

Sylvia replied nonchalantly.

"There are many like him in the world."

A lot.

The problem is, even if there are many such people in the world, it just had to be that this one is the imperial Crown Prince.

"…Up until now, I've left him alone as a warning to behave. It seems that won't work anymore."

Sylvia raised her head to look at me. I also looked at Sylvia and spoke.

"I'll bring him down."

Sylvia's eyes widened, but that was it. The surprise she showed was just to that extent.

Rather, what Sylvia said next surprised me.

"Mmm. I'd rather oppose that…"

"Why? Out of loyalty to an old lover?"

"Loyalty my ass. No, it's just easier if the Crown Prince ascends to the emperor's throne." (ED: The actual Idiom used here is different i.e. in Korean but the meaning is the same as I have used. As I wasn't able to make any sense in english I used an alternative here.)

"What do you mean?"

"That man won't be able to rule the empire smoothly once he becomes emperor."

Sylvia asserted confidently.

"At most 10 years, at least 5 years, it will start—Voices condemning the emperor's incompetence and cruelty, from nobles and commoners alike. Then, wouldn't it be totally easy for the Ivansia duchy to oust the emperor right at that moment?"

"..."

"Well, of course we can replace the Crown Prince easily even now if we want to. Easily. Since the real power of the empire is already shifting to Ivansia. But the people don't yet understand what a fool the Crown Prince is. If Ivansia is to become the new imperial family, it's better to have the people's support at that point… …What? Why are you looking at me like that?"

"No. It's just unexpected. You do have a knack for politics."

Sylvia made a face as if she had eaten shit.

"Look here. If it weren't for you, my lord, I would have become the Crown Princess and then the Empress, and brought down the Duke Ivansia myself… Right?"

Yes, that's right. Sylvia was also a regressor.

"It's a pertinent piece of advice, but the head chamberlain seems to be under a misapprehension."

"A misapprehension?"

"Yes. I do intend to bring down the Crown Prince, but I am not particularly hoping that Raviel becomes the new emperor."

"Eh? Why not?"

I answered calmly.

"It's obvious. If she becomes emperor, then Raviel, who is already busy, will become even busier than now."

"..."

Sylvia parted her lips.

"...Really? Really for such a trivial reason?"

"Rather, I don't know what other reason would be more necessary than this."

"You crazy nutj…. I mean, right. That's something you would do, family head. More than that. Damn. It's annoying when I'm with you, the standard by which I weigh everything in the world gets weird."

Sylvia scratched the back of her head and muttered, 'That's why such a woman and you could fall in love with each other.'

"So, you just want to replace the Crown Prince but keep the royal family as it is, right?"

"Bingo."

"Then… we'll need to elevate someone else, maybe the Second Prince, Third Prince, First Princess, Fourth Prince, or Second Princess. Damn it. Am I the only vassal familiar with the empire's affairs who was chosen to be your counselor because of this?"

Sylvia grumbled.

"If you ask me to recommend someone, it would be the Second Prince. He might not have the ability to think for himself, but he's not capable of messing things up on his own like the Crown Prince. He's harmless."

"Is there no one among the royals who would be a wise or virtuous emperor, or who shows any potential for greatness?"

Sylvia snorted.

"If there were someone like that, would the Crown Prince have maintained his position?"

She was the head chamberlain indeed, striking with the facts.

6.

The next day, Raviel and I entered the imperial palace.

It wasn't the real palace in the capital city. Sormwyn had grown into the second capital, and accordingly, a separate palace had been established there. Coincidentally, the Emperor was staying here at the time.

"If it had been the capital's palace, he wouldn't have dared to order a poisoning through a servant."

Raviel said.

"However, this place is different. Apart from His Majesty's personal attendants, most of the servants here are those of the Crown Prince's faction. It would have been relatively easy to plot a poisoning."

Of course, it was only relatively speaking.

The Crown Prince had mobilized all his connections and power to orchestrate this assassination. However, only two servants at the annex were actually involved in the poisoning.

Had we not known, it would have just been the Crown Prince's last desperate flail, but now we were fully aware of who participated in the poisoning.

During the past 2 weeks of fun. Nearly half a month of rest, Raviel and I weren't just confined to enjoying decadence in our bedroom. We had gathered information about the servants' families, their home circumstances, and their ties to the Crown Prince.

"Please, I beg you, show mercy at least to my family…! I am willing to be enslaved. Even if you cut my body into pieces and throw it into the sea, I will accept it willingly. Please. Just spare my family...."

We were able to easily extract confessions from the servants.

The perpetrators' confessions were immediately reported to the Emperor. Initially skeptical, the Emperor could only groan after interrogating the culprits himself.

"How foolish. Was that child really so foolish…"

The Emperor lamented.

It was distressing for him as the chosen successor was his son. However, I was prepared to bring even greater sorrow to the Emperor.

"Your Majesty. The foolishness of trying to poison Duke Ivansia is shocking enough, but the foolishness you need to scrutinize is even more disastrous."

"...What is it, o ruler from another world?"

The Emperor regarded me not as the Duchess of Ivansia but as a monarch from the Lion World.

At formal occasions, I would hold the Emperor in the highest regard, but in a secure space like this, the Emperor himself did not insist on maintaining his dignity or authority.

"The Crown Prince has currently gone hunting with his close aides. According to intelligence, his equipment is unusually substantial for just a hunting trip."

I cocked my head.

"He even had his horse armored. Isn't that too armed for merely hunting beasts?"

"..."

The Emperor's silence grew heavy.

Although he was being betrayed by his own son, he was originally an astute monarch. He must have instantly grasped the hidden meaning in my words.

The Emperor turned and commanded his grand chamberlain (the old man who had adopted me as his son),

"Go immediately to check the guards at both the main and rear gates."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

The old man quickly inspected the security at the annex and returned.

"Your Majesty. There was nothing unusual at the main gate, but the guard supposed to be at the rear gate was absent, and the number of his underlings present wasn't even half the required contingent."

"Ah."

The Emperor sighed deeply.

"Is that child truly…. Truly intending to harm me?"

No one responded.

Raviel remained silent throughout. Her mere presence was enough.

Reporting the poisoning, detailing the confessions of the culprits, and clarifying the Crown Prince's intentions—such words that might be interpreted as disloyalty to the Emperor were spoken only by me.

Even when reporting the tragedy to the Emperor, I spoke not as the Duchess of Ivansia but as a representative from another world. It was better not to create grounds for future accusations.

"Your Majesty. Please summon the Crown Prince who has gone hunting."

I pushed for a decisive action.

"If the Crown Prince is innocent, he will respond to the Emperor's call. There's no reason for him to refuse. However, if he indeed orchestrated all this tragedy, he might flee, fearing his plans have been exposed."

"...Very well. It shall be done."

The Emperor followed my advice and sent a messenger.

A breathlessly tense period followed.

It was a while before the messenger returned. The imperial chamberlain whispered something to the messenger. After the messenger left the audience chamber, the chamberlain spoke up.

"Your Majesty."

"Is the child coming…?"

"I regret to report, but the Crown Prince has turned his horse around and left with his men."

Silence fell in the audience chamber.

During that time, the Emperor seemed to age five years. Despite the arrival of beings from another world and maintaining calm to govern the empire as peacefully as possible, the rebellion of his son seemed to have broken his heart.

"Duke…"

For the first time, the Emperor addressed the Duke.

Raviel, as if she had been waiting, slowly bowed her head.

"Yes, Your Majesty. Speak."

"What should I do for you, Duke…?"

"I shall remain loyal to Your Majesty as always."

This incident was not an excuse for Raviel to rebel against the empire. That was what she conveyed.

The Emperor closed his mouth again.

Silence flowed.

"…I have truly done you wrong."

The voice that came from the Emperor's mouth sounded less like that of a ruler of an empire and more like that of a father of a child.

"I have long known my son was lacking and foolish. I also knew you were a clever child. Even if he was lacking, I thought he would be able to manage the country well with your support, but was that judgment also blinded by my fatherly love? Even that."

"...Your Majesty."

"It was already over from the moment I abandoned you and became infatuated with the baron's daughter. How can I blame only my son for being foolish? My foolishness is greater."

"Your Majesty has always shown interest and favor to this humble subject since the days I was a young lady."

"I'm sorry."

The Emperor closed his eyes.

"...The Crown Prince is no longer the Crown Prince of the empire. Nor will he be my son anymore."

At this moment, the fate of the Crown Prince was decided.

He was born a prince, but he would not die as one.

"Let the House of Duke Ivansia handle this matter."

That day, I led the Duke's knights in pursuit of the Crown Prince.