Chapter 92
“Ria says she likes you because you’re serious, so what can we do?”
Grandmother said in a strangely sullen tone.
Hermann looked between me and grandmother with a troubled expression.
“I don’t know what to say… but…”
He hesitated for a moment and then handed over some documents.
Grandmother took the papers and quickly skimmed through them.
“Is this the list of candidates for the estate administrator?”
I glanced at the papers from the sofa. The documents contained detailed information about several people. Hermann’s information was included as well.
“Yes. We narrowed it down to four people from the branch and the elders, and I also ended up on the list,” he said solemnly.
“I know I’m not very qualified, but the council felt strongly that I should be included…”
Grandmother nodded.
“You’re more than a suitable candidate.”
But Hermann still looked embarrassed.
‘I guess he still feels uneasy about it,’ I thought.
Hermann was the chair of the council and had proven himself more capable than anyone. The only issue was that he had used his skills against grandmother before.
‘But that’s not relevant right now.’
Once Cainton, who had been manipulating things within the council, disappeared, the elders regained their composure. Jaden, who had been intimidating the vassals claiming he should be the head, had been quiet lately.
Now, with grandmother’s legitimacy secured, there was no reason for the elders not to support Abner.
“Whether it’s the estate administrator or the princess’s assistant… it’s far too much for me,” Hermann said quietly but with conviction.
“I’m already grateful for being allowed to keep my current position, and it feels wrong to just take such a prestigious role…”
I finally spoke up.
“True. Being the estate administrator is a little too much.”
Hermann’s eyes widened slightly. Grandmother also looked at me, surprised.
“But the role of my personal assistant isn’t too much! If you hear me out, it would suit Hermann perfectly.”
Hermann and grandmother looked at each other. Grandmother finally said what she had been waiting to say:
“Sit down first. Let’s hear Ria’s opinion.”
Hermann sat down, looking embarrassed. I made sure both of them were paying attention and then spoke seriously.
“Being my personal assistant is really tough,” I said, and added an explanation.
“For one, I have to investigate all the noble families in the empire while I complete the gifted program at the academy.”
Hermann let out a small “huh” sound. It made sense—it wasn’t just a few nobles, it was every noble family in the empire.
“If any nobles are hostile toward Abner or have shady connections, I need to find their weaknesses to keep them in check.”
Grandmother looked a little impressed, and Hermann was now sweating nervously.
“The most important is the Longton family…”
When I mentioned the Longtons, their eyes became serious. As Abner’s long-time rivals, the family naturally drew their attention.
“They have three sons, but the youngest hasn’t completed the gifted program yet.”
Basically, the academy’s gifted program was for scholars over 18 to explore various studies, but sometimes it trained young talents directly.
“That’s the gifted program,” I explained.
“Normally, kids enter around age twelve and study for three years. So the youngest son would start next year.”
Hermann nodded.
“Correct. The Longton sons are currently twelve, thirteen, and sixteen, right?”
“Yes. So I plan to enter the gifted program at the same time as the youngest Longton son.”
There was a moment of silence in the office. After a while, grandmother cautiously asked,
“You mean… next year?”
“Yes! Next spring!”
“You’re only five years old!”
“Yes!”
Grandmother let out a long sigh.
“I thought you’d aim to enroll as the youngest in front of the emperor, so I expected you’d start the year after next or later.”
“I can study hard even if I start now!”
“There’s nothing to say,” Hermann said calmly, having listened quietly until now.
“So, what’s the princess’s plan?” he asked seriously.
Hermann looked at me with a very serious expression.
“Are you planning to enter at the same time as the youngest Longton son and outperform him academically?”
“Hmm…”
I paused to think. He was right. I did plan to rank first in the gifted program at least once.
‘Owen graduated top of his class, so there’s no reason I can’t!’
Besides, the academy’s gifted program was something I had wanted to attend even in my previous life. I couldn’t go back then because the Duke of Longton wouldn’t allow it.
‘Judging from the graduation thesis I just saw, it looks manageable.’
The theses were created by the best young scholars in the empire and the eastern continent, but to me, they looked like nothing more than regular academic essays.
Owen had always been shocked at how easily I understood things like this.
‘Scary, really scary. Patterns that take others ten years to figure out, I just notice instantly. When asked for the secret, I just say “I can see it!”’
‘Well… what else can I do if I just see it?’
‘Listen, student. Just a tip, don’t say things like that in front of others.’
‘Why not?’
‘It makes them feel inadequate… something you’ll never understand.’
Given this, I was confident I could keep up with the program even if I enrolled next year.
‘And the Longtons are acting a bit strange.’
I had expected assassins from the Longtons to keep coming after Brook, but they suddenly stopped. Probably because the Duke regained Hiana, though I wasn’t sure.
Still, I thought it might be that I had become the princess and could no longer be interfered with.
The real issue was:
‘Hiana herself is unusual.’
I remembered when she intervened while Bella was harassing me at the banquet. She had shouted, “There’s grass on the corsage!” which revealed Bella’s actions to everyone.
‘I doubt it was an accident. She pretended to be naive, but clearly intended to make Bella look bad.’
Since that kind of maneuvering had been my specialty since my reincarnation, I could tell immediately.
‘Then Hiana was trying to help me.’
Which was strange—this life, we didn’t even know each other. In the previous life, we weren’t on good terms either.
‘…Whatever the case, I need to keep an eye on her.’
But I couldn’t think of a way to observe Hiana or the Longtons directly. Their family relations were too complicated, and frankly, it felt like a burden.
‘Being classmates in the gifted program is perfect.’
The only way I could attempt contact was through the youngest Longton son, Louis, who would just be starting the program.
“Well… Longtons have always been Abner’s rivals. Lambert Longton was always rude to grandmother too.”
Hermann looked at me seriously. I continued:
“I want to gather a lot of information, find their weaknesses, and get revenge!”
“……I see.”
“So if I observe the youngest son, we can use the information later!”
That was exactly what I meant. Thinking about my past life dealing with the Longtons still made my heart race.
I wanted no involvement if possible, but if I had to, I wanted it to be in the direction of revenge.
At that moment, Hermann touched his forehead.
“You speak truly wisely.”
Then, somehow, he muttered in a reverent tone:
“I, too, have always wanted to make a plan like this.”
His eyes widened.
“Abner has recovered a lot compared to before. I knew the Longtons would soon start scheming behind the scenes.”
“…….”
“I’ve always felt the burden of preparing for that… and the princess is thinking several steps ahead of me.”
His eyes grew serious, and he sighed.
“I will follow you to the empire. Whatever hard work you need done, I will do my best as an act of atonement.”
Meanwhile…
CRASH—!
A cloud of dust rose from the walls of an ancient castle.
Under the clear autumn sky, the southern fortress of the empire was undergoing repair.
“You went too far left. Adjust the direction slightly,” said Theo, the head of the Mage Tower, directing the work.
And from below, a small child cried out:
“Whoa! That’s breaking! It can’t break there!”
Theo immediately raised a hand and cast a detailed, large-scale barrier over the spot the child pointed to.
