LS2RW 95

CHAPTER 95……………………….

We immediately rushed to the imperial palace.

I talked with Leonhardt in the carriage, but it didn’t seem like he had any particular concerns either.

When we entered the audience chamber, the emperor appeared shortly after, patting his round belly.

“Oh, Duke, you’re here? And my prince, long time no see.”

“Your Majesty, have you been well?”

“Yes, Father.”

Leonhardt and I stood up and bowed.

The emperor, sitting on the sofa, smiled kindly.

“Duke, did things go as you wished?”

He was asking whether I’d successfully sued the Moulton family and frozen their assets.

“Thanks to Your Majesty, everything went smoothly. I’m deeply grateful once again.”

“I’m glad to hear it. Now then, would you read this for me?”

I accepted the paper the emperor handed over and began to read.

Currently, the nobility is divided in their support for different princes in the effort to determine the crown prince.
If this situation continues, the aristocracy will splinter further, which would harm not only the imperial family but the entire empire.
Of course, I believe Your Majesty is well aware of the danger the empire faces.
I also fully understand the difficulty Your Majesty faces in making a hasty decision, as the three factions are evenly balanced.
To resolve the current stalemate, that balance must be broken—and I believe that is my duty.
Therefore, I make this promise:
House Ibrante will publicly support His Highness the Third Prince.
We will rally the divided nobles.
So that Your Majesty may establish the crown prince and strengthen the very foundation of the empire, we shall be your wings.
…Excerpt omitted…

It was written in a roundabout way, but the meaning was simple.

I’ll make Leonhardt the crown prince—so please help me in return, Your Majesty.

Currently, the emperor had already set his sights on Leonhardt as the crown prince.

Of course, in the past, he must have had another prince in mind—after all, Leonhardt had been nothing but a sickly third prince suffering from asthma.

But in the end, Leonhardt became a Sword Master and one of the heroes who defeated the Demon King.

A perfect narrative for an emperor, wasn’t it?

The reason the emperor still hadn’t named a crown prince was precisely this—he was waiting for Leonhardt to solidify his position.

The problem was that the princes’ factions were evenly matched.

And to make matters worse, the First and Second Princes were on very good terms.

If the emperor chose Leonhardt, they would undoubtedly unite against him—perhaps even rebel.

So the emperor was waiting until Leonhardt’s faction became powerful enough to prevent that.

That was why he’d assigned Leonhardt to oversee the Central Plaza project—to strengthen his influence.

But if I stepped in, the balance of power would tilt decisively, and all those problems would be solved at once.

There’d be no reason to wait any longer.

“This is the letter I sent to Your Majesty. But… why are you showing it to me?”

“When I read it, I was deeply moved by how sincerely you care for our prince. Give and take is the way of the world, so I decided to act quickly as well.”

“What do you mean…?”

“The engagement between you and the prince.”

“…Pardon?”

“The first day, two months from now. It’s the earliest auspicious date available.”

“…”

“You must’ve had to hold yourself back for appearances’ sake and out of concern for gossip. I understand that well.”

The emperor smiled contentedly and clasped Leonhardt’s and my hands together.

“Now, what’s there left to restrain? You’ll soon be engaged, then married. Go on, express your feelings freely.”

Leonhardt and I froze, still holding hands.

The situation was so absurdly unexpected that I honestly couldn’t tell if this was a dream or reality.

“What… what are you saying…?”

What kind of nonsense is this, old man?!

“Father, I’ve told you repeatedly—we are absolutely not in that kind of relationship. Why won’t you listen?”

“Hah, don’t be shy. No need to pretend when you clearly enjoy each other’s company.”

“Father!”

I calmly stopped Leonhardt before he exploded.

“Your Highness, please allow me to speak.”

“…You have a plan?”

“Leave it to me.”

For once, the system was trying to help.

[Stage 3: (Smile bashfully) “Your Majesty, as the head of my family, I have a duty to protect it. If I were to form a union with His Highness the Third Prince, I would have to leave my house and become part of the imperial family. That’s a difficult decision for someone in my position.”]

With people like the emperor, who never listen to others, denial was pointless.

It was far more effective to explain logically why the engagement couldn’t happen.

Besides, Adrian (the “original” me) had only ever intended to bring Leonhardt into the ducal family as a son-in-law—not abandon the house to become crown princess herself.

But why does it say “smile bashfully”?

I ignored my unease and followed the prompt.

“Your Majesty, as the head of my family, I have a duty to protect it. If I were to form a union with His Highness the Third Prince, I would have to leave my house and become part of the imperial family. That’s a difficult decision for someone in my position.”

“Hmm? Is the date not to your liking, then?”

See? He’s twisting my words again.

[Stage 2: (Lower your head slightly) “I have no complaint about the auspicious date Your Majesty has chosen. I merely wish for you to understand my situation.”]

“I have no complaint about the auspicious date Your Majesty has chosen. I simply hope you understand my circumstances.”

“It sounds as if the duke has something else in mind. Speak frankly.”

Does he even understand human speech?

I couldn’t exactly shout, I don’t want to be engaged to your son!

Then a new prompt appeared.

[Stage 3: (Look as if thinking deeply) “There is one possible solution. I could adopt the child I sponsor as my daughter and make her my successor.”]

[Stage 3: “If I do so, there would be no issue with being engaged or even married to His Highness. It would also resolve any future inheritance disputes—no need to worry about whether the heir belongs to the ducal house or the imperial bloodline.”]

Huh?

Wait—what???

I froze, staring at the empty air.

Only after rereading the prompts several times did the meaning sink in.

So… I’m supposed to marry Leonhardt in the end?!

Adopting Piace was fine.

It suited the protagonist’s story far better to be adopted by the ducal house than merely sponsored by it.

But still…

What about me?!

A chill ran through me.

I could already picture Leonhardt killing me the moment I said those words.

Is that my role? To provide the protagonist with a strong background and then die at my fiancé’s hands…?

It sounded too plausible!

“Duke? What are you thinking so hard about?”

“Ah, well…”

Before I could stall any longer, another prompt appeared. And ignoring it meant a penalty.

Would dying from a penalty hurt less than dying by Leonhardt’s hand?

As I hesitated, something the butler once said came to mind.

“You originally planned to adopt the young lady, didn’t you? But you gave up because imperial law only allows married couples to adopt.”

Right! That’s it!

So I followed the prompt’s wording exactly.

“There is one possible solution. I could adopt the child I sponsor as my daughter and make her my successor. That way, there would be no issue with being engaged—or even married—to His Highness. It would also resolve any future inheritance concerns—there’d be no question of whether the heir belongs to the ducal house or the imperial line.”

“Ah, that…”

“But of course, it’s not possible. Imperial law allows only legally married couples to adopt.”

I spoke the words in a rush, gasping for air. Then I took a deep breath and continued:

“No one should bend the empire’s laws for personal gain. I am deeply honored by Your Majesty’s kindness, but I must decline the engagement.”

There—how’s that, Leonhardt? Aren’t you glad you left it to me?

Feeling slightly triumphant, I glanced at him—

“…?”

His expression was strange.

Like someone watching a comrade step on a landmine—filled with terror and despair.

“Duke.”

“Yes, Your Majesty?”

“I never knew your concern for my prince ran so deep. I’m truly moved.”

“…Excuse me?”

“As it happens, that very law is scheduled for revision. I intend to expand it so that not only married couples but also widowed or engaged couples may adopt—so that parentless children have more chances.”

“Uh… what?”

“For your sake, we’ll make sure the amendment passes before the engagement ceremony. You need only focus on your preparations.”

The emperor patted our hands with his plump ones, then left the chamber.

“…”

Cold.

An icy aura radiated from Leonhardt, making my skin prickle.

I slowly withdrew my hand and began to edge away.

Leonhardt spoke in a chilling voice.

“Where do you think you’re going, Duke?”

“Something urgent just came to mind…”

“Come here. While I’m asking nicely.”

“W-wait! Your Highness, you swore you wouldn’t attack me! You’re not planning to break that promise, are you?”