Chapter 22
A brief, hellish silence passed.
I had expected the atmosphere wouldn’t be good. I’d openly declared that I wanted to set them up in competition, so it was natural they’d be displeased. In the worst case, they could both refuse.
Even without the two of them, the task wasn’t impossible, but it would become far more difficult.
And if things soured badly enough that both Richard and Rudolf turned into enemies, my life would be like a candle flickering in the wind.
So, it would be nice if at least one of them agreed to help. Even better if both did.
“I’d like to hear what exactly this task is first,” Rudolf said.
I started to answer but paused, glancing around. It was nothing more than that, but Rudolf smiled gently as if he’d read my mind.
“I’ve already cast a soundproofing spell. You don’t need to worry.”
Not will cast—already cast. In that regard, he was no different from Richard: always cautious. These two really did have a strangely similar side.
In any case, if Rudolf’s magic was in place, I could relax. I nodded and finally voiced my goal.
“I want to bring down the Duchy of Achenbach.”
Before I could continue, I took a moment to study their faces. Both Richard and Rudolf looked rather surprised.
“I don’t mean to completely destroy it. As long as the current duke’s entire family is dead, some of the key territories that make up the duchy are confiscated, and part of its rights and other assets are seized, that will be enough.
The confiscated property will go to the imperial family, and in cases like that, the person who made the achievement usually gets a portion as a reward. You two can discuss between yourselves and divide it however you want. I have no interest in the duchy’s wealth.”
I paused to take a breath.
If you set aside the likelihood of success, it was a rather tempting proposal. The rivalry between the Imperial House and the Achenbachs was deeply rooted in history.
Back when the unification war of Esperusa was nearing its end, the northeastern king, Achenbach, submitted to the Esperusa Empire in exchange for autonomy over his lands.
It was said both sides were satisfied with this pragmatic deal in place of further war.
However, once the empire stabilized, tension began to brew between the imperial family and the Achenbachs.
The imperial family saw the autonomous Achenbach lands as a thorn in the side of a unified empire, while the Achenbach dukedom chafed under the imperial demand for noble loyalty.
In the original story, the downfall of the Achenbach family was nothing more than a tragic backdrop for the male lead, but in reality, it had complicated political and historical roots.
Even though Rudolf and Richard were rivals, both ultimately aimed for the throne.
For such men, the idea of toppling Achenbach—an obstacle to imperial authority—and swallowing part of its wealth was bound to be tempting.
Tempting enough to make them wonder what ulterior motive I might have, perhaps—but it was the truth that I had no interest in the duchy’s wealth.
“What I want is only one thing: for the duke’s illegitimate son, Tristan Achenbach, to become the next Duke of Achenbach.”
For Tristan to escape that hellish life and be happy—that was my only goal.
After I finished speaking, I watched their reactions.
The first response was—
“Are you crazy?” Richard’s voice was stunned.
“Are you sick? Did you drink poison at the Founding Festival or something? If so, I know a good doctor.”
I’d heard there were drugs that made people stupid… Richard muttered while checking my complexion.
I couldn’t tell if I should be angry for being treated like an idiot or grateful that he was worried about me.
“I’ve never heard that the Duke of Achenbach has an illegitimate child,” Rudolf said, at least taking my words seriously.
When I turned to him, he spoke in a kind tone.
“It wouldn’t be easy to make an illegitimate child duke—not Anton, the second son, but a bastard. The nobles loyal to the duchy would fiercely oppose it. So your plan is to shrink the Achenbach faction itself to reduce opposition to the succession?”
“Exactly!”
Rudolf had understood my intention perfectly. I nodded brightly.
So, was he more on my wavelength than Richard? If he responded like this, did it mean he was positive about my plan?
“But Lucillia, toppling a ducal house isn’t an ordinary matter. Personally, I think the scale of the plan is excessive compared to your goal.”
“…What?”
I couldn’t understand what he meant.
My goal was to make Tristan the duke. How could the plan be too big for that? There was no other way I could think of. Surely he wasn’t suggesting making the duke acknowledge Tristan? That would never happen, even if the sky split in two.
“If you want him to be the next Duke of Achenbach, Lucillia, why bother marrying a bastard? If I become emperor, I could arrange a marriage between you and Ludwig Achenbach. Or would you prefer Anton? He might be easier to control.”
My jaw slowly dropped. Words wouldn’t come out.
Wow. So when you’re truly flabbergasted, your mind really does go blank.
So Rudolf… thought my goal was to become duchess?
“What nonsense are you spouting?”
Richard’s tone was dangerous, so I turned to him—only to almost scream.
He was holding the butter knife in front of him, pointing it at Rudolf. And the blade glimmered faintly red with sword aura.
“Ludwig is twenty. That’s ten years older than Lucillia. You want to marry her to that old man? Are you insane?”
While I appreciated his marriage values, still…
“Brother, I’m twelve this year.”
“So what! Are you saying you’d marry Ludwig?!”
“What a horrible thing to say!” I shrieked.
I’d sooner sell my soul to the devil than marry a domestic abuser five years younger than me.
I glared at Rudolf—no, nearly shouted.
“Do you really think I planned something this big just to get married? Are you really that stupid, Brother?!”
Rudolf’s expression faltered.
“Pfft!”
Richard burst into laughter. Maybe “stupid” was a bit harsh, but considering what Rudolf had just said, it was justified.
“But Lucillia,” Rudolf said with a baffled look, “people act for their own benefit. You said you don’t care about the duchy’s wealth. You only met the Duke of Achenbach for the first time at the Founding Festival, so you can’t have a grudge…”
He trailed off.
“That day, you asked the duke where his youngest son was, didn’t you?”
I stiffened.
This was the first time I’d spoken to Rudolf since that day. He still didn’t know why I’d asked the duke such an odd question.
“Did you already know about his illegitimate son?”
“Yeah, tell me about that brat!” Richard swung the butter knife toward me this time. I flinched, and he quickly put it down.
“I’ve never heard the duke has a bastard. Is it true? How old? A boy?”
“He’s a boy. His name is Tristan, and he’s fifteen,” I replied, then added the explanation I’d prepared.
“He works as a servant in the duchy… and he’s abused. I saw Ludwig hit him with my own eyes at the Founding Festival. And I’ve heard from a reliable source that Ludwig beats him regularly. Everyone else in the duchy knows and ignores it.”
Their expressions changed.
Richard looked openly incredulous, while Rudolf smiled with the air of a doting mother—but it was clearly a feigned expression.
At least with Richard, I’d thought this would make him understand. Then again, saying I wanted to topple the duchy not to free Tristan but to make him duke probably did sound absurd.
If I wanted to convince them, I’d have to do it properly. I decided to switch tactics—target each one individually.
“Brother.”
I reached across the table to take Richard’s hand. He flinched.
The gesture was similar to the first time I’d held his hand, and it made me recall that day.
Yes, the day Richard had killed someone in front of me… how could I forget the vivid image of the head rolling to my feet?
If I hadn’t stopped him then, how many of my servants would have survived? I remembered soothing him that day—and I tried to smile just as I had then.
“I want to save Tristan. Just like you saved me, Brother.”
His red eyes wavered.
“What?”
“I saw him being beaten with my own eyes. I also heard from a trustworthy source that Ludwig hits him regularly. The rest of the household knows but turns a blind eye.”
I looked him straight in the eyes and said firmly,
“We can’t just leave him like that.”
Richard frowned.
“So what if we do? He’s got nothing to do with you.”
That’s not true. Tristan was the protagonist of a book I loved. Just because his circumstances had changed from what I knew didn’t mean my affection and support for him had vanished.
Of course, I couldn’t say that to Richard—nor did I want to.
“You’re no different,” I said.
The moment he said that, I was already smiling.
“When you first met me in the forest, you thought I was a maid, didn’t you? A maid from another palace—someone who had nothing to do with you. So why did you come all the way to the Opal Palace to find me?”
Richard couldn’t answer.
And I realized something again.
Just as Tristan was the protagonist of the original story, Richard was its villain. But just like Tristan, he wasn’t exactly the same as in the original.
“You couldn’t just leave me alone. That’s why you came to save me, isn’t it?”
Of course, it was a very self-centered kind of rescue, and it had completely shattered my plan to live according to the original story.
But that feeling Richard had—the anger on my behalf, the desire to help me—had left a deep impression on me.
“Just like you did, I want to save him too.”
