Chapter 320

“T-The princess?”

“Y-You don’t mean that beautiful young lady approaching us is the princess, do you?”

Everyone looked flustered when I suddenly mentioned the princess.

The First Imperial Princess of the Empire.

Oscar Peresia.

The other central figure in this civil war.

They might have heard of the famous princess, praised as the Flower of the Imperial Family, but they wouldn’t have seen her in person.

Except for those who had attended the academy, like Regina, my juniors, and me.

“Yes, she is. Behave yourselves.”

I said as I dismounted from my horse.

The others followed suit.

As she drew closer, I knelt on one knee.

This wasn’t the academy.

This wasn’t a private setting, but a very public one.

I knew how to behave appropriately.

Following my lead, over ten thousand soldiers knelt on one knee.

It was a spectacular sight, the vast plain filled with kneeling soldiers.

Most people would feel a sense of superiority if they were on the receiving end of such a display.

I didn’t know what the princess was feeling, though.

Her horse stopped in front of me.

An arrogant royal would have spoken to me from atop their horse, but the princess was different.

She dismounted.

No matter how terrible her true personality was, she was excellent at managing her image.

That’s why people were so shocked when they finally witnessed her true colors after the civil war ended.

She was a truly terrifying person.

Anyway,

“We humbly greet the noble Princess Oscar Peresia, the sole and rightful heir to the Empire.”

I said, my words flowing smoothly, like a true noble.

The others followed suit.

“Greetings, Your Highness!”

Their voices boomed across the plain.

It was a sight that would make most people feel intoxicated with power and lose their composure.

It would have been easier to deal with her if she was that kind of person.

But,

She simply smiled softly.

And then,

‘W-What is she doing?’

My eyes widened in surprise.

She lowered herself and took my hand.

Her hand was warm and soft… No, this wasn’t the time to be thinking about that.

‘Why is she acting so friendly in such a public setting?’

I hadn’t anticipated this.

She had never behaved like this in any of the game’s scenarios.

Image management?

This was going too far.

It could damage her dignity.

She was usually the type to maintain a certain level of authority while praising her subjects with kind words, projecting the image of a benevolent ruler.

…What was she doing?

“No amount of praise can do justice to your achievements, Senior Max. You’ve accomplished so much.”

She praised me.

But that wasn’t the problem.

Senior?

She called me “Senior”?

Why was she using such a casual and affectionate term in this setting?

What was she trying to achieve?

I suppressed my suspicion.

I wouldn’t be feeling this way if she was truly a naive and innocent junior.

But I knew that she was a monster in human form, so her actions sent chills down my spine.

She definitely had an ulterior motive.

“You honor me with your words…”

I replied with a humble bow.

“Hehe, you’re so humble. Come on, get up.”

She helped me to my feet.

I had no choice but to stand up.

Now, only the princess and I were standing, while everyone else was still kneeling.

It was impossible to not stand out.

It was clear to everyone that she was treating me specially.

‘Why is she praising me like this? What is her motive?’

I wanted to ask her directly, but I had to maintain my composure.

“Your Highness…”

I put on a flustered expression.

The acting skills I had honed at the academy were useful in any situation.

“Please continue to do your best. I have faith in you.”

She said, leaning closer to me.

Our faces were almost touching, like a couple about to kiss.

H-Hey, what is she doing?!

“…I will serve you with all my might, Your Highness.”

I quickly lowered my head, pretending to be overwhelmed with emotion, before my expression betrayed my true feelings.

And so, my reunion with the princess after all this time ended on an unsettling note.

* * *

*Click.*

Emily Safia bit her nails nervously.

It was a habit she had when she was upset.

Her brother, Ethan, noticed and asked, “What’s wrong?”

“Ugh, honestly. Are you blind?”

Emily snapped.

“Huh? What do you mean?”

“Didn’t you see how the princess was openly favoring that guy?”

“W-Well, I did… It was a bit uncomfortable to watch… But if the rumors are true…”

“The rumors can’t be true.”

Emily denied sharply.

“Huh? Really?”

“You saw his expression, didn’t you?”

“He seemed natural…”

“He was acting, obviously. But I could sense a flicker of discomfort. Would he react like that if the rumors were true?”

Emily was indeed more observant than Ethan.

“Ah, I see. Then what’s the problem?”

“Don’t you know what unrequited love is?”

“Gasp?”

Ethan’s eyes widened.

“R-Really?”

“Whether it’s true or not, it’s a problem. The point is that the princess is intentionally trying to boost that guy’s status.”

“B-But why? If she doesn’t have feelings for him?”

“Sigh, brother. You know the saying?”

Emily sighed, exasperated.

“What saying?”

“How do you make a horse run faster without touching it?”

“Hmm… I don’t know…”

“You create competition. Then they’ll be motivated to run faster.”

“W-Wait, wait. Are you saying that the princess is trying to create competition between our family and that guy’s family?”

“What else could it be?”

“Whoa.”

Ethan was stunned.

Emily said, “Do you know what’s truly scary?”

“W-Well…”

“The horse that falls behind gets left behind.”

“Y-You don’t mean…”

“At the very least, we’ll be pushed to second place. Do you know what that means? For our family, second place is the same as last place!”

“…”

Ethan finally realized the gravity of the situation.

And then, he asked, “But why now…?”

“It’s obvious, isn’t it? There was no competition before.”

She was right.

The Safia family’s position in the princess faction had been absolute.

Until Max’s Celtrine family started achieving victories and gaining influence.

They had also increased their forces several times over and had even secured a powerful ally in the Erenbert family.

They were no longer a family that the Safia family could ignore.

“Hmm, I see.”

Ethan muttered.

“Yes, that’s right. So get your act together, brother. Our family has to be the greatest contributor to this war!”

Second only to the princess.

The most powerful family in the empire.

That was Marquis Safia’s dream.

And it was Emily’s dream too.

They couldn’t let the Celtrine family take that position from them.

“So what should we do…?”

“Come in!”

Emily ignored her brother’s question and called out to someone outside.

A knight who was accompanying them entered the room.

“You called, my lady?”

“Yes. I have an urgent message for my father.”

“Yes, what is it?”

“Tell my father to bring one hundred and twenty thousand soldiers this time.”

“W-Wait. Why are you deciding that on your own?”

Ethan interjected, flustered.

The west was the most prosperous and blessed land in the empire.

The Safia family, the dominant force in the west, could raise an army of one hundred and fifty thousand soldiers.

Considering that the north could only raise thirty thousand, the east eighty thousand, and the south one hundred thousand, it showed how prosperous the west was.

But there was a problem.

Unlike the north, east, and south, which had no worries about their rear because they had dealt with the northern barbarians, eastern pirates, and southern desert tribes, respectively, the west had a powerful neighbor: the Kingdom.

They had to leave behind a significant number of soldiers to defend against a potential invasion.

So they had already agreed to leave fifty thousand soldiers behind and mobilize one hundred thousand.

But Emily was arbitrarily requesting twenty thousand more soldiers.

Considering that the Celtrine family’s forces had grown to a little over twenty thousand, and the sparsely populated north had scraped together thirty thousand, it showed how large an army twenty thousand was.

It was no wonder that Ethan was shocked.

“Be quiet, brother! Don’t you realize this is about the fate of our family?”

Ethan flinched at her sharp tone.

“My lady, are you sure about this…?”

The knight also seemed to be puzzled.

It was understandable. Marquis Safia wouldn’t agree to this, even if he received the message.

But,

Emily was firm.

“Yes, and tell him this. Tell him that the princess now has a rival she’s interested in.”

* * *

‘Hehe, it’ll be easier to control them if I create some competition.’

Princess Oscar smiled as she sipped her tea.

Her actions earlier had all been calculated.

She had deliberately treated Max specially, showering him with praise.

That would light a fire under the Safia family.

They would be forced to work harder to secure their position as the greatest contributor.

She hadn’t been able to do this before because there had been no competition.

But now that a good rival had emerged, there was no reason not to utilize him.

‘And Senior Max will also feel pressured, right?’

If the Safia family stepped up their efforts, Max wouldn’t be able to ignore them.

She knew that Max wasn’t the type to be satisfied with his current achievements.

He definitely had something else in mind.

It was probably…

‘To become a hero himself, and to make his family the most powerful family in the empire? Hehehe.’

That’s what the princess thought.

She wasn’t entirely wrong, even though his true goal was different.

She was indeed sharp.

Anyway,

“Ah, this is driving me crazy. It’s getting more and more interesting. I want him.”

She muttered to herself.

Her actions earlier, which had made her seem like a lovestruck girl, had actually been a setup.

A setup for a proposal she would make if things didn’t go her way.

A proposal that would put Max in a difficult position.

“My special senior, I hope you live a long life.”

Her eyes sparkled with a strange light.

* * *

“O-Oh my, son! What’s your relationship with the princess?”

“S-Son, even if she’s the princess, a-adultery is wrong!”

“N-No! Don’t you dare try to seduce the princess, you brat! You’ll bring ruin upon our family if you try to overreach!”

“…”

Ah.

I closed my eyes.