episode_0161

The island of Constantine.

There, as usual, while spending her slightly boring time resting, Princess Maeb was eagerly awaiting the start of the new school year.

“Whew.. I wish school would start again soon. I never thought vacation would feel this long.”

Princess Maeb spends her days peacefully and to the point of being overly leisurely.

But… at this moment,

Within the Imperial City, except for the area where she was, every other area was reminiscent of a hellish arena where blood was literally being washed away with blood.

Saladin Azak, who had been effectively leading the empire for decades and suppressing all sorts of dissent.

His death soon left a great power vacuum in the empire.

As a result, at this point, about a month after he left this world…

Not only this palace, but the entire empire was now turned into an arena for a fierce power struggle between the crown princes.

Padishah, who is old and feeble, and no longer shows any intention of getting involved in complex affairs.

It was now clear to anyone that his lifespan would not last more than a few years, and the princes who coveted the position of Padishah, the rulers of the empire, were doing their utmost to increase their power and undermine that of their brothers.

Not only were there frequent attempts to recruit key figures, but there were also frequent political and physical clashes with other forces, and in extreme cases, there were even attempts to assassinate opponents.

As many had predicted, the empire was now in a state of great confusion, losing its bearings, and the struggles within it were becoming increasingly fierce.

Of course, even so, it did not lead to an open civil war as Padishah was still alive and well, but it was easy for anyone to predict that a bloody war would break out with Padishah’s death.

However, Padishah did not step forward and try to stop it.

This was not simply because he had almost completely lost any appetite for politics that had remained since the death of his vizier, Saladin.

The details could be found in the rules for succession he had previously established as law.

-Whoever becomes a Padishah must eliminate all his brothers-

Although he loved his children as a father, Padishah Mehmet was nonetheless all too aware of the nature of power.

Even if they are blood brothers, in the face of power, they are merely enemies to be eliminated.

If they were left behind, it was very likely that they would have grown into a great trouble for the monarch ruling the empire, so Mehmet, enduring the pain of being a father, enacted and officially announced these laws.

in result..

Even if they weren’t particularly interested in power, the sons of the Padishah… the princes of this empire had no choice but to engage in a hellish bloody war, washing each other’s blood with their own blood in order to survive, and as a result, the current situation arose.

however..

Whether his brothers supported and teased each other in real time or not, it didn’t matter to Maev.

The only ones subject to this decree issued by the Padishah were his sons.

Born as a princess, she had no right to challenge for the position of Padishah in the first place, and Maeb herself had no such desire.

All she cares about is using her position as princess to pursue her own happy life.

Moreover, her older brother and younger siblings were also well aware of this fact, and none of them attempted to touch Princess Maeb or use her for anything.

In addition, since she was a witch who could easily annihilate an army of normal humans with her personal force, there was a high possibility that only the volunteers would suffer if they messed with her, so there was an implicit agreement between them to not bring Princess Maeb into this situation no matter what happened.

Princess Maeb lives in boredom and leisure, as if she is sitting in the eye of a typhoon, drinking tea.

At this very moment, she was just a month ago.

I was thinking that the only good thing about this vacation was that I was able to take a short nap during the Duke of Rosetta’s succession ceremony and have a nice time with Zeros.

“How long do I have to keep doing this.. There’s still over a month of vacation left.. Isn’t there a good excuse to go to the Duchy of Dragona during that time?”

With that in mind, Princess Maeb is thinking about making some serious travel plans.

at that time..

In her eyes, a letter suddenly appeared in front of her.

“Huh? What is this? It’s a letter from the Duchy of Dragona. The sender is… Princess Catlena?”

Princess Maeb begins to urgently check the contents of the letter, wondering why she only discovered this now.

Immediately after that…

“… Huh?”

Her face was filled with deep shock and surprise.

And then… a feeling of intense envy began to well up.

“This.. What is this.. Really..?”

The princess raised her voice without realizing it and looked at the cover of the letter anxiously.

There was a clear and indisputable proof, the seal of the Princess of the Duchy of Dragona, engraved there.

That means this letter was definitely sent by Katlena and its contents are 100% true.

Confirming that fact once again…

Princess Maeb, after a moment of confusion…

“Pfft!… Phew!… Puhahahahahahahahahahaha!!!!”

He then started to burst out in joyful laughter.

“What the heck, what the heck.. Is this really true? Really.. Really Princess Katlena and Zeros getting married? Was this really possible? That Ellios! Of all people, that white princess had her man stolen by a much younger brother? Ahahahaha!”

Of course, it was a shame for the princess that the man she had been in love with had married another woman ‘first’.

However, even so, considering the distance issue, the time gap between them as they were now together, and the other party’s advantage in a master-servant relationship, it was realistically difficult for her to completely monopolize Zeros or become his wife.

Especially after the death of the prime minister, it is even more so now that we cannot raise our heads about the Duchy of Dragona like before.

That’s why she was content with her current situation, which was practically second in command, without causing any major problems, and she was secretly rooting for Katlena, who was in a similar situation to her but had a slightly more advantageous position.

No matter what, she thought it would be better this way than to have it completely taken away by that girl, Elios.

Also, if Elios really did marry Zeros, it would be quite difficult for her to come between them and continue their current relationship.

As Elios became the clear successor to the Duchy of Dragona immediately after the accession of Duke Rosevetta, it was problematic in many ways from a normative standpoint to share the person who would become her husband with the princess herself, and given Elios’ personality, it was highly unlikely that he would be so lenient.

However, if the opponent is Katlena, the story is different.

After Duchess Rosetta became the duchess, Katelena, who was her daughter but had no direct blood relation to her, was virtually pushed out of the race for succession.

Since her position and authority were different from Elios’s, there was almost no reason for her husband to have a concubine, and above all, it was a fact that not only Princess Maeb but also Katlena herself knew very well that Katlena did not have the power to completely push herself away.

in other words..

This time, regarding the marriage between Katlena and Zeros… For her, it means that she can continue with the current situation.

Later, when her father, Padishah, passed away and the connection between her and the imperial family became blurred, it meant that even if she really became Zeros’ concubine, there would be no major problems.

like that..

Recognizing that you have achieved your own kind of victory in an unexpected way.

Princess Maeb began to read the last words written in the letter again.

A word of greeting asking you to attend and brighten up this event.

Then, Princess Maeb spoke to her in the Duchy of Dragona with a deep smile on her lips.

“Of course I have to go! I have to go! Of course, the princess who gave me victory like this! I have to stand in the front row and congratulate her!”