Machart, Subjugation (3)

The sudden appearance of Seraphine was not part of my operation plan. Since this was a secret mission to kill Machart, a figure connected to the imperial family, I hadn’t breathed a word about it to Seraphine, another imperial figure.

It wasn’t that I didn’t trust Seraphine, but it was simply impossible to secretly relay information to someone of her status-a princess, no less. Especially when the content involved assassinating a member of the royal family. If I carelessly let it slip, I’d be lucky to avoid being ambushed before even executing the plan.

However, Seraphine’s appearance in this location was something that never happened in the original story (since in the original, Seraphine remained a virgin in all playthroughs). So, I could roughly deduce that her appearance was related to Nana, Machart, or Gyeotmwa Josyegigot.

I didn’t know how she found out, but given that she was Seraphine, she must have had plenty of means-whether through the information network available to royalty or by foreseeing today’s events through future sight.

“From now on, only those who can take responsibility for their words will be allowed to speak. Anyone who disrupts this discussion with unnecessary remarks will be remembered by me. I have an excellent memory, after all.”

Still, thanks to Seraphine’s appearance, the chaotic crowd was quickly subdued. At the very least, it was a feat that Nana Ethan couldn’t have achieved with just a few words, so I owed her an unintentional favor this time.

“S-Seraphine! Get this crazy bastard off me right now! How dare he raise a sword against me, a member of the royal family-!”

Meanwhile, Machart, pinned under Ethan’s foot, clung to Seraphine’s arrival as if she were his lifeline. Of course, since both his arms were severed below the elbow, he wouldn’t have been able to grab anything even if a rope had been thrown his way.

Seeing Machart’s face, Seraphine clicked her tongue quietly with a displeased expression. Just like in the original story, her dislike for Machart was palpable enough for even me to sense.

Fortunately, since she was facing away from the crowd, only Ethan and I could see her grimace.

“I’ve always warned you, haven’t I, Brother Machart? If you recklessly seduce other men’s women, someday someone might raise a sword against you, royal blood or not.”

“N-No! I-I didn’t-!”

“I’ve seen with my own eyes how you harassed Miss Lilith, so even if you deny it now, I won’t believe you anyway.”

“…J-Just save me already! Your brother is about to die by this lunatic’s sword!!”

“…Prince Ethan, would you mind sheathing your sword? I understand your feelings, but he is still my brother.”

Her words were a heavily sanitized way of saying, *”I get why you’re pissed, but since he’s family, not saving him would cause problems.”*

Of course, as a noble, Ethan would have understood her meaning without needing any special interpretation. Yet, despite her words, he kept his sword pressed forward.

“Even if it’s Your Highness’s request, I cannot comply. This prince threatened and tried to take my fiancée, Lilith. Worse, I witnessed him wielding the power of demons to satisfy his vile desires. For the future of the Argentia Empire and the Baltoria Imperial Family, it would be best to end his life here.”

…So now he’s openly calling me his fiancée, huh?

Of course, in this situation, he couldn’t possibly explain the complicated nature of our relationship in detail. Still, hearing him refer to me as his fiancée from his own mouth was always embarrassing.

I wasn’t the only one whose face flushed at Ethan’s words. The girls around us turned red too, though likely for slightly different reasons.

“H-How dare you accuse Prince Machart of being a demon?! That’s slander!”

“You’re lying to save yourself after raising a sword against His Highness!”

“Let the prince go, you murderer!!”

Machart’s followers in the crowd hurled accusations at Ethan, and some of the more agitated noblewomen even threw objects at him.

Fans and handkerchiefs didn’t even make it far, but among them, I spotted one object flying straight toward Ethan’s temple with alarming speed.

I quickly reached out and caught it-an empty champagne glass. Had it hit its mark, it would have shattered against Ethan’s head.

*Thud!*

“……”

“……”

As soon as I turned my gaze toward the crowd to identify the culprit, several noblewomen averted their eyes conspicuously.

Their shameless attempt to evade responsibility after committing such an act made my grip on the champagne glass tighten involuntarily.

*Crunch!*

“Eek!”

“…!”

…Sadly, I couldn’t pinpoint the culprit, but at least nothing else was thrown after the champagne glass. I wasn’t sure why the noblewomen, who had been so noisy earlier, suddenly fell silent after Ethan’s declaration.

“Thank you for quieting them down on my behalf, Miss Lilith.”

“Huh?”

Confused by her words, I watched as Seraphine turned back to Ethan and continued their conversation, adding that he should only speak if he could take responsibility for his words.

“Prince Ethan, your earlier statement could, under certain circumstances, be considered an insult to me, who shares the same blood as Brother Machart. Can you take responsibility for that?”

“I meant no insult to Your Highness. I only stated that this man borrowed demonic power to harm my fiancée. This is solely about Machart’s personal transgressions-I have never once suspected the Baltoria Imperial Family of any ties to demons.”

“I see. So you’re saying that to prevent future repercussions, you intend to kill Brother Machart on the suspicion that he may be connected to demons?”

“T-That’s obviously a lie! Anyone can see you’re just trying to avoid being charged with regicide!”

“…Very well. I think we need to hear more from both of you, so let’s prioritize Brother Machart’s treatment first. We’ll continue this discussion immediately afterward.”

“I’ve clearly stated that Prince Machart used demonic power. Yet you insist on treating him-does that mean you don’t believe me, Princess Seraphine?”

“For now, it’s only your claim, Prince Ethan. Can you present evidence right now that Machart is a demon?”

“…With the Saintess’s authority, we can use the ‘Mirror of Truth’-“

“Yes. But until that ‘Mirror of Truth’ reveals the truth, we cannot conclude anything. Whether Brother Machart is truly connected to demons or whether you, Prince Ethan, are lying to me.”

“……”

“And even if Brother Machart is guilty, if his crimes remain unproven at the time of his death, you, Prince Ethan, will not escape punishment either.”

Seraphine was right. If Machart died before his connection to demons was proven, Ethan and I would be the ones in trouble.

His death had to come *after* his ties to demons were exposed. That’s why I had warned Ethan not to kill him yet.

As Ethan still hesitated to lower his sword, Seraphine whispered to him quietly.

“Sheathe your sword now, Prince Ethan. If you want my help, that is.”

Her whisper was so soft I barely caught it, but I noticed the slight loosening of Ethan’s grip on his sword from behind him.

“If it’s conclusively proven that Prince Machart is connected to demons, what will you do, Princess Seraphine?”

“I don’t want to believe it… But if he is, then even as a member of the royal family, he must face appropriate punishment.”

“…Understood.”

*Swoosh.*

After hearing Seraphine’s final words, Ethan withdrew his sword and stepped off Machart. For now, it seemed he would follow Seraphine’s lead-determine right from wrong first, then administer punishment.

*Not the scenario I envisioned, but at least the worst has been avoided.*

If Machart died here (or was killed here), even Ethan wouldn’t get off easily.

That’s why the original plan was to have a third party naturally expose Machart’s demonic ties. The Hero, Celista, and Agnes were supposed to gather to subjugate Machart, and just before his death, I would use the “Mirror of Truth” to extract traces of demonic transformation from his body.

Then, after finishing him off, his corpse would be left in the palace’s backyard to be discovered the next morning. With the “Blessing of Concealment,” I could ensure no one noticed it for a few days.

This way, Machart’s demonic connection would be exposed by a third party, and Ethan and I could return to our daily lives as if we had nothing to do with it. …Of course, that plan was now impossible.

At the very least, we had to prove Machart’s demonic nature in front of everyone. Even if the situation had deviated from the plan, we couldn’t let Ethan be falsely accused of regicide.

“Miss Celista.”

“……”

“Miss Celista. Could you step forward for a moment?”

A murmur spread through the crowd at the mention of the Saintess’s name, but Celista remained hidden among them.

*Murmur, murmur.*

*Rustle.*

“……”

Instead, the crowd parted, revealing Celista.

Standing alone in the crowd, wearing a suspicious eye mask, the people around her formed a wide circle.

“U-Um… I think there’s been a misunderstanding… I-I’m not Saintess Celista, I just happened to be passing by and attended the gathering…”

“Miss Celista, we don’t have time for games.”

“It really is the Saintess. No wonder she looked familiar.”

“Did you seriously think no one would notice?”

“……”

Amid the murmurs, Celista stepped forward, her face red, and quietly removed her mask.

Honestly, wearing something like that just makes you stand out more. Tsk.