Am I Really Wanted by Anyone? - Chapter 23

Though I had been framed as the criminal and brought here surrounded by the Royal Knights, it seemed I wasn’t taken to the VIP prison cell but rather escorted to a guest room.

“Please wait here while we prepare to hear your statement.”

I sat down on the sofa and waited for the knight to arrive.

Katie had followed me from behind and couldn’t leave, but it seemed she was allowed to stay by my side.

They told me to wait for a while, but over an hour must have passed. Just when I was growing tired of waiting, a single knight entered.

“My apologies for the wait.”

“Um, may I ask your name?”

“I am Celdias Eil of the First Knight Order.”

I straightened my posture on the sofa and asked the knight his name. The First Knight Order, huh.

“Now then, Lady Bergier. Did you poison Princess Celestina?”

“How can you be so certain it was poison?”

“That’s because we heard from the court mage and found poison in the leftover tea that Princess Celestina drank.”

“I see. Why me?”

“Princess Celestina stated that Lady Bergier was the culprit. For the time being, at least. Well, it’s probably just the princess’s… oh, this should remain confidential.”

“Hehe. I’m glad you understand. Does His Majesty know about today’s events?”

“Unfortunately, His Majesty is away on an inspection tour and won’t return for another four days, I believe.”

So, they targeted the period when His Majesty is absent. This is troublesome.

“Could you summon Crown Prince Rainier?”

“I believe he’s quite busy with official duties, but since this happened at the palace, he should receive a report shortly.”

“I see.”

“Why do you think Princess Celestina framed Lady Bergier?”

“The princess’s objective is likely to bring me down and nullify my engagement with Lord Olga, I suppose.”

“I see… This is troublesome.”

Lord Eil muttered those words while furrowing his brow, seemingly considering our next moves.

“Lady Bergier, I’ve heard you’re quite skilled at hunting magical beasts in your territory, but are you proficient with a sword?”

“The weapon I use is a greataxe, but I can handle a sword without issue.”

“Understood. You there, the attendant – your stance suggests you can use a sword as well?”

“Yes.”

“It would be no exaggeration to say that as long as you remain in this palace, you’ll be targeted by assassins. Can you protect Lady Bergier completely?”

“Of course, I will protect her even at the cost of my life!”

Hearing Katie’s words, Lord Eil nodded.

Still, assassins? That’s hardly peaceful.

Only His Majesty knows that the Bergier house handles national intelligence. Could Her Majesty the Queen be acting without that knowledge? Poison in the food, or assassins?

Would they really go that far?

Even if it’s her daughter’s request, that’s… no, perhaps they would.

I pondered this while questioning myself internally.

“We will also protect Lady Bergier to the best of our ability, but unfortunately, there are those among us who support the Queen’s faction or don’t think highly of Vice-Commander Olga. We cannot deny the possibility they might take advantage of this situation.”

“When will I be able to return home?”

“Actually, we’ve received orders from above not to release Lady Bergier.”

Lord Eil didn’t seem to know about my engagement with Lord Olga.

He apparently came here following orders from above, but now he seems to be realizing that depending on how we handle this, things could become serious and he’s looking troubled.

Even without knowing we handle national intelligence, I am the next Margrave.

If I were falsely convicted, all the magical beasts under the Royal Knights’ control would likely be withdrawn.

If that were the only consequence, it might be manageable, but the reason hordes of magical beasts aren’t swarming the capital right now is because we’re holding them back in the border territories. If we were to move to a neighboring country or something similar, the capital would be overrun with magical beasts.

That’s precisely why Lord Eil looks so troubled.

Unfortunately, everyone has their own circumstances, and even a single order carries complex considerations behind it.

Besides Princess Celestina, there are others who live self-centered lives, and the palace is constantly full of people trying to undermine each other.

There are those among them who want Vice-Commander Olga to fall from grace, who want to cause him trouble, and who would frame me, his fiancée, for that purpose.

The Duchess Saraphis is one such person.

…Now then, how should I proceed?

“Lord Eil, in the worst-case scenario, do you think our actions could lead to civil war and a national crisis, or would it end with just the princess being disinherited? What do you think?”

“Of course, if it could be resolved with just the princess’s disinheritance, that would be best.”

“If possible, I’d like to be acquitted and sent home immediately.”

“That would mean you’re asking me to ignore orders from above?”

“Yes, that’s correct.”

“But I can’t simply send you home in this state.”

Lord Eil wore an expression that practically screamed “I’m in trouble.” Nobles are taught to conceal their expressions, but this gentleman is quite expressive and interesting.

That must be one of his good qualities.

I let out a soft laugh and smiled.

“In that case, may I write a letter here and now?”

“Of course.”

I had them prepare an envelope and began writing letters to my father and His Majesty.

Naturally, right in front of Lord Eil.

Since there were both guard knights and scribes in the room, it would be impossible for a mere young lady like me to commit fraud or escape. For the time being, at least.

After finishing, though I normally wouldn’t do this, I used magic to send the letters directly to their recipients.

Sending letters via magic consumes significant mana depending on the distance.

In our territory, since we never know when magical beasts might attack, we conserve our mana as much as possible and usually rely on dragon mail for letters.

“Well then, I wonder whether my father or His Majesty will arrive here first. And until then, we must survive.”

“…I’m getting nothing but bad feelings from this. The way you said that suggests I’m going to be dragged into this, doesn’t it?”

“Who knows? Perhaps you should leave the room immediately?”

“…Then we’ll go make our report for now. Is there anything you need?”

“No, nothing in particular.”

“There are knights at the room entrance, so if anything happens, please call them immediately.”

“Understood.”

With that, Lord Eil and the others left the room.