I Reincarnated as My Favorite Villainess Saint (Magic Marza), So I’ll Use Game Knowledge to Smash Every Doom Flag! - Chapter 15

“Do you have any defense for your actions?”

A voice colder than absolute zero pierced through Crown Prince Alphonse.

Flustered by his father the king’s final question, the prince stammered incoherently as he tried to weave his words together.

“F-Father! B-But the law is the law! No matter the circumstances, breaking it is… Her methods are far too self-righteous and dangerously disruptive to the kingdom’s order.”

His excuses held no persuasive power anymore. They sounded like nothing more than the narrow-minded justifications of a young man who blindly believed in his own righteousness, seeing only the surface of things.

At this rate, the crown prince might be disinherited. Sensing this, the heroine standing beside him made her final gamble to save her fiancé from certain doom.

“Your Majesty, please wait!”

Tears welled up in her beautiful eyes as she pleaded in a heartrending voice.

“His Highness only believed in this kingdom’s justice more strongly than anyone else! Lady Lydia’s extraordinary power must be wielded with compassion to truly save people. He was more concerned than anyone that such sacred power might stray from its rightful path!”

(Here it comes… the saintly superiority act!)

I sighed inwardly in exasperation. While shielding the prince, she subtly implied the danger of my abilities and promoted herself as the “Saintess of Compassion” who alone could guide them properly, what a flawless self-PR move.

But the king was not swayed by her sweet words.

Seated on his throne, he calmly yet sternly delivered his judgment.

“Alphonse. You lack the most crucial quality of a future king, the insight to see the essence of things.”

Those words were tantamount to denying the prince’s very existence.

“True justice is not merely brandishing the law. A king must possess the heart to empathize with his people and share in their suffering.”

Pausing briefly, the king then pronounced his verdict.

“Therefore, I decree this: Alphonse, though you shall retain your title as crown prince, you are hereby forbidden from all official duties until further notice and shall remain confined to a chamber within the palace.”

A reasonable punishment, to start with. The prince bit his lip, his face twisted in frustration. But the true judgment had only just begun.

“Furthermore, your engagement to Lydia von Kressment shall continue.”

…Huh?

“In addition, as crown prince, you are to provide full support for Lydia’s activities as the Saintess.”

…What?!

The entire audience hall collectively gasped at this unexpected ruling.

The prince stared up at his father in disbelief. Being ordered to assist the woman he despised and in her activities, no less must have shredded his pride to ribbons.

The heroine’s face drained of color. Far from tearing them apart, their relationship had been reinforced even more strongly. Beneath her perfect mask, the unmistakable hue of defeat surfaced for the first time.

Even Claude and Reiner couldn’t hide their shock. Though relieved I hadn’t been punished, their expressions hardened with wariness at the idea of that prince becoming my assistant.

And then there was me.

(WHAAAAAAAAAT?! The engagement is STAYING?! WHY?! Wasn’t it supposed to be annulled?! And now that power-harassing empty-headed prince is my assistant?! Are you kidding me?! Has my doom flag just shape-shifted into an upgraded version?!)

Inside, I was in the middle of a category-five panic hurricane.

From his throne, the king observed my turmoil with a steady gaze.

“Saintess Lydia.”

“…Yes.”

“Your power is an irreplaceable treasure to this kingdom. But as Claude and Reiner have testified, it is also a double-edged sword. Guiding my immature son onto the right path shall also be your duty.”

With those words, I understood everything.

His Majesty valued both my abilities and my fortitude. And so, he deliberately placed me by his unruly son’s side as both his instructor and his watcher.

What terrifying foresight. What an absolutely outrageous burden to dump on me.

(I might have dodged the doom flag, but now I’ve been thrown into hard mode in a completely different sense!)

The judgment had been passed.

As we exited the audience hall, the prince stood frozen in shock, while the heroine beside him quietly seethed with frustration. Claude and Reiner watched me with complicated expressions.

My future had completely veered off the game’s script, hurtling at breakneck speed into uncharted territory.

All I could do was desperately resist the urge to scream and clutch my head while staring up at the heavens.