The Immortal Queen Cannot Escape the Lies and Obsession of the Demon — Not That She Wants To - Chapter 08

Theodor Hano Mathias’s origins were complex.

The current Marquis Mathias’s elder brother had eloped with a commoner woman he’d fallen for. The child born from that union was Theodor.

—Or so the story went, but the truth was different.

The cause of Theodor’s complicated birth lay with his maternal grandmother.

That woman was of royal blood, the elder sister of the Holy Princess.

At that time, the elder princess, as crown princess, was talented and widely respected, expected to become the next queen.

But her rival was simply too formidable.

Her younger sister, the Holy Princess, had defeated the Demon King alongside the Hero and become humanity’s hope.

This great feat was so extraordinary it earned praise not just from their own people but from across the world, and gradually a certain sentiment began to spread:

“The heroic younger princess is more suited to be queen.”

The elder princess was merely a stable successor.

What was demanded wasn’t stable royal rule, but revolutionary governance that would allow arrogance from the world’s pinnacle.

And so the then king, their father, replaced the next monarch with the younger sister, and the elder princess lost the power struggle.

Severely broken in spirit, she abandoned her right to the throne and fled the royal castle, vanishing without a trace.

It was the previous Marquis Mathias who took in the despairing woman who had cast everything aside.

Under the marquisate’s protection, the elder princess bore one daughter. That daughter married the previous Marquis Mathias’s son, and Theodor was born.

In other words, Ariana and Theodor were second cousins, their grandmothers being sisters.

Two descendants of sisters who had contended for the throne.

The elder princess had everything she’d built up taken by her younger sister, while the younger princess, fitting the desired revolution, proceeded to wreak havoc both domestically and abroad, for better or worse.

Ariana, the younger princess’s granddaughter, is the current queen.

Theodor, the elder princess’s grandson, conceals his identity with a mask along with his royal proof. He shouldn’t be at peace, yet…

“Um, I came to visit you today, and I also wanted you to have this.”

Shyly fidgeting, Theodor held out a small gift box wrapped in his small hands to Ariana.

It was a cute box with navy blue wrapping paper and a pink ribbon.

“Eh, thank you. Could it be…?”

“Yes! Happy birthday, Lady Ariana!”

“Wa—I knew it! Receiving it directly like this in person is special. May I open it now?”

“Yes!”

Carefully unwrapping it, inside was a familiar small glass ink bottle.

But its contents weren’t black. They were transparent enough to feel drawn in, a vivid orange like a captured sunset.

“It’s beautiful, but what is it? It looks like an ink container.”

“Fufufu, the contents are proper ink too, so you can write letters in that color!”

“I knew about tea leaf and nut-colored inks, but I’ve never seen such a vibrant ink before.”

As if their grandmothers’ conflict meant nothing, Ariana and Theodor’s relationship was good.

Though public interaction was difficult since Theodor hid his origins, they understood each other’s joys and favorite colors like this, exchanging gifts on birthdays. They were close second cousins.

“It’s truly a wonderful color. If I had paper and pen, I could try it right away. Ah, next time I write to Theo, I’ll use this ink.”

“Y-yes…!”

Theodor’s cheeks flushed as he beamed with a full smile.

But the next moment, he noticed something, gasping softly and freezing. With a tense expression, he looked to Ariana as if seeking confirmation.

“…Ah, um, Lady Ariana, you send letters to your fiancé too, right?”

“Letters?”

At the sudden question, Ariana searched her memories.

Certainly, as fiancés, they ought to correspond. But no matter how many times she reconsidered, she had no recollection of exchanging letters with Valerio.

“Now that you mention it, I’ve never sent any.”

“I-Is that so?!”

“Yes. The only proper conversation I had with Valerio was during our engagement, and a week later he started living in the castle’s guest rooms for consort training, so there was no opportunity to send letters.”

“I-I see.”

Theodor’s relief lasted only the blink of an eye.

(That’s right! Daily attendance from the Shijazuma territory’s main residence would be geographically impossible! But even our marquis house has a secondary residence in the royal capital, so Duke Shijazuma’s house must have one too! He could commute from there…!?)

He was deeply shocked to learn that Ariana and her fiancé had been living in the same castle without his knowledge.

Clenching his soft, rounded hands tightly on his knees, Theodor suppressed emotions he must never voice, maintaining his smile perfectly.

Unaware of Theodor’s inner turmoil, Ariana held the ink bottle carefully in both hands as if handling something precious, smiling gently.

“So, I’ll treasure this as something just for Theo.”

“U, eh, au… y-yes…! Please do…!!”

They were close second cousins. That much was true.

Except, one held a faint budding romance mixed in while the other’s vision was clouded by a sense of mission.

“And, even if I gain a royal consort, please rest assured.”

Placing the ink bottle on the table, Ariana rose from the sofa.

Then she performed a kneeling curtsy toward Theodor, showing her heart.

“My current everything is temporary until you ascend the throne. No matter what others say, we will never contend. Isn’t that right, Theodor?”

“————”

As if responding to Ariana’s respect, Theodor also stood and extended his hand to her.

“Yes. I will definitely become king. For the happiness of many people. And to repay you.”

Heroic tales were born, people were dazzled, and much blood was shed.

And even now, the ecstatic intoxication from the hero’s birth remains unforgettable like a drug, and people continue down the rutted path. That must be corrected.

(I will become king. If I become king, I won’t have to give up on my first love, you.)

Return the throne that should have been inherited to the elder princess’s lineage.

Carry hope forward until the still young next king reaches a future fit to bear the nation.

That was the reason Ariana Fenizard strongly wished to survive, even if it meant clinging to demonic creatures.

Comrades join hands.

No matter what schemes swirl around them, with themselves at the center.

(Ugh, cringe)

Fols, listening through the door, maintained his expression while silently spitting contempt.

(Hano, huh… I think that’s the middle name for nobles from the Hanokano territory? And Theodor is Hano, the maid Nala is Hano, Ariana’s birth mother’s maiden name was Hano too.)

And the one who became Ariana’s fiancé was the third son of the Shijazuma territory lord, young duke Valerio Shijazuma.

Hano everywhere you look.

Amid this splendid Hano extravaganza, the only explanation for an unrelated man becoming her fiancé was power balance adjustment.

(Using a famous corpse as their banner, the political struggle continues.)

The heroic younger princess and the tragic elder princess.

Already dead, already over. No one could possibly know which was right.

And people skillfully exploit what they “don’t understand.”

“I lack the makings of a wise ruler. Then at the very least, I want to be a king our people can feel secure with. To that end, I’ll use anything. Even you.”

He recalled Ariana’s words from a certain night.

Ariana herself probably sensed she was being conveniently used. Yet, Ariana too was exploiting her own situation. Rai understood that as well.

(…They’re idiots, really.)