Chapter 1 – The Foolish Princess, Eveline

Two months earlier.

The war with the Kingdom of Dyke finally ended after a full 10 years. During the long war, many people lost their lives or were left crippled, and because the grain harvested during the war had been diverted into military supplies, a great number of the people went hungry.

The eastern region in particular, which bordered the Kingdom of Dyke, suffered severe damage. Most of the land had become devastated, and many lives were lost, livestock and people alike. It was predicted that rebuilding the eastern region would take at least two years.

The damage had been immense, but the Kingdom of Colton was expected to gain much in return for its victory. The Kingdom of Colton’s envoy was now leading his party toward neutral territory to secure the spoils of war.

The postwar cleanup was now the responsibility of those who moved pens.

The attention of the people, weary from the long war, was fixed on the returning soldiers. Many had bled in this war, but there was one person who had achieved the greatest merit and whom everyone unanimously hailed as a hero.

Allen Mason.

Though he was the sole heir to the Dukedom, he had willingly gone to war and built up countless military achievements. Many of the people came out into the streets to see him and shouted his name at the top of their lungs.

“Thanks to you, this country has found peace once again.”

At the victory ceremony, the King praised him greatly. Yet Allen stared at the King with dull gray eyes, as though all emotion had died within him.

It was not for nothing that he had been called the ‘Black Reaper’ on the battlefield. No matter how many words were spoken to honor him, not a trace of expression appeared on his face. Facing him, the King instinctively shrank his shoulders for a moment. But he soon pretended otherwise and smiled, for the sake of his dignity as King.

“Of course there will be a grand victory banquet, and I shall grant you a great reward as well. Is there anything you especially desire?”

“I wish to return to my territory.”

“Ah….”

At Allen’s answer, the King’s complexion dimmed.

“I see. You must inherit the title now and look after your lands.”

Not only the King, but everyone present there also watched Allen carefully. Prince Henry in particular lowered his head, avoiding Allen’s gaze with a somewhat fearful look.

“While you were on the battlefield, I did send people down to manage the estate and the territory. Still, it must be different from having the Lord oversee it himself. Go down to your territory and attend to whatever duties are needed. The victory banquet shall be postponed until after you have inherited the title.”

With the King’s permission, Allen bowed in courtesy and turned to leave. Until he had completely disappeared, not a single person could properly let out a breath.

After the victory ceremony ended, the siblings Henry and Cecile had gathered in the Queen’s room. Usually, a married Princess would leave and establish a separate household with her husband, but Cecile remained in the palace as an exception. Her husband was the third son of the former Earl Crisinger, and since he had no title to inherit, he had married into her family.

The reason Cecile had married a third son who could not inherit a title was known to the public as the romance of the century, but the truth was different. At present, the Queen was backing Henry as the heir, but Cecile was constantly aiming for the throne herself. Because of that, though they were full siblings, Henry and Cecile did not get along.

“If you hadn’t stupidly gone chasing military merit, there might still have been a chance to draw the next Duke Mason over to our side.”

“Shut your mouth.”

When his weakness was attacked, Henry issued a warning, but Cecile paid it no mind and went on sneering.

“Oh my, how frightening. You should have shown such valor in the war, like you are doing now. If you had, that tragedy would never have befallen the Mason family.”

“Both of you, stop it.”

It was hardly a new thing for the two of them to tear at each other whenever the chance arose. Raising her voice, the Queen put an end to their quarrel, then rubbed her temples with a troubled look.

She was not taking either side, but Cecile’s words were not wrong. When the Kingdom of Dyke had launched its sudden invasion, the Kingdom of Colton had been completely unprepared. In the early days of the war, the battle situation had been unfavorable to the Kingdom of Colton.

This was also why the eastern region had become so devastated. Yet Allen led Colton’s army, which had been at an overwhelming disadvantage, and fought an enemy more than twice their number, serving as the final defensive line.

The entire country had been swept up in anxiety, as though the royal capital might be occupied by Dyke’s army at any moment, but while Allen held back the enemy, he bought them time to regroup.

As the war dragged on, fortunately the momentum shifted to the Kingdom of Colton, and they not only defended themselves but also began conquering the territory of the Kingdom of Dyke.

Then, last year, Henry went to war out of greed to have his name included in the rewards and honors once the war ended. He had set out in high spirits and attacked the southern region of the Kingdom of Dyke, only to fall into a trap and even have the defensive line breached.

What was more, Henry had not even properly fought before retreating and instead opening the way for the enemy, and the one who saved his life was Allen’s father, the former Duke Mason.

Though he did save Henry’s life, the Mason Duchy was reduced to ruins, and the former Duke Mason, the Duchess, and even Allen’s younger sister all met a tragic end. The retainers fought to the very end to protect their Lord’s family, but all that remained in the Duchy was the ducal castle, half of it burned down.

The ones who directly killed Allen’s family were Dyke’s soldiers, but Henry’s responsibility was by no means light.

“It is unfortunate that we cannot draw the next Duke Mason to our side, but there is no choice except to find another way. We can’t just sit by and let Susan take him.”

“For a mere illegitimate child, she certainly has ambitions above her station, so she will surely try to approach him.”

“We absolutely must not let him lend his strength to Susan.”

Henry and Cecile were busy tearing at each other as rivals for the throne, but in the face of an outside enemy called Susan, they were of one mind.

Before the King inherited the throne, Susan was the daughter he had with Countess Miller. Though she was not legitimate, she was the King’s first child, and because she had been born to the woman he had favored for so long, she was much loved.

The King had had countless lovers, but Countess Miller had remained by his side the longest and in the end had even received the title of Countess. Of course, it was a lifetime title that could not be inherited, but her position could not be ignored.

The Queen’s greatest rival was Countess Miller. Countess Miller harbored the ambition of having her daughter inherit the throne. It was as obvious as fire that she would approach Allen.

“Wouldn’t it be better to simply get rid of him?”

When Henry quietly offered his opinion, Cecile looked at him with exasperation.

“He’s a war hero. If we touch him carelessly, even the people may turn their backs on us. Why do you carry that heavy thing on top of your shoulders? Since you have no need for it anyway, you might as well remove it.”

“Cecile is right. If we stir him up for no reason, we may end up suffering backlash. Don’t say such things carelessly.”

“Yes.”

Henry answered the Queen politely, but shot Cecile a sharp glare. However, Cecile merely snorted and sent him a look of contempt before speaking.

“Mother, how about attaching a suitable woman from our faction to him?”

“The other side is surely thinking of that much as well.”

“Then we just have to choose a woman who can capture his heart.”

“You know one thing and not two. If by any chance the family of the woman who has him at her back begins entertaining other thoughts, the Kingdom could split in two. As things are now, it seems the people would raise him up as King.”

“Then why doesn’t my brother try thinking of a better method with that empty head of his?”

The Queen looked at the two of them, once again bickering, with exasperation, then opened her eyes wide as a thought crossed her mind.

“Henry, you have spoken correctly. The next Duke Mason is now receiving not merely simple popularity, but praise bordering on madness.”

At the Queen’s defense, Henry turned an arrogant smile toward Cecile as if to say, ‘See?’ The Queen touched her chin with her forefinger and shook her head.

“His Majesty must surely be wary of this as well and troubled by it. But if we do something rash in an attempt to check Susan, we could bring on an even greater calamity.”

“Then what do we do, Mother?”

“At the very least, we must keep hold of his leash within the royal family without handing him over to the enemy.”

Henry and Cecile looked at the Queen with faces that did not understand. The Queen clicked her tongue at the two of them in their bewilderment.

“What is the best method? To bind him to the royal family through marriage.”

“But there isn’t any unmarried woman in the royal family….”

“There is one, isn’t there?”

The Queen clicked her tongue as she enlightened their dull heads. Only then did Henry and Cecile think of the one person they had forgotten. And soon, they regained their composure.

“If it’s that halfwit, there’ll be no need to worry about her entertaining other thoughts.”

“As expected of you, Mother. This should ease His Majesty’s worries as well.”

“I should go before His Majesty begins worrying even more.”

With a gentle smile on her face, the Queen rose from her seat. Henry and Cecile gladly see her off.