Chapter 11

Our Discord Server: https://discord.gg/PazjBDkTmW

You can buy coins here to unlock advanced chapters: https://gravitytales.com/coins-purchase-page/

Chapter 11 : My Start Will Be Small (4)

The Imperial Guard soldiers, who entered the corridor leading to the training ground with Selma, found the princess wielding a wooden sword like a club, the Imperial Prince yelling “witch!” at her, and Jesse caught in between the two, being tossed around.

“You witch! You think I’ll be scared if you swing that thing?!” Theore shrieked.

“That’s not something you should shout while backing away, Theore. Come here, quickly.” Legina smiled.

“Your Highness Legina! Please stop! Ugh! Please, stop, ugh!” Jesse, caught in the middle, wailed. It was utter chaos.

“G-Go away! Hey! If you don’t block her properly, you’re dead!”

“Why are you hiding behind Sir Jesse for something that would end if you just took one hit obediently? Come here, quickly.”

“Your Highness Legina! W-Wait a minute! Ugh, it hurts! It hurts! Your Highness Theore. Please, from behind me, ugh!”

Selma, discovering the scene, pressed a hand to her forehead and swayed for a moment, then turned to look at the Imperial Guards who had rushed with her. Their faces were blank, still unable to fully grasp the situation unfolding before them.

“…It would be best to… erase what you just saw from your minds.”

Honestly, it was a scene so unbelievable no one would believe it even if she told them. The soldiers, sensing Selma’s unspoken words, nodded. They had neither the courage to speak rumors about the Imperial Family nor the skill to make anyone believe such an incredible sight even if they described it.

“Your Highness, I’ve brought the soldiers.”

“Oh, Selma. You came faster than I expected.”

“…Yes.”

Selma, barely suppressing a sigh as she replied, approached Legina and gestured with her eyes towards the two attendants hiding behind a corridor pillar, their faces pale. Legina, nodding at her silent command to deal with that first, calmly ordered the stunned soldiers.

“Imprison those two in the underground dungeon and ensure no one approaches them until His Majesty’s command.”

“Yes, Your Highness.”

Ignoring Jesse, who was tearfully weeping with a swollen face, the bowing soldiers dragged the attendants away, and silence fell upon the corridor. Only Jesse’s occasional sniffles indicated the passage of time.

“Sir, how can you cry over just that?”

“Just that…” It probably wasn’t “just that.” She had deliberately aimed for the painful spots and clubbed him with a wooden sword made of Dacon wood, rumored to be sturdy; of course, he’d cry. But Legina decided to pretend she didn’t know that. What could she do now that it had already happened?

“Then why did you block Theore’s way…? Well, I suppose that is an escort knight’s duty.”

Jesse swallowed his tears of injustice, watching Legina still holding the wooden sword and speaking with a smile. Rather than him blocking her way, Theore had hidden behind him. Theore, who was still clutching the hem of Jesse’s shirt behind him, seemed to genuinely be afraid of Legina’s swinging wooden sword. But if he was scared, why did he provoke her?! Remembering Theore’s earlier tantrums at his sister, using his body as a shield, made his injured spots hurt even more.

“Normally, I would punish you too… but you just now threw yourself to protect Theore, so I’ll pretend not to have seen it this once.”

“Thank, thank you…”

Legina nodded at Jesse’s strained reply, then turned to look at her brother. Theore, who just a moment ago had slumped shoulders, now had them squared as if nothing had happened, glaring at her, looking like his usual self, which made her smile. Of course, that insolent gaze needed proper discipline, but it was a million times better than him cowering and looking fearful.

“It seems things are roughly sorted out, so why don’t we move to the training ground now? Your new sword instructor is waiting for you.”

“Whether I go or not is up to me, you know?”

“My beloved brother Theore. You haven’t been hit enough, have you?”

“Eek! Theore! I will escort you!”

It was Jesse, not Theore, who reacted first to Legina’s laughter-filled voice. Perhaps sensing that if Theore caused trouble here, he would be the only one to get another good beating, Jesse, without even thinking of recovering his swollen and tear-streaked face, quickly moved to lift Theore onto his back.

“Hey! What?! Let go of me! I don’t want to!”

“Your Highness Legina, I will escort His Highness Theore and proceed first!”

“Who told you to touch my body as you please?! Hey! I’m not going! Nooooo!”

Jesse, carrying Theore on his back, and the attendants quickly disappeared, Theore’s voice, full of injustice, echoing in the corridor like an afterimage. Selma, her face darkened, approached and stood by Legina, who was waving her hand at their retreating figures and smiling brightly.

“Your Highness, what on earth are you doing? If bad rumors start spreading…”

“What are you worried about, Selma?”

“Pardon?”

“It’s nothing compared to the things I’m going to do from now on.”

At that moment, Legina’s voice, declaring she would become a troublemaker, echoed in Selma’s ears like a hallucination. It was a voice she had deliberately thrown beyond her memory, pretending not to hear. Unease slowly crept up Selma’s legs and began to press down on her shoulders. Legina, perhaps unaware that Selma’s face was turning pale, continued speaking.

“Besides, isn’t it the perfect method to kill one rumor and let another live?”

“I don’t understand what you mean.”

Two preparations are needed for the method of killing and nurturing rumors: a little patience and considerably great power. These two were those preparations. To reiterate, patience was one of Legina’s greatest strengths. Furthermore, Legina was born the princess of this empire. This meant that she already possessed both of those preparations.

“The way to kill a shapeless rumor is simple. You just punish everyone who dares to utter that rumor, every time you find them.”

“What?”

It was a simple, brutal method, but equally effective. If punishment was repeated and accumulated, even the most slow-witted idiot would eventually understand what it meant.

“It’s about beating the mouths that spread rumors into silence. The greater the power of the person doing the beating, the better the effect. It might be a rather tedious task, but if you keep beating them patiently, they will eventually be too sore to utter the rumor.”

“…”

“A rumor that cannot escape one’s lips eventually gets forgotten. Other than needing some time, where else could you find a method superior to this for killing rumors?”

Before her regression, the rumor that Theore had “devoured his mother at birth” tormented him throughout his life. Moreover, after her brother’s death, as Legina fled from the traitor’s soldiers, that rumor grew even more malicious. Words that refused to disappear even after the person they concerned had died. Recalling the past, where all she could do was grit her teeth while hearing those rumors insulting her dead brother, Legina vowed to eradicate that rumor in this life. It would be difficult if someone more powerful than her tried to interfere, but the only person in this empire more powerful than her was the Emperor, and he would never forgive those who spread such rumors about his own son.

“…I understand that you did this to kill the rumors related to His Highness Theore. But…”

“Are you curious about the other rumor I intend to nurture?”

“Yes.”

“Selma, you already know the answer. What else could it be but the rumor that I have become a troublemaker?”

“Your Highness!”

“If I, with my great power, consistently cause trouble everywhere with patience, that rumor will gain wings. They might not believe it at first, but if they keep hearing it consistently, everyone will believe that I have become a troublemaker.”

“No, you can’t!”

“Yes, I can.”

Where on earth did she hear and learn the word “깽판” (kkaengpan – roughly ‘causing a ruckus’ or ‘making a scene’)? Selma felt her blood pressure rising and squeezed her eyes shut. She truly couldn’t tell where anything had gone wrong.

“Why on earth! Why do you want to spread such rumors?!”

“Because that’s how everyone will give up on me, isn’t it?”

“What?”

Selma questioned, looking at Legina who answered nonchalantly, fiddling with the handle of the club in her hand. Legina let out a small laugh and continued.

“I know there are those who are trying to put me on the next throne.”

“Y-Your Highness.”

“But I don’t want it. That exhausting position is a refusal from my side. But no matter how much I shout that I don’t want to be Emperor, will they easily give up? On the contrary, they’ll try to persuade me.”

She knew there were many who unanimously declared that the empire’s future could not be entrusted to Theore, who showed excellent signs of becoming a troublemaker. Among them were those who called Theore the empire’s foremost troublemaker and insisted that Legina should immediately be made the next owner of the throne. In fact, before the regression, they had welcomed Legina’s ascension to the regency in place of the young Theore after the Emperor’s death, and even urged her to directly inherit the throne. That’s why Legina intended to use this opportunity to take away the option of ‘Legina B. Alpere’ from them.

“Theore is a troublemaker, and I will become an even greater troublemaker than him. What will they choose between the worst and the second-worst?”

“…Your Highness.”

“Theore will ultimately become Emperor.”

Legina’s face as she said that looked remarkably mature. Selma, her lips slightly parted at the unfamiliar sight of her young master, who still seemed like he needed to grow much more, sighed.

“I understand your intentions, but… please, Your Highness, refrain from swinging a clu-club in front of others. Just use words, moderately…”

“Selma, a troublemaker is someone who either swings a club or gets hit by one. If there’s a middle ground, would they even be a troublemaker?”

Watching Legina laugh beautifully and utter such nonsense, Selma thought:

Ah, starting tomorrow, I need to get a prescription for headache medicine.
And if possible, a prescription for stomach medicine too…

Here’s the translation for the next chapter, “Even a Troublemaker Prepares Thoroughly (1)”:

Chapter 3: Even a Troublemaker Prepares Thoroughly (1)
Winter passed, and spring arrived.

Although Legina had devised a grand plan for a contractual relationship with Aaron, she wasn’t yet fully performing as a ‘troublemaker madly in love.’

Since I’ve decided, I should start with a bang!

She had no intention of starting with small rumors and waiting for them to grow. She was aiming for one big, unexpected hit. That’s why Legina was currently pouring much more attention into Theore than even Aaron.

[“Starting today, I’ll be with you for all your lessons.”]
[“Oh, why?!”]
[“If you don’t show progress before entering the academy… be prepared, my dear brother.”]

To become a competent troublemaker, one first needed to be good at studying. What good-for-nothing was better at ruining a country than a stupid troublemaker? Moreover, if he was stupid, it would be easy for him to become a pushover, so Legina planned to firmly lay Theore’s foundation first.

Of course, true to his nature as a born troublemaker, Theore rebelled. Thanks to her brother, who simply wouldn’t understand with words, Legina’s skill at throwing chairs only improved with each passing day.

“I should get a club made.”

One day in early spring, Legina said this after taking a sip of the tea Una had prepared. That she should get a club made. The chair’s accuracy was declining. This was thanks to Theore, whose dodging abilities had improved significantly after Legina, with Aaron’s understanding during sword lessons, diligently put him through additional training.

“What? Your Highness? What? A club?”

“Yes, a club specifically for Theore. A disobedient colt usually listens when you hit its backside, you know.”

Legina recalled the wooden sword she had held in the training ground while conducting sword lessons with Aaron. The feel of the handle perfectly fitting her hand, the impact, and yet its perfection in not leaving any marks on Theore’s body! It was an irreplaceable item.

However, no matter how useful it was, she couldn’t go around carrying a wooden sword to rein in Theore. Even if it couldn’t injure royalty, it was still, after all, a ‘wooden sword.’ So Legina needed an object of a different form.

“The material absolutely must be Dacon wood, and the length should be neither long nor short. And it must have a hand-strap so I don’t lose my grip when swinging it… Oh! Engraving my name would be good too. That way, even if I lose it, I can find it quickly.”

“Your Highness! No, you can’t!”

“Yes, I can. Dacon wood, by divine blessing, cannot harm the bodies of the Imperial Family. There are even records of our ancestors using Dacon wood to make switches for disciplining imperial children.”

“What will His Majesty do if he finds out?!”

“My dear Selma. Have you ever seen a troublemaker watching what others think?”

Selma’s vision spun. She clutched her head, swaying with sudden dizziness.

Troublemaker! That damned troublemaker! Now, just hearing the letter ‘T’ of troublemaker made her teeth clench. What had happened to the tender, beautiful, angelic princess she had cared for and served since childhood, that she would utter such outrageous words with her lovely mouth, saying she would become a troublemaker, a troublemaker madly in love at that!

Her escort knight, Johan, who had completed the Emperor’s command and returned to Legina’s side in early spring, supported the swaying Selma. Selma gritted her teeth, barely avoiding an undignified collapse onto the floor, leaning on his sturdy body. Putting aside the troublemaker problem for a moment, she absolutely had to prevent the creation of the club, especially one with the Imperial Princess’s name engraved on it.

“No, Your Highness! Please reconsider!”

“Even if I reconsider, it’s still something I can do.”

Legina lightly ignored the grinding sound of Selma’s teeth and elegantly took another sip of tea. Although it was spring, the wind was still cold, so she found the warm tea particularly enjoyable.

“Una, your skill at brewing tea is getting better and better.”

“Thank you so much… but, um, Your Highness… Madam Signy is glaring at Your Highness right now… Eek!”

Una swallowed a scream at Selma’s sharp gaze and took a step back. She knew Selma was always proper and precise in everything, but she had never thought of her as someone who had the courage to give such a disrespectful look to the Imperial Princess. Of course, she knew the look came from a place of concern for Legina, but it wasn’t the kind of expression Selma, who usually worried about her own words and actions, would show.

“Your Highness, this is not the time to be calmly discussing the taste of tea!”

“Oh, Selma. You’re full of energy today.”

“I’m not full of energy, I’m…!”

“Come now, calm down. Why don’t you join me for some tea?”

“Your Highness Legina!”

Selma, having finally yelled, squeezed her eyes shut and took a deep breath. Johan, who had been watching from the side, barely managed to suppress his laughter and spoke.

“Your Highness, you’ve changed a lot while I was away.”

“Why? Are you dissatisfied with becoming a troublemaker’s escort knight, Johan?”

“Not at all. Whatever my master wishes to become, I merely follow.”

“Sir Johan!”

Selma once again raised her voice at the conversation between her uncontrollable mistress and her imperturbable knight. And a deep smile once again settled on Johan’s face as he looked at Selma.

“Johan, why don’t you try to control your expression a bit?”

Legina whispered softly so Selma couldn’t hear, and Johan, quickly sensing her meaning, approached her and replied in a low voice, “Is it that obvious?”

“Everyone but Selma must have noticed.”

“They are sharp individuals.”

“Perhaps Selma is just slow?”

“She simply hasn’t put me in the category of a romantic interest.”

“I wasn’t exactly insulting Selma, but I don’t understand your psychology, defending her like that and stabbing yourself in the chest.”

“That’s how it is when you’re in love.”

Legina shook her head, looking at Johan’s orange eyes. Johan, who had been Legina’s escort knight, fell in love with Selma at first sight, and harbored a one-sided love for her until his death. Their age difference was eleven years, with Selma being the older one. Furthermore, even though Selma had returned to her maiden home after her husband’s death and reclaimed her maiden name, and Johan was the second son of the Draif Ducal House, there were too many obstacles for them to be together, but Johan never gave up. And Selma, whether from being oblivious or deliberately feigning ignorance, never accepted Johan’s feelings until the end. That was the fate of their relationship before Legina’s regression.

Legina wanted to change the future of those two in this life. But first, she had to calm Selma down…

Did Johan perhaps sense Legina’s dilemma? He cleverly changed the subject.

“By the way, how exactly did you do it?”

“Do what?”

“That ‘Lady’ fellow, he throws a fit just hearing your name now. How exactly did you hit him that the bruises in his eyes still haven’t gone away?”

“Lady?”

“Ah, it’s Jesse’s nickname.”

Legina’s eyes sparkled with curiosity. At her expression, Johan briefly pondered how much of Jesse’s pride he should protect—Jesse, who was his childhood friend, a fellow knight of the Imperial Guard, and the Prince’s escort knight. And he quickly made a decision. He had a duty as a troublemaker’s escort knight to fulfill all his master’s wishes.

“He was raised dressing as a girl when he was little. Until his fifth birthday, I think? His hair was long and red, and his name was typically used by women, so few people realized he was a boy.”

“Why was he raised dressing as a girl?”

“It was a family tradition, they said. They believed that dressing as a girl would ward off misfortune brought by witches. That ‘Lady’ fellow grinds his teeth, saying he’ll get rid of such traditions once his father passes away, though.”

“Really?”

“Yes, and even after he grew up, his delicate face remained, so the nickname ‘Lady’ stuck.”

“Delicate?”

“Isn’t he a handsome fellow?”

“I’m sorry, Johan. The faces I see most often these days are Theore’s or Sir Aaron’s, so I can’t agree.”

“I admit that much myself.”

Johan, who already knew Aaron’s face, agreed and nodded. Meanwhile, Selma, who had presumably calmed down and returned to her usual composed self, refilled Legina’s empty teacup and spoke.

“Putting the club aside, what was that letter you prepared earlier?”

“Oh, that? Did you deliver it well to the Ducal House of Slyveig?”

“I sent it with the fastest delivery, but…”

“It’s nothing much. It was just a letter telling them to find another partner for Theore’s birthday banquet this year.”

“…What?”

Theore’s birthday was in late spring, so there were a couple of months’ leeway, but the outfit had already been coordinated with the Ducal House of Slyveig and was in production. But what? Another partner? Selma stared at Legina, forgetting even to get angry.

“Y-Your Highness, what do you mean…?”

“I mean I won’t be attending the banquet with the young Duke of Slyveig.”

“Your Highness!”

“Tell those making the dress to change all parts with blue to red.”

“Your Highness!”

Selma shrieked. The dress wasn’t the problem. Well, it was a little bit of a problem, but it could be changed easily enough. But the partner was not. Hermann Slyveig was Legina’s fiancé. And to send a letter telling that fiancé to find another partner! The princess she served was clearly insane.

“Selma, prepare for an outing. Una, bring me stationery.”

Una’s eyes widened, filling in for Selma, who was still reeling from the sudden commands.

“I’m going to write a letter asking for a partner from the Vestein Ducal House. Una, as soon as my signature dries, take the letter and visit the Vestein Ducal House.”

Even between nobles, visits were coordinated by sending letters at least a week in advance to arrange schedules. The number of letters exchanged to match those schedules was considerable. And that was for nobles; Legina was royalty. If royalty announced a visit, they should ideally be given a month, or at least two weeks, to prepare.

“Who on earth sends an advance notice letter saying they’ll visit on the very same day?!”

“I will.”

“Your Highness!”

“Isn’t that precisely a troublemaker-like visit notice?”

Selma shrieked again, and Legina smiled. As always, the victor was she.

– Mochinuna.