Chapter 12
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Chapter 12 : Even a Troublemaker Prepares Thoroughly (2)
Theore’s eleventh birthday banquet. That day became unforgettable in Legina’s memory due to two events.
The first event was Theore’s sword dance. Legina didn’t know how the young Theore managed to drink alcohol, but her drunken brother snatched a sword from an Imperial Guard and performed a sword dance. It was an excessive sword dance for an eleven-year-old’s birthday celebration. Several soldiers who tried to stop Theore ended up bleeding, and the young lady of Count Olly’s family, who was set to be engaged to Theore the following year, fainted upon seeing the spectacle.
And the Emperor? He simply sat there with a dumbfounded expression, calling for the Imperial Guard knights, and that was it. Naturally, Legina was the one who cleaned up the mess.
And the second event was the assassination attempt on the Emperor. At the time, it was a failed attempt, and only later did she realize it was a poisoning attempt that had been very successfully completed. If the Emperor hadn’t been defeated that day, Legina would never have had to wear the regent’s crown.
Recalling that time made her feel like shedding tears. The nobles were practically dying to tear her down, the barbarians at the border attacked constantly, grating on her nerves, and her troublemaker brother, whom she thought had finally come to his senses, evolved from a pushover to an utter fool, bankrupting the imperial finances! No, fine. Draining the money, she could understand… or could she? No, even if she could understand that! When that idiotic brother, in his foolishness, even ‘borrowed’ the Emperor’s seal to the traitors, she truly felt like just dying.
‘He borrowed it because they told him they wanted to use the Emperor’s seal as a reference to create a new family seal! Does being a pushover mean you lose the ability to think logically?’
A horrified Legina quickly retrieved the seal, but the traitor was even faster. As if prepared in advance, he used the borrowed seal to forge documents, accelerating the Imperial Family’s downfall. Putting aside her bursting frustration at her brother’s explanation that he borrowed it because he believed he would become family with Legina through marriage, the feeling of watching her brother, now a criminal who had ruined the country, be beheaded by the traitors was truly…
I’d rather die again than repeat that misery!
She didn’t want to repeat that suffering. She absolutely hated it. Well, if it literally meant dying, she might consider it once, but no was no. Legina vowed to absolutely prevent that poisoning attempt this time. It didn’t even matter if she couldn’t perfectly stop it.
Because I know how to make the antidote.
That was why Legina was currently heading to the Ducal House of Vestein.
I need to meet Sir Aaron, review the plan one more time, and get some Danilan flowers too.
The Danilan flowers growing in Duchess Barbara Vestein’s garden were the core and sole ingredient for the antidote to the poison Larousse suffered before her regression. She had learned about the ingredient and the recipe by chance during her previous life and was able to save her people with it. And that recipe remained vivid in Legina’s mind. To make the antidote, she needed fresh Danilan flowers, roots and all. However, Danilan flowers withered quickly the moment they were pulled out by the root, making them very difficult to obtain fresh.
It’s fortunate that the Duchess’s maiden family is the Benjamin Count family.
The garden, personally created and gifted by Duke Vestein to his wife, who longed for her distant hometown, was overflowing with Danilan flowers, a specialty of the Benjamin County. If she had known this beforehand in her previous life, could she have prevented the Emperor’s poisoning? At the very least, if the Emperor had enjoyed Danilan flower tea, the poison might have been somewhat neutralized.
“Even so, ‘if only’ is ‘if only,’ and ‘perhaps’ is ‘perhaps.'” Legina murmured to herself, recalling her belated realization from before her regression.
“Your Highness?”
“Just talking to myself. Don’t mind me.”
“…Yes.”
Legina gave Selma a bright smile, ignoring her suspicious gaze, and tapped the carriage window with her fingertip, reviewing again the things she needed to obtain from the Vestein Ducal House. Meanwhile, the swiftly moving carriage arrived at the Vestein Ducal House.
Una, who had been standing with the ducal family members, waiting for her, quickly approached Legina as she alighted from the carriage, escorted by Johan.
“Your Highness, why did you arrive so late?”
“I actually came quite quickly.”
“The ducal family members kept whispering that you arrived too quickly.”
“…Didn’t you say I was late?”
“Well… you were late, but you also arrived quickly.”
What did that even mean? Legina tilted her head in confusion for a moment, then, seeing the young Duke of Vestein greeting her with an awkward expression, she understood Una’s words.
She means I was late to Una, but early to those people.
The ducal family members must have been beside themselves with anxiety at the sudden news of the Imperial Princess’s visit, and Una must have been suffocating, waiting for her, watching those people. She understood both sides, but what could she do? Legina had a reason to be here immediately, and telling Una to just deliver the letter and return wouldn’t make sense since it was a place they would have to visit together again anyway. It was far more efficient to wait for Legina here than to waste time and energy.
Ah, this thought is a bit troublemaker-like right now!
A thought solely for herself! Legina admired her excellent adaptation to the path of a troublemaker, smiling brightly at the young Duke of Vestein who stepped forward to greet her.
“Welcome, Your Highness.”
“I know my sudden visit surprised you, but thank you for greeting me so warmly, my lord.”
“Father is away from the mansion for a moment.”
“It’s fine, as you are here to welcome me instead.”
It was Gissley who greeted Legina, his long, loosely tied golden hair cascading over his shoulders. Legina, disembarking from the carriage with his escort, sighed in relief at Gissley’s handsome appearance, which was much easier to face than Aaron’s. A flicker of puzzlement briefly crossed Gissley’s blue eyes as he saw her reaction.
“Did I make some mistake…?”
“No, I was just relieved that you came to meet me.”
To truly act like a troublemaker, she should behave as insolently as Theore, but the Vestein Ducal Family members had to be unequivocally brought to her side for future matters. Especially Gissley, who possessed a smooth tongue unbefitting a Vestein and a mind skilled in stratagem; she absolutely could not leave a bad impression on him.
If I break off the engagement with that traitor, he won’t have reason to be wary of me, but there’s no harm in leaving a good impression beforehand. Besides, considering what I plan to do to Aaron later… I need to make a good impression.
Despite such a resolve, her first visit was undeniably lacking in manners, but it didn’t matter. For now, Theore was still the apex troublemaker, and Legina had a long way to go to catch up to him.
“Shall we go inside first?”
Boldly, as if she were in her own home. Legina extended her hand, expecting an escort even before Gissley offered one. Gissley hesitated for a moment, then lightly placed Legina’s fingertips on his palm. He didn’t know the purpose of Legina’s visit to the Vestein Ducal House, but given her status as Imperial Princess, he couldn’t leave her standing outside.
Thus, guided to the mansion’s drawing-room, Legina ignored Gissley’s scrutinizing gaze and waited for Aaron. The stated purpose of her visit today was to obtain Danilan flowers, but there was no way Aaron wouldn’t appear once he heard of her visit. She didn’t even consider the possibility that Aaron might be away. That’s because the first thing she had coordinated after discussing the contract relationship was Aaron’s schedule.
Normally, Aaron would have quickly headed back to the border, where Egil Vestein was waiting. However, after agreeing to the ‘contract relationship’ with Legina, Aaron had decided to remain in the capital for the time being. There was a plausible excuse.
He decided to stay in the mansion and spend time with his family until his coming-of-age ceremony, which isn’t far off. And there’s Theore’s sword lesson too. The timing was truly perfect.
Legina thought so, then took a sip of the Danilan flower tea the servant had offered. A subtle aroma lingered on her tongue, then smoothly flowed down her throat.
“You’re wondering why I’ve come, aren’t you, my lord?”
“Because Your Highness has had no prior dealings with the Vestein family.”
Hermann Slyveig was still her fiancé. It was natural for Gissley, who could not know that Legina was aiming for an annulment, to be suspicious of today’s visit.
“You don’t need to be so tense. As written in the letter, I’m simply here to obtain some Danilan flowers today.”
“…If you commanded, we could have brought them to you ourselves, Your Highness…?”
“It’s a matter of disturbing the Duchess’s cherished garden, so I couldn’t possibly. I am a person who knows courtesy.”
To think that Gissley Vestein was so transparent! Legina remembered the war of nerves she had engaged in with Gissley before her regression and somehow felt like laughing. After all, Gissley was only twenty years old now, and he had only recently taken over some of the Duke’s duties.
He’ll soon turn into the cunning old fox he was before the regression, so I should enjoy this face now.
Legina set down her teacup, averted her gaze from Gissley, and turned towards the drawing-room door. It was about time for Aaron to make his appearance.
As if Legina’s thoughts were not mistaken, a soft knock came from beyond the drawing-room door. The waiting servant waited for the knocking to cease, then slowly opened the door.
“My apologies. I have just finished my training and am late in offering my greetings.”
Aaron, who appeared from beyond the open door, bowed to Legina in greeting. And Legina, seeing Aaron, instinctively covered her mouth with her hand and couldn’t help but let out a small gasp of admiration.
“Oh my God…”
– Mochinuna.
