Chapter 3

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Chapter 3 : I Must Become a Troublemaker (3)

How to suppress a troublemaker. What’s the method?

It’s simpler than you’d think. That’s just the nature of troublemakers. They’re weak before the strong and strong before the weak. They’re wild without limits, so they sometimes get their just desserts when they run rampant in front of stronger individuals, but that’s their fundamental characteristic. And this basic characteristic shines even brighter the higher the troublemaker’s status.

This perfectly applied to Theore, the prince most beloved by the Emperor of the Ellias Empire. The next most powerful person, beloved by the highest authority. There was no one who could stop such a person from causing trouble.

So how could there be a simple way to subdue such a person?

Again, a troublemaker’s basic nature is to be strong against the weak and weak against the strong.

“Just suppress them with greater power.”

She cleanly gave up on her brother’s perfect reformation. It was good that the troublemaker became a decent person, but Theore was of the imperial family, a child who would one day become the Crown Prince and wear the Emperor’s crown. A tyrant was better than a pushover emperor; a pushover emperor would absolutely be of no help to this empire.

“A troublemaker is better than a pushover…”

Legina mumbled to herself, slowly turning to face her bedroom door. It was just then that Una, her personal maid, opened the door and entered to assist with her morning routine.

“Your Highness Legina, you’re up early?”

“Did you sleep well, Una?”

“Yes, you seem to be in a good mood today.”

“I suppose so. I feel particularly refreshed today.”

“That’s a relief.”

Smiling, Una put down the basin of washing water she was carrying and approached Legina, gathering her hair to prepare for her morning wash. Even without brushing, her hair felt soft and smooth, with no tangles, like touching silk.

“You seemed depressed for a while, so the head maid worried a lot.”

“Selma worries too much, to her detriment.”

“That’s because she cherishes Your Highness so much.”

Legina washed her face with water warmed to the appropriate temperature, then wiped it with the clean towel Una handed her, smiling sweetly at her reflection in the mirror. It was pleasant to watch Una’s cheeks flush as Legina’s gaze hinted, ‘Aren’t you just as much of a worrier yourself?’

I will absolutely not let you die this time.

Before the regression, when the rebellion occurred, Una died for Legina. To be precise, she sacrificed her own life to buy time for Legina and her people to escape. A debt paid with one’s life is heavy. Many others also died for Legina after Una, and each time, the debts accumulated with their lives piled up on her shoulders, increasing their weight.

But now it was different. Everyone was alive. Legina vowed to protect them in this life as she looked at Una’s face in the mirror, watching her brush her hair.

“You really do look well today.”

“I’ve resolved a problem.”

“A problem for Your Highness… Is it perhaps about His Highness Theore?”

“Something… similar.”

Legina nodded, watching Una’s face stiffen slightly when Theore’s name was mentioned. It was still winter, not yet spring, so Theore would be ten years old. This was the time when even those who didn’t know the future were certain that Theore would grow up to be a troublemaker. If it was a concern for Legina, who cherished her brother, it must surely be about Theore. Una seemed to have concluded as much.

Legina nodded without further comment at her reaction and continued speaking. “Una, do you know how to subdue a troublemaker?”

“Pardon? Well, I don’t know.”

Una tilted her head and replied to Legina’s sudden question. The princess, who had been worrying about her brother showing signs of becoming a troublemaker, had said she’d resolved something, but now she was asking a question whose meaning Una couldn’t grasp. Una honestly answered Legina’s question, then waited for the princess’s reply, who seemed truly in a good mood today.

“It’s simple. Just become a bigger troublemaker.”

“…What?”

Legina burst into laughter, watching Una freeze in the exact posture she’d been in while brushing her hair. This was the conclusion she had reached. Theore is a troublemaker, making him difficult to subdue? Then she just needs to become an even bigger troublemaker than Theore and rein him in. It was similar to how a child stops crying when someone cries louder and throws a bigger tantrum in front of them.

Legina looked at Una’s faintly colored brown eyes, which were wildly shaking, then took the comb from her hand and began to comb her own hair, making a vow.

To hell with reformation!

If the country was going to be ruined either way, it was better to ruin it with her own hands than someone else’s. Of course, she didn’t genuinely intend to ruin the country. She had traveled back in time and knew the future that others didn’t. Shouldn’t she use that knowledge?

“So, what kind of troublemaker would be good?”

“Y-Your Highness?”

Legina pretended not to notice Una’s pale face and began to ponder again. To become an even bigger troublemaker than Theore, she couldn’t use the same methods as her brother. Right? If a latecomer wants to catch up to a frontrunner, they have to do something even more extreme. To do that, she had to become a shockingly distinct kind of troublemaker.

But I can’t abandon my dignity.

Lying on the floor like Theore, thrashing and screaming? Absolutely not. She was born into the imperial family and raised as one. She had her imperial pride; she couldn’t do such things. Of course, Theore was an exceptional case, but Legina absolutely did not want to do that.

I don’t have enough physical strength to break things.

Her talent for swordsmanship, which she had discovered while fleeing the traitors before the regression, would still be there. But she lacked physical strength. Legina massaged her soft, muscle-less forearms and sighed. Once a direction was decided, it seemed she’d have to resume her sword training.

So what would be good?

Time was short, but her thoughts lingered. Legina frowned beautifully and put down the comb.

“Good morning, Your Highness Legina.”

“Ah, Selma.”

“You seem to be in a good mood today… Una? What’s wrong with you?”

Selma, the head maid, who had entered the princess’s room to give her morning greetings, found Legina greeting her with a welcoming face, and Una looking at Legina with a bewildered expression. Una, who was somewhat clumsy and prone to mistakes but possessed excellent loyalty to the princess she served, had such a face… Something was definitely wrong.

Legina, unaware that Selma had sensed some kind of danger, looked at Selma, her governess and head maid, and finally found her answer.

“…A troublemaker madly in love.”

“What?”

“Thank you, Selma. My mind is clear again thanks to you.”

“Your Highness?”

It wasn’t that Selma was madly in love. Legina had simply recalled that her escort knight had been smitten with Selma and had been expressing his feelings for years. This naturally brought to mind historical anecdotes of rulers who, driven mad by love, ruined their countries.

They say learning anything will eventually be useful!

Her history teacher surely taught her the anecdotes of rulers madly in love as a cautionary tale, meaning she should absolutely never do such a thing. But using learned knowledge to fit one’s own situation was precisely the attitude of a proper student.

Excited, Legina shot up from her seat. The anecdotes of rulers who, driven mad by love, ruined their countries flashed vividly one by one in her mind. What if she took a few of those distinctly “troublemaker” anecdotes and imitated them?

If a princess, madly in love or otherwise, ran rampant, it wouldn’t matter how she suppressed a troublemaker prince. The Emperor was an obstacle, but the Emperor wasn’t with Theore all day long! She could run wild in places where the Emperor wouldn’t see. Or she could even run wild in front of the Emperor and become an officially disowned troublemaker child.

If I do that, the imperial throne will naturally move away from me, and Theore’s troublemaking will be buried under my own.

This way, even if she failed to prevent the Emperor’s poisoning, she would have enough excuses to stop the nobles from thrusting the regent’s crown upon her, which was even better.

If I can’t find conclusive evidence of the rebellion, I can pretend to be crazy and simply rush in and behead the traitor and his sorceress.

Literally a mad troublemaker, so a sword dance would be perfectly possible.

“The more I think about it, this method is perfect.”

“What?”

“Your Highness?”

“I must become a troublemaker madly in love.”

Selma and Una froze at her mumbled words. The First Princess of the Ellias Empire, known for her gentle and mild temperament, had just declared something, and even though they clearly heard the words with their own ears, their minds refused to process it. The princess they served rarely raised her voice, always wore a gentle smile, and respected everyone. An angelic princess and a troublemaker prince. It wasn’t for nothing that people said they wished they could combine the two and split them in half to get something better.

But now, that princess was going to become a troublemaker.

Legina turned to Selma and Una, who were still unable to comprehend what they had just heard, and spoke again with her usual gentle smile.

“I will become a troublemaker.”

Beyond the window, the morning sunlight, stretching long tails, illuminated Legina, who was smiling brightly, and Selma and Una, whose faces were utterly pale.