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Chapter – 03
Just as expected, the firm tone made the king’s eyes widen.
“An heir? Don’t tell me…”
“Yes. It is Princess Relina. She has shown far greater academic achievement and creativity than I have, so I believe she will become a wise ruler who succeeds Your Majesty.”
“……”
“I have long been aware that Your Majesty has been weighing between my accumulated experience and Relina’s genius.”
Given their age gap, Shairin should have long been named crown princess.
It would have been better to appoint the already-grown eldest daughter rather than wait for a younger royal child to mature.
But the king did not do so. It was a case of imbalance caused by one side’s abilities being too abnormal.
“I have already accepted reality. So I would appreciate it if you would publicly announce as soon as possible that Relina is the most suitable candidate for the next throne.”
The king looked at Shairin. She was too calm.
For someone who had spent twenty years chasing after a single goal.
“…Let me ask you something. Why are you suddenly thinking this way?”
“Do you know what happened the day after I brought up the topic of being a jobless noble?”
“I heard you pushed yourself too hard studying and fell ill.”
“Do you know what that meant to me, Father? That was the absolute limit of my effort.”
When Relina strolled leisurely, Shairin had to run.
The humiliation she felt back then no longer affected her much, but the emotion itself still remained vivid.
“Accepting defeat is also the duty of royalty. So I decided it would be best to let go of my greed before I became even more pathetic.”
“……”
“Wouldn’t it be a graceful ending to step aside and bless that lovely child instead of growing to resent her?”
The king felt a faint sadness at how relieved she almost looked.
It seemed he had never truly understood his daughter.
“……I understand your will, Shairin.”
“Thank you, Father.”
Shairin smiled brightly.
At last, she thought she was taking her first step toward becoming a jobless noble!
…At least, that was what she believed until this moment.
She never expected her father to stab her in the back like this!
A few days later, at a morning meeting attended by all nobles, the king dropped a bombshell.
“From today onward, Princess Shairin will assist me and take charge of part of the state affairs.”
“Y-Your Majesty?!”
“What… what do you mean all of a sudden…?”
With no prior notice regarding succession, the king’s official declaration sent the entire court into chaos.
Of course, none more so than Shairin herself.
‘F-Father?!’
She had clearly conveyed her intention.
That she had no desire for the throne, and that she supported Relina.
So why was this happening!
“This is a kind of test. If Princess Shairin fails to properly perform her duties, she will be permanently excluded from succession.”
Well, that part was somewhat reassuring… but why was he suddenly going this far?
She couldn’t understand it.
It almost felt like she was being forced to become king.
‘What is he thinking?’
Shairin maintained her usual expressionless face, but inside her thoughts were in turmoil. She bit the inside of her cheek without anyone noticing.
The nobles’ reactions were mostly: So she was lying about not wanting the throne after all.
She could feel suspicion blooming—perhaps she had pressured the king, or thrown a tantrum behind the scenes.
But the only thing she could say right now was:
“…I will do my best, Your Majesty.”
“We will discuss the specifics at the next noble council.”
The king left the hall after saying only that. Shairin immediately followed him.
She wanted to confront him right away, but unfortunately, she was weak when it came to family. It was a lingering effect from her past life.
In the end, she couldn’t say anything and headed to the dining room.
It was a late breakfast, and the queen and Relina were already seated.
“Welcome, Shai.”
“Yes, Mother. I hope you have been well.”
“I’ve been well every day—yesterday, today, always.”
“I’m glad to hear that.”
If there was one thing different from her past life, it was the morning atmosphere.
After her reincarnation, Shairin had begun eating breakfast with her family every day.
Lunch and dinner were usually taken alone due to everyone’s schedules, so breakfast became the only shared meal.
In her previous life, she had isolated herself, but after returning, she went to the dining hall every morning to confirm that this was not a dream.
And so, four servings were prepared once again.
The queen smiled as she drank some water.
“Having meals together like this is such a blessing.”
“……”
“I hope we can always continue eating breakfast together like this.”
“Yes. As long as the day I leave the palace comes, I want breakfast to always be together.”
Saying this casually, Shairin sat beside Relina. The queen looked surprised.
“Shai, what do you mean? Leaving the palace?”
“I told Father that I would yield the throne to Relina.”
“……”
“So once Relina is named crown princess, there will be no reason for me to remain in the palace.”
Shairin, who wanted a quiet life somewhere peaceful, was firmly in denial of reality.
Of course, the king cut through her wishful thinking immediately.
“Relina may be able to inherit the throne and govern well, but I must also evaluate your abilities, so this is an unavoidable decision.”
“……”
A sigh almost escaped her, but she could somewhat understand the king’s choice.
From her perspective, she knew she had experienced ruling in a future life, but to everyone else, it would just sound like nonsense: “If I become king, this country will fall!”
They would think she was overwhelmed by pressure.
‘I really want to say I’ve regressed in time…’
The king calmly finished his appetizer salad before continuing.
“And did you ask Relina’s opinion?”
‘Ah.’
In her desperation to avoid the throne, she almost ended up as an irresponsible older sister dumping everything onto her beloved younger sister.
Now that she thought about it, neither the stepmother nor Relina had ever formally spoken on the matter, aside from nobles speculating around them.
“Relina.”
“Yes, Father.”
Relina, with golden eyes like Shairin’s, looked at the king.
Her gaze held slight confusion and hesitation.
“What do you think about the throne? Do you wish to succeed me?”
“Hmm…”
As if she had never thought about it before, Relina fell into deep thought.
She remained silent until the soup at the table grew cold.
Then she finally lifted her head.
“I have never thought about the throne, Father.”
“Why not?”
“Because it is not a position that is meant for me.”
Just because one is intelligent, does that mean they can become king?
Relina was fully aware she was a genius, but also knew that alone was not enough.
She had watched her half-sister’s efforts and ambition.
She had seen her studying so intensely that she even suffered nosebleeds.
She had watched her pushing her body to its limits, burning with fever yet still running toward her goal.
Each time, Relina felt as if her sister was born to become queen.
Relina could not live like Shairin.
For her, studying was merely a means of enjoyment.
“However, your sister has chosen you as the next ruler.”
“That is far too great an honor for me.”
“Not at all, Relina.”
Shairin quickly responded to her denial.
“Your Majesty only gave me the chance first because I am older. You are more than capable of surpassing me.”
The eldest daughter had experience in governance, but only average academic talent.
The younger daughter had no political experience, but a genius-level mind.
But once the latter gained experience as well, wouldn’t she easily surpass the former?
“So do not think of it as something you must be ‘granted.’ You already have the qualifications.”
“…I will keep that in mind.”
“Yes.”
Shairin lost her appetite after the king’s bombshell announcement and left after barely touching her soup.
“Oh my, leaving already?”
“I don’t feel very hungry today. I’ll see you tomorrow, Mother.”
“Very well. See you tomorrow.”
“Yes. I will take my leave.”
She returned to her room after being seen off by her family and collapsed onto her bed.
“This negotiation was a complete failure.”
She had failed to achieve her intention, and instead ended up more tightly bound to duty.
She never wanted to be king.
To her, it symbolized failure and incompetence.
“…Sigh. Things are about to get much more troublesome.”
As acting regent, she would become busy.
And not only that.
She would also need to make situations that highlighted Relina’s brilliance while emphasizing her own incompetence.
Just thinking about it made her head hurt.
“Ugh.”
A sigh escaped her again. She would have to discard all her previous plans and redesign her future.
Since there was no guarantee this miracle would happen again, she intended to make the most of this opportunity.
‘During the next founding celebration banquet… many nobles will attend. Then I’ll…’
At that moment—
“Princess. Marquis Kirishit and several counts are requesting an audience.”
