THIEM 25

Chapter 25

“I’ve decided to get engaged to the young duchess.”

“…Excuse me?”

That was the first thing Rakiel said after returning from his outing that evening.

Hagen, who had stayed late to finish paperwork, answered with a blank expression.

“You… decided to get engaged?”

“Yeah.”

“That’s not something Your Highness decided just now. Wasn’t it already arranged from the beginning?”

“You really can’t just let things slide, can you…?”

Even as he said that, the smile never left Rakiel’s lips. Watching him, Hagen tilted his head in confusion.

“Did something good happen?”

“Something good…”

Rakiel thought for a moment, only to feel his mood sink again.

The conversation from the restaurant resurfaced in his mind.

“Rosenthal territory was located in the western part of the empire, right?”

“That’s right. Part of it borders the Valter Empire as well. I heard they suffered considerable damage during the continental war because of that…”

Hagen glanced cautiously at Rakiel before continuing.

“Are you bothered by what Duke Rosenthal said?”

“Well…”

The story about the crown prince burning all the military records related to the western border.

That wasn’t something he could dismiss lightly.

But although that bothered him, what Rakiel was truly thinking about was something else.

‘If she’s the young duchess’s personal maid, there’s a high chance she was originally from Rosenthal territory.’

Most noble families usually brought attendants from their territories to the capital residence.

And Rosenthal had been one of the regions hit hardest by the war.

‘So she really did lose her parents because of the war…’

The way she constantly hid her face, the way she acted calm while forcing herself to continue speaking…

It felt as though the scars of war had swept through her life without mercy.

And judging from how she couldn’t ignore people in need…

‘She probably couldn’t run away easily during the war either. Even if she got hurt herself, she would’ve helped others first.’

Rakiel felt memories of the war—memories he thought he had already buried—come flooding back.

He had tried so desperately to forget those horrific days…

Yet the image of her fidgeting with her hat and her calm voice pretending everything was fine lingered in his ears.

“…Looks like the scars of war still remain everywhere.”

He muttered heavily.

Though puzzled by Rakiel’s behavior, Hagen nodded.

“It’s only been two years. The capital is actually one of the better places. Go a little outside the city, and there are still collapsed homes and burned farmland everywhere.”

“…”

“Your Highness.”

Hagen spoke firmly.

“That wasn’t your fault.”

“I was the commander-in-chief.”

Rakiel’s voice dropped low.

“I should’ve ended it sooner. If I had, maybe more people could’ve survived.”

“Your Highness already did everything you could.”

Hagen set the documents down with a sharp thud and looked directly at Rakiel. Sympathy filled his eyes.

“The one who started the war was the Valter Empire. Not you.”

“But…”

“When war breaks out, sacrifices are inevitable. That’s what war is. But you don’t have to carry all the responsibility alone.”

Instead of replying, Rakiel leaned back in his chair and closed his eyes.

Even now, he could still hear the screams of people and the chilling clash of blades.

And the voices of the knights who collapsed while calling his name.

“But isn’t that exactly why you want to become emperor?”

“…”

Having experienced war firsthand, he understood.

There was nothing more pointless and horrifying in this world than war.

That was why Ludwig could never become emperor.

He was someone who would use any means necessary to achieve his goals, someone who could throw the empire back into the flames if he deemed it necessary.

And besides…

Personal resentment could not be ignored either.

—Your Highness, please run!

Rakiel frowned and forcibly pushed the memory away.

It was one of the memories he could never forget, yet desperately wished to erase.

Hagen watched him with pity before quietly sighing.

“If someone like you became emperor… it would be a blessing for the empire, but another burden for you.”

“…”

“Even so, I’ll follow you. No matter what path you choose, I’ll stay by your side to the end.”

Rakiel slowly opened his eyes.

Though heavy shadows still lingered within his crimson gaze, there was also a faint spark of resolve burning there.

“…Am I supposed to say thank you?”

“What’s with the formality?”

Hagen snorted softly.

Picking the documents back up, he asked,

“Then when do you plan to officially announce your engagement to Lady Rosenthal?”

[Main Quest Activated.]

[Quest Name: Master of the Throne
Objective: Place the Second Prince, ‘Rakiel Bernhardt,’ on the imperial throne.
Conditions: Secure influence in at least three out of four fields — politics, military, economy, and social circles.
Reward: Special Title ‘Architect of the Throne’ acquired
Failure: ‘Rakiel Bernhardt’ disappears / Player is automatically charged with treason
※ Once accepted, this quest cannot be abandoned.]

“Influence in at least three out of four fields…?”

The conditions were harsher than expected.

The next day, Rakiel visited the ducal residence again as promised. It seemed things had gone smoothly with the duke, because the quest window immediately appeared.

I had expected a quest to pop up, but still…

“The conditions are brutal, and the reward sucks.”

I frowned and sighed.

For Rakiel to become emperor, he would have to overwhelmingly crush Ludwig.

‘…Well, obviously!’

To begin with, Rakiel had no legitimacy. There was already a crown prince, so there was no reason for Rakiel to inherit the throne.

To overthrow Crown Prince Ludwig, they would need undeniable justification. If they made even one wrong move, they’d be the ones destroyed instead.

Honestly, it was a route full of thorns. If this were a game, I would never have chosen it.

“At least this is better than nothing.”

The only way to escape both Crown Prince Ludwig and Grand Duke Kashien.

Below the blinking quest window, the Accept button caught my eye.

After hesitating briefly, I finally raised my finger and pressed it.

With a cheerful sound effect, the quest moved to the very top of the list.

Marked with the title:

‘Main.’

Meaning it was the most important quest I currently had.

Anyway, now that I’d gotten the quest window I wanted, it was finally time to start moving properly.

I stretched my stiff body after spending the entire day pretending to be in a foul mood.

Acting according to the situation was more important than expected.

For example, when Evelyn was angry like now, she would radiate low-pressure hostility, while when she was in a good mood, she’d become comparatively gentler. In other words, Evelyn’s emotions and actions needed consistency.

‘Hm? Then does that mean the higher my freedom stat gets, the lower those restrictions become?’

Ding!

[Depending on the stat, the system’s restriction thresholds decrease.]

Sure enough, after Freedom reached Level 3, the system warnings had become less frequent. The standards for what counted as “acting in character” seemed much more relaxed now.

Though the engagement with the second prince had still triggered overwhelming rage from Evelyn, enough to ignore even that.

Either way, I just had to steadily keep raising my stats. At the very least, I needed enough freedom to act independently before the emperor’s birthday celebration.

‘It’d be nice if I could monitor Grand Duke Kashien’s movements before then.’

Knock knock.

“Come in.”

Before Genie entered the room, she glanced around outside and quickly slipped in, acting as if she were wary of someone watching.

“What is it?”

“Ah, Young Lady… um…”

She stammered and struggled to speak.

‘Hm?’

Looking closer, her face was pale, and cold sweat dripped down her forehead.

Like someone who had made a terrible mistake.

…Did something happen?

I narrowed my eyes and pressed her for an answer.

“What is it? What happened?”

“Th-The Crown Prince… sent you a gift, Young Lady…”

“What?”

I whipped my head around, eyes widening sharply.

Genie flinched and stumbled backward.

The Crown Prince… Ludwig sent me a gift? To me?

With trembling hands, Genie held out a small box.

A luxurious velvet-covered case tied with a ribbon bearing the imperial crest.

“He sent this… and I didn’t know what to do…”

I stared coldly at the small box in my hands.

‘What’s his intention?’

There was no way news of my engagement to the second prince had already reached him.

That decision had only been made this morning.

And after filtering out all the spies, there was no chance he had learned about it beforehand and sent this because of that.

‘If not that… then reconciliation?’

But I quickly scoffed and shook my head.

Ridiculous. What would Ludwig possibly gain from that?

“When did it arrive?”

“Just now. An imperial messenger delivered it personally. And this came with it too…”

Genie pulled out another sealed letter.

A golden wax seal stamped with the crown prince’s personal insignia.

I stared at the letter for a moment before curling my lips upward.

Then, in a deliberately arrogant voice filled with delight, I said:

“Hmph, so he’s finally realized the situation. As expected… there’s no way he’d continue ignoring the daughter of House Rosenthal forever.”

“Young Lady, but…”

“That’s enough. You may leave.”

As I waved my hand coldly, Genie looked at me anxiously.

Yeah, I knew too.

I knew Ludwig would never suddenly start treating me kindly now.

But if I wanted to keep acting as Evelyn, I had no choice.

Whatever this was, I had no option but to play along.

Genie hesitated before eventually turning and leaving the room.

Finally alone, I carefully broke the wax seal and unfolded the letter.

“…What the hell is this?”