“Looks like you have a talent for incitement.”
Plona muttered as she watched Selina, smiling and bustling around with excitement just a few days after confidently claiming she would handle things.
“To be honest, I didn’t have high expectations for the princess in a cage, but she’s proving me wrong.”
Stella, who had come with me instead of Martini for a change, agreed with Plona’s remark.
At that moment, Selina, spotting us, jumped about half a foot off the ground, maintaining her walking posture.
Elonora silently expressed her admiration for the odd acrobatics.
Selina, looking around anxiously to see if anyone noticed her royal carelessness, finally let out a sigh of relief when she confirmed that only the vampire soldiers, who blended into the background, were watching.
“Lady Aria! Everyone!”
Selina approached us with bouncy steps, beaming with joy.
With such an innocent face, it was hard to believe she had everyone in the royal capital wrapped around her little finger.
It struck me anew that you can never really know a person just by their appearance.
“Is everything going well?”
“Yes! I think by tomorrow, all the nobles staying in the royal capital will be sorted into black and white.”
“Tomorrow? Already?”
When I genuinely asked in surprise, Selina’s lips curled up triumphantly.
It was a cute action that made onlookers smile, likely due to her high-born elegance, but when I considered that her innocent demeanor had been shaped by years of being overlooked and yearning for recognition, it felt a bit pitiful.
“I must reward her properly later.”
After all, if there’s merit, one should acknowledge it; and if there’s a fault, one must punish it to establish order and motivate followers.
Though she had only recently joined the vampires, Selina was already exceeding expectations and pulling her weight.
“Choosing Selina was definitely the right decision.”
At the start, the only reason for presenting the old royal lineage was to quell the humans’ opposition after the merger with the Bertica Kingdom.
The reasons for choosing Selina out of the three direct royal heirs were simply two:
Firstly, she had no history of engagement with the dukes, and secondly, as a fellow short-timer, she would likely be the easiest to persuade.
Yet now, everyone’s perception of Selina within our ranks had undeniably changed.
In such a short span, some nobles had been made to submit through sheer fear, while others had been brought into the fold by dangling power and the promise of immortality.
Is it accurate to say she excels at worming her way into others’ hearts?
What was once a worry over her youth and inexperience was quickly fading, as Selina deftly read the minds of nobles as if proving that innate humans were fundamentally different from the rest.
She was not just skilled in verbal negotiation; she was even better at working behind the scenes.
Collecting weaknesses, blackmailing, sowing discord, and shaping public opinion.
Despite looking innocent, Selina wasn’t afraid to resort to vile and petty tactics—she was indeed a runaway locomotive.
Perhaps having learned about the world only through books made her far bolder.
She seems to treat people like chess pieces, moving them around as she pleases.
Selina deliberately leaked information among the nobles detained within the royal castle and her mansion, creating an atmosphere that made it seem like everyone was surrendering to the vampires.
At the same time, just when they were feeling anxious, she’d feed them something so deliciously tempting they couldn’t resist.
It hardly seemed like anyone could refuse what she was offering.
“She’s selectively filtering them all.”
While she moved decisively, those nobles who seemed to harbor ill intentions were ruthlessly eliminated.
During the moment Selina presented her list of targets for purging, even Martini was amazed that the names of nobles she deemed impossible to sway aligned almost perfectly with the watch list Martini had compiled.
Selina had successfully proven her worth and swiftly restored order to the royal capital under my full support.
As a result, about 90% of the nobles had already sworn loyalty or had been quietly purged.
Yet, she claimed all selections of nobles would be completed by tomorrow.
That was truly a terrifying skill.
“Almost like stumbling upon a winning lottery ticket.”
An able prince with an even more capable princess?
Looking back, one could hardly call their previous evaluations low; those who’d assigned such a foolish rank probably never gave her the chance to showcase her abilities.
Or perhaps when she was human, her physical state rendered her unable to shine.
With her newfound health as a vampire, she could focus completely, accomplishing this level of success with ease.
If that’s the case, she might as well have been born to be a vampire with such talent—regardless, I, having hit the jackpot, could only embrace this with open arms.
“That’s good news, but don’t overdo it. Shouldn’t you take the time to enjoy yourself?”
I sincerely encouraged her.
Whatever the reason, now that Selina had joined us, she felt like family connected through my blood, and I don’t lie to those close to me.
“I can’t just lure you with promises of freedom and then bury you under paperwork.”
With the pace of her work exceeding all expectations, she could play around without drawing any suspicion.
However, like a delighted puppy enjoying her master’s attention, Selina shook her head, smiling.
“I’m already having so much fun! It feels like a dream that I don’t get tired even after a whole day of moving around. I’m fine, so I’ll finish what I started and then take a rest.”
“…If you say so. Just don’t hesitate to ask if you need help or if anything’s tough.”
“Yes, I’ll leave it to you!”
With a cheery bounce, Selina walked off.
Stella murmured with a strange expression.
“It’s a bit scary. I didn’t expect the princess of a nation to turn around so quickly.”
“Rather than turning around, she’s just being honest. Everyone has suppressed desires buried deep in their hearts.”
“No, it’s that the princess recognized that… No, it’s not like that. She’s not the first to produce such unexpected results.”
In truth, this was merely a fortunate convergence of time among fellow short-timers, which facilitated a smoother inclusion, but I had no intention of flaunting humility.
After all, it was certainly right to acknowledge the results of what had transpired.
*
Four days had passed again.
Three days had gone by since Selina completed the task of either killing or co-opting all the nobles residing in the royal capital, as she had boldly promised.
Since the vampires occupied the capital, it had been eerily quiet with only the beastmen on patrol, but today the city was buzzing with life.
“Not the prince but the First Princess… What are we to expect moving forward—”
The residents of the royal capital, who had been hiding inside their homes and cautiously peeking outside, gathered anxiously at the front gate of the royal castle.
The reason for their gathering was simply due to an announcement from the vampires, who had yet to formally state their position since taking over the capital.
But the content of the announcement was a bit strange.
According to the notice, the royal castle would open part of its premises today, and there, First Princess Selina Bertica would give a speech to the people.
Naturally, the townsfolk expected to hear that the kingdom had become the vampires’ realm and that they would all be sold into slavery, yet they could hardly believe their ears.
The announcement was made by the vampires—how could the First Princess be the one to speak?
It seemed odd to say that the First Princess had surrendered to the vampires; an explanation of various aspects of the situation would be required.
Where had the king and the prince gone? It was the first time for the common people to receive news that the current king had a daughter.
Moreover, as if to highlight that something was changing, today the number of beastmen patrolling the streets had decreased and had been replaced by human soldiers.
The insignias on their armor indicated they were not regular royal soldiers but seemed to be private troops from various nobles; nevertheless, it was the first time that the soldiers of the Bertica Kingdom strode through the streets since the occupation.
Trembling with unease, the townspeople of the royal capital opened their bolted doors to venture outside and cautiously bask in the long-awaited sunlight.
They understood that staying inside was not necessarily safe.
The only reason they had remained unscathed so far was that the vampires had chosen not to harm the residents.
If their safety was not guaranteed, then there was no reason to miss the opportunity to witness the change that was about to unfold and hear the explanation behind it.
People gathered in small groups in the prepared area.
As the space filled to capacity, a blonde princess appeared on the second-floor balcony.
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