Chapter: 229
[Have you finally gone crazy?]
The first words out of Grandpa’s mouth after hearing my story were to question my sanity.
And honestly, who could blame him? I just suggested calling the Second Prince a “Pitiful Prince” after all.
If I were a normal person, I’d be facing the guillotine for insulting royalty.
But hey, I’m not your average Joe. Lucy Allen has been pulling off stunts like this forever.
I had called the current king a livestock and insulted the first prince by calling him a creepy stalker. And to the third prince, I just poked at his insecurities by saying he’s pitiful.
Yet here I was, still standing here in front of a crowd of nobles, instead of having my head chopped off.
So what if I called the Second Prince “Pitiful Prince” now?
Sure, his glare was probably burning me alive, and being a Pitiful Prince, he might just plot revenge against me.
But wouldn’t that just be life as usual? Even if I were to ignore him, his subordinates would be all over me anyway.
<...Young Lady, I get what you're saying, but facing the pressure from those subordinates is completely different from incurring the wrath of the Second Prince himself.>
‘Is that so?’
[Yes. The current pressure directed at you is kept below the surface. They can't let their master catch wind of it. But if you earn the Second Prince's ire, that's a whole different story.]
‘So there’s no reason for me to dial it down.’
Hmm, I see. I thought getting rid of the Second Prince’s affection would eliminate any pressure, but it might just make things more annoying.
This is why a political newbie’s thoughts can be so naive.
I threw that statement out there without much thought, and as soon as Grandpa warned me, I backed off. But he wasn’t having it.
<...No. No way. Right now, Young Lady, you’re too valuable to give up.>
‘Grandpa?’
[Just wait a moment. I need to think this through.]
He muttered to himself as if an idea had sparked and then began firing questions towards Karia.
[Is the current first prince’s claim to the throne solid?]
[What about the Second Prince’s forces?]
[Has the Second Prince ever defeated the first prince?]
After a couple of exchanges, Grandpa popped back to reality with a smile.
[Let me correct myself. Your idea might actually be pretty good. Let's call him “Pitiful Prince.”]
‘…Didn’t you just say it’s not a good idea?’
[I neglected a crucial fact, leading to my misjudgment.]
‘What fact?’
[Right now, you have become a person of no benefit in turning the tables against the Second Prince.]
*
The day after Grandpa laid out his plan.
I called my closest people together.
To explain the trouble I was about to get into.
I devised a plan to slap the title “Pitiful Prince” right on the Second Prince in a public setting.
Causing a ruckus would naturally result in demands for explanations, so I gathered them in advance.
In the private room, as I opened my mouth to explain, my thoughts instantly fell apart.
As soon as I mentioned calling the Second Prince “Pitiful Prince,” all hell broke loose.
“…Hold on a second. Lucy Allen, is what I heard actually true?”
Arthur looked like he was suffering from a headache, cringing his eyebrows tightly.
‘Yes, that’s correct.’
“Are you really so pitiful that you’d insult him like that? Don’t worry, this time, the Pitiful Prince’s hearing is correct.”
“Are you seriously going to call my brother Pitiful Prince?! Do you even have a brain?!”
Arthur’s scream echoed throughout the room.
Thank goodness I had made provisions to keep the sound from leaking outside. If not, we’d have broadcast our chaos to the kingdom.
Why is the prince such a reckless person?
“…I also think you should refrain, Lady Allen. Please call those above you by their rightful names.”
Joy finally snapped back to reality, voicing a half-hearted plea after Arthur’s outburst.
I’d like to honor her request considering she’s my favorite character, but that’s impossible. Unless the Mesugaki skill fades away, I can’t call people however I want.
“Everyone, please calm down. The Young Lady certainly has a reason behind her thoughts.”
The only one remaining calm in this situation was Phoebe. She suggested we trust me for now.
It was easy to guess why she made such a suggestion.
She knew I was the Apostle of God. Looking at me babble nonsense, she probably thought the Shoddy God had delivered some kind of revelation.
Unfortunately, there was nothing to explain this time around, but I did not confess that.
How could I admit I had egged on this crazy idea myself? It was just easier to pin all the blame on the Shoddy God.
Honestly speaking, the Shoddy God isn’t entirely innocent either. If he had adjusted the Mesugaki skill sooner, I wouldn’t have had to reach this decision!
If we’re talking percentages, he deserves 90% of the blame while I take just 10%!
…Is that too ruthless? Maybe 70-30 sounds better?
“Phoebe. Lady Allen isn’t someone who makes impulsive decisions.”
“Right! What thought does she even have? This guy… wait. Does she actually have a thought plan?”
“Your Highness?”
Amidst all this confusion, one blessing is that my track record since joining Soul Academy hasn’t been too shabby.
I’ve always managed to prove myself with good outcomes.
Whether that was intentional or not.
“Joy, think about it. Has there ever been a time when Lady Allen launched something that didn’t end well?”
“…That’s a fair point.”
“I think it’s wise to listen to the Young Lady’s story before coming to any conclusions.”
With Phoebe’s persuasion added to my past actions, even Arthur and Joy decided to take a moment to hear me out.
Seeing their change of attitude, I took a breath and tried to open my mouth again.
‘I’m not trying to stir up trouble for no reason…’
“I’m not just calling him ‘Pitiful Prince’ for the heck of it. That dumb pervert keeps pestering me, and it just gets on my nerves with his subordinates poking me non-stop.”
Hearing my explanation, Joy and Arthur nodded knowingly.
The two of them must’ve heard the rumors that the Second Prince has taken an interest in me given their positions.
“From the perspective of your little brother, Lucy, you must seem like an intriguing target. The symbolism of having defeated the big brother is huge.”
“Also, there were widely spread rumors about how Phoebe and I greatly care for the Young Lady. Thus, if they approach you, they might think they can get close to us too.”
What they said was exactly what Grandpa had explained to me.
As of now, I am an incredibly appealing figure to the Second Prince.
As I’ve mentioned before, the right to the throne essentially belongs to the First Prince at this point.
The whole “firstborn” claim. Anyone who sees the First Prince would acknowledge his overwhelming abilities and the solid support he has.
There’s literally nothing lacking in his favor, so how could an opportunity arise for the Second Prince?
Nobles aren’t foolish. They know there’s no great chance of victory in siding with the Second Prince.
At the very least, if the Second Prince has ever defeated the First Prince in a match, then the situation would be a bit different. But it’s been proven many times that the Second Prince’s overall abilities pale in comparison to the First Prince.
Given the circumstances, the Second Prince doesn’t have much of a following. Who would bet their lives on a hopeless gamble?
Unless they are related to the Second Prince’s maternal family, are heavily at odds with the current First Prince’s faction, or hail from some naïve group looking for a lucky break, nobody would consider siding with him.
And then there’s me.
The symbolism of having triumphed in the duel proposed by the First Prince. The background of being from the Allen family, known as the kingdom’s guardian. The Partlan family, the Saintess of the Jushin Church, and the added bonus of being close to a powerful upcoming Sword Saint.
Anyone with all of these traits is a valuable asset that the Second Prince must snag.
If he can pull me into his army, then he could possibly turn around a match that looks heavily against him.
After going through all this with me, Grandpa had chuckled and said:
[That guy will do anything to pull you in! If one of the Second Prince’s subordinates reported you, he might even slice that guy’s head off!]
This situation is fundamentally different from when the Second Prince first tried to reach out to me. While he looks like he’s in charge on the outside, the reality is that he’s the one who needs me, and I’m the one in a position of power.
Simply put, I’m the “A” side and the Second Prince is “B.” Hence, whatever I say to him, whether it’s “Pitiful Prince” or not, he has no choice but to be flustered.
[If you want to exploit that, it feels like you could completely drain him dry.]
‘I don’t need all that.’
Most of what I currently want can’t simply be grabbed by status or power.
So having the Second Prince become my puppet would just make things annoyingly complicated.
[What you desire is simply for the Second Prince not to bother you, right?]
‘Exactly.’
[That’s easy.]
Grandpa replied.
Make him watch his step around me.
He should be left wondering, “At any moment, I could be slipping away from the Second Prince and directly into the First Prince’s grasp!”
We keep things status quo, and then progressively lead him to cooperate.
[You need to neutralize the situation. Just like how you insulted the First Prince, you can insult the Second Prince. It’s not because you dislike him, but just to show that this is who you are.]
At the end of all this, Grandpa proposed a duel based on the Academy Dungeon strategy.
The battlefield that is the most favorable to me.
As the rotten person of the Soul Academy, I’m confident I won’t lose!
[The Second Prince will never be able to decline this.]
When I relayed Grandpa’s story to everyone the previous evening, a heavy silence fell upon the group.
What’s this? Why are all their expressions like that?
Why does Joy and Arthur look at me like they can’t believe it? And why is Phoebe nodding along while grinning?
That’s the right response, isn’t it? Right?!
I’m not Karia— I can’t read emotions just from a face! Just say something!
As I grew uncomfortable with the silence, Frey, who had been distracted till now, suddenly spoke up.
“Um, Lucy.”
‘Yes?’
“What’s the deal? You dimwit swordsman.”
“Why is the Pitiful Prince a Pitiful Prince?”
…You’re asking that now?
My site has received a lot of DMCA notices, lol. From now on, I will update the MTL on https://darkmtl.com/.
The site is fast and lightweight because there are no ads yet. However, the theme is different from Cybor-TL, so take some time to familiarize yourself.
Support me by donating at least $10, and you'll have the right to request any novel from Novelpia (excluding 19+ content) using a newly developed tool.