“……”
Alice watched me in silence. It seemed like she wanted me to add something to the conversation, so I slowly began to speak.
“If I still had my skills, I could argue that I should take the Emperor’s position. It’s not about how excellent or lacking my abilities are; it’s that I could instantly reverse any serious mistake. If mistakes never happened in the first place, I could remain a perfect being.”
But that’s not the case right now.
“But now that those abilities are gone, it’s different.”
“Why?”
“Because the Crown Princess’s abilities are superior to mine.”
I simply stated the fact.
“The achievements I had to strive countless times for, the Crown Princess can achieve in one go. There’s talent, but also a significant amount of effort. Plus, the justification is with the Crown Princess. It’s not publicly known yet, but I don’t have a drop of the Emperor’s blood flowing in me.”
“……”
Alice squinted at me.
And while keeping her mouth shut tight, she didn’t say a word, so I continued to speak with a slightly anxious heart.
“So… actually, the only advantage I have over the Crown Princess is that I have a Gryphon following me. That might catch people’s eyes, but I know you are aware that it’s not the only requirement to rise to the Emperor’s chair.”
So, she has been trying so hard to surpass me for a long time.
The fact that the Emperor’s children really have the Emperor’s blood is a story that only came to light after that incident. Alice, who was striving to beat me in her childhood, thought that the Emperor’s position might genuinely slip into my hands.
Alice has known from childhood that the person who will ascend to the Emperor’s throne must not only have the right bloodline or justification, but also abilities suited for the position.
Deep down, she probably wanted to beat me, who was taking away the attention that was rightfully hers, even though they weren’t blood-related. But I believe that Alice, who fundamentally loves her country and has an interest in politics, didn’t just think that way.
“……”
When I finished speaking, Alice narrowed her eyes and stared at me for a while.
Then she let out a big sigh, slumping her shoulders dramatically. Despite clearly lowering her head and sighing tiredly, that sigh felt exaggerated enough for me to sense it.
Alice exhaled a huu~, straightened her head, and looked at me.
“Let me ask you one thing.”
With a sharper-than-usual gaze, Alice asked me.
“You don’t want to be Emperor, do you?”
Ah.
Busted.
I opened and closed my mouth for a while after those words from Alice.
Well, it’s not like I was planning to live my life doing nothing and being a loser. I mean, sure, I thought it would be nice to do that if possible, but if that isn’t an option, I was just thinking it would be great to be as busy as I was in the academy.
Isn’t it said that the royal family or nobility is blessed by not having a job? I heard that European nobility lives off the real estate passed down from their ancestors, spending their lives attending charity parties.
If I stayed as I was, I’d have to be careful not to lose my head while living. But if Alice sat in the Emperor’s seat, that’d be a different story. At least she wouldn’t come after me to eradicate me.
I tried to maintain a blank expression, but Alice’s face seemed to indicate that she had already read my thoughts.
“When I said those words to you in the train, I genuinely thought you meant it. But after observing your movements, it seems it’s not just that.”
I thought I was working hard after all.
Well, my ultimate goal was to save all the main characters and then chill with them in peace. Considering that, Alice’s words aren’t necessarily incorrect.
“Regardless of how much I don’t want to be Emperor, I believe the one destined to take that position is you, the Crown Princess.”
“Yeah, yeah, I know.”
However, Alice’s expression didn’t remotely reflect that of someone who thought that way.
Surely she doesn’t seriously want to hand over the Emperor’s position to me.
As I thought that and broke into a cold sweat, a faint smile appeared at the corner of Alice’s lips as she looked at me.
“Well, forcing someone who doesn’t want to be Emperor would only cause problems, right? The Emperor’s position isn’t just a decoration. But I also don’t trust anyone other than you and me. Honestly, who can we trust inside the Imperial Palace?”
I nodded. Finding a fallen royal and making them Emperor again was bound to lead to problems. If there’s any noble claiming that, that noble would be the first one we’d need to get rid of.
“Then I guess reluctantly, I need to become the next Emperor.”
“……”
Feeling a bit uneasy while looking at Alice who shrugged her shoulders like that, I began to wonder if this was really okay.
So… we’re discussing the ‘throne’ right now, which is a pretty heavy topic. Is it right for us to discuss the position of the ruler of the Empire, and furthermore, the continent, so lightly? And not to mention that the only ones having this conversation are two teenage girls. I mean, I might be a more mature character, but Alice is definitely a teen.
…Although quite some time passed since then, let’s ignore that.
“Alright.”
Alice said.
“Then are you planning to become the next Emperor?”
“First, I’ll finish the academy. I’ll keep my name in the running, but I won’t actually manage the country yet. You’ve praised me a lot, but honestly, I still have a lot to learn at my age.”
Even though that’s true, hearing a teenager say that was a strange comment.
“And I need to normalize the council that barely exists. My father was an amazing person who handled everything alone, but I’m not like him. Despite appearances, I don’t overly trust my abilities.”
“I know.”
Still, since the conversation was flowing well, I nodded in agreement.
The path ahead wouldn’t be easy, but that didn’t mean it was an impossible journey. Just like before, if I walk along with trustworthy companions, it would be something we could overcome together.
“However, with one condition.”
“What condition?”
Um, you’re the only person available for this role, so what condition are you talking about?
“You have to share a position with me.”
“……”
I didn’t respond to Alice’s statement.
“Well, right now, there are only you and me as the royalty. Claire is my sister, but I don’t think she’d want to call me ‘sister’ any time soon. She’s pretty proud, you know?”
Surely, if Alice said such a thing while making an adorable face, Claire would definitely be furious.
It seems that Alice has accepted Claire as her sister to some extent. In that fantasy where Alice lived together with Claire as sisters, she probably can’t fully erase those feelings now that she has come to this side. Seeing Alice’s expression while saying that felt comforting, as if we were talking about family.
“Of course, separate from that, I’d want to give Claire a position too. Honestly, since everyone I can trust is someone I met at the academy, I’ll give everyone a position. I think that would make me feel at ease.”
Hmm.
Alice probably wouldn’t just give them positions. Of course, she’d properly reward them, but I bet she’d also make them work hard.
Charlotte, Rena, and Sophia, who are complete foreigners, might escape that rigorous treatment, though.
“And you. Why do you look like you’re deep in thought?”
Alice said in disbelief, looking at me with a distant expression.
“You’re the one who made the biggest contribution in this battle. Naturally, you should stay close to me as one of my aides. There’s more than enough left to share among the trustworthy members of the royal court. And really, considering the contributions, it’s only reasonable for you to receive a few titles, right? Honestly, it was weird not having any title until now. Usually, nobles would hold titles along with their royal blood.”
And Alice’s expression while saying that looked full of joy.
Despite wanting to raise several objections, just looking at her expression made it feel so nice that I couldn’t find the will to do so.
“This is my condition. Otherwise, I’m not going to be Emperor. How about it?”
With Alice cornering me into a place I absolutely couldn’t back down from, she asked.
I merely shrugged my shoulders in response.
Well… if daily life gets too tough, I could always ride my Gryphon and escape somewhere far away, right?
That is, as long as that unpredictable creature continues to be by my side.
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