Chapter 201: The Otome Game 1

From the day before the Investiture Ceremony, a tense atmosphere enveloped the royal capital. Even knights of the Royal Knights, who did not normally stand guard, joined the city watch, their nerves on edge, though their patrols were confined to the vicinity of the palace and the main roads. The Royal Knights’ Second Squad, in particular, kept a sharp eye on anyone attempting to enter the capital.

“Captain, may I have a word?”

One of the knights called out to Danhill Calvert, Captain of the Second Squad. When Danhill looked up, a knight stood before him, his face taut with tension. Sensing that something was amiss, Danhill furrowed his brow slightly and approached the knight. The knight then lowered his voice and whispered in Danhill’s ear.

“There’s a merchant caravan with a northern accent. They have a transit permit, but the one who issued it was—”

The name he spoke was that of a northern lord. Danhill’s expression hardened. It was a lord from the north, one who rarely came to the capital, but was suspected of being part of the Grand Duke’s faction.

They might genuinely be here on business, but it would be wise to check, just in case.

With a single nod, Danhill headed toward the merchants. Led by his subordinate, he arrived to find a man, apparently the head of the caravan, sitting on the back of a wagon with a sullen expression. The other Second Squad knights seemed to be holding them up. They must have been on the receiving end of quite a few complaints, as the knight’s face relaxed with relief upon seeing Danhill approach. But that relief was fleeting, and his expression quickly turned serious again.

Danhill stood before the merchant. His sharp gaze scanned the surroundings, inspecting the cargo behind the man seated on the wagon.

“I am Danhill Calvert, Captain of the Royal Knights’ Second Squad. The entire capital is on high alert today for the Investiture Ceremony.”

He was implicitly telling the man he wasn’t the only one being held up. The merchant, who had initially glared at Danhill, quickly changed his expression upon learning he was the captain of the Second Squad. He seemed to be the type to kowtow to authority.

Danhill took a piece of paper from his uniform pocket. Glancing at it, a slight smile touched the corner of his lips. Faint red letters had appeared on the paper—where before, there had been nothing.

To anyone else, it should have looked as if he were holding nothing. Knowing this, he understood it was not yet time to speak.

Maintaining a casual expression, Danhill asked a few simple questions. They were all basic inquiries: the purpose of their visit to the capital, the length of their stay, the goods they were dealing in. The merchant, initially wary, began to relax his shoulders, apparently judging this to be a routine interrogation conducted with everyone.

Of course, Danhill wasn’t about to take the merchants’ words at face value.

Even if the man before him was an assassin or a spy disguised as a merchant, he would surely have prepared the tools of the trade and would undoubtedly be buying and selling goods to divert the investigation. So, it wasn’t strange that the men could answer without hesitation.

Watching the man’s every move, Danhill asked casually,

“Thank you for your cooperation with our investigation. Ah, and one more thing.”

The merchant seemed to let his guard down at Danhill’s relaxed words of thanks. It was clear to any observer that he was relieved. Confirming this, Danhill asked in a completely natural tone,

“That cargo on your wagon is reacting to a magic circle. Would you care to explain what that’s about?”

“—Huh?”

The dumbfounded sound came not from the merchant, but from one of the Second Squad knights. Danhill could feel the knight’s gaze fixed on him, as if in utter shock. But Danhill did not take his eyes off the merchant.

The merchant let out a click of his tongue. With an agility that belied his previous slouching posture, he leaped to his feet and shouted, drawing a dagger that had been hidden under his clothes. The knights standing behind Danhill immediately bristled with killing intent.

“Oi! Take these guys out!”

At once, rough-looking men began to pour out of the wagon. They were far too menacing in both appearance and weaponry to be mere merchants and their hired mercenary guards.

It seemed their merchant guise was indeed a front, and they were in fact ruffians. But the fact that a magic circle had been placed on their cargo meant they were no ordinary thugs.

The paper Danhill had personally received from his sister Virginia was a magical tool designed to react to specific magic circles when he held it. It was a single-use item, to be disposed of by fire when no longer needed.

It was simpler than the magical tools made by the Ministry of Magic, but it was extremely useful for inspections like this.

With Danhill at the lead, the knights of the Second Squad drew their swords and took their stances. But for knights who trained relentlessly day in and day out, these ruffians were no match even for a brawl.

Having swiftly subdued the men disguised as merchants, Danhill flashed a charming smile that was popular with the ladies.

“Now then, if you would be so kind as to accompany us to the Royal Knights’ barracks.”

＊＊＊＊＊

Liliana Alexandra Clark had gone to the royal palace to attend the Investiture Ceremony. It was her first time at the palace since she had fallen ill, on the verge of a magical overload. Although she had recovered, not only Crown Prince Riley, but also her brother Clyde and Austin, who had just been appointed as a royal guard, seemed to be extremely busy. She hadn’t been officially told, but Liliana knew that they were conducting background checks not only on the palace officials and knights, but also on the sorcerers and civil officials working in the Ministry of Magic.

(This is so depressing.)

As the maids applied her makeup and helped her into her gown in the assigned waiting room, Liliana lamented inwardly.

She was currently wearing a dress based in a pale blue. The embroidery, done with gold thread and pearls, was breathtakingly beautiful, even her maids were captivated. But even in a beautiful dress, Liliana’s expression remained somber.

The first ceremony would proceed without a hitch. The tea party and banquet that followed would surely be the same. The problem was the tea party held between the ceremony and the banquet, intended for the younger lords and ladies. It was there that the otome game’s heroine, Emilia Navy, would appear, and the game would begin.

Ever since she had regained the memories of her past life, Liliana had schemed to avoid her own ruin. Along the way, her focus had shifted from avoiding her own downfall to uncovering her late father’s plot, but at its root, that too was a quest to understand what had caused her ruin in the first place.

“His Highness the Crown Prince has arrived.”

Just as all preparations were complete, an attendant announced Riley’s arrival.

“Show him in.”

After Liliana replied, Riley entered the room a moment later. Outside the door stood Austin, now a royal guard, and another knight. Riley’s eyes widened at the sight of the dolled-up Liliana, and a broad smile broke across his face.

“Sasha, you look beautiful.”

“Oh, I am honored by your praise. Your Highness has become even more dashing as well.”

“You think so?”

Just as Liliana was dressed up, Riley too was in formal attire. The base was similar to the royal guards’ formal wear, but it was more lavish, with extra adornments to give it a more royal feel. Yet it was not gaudy. On anyone else, the outfit would have stood out, but the Crown Prince wore it magnificently.

Riley offered his hand to escort Liliana. She placed her gloved hand in his. They walked side by side toward the ceremony hall. Only a select few nobles and foreign dignitaries could attend the ceremony. For that reason, the domestic nobles who had already made their social debut were permitted to attend the banquet held in the evening. And the young lords and ladies who had not yet made their debut were allowed to participate in a large-scale tea party held in the interim between the ceremony and the banquet. In short, Riley and Liliana had almost no time to rest.

“Are you feeling all right?”

“I am fine.”

“If you start to feel unwell, tell me. I’ve arranged for us to have more time to rest.”

Riley seemed to be concerned about Liliana’s collapse from the near magical overload, and he was being considerate even though she was perfectly fine now. Feeling a strange warmth at his concern, Liliana offered a gentle smile and thanked him.

“Prince Roland from the neighboring country has come. His aide, the Assistant Chancellor, is with him. And they have requested to attend the tea party, if possible.”

Riley whispered in Liliana’s ear. The news that the first prince, who had been the target of repeated assassination attempts, was not doing well had reached Liliana as well. That was likely why Roland had been moved up to attend the ceremony, but for Liliana, the accompanying Assistant Chancellor, Dolmir Butler, was more of a problem than the prince himself.

When he had come on a diplomatic visit before, Butler had made an offer to take Olga into his service. Both Liliana and Olga had refused, and there had been no formal recruitment since, but strange spies had started appearing at the mansion where Liliana lived. The spies, sent at irregular intervals, would simply observe Olga and then leave without doing anything. Olga had said it was incredibly creepy, and Liliana agreed. It was likely—no, it was almost certainly Butler’s doing, both she and Olga believed. But the spies Olga had captured would never reveal the name of their client, so they had no proof. They couldn’t risk causing an international incident by making a fuss.

For that reason, the fact that Butler was here weighed even more heavily on Liliana’s heart.

“—The tea party is for deepening ties with our domestic nobility. I believe His Highness the Prince’s attendance would be contrary to its purpose.”

“That’s what I told him. But when he said he wanted to at least greet everyone at the beginning, it was hard to refuse.”

“I see.”

That, too, was following the otome game’s script. Liliana resisted the urge to press her temples and let out a long, thin breath to cover it up. Noticing Riley’s concerned gaze, she managed a wry smile.

“Let us pray it all ends without incident.”

“Yes, let’s. Once this is over, things should calm down a bit. We can talk and go out again then.”

“Yes.”

Just as Liliana nodded, they arrived at the ceremony hall. The murmur of voices could be heard from beyond the doors. Even Riley and Liliana, for all their composure, were slightly nervous. The doors opened, and a resonant voice announced the entrance of the Crown Prince and his fiancée—and the Investiture Ceremony began.

＊＊＊＊＊

The ceremony proceeded smoothly and concluded without incident. They received words of congratulations from the dignitaries and envoys of various countries, and blessings from the high-ranking nobles attending the ceremony. While they accepted the words with magnanimity, the repetition of similar phrases was draining.

There was a short break between the ceremony and the tea party. Liliana and Riley, having changed from their formal ceremony attire into semi-formal tea party wear, were soothing their fatigue with tea.

“I didn’t expect Margrave Kennys to be here.”

Riley murmured in admiration. Unlike Liliana, he, who never missed his sword practice, did not seem particularly tired yet.

Liliana took a sip of her tea, let out a sigh of relief, and nodded in agreement.

“Yes, I was surprised to see him looking so well.”

“I was worried when I heard he was paralyzed on one side, but I never imagined he’d be able to walk with a cane.”

Liliana had already seen Margrave Kennys during the border conflict and knew this, but she answered as if she had just learned of it today. Riley didn’t seem to find it suspicious and instructed an attendant to pour more tea, accepting a fresh cup. Liliana nibbled on one of the accompanying sweets. She didn't have much of a sweet tooth, but the subtle sweetness was a balm to her tired body.

“Margrave Calvert’s heir, Lord Angus, was here. The Margrave said she would be coming for the tea party, but I wonder who she’ll bring.”

Margrave Calvert had no children of a suitable age. It was natural for Riley to wonder.

Angus, who had greeted Riley and Liliana, had simply smiled and said, “Look forward to it,” refusing to give any details. Liliana smiled vaguely and tilted her head. “I wonder who it could be.” But with the memories of her past life, she knew very well who Margrave Calvert would be bringing.

(She will be bringing Emilia Navy. It is exactly the same as the game.)

Emilia, the daughter of a low-ranking baron, would normally never catch the eye of the Crown Prince or his royal guards. She would only meet the Crown Prince after the high-ranking nobles had finished their greetings, and by then, Riley and his retinue would be too tired to remember names and faces. Of course, it was Riley and Liliana’s duty to make the effort to remember, but as the protagonist of an otome game, it lacked a certain decisiveness.

But Emilia would be coming to the tea party with Margrave Calvert, one of the most influential high-ranking nobles. And as a young lady with the backing of the Margrave, despite her father being a low-ranking noble, she would be blessed with an early opportunity to meet Riley.

(It is because she is on good terms with Margrave Calvert that the Crown Prince route and the neighboring country's second prince route become options.)

Otherwise, a mere baron’s daughter would never be able to marry royalty or an imperial prince. If she pursued either of those two routes, Emilia would be adopted by Margrave Calvert. Since they were already acquainted, it wouldn't be too unnatural.

Lost in thought, Liliana was brought back to the present by Riley’s concerned gaze. He asked the same question for what felt like the umpteenth time today: “Are you all right?” Liliana put on an apologetic expression for making him worry and nodded.

“Yes, I’m fine. I’m just a little nervous, that’s all.”

“I never thought you got nervous. But seeing you like this makes you feel more real, and makes me want to treasure you even more.”

The gentle whisper left Liliana flustered. The straightforward expression on Riley’s face was unlike any she had seen from him before.

“—Will?”

Just as she was about to ask what was wrong, an attendant knocked on the door and announced the time. It was already time for the tea party to begin. Letting out a small sigh, Riley stood up and offered his hand to Liliana.

“Shall we go? But please, don’t push yourself. If you feel even slightly unwell, tell me right away.”

Don’t hold it in, he said, and Liliana nodded obediently. She didn't quite understand why he was so concerned, but at the very least, it wasn’t an unpleasant feeling.

＊＊＊＊＊

The scene that unfolded before them was exactly as it was in the opening of the otome game.

Tables were spread out here and there in the palace garden, with chairs arranged alongside them. While Riley and Liliana’s seats were fixed, the nobles in attendance were only broadly divided into high-ranking and low-ranking, with no specific seating arrangements. The format was basically a standing reception, with chairs placed nearby for those who grew tired.

To accommodate Prince Roland’s request to greet them first, a seat for him was hastily arranged next to Riley and Liliana’s. Despite the suddenness, it was so neatly arranged it looked as if it had been planned from the start, a testament to the skill of the servants.

Riley and Liliana, having changed into their tea party attire, took their seats under the gazes of the nobles already gathered in the garden. As Riley gave his opening address beside her, Liliana quickly scanned the venue.

(Everyone is here.)

Beside her was Crown Prince Riley Williams Slibegrad.

Behind him, the royal guard Austin Ealdred.

And though he had not yet appeared, he would show himself when Riley introduced him: the second prince of the Yunatian Empire, Roland Dille Unakaytis.

In the area where the high-ranking nobles were gathered was Clyde Benito Clark, now the Duke of Clark. He could also attend the banquet, so he didn’t strictly need to be at the tea party, but he had decided to attend in case the Grand Duke’s faction tried to pull something.

And in the area where the low-ranking nobles were, were Belasta and Tania Draco. Though their family did not hold a title, the Draco clan was one of the kingdom’s foremost families of sorcerers, with deep ties to the royal family. For that reason, they had been sent a special invitation.

And finally, one more person.

A lovely girl with a slightly uncomfortable expression in the midst of the high-ranking nobles, her eyes wandering about with curiosity—Emilia Navy. With her light pink hair and orange eyes, she would soon be brought over by Margrave Calvert for an introduction.

That was the signal for the start of the otome game.

—-

Toc

Chapter 202