Chapter 10

The three noble ladies who had picked a fight with me.

Of all people, Crown Prince Kistihart happened to witness the scene, and they were pitifully ordered to leave.

“Leave?!”

“We came here tonight to become the Crown Princess…!”

I watched it unfold as if it were someone else’s problem, thinking they really were candidates who had participated in the Crown Princess selection.

In response, the Prince remained coldly indifferent.

“However, judging by the fact that you haven’t even entered the hall and are dawdling in a place like this, I take it you have no intention of becoming the Crown Princess.”

“That is… because of that impudent ‘one with no magic’…!”

“It means you prioritized bullying the weak over becoming the Crown Princess. On top of that, showing a poor showing and falling behind to ‘one with no magic’ whom you so thoroughly looked down upon suggests you lack the actual capability to be Crown Princess. Rather than wasting time, you would do well to withdraw at once.”

When ordered by the Crown Prince, one has no choice but to obey.

Gone was the momentum with which they had first blocked my path; the three of them slumped their shoulders and retreated crestfallen.

As they walked away, Crown Prince Kistihart dealt a parting blow.

“Rest assured. My memory is far too precious to waste on retaining the misdeeds of the likes of you. In half a year’s time, I will have forgotten it cleanly enough that I can meet you again with a smile.”

That was effectively a six-month banishment order.

It meant it would become difficult for them to step foot in places where the Crown Prince might be present, including the royal castle and various other vital facilities.

That was an impossibly harsh penalty for up-and-coming young nobles.

“Please wait.”

I chimed in, halting them right there.

The noble ladies’ faces lit up with hope upon seeing that.

Why, I wonder? Did they seriously think I was going to intercede on their behalf?

Apparently, in stories circulating the world, there’s a common trope where a kind-hearted lady begs for mercy from a harsh, passionate prince of a lover, but how naive.

I was the woman who had wallowed in wickedness in my previous life—the proverbial villainess, so to speak.

“It was the Count Arpan family, the Count Mitwell family, and the Count Sesamint family, wasn’t it?”

“Huh?”

Their family names, which the Crown Prince had just uttered a moment ago.

“All of your houses use the trading port within our Eldenvalk territory to export and import a wide variety of goods, do they not?”

“Eh?”

Did they really think they could underestimate me just because I’m a lady?

Even at this age, I was already helping Father with his work, and the names of the port’s users were hammered firmly into my head.

“Each of you purchases vital daily necessities shipped across the sea, or conversely, exports your primary products to reap massive profits. And all of that is made possible precisely because you use the trading port within my territory…”

“Um, you couldn’t possibly…!”

“Just as you said, my father is an intensely doting parent… He cherishes me dearly. If I were to tell him about tonight’s events, I am sure he would be quite furious.”

Hearing that, the noble ladies’ already pale faces turned even paler, eventually draining of all color entirely.

They tried to say something, but fell silent instead.

With the Crown Prince glaring menacingly right beside me, they couldn’t utter a word, and in the end, with expressions on the verge of tears, they fled.

The calamity had passed, leaving me alone in the outer grounds of the royal castle with the Crown Prince… wait, no. Noah was there too.

“You dish out rather vicious threats, don’t you? If their trade is cut off and the flow of goods and money is choked, their domains will wither away in the blink of an eye. That’s a far greater blow than incurring the displeasure of the royal family.”

“I didn’t explicitly state any such thing, you know. What they choose to imagine on their own is entirely up to them.”

Of course, actually cutting off trade routes would cause a massive problem—one big enough to draw intervention from surrounding nobles and even the royal family.

If I resorted to such a reckless stunt simply because “my daughter was threatened,” the duke’s family itself might end up on the receiving end of criticism.

“Therefore, I merely wanted them to realize the danger on their own. If they’re going to cower at even a one-in-a-million possibility, they shouldn’t go around picking fights in the first place.”

You mustn’t underestimate me just by calling me ‘one with no magic’.

I want them to learn that there are plenty of ways in this world to stop someone’s breathing other than magic.

“You are sharp. And yet thoughtful, too. Quite different from what the rumors say.”

“What kind of rumors might those be?”

Though I knew without even asking.

An incompetent born to a duke’s family yet possessing no magic. Thanks to that, growing up with a warped personality, being strong-willed and prone to temper tantrums. A hopelessly spoiled child who tried to force everyone around her to obey her just to show off.

That was the image of me up until age ten, and during the ten years before my past life’s memories awakened, I had indeed possessed that exact same personality.

Upon regaining my past life’s memories, I had retreated to the territory the very same day, so that image from back then was likely still preserved around the royal capital.

Though it hardly mattered.

“Shouldn’t I be thanking you, I suppose?”

I finally realized and brought it up.

“It’s unnecessary. You pretty much handled it all by yourself anyway. I just swooped in at the very end to snatch all the glory.”

“I have shown you a rather unseemly side of myself.”

“No, that was a fine move. How many Imperial Knights could execute a technique that neatly shatters an opponent’s jaw like that? I heard the Eldenvalk Duke family’s young lady could not use magic, but it seems she is not one to neglect her efforts because of that.”

“I can’t tell whether you’re praising me or insulting me.”

My tone inadvertently turned a bit prickly.

What on earth is this situation?

Confronting the Crown Prince head-on before even stepping into the royal castle—my plan had been to blend in with the multitude of other young ladies, draw as little attention as possible, and slip away unnoticed.

“I honestly didn’t think you’d actually come.”

“For tonight’s consort selection… you mean?”

What on earth was he suddenly bringing up?

At those remarks which I couldn’t simply let pass, my tone sharpened instinctively.

“It was the royal family that ordered me to participate in the Crown Princess selection, was it not? I merely followed those instructions. Serving the royal family is a noble’s duty, after all.”

“Yet, considering our country’s values, it is exceptionally difficult for ‘one with no magic’ to attain the position of Crown Princess. Is challenging the impossible, knowing full well the odds, solely because it is an order from the royal family?”

“Your Highness the Crown Prince, I hold no such grandiose ideas. I am well aware that someone like me wouldn’t even be given a second glance.”

“Then for what purpose?”

“Well, if I must say, perhaps it is to fail.”

I would be filtered out and disqualified by the first round anyway.

Yet the sole fact that I “complied with the royal family’s orders” and “participated in the Crown Princess selection to go down in a glorious defeat” would remain.

“I will bear the shame, but by doing so, I will have adhered strictly to the royal family’s commands. Please keep the loyalty of the Eldenvalk family close to your heart.”

“A-Ah…!”

“I am not the only one. Young ladies have been summoned from all across the country to this evening party, yet only one will truly shine with the honor of becoming Crown Princess. Everyone else will share the exact same humiliation as I. Against that reality, Your Highness, I pray you will reward them all accordingly.”

“Of course.”

The Crown Prince looked somewhat overwhelmed.

“Well then, Lady Eltriede, despite all the commotion, please enter the royal castle and enjoy the evening party. Although the purpose is to choose a queen, tonight is still a banquet. Do feel free to cast aside your daily constraints and enjoy yourself to the fullest.”

“As Your Highness wills.”

I offered a single bow, taking Noah with me as I walked past the Crown Prince.

Noah looked completely frozen, her throat tight and unable to speak after the rapid succession of unexpected events.

Well, that couldn’t be helped. While facing mortal danger, the one who appeared to rescue her was the Crown Prince himself.

It was enough to turn the mind of an ordinary noble blank, let alone a servant.

For my part, having intended to slip away without exchanging a single word with the Crown Prince, ending up in such a lengthy conversation was completely unexpected.

I had been rather flustered, and my responses might not have been entirely flawless.

Still, I suppose I managed it better than my very first encounter with him in my previous life.

That had been a genuine, true first meeting. Above all, back then I had been burning with the fierce determination that I “must become Crown Princess at all costs.”

Inevitably, the level of tension had been on an entirely different scale, since I needed to win the Crown Prince’s favor.

Compared to that, in this life, I wasn’t aiming for the Crown Princess position at all. I had no need to gain the Crown Prince’s favor, which made my words and actions comparatively much freer.

How carefree it was.

Yes, I no longer had any need to win that Crown Prince’s favor.

Since I wouldn’t be becoming Crown Princess, I neither needed to love him nor needed to be loved by him.

Although my plans had gone slightly awry, I would get eliminated as early as possible and hurry right back to the territory.

Stepping inside the royal castle, the interior spectacle was once again immensely lavish.

The hall was so vast that it could only belong to a royal castle, packed entirely with people.

Most of them were young ladies dressed in gorgeous attire, making the inside of the castle all the more dazzling.

“It’s as extravagant as ever. Does this place look like a swallowtail butterfly’s nesting ground or something?”

The vividness was truly breathtaking.

Such a dazzling and opulent sight was something I hadn’t witnessed since participating in the Crown Princess selection banquet in my previous life.

The dresses worn by the noble ladies dressing up for tonight were brilliantly vivid as well.

The dresses worn by the ladies of this country possessed a rather unique flair; for instance, the dress worn by a cheerful-looking young lady standing over there had several fine, thread-like structures extending from the shoulders, with their tips flickering with candlelight-like radiance.

Further away, another young lady’s shawl covering her dress was made entirely of water, vividly reflecting the surrounding light to create a unique luster.

All of those were shaped through magic, serving as a display of high magical proficiency just as much as they flaunted personal beauty.

The ability to comfortably maintain such massive magical phenomena was a testament to true strength.

Since magical aptitude served as a vital evaluation criterion for the Crown Princess selection, it was only natural for them to put it on display.

…Me?

I was naturally wearing an ordinary, completely unadorned dress.

After all, lacking any magic, I had no choice but to dress in a standard fashion.