Chapter 9

"Father reported to me about the annulment of our engagement and your exile, and I received a lecture on how cruelly I had treated you. It might be too late, but I want to apologize to you and discuss the future. So, would you meet me tonight? To avoid the prying eyes of the chatty nobles, please come to the designated place. Try to bring only one or two attendants to avoid drawing attention."

The meeting place specified in the letter was a cluster of ruins in the western district of the capital.

A quiet corner lined with tilted stone pillars and the remains of stone buildings exposed from the ground.

At night, the place became deserted, illuminated only by the moonlight, a desolate location.

The ruins remain intact in the prime location of the capital because they are a monumental presence from the glorious era of our country, long ago.

Our country is called the Kingdom of Erturia, but it is often referred to as "Little Erturia" by other countries.

The reason for this name is to distinguish it from the historical great nation, the Great Erturian Empire.

The Great Erturian Empire, which once dominated more than half of the Western Continent, still exerts a significant influence in various regions.

The most evident example is the language used in the current Western Continent.

The most widely used language in each country is Erturian and its derived languages.

Erturian is the first choice of language in international settings, similar to English on Earth.

The influence of the Great Erturian Empire is still deeply felt throughout the Western Continent.

Our country is located where the capital of the Great Erturian Empire once stood.

The peak of the Great Erturian Empire was about a thousand years ago.

After that, a series of incompetent rulers led to the empire's fragmentation... I will omit the details, but the end result is the Kingdom of Erturia where we live.

The current territory of the Kingdom of Erturia is less than one-tenth of the Great Erturian Empire at its peak.

The only things we can be proud of are our long history and the high percentage of magicians among the nobility.

It is generally believed that only one in several hundred people has enough magical power to become a magician.

However, magical power seems to be hereditary, and when both parents are magicians, their children are often born with considerable magical power.

Additionally, the type of magic one excels at is heavily influenced by their bloodline.

Many of the ruling class of the Great Erturian Empire were magicians, and the nobility of our country, being their descendants, also have a high percentage of magicians.

This is why our nobility values history and bloodline and tends to show strong discriminatory feelings towards commoners.

The current percentage of magicians among our nobility is roughly 20%.

Considering that the percentage of magicians among commoners and the nobility of other countries is less than 1%, this is a significant ratio.

However, there are also commoners who, despite having no magician blood, are born with high magical power due to genetic mutation.

Although the probability is very low, given the large number of commoners, a certain number of such individuals do exist.

"Miss, it seems your companion has arrived."

At Lucian's whisper, I shifted my focus from the inside to the outside.

I focused my eyes on the figure approaching me.

"Good evening. I knew it was you."

The person who approached was not Crown Prince Fritz, but a girl with chestnut hair.

It was Smea.

"...... What do you mean by that?"

Smea, with sharp eyes, asked with evident suspicion.

Her prickly tone and atmosphere were completely different from her innocent and adorable appearance in front of Fritz and the others.

"By 'I knew it,' do you mean you knew from the beginning that it wasn't Crown Prince Fritz who called you here? If so, why did you respond to the summons?"

"I had a good guess that the letter was from you. I also wanted to talk to you alone, so it was convenient for me."

"Don't lie. The handwriting in the letter was modeled after the one the prince gave me, mimicking the prince's handwriting. How did you know it wasn't written by the prince?"

"It's obvious from the content of the letter."

Considering Fritz's character, it was hard to imagine him writing a letter to apologize to me.

Fritz, blinded by his love for Smea, had become even more narrow-minded.

It was hard to believe that he would repent and apologize to me in such a short time, even if he had been lectured by his father, the king.

...... In fact, if Fritz had been the kind of person who could recognize his own rudeness and apologize in public, he wouldn't have broken the engagement and exiled me in the first place.

"Smea, you know the prince's character well, don't you? There's no way the prince would send such a humble letter to me."

"......!"

"Until a few days ago, I might have been deceived by a letter filled with words that suited me, as I was still attached to being the prince's fiancée. But now, I have no feelings or attachment to the prince at all."

The shock of regaining my memories from my previous life and witnessing Fritz's foolishness immediately afterward had completely eliminated any lingering feelings for him.

In such a state, it was natural to be suspicious of the letter.

"So, Smea, what's your purpose in summoning me here under the prince's name? I have a pretty good idea, but can you just get to the point?"

I smiled at Smea with a sense of intimidation, causing her to flinch in fear.

...... How rude.

I don't need to act like a "weak baron's daughter" anymore, but isn't this a bit exaggerated?

"...... Don't act so superior! If you must know, I'm asking you to renounce your noble status and become a commoner."

"No. Why should I do that?"

...... Honestly, now that I have regained my memories from my previous life, I have considered giving up my responsibilities as a noble and living as a carefree commoner.

However, having lived as Letizia for 17 years and been instilled with the duties and pride of a duchess's daughter, I understand that it's not something I can easily give up.

"Hehe, you don't understand, do you? I'm doing this for your own good. If I beg the prince to 'make Letizia, who bullied me, a commoner as punishment,' do you know what will happen? Wouldn't it be better to become a commoner before that happens?"

Smea's triumphant attitude gave me a headache.

I understand that I am a nuisance to her, but this is going too far.

"...... Are you serious? If you make me a commoner for a crime I didn't commit, it will be a full-scale war with the ducal family. Can't you imagine what will happen to the country if you do that?"

"Have you not seen how infatuated the prince is with me? If I beg him, he will grant any wish."

"...... That might be true."

What troubled me was that I couldn't deny Smea's words.

Fritz is foolish and is currently blinded by love.

I can't confidently say that he won't force me to become a commoner, just as he did with the exile.

"If you beg him earnestly, the prince might agree."

"Right? Got it? Then, why don't you obediently become a commoner yourself?"

"Niltz Village."

"......!"

My single word made Smea's smile stiffen.

"You said you were born and raised in the capital, but that's a lie, isn't it? Your real hometown is the small village of Niltz, which is part of a baron's territory, right?"

"......"

Her silence in response to my question was telling.

However, her distorted expression spoke volumes, confirming that my words were correct.

"Your lies don't end there. Claiming to be of baron's blood is a big lie. Your parents are both commoners, not of noble blood."

"...... Why? How do you know that?!"

"Because I found it strange from the beginning."

The key lies in the hereditary nature of magical power.

"Magical power, both in quantity and quality, is heavily dependent on bloodline. However, there should be no one in the baron's family or ancestors who can use light magic like you."

"...... What's so strange about that? Even if no one in the family is a light magician, there are cases where children with the potential for light magic are born!"

"I don't deny the possibility of a mutation, but don't you think there are too many unnatural points?"

"What do you mean?"

"The rare light magician being born into the bloodline of a baron. The fact that you, with such potential, were unknown to the noble society until you were 13. The fact that you, a baron's daughter with no noble education or common sense, managed to get close to Crown Prince Fritz."

A commoner-born noble's hidden child with extraordinary talent meets a prince and falls in love.

...... This is a classic plot I've seen many times in the works of my previous life, but when it happens in reality, it feels suspicious.

"While each point is rare, it's not impossible. However, the combination of coincidences is too much. It's natural to suspect that there's something behind it."

The masterminds are likely the baron's family and the Illius family, the relatives of the Iraga ducal family, who are politically opposed to my family.

For the Iraga ducal family, it was not a pleasant situation that Fritz's fiancée was me.

Then, they received a report from a distant relative, the baron's family, about a girl with the rare potential for light magic.

They decided to pass off this girl as the baron's daughter, promote her as the reincarnation of a saint, and get her close to Crown Prince Fritz with the backing of the ducal family.

...... I think it was a plan that was doomed from the start.

However, Fritz, being naive and adorable, was deceived by Smea and fell in love with her.

Up to this point, it probably went according to the Iraga ducal family's plan.

However, the public annulment of the engagement was likely unexpected by the Iraga ducal family and Illius.

I suspect that the day I was pushed down the stairs and reported to Fritz was Smea's own decision.

She was probably eager to get rid of me as soon as possible.

That's why she told such a sloppy lie without consulting the Iraga ducal family or Illius.

As a result, Fritz, believing her words, went on a rampage and publicly broke the engagement.

...... This is a series of speculations, but I am confident that I am not far off.

On that day, Illius was visibly shaken, which suggests that the events were unexpected even for him.

"Because of this, I was suspicious of you from the beginning. When I investigated, I found out about Niltz Village and your true identity."

"...... You make it sound so easy."

Smea clenched her teeth.

"The fabrication of my background was supposed to be thorough."

"When you lie on a large scale, there will always be evidence left behind. My attendants are excellent, so it was only a matter of time."

I puffed out my chest and took the opportunity to boast about my attendants' achievements.

Lucian, my chief attendant, and the others are mostly excellent commoners.

They understand the lives and behavior of commoners well.

With their help and the connections and power of my father's ducal family, we formed an excellent team for investigating commoner-related matters.

As a result, we discovered Smea's true identity.

"Smea, if you continue to interfere with me, I won't show any mercy. You are recognized as the prince's fiancée only because you have noble blood, even if it's a lower rank. You know how strong the class system is in this country. If the prince and the king find out that you are not of baron's blood and have been deceiving the whole country, do you know what will happen?"

"...... Bluff! If you had evidence of my true identity, you would have already made it public! Since you haven't, it's all a bluff! You don't have any solid evidence!"

"...... You're not giving up, are you?"

I sighed, and Lucian handed me a folded document from his pocket.

I thanked the capable Lucian and began to read the document aloud.

"Smea, whose real name is Mellow. Born 17 years ago in Niltz Village as the third daughter of Gliada and Dylsen......"

As I read, Smea's face turned from pale to waxen white.

She seemed to realize the accuracy of the information we had.

"...... Do you understand now? If we want to, we can expose your fraud and bring you down at any time."

"...... It's a lie."

Smea's lips trembled as she spoke.

She couldn't believe it, didn't want to believe it. Her eyes were wide open in desperation.

"Why? Why did you investigate so thoroughly?! You could have kicked me down at any time! Why don't you do it now?!"

"Because it's meaningless."

I explained to the shouting Smea.

"If I had discovered your true identity a month earlier, I would have secretly informed the prince. However, I can confidently say that I would not have made it public."

"Why?!"

"Because it would be too foolish. Praising a fake noble as pure and innocent and having Crown Prince Fritz dote on her...... It would be nothing but a scandal for the royal family and the country."

"......!!"

"Even if I had known about your true identity just before the day of the engagement annulment, the outcome would not have changed. Because, as you know, even if I had exposed you, I don't think Fritz would have chosen to re-engage with me. The only thing left would be the bad reputation of a foolish prince who was deceived and the fact that the prince, and by extension the ducal family, had insulted and neglected the duchess's daughter."

I shrugged.

"And that's still the case now. If I expose your true identity now, it will only tarnish Fritz and the royal family's reputation further. It's hard to imagine a new, proper fiancée coming to Fritz after all the bad publicity he has received. So, I thought it would be better for you to remain as the fiancée."

Regardless of Smea's character, the Iraga ducal family and Illius are behind her.

Knowing that her true identity is in their hands, Smea cannot act on her own and is essentially a puppet.

Moreover, my ducal family has done a great favor to the royal family by accepting my unjust exile.

I don't intend to let Illius and the others do as they please, and I believe my father can keep them in check.

"Smea, I assume you called me here today on your own initiative. I will report this to Illius. This will likely increase the surveillance on you, so you should think carefully about your future actions."

I had conveyed what I needed to Smea.

As I turned to leave with Lucian,......

"Forceful, aren't you?"

Walls of light rose around us.

I sighed and turned around.

Smea was looking at me with bloodshot eyes, trapped in the glowing cube.

"It's all your fault!!"

"So, what do you want to do?"

"You can't break this wall with your magic! While you're trapped, I'll call for backup, so just wait!"

"Do you really think you can silence me? I think you're overreacting."

Of course, I have left documents about Smea's true identity at the ducal mansion.

If I were to be killed here, the culprit would be obvious.

...... But I don't intend to let it happen so easily.

The walls of light formed a cube about 5 meters on each side.

The top was also closed, creating a sealed barrier.

Smea, who is supposed to have excellent magical power, must have made the walls strong.

To break such walls, a powerful impact is needed.

However, the problem is that I am trapped with no place to run.

Using flashy magic like fire or a wind blade would likely kill me in the backlash.

"...... Let's try something, shall we?"

After confirming that Lucian had moved behind me, I focused on the front wall.

The magic to use is water magic.

Thanks to the dramatically improved efficiency, I can now use water magic, which I was supposed to be bad at.

Concentration, concentration, and incantation.

The target is slightly to the side of the triumphant Smea, and at an angle that won't hit the ruins.

...... Launch.

"Huh......?"

In front of the stunned Smea, the wall of light began to crack.

...... There is a hole.

The magic I used was the water version of the "Refinement" I used the other day.

It is a technique to freely shape and control water created by magic.

Compressing the water into a fine stream and releasing it......

...... It's a mimicry of the water cutter I saw in my previous life.

The practice I did to counter Smea's light magic paid off in this moment.