Chapter 12

If I could just ignore it... I really wish I could... but I can't, can I... Sigh.

"Was the matter about Clifford? I thought it would be something else."

"No... You're right. I called you here because I judged it necessary to discuss what Serious mentioned."

Here, Father gave another order to Clifford.

"Alderton, you may leave."

Clifford looked at me as if asking a question, and I nodded in response.

"As you wish."

Bowing his head, Clifford left the study.

After seeing him off, Father let out a heavy sigh.

—Though I don't like bringing it up again myself.

"Why did you want Clifford?"

Father looked back at me with a sarcastic expression.

"Surely you can guess?"

"...Because he's excellent, perhaps?"

And... because he's a 'follower,' or something? Does Father know? No way. Clifford said no one else knew... right?

Father neither confirmed nor denied.

"Excellent, huh. Octavia, whatever the case may be, you have your own thoughts, just as I do. However, as your father, I must warn you. Don't let your guard down around Clifford Alderton. ...He is poison."

"..."

Hold on, Father. There's so much to question here! What do you mean by 'poison'? And how can you make a knight out of such poison?

"Then why did you make that poison one of my knight candidates?"

Or is it just a slip of the tongue?

"You chose Clifford Alderton from among them, didn't you?"

That's right...! If you say so... I chose him from the options...

"Poison can become medicine if used correctly. I'll leave it to you. ...This conversation is over. Understand, Octavia?"

"...Yes."

Reluctantly, I nodded. With that declaration, the topic of Clifford was truly over. Asking would get no answer.

"Let's talk about what Serious mentioned about your lover. ...Is it true?"

I hesitated for a moment. Should I tell the truth honestly...? But this is also a chance to understand how Father thinks about my marriage.

"Yes, I do."

I don't, though! I'm always open to new prospects!

I sighed inwardly.

Regardless of my past life, I think I look good in this one... I avoid overeating to maintain my figure and do regular exercise. I'm proud to say I'm a beautiful girl.

Why don't I get any romance?!

Is it because male-male relationships are the norm here...?!

This world is for Sir Sil and my brother, after all...

"My brother wants to hold a debut event for me..."

"Do you really think that's out of kindness?"

"Isn't it?"

Father chuckled for some reason.

"You don't need to pretend with me about this. Serious brought it up at the dinner party to gauge your reaction."

...What?

"Even if it were out of kindness, my opinion wouldn't change regardless."

Ignoring my confusion, Father continued.

"I don't intend to restrict your actions."

...What?

"Yes."

Surprised by Father's unexpected words, I nodded seriously, though my heart felt differently.

"If you have someone you love and they love you back, I don't want to force you apart."

"...Really?"

I'm sorry, Father. I might have misunderstood you.

I thought you were going to force a political marriage on me with someone convenient...

As a king, that would be the right thing to do.

But then, aren't you too lenient about my brother's romantic marriage? There are favorites, of course. No matter how fair you try to be, your judgments can be swayed by likes and dislikes.

We're human!

And kids who are affectionate are cuter. I know I wasn't a cute child! I can understand being cold to me to some extent!

But I can't defend how you treat Alek!

"—Who is it?"

"It's..."

Anyone, just a name...!

Should I mention Rust? That's a bit too much...

"I can't tell you now."

This answer is getting harder. I can't keep dodging it forever.

"—Do you not trust me?"

"Father, you are hailed as the reincarnation of King Us. I trust you."

I'll flatter him.

King Us is a super famous king from the past who developed Esphera. He was smart, brave, and handsome, and apparently had a good scent!

"King Us. Do you know that King Us's sister was the queen for a month before him, Octavia?"

...No, I've never heard of that.

That's strange.

I tilted my head in thought.

In my past life, I loved BL novels, and even as Octavia, I sought out printed words.

I mean, I sought out BL novels! But, of course, they didn't exist.

Why do I seek BL novels when there are so many real-life BL relationships around me?

I want to say it's not about logic, but there is a reason.

Because two-dimensional and three-dimensional are different! Three-dimensional alone can't satisfy my fujoshi soul in the two-dimensional world!

I even tried writing my own, but it didn't work.

I don't want to self-produce! That's not it!

I want to read new BL novels written by someone else!

So, I delved into Esphera's classics and read stories of thick male friendships to fuel my imagination. —I quickly read them all. There are so few stories.

Then, as Octavia, to learn about the royal family's past, I read Esphera's history books extensively.

And there was King Us!

In the case of King Us, there's even a biography called 'The Story of King Us.' Incidentally, this biography! It depicts male trust, betrayal, and friendship, which is very good from a fujoshi perspective! It sparks imagination and fangirling. The good scent information also comes from the biography! A subordinate wrote it down!

But...

I searched my memory.

There was no mention of King Us's sister. She doesn't appear in the biography at all.

"Even you don't know. It's understandable. ...She was the last queen, erased from history. Her name is not even recorded."

"Did King Us kill her?"

That's the only thing I can think of.

—King Us? The one depicted as incredibly handsome in the biography, without any illustrations, and whom I had idealized in my mind...!

"Yes."

Unfortunately, Father confirmed it.

I pressed a fan to my lips and sighed in disappointment. I might have a serious expression on my face.

"—But, King Us deeply respected his sister and rejoiced at her coronation. The queen was also wise. They believed this would break the cursed past."

...Cursed past?

"In the past, as far as we know, there have been four instances of a queen ascending the throne, including King Us's sister. All had short reigns and met tragic ends. The country was in turmoil. This past was supposed to be overturned by King Us's sister."

Four times a queen ascended the throne?

I thought only kings were recognized in Esphera...

"Was King Us's sister deposed for her tyranny and killed by her brother?"

"The wise rule of King Us's sister angered the Sky God. Therefore, she was killed. The records, which only the king can read, state this."

—Sky God. I've never thought much about the gods in this world.

But, a god, huh.

'You had bad luck, didn't you?'

The words that came to mind were those said when I died as Tazawa Makoto.

"The Sky God isn't always right."

The awful, hateful memories that I usually suppress resurfaced, and I found myself saying such things.

"Are you insulting the gods, Octavia?"

"—I misspoke. Please forget it, Father."

I immediately bowed my head. Yeah. The awful, hateful memories are bad for mental health, so I'll suppress them, suppress them.

"No, Octavia. I envy you."

I looked up.

Father had a self-deprecating smile on his lips.

"...Father?"

"I bowed down."

Sighing, Father then looked at me seriously.

He asked me a question.

"—Do you want to be queen, Octavia?"

"No."

I answered immediately. It's the truth!

In terms of ability, my brother is fine, and considering the original story of 'The Noble King,' I think my brother will be the next king. Personally, I hope it's Alek.

I'm not fit to be queen. It's impossible! Being a princess is already a stretch!

Father chuckled.

"That's the only answer you could give. I misspoke. It was a foolish question. Forget it."

"...I will."

"But, there are many whispers that you are aiming for the throne."

—What? So that's why you asked that question?

Ever since I entered this study, one surprise after another...

"Because of this, Serious is overly sensitive. He's worried that Sil might be harmed. If you have nothing to hide, it would be good to introduce your lover at the debut event."

So, I can't avoid the debut event...?

But, the way Father is talking...

I should confirm this.

"Father, you said you don't want to force us apart—do you mean it? Is it possible for me to marry the person I desire?"

Is romantic marriage possible, Father?

Please clarify this!

"Without knowing the person, I can't make a judgment. I won't outright deny it."

Yes!

This is a good opportunity! I'll continue with the 'I have a lover' line! If I say I don't have one, I'll be free! Then it's a straight path to a political marriage! I need to avoid that!

"There are exceptions, though."

If I bring someone and they're immediately rejected, who would that be...? Someone who has a terrible relationship with the royal family? A serious criminal? What social status is acceptable? I need to investigate this! What are the rejection points?

"What kind of exceptions?"

"If you tell me who it is, I'll explain."

This response is clearly because you know I won't tell!

Father and I exchanged smiles. Father's smile faded.

"—You're not going to tell me the name now, are you?"

"Yes. Please forgive me, Father. In exchange, I'll follow my brother's suggestion and set the debut event two weeks from now."

I wanted a month, but I'll compromise and go with what my brother suggested. Two weeks! Two weeks to (fake) get a lover and introduce them.

Probably move to an engagement period. I should get about a year, right?

During that time, I'll get a real lover!

I'll break up with the (fake) lover for some reason and marry the real one!

This is it!

A crisis is an opportunity!

Thus, two weeks later, I decided to introduce my (fake) lover to my family.

"—Wait, Octavia. You've received an invitation from Lord Rendington."

Just as I was about to leave feeling refreshed, Father stopped me.

"Lord Rendington?"

"He wants to invite you to a semi-ball two days from now."

The king hosts a ball, while nobles host semi-balls. In Esphera, there's a clear distinction. Balls are held at the royal castle. You can attend semi-balls without any social issues, even if you don't attend any others. However, adding new attendees two days before the event is unusual.

"Quite sudden."

"They seem to have their reasons. They want you to be the highlight. You rarely attend such events, after all."

Rosa Rendington. One of the few noblewomen in Esphera with the right to be a head of house. She's a countess, thirty-five years old. We often talk at official events. I'd say we're on good terms?

A semi-ball...

I've been skipping these events for a long time!

Because Esphera's semi-balls are different!

A place for eating, dancing, and socializing. Men and women dance. So far, so normal.

...But men also dance with men! —A place for male-male encounters.

This is unique to Esphera!

At first, I enjoyed watching with my fujoshi soul. But, I have a girl's heart too!

Seeing other men form couples while I have no romantic prospects is painful for a young girl!

I can feel myself turning into a dead fish-eyed maid!

—So, I've been absent from invitations from nobles, except for those I can't refuse.

But, today is the last.

I've decided to attend more to find a lover.

"Who will be attending?"

Still, if it's only nobles from my brother's faction, I should avoid it.

Father extended his arm and silently handed me a letter. I took it and looked at it.

Along with a polite greeting, there was a list of attendees.

Hmm. No names of the leaders of the two major factions in Esphera. Few names of powerful nobles.

Ah! But there's the Duke! The shining name of Duke Knightfellow!

...It seems he's attending with his son. The name of Derek Knightfellow, the eldest son, is listed after the Duke. This eldest son is a friend of my brother, so I can't ask him to be my (fake) lover— but I can meet the Duke!

This alone made me lean towards attending.

Then—my eyes caught a name I almost missed.

Rust Burn.

I don't need to wait for a letter from Erel.

My mind was now completely made up.

"Father, I will accept the invitation from Lord Rendington."