Chapter 63

Immediately, my brother tried to speak.

However, for some reason, his movements stopped halfway.

No sound was uttered, and his lips were tightly pressed together.

A flowing silence.

Ah, what? There’s no response.

Whether to leave the new suspect alone or not.

I think there’s only one choice here, but I’m starting to feel uneasy…!

To hide my restlessness, I open the 'Black Fan'.

My brother, in a sense, is one of the main characters and the hero of the original novel 'The King of Integrity'.

I used to squeal over such a hero when I was just a reader.

But thanks to that, I can sort of read my brother’s moves!

Subtle original knowledge!

--Though it’s not the same as this incident, there is a scene in the original where a similar question is thrown at Serius.

An episode that takes place before and after the lords' council.

A subordinate of the adulterous noble faction is the culprit! Serius and the others know this vaguely! In this case, the adulterous noble faction makes a preemptive move!

Hugh is accused and denounced as the culprit in public. Of course, it’s a setup, but the evidence is so overwhelming that Serius can’t openly protect Hugh on the spot.

The final question to Serius is this.

"Prince Serius. The evidence speaks for itself. Or do you intend to claim that he is innocent simply because he is your own guard knight?"

"...Guard. Arrest Hugh Roberts."

With a heavy heart, Serius issues the order to arrest Hugh.

"I was worried that he would be protected. Prince Serius is indeed a fair person. I am relieved that the culprit has been caught."

An episode where the opposing noble smirks.

Reading it, I was irritated by the enemy…

But! If a character were to respond with something like, "No matter what, you’re suspicious! Hugh is definitely innocent! No need to investigate! If he’s a friend, ignore all doubts and evidence (paraphrased)!" that would be different!

That scene is good because Serius decides to arrest Hugh while still believing in him!

In the trial held later, he achieves a complete victory over the enemy.

Yeah. So this time, just like the original Serius, my brother, I think, would say that he cannot leave a suspicious person alone, even if it’s one of his own guard knights…?

Well, let’s prompt him!

"Brother…"

"Prince Serius! We swear loyalty to the royal family, and by extension, to Your Highness. There is no way any of us would be disloyal…!"

As I was about to prompt him, it coincided perfectly with the plea of one of the guard knights.

Looking at my brother’s knights, it seems that many agree.

Some knights are glaring at Clifford, seemingly unable to bear it, thinking he is lying in a pinch.

What was unexpected was Nathan. Based on my subjective judgment, I thought he would be the one to lead the charge with the knight’s line. However, when Clifford won the match, he had a clear, as if the fog had cleared, expression, but now he is deep in thought.

Hugh, another of my brother’s confidants, remains silent without changing his expression, making it unclear whether he agrees or not. In any case, in the original, Hugh is a character who works in line with my brother’s intentions.

"Clifford Alderton"

"!"

He turned his gaze back to my brother.

My brother, who finally spoke, called out to Clifford.

"Can you swear to the Sky God that your words are true and without deceit?"

Swearing to the Sky God is a set phrase, mainly directed to the gods. It is a bit different from the oaths exchanged between lord and vassal. By swearing, it means, "I am not lying."

Wait a moment? Considering my brother’s intention in asking Clifford, the oath might be effective.

"No. That’s not enough."

I interjected.

"Not enough?"

"Sadly, brother, you are suspicious of Clifford. Therefore, you might doubt his words as well…? …And so might your knights. Even if Clifford swears to the Sky God, I don’t think it will change anything."

So, it’s not just any oath.

"Let Clifford swear to me, not to the Sky God. This way, Clifford’s testimony will be as if I said it myself."

Apart from swearing to the Sky God, there is a personal version where the Sky God part is replaced with an individual.

This is a heavier oath.

Because it is originally an oath to the gods. It cannot be a one-sided affair; the risk lies with the one being sworn to. In place of the gods, the one being sworn to accepts the oath—meaning they also bear the same responsibility.

In this case, if Clifford’s statement is a lie, he will be punished.

If he swears to me and it’s a lie, I will also be punished in solidarity.

However, once the oath is established, Clifford’s statement will carry more weight. His testimony will be treated as my testimony.

If Clifford is a suspicious witness, I can back him up to clear his name! As a princess, I am the perfect backer!

With the added authority, the credibility will be even higher!

"...Are you serious? If it’s a false oath, you will also be held accountable."

There was a hint of anger in my brother’s voice.

No, but this is a mimic of the original Serius!

After being caught with fabricated evidence, when Hugh is called to testify, the adulterous noble faction strongly protests, saying he is an unsuitable witness. Serius gets through this by having Hugh swear to him, the first prince.

This scene resonates with Hugh’s tassel episode.

"If it were Hugh, you would do the same, brother."

Well, in the original, Serius is scolded by some of his confidants! If Hugh were to be punished as the culprit according to the enemy’s plan, Serius would also bear the blame. The opinion is that having Hugh swear to him was rash, considering the worst-case scenario.

But Serius believed Hugh wouldn’t lie and wasn’t the culprit, so he supported his vassal straightforwardly.

I will adopt the same approach!

"Clifford! Come here!"

When I called, Clifford nimbly jumped down from the stage. The stage is built higher than the ground, and there’s a fence I couldn’t possibly jump over—but he landed without losing balance, still holding his spear, and came to stand before me.

I called him for the oath, but his actions couldn’t be stopped because of that.

"Octavia, there’s no need for you to swear. I don’t wish for you to go that far."

But a voice to stop me came from my brother.

"Shall we swear to the Sky God?"

He also asked Clifford. Hmm…

"Clifford, do you want to swear to the Sky God?"

"...Not exactly."

I reconsidered, but the conclusion was the same.

The disadvantage of a personal oath to the Sky God is that it only applies if the person swearing is lying.

"If that’s the case, my answer is 'no.'"

I closed the 'Black Fan' and got ready!

"The night before the pre-ball, a guard knight with a golden tassel—your guard knight—was seen. If your words are true—Clifford, swear to me, not to the Sky God."

As I finished speaking and looked up at Clifford, his deep blue eyes met mine straight on.

"As you wish."

Clifford nodded, and the words of the oath were spoken.

"—Not to the Sky God, but to Princess Octavia, I swear."

An oath to the Sky God is established by relinquishing one’s weapon and offering it with the words of the oath. It’s a metaphor for relinquishing power and seeking protection.

In the personal version, the one swearing hands their weapon to the one being sworn to, and they hold it together.

Both must extend their left hands and hold the weapon together.

Since the dominant hand is usually the right, using the left hand, which is more difficult to handle, symbolizes a greater challenge than swearing to the gods. Left-handed and ambidextrous people, as well as other rare cases, are completely ignored.

Okay… the one being sworn to extends their left hand and receives the weapon.

Yes!

Holding the 'Black Fan' in my right hand, I extended my left hand in front of my chest.

According to the oath, the weapon Clifford is holding is a spear with a blunted tip, so holding it together should be fine!

Clifford’s gaze, which fell on the bandage on my left hand, seemed to waver slightly.

Was he recalling the anger he expressed at the time…? We, we reconciled, didn’t we!

"—Your Highness has an injury on your left hand, so please be careful."

Clifford extended the spear he held in his left hand toward me.

I tried gripping the handle.

...Yeah. It’s not heavy at all. Lighter than paper! There was nothing to be careful about.

Technically, Clifford is holding the spear, and I’m just pretending to hold it, actually just touching it.

Is this how it’s supposed to be…?

Shouldn’t I feel the weight?

I sent a protesting glance, and Clifford’s expression changed slightly, looking a bit troubled. It seems my request was understood. But the metal spear, which should be heavier than paper, felt as light as paper.

—And.

"...That’s enough. Octavia, Clifford Alderton’s testimony is equal to your words. Not just me, but everyone here understands that."

My brother’s voice echoed, as if reminding his knights.

I made a mental fist pump!

"Then, on that basis, brother, please answer my question. You haven’t given me an answer yet. Can a new suspicious person be left alone, or not?"

This time, an immediate response came.

"Of course, a suspicious person cannot be left alone."

So, that means!

"Once a testimony is given, it cannot be ignored. ...After all, I said it myself."

Huh? What did I say?

I recalled. When—ah, in my room.

"Is the testimony credible? And, a man, you say? The guard knights all wear the same uniform. It’s not decided that it’s Clifford—"

"It’s not certain that it’s not. Once a testimony is given, it cannot be ignored. Can you leave a suspicious person alone? I cannot."

Yeah, he said it.

But if he decided to ignore Clifford’s testimony, it would come back to him like a boomerang.

I remember the continuation…

"At the very least, keep them under surveillance until their innocence is proven."

"Ah."

"Will the same measures be taken for your knights, brother?"

My brother nodded.

"Will be taken."

"!"

It feels like everything is going smoothly…

But, the feeling is just a feeling, and it’s there to be wrong, right?

Sighing deeply while hiding my mouth with the 'Black Fan', I was immediately called out.

"Princess Octavia, are you not feeling well?"

"My condition is very good."

I answered Hugh’s question with a princess smile.

…From Hugh.

One of my brother’s trusted guard knights, Hugh Roberts.

This is important!

Actually, I feel fine.

I woke up as usual despite moving around at night, and I enjoyed the egg dish for breakfast—fluffy and creamy cheese omelet from my previous life!

I have a normal temperature, and I received a clean bill of health from the castle physician, who also rewrapped the bandage on my left hand.

However.

After the confrontation with my brother in the training ground late at night, the next morning—

Hugh Roberts is now my guard…!

This happened due to two conflicting testimonies.

The person who tampered with Sir Sil’s carriage, whom my brother suspects, is Clifford. According to one witness, the person was in a guard knight’s uniform and resembled Clifford.

On the other hand, according to Clifford’s testimony, he also saw a figure near the carriage at night. Proof that he is a guard knight. A person with a golden tassel on their sword.

In both cases, a guard knight was seen the night before the runaway accident.

The difference is in their affiliation.

My guard knight—Clifford.

One of my brother’s guard knights—someone.

After that, it was decided that all of my brother’s guard knights would undergo an alibi check, as in a detective novel.

Those with an alibi and confirmed to be innocent would continue their regular duties.

Those without an alibi, like Clifford, would be placed under surveillance and removed from their duties.

So far, everything has gone smoothly. I am in agreement.

From there, I strongly appealed to my brother, saying I felt unsafe without a guard knight.

…But it backfired.

"Alright. I’ll assign Hugh to you for a while."

The meaning of "alright" is different.

Hugh is one of my brother’s guard knights who was confirmed to have a solid alibi on the spot. His alibi is also verified.

There’s no way Hugh could be the culprit who tampered with Sir Sil’s carriage. And Nathan, too.

However, even if he’s not the culprit, he remains one of my brother’s confidants.

If he takes a wrong step, it feels like it will be immediately known to my brother…

I can’t let my guard down…!

Most of all, I’m not used to it. I’ve realized that having Clifford on standby has become a part of my daily routine. It feels strange.

Visits to Sir Sil, future free visits to Clifford, access to the library, and the planned inspection of the town were all rejected…

I shake my head vigorously in my mind.

No, let’s focus on the positives!

Thanks to the confrontation with my brother last night, there are some improvements!

First, my range of movement has slightly expanded.

I can now take a walk in the garden! Not the show garden for visitors, but a smaller one. The place I wanted to go for a midnight stroll with Sir Edgar.

When I requested this garden, it was granted!

Being cooped up indoors all the time is depressing.

Even within the castle grounds, I need to go outside and breathe the air!

So, I take a deep breath.

Today is a perfect day for a walk.

I am immediately enjoying the only right I have won.

I have reached the center of the garden.

The garden is well-maintained, and the white flowers—Lisuran—soothe my troubled heart. They also have a pleasant, delicate fragrance.

The garden effect is excellent. I feel like my mind is working better!

Maybe I can come up with a good idea now!

For example—hmm…

Maybe I should try to win Hugh over as an ally!

Improvement point two, I think I can communicate with my brother more easily through Hugh than before.

I turn around and bring Hugh, who is standing guard, into my field of vision.

If I were the original Octavia, I would have built a friendly relationship with Hugh.

It’s not too late to start…?

Honestly, the only thing I know about the real Hugh is that he is one of my brother’s confidants. I know his face and name, and our living spaces overlap, but that’s it.

I need to find a natural way to start a conversation without making him suspicious… Ah.

"Hugh, what happened to that golden tassel?"

"It was bestowed by Prince Serius."

"I know that. But it should be longer, shouldn’t it?"

But it’s short!

"Why do you ask such a question?"

"...Because it felt off, I guess."

The golden tassel, which the original Hugh cherished so much, is shorter?

But from his reaction, it seems like a failed conversation starter.

"—In return for answering, may I ask you a question, Your Highness?"

Unexpectedly, after a brief pause, Hugh said this.

"Any question you can answer."

I can’t answer just anything!

"Let’s say, for example, the king gives you two conflicting orders. You must follow one of the two orders. Which one would you choose to carry out, Your Highness?"

"...What are the orders?"

"The content itself is not the issue. Any conflicting orders will do. Think