Chapter 7

I returned to my familiar room in the castle from the training grounds and relaxed. After all, I can't just wander around the castle whenever I want. First, I have to be back in my room by 6 PM. Dinner is, as much as possible, with the entire family starting at 7 PM. Bathing at 9 PM, and bedtime at 10 PM. Wake-up is at 6 AM— the princess's schedule is strictly set. My brother, Alek, and Father have their own schedules, but they are also strict.

"…So, can I assume that I have a bit of a lead now?"

I murmured, sitting in my favorite chair.

At the training grounds, thanks to an accident, I had a small but significant gain. It's because of this that I can now sit here in my room, feeling at ease.

The accident—Alderton deftly knocked down a sword that had flown toward me from somewhere. I wasn't injured, but the atmosphere on the spot froze.

—An assassination attempt on the princess?

In reality, it was just a clumsy soldier who, while trying to draw his sword, accidentally sent it flying in the wrong direction!

When Alek told him to step forward, he only ran a few meters and fell twice. It was clear he was just clumsy. Even if it wasn't, whether it was an accident or intentional, treating it as an attempted assassination seemed a bit much. I could say that because I wasn't injured!

But, it was lucky that he was from the Baron Burn family. When I heard his name, a light bulb went off in my head. I remembered Ryst Burn, the 26-year-old from the Baron Burn family, who appeared in "The Noble King." He seemed like a great candidate to ask to pretend to be my lover!

Who to ask to pretend to be my lover—rather, who would happily and without any trouble accept the role? I thought about it a lot.

My brothers have many followers—supporters of Lord Sil and my brother. They're willing to do anything for them. They are on the side of the protagonist, who is good, and include male couples, decoys who secretly have feelings for Lord Sil, and jealousy-inducing elements to sow discord between Lord Sil and my brother. They are all handsome and diverse!

I was a bit disheartened. The men on Lord Sil's side... it's impossible.

So, the ones depicted as enemies in the original work are the target. I have to propose a fake relationship to them. There's no other way.

The nobles who stand against my brother—most of them are older, so their sons or the factions around their sons!

Who is critical of my brother?

This is related to the problem of how the nobility continue their bloodlines despite the prevalence of male-male relationships among the upper class.

Do the nobles follow the Esfia royal family?

...Not exactly. While they do follow some aspects, not everyone adopts same-sex marriage under the guise of adoption.

For example, there are people who advise the eldest sons of noble families to be calm if they are in a relationship with a man. However, they don't tell them to break up, which is a clear sign that this is a BL world!

So, how do they advise them? Specifically?

Love a man, but marry a woman! There is an unspoken rule that you shouldn't neglect your wife.

However, in reality, the husband's consciousness is that the legitimate spouse is the man, so the home environment is often terrible.

That's why!

When I see a normal couple who fell in love and got married, my approval rating soars. If they are still in the stage of falling in love, I would even use my princess power to support them! I once went a bit overboard...

Anyway, many nobles marry women to have children.

This leads to the two major factions among the nobility.

The Pure Love Noble faction, who uphold their love for a man and adopt children (mostly from relatives or sisters, but sometimes from others, especially those with talented bloodlines).

The Adultery Noble faction, who love men but marry women and keep their male lovers as mistresses.

It sounds like a joke, but it's true. Factions are actually formed because of this.

To repeat, while there are other factions, this issue truly divides the nobility!

Incidentally, the Pure Love Noble faction is smaller in number but has more momentum. Polygamy is not officially allowed, and the current king's father was also married to a man he loved.

In my previous life, I would have definitely been on the Pure Love Noble faction. In this life, from Octavia's perspective—after a bitter decision, I broke up with the man I loved, married a woman, and slowly nurtured love with her. There is even a nice middle-aged noble like the Duke of Knightfellow, but unfortunately, his son seems to be on the Pure Love Noble faction... He is my brother's friend, and the duke's ideology was not passed down to his son.

To summarize, in Esfia, there are the Pure Love Noble faction, the Adultery Noble faction, and others (like the Duke of Knightfellow or those who prefer women and marry them).

In the original work, the Pure Love Noble faction is the main one, and they are on Lord Sil's side. The Adultery Noble faction, while not all of them are enemies, are generally depicted negatively and are also viewed negatively in Esfia. As a woman, I also feel frustrated with the Adultery Noble faction, thinking, "Am I just a mistress in this situation?"

However, as a princess, I want to say that they have their good points too!

They are critical of same-sex marriages among the royal family! Of course, they are the ones who married women out of duty. While they can tolerate my brother and Lord Sil being in love, they nag about doing their duty with women! This will eventually lead to the issue of succession!

So—those who are not on my brother's side and are part of the Adultery Noble faction. The answer is here. I should ask one of them, who is around my age, to pretend to be my lover! That's what I'll do!

...It was a good plan until I hit a wall.

...The fact that most of the eligible men in the Adultery Noble faction are already taken! Of course, they are the ones who choose to marry women.

Or, if there are any, I don't have a close enough relationship with them to ask them to pretend to be my lover... In fact, there isn't a single person I can ask.

But, the clumsy soldier brought me a connection!

Ryst Burn.

He is part of the Adultery Noble faction, still single at 26, and will later become an enemy of my brother. He is a minor character who appears at key points in the story. In the Baron Burn family, Ryst is treated like a sore spot, but according to the novel, his younger brother, Eilair, is in contact with him.

So, I seized the opportunity and asked Eilair to connect me with Ryst at the training grounds. However, when Alek immediately asked me what I had requested, I panicked. I couldn't tell him. I didn't have a good excuse, so I vaguely said it was a "secret." Later, I realized that saying "secret" made it sound more mysterious... I might have made the wrong choice. I hope it's okay...

Anyway, Eilair agreed, so I should receive a letter about Ryst Burn soon. I plan to meet him in person and negotiate.

But—

I steeled myself.

After all, I had no leads, and Ryst appeared as a ray of hope, but I can't be complacent. Whether the negotiations with Ryst will go well is a separate issue.

So, I need to have a backup plan!

I need to actively search for other candidates who might agree to pretend to be my lover. I need to attend internal gatherings where the Adultery Noble faction is well-represented and even the semi-formal balls hosted by nobles that I usually decline...

"Move...?"

Wait.

Here, I realized something important.

If my guard knight is replaced again, I won't be able to move at all...

The shortest replacement period is one week, on average two weeks, and the longest is three months. The selection of a new guard knight takes time, and even after the decision, there might be a delay before they start.

During this period, it's absolutely impossible for me to leave the castle. My movements within the castle are also restricted. This is because, during the absence of my official guard knight, temporary guards from other places will take over, essentially part-time guards. They will take turns guarding me.

For safety reasons, I am required to limit my activities until a new guard knight is assigned.

—And my guard knight is frequently replaced.

I was used to this, but now, a replacement would be a problem. I have experienced many periods where I couldn't move, so I know.

If Alderton (I just learned his name today) were to leave—during the replacement period, it would be impossible to move around and seek encounters.

"..."

I pictured Alderton's face in my mind. Ugh. It's a miracle he hasn't fallen in love with anyone yet!

I shook my head.

I recalled his behavior since he became my guard knight.

From what I've seen, there's no sign that he's about to fall in love with anyone... but the replacement of guard knights can happen suddenly.

Should I subtly probe him?

No, in this situation, I have to put aside my pride... I'll ask him if he plans to leave.

If he does, I'll negotiate to make sure he stays for at least a month, no matter what. I'll do that.

Deciding this, I rang the bell.