Chapter 6

It has been a week since I was summoned to the royal castle, and I have been very popular at the academy.

I am still being aggressively courted by an upperclassman in the school hallway.

"---And thus, we will dominate the surrounding countries as colonies.

As I explained, all you need to do is destroy the enemy's army. The political matters afterward can be left to me, your husband."

Correction, I am not being aggressively courted, but rather being courted by an extremist.

He is the most intense of the extremists I have met in the past week. If I were to go with him, it would be a pity for the other extremists.

As the queen predicted, the children of high-ranking nobles began to approach me the day after I was summoned to the royal castle.

The moderates were relatively easy to get along with.

The men would come to greet me with sweets and engage in light conversation, while the women would invite me to tea parties.

It seems they just wanted to make an acquaintance. There was no overtly political talk.

After I started interacting with the upperclassmen, my classmates, who had been keeping their distance after the recent incident, began to speak to me one by one.

Perhaps they had thought I was a dangerous person who couldn't communicate properly.

The extremists actively tried to recruit me.

They would give me expensive jewels as gifts and even propose marriage. Of course, I politely declined both.

Listening to them, I realized that the extremists are a group of nobles dissatisfied with the current situation.

It felt more like they were trying to use me to expand their family's influence rather than to use me in a war.

Their advocacy for war seemed to be aimed at gaining merit and new territories through it.

"---And ultimately, we will dominate the entire continent. Isn't that wonderful?"

His speech finally seemed to be over. It was so long that I had forgotten his name, which he probably mentioned at the beginning.

"I decline."

Usually, I would add some polite phrases like "Thank you for the kind invitation, but~" and gently decline, but I had no such inclination this time.

"It's not a bad deal for you. You can become my wife, with your black hair. I'll buy you as many dresses and jewels as you want."

While there were some condescending people among both the moderates and the extremists, he was in a league of his own. No one had ever made derogatory remarks about black hair before.

"I prefer someone stronger than myself."

This is my ultimate technique for declining marriage proposals. No one has ever resisted it.

"In this day and age, physical strength alone isn't enough. What matters is intelligence. In that regard, I am excellent."

It didn't work. And he even said something that sounded like a truth.

I get angry when someone like him, who wants to use me as a human weapon, spouts such truths.

"Is that so? Then I will not engage in military activities or suppress rebels."

When I declared that I would not fight, he panicked, realizing that his plans would not come to fruition.

"Someone like you, who can only fight, should just follow the orders of someone like me, who is excellent, without thinking!"

He insists on his own excellence, but it doesn't seem that way to me.

"Speaking of excellence, are you the top of your class?"

When I said this with a slight hint of sarcasm, his voice immediately became smaller.

"People's superiority isn't determined by test scores..."

He didn't give up easily, so I came up with a plan.

"You say you want to dominate the continent, but who will manage it?"

"Of course, I will. I have confidence in my governance."

"Governance? You mean governing the entire continent?"

"Exactly. If you become my wife, it's not impossible."

"Governing the entire continent means putting the royal family, which governs this country, under your control, right?"

"Huh?"

"It means rebelling against the Balshain royal family."

"N-no, that's not it—"

"According to the country's laws, treason is punishable by death."

He easily fell into my leading questions, his face turning pale as he looked around to see if anyone was listening to our conversation.

I didn't expect him to fall for it so easily. I'm glad this self-proclaimed excellent person is a fool.

"I will pretend I didn't hear this.

There might be people who overheard our conversation, so it would be best to avoid contact with me.

Just being with me might make you suspect."

"Y-You better not tell anyone about this conversation."

He said this in a frightened tone and ran down the hallway.

At a corner, he must have run into someone, and I heard his pitiful scream.

"Welcome, Yumiera. I really wanted to talk to you."

"Thank you for inviting me, Elenora."

The setting changed, and I was now in the academy's salon.

I had been invited to a tea party by Elenora Hillrose, the daughter of the Duke of Hillrose, who is the leader of the extremists.

I thought about trying to decline, but I decided to attend, considering it would be difficult to avoid her in the same academy.

She has long, straight blonde hair and is surrounded by her entourage, looking much more like a villainous lady than I am.

The Hillrose family, despite having power second only to the royal family, is ambitious about expanding their influence. Their ultimate goal is to surpass the royal family in power and control the country from behind the scenes.

As I was nervously wondering what such an ambitious young lady would say, she got to the point.

"Yumiera, give up on Edwin."

Why is Prince Edwin's name coming up here?

"Prince Edwin...?"

"Yes, if you do, I will allow you to join my faction."

I looked puzzled, not understanding what she was talking about, and Elenora raised her voice.

"Don't play dumb! I know you proposed a marriage between you and Prince Edwin to the king!

You are not suitable for Prince Edwin. If you don't want me as an enemy, back off quietly."

I think the one who should be saying this is the heroine, not me.

"I have already told the king that I will decline the engagement with the prince."

"Lie! Didn't you meet the queen after the audience? You must have said you wanted to marry Prince Edwin there."

"No, that's not true. There has been no announcement after a week, which is proof."

"That's true... You seem to know your place.

Fine, if you swear not to get close to Prince Edwin, I will allow you to join my faction."

"That's a generous offer, but I must decline..."

"What? Why?

Could it be that you're just pretending not to be interested, but you're actually after Prince Edwin?"

What is this person, so troublesome.

From her perspective, joining her faction and marrying the prince seem to have the same value. I don't want either.

"Prince Edwin is much more suitable for someone else.

I think you would be a good match for him, Elenora."

"Oh! You have a good eye.

I have danced with Prince Edwin many times. He is very charming when we dance—"

When I said something I didn't mean, she immediately became cheerful and started talking endlessly about Prince Edwin's wonderful qualities.

It seems she really likes Prince Edwin, not just for the sake of her family.

You're too easy, I'm sorry for thinking you're troublesome.

After that, I had to listen to Elenora's endless talk about Prince Edwin, and the issue of joining her faction was left unresolved as the tea party ended.

Today, dealing with those two intense people was tiring. Moreover, Elenora seemed to like me and invited me to another tea party.

However, the next day, I found myself involved in an even more troublesome situation...