Chapter 81

Emile laughed joyfully and propped his cheeks on both hands on the table.

"Haha. Rather than a wife, her behavior is more like that of a small and brave animal."

"Fear not, she is undoubtedly my wife. ... I won’t deny the dog-like part, though."

"Wha—t!?"

In response to the continued attack, Charlotte covered her face with both hands. The mere existence of 'Oswald, Emile’s “younger brother”' had left her breathless, and now it felt like she was being repeatedly stabbed in the heart.

"Brother, wife, brother, wife..."

"Who would have thought that the contents of that cruel saint girl would be so amusing?"

Emile chuckled and directed a smile that looked very gentle, just in appearance, towards Charlotte.

"---It doesn’t seem like the 'key' to change the power dynamics between us brothers."

"!"

At those words, Charlotte straightened her back. Oswald, standing beside her, slightly furrowed his brows.

"...Prince Emile."

"You should always be aware, Oswald. You have already claimed your right to the throne."

Emile broke his pose of propping his cheeks and looked up at Oswald standing in front of him.

"That means you have declared your participation in the struggle for the throne. Even if you have no interest in the throne."

"Lord Oswald..."

Oswald, despite being the king’s son, was raised in hiding due to his mother’s status. As a child, his existence was concealed, and after his magical abilities were recognized, he was adopted into a duke’s family. He lived as a subject, never acknowledged as a member of the royal family, and accepted this situation.

However, just recently, Oswald, with his grandfather as his guardian, showed his father and brothers that he also had a right to the throne.

All of this was to protect Charlotte, who had been oppressed by the royal family.

When Charlotte was in danger, his status as a duke would not allow him to intervene with the princes. But as a prince with the right to the throne, Oswald could stand on equal footing. He acted for that very reason.

"Could it be..."

Triggered by Emile’s earlier statement, an idea formed in Charlotte’s mind.

"Would my marriage to Lord Oswald be extremely inconvenient for the other princes who want to become king?"

"......"

Oswald, probably thinking the same thing, had not voiced it. Emile smiled and indirectly confirmed it.

"You are the ultimate weapon of our country, on par with Oswald. Cruel Saint girl."

Even with her divine power sealed and her memory lost, Charlotte understood the meaning of his words.

"When Father ordered your marriage to Oswald, more than half of the brothers must have panicked."

"...If I become Lord Oswald’s, among those with the right to the throne, Oswald’s power would stand out, wouldn’t it?"

"Exactly. Most of all, only Oswald and the eldest brother can be by your side as a monitor with your divine power sealed. Marrying the country’s saint to the eldest legitimate son, who is currently the top in line for the throne, would be a loss."

"The eldest brother of Lord Oswald..."

Royal marriages are generally based on political strategy. The position of the crown prince’s wife is crucial for alliances and diplomacy with other countries, so the idea of placing Charlotte in that position was likely not considered.

"...I heard that Prince Andreas does not get along well with Charlotte."

"Before losing her memory, Charlotte was quite assertive even with that brother. It was probably part of her act as the cruel saint, but the subjects were often on edge."

Emile laughed and winked at the bewildered Charlotte.

"He’s a scary person, be careful. Even Oswald would not come out unscathed if he were to fight with Brother Andreas."

"Even Lord Oswald!?"

"Calm down. As long as you are not targeted, I won’t clash with that person."

"Ugh, Lord Oswald is so cool...!!"

But getting carried away with admiration wouldn’t advance the conversation. Charlotte suddenly realized and straightened her posture.

"His Majesty the King really wanted to seal my divine power, didn’t he?"

"Yes. After all, the name of the cruel saint has resounded too much both domestically and internationally."

Needless to say, it was a notorious reputation, but Charlotte was not bothered by it. Nodding, she listened to Emile’s explanation with great effort.

"If my divine power had not been sealed at that time, wars with countries targeting the saint Charlotte would have broken out. However, Father’s purpose in waging war is to expand and enrich the country."

"So, he wanted to avoid wars for such reasons?"

"Yes. Moreover, this marriage not only seals you but also prevents Oswald from gaining unnecessary power. From Father’s perspective, a powerless saint with sealed divine power is easier to control as Oswald’s wife compared to a noble lady from within the country. This applies whether Oswald becomes the heir to the throne or remains a mere duke."

Oswald has five older brothers. It’s not just Emile who can explain the king’s thoughts.

"The princes must have predicted that His Majesty would order Oswald to seal my divine power and marry me..."

"Yes. It wouldn’t be strange if some of the brothers had already secretly married Charlotte to someone else a few years ago, anticipating this."

Emile stopped propping his cheeks and leaned back in his chair.

"Interfering with your marriage would beautifully coincide with hindering Oswald’s succession to the throne."

"......"

Oswald lowered his eyes with a look of disgust.