Arc-6 Ch-15

“It was around a year before you, His Highness Julius, and Miss Olivia enrolled in the academy. At that time, I was at the nadir of despair.”

The prime minister’s usually composed mouth twisted. His expression was barely concealed by his mustache, but the turmoil in his heart rippled across the surface of the tea in his cup.

For a man who had mastered perfect etiquette and earned the deep trust of the royalist faction to reveal such emotion—it spoke volumes.

He must have harbored profound regret about the circumstances of that time.

“I took a teaching position at the Royal Academy out of my own concern for the future of the Holfort Kingdom. Did Mrs. Bartfort receive an explanation from Her Highness the Queen about the true purpose behind the academy’s founding?”

“…Roughly, yes.”

“The academy is not, in the truest sense, an educational institution. It exists to display the Holfort royal family’s power and crush the rebellious spirit of young nobles, to impose tuition and expenses on the nobility to enrich the capital’s economy, and to gather the heirs of noble families in one place to hold them as hostages for leverage. There are other purposes as well, but the ultimate goal is the selection of nobles and the implementation of education centered on the royal family. Everything was established to serve the royal family’s interests.”

“What a selfish story. Flaunting power, extorting money, and training convenient pawns. This place seems less like a noble educational facility and more like a beast-taming pen.”

“Those words sting. But not everything went smoothly. In particular, the corruption of the nobility adversely affected not only the royal family but the entire kingdom.”

“If incompetent nobles increase, they can be stripped of their titles or territories on grounds of governance failures. The confiscated lands could then become royal demesne, further increasing the royal family’s power.”

“That would only work if a certain number of nobles loyal to the royal family were secured. Indeed, the academy produced results beyond expectations. But even medicine, in excess, becomes poison. Gradually, the academy transformed into a breeding ground for the corruption of the kingdom’s nobility.”

The prime minister poured milk from the milk pot into his black tea, so I did the same.

The white milk swirled into the reddish-brown tea, blending together.

The refined black tea turned into a creamy milk tea, its mellow sweetness soothing the heart.

“Nobles’ sons, raised on distorted education and neglecting their studies and training, became bureaucrats, lowering the royal family’s own governance capabilities. The female-favoring policies increased the resentment of lower nobles and territorial lords who suffered under noblewomen. The academy became a place that continuously bred enemies for the royal family. Immediate corrections were necessary.”

“So that’s why the former king’s younger brother was appointed as academy principal.”

“It was right around the time I finished explaining the kingdom’s internal affairs to Her Highness, who had just married in from the Lepart United Kingdom. It was also convenient for selecting nobles to support her.”

“And the ducal house made me the fiancee of His Highness Julius, first in line for the throne. I see—so by the time His Highness ascends, capable nobles can be placed in official positions, with the ducal house as regents.”

“Exactly, Mrs. Bartfort. You truly are an outstanding student.”

I was being praised, but it didn’t feel good. In the end, the academy was operated entirely for the royal family’s convenience.

Established to make nobles submit to the royal family, educating noble children to suit the royal family’s needs, panicking and changing operations when things got out of hand, and ultimately discarding anyone not useful.

The Holfort royal family’s ugliness, through and through. Considering the tyranny of the Founding Ancestors, their current predicament was nothing but karma.

“To be honest, when I became principal, I never imagined the situation was this dire. When I was a student at the academy, as a member of the royal family, I was always surrounded by influential noble peers. It was only after stepping away from royal status that I gradually realized the academy’s corruption.”

“Is that why you concealed your identity and worked as a teacher?”

“Are those who flaunt their status, show no respect to others, and fawn over the powerful truly nobles? I wanted them to at least become gentlemen and ladies with a minimum of courtesy. As principal, I also implemented curriculum revisions and new classes. But I couldn’t achieve the results I desired.”

“Even with Your Excellency’s power?”

“The academy has been open for many long years, while I’ve been principal for just over a decade. Add to that the fifteen years students spend with their families and the three years at the academy. No matter how one royal struggles, it’s impossible to correct the prejudices, arrogance, and individual personalities rooted in the noble class. Unable to produce the results I wanted, I was exhausted by my first taste of frustration and resignation. That’s when I found her—and clung to her.”

I already had a good idea who that “her” was.

Good grief, that saintess always unconsciously captivates and bewilders people.

I’d love to ask those who called me a villainess which of us—her or me—was the real villainess.

“One day, I received a report from a noble who admired me. It said there was a commoner girl who used recovery magic at an unbelievable level.”

“That was Olivia, wasn’t it?”

“I immediately sent a messenger to confirm, and it was true—she was using recovery magic, and her intellectual level was far beyond that of a commoner. Upon learning this, I consulted with Her Highness the Queen about protecting her at the academy and welcomed her as a scholarship student.”

“Was it really necessary to go that far to get her into the academy?”

“Mrs. Bartfort, do you think that, until Miss Olivia, no descendants of the first saintess Anne had ever been discovered?”

Indeed, many years have passed since the Holfort Kingdom was founded, but no one inheriting the blood of the first saintess has been officially confirmed.

There are users of healing magic, but none on Olivia’s level.

She can’t overturn the laws of the world by reviving the dead, but given time, she can heal severe injuries or incurable diseases.

And the vast majority of healing magic users serve not as adventurers or in the palace, but in the temple.

There’s also the hidden reason that sending healing magic users to the temple-run poorhouses is cheaper than expensive medicine.

Marie, the fallen noblewoman, working in a poorhouse was a good example.

“I understand that excellent healing magic users are mostly affiliated with the temple. I thought it was simply to demonstrate the temple’s authority to the people. Was that wrong?”

“That’s one of the temple’s policies, but their true purpose is to find and manage the descendants of the first saintess.”

“Manage? Not protect?”

“Let me explain in order. Decades after Anne resigned as saintess and disappeared, a commoner girl began using recovery magic to heal people. The temple and royal family investigated thoroughly and found a high likelihood that she was Anne’s granddaughter or great-granddaughter. At the time, reverence for the first saintess was still strong. In fact, the girl was praised by those around her as Anne reincarnated. Seeing the gravity of the situation, the temple and royal family decided to take her in as a temple priestess.”

“They feared she would criticize the royal family and temple, denouncing their sins like Anne did.”

“Yes. At the time, the kingdom was expanding its territory, but the territorial lords weren’t wholeheartedly submissive. If a descendant of the first saintess became a figurehead, the legitimacy of the royal family and temple could easily collapse. But executing the girl risked public backlash. Moreover, denying the blood of the first saintess would undermine the temple’s own legitimacy and the royal family’s authority. In their desperation, the temple came up with the idea of using the girl’s power and fame instead.”

“On the surface, they extended a helping hand, but in reality, they prevented her from being used by anti-royal or anti-temple forces. Her fame became the temple’s fame. Clever, indeed.”

“Similar cases occurred several times afterward. Those who awakened to healing magic were mostly commoner girls or daughters of lower nobles. They were brought to the temple under the pretext of using their powers, or sold for money, and spent their lives healing people’s wounds. Never marrying, never realizing the temple’s intentions until the end.”

“Wouldn’t it have been better to simply recognize the descendants of the first saintess as saintesses?”

“For the temple’s upper echelons, the saintess is merely a symbol. And a saintess without the divine relics has no say in operations. Installing a noblewoman descended from the second saintess Mary as a false saintess and controlling politics as they pleased—this system was far too convenient for the temple.”

Corruption in its utmost extremity. What a nauseating story.

The moment a descendant of Anne was found, their life choices were stripped away, and they spent their lives confined to the temple, unable to bear children.

The royal family’s stupidity is bad enough, but the temple’s corruption is just as severe.

I even feel pity for Olivia, whom I once despised.

She’s a good person. She should have lived a life unrelated to politics.

Yet now she’s revered as the saintess who saved the nation, rushing about in negotiations with other countries, and ultimately used as the temple’s symbol.

“So that’s why you recognized Olivia as a scholarship student?”

“I felt a sense of repentance toward the first saintess. The Holfort royal family would lose its legitimacy if it continued to exploit Anne’s bloodline. If I hadn’t welcomed Miss Olivia as a scholarship student at the academy, she would have ended her life as a temple priestess. That would change nothing from the past. And there was the need to reform the mindset of noble sons and daughters. I had to show, as an educator, that even commoners could surpass nobles, and that without mutual improvement, even nobles faced ruin.”

“I understand Your Excellency’s true intentions. You’ve struggled greatly, haven’t you?”

“The result of my desperate efforts is this. My actions caused severe damage in every direction.”

The prime minister must have genuinely worried about the Holfort Kingdom’s future.

There were far too many who neglected the kingdom’s founding heroes, used only their authority without offering anything in return, refused to acknowledge their own incompetence, and belittled others to maintain their superiority.

Successive kings and high priests, corrupt court nobles, territorial lords filled with rebellious spirit, and noble sons and daughters who lacked courtesy and effort.

For someone like him, who valued integrity, the kingdom’s current state was harsh. That’s why he placed his hopes in Olivia when she appeared.

Indeed, Olivia did break the status quo.

But the cost was immense, shaking the very foundation of the kingdom’s ruling structure.

“After consulting with Her Highness the Queen, we welcomed Miss Olivia to the academy as a scholarship student. Of course, her lineage was kept secret from both Her Highness and Olivia herself. My plan was to graduate her as an outstanding student and eventually appoint her as a commoner-born official in the palace. I never imagined that His Highness and the others—descendants of the Founding Ancestors—would all be drawn to her.”

“From an outsider’s perspective, they were abnormal back then.”

Was it the inescapable karma of blood, or perhaps fate?

Six of the seven Founding Ancestors who built the Holfort Kingdom—all except Bartfort—gathered at the same academy.

It was hard not to feel something destined about it.

“But if you had simply enrolled her in the regular class, wouldn’t problems have been avoided?”

“Even then, it would only delay things slightly. Besides, it was fortunate that her growth aligned with the Principality of Fanoss’s invasion. Every circumstance miraculously fell into place, and Miss Olivia protected the kingdom. Of course, the cost was significant.”

“For example, the annulment of my engagement to His Highness Julius?”

I knew it was a spiteful question.

But the resentment still smoldering deep in my heart occasionally stirred an unbearable irritation.

'Why?'

'How come?'

'What did I do wrong?'

I have no complaints about my current life.

I love Leon with all my heart and am grateful for the fortune of having our child.

But just because I’m happy now doesn’t mean the misfortunes of the past are erased.

To be honest, I couldn’t care less if the Holfort royal family or the temple were destroyed.

If the king and prince were executed, or if the saintess was forced into an unwanted marriage, I’d feel no pain—rather, it might even lighten my heart.

But if the Holfort royal family and the Redgrave ducal house clashed head-on, we’d inevitably be dragged into it. Even if we won, the losses would be too great.

And if neighboring countries attacked in the chaos, it would all be meaningless.

In the end, I’m nothing but a selfish woman.

As long as the Bartfort and Redgrave families are safe, I don’t care what happens to anyone else.

“That was a source of profound regret. I never expected His Highness to act that way.”

“Indeed. I was the only one condemned, even though the warning to Olivia was mild. Countless acts of harassment I had no part in were attributed to me, leading to the annulment of our engagement. I had no choice but to challenge them to a duel to protect my honor and myself.”

“In hindsight, it was likely the work of Miss Offrey and others from the Frampton marquess faction. They plotted the downfall of the Redgrave house. Miss Offrey was also engaged to Mr. Brad. They framed you to weaken a rival faction and pin their own actions on you. I can only offer you my deepest apologies.”

“As the academy principal, couldn’t Your Excellency have intervened?”

“Mrs. Bartfort, if you had at least given more time to schedule the duel, I could have petitioned His Majesty or Her Highness for mediation. To think it would be decided in just a few days… Even as a member of the royal family, I need proper groundwork to make recommendations to the king and queen.”

My cheeks flushed at the prime minister’s words.

At that time, I was angrier than I’d ever been in my life—and still am, looking back.

The duel date was set in a flash after trading barbs with those five idiots.

I recall Olivia trying to stop the fight somehow, but I was too furious to listen. 

No, wait—the one who set the duel’s time and place was Jilk.

That cunning bastard probably deliberately set the terms to avoid interference from the royal family or the ducal house.

In conclusion, I was at fault, but so were those five thoughtless fools (especially Jilk).

“All I could do was pray that you would reconcile after the duel. I couldn’t act openly not only to avoid revealing my identity but also to keep Miss Olivia out of the spotlight. If it became known that the principal protected a commoner, she would inevitably draw attention. The only way I could think to minimize the situation was to do nothing. But looking back now, I should have mediated even if it meant exposing my identity. At the very least, it could have reduced the conflict between the royal family and the ducal house, the growth of the Frampton marquess faction, and the temple’s interference in state affairs.”

“To keep Olivia’s true identity hidden?”

“There were noble sons and daughters at the academy with deep ties to the temple, and the marquess faction even more so. Many nobles would want to exploit the bloodline of the first saintess.”

I don’t know what happened at the academy after I left following the duel.

Before I knew it, the academy was closed, and Olivia was fighting the Principality of Fanoss as the saintess.

Half-desperate, I threw myself into my studies to defy the scorn around me.

My time at the academy lasted less than a year.

“After you left the academy, Miss Olivia continued to achieve great things. She excelled academically, ranking first, and in practical training, she teamed up with His Highness and the others for adventures. That scene was like the Founding Ancestors setting out on their own adventures. And what was decisive was exposing the corrupt nobles colluding with sky pirates.”

“I believe it was the incident where they uncovered the Offrey family’s collusion with sky pirates, involving smuggling and attacks on merchant ships.”

“If it had been just sky pirate subjugation, it would have ended as a mere accolade. But if 'that' hadn’t been among the traded treasures…”

"'That'…?”

“One of the scattered divine relics of the saintess—the necklace. I heard that the necklace among the seized items glowed and equipped itself to Miss Olivia. There were too many witnesses to keep it secret.”

“So Your Excellency’s efforts were in vain.”

“Yes. In a later adventure, they obtained the final relic, the bracelet. The divine relics, incomplete since the kingdom’s founding, were reunited by the hands of the first saintess’s descendant. I was terrified. It felt as though the first saintess Anne herself was guiding Miss Olivia.”

Indeed, it was too perfect—almost as if everything had been orchestrated from the start.

If Olivia were a villain, I could believe this was a meticulously planned scheme. But there’s no doubt she’s genuinely a good person.

Olivia is undeniably the protagonist heroine of the current Holfort Kingdom.

“I understand Olivia’s background now. So, what is it you want me to do, Your Excellency?”

I see. The current Olivia is a descendant of the first saintess and has garnered the reverence of the people. If used skillfully, she could shake the present monarchy to its core.

Add to that Leon, who inherits the blood of Leah Bartfalt, and the legitimacy of the Holfort royal family would undoubtedly come under scrutiny.

That said, excluding Olivia is impossible.

Diplomacy, national defense, religion—without her, the peace of the Holfort Kingdom cannot be maintained. Whoever secures her will hold the real power in this country.

That’s why my father is rushing to have my brother marry Olivia. To gain even greater legitimacy, he married me off to Leon.

I can’t help but admire my father’s political acumen. I sense the cunning that has allowed him to survive for so many years in the den of monsters known as noble society.

Even if the Holfort royal family’s lifeline runs out, that’s just how it is.

I don’t think their rule has been entirely evil. Despite its problems, it’s true that they’ve protected the people from external threats until today.

If they meet a quiet end, that, too, would be a fitting conclusion for rulers.

“It’s both a warning and a plea for mercy. If you use Miss Olivia to establish a Redgrave dynasty, you’ll end up under the temple’s thumb. At worst, the temple could install Miss Olivia as queen and, once everything is settled, brand the Redgrave house as traitors and purge you.”

“…Would the temple really take such extreme measures?”

“If it were around the time the previous war ended, it would be unthinkable. But Miss Olivia has achieved immense feats over these past few years. Above all, the people’s calls for her grow louder by the day. Even if Mr. Vince seizes the throne, it’s doubtful the nobles would wholeheartedly submit. And if the temple incites the people to make Miss Olivia queen, they’d follow without question.”

“The nobles wouldn’t accept it. The ducal house wouldn’t just sit idly by either.”

“Don’t forget, Mrs. Bartfort. This nation was founded by wandering adventurers. Most nobles are upstarts. And above all, the saintess is of commoner origin. No matter how much royalty and nobility strut, rulers are rulers only because the people exist.”

“…Your warning is deeply appreciated.”

The prime minister admonished me as if instructing a slow-witted student.

His insight and perception are not to be underestimated. Had he not withdrawn from the succession struggle, he might have become an excellent king.

“As for the plea for mercy, in exchange for my life, I ask for leniency toward the Holfort royal family and the royalist nobles. This is a fitting end for someone who betrayed 'his' expectations.”

“…You’re prepared to throw away your life?”

“A royal cannot shirk responsibility. I once fled the burden of the throne and forced it onto my nephew. I continued to make poor judgments, leading to the kingdom’s dire state. I must atone with my life.”

The prime minister’s shoulders shook as if amused. He had likely already resolved to die.

His defiant attitude made it hard for me to feel like blaming him.

I’d feel more satisfied if he struggled ugly and lived rather than dying contentedly.

The dead are useless, but the living might still accomplish something.

“I heard from His Highness Julius and Her Highness Mylene. His Majesty Roland has also steeled his resolve.”

“They were a couple who never stopped arguing, but I’ve heard their usual scornful bickering has shifted to words tinged with care. Perhaps bonds deepen when facing the end.”

“I need Your Excellency to live as well. If you fled by pushing your duties onto your nephew, then this time, please don’t run away.”

“Is accepting death considered fleeing?”

“My husband survived a hellish battlefield. He was granted a title and territory he never wanted and struggles desperately to manage them. He fought through last year’s war with the Principality of Fanoss and returned. Anything can only be accomplished by living.”

“Mr. Bartfort sounds like quite an interesting young man. If the opportunity arises, I’d love to invite him to a tea party.”

“Then I’d like you to live, Your Excellency. He’d be delighted to drink tea brewed by you.”

Upon hearing my words, the prime minister stood and knelt before me.

It wasn’t the courtesy shown to a lady but a bow of apology.

For a moment, I couldn’t discern what his graceful gesture meant.

“Mrs. Bartfort, allow me to apologize to you here and now. My judgment threw your life into disarray. You, who should have become queen, had your engagement annulled and were married off to the frontier—all because of me. Had I not tried to protect myself and acted honestly as a royal and a teacher, your honor would not have been tarnished. All the blame lies with me.”

“Is that the true reason you invited me to the academy today?”

“People praise me as a gentleman, but in truth, I’m just a coward. I act dignified out of fear. I’m kind only because I don’t want to be hated.”

“…Please raise your head.”

I looked at the prime minister’s face as he rose with the same graceful movement as before.

His eyes were gentle, but they held sorrow and resolve as they met mine.

“Honestly, I don’t harbor much resentment toward Your Excellency. Today’s conversation made it clear how desperately you’ve worked for this country.”

“You may resent me if you wish. I likely wouldn’t have told you everything otherwise. I just wanted to reveal the truth and apologize before I die. I’m a coward who only wants to ease my own mind.”

“I believe exposing one’s ugly, weak heart like that is proof of courage. Above all, I met my husband and found happiness because of the annulment. In that sense, Your Excellency brought me happiness.”

Half of it was polite platitude, but half was genuine feeling. 

Even if I had married His Highness Julius and become queen, I don’t think I could be happier than I am now, married to Leon.

It’s strange—back when we were engaged, I dreamed that becoming queen would make me the happiest in the world.

Now, as Viscountess Bartfort, I have no complaints or regrets about this life.

“Thank you, Mrs. Bartfort. It feels as though a weight has been lifted from my shoulders at last.”

“I’m also satisfied with the meaningful time I spent with Your Excellency.”

The sunlight streaming through the window had tilted considerably. Soon, I’d need to board the carriage back to the palace.

“…There’s one thing I’d like to ask of Your Excellency.”

“If it’s within my power, anything.”

At his words, I held out my teacup.

“Could I have another cup of tea?”

“I’ll prepare it right away.”

Leon’s tea isn’t bad, but tea brewed by a master is truly exquisite.

As I thought of Leon, who wasn’t here, while waiting for the water to boil and nibbling on the served sweets, such thoughts crossed my mind.

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Authors Note

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In the otome game, I constructed my own speculation on why Lucas left the five idiots, Angie, and Olivia alone.

From Lucas’s perspective, the more he struggled, the more things spiraled in strange directions and became unmanageable—that’s probably the closest explanation.  

He’s often depicted as competent, so I’d like to think he wasn’t just optimistically leaving things be. (Sweat)  

The temple faction includes decent lower-rank temple knights and even some in the upper echelons; the extreme corruption here is due to the top high priest in the original novel and the overly tyrannical corrupt priests.  

Next chapter will also be from Angie’s perspective, with a brief appearance by 'those girls'.

Postscript: At the client’s request, an illustration was drawn by ianzky-sama. Thank you very much!

ianzky-sama: Pixiv (Slightly erotic, beware)

I’d be encouraged to hear your thoughts and feedback for future motivation.