Sword of Damocles

Chapter 19

Striding briskly through the labyrinthine corridors of the Royal Palace, I couldn't help but ponder its immense scale. Far too grandiose to serve merely as a residence, its vastness seemed almost excessive. With each transition to a different wing, I found myself compelled to identify myself and articulate my purpose to the ever so vigilant guards.

Even as a member of the royal family, I found the intricacies of palace life cumbersome, which must surely be even more burdensome for others. Despite this, I could not find it within myself to reproach the architect responsible for the palace's design or the dedicated guards who meticulously performed their duties, regardless of our rank. The palace's expansive layout was essential to house the numerous personnel needed for the efficient functioning of state affairs, and any relaxation in security measures could swiftly result in a royal assassination.

Having been raised within the insulated confines of the court, I was oblivious to the extent of my privilege and protection. Looking back, the criticism labeling me as an arrogant, inconsiderate, and naive prince was entirely justified. Erasing such a tarnished reputation would require a monumental effort. Despite my attempts to amend my behavior, my past actions shadowed me persistently. However, that was no reason to cease my efforts. I had to hold on to the belief that steadfast perseverance would ultimately bring about a day of redemption.

After the final security check, the doors swung open. Beyond this threshold, men were typically forbidden entry, with the sole exceptions being the reigning king and his minor male heirs. The Inner Palace was reputed to be a place where intrigues thrived. I had heard that in bygone eras, only a fraction of the children reared within its confines reached adulthood. Furthermore, upon the ascension of a new king and the demise of the previous one, his wives and offspring were often purged under the pretense of ritual suicide. I pondered whether these tales were mere fabrications or concealed truths known only to the descendants of those entangled in such grim histories.

As I strolled through the Inner Palace, in its unique ambiance starkly contrasting with the court, I found myself more disoriented than nostalgic, despite having spent my formative years within these very walls.

A maid, stationed before the room I sought, entered to announce my arrival. My visit had been prearranged, and should I be denied now, no other avenue of appeal would remain within this country. After a brief wait, the maid reappeared.

"She will see you now."

It appeared she was willing to receive me. At the very least, she would grant me an audience, though her indulgence might extend no further. Despite our shared lineage, an insurmountable gulf had developed between us before I even became aware of it. Particularly since that fateful day five years ago, when I committed a grievous error, she had felt more remote than a stranger. That she was willing to meet at all was nothing short of a miracle.

I steeled myself and stepped inside. Though familiar, the room felt starkly cold and uninviting. The climate control was impeccable, maintaining an ideal temperature and humidity regardless of the weather outside, whether sweltering heat or bitter cold. The palpable tension in the room seemed to emanate from the figure at its center.

Without uttering a word, her mere presence repudiated me. Her flawless skin, silvery hair, and ice-blue eyes gave her the appearance of a goddess sculpted by a master artist. Though approaching her forties, she seemed as youthful as one in her twenties. Rumors spoke of monsters who drank the blood of young women to preserve their youth; if such a creature disguised itself as a human, it would surely resemble her. Yet, compared to her, those monsters seemed almost endearing. Despite her overwhelming aura, the bond of our shared blood kept my heart steady.

Staying silent would get me nowhere. Summoning my courage, I spoke.

"Mother, there's something I wish to ask..."

In the next moment, a piercing gaze silenced me, stopping the words in my throat. We had never been particularly close, but our relationship had turned even colder after the incident five years ago.

"...I apologize. I hope Her Highness queen Mylène is in good spirits."

I quickly adjusted my tone, adopting a more formal and respectful demeanor. Since reaching adulthood and denied the stay in Inner Palace, my mother had become even sterner with me. Our relationship was far from that of a typical parent and child.

"State your need, Prince Julius?"

Though her tone was polite, the low, admonishing quality of her voice was far from what a mother would use with her son. But such was the nature of our relationship. She was a queen before she was a mother, and she regarded me as a prince rather than her child. It had not always been this way. The gaze with which she once looked upon my sister and me was that of a devoted mother. Now, I understood the cause of this change: I had proven myself an unworthy heir to the throne.

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The breaking point in our relationship occurred when I annulled my engagement to the duke's daughter, an act that nearly sealed my fate as a disinherited prince. Following a thorough investigation by my mother and the duke, it was revealed that Angelica's warnings to Olivia had been justified.

In truth, the surrounding noble children and commoners, were the one who had openly discriminated against Olivia, were the ones who had treated her harshly. Angelica had merely cautioned Olivia to be vigilant and had been dismayed by the reckless behavior of the noble children.

Those who, driven by self-preservation, deceitfully claimed to have merely followed orders while framing Angelica as the ringleader, were contemptible and corrupt nobles, devoid of pride and the bravery of their forebears. Regrettably, I counted myself among those foolish and venal individuals. By the time I grasped the gravity of my error, it was too late; the relationship between the royal family and the duke's house had visibly deteriorated. The royal family sought to rally the anti-Redgrave faction, and our no my foolish actions nearly plunged the country into civil war. This alone sufficed as justification for my disinheritance. My half-brother Jake, along with other royals in the line of succession, all condemned me.

Civil war was averted solely due to the duke's house hesitating to engage in combat and the concurrent outbreak of war with the Principality of Fanoss. Compounding the situation, many nobles within the anti-Redgrave faction were opportunists, and its leader, Marquis Frampton, was exposed as a traitor clandestinely allied with the Principality. Having annulled my engagement with Angelica and exacerbated relations with the duke's house, It would not have been surprising if I had been executed as a traitor to the country.

"If I'm going to die, I want to die serving my country."

This plea, which hardly counted as atonement, was surprisingly granted. To my parents, it meant they could dispose of their foolish son without dirtying their hands. To the other royals, it was a way to eliminate the first in line to the throne without a fight. To the duke's house, it was satisfying to see their detested enemy fight on the front lines. Everyone in the nation's core wanted me dead.

But that wasn't what happened. Just when the kingdom's army was despairing under the pall of inevitable defeat, Olivia awakened as a true saint and began to inspire the troops. The unexpected arrival of Grand Duchess Hertrude Sera Fanoss on our battlefield was another stroke of luck. We managed to fend off the summoned giant monster and confine the grand duchess. Coupled with the deaths of enemy commanders on other fronts, the kingdom pushed the principality back to the border.

In the end, the war concluded with heavy losses on both sides. Somehow, I evaded disinheritance due to my wartime achievements. Yet, despite the significance of my deeds, there was considerable resistance to my participation in governance. Consequently, my existence became a delicate issue for the royal family. In this respect, I envied the other four who, spared disinheritance by their wartime exploits, were lauded by their families. For two years, the country experienced peace, but for us, those were arduous days. During this time, Olivia was officially recognized as a saint by the temple.

Under the guise of training as a saint, Olivia was effectively confined. She was permitted to leave the temple only for public appearances designed to enhance the temple's authority, a practice that inevitably distanced her from us.

As for the treatment of the five of us within the kingdom, following the signing of the peace treaty with the Principality, we were met not with praise but with a mixture of admiration and fear. I never imagined the fairy tale about heroes being cast aside after the crisis would prove true. Joining the kingdom's military seemed a viable path, yet our high status posed a significant barrier. Our expertise lay in combat as soldiers, not in command.

Meanwhile, the ascension of the Redgrave house and the concurrent political transformations within the kingdom were of considerable significance. Nobles aligned with the anti-Redgrave faction, under the leadership of Marquis Frampton, found themselves under intense scrutiny. Few among them were beyond reproach; the majority encountered demotion, confiscation of their estates, or even exile as consequences for their transgressions. The protracted stalemate of the war yielded scant rewards for the combatants, thereby exacerbating the severity of the penalties imposed.

Earl Offrey's house, once betrothed to Brad, lost everything due to their collaboration with sky pirates; the earl was executed, and his family was exiled. This solidified the Redgrave family's power and weakened the Holfault Royal family. Our role in the anti-Redgrave faction left us with our lives but no rewards. The others were similarly left without positions or titles, remaining mere noble sons.

Even so, we did not give up. We held onto the ideal of improving the kingdom, as discussed with Olivia. We participated actively in meetings, proposing numerous ideas, though none yielded significant results. Time marched on, regardless of our struggles. Just as we joked about becoming adventurers, war with the principality broke out again.

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"It concerns the recent rewards for meritorious service."

I got straight to the point. I could never outmatch my mother in eloquence or quick thinking. On top of that, her excessively roundabout and sarcastic manner of speaking always left me at a disadvantage in our conversations. Therefore, it was quicker to ask her directly. Even if she threw some sarcasm my way, I could brush it off with momentum and not be distracted.

"Why are my friends being reassigned to less favorable positions?"

In the recent war, we were once again confronted by the colossal beasts controlled by the Principality. This time, the number had doubled to two. Surviving the previous encounter with a single monster was nothing short of a miracle, making a direct confrontation with two utterly unfeasible. We narrowly succeeded in defeating them with the aid of the lost item ship, secretly maintained by the royal family. In the aftermath, we captured Princess Hertrauda Sera Fanoss, the orchestrator of the giant beasts, leading to the Principality's forces' inevitable surrender.

We anticipated some form of reward this time, in contrast to the previous war that concluded in a stalemate. However, the orders we received were astonishing. Greg and Chris were assigned positions within the territories governed by their respective parents. Brad was appointed to a post in a frontier marquisate. Meanwhile, Jilk was reassigned to the Palace's Records and Audit Department, which was evidently a demotion.

We were profoundly dissatisfied with these orders. While we never anticipated that our past failures would be entirely forgotten, we believed that each of us would be granted a respectable position. Transfers to remote regions and appointments to insignificant posts were entirely unexpected. Acknowledging our inexperience, we had endured by supporting each other as a cohesive group of five.

Separating us like this is literally like cutting off my arms and legs. It's safe to assume that this unnatural level of cold treatment is due to the Duke's interference. However, the final decision on appointments is made by the highest authority. Given that my father, the king, is currently indifferent to politics, it was my mother who gave the approval on the appointment letter. This means she agreed with the decision. To question her reasons, I headed to the inner palace.

"Favoring them just because they are Your Highness's friends would cause an uproar among the other nobles."

"Do you mean the nobles under the Duke?"

"Even the nobles affiliated with the royal faction would voice their dissatisfaction."

"I am not asking for them to be placed in high positions. At the very least, could you allow them to stay by my side?"

"The kingdom is currently suffering from a shortage of personnel due to the purge of traitors and two consecutive wars. We need all the help we can get, even from those who are inexperienced."

"They are capable. Even If they are to be demoted, there are more effective positions for them."

"You should speak like that only after you have adequately fulfilled your given duties."

With those words, my mother clapped her hands a few times, signaling the maids to leave the room. Only my mother and I remained in the queen's private chamber. She pointed to an empty chair, so I sat down across the table from her.

"I am dissatisfied with this decision. Why do you allow the Duke's tyranny?"

"Because it makes governance smoother. Even though we lack personnel, as long as the kingdom runs smoothly, there's no reason to oppose it."

"If this continues, the country could split in two, leading to civil war. We must take some action."

【】"Who do you think has divided the country?"

A sudden outburst. For a moment, my mind went blank, unable to comprehend what had just happened. Had my mother, who is rumored to remain unshaken no matter what, just shouted?

"The Duke abandoned the Holfault royal family long ago. No matter how much we struggle now, the royal family is on a path of decline. The final blow was dealt by the unmotivated king and the prince who strayed because of love."

My mother glared at me as she said this. It was the first time in my life that I had been looked at by her in such a way.

"The Duke's family was originally born as a branch of the royal family. The fact that they have a right to the throne is a convenience granted to ensure they can swiftly stabilize the country if something happens to the Royal family. If they wish, the Duke's family could always accuse the Royal family and take the throne."

This is a fact known to anyone belonging to the Royal family. Everyone recognizes that the Duke's family is the closest Ally and the most dangerous of Enemy to the royal family.

"When I married into this country, Duke Vince had already half given up on His Majesty. The most effective way to regain the royal family's power and satisfy him was a marriage between the prince and the Duke's daughter. By uniting our separated bloodlines, we could incorporate the Duke's family and restore the royal family's status."

That plan fell apart entirely because of my actions.

"When you broke off your engagement with Angelica, the situation was such that the Duke's family could have easily started a rebellion."

"However, no rebellion occurred."

"The only reason it didn't happen is because Duke Vince and Angelica didn't want a conflict with the Royal family. If the Duke's family had desired war, countless citizens would have lost their lives because of a prince who lost his mind over love."

"......"

"At that time, there was still a disparity in financial and military power between the royal family and the Duke's family. The outbreak of war with the Principality created a situation where infighting was not an option."

My mother's tone changed to one of explaining to a stubborn child.

"The Royal family had to cover the damages caused by the war with the Principality. Punishing the corrupt aristocrats who collaborated with the enemy meant we needed to compensate with personnel from outside. If they were of low status, we had to promote them, and if they were commoners, we had to nurture them from scratch. This exhausted several years' worth of budget."

"Couldn't you have stopped the Duke's family from providing funds to many nobles?"

"How could we stop it? The Duke's family covered expenses that the Royal family couldn't afford. If we stopped them, many nobles would turn against the royal family. We couldn't stop it even if we wanted to."

The Duke's skill is terrifying, turning unexpected situations to his advantage.

"Moreover, Duke Vince married Angelica, who had her engagement broken off, to Viscount Bartfault, who achieved great military accomplishments. While the Royal family neglects meritorious individuals, the Duke's family is known for showing respect even to upstarts. They earned the trust of the new aristocracy in exchange for a daughter with a poor reputation."

"I regret my hasty decision regarding the engagement annulment."

"Reflecting is pointless if you can't use it for the future."

My mother cut off my words decisively.

"And now, in this recent war, the kingdom lost its prized Royal ship. Without it, we can't suppress the nobles by force as we did before."

"With all due respect, Mother, without the royal ship, the kingdom couldn't have won."

"I agree with that. The problem is that the royal family has completely lost its means to counter the Duke's family. The balance has completely reversed, with the exhausted and weakened royal family on one side, and the Duke's family, whose military strength remains intact as whose faction has expanded, on the other."

My mother sighed and finished the tea in her cup. It was not my imagination that her face looked somewhat haggard.

"I've been trying to somehow manage this country and the Royal family ever since I married into the Holfault Kingdom in my teens."

I had heard that my mother was known for her intelligence from a young age and was famous even in other countries.

"When I married, His Majesty had already lost interest in political affairs. Knowing neither love nor affection, I gritted my teeth and threw myself into governance. I thought that if I restored the Royal royal family's prestige, His Majesty would regain his motivation, and if I bore an heir, he would come to love me. Living clinging to such faint hopes has exhausted me..."

I finally understood. Why my mother was so desperate to rebuild the country. Why she never considered divorcing and returning to her homeland. It was all for my father, for me, and for my sister.

"I wish I had never married into this country..."

My mother murmured with a tired expression, looking utterly lost. I didn't know what to say to her. Slowly, she turned her gaze to me, realizing what she had just said. She shook her head, regaining her composure, and then looked towards the door. It was a clear indication for me to leave. Nothing I said now would resolve the situation.

As I stood up and reached for the door, she spoke to me.

"Julius, do what you must. Your failures will bind you for life, but as long as you live, you can still achieve something."

Her words were filled with kindness.

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I had said something foolish. Words spoken in frustration often cut not only others but also oneself. Political matters rarely go smoothly, but I hadn't expected it to be this difficult. When I married into the Holfault Kingdom from the United Kingdom of Lepart, the kingdom was already corrupt. The court nobles committed wrongdoings without guilt, the noble children were arrogant and oppressed the commoners, and the local lords harbored growing dissatisfaction and lacked loyalty to the Royal family.

That's why I gave up early on completing reforms during my time. I planned to have Julius and Angelica engaged, backed by the Redgrave family, enroll Olivia, a commoner, into the academy to change the mindset of the younger generation, and restore order through strict discipline. Rebuilding the Holfault Kingdom was a gradual process meant to span throughout decades, with the hope that my ideals would be achieved in my children's or grandchildren's era. But everything fell apart when Julius broke off his engagement.

The duke's family, who should have been our greatest allies, turned against us, the successive wars exhausted the kingdom, and the survival of the royal family was hanging by a thread. Nothing was going well. My twenty-year plan had gone up in smoke. We no longer had the time, funds, or personnel to recover. The best course now might be to have one of the princes born to the concubine, led by Jake, or my daughter Erika, crowned as queen, supported by the duke's family. But Duke Vince had already completely given up on the royal family.

The duke's family, plotting to usurp the throne, would destroy the royal family. If we were lucky, we might be exiled or imprisoned, but even that was only for young children and women who had little involvement in politics. The king and the crown prince would undoubtedly be targeted for assassination. Even if they were only imprisoned, they would later be "suddenly struck by illness" or "death by weakened spirits," in other words, poisoned.

My husband, who gave me little affection, and my foolish son were still my family. I wanted them to survive, even if they could never return to society. It would be good if I could somehow get them to my homeland, but if Duke Vince, who would rule the kingdom by then, demanded their return, the United Kingdom of Lepart would readily hand them over without hesitation. 

How much easier it would be if I could just cry out loud. 

In all my life, such a thing has never happened.

While I hold affection for my family, my mind is ever preoccupied with governance.

Not as a wife, not as a mother, but always prioritizing what must be done as a ruler, a heartless individual.

Hence, he did not love me and indulged in affairs with younger women.

Witnessing us as a loveless couple, Julius esteemed the importance of love.

Angelica, trained to succeed me as the next queen, became a mere replica of myself and was detested by Julius.

What a calamity.

Indeed, the entire plight of the royal family began with my mistakes.

It was only natural that I, knowing neither love nor affection, was never trusted as a wife or mother by them.

Yet, why is it that even now, I cannot abandon them?

When I first stood aboard the royal ship, treasured in the underground vault.

The genuine kindness of that man who consoled me when I was despondent over my low affection score.

When I held my child who cried out at birth, suffering from the pains of labor.

At that moment, I was undoubtedly the happiest person in the world.

Had I truly become a demon of politics, I could have fled, leaving my husband, son, and daughter behind.

Duke Vince would surely overlook me, who does not bear the blood of the Holfault royal family.

Yet, I detested the idea of fleeing.

No matter how foolish, they are my family.

"As long as one is alive, one must strive for something."

Reflecting upon the words I once said to Julius.

If it is destined to fail, I shall struggle miserably until the end.

I am not merely a wife or mother, but the queen.

Utilizing all my knowledge and connections, I will resist until the very last.

As a heartless individual, I shall employ every ruthless means available.

My name is Mylene Rapha Holfault, Queen of the Kingdom of Holfort.

Now, to all members of the ducal family.

Witness the desperate struggle of the woman hailed as the embodiment of governance.

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Authors Note

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I like both Julius and Mylene-sama. (sweat) So, this is the beginning of Prince Julius's trials.

In typical "otome game reincarnation" works, even if the protagonist and the love interest, who broke off his engagement with a relatively innocent noble lady, end up together, those around them wouldn't just accept it.

I've combined the situations from the web version, the book version, and the Marie route, the Holfault royal family is in dire straits.

I tried to downplay the kingdom's plight even though the situation is this bad.

This was all done by the Altairiebe creators and the original author, Yomu Mishima-sensei, not me. (hey)

Thanks to the Saint's counseling, Julius has improved from being a book version fool to a fairly decent guy.

In this work, Mylene-sama is both a ruler and a wife and mother.

Though I like Mylene-sama when she flirts with Leon, I also like her when she cries while taking care of Roland after the poisoning incident and when she kneels to Leon to plead for Julius's life.

The theme of this work is "love," but it includes not just "romantic love" but also "familial love."

Postscript: Thanks to the requester, illustrator Momohara Lairu-sama drew a fan art. Thank you.

[Fan art link]

It's hard to write about Angelica and Leon's flirting because they'll be acting separately for a while.

I hope to receive your feedback and thoughts to inspire me for future works.

[Raw]

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Translator Note

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So here I am with with promised chapters, regarding the Name of this chapter "Sword of Damocles" and next "Mad Tea Party" they are the name in raw too (yes in english) so I decided to keep them as it is ! Have a good Sunday.... because I am not really having one , I hate you exams.