Characters in this chapter:
- Sapphiras Perfectio, former 2nd son of the Earl of Aldridge
- Percival Belisario, 3rd son of Margrave of Vanderwall on the Eastern Frontier
- Aurora Steinfeld, daughter of the Duke of Bloomfield
- Melchior Astra Solmontana, Crown Prince of Solmontana
“Sapphiras-sama, Percival-sama, I’m sorry to interrupt your relaxation, but Her Majesty the Queen would like to speak to you about the matter of the Duke of Blau’s son and daughter.”
Aurora, with a slightly annoyed or dismayed smile on her face, arrived just as Percival and I were talking about going to buy some dried apricots.
“The Duke of Blau?”
“Yes, you know, that son and daughter of…….”
Despite Aurora’s concerned expression, we were guided by the knight of Tornx to move through the castle.
“Could it be that the daughter complained that we sexually assaulted her?”
I spoke to Percival quietly. Even though she stripped herself, her bust was in tatters. The maids and knights who entered the room must have had a hard time dealing with this.
“Probably.”
I wanted to leave it as it was none of my business, but I couldn’t help but sigh, thinking that I couldn’t avoid trouble after all, and Percival gripped my hand tightly.
“Percival?”
“There’s no need to worry. We’ll just sit there in silence.”
“Is that so?”
“Yeah.”
Percival had a cool look on his face.
I see. I don’t really understand, but I guess they already took care of it.
***
“My daughter says that those two men sexually assaulted her! My unmarried daughter was subjected to such humiliation! Even though they were guests from the Kingdom of Solmontana, this is far too unforgivable! I want them to be severely punished!”
Duke Blau, the father of the arrogant siblings and younger brother of Queen Sofia, was foaming at the mouth.
We were shown to a room and were waiting quietly, but as soon as Duke Blau entered, he started yelling at us. It was so expected that I wasn’t even surprised.
Still, with the Duke like this, I don’t think we can get this over with in such a short time. At this rate, I don’t think I’ll be able to go buy some apricots. Well, I can always go out to buy some, so it’s fine.
“Oya? That’s a funny story. I heard that when the guards and maids burst in after hearing your daughter’s screams, your daughter was alone in the room. Moreover, your daughter was in the servants’ quarters……why would a duke’s daughter be in such a place?”
It was our Prince Melchior who spoke out against Duke Blau.
Not only was Duke Blau there, but also His Majesty King Tornx and Her Majesty Queen Sophia, and His Highness Melchior was also present.
“That man over there forced her in! He is a guest of His Majesty. My daughter says she couldn’t refuse!”
Duke Blau pointed at Percival, but of course Percival remained silent without changing his expression. Percival was the one who was forced into the room, but he chose to remain silent because he was considerate of the daughter who had exposed her indecent behaviour. I doubt Duke Blau even noticed that.
“……Forced? The Duke’s family, furthermore the Queen’s niece, was heading to such a place with a man, in the castle where His Majesty resides, surely she would have been noticed somewhere. Naturally, there must be testimony that someone saw him forcibly taking your daughter to the Western Residence.”
“O-! Of course!”
“I see? If what Duke Blau says is true, then I, who appointed them to guard our country’s saintess, am also responsible. That’s why I investigated the matter myself. Of course, I got permission from His Majesty the King. May I present the report I have received here?”
“Guu……”
When His Highness the Crown Prince said that, Duke Blau blushed and fell silent.
Percival was taken out by a maid from the Duke’s household, who told him that Her Majesty the Queen was calling for him. People wondered why a maid from the Duke’s household was running an errand for the Queen, but she was a maid from her own family, so they couldn’t say for sure it wasn’t the case. Percival thought it was suspicious, but when Her Majesty the Queen’s name was mentioned, he couldn’t ignore it, so he took precautions just in case.
Apparently, he had our servants and the guard knights meet face to face to confirm that the visitor was really a maid from the Duke’s household. Now, whether Her Majesty the Queen’s summons were genuine or fake, we can make it clear that it was Duke Blau who took Percival away.
Percival is a reliable man who is always on the lookout for mistakes. If it were me, I would have thought it was suspicious, but I’m sure I would have followed her without doing anything.
Even so, even if she is just her niece, it’s a bit too much to use Her Majesty the Queen’s name without her permission. Besides, we have noticed that the young lady is a user of bewitching magic. If we make too much of a fuss, it will only add to her shame. For example, the young lady who used magic to lure a man into the servants’ room.
“……By the way, I heard that Duke Blau’s son declared that Sapphiras would be his personal magician, and then violently grabbed him by the arm and tried to take him away. I’m troubled by your selfish request without consulting me, Duke Blau. Sapphiras is to be registered with the Margrave of Vanderwall, one of the most important lands in our country, at the appropriate time. The Margrave has allowed him to accompany me at such an important time. If by any chance Sapphiras does not return home, our royal family will lose the trust of our loyal subjects who protects our country.”
“I am truly sorry about that, Your Highness Melchior.”
When His Highness the Crown Prince protested, trying to forcefully change the subject, it was Her Majesty the Queen, not Duke Blau, who bowed. Even though it was an unofficial occasion, for Her Majesty the Queen of Tornx to bow to the Crown Prince of Solmontana, doesn’t that make it a pretty big deal?
However, if things were not handled well, we could have been made guilty of assaulting the Duke’s daughter because of Duke Blau’s daughter, so if you call it a big deal, it is a big deal.
“Please raise your head. There is no need for Your Majesty the Queen to apologise. I have heard that Her Majesty the Queen has offered Sapphiras to study abroad in Tornx. It was declined on the spot, and Her Majesty the Queen has agreed to it. However, Duke Blau’s son tried to take Sapphiras away by force. The person who should be apologising is Duke Blau.”
“No, it was my family that caused this. I am truly sorry for showing such disrespect to Sapphiras, who presented such beautiful magic to His Majesty at the evening party.”
Her Majesty Sophia is a good person. There is no doubt about that.
But……
“Why is Her Majesty bowing her head? Even though he uses strange magic, he is only a commoner! And even though he is from the Margrave family, he is only the fiancée of the third son! Isn’t that a bit of an exaggeration?”
There is about one person who does not understand the situation at all. He doesn’t seem to understand the gravity of a queen bowing her head at all. In the first place, I wonder if it’s appropriate for a high-ranking aristocrat to get this emotional in front of His Majesty the King and the Crown Prince of another country.
Is this man really related to Her Majesty Queen Sofia by blood?
“Our dukedom is Your Majesty’……!”
“Duke Blau, that’s enough!”
The King, who had been silent up until now, finally spoke. Duke Blau, who had been yelling, stopped speaking at the obvious sign of anger.
“I had turned a blind eye to this, thinking you are Sofia’s younger brother, but I can no longer ignore it. You will cool your head in the territory for a while. After that, I will indefinitely ban Charles and Eliza from entering the castle.”
“Wha? What? Your Majesty, what in the world are you talking about?”
It must be a great blow to both the duke and the son and daughter of the duke, who are related by blood to the Queen, to be banned from entering the castle indefinitely.
“Arendt, know what we mean. Anything more would be disrespectful.”
“Ane-ue!”
Duke Brown still can’t accept this, and looks at Her Majesty the Queen with a pleading look, perhaps trying to appeal with the bond between siblings.
“……I believe it is still fresh in your mind that there have been outbreaks of magical beasts all over the country. You remember too, don’t you, Arendt?”
“Yes, I remember, but……what about it?”
“At that time, it was the Kingdom of Solmontana that quickly sent reinforcements to our country when we were in danger. While all countries were busy dealing with their own issues and were unable to help other countries, the Kingdom of Solmontana was able to send reinforcements to our country because Margrave Vanderwall had protected the Kingdom of Solmontana from within, which allowed King Solmontana to decide to send the Kingdom’s army to other countries. Thanks to this, the damage to our country was kept to a minimum. Don’t you realise that you are being extremely rude to Prince Melchior, the Crown Prince of Solmontana, to whom we owe so much? On top of that, you even made remarks that could be taken as an insult to the son of the Margrave Vanderwall family, who supported the country at a time of crisis……as the Queen of this country, I cannot tolerate your behaviour any longer.”
This is the Queen who has allowed her nephew and niece to do as they please. I thought that perhaps she would ask His Majesty the King to lighten the punishment a little more, even though she knew it would not be good for them. But she wasn’t just a kind person, was she?
After being told off by his sister, who he relied on, there was nothing Duke Blau could do.
Duke Blau’s expression was indescribable, and he dropped his shoulders.
I will follow the decision of His Majesty the King. I am very sorry for the rudeness of my children, Your Royal Highness Crown Prince Melchior.
Duke Blau bowed deeply and left the room at a leisurely pace, urged on by the knight. I am sure it is not my imagination that his figure looked much smaller than when he entered the room.
melon: Hi guys, I’m finally back. It’s been a long month. 🥵
I finished the 2 projects I’ve been working on, if you’re curious, you can see them here and here 😬
Ok end of my shameless self-plug 🤣
I’m still kinda busy but It’ll try to finish the remaining 3 chapters that are out by this week or next week at the latest. 😬
![The Villain’s Golden Age of Beauty[Quick Travel]](https://www.freenovels.net/wp-content/uploads/2023/10/53343s.jpg "The Villain’s Golden Age of Beauty[Quick Travel]")
