Prologue
News of Marquis Rigel’s downfall spread like wildfire across the Empire. The report that the Provisional Elite Corps had defeated the Marquis’s forces signaled to all the imperial nobility that a new age was dawning.
Is this the birth of the Valugan Empire’s second-ever reigning Empress?
The voices championing the heir of Duke Felsdorf for the throne had lost all their initial momentum. Instead, whispers began to circulate among the populace that it was Princess Valtrune who was truly fit to be the next ruler.
Soon, every noble in the Empire would be forced to make a choice.
A momentous decision: to side with the Princess, or with Duke Felsdorf.
“…An age of chaos is upon us.”
I tossed the combat report from the Provisional Elite Corps onto my desk and pressed my fingers lightly to my temples. As I did, a well-built man, his arms crossed and eyes wide in thought, muttered casually.
“So. What’s your final move?”
“…Hah. What do you mean?”
“Your father is the leading noble of the anti-Princess faction, isn’t he? Are you going to side with Her Highness, or are you going to oppose her? Epika, I’m asking what you personally are going to choose.”
Rudolf von Argus.
He was the commander of the Imperial Army’s Cavalry Division and the next in line to head the house of Count Argus.
Still, it was an extremely annoying question.
“…Count Argus, if I recall, belongs to the neutral faction.”
“He does, but what does my family have to do with this?”
“Unfortunately, it has everything to do with it.”
Rudolf and I were currently building a cooperative relationship with Princess Valtrune. But if our families intended to oppose the Princess, our positions would become extremely delicate.
“Your family is strictly neutral; they aren’t part of the Princess’s faction. …If House Argus ultimately sides with the anti-Princess faction, that question you just asked me will bounce right back to you.”
My family was anti-Princess, and Rudolf’s was neutral. The time for us to choose was fast approaching. And that choice could very well lead to a cruel end.
“…Are you prepared to kill your own family to earn the Princess’s trust?”
This was a situation that demanded we consider patricide and fratricide.
When I said that, Rudolf looked down, his face draining of all color.
“…Don’t say such cursed things.”
“I am. I am prepared to eliminate every last member of House Darius with my own hands.”
“Wha—! You…”
I was different from the man standing before me. I’d never been raised with childish notions like familial love. I was a greedy woman, willing to join forces with Princess Valtrune, slaughter my entire family, and seize control of my house.
“You’re the one who needs to decide what to do, Rudolf. My mind is made up—I’m siding with Lady Valtrune. If I kill everyone in my family who gets in the way, I can become the new Countess Darius. That’s why I teamed up with her in the first place: to win the fight for succession.”
My resolve had been set from the moment I first established friendly relations with Princess Valtrune.
This aristocratic society is built on calculation, lies, and filth. If we imperial nobles don’t adapt to this environment, we’ll be crushed in an instant.
“…Epika.”
“Well, you can just take your time thinking about it. The neutral faction should have some leeway, after all. Now, if you’ll excuse me, I have a military strategy meeting to attend.”
With that, I left the room.
Judging by that look on his face, he still hasn’t accepted it. How foolish. The time to choose is breathing down our necks anyway. If I warn him now, perhaps he’ll have steeled his resolve by the time it’s necessary.
“…Must be nice, being so carefree.”
Some people have choices. Others do not. I, incidentally, was one of the latter.
To establish a secure position for myself as a woman, I would use any means necessary to seize control of House Darius. That is why I…
“Cornelia.”
“Yes.”
A blue-haired woman—Cornelia—emerged from the side of the hallway. I faced her and declared with a resolute expression.
“…I’ve decided to accept your offer.”
“Thank you very much, Lady Epika.”
Even if it meant shaking hands with a devil, I would use that power to its very marrow. In the end, there was only survival or ruin. And in order to survive, I, from this very moment, cast aside every last shred of my morality.
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