Chapter 91 – The Fate of Marlene

“You came. Thank you.”

Several days after the Nation Protecting Ceremony had ended.

A messenger arrived from King Melvin, instructing me to bring Grace and Ashley to the castle. When I arrived at the King’s Tower with them in tow, we were ushered into a salon where King Melvin, Prince Albert, and Princess Marlene were waiting to receive us.

Given the timing and the assembled company, I was almost certain the discussion would concern Rosemary’s disposition, but I couldn’t quite grasp why Grace and Ashley had been included.

Since we were visiting the royal castle, both of them were dressed in gowns, which was certainly a pleasant sight for me.

First, it was decided that King Melvin and I would sit and talk alone, away from the others.

“My daughter acted foolishly during this critical period. This is due to my own lack of virtue,” he said, closing his eyes.

“No, not at all.”

“I thought you wouldn’t be satisfied unless you heard about Rosemary’s disposition directly from me. Firstly, regarding Rosemary, we’ve decided to strip her of her right to succession on grounds of illness. We’ll also restrict her actions using Subjugation Magic and isolate her in the northern tower from now on. The information she possesses must be kept secret, but given her usefulness and magical aptitude, simply silencing her isn’t an option.”

So, she’ll be secluded for convalescence under the pretext of illness—effectively imprisoned.

She might still be useful as a combat asset against demons. And to continue the Nation Protecting Ceremony for future generations, they probably need relatives with capable bloodlines.

“What kind of restrictions?”

“Specifically, we’ll use Subjugation Magic to seal her use of magic, experiments, research, and disclosure of secrets. We must ensure the information she holds cannot be easily extracted.”

“I understand.”

King Melvin let out a small sigh.

“Well then. Now that the Nation Protecting Ceremony is over, I suppose I must explain to you what we’ve uncovered about her methods.”

Yes, indeed. I have several questions. The biggest one is how Rosemary, despite being a princess, managed to obtain such freedom of action.

Managing the greenhouse, mixing secret potions, and mass-producing that many dolls she was using… To some extent, she could have had those doll-like magical creatures handle things, significantly reducing her own workload.

By treating the servants with unnecessary harshness and making them avoid her, they’d learn to steer clear to avoid displeasing her, making it easier to evade notice.

Well, based on the information I have, that’s about all I can surmise.

“Originally, that girl spent all her free time holed up in the library since she was young. She showed interest in magic and studied under a master. She was talented, but… she abruptly stopped studying magic at some point. It was around this time she began publicly declaring her dislike of magicians. She probably discovered the hidden library in the castle’s archives during this period.”

“Hidden library…?”

“Yes. It opens by tracing a wall relief with royal blood. It was originally intended as a secret escape route for the royal family to flee the castle. I can’t go into details, but it allows one to leave the royal castle unnoticed.”

Whether she found it by pure chance or through research that led her to the castle’s secrets…

Though it’s a royal escape route, King Melvin referred to it as a hidden library. Perhaps some past member of the royal family sealed away dangerous books that couldn’t be released to the world in a section only royals can access. That was likely the catalyst for Rosemary’s ambition.

“It seems there are books there concerning the royal castle and the labyrinth as well.”

Naturally, the contents of those books are probably encrypted, like an alchemist’s secret texts.

If they intend to continue having her decipher contents the king should know—given the secrets of Theoreme Castle and the labyrinth, and their connection to demons, Rosemary becomes necessary. They can’t execute her.

“But if she just holed up in the library when escaping, wouldn’t that arouse suspicion?”

“Exactly. She was using a Familiar to create a Shadow Clone. She found how to do it in the hidden library.”

“Shadow Clone—”

Now that you mention it, when she fought as Anastasia, she had magical creatures controlled via Subjugation Magic, but no Familiar. The Familiar must have been separate, assigned an important role.

A Familiar that can serve as a Shadow Clone…

“A Doppelganger?”

In BFO, they’re treated as magical creatures that can take the exact form of whoever they’re given blood from. Their original form is semi-transparent and featureless, like a noppera-bō.

If she had one stay in her room or the library… she could gain freedom of action. The method to create one was probably also obtained from the hidden library.

Since autumn brings more events like balls, it seems she didn’t need a Shadow Clone to leave the castle and act openly. With a Shadow Clone and the fortune-teller—she could appear in two places simultaneously. Well, the fortune-teller was always Rosemary herself in disguise.

“You’re quite knowledgeable.”

King Melvin gave a wry smile.

“But why was the existence of such a hidden passage kept secret?”

Regardless of others, if King Melvin didn’t know, it would be pointless.

When I asked, King Melvin furrowed his brow.

“…This is a shameful family matter. Such secrets were traditionally passed down orally to successors. A few generations ago, there was a fool who lost part of it. That generation neglected the Nation Protecting Ceremony, and the labyrinth swallowed the mine as a warning for breach of contract.”

“Breach of contract…”

“Well, it’s a magical contract with the labyrinth. That’s the only way it’s been handed down. Holding the Nation Protecting Ceremony at such an irregular time is probably due to that as well.”

Since it’s a contract, it must be a ritual only the king can perform.

“…Rosemary’s advocacy of meritocracy… certainly has some validity. If things continue this way, we may have no choice but to ensure the most capable successor.”

Well, if neglecting the ceremony causes the labyrinth to swallow things, then that should probably take precedence over primogeniture.

Of course, if that happens, it could lead to bloody conflicts within the family, which is problematic.

“One more thing. There’s something else I must tell you.”

“What is it?”

When I asked, King Melvin lowered his voice slightly and said,

“It’s about the attempted assassination of Marlene. She admitted to everything else… but regarding that, she insisted, ‘If it were me, I wouldn’t make a mistake with the dosage.'”

“…What do you mean?”

Mistake the dosage?

“Marlene drank poison and hovered between life and death—but Rosemary said if she were to administer poison with the intent of robbing someone of speech, she wouldn’t make such an amateur mistake as getting the dosage wrong. At that time—Albert and Marlene’s mother used Sacrifice to save Marlene in the nick of time.”

Sacrifice. One of the prayers usable by the shrine maidens of the Moon Temple. It involves taking on another’s pain and suffering—it’s comparable to a very powerful Healing Magic, but carries significant risks.

Depending on the severity of the injury taken on, the user could lose their own life.

Taking on a child’s poisoning would rebound with intensity reflecting the gravity for the child.

Prince Albert mentioned taking a shrine maiden apprentice as a concubine. So that’s their mother, then.

“Regardless, we still can’t see who did it or why.”

Yes, indeed. Regarding the assassination attempt, we’re back to square one, it seems.

From Rosemary’s perspective, she probably thought that even if she was inferior in ability, she wouldn’t lose as long as she excelled politically.

As I pondered this, King Melvin said something else.

“This is something we’ve also obtained Lady Penelope’s consent for,” he prefaced.

“Albert and I believe—we’d feel more at ease entrusting Marlene to you. That’s also why we had your fiancées accompany you. In other words, we’d like to add Marlene alongside those girls.”

…What?

I instinctively looked back at King Melvin, but he didn’t seem to be joking.

Princess Marlene cannot chant. Since the Nation Protecting Ceremony is absolutely essential, succession to the throne is fundamentally impossible. Even if we sought a marriage partner for her… not being able to speak would make it difficult for her to have a favorable position in high society.

So, both King Melvin and Prince Albert had considered leveraging her speechlessness to place her in the temple, ensuring both her safety and her standing.

Knowing about my interactions with Prince Albert and Princess Marlene, King Melvin probably has me in mind…

I originally had almost no interactions with the nobles or lords of the royal castle, and my titles are all labyrinth-related. I’m somewhat separated from politics. However, being treated as a direct vassal of the king, if social events increase from autumn to winter, such proposals might come my way.

From the king’s perspective, if I were engaged to Princess Marlene, it would prevent me from being absorbed into any faction through marriage talks.

Grace and Ashley, who were originally my fiancées, are a different matter. But if Princess Marlene were added to them, it would become extremely difficult for any noble to push their own daughter into the arrangement.

Even considering the declining quality of the royal bloodline… if she’s engaged to a magician like me, then in a few generations, as relatives connected by marriage to the royal family, they could expect talent, I suppose.

“You and Marlene seem to get along quite well. I’ll be blunt—regarding marriage prospects for Marlene who has lost her voice, I must be cautious. So, please understand this isn’t a command just because I proposed it; we’re merely exploring options for her future. Of course, this is only if you all can accept it.”

All three of them, then. They probably don’t want relationships with my other fiancées to sour.

Separated from politics. Unsuited for political marriage. As a parent, he wants her to be as happy as possible.

“Please discuss this matter among yourselves and share your candid thoughts. I’m not saying this as a mere formality. As king, sending Marlene to the temple is also a fully beneficial option.”

How do I feel about Marlene? How do the two of them feel about it? And then—

“I’d also like to confirm Her Highness Marlene’s own intentions.”

“Indeed.”

King Melvin nodded at my words.