Chapter 67

The murmuring grew louder.

It was clearly a design by Louis, so it was no wonder everyone was surprised to hear his uniforms would be given out for free.

The atmosphere was stirred, affecting not only the commoners but the nobles as well.

“If we join that guild, do you think we can wear Louis’s uniforms?”

“For free, no less! Ah… maybe I should have waited instead of joining Bluebird.”

“Couldn’t we just withdraw and switch guilds?”

“It would be so obvious… Would that really be okay?”

“His Majesty said it himself, didn’t he? That joining a guild is a matter of free choice.”

A corner of the Emperor’s eye twitched.

He couldn’t very well take back the words he had spoken with his own mouth.

“If they’re free, the cost must be considerable… Are you staking your life on recruiting guild members?”

“Of course not. How much could a few uniforms possibly cost? Your Majesty, I am a Ruthius, after all. The family said to wipe their behinds with money.”

As I said it playfully, light laughter rippled through the crowd.

The only one not laughing was the Emperor.

“Princess, I believe you are mistaken about something. What is important to a Hunter is not material wealth, but a sense of duty.”

*That’s not true. They love material things.*

*That’s why you offered a reward for clearing the gate.*

*And it’s why the Hunters went crazy and flocked to it.*

*At that rate, they’re practically slaves to capitalism.*

I gathered my dress with both hands and gave a little shrug.

“Wouldn’t it be even better to uphold that sense of duty while looking this lovely? We’re working hard to make them now, with plans to distribute them to guild members starting next week.”

“…Starting next week? Are the preparations already complete?”

“We’re quite behind compared to Bluebird, which has already finished its recruitment.”

I looked around, flashing a wide, business-like smile.

“The guild ‘Guardian’ will begin accepting members next week. We look forward to your interest.”

“…What do you think you’re doing?”

“Just promoting it while I have the chance. Ah, did I make a mistake?”

As I feigned surprise, the Emperor gave an awkward laugh and shook his head, a thick vein bulging on his forehead.

Declaring that I was recruiting for my guild at Bluebird’s founding party… it must have felt like a declaration of war.

“Haha, it seems you will now be rivals with my Second Prince. I’m not sure if such a thing is appropriate between a man and a woman.”

“You need not worry about that. The Second Prince has said he will be joining Guardian.”

The Emperor’s eyes widened.

“Second Prince, what is the meaning of this?”

“…”

“Second Prince!”

Dante, who had been standing silently, suddenly dropped to one knee before me.

The startled crowd stared at Dante. The Emperor looked utterly dumbfounded.

He paid no mind to the glares from those around him and placed a hand on my boot.

*Whoa, you scared me!*

I hid my shock and looked down at him with a haughty air.

“Is the lace untied?”

“Not yet. But it looks like it’s about to.”

He retied the lace, which had loosened slightly from dancing.

Then, he pressed a soft kiss to my knee and looked up at me.

His smile was sweeter and stickier than honey.

“Darling, isn’t this suffocating?”

*Wow…*

*Is this what they call method acting? It’s so convincing I’m starting to wonder if we became a couple without me realizing it.*

“Ah, no. Thank you.”

“You’re welcome.”

As Dante stood up, the Emperor pressed his lips into a thin line.

He seemed flustered, seeing that our relationship appeared deeper than the rumors suggested.

“Second Prince, explain the meaning of the Princess’s words.”

“It’s exactly as she said. I intend to join her guild.”

At the unexpected bombshell, the spacious garden fell into a dead silence.

Even the musicians stopped playing and stared at Dante.

Dante’s charming, low voice resonated through the garden.

“I don’t think I can live apart from Astell anymore. I apologize, Your Majesty.”

“The head of a guild joining another guild! Does that make any sense? What about Bluebird!”

“Let Igrid do it. He’s been dying for the chance.”

“Igrid isn’t a Hunter!”

“Does Your Majesty believe that only a Hunter can be a guild master? Forever and always?”

“That…”

He couldn’t say yes, of course. Not when he planned to become a guild master himself later on.

The Emperor struggled to compose himself, reining in his simmering fury.

“…That is not the case, but this does not sit well with me. Do you not know how much I have done for you?”

“Then how about we have Astell run both Bluebird and Guardian?”

“…”

*Oh, now that’s an idea I hadn’t considered.*

Naturally, the Emperor was speechless.

While he deliberated, the Hunters began to murmur amongst themselves.

They seemed tempted by Dante’s idea.

“I don’t think there’s a need for multiple Hunter guilds in the first place. What do you think, Sir Kaiel?”

“I agree. If our goal is to protect the empire, it’s more efficient to concentrate our strength in one place.”

As Johan and Kaiel chimed in, feigning a discussion, the tide of opinion rapidly turned in my favor.

The Hunters considered me mad, but they also acknowledged that my skills were undeniable.

So, they would likely see the logic in me running the guild while the Emperor provided support from behind the scenes.

I bit the inside of my cheek to keep from laughing.

*At this rate, he’s going to lose everything to me.*

I was fascinated to see how the Emperor would navigate this crisis.

The silent Emperor finally spoke, his voice feigning sternness.

“Did the Princess put you up to this?”

*Huh? Why is he dragging me into this?*

“I was wondering why you were suddenly acting so out of character… You’ve been completely ensnared by the Princess’s schemes. Second Prince! Come to your senses!”

They were words I had not expected at all. The Emperor bellowed at me.

“Princess! No matter how much you covet power, there are lines one must not cross! To seduce the innocent Second Prince and use him for your own ambition! How could you, as a human being, do such a thing!”

The Emperor was painting me as some kind of power-hungry villainess.

*What am I lacking that I’d need to do that?*

*And Dante, innocent? What nonsense. The Emperor must be losing his mind.*

“Your Majesty, it is a misunderstanding. I have no interest in power.”

As I calmly made my excuse, the Emperor pointed a finger at me.

“Then prove your innocence!”

“In what way?”

“Disbanding Guardian and joining Bluebird would be a good way. If you are not using the Second Prince, you will not refuse!”

If I didn’t do as the Emperor said, it would be the same as admitting I was using Dante.

*He’s truly cunning.*

To turn a situation that was disadvantageous to him with just a few words.

“Well, what will you do! Answer me here and now!”

“I refuse.”

“…Are you admitting that you’re using the Second Prince?”

“Yes, I admit it.”

The corners of the Emperor’s mouth lifted slightly, as if he’d been waiting for that, before immediately falling again.

He began to scold Dante, his face a mask of a father anguished with worry for his child.

“Second Prince! Look at this. You are being used! Do you still intend to join the Princess’s guild!”

“Yes.”

“…S-Second Prince?”

“Is being used a bad thing? You use me as well, Your Majesty.”

“How could this be… Did the Princess tell you that? That I am using you?”

“It wasn’t what she said—”

“You have fallen completely for her tricks! I knew I should have taken measures when I first suspected the Princess was a dangerous individual… This is my fault.”

The Emperor bit his lip. Then, with eyes stained with self-reproach and blame, he looked to the Hunters and delivered a fervent speech.

“Do you know why I forbade any mention of the Hunter rankings? It is because I was suspicious of the Princess’s intentions to create a guild the moment the rankings were decided!”

*What is this nonsense now?*

The Hunters murmured.

It was only natural, as everyone had assumed it was because Dante had failed to make the rankings.

“One who uses their power not for the world, but for their own personal desires! No matter how strong such a person is, the world has no need for them! In fact, such a person is more dangerous than any monster! For they will not hesitate to attack even their own allies for personal gain!”

“…!”

“That must be why you try to entice the Hunters with worldly things like uniforms! Princess, did you truly believe you could deceive me!”

The Emperor skillfully framed me as someone trying to establish a guild purely for the sake of ambition.

*A politician, through and through.*

*His skill at incitement and fabrication is on another level.*

“Your Majesty! How could you!”

Alex stepped forward, incensed.

“Alex.”

But when I grabbed his arm and pulled him back, Alex gritted his teeth and retreated.

The Emperor’s oration continued.

“I believed in the Princess until the very end. I knew she was not in her right mind, but I wanted to believe in her humanity! But I was wrong.”

The Emperor lamented like the protagonist of a film.

His anguished voice, combined with his image as a guardian of justice, created a powerful synergistic effect.

*So that’s where Dante got his divine acting skills…*

*It’s genetic.*

“The Princess is a dangerous being. Controlling the Second Prince is but the first step in her ambition! Soon, she will bring harm to my nation, and then the world! She is not a savior!”

Even the Hunters who had been uncertain now glared at me menacingly, their eyes treating me as the villain of the century.

The Emperor, having completely seized the initiative, pointed at me and cried out with force.