So they could finally speak face to face.
Zachary Code grinned at the message sent from Zuri.
The army of lower-class citizens Zachary had gathered was steadily growing in strength. The pace of that growth had accelerated ever since the "Thunder Emperor" arrived as a freeloader, and their numbers had already swelled beyond what he had initially anticipated.
Even among the lower-class citizens, many hesitated to align themselves with a faction that had no chance of winning. The fact that their ranks kept growing was proof of how much hope the name "Thunder Emperor" represented to the lower class.
What was needed to claim the throne was not popular support. It was simply being the first to seize the king's symbol of authority—the Royal Scepter.
Zachary had to admit his forces were incomparably smaller than those of Angus or Nora. But with the Thunder Emperor's power and a large army of armed lower-class citizens, he had more than a fair chance of obtaining the Royal Scepter.
As a condition for cooperation, the Thunder Emperor had demanded that he obtain the permission of Alicia Code's bodyguard—Klye. Honestly, Zachary had no time to bother with someone like Alicia, but if the Thunder Emperor insisted, then so be it.
Besides, even if he had no interest in Alicia, he was curious about Klye—the bodyguard who had aided the Thunder Emperor.
A man so inept he had sent a warning to the king, yet who had picked the lock on Alicia's room door—one the king himself had sealed—by exploiting a gap in the system. He had also managed to snatch the Thunder Emperor right out from under Nora's nose and gotten away with it.
For better or worse, he was no ordinary person. If he turned out to be capable in person, then once Zachary claimed the throne, he could offer him a high-ranking position, just like the Thunder Emperor.
An aide—one of the few citizen-class companions—came to deliver a message to Zachary.
"Your Highness, it seems Princess Alicia will be accompanying them. How shall we prepare the welcome?"
"Tch. We don't need one. The way we look now—that's who we really are. Right?"
The room was cluttered with weapons and supplies Zachary had procured through the city system, all piled up in disarray. Armed lower-class citizens stood guard in droves. The throne sitting in the middle of it all was far more brutal-looking than anything the other royals possessed.
But overthrowing the Code through sheer military force—that was Zachary's unvarnished goal. Why should he put on airs for Alicia, who had been excluded from the succession contest from the very start?
As an exchange for the Thunder Emperor's cooperation, he could simply guarantee Alicia's life after he took the throne.
A tense atmosphere. A sense of pressure. This throne room was always filled with an air like a battlefield. Even if Alicia was affected by that, it was none of Zachary's concern.
If they proved incompatible, he would just give her a light scare. If she looked down on him like the other royals, he would put her in her place.
Dealing with a princess who had been locked away her whole life would be as easy as crushing an infant's hand.
"Your Highness Zachary, Princess Alicia and her party have arrived."
"Let them in."
The large double doors were opened by guards with firearms slung over their backs.
The woman who entered wore a short dress that looked easy to move in. Her bright golden hair reached down to her knees, and her eyes were a pale green. Her appearance bore no resemblance to Zachary's whatsoever—there was something ethereal about her, an aura that neither lower-class citizens nor commoners, nor even Zachary or the other royals possessed.
He had checked her appearance through the city system several times, but seeing her with his own eyes gave an entirely different impression.
This was—the spare of the royal family. A girl who had been locked in a room since birth, raised by the city system, and ultimately scheduled for disposal.
Several of the guards were transfixed by her appearance. There was a kind of aura about her—one so powerful it nearly made the bland man who had followed behind her—Klye Andrich (who, for the record, looked exactly the same in person as he did on screen)—disappear from view entirely.
Her mere presence seemed to purify the air in the room.
Watching her, an indescribable irritation welled up inside him.
Was it jealousy? Or anger?
He clicked his tongue involuntarily. The idea that he—himself leading a revolution to overthrow the other nobles and royals—had to join hands with this ostentatiously special woman was unbearable.
Those well-formed eyes surveyed the room. The elite guards who had mastered the handling of weapons. The countless crates of weapons and supplies stacked in the corners. And then those eyes fell upon Zachary, seated on his crude throne.
His irritation climbed even higher. He clenched his teeth. He could feel his patience reaching its limit.
The longer she stared at him, the more insignificant he felt— And then, just as Zachary was about to speak, Alicia Code pinched the hem of her dress, bowed nervously, and said: "It's wonderful to finally meet you, Brother Zachary! I'm Alicia! I'm so moved to finally meet you in person—my heart is absolutely overflowing!"
"!? Wha—!?"
At her unexpected words and gestures, Zachary's irritation vanished in an instant.
It was the first time anyone had greeted him so politely. The composed demeanor he had maintained to win the support of the lower-class citizens crumbled. Seeing Zachary like this, Alicia's expression bloomed into a radiant smile.
There was not a trace of negativity in her voice, in her expression. No fear, no timidity. No contempt, no hint of mockery.
The city system's readings showed the same result—as if she genuinely believed the world was made entirely of goodwill. For Zachary, who had been looked down on and feared since birth, it was inconceivable.
The soldiers surrounding Zachary had much the same reaction.
Lower-class citizens in the Code were people who were never treated as human. They had seen just as much of humanity's darkness as Zachary had.
"I've only just come outside, so please forgive me if I've been rude in any way, Brother Zachary."
"...I forgive you. Yes, I'll forgive you. Alicia Code. I know all about your miserable circumstances."
"!! Thank you so much, Brother Zachary. And—I am your sister. Please, just call me Alicia."
This... this was a sister?
He had barely ever seen his father's face, and had been separated from his mother almost immediately. His siblings were hateful rivals who, by birth, held a superior position in the race for the throne—ones he was obligated to fight.
Yet here was Alicia, who had endured circumstances even more wretched than his own, beaming at him with an expression of pure admiration. Despite being Class 8, she had been excluded from the succession contest—she wasn't even a rival.
Then what was she?
As Zachary reeled from the shock, unable to find an answer, Alicia said with a sparkling smile: "Besides, I'm not in a miserable situation at all. Not now that I've finally left my room and gotten to meet you, Brother Zachary."
—Someone to protect.
Hearing Alicia's words, Zachary knew it instinctively.
Zachary had surely gathered the lower-class citizens and risen up to protect this sister of his—this sister who, had things progressed without intervention, would have been disposed of.
Until now, he had had nothing to protect. The lower-class citizens were comrades, yes, but also pawns in his bid for the throne. All Zachary had ever possessed were enemies to destroy and a throne to seize.
But now, he had a reason.
He would annihilate his siblings and seize the throne—to protect Alicia. To save her from her tragic fate.
For that, he would use any means necessary.
"Hey."
"—! Y-yes, what is it, Your Highness Zachary?"
The aide standing nearby finally responded, as if he had only just noticed he was being addressed. Under normal circumstances, such a lackadaisical attitude would have been a serious offense, but Zachary would let it slide this once. His sister was watching.
Zachary clicked his tongue ostentatiously and issued a command in a low voice: "What are you standing around for? Prepare a welcome for my sister. Do it now."