In the end.
True to her declaration, Liliana never once wavered from her stance: "Only those nobles who follow me may stay. Everyone else, get out."
In response, the nobles' reactions fell into three groups.
The first were those who willingly cooperated with Liliana. Northern nobles who had been part of the Third Princess faction since the Northern Rebellion, beginning with Toa, along with those who had forged ties through the battle at the church and swore allegiance to the Third Princess.
The second group consisted of nobles who sided with Liliana after hearing the current situation. Some simply followed out of sheer terror of Rose, while others — sensing that something truly terrible might actually be happening — recognized the national crisis and pledged their cooperation to Liliana.
And finally — the majority of the nobles, who did not cooperate with Liliana.
"What... is the meaning of this...?"
Outside the church, they finally realized.
—That this situation was, for them, the worst possible outcome.
The original plan had been to use Liliana's need for their military forces as leverage to force through their own demands. They intended to restore and secure the foundations of power and influence that had been shaken by the chaos at the church.
But now that their scheme had fallen through and things had turned out like this — all that remained for them was the loss of their power base, and worse, their very standing.
"This is absurd...! Something like this can't possibly be allowed to happen!"
The privileges that had sustained their entire world until now. The terror of losing them.
And on top of all that — toward Liliana, whom they still regarded as a defective princess born without Bloodline Magic,
"'—I have no use for cowards like you.'"
—the shame and fury of having been so publicly humiliated before a crowd, and the bewilderment of Liliana refusing to bend to their will.
They had never cultivated the ability to regain composure in a situation like this; they panicked, raged, their faces turning crimson as they screamed and shouted.
"How dare you!! To treat us this way — there must be some mistake —!!"
"...Yes, that's exactly right."
As if reaching out a hand to them.
A beautiful voice rang out. Turning toward the source of the voice... the nobles' eyes went wide.
"Your Highness Laila... Why are you here?"
"Haven't you already figured it out?"
Smirking wryly at the questioning nobles, Laila declared—
"I was expelled, too. By"
"Liliana."
"That's right."
Laila went on.
"From now on, the Third Princess's faction has to operate as a single united front. And a princess who's lost both her power and her political base is nothing but a liability. Since she can't do anything anyway, they might as well kick her out just like they did with you nobles—that's what they decided."
"Well, naturally. When you think about my position, it was actually stranger that I was kept inside the Church all this time. They were soft not to execute me, but... honestly, that worked out in my favor."
The nobles listened obediently to her account.
There was no sense of incongruity. After all—royal family members competing for the throne were *supposed* to be on bad terms. The idea that they could ever get along was something the nobles would never even conceive of.
"Th-then. Princess Liliana..."
"Yes. She's lying—'just as you suspected.'"
Next, Laila began to recount "the truth."
Namely, everything Liliana had told them was a complete lie.
The Pope, the neutral nobles, Yurugen—none of them had betrayed anyone, and nothing more sinister than the First Prince's rampage had happened in this kingdom.
The Pope had simply abandoned his duties and disappeared. As for the neutral nobles and Yurugen, they had merely become inconvenient to Liliana and she wanted them eliminated. But purging them without any reason would look bad, so she fabricated a story about how "they were conspiring to destroy the country" and tried to openly crusade against them.
"It's obvious, really. One family turning traitor, maybe—that's one thing. But Trakia and Feibrad betraying the kingdom at the exact same time? That's impossible. Both are noble houses that have contributed to this country since its founding. The idea that both would raise banners of rebellion is absurd."
Liliana's question drew nods from the nobles. Not a single one of them harbored any doubt.
"Indeed... if such a thing were to come to pass, it would truly be the end of this kingdom."
"My, my. The First Princess is such a poor liar. One wishes she'd put a bit more effort into crafting a believable falsehood."
...The nobles of this kingdom refused to accept any information inconvenient to them as truth.
Put another way—
even favorable
information—
if any existed—
they would
recognize
as
truth
.
No matter how many contradictions it held. No matter how many suspicious points there were.
They would fabricate equally convenient logic to paper over the contradictions, and at times unconsciously avert their eyes from the contradictions themselves.
Prioritizing pleasant-sounding words above all else, they would willingly swallow whatever sweet lies were placed before them.
"So she'd crush anyone who stood in her way and surround herself with nothing but yes-men who'd agree with everything she said. Then, relying on the power of the 'Sky Witch,' she'd march on the Royal Capital, occupy it, and proclaim herself 'the liberator' before claiming the throne. ...That's Liliana's script."
"I see—how thoroughly predictable. The thinking of a naive, sheltered princess who can't see reality for what it is."
"In that case, it's no wonder she'd resort to the absurd overreach of driving us out."
The nobles' faces filled with understanding, self-importance, and mockery toward Liliana as these words left their lips.
"…And so? What does Her Highness Lila intend to do by telling us all this?"
A question that feigned naivety while already half-knowing the answer. As if granting those nobles their heart's desire, Lila paused for a beat—then delivered her reply.
"—With us.
Before Liliana
gets there first
and seizes the
Royal Capital—
won't we
do it?"
Just as expected—or perhaps even beyond what they had hoped. A murmur rippled through the room.
"Fortunately, that girl genuinely believes she can take the Royal Capital head-on with the forces she has. So she'll march straight for the capital. In other words, she'll draw all of their attention and firepower to herself."
"!"
"While that happens, we slip past their main force and reach the Royal Capital before they do.
—We'll take exactly what she's trying to do and beat her to it. Whoever pulls this off first has overwhelmingly more credibility, and we share the same '—
princess
—' card to play. That should be more than sufficient justification, don't you think?"
What spread among the nobles upon hearing Lila's proposal was—
Hope, anticipation, and… just a touch of anxiety.
Just a little more, Lila judged—she had of course predicted even that anxiety, so she played her next card.
"I understand what's bothering you. …That a lone princess like me is too weak to serve as a standard-bearer, yes? My standing is impeccable, but I have no achievements to speak of. A princess who's done nothing but hide in the Pope's shadow thus far simply doesn't have the gravitas to rally others behind her."
"……That is—"
"——So I've prepared one. Come on out."
After Lila had said aloud, with perfect composure, what was difficult to say to the nobles' faces, she turned her gaze behind her and gave a signal—to sever that budding anxiety at its root.
What emerged from behind her was… a beautiful girl with the same golden hair as Lila, yet strikingly contrasting blue eyes. And following at her heels, a single young man wearing an earnest, straightforward expression.
"Sara von Hartmann…!?"
"Sh-She's the real 'Saint'—not like me. She's agreed to cooperate with us because even Liliana can't keep up with her anymore.
As for the man behind her—Albert von Yelk. He's one of the Third Princess's personal mages, and he hasn't definitively chosen a side yet. That means we can use him as a spy to probe the inner workings of the Third Princess's faction."
Among the nobles, a stir of excitement spread—the loudest yet.
Not only had an attractive proposal been placed before them, but on top of that—the 'Saint' as an unparalleled figurehead, especially for those nobles who had once belonged to the Church—plus the fact that they'd already secured a spy, guaranteeing them an overwhelming information advantage over everyone else.
If that was the case… there was finally no reason left not to board.
"Shall I summarize?"
Reading their psychology to perfection, Lila spoke at precisely the right moment.
"What I'm proposing is a reclamation of the Royal Capital via our own independent route, with me and Sara as our banners. While Liliana is struggling tooth and nail against the main force of the First Prince's faction, we slip into the Royal Capital without any trouble, get ahead of her, and seize it for ourselves before she ever can.
If we succeed, all the glory will be ours. You'll hold the reins of state in the next-era kingdom, and of course treasures and territories will be generously bestowed upon you. And above all…"
And then, at last… she smiled, and took a breath.
"——You'll get to see that look on Liliana's face, you know? The one where she's absolutely fuming with frustration?"
That single line, without question, was what moved them the most.
That—Liliana.
That princess who, just moments ago, in front of the entire crowd—despite being nothing more than a failure who couldn't even properly wield a single Bloodline Magic—had the audacity to look down on them from above and arrogantly dictate their worth, a princess who didn't know her own place.
The prospect of having the very honor and standing she desired most snatched from right before her eyes—humiliated in the most pathetic, laughably foolish way imaginable.
The sweetness of being the ones doing the deceiving. The reassurance of being in an overwhelmingly superior position.
Succumbing to that temptation.
The nobles who harbored what they called "pride"—inflated egos far beyond what their stations warranted—had no power to resist whatsoever.
"...Indeed."
"The first prince's outrageous conduct is unconscionable. The time has come for us patriots to stand up."
"Her Royal Highness the princess has risen to the occasion. It's time we showed some pride of our own, wouldn't you say?"
As always, accompanied by words that sounded lovely and nothing more.
One after another, they nodded in agreement... and before anyone knew it, under the single, powerfully unifying purpose of "bringing Liliana down," they had deepened their solidarity toward the recapture of the Royal Capital.
◆
Afterward, Lila—who had told the nobles she needed to work out the details of their action plan before parting ways with them—
With a casual gait, she slipped smoothly into the shadows of the predetermined meeting spot, confirmed that the soundproofing barrier was functioning properly, and then turned her gaze to Sara and Albert, who had been waiting for her.
"—Well. How does this look?"
And so it was.
First, she had Liliana publicly declare before the crowd that "any nobles who won't follow me aren't needed," and humiliate them in the process—stripping away their composure and sense of superiority.
To the anti-Liliana nobles burning with hatred toward her, their bruised pride, and their insatiable hunger for glory—she fed them a pitch wrapped in the sweetest of sugary lies, an irresistibly attractive proposal that promised to satisfy every last one of their deepest desires.
The result—
Just as
originally planned.
"
All the nobles
'
all of them
to the Royal Capital
to send
she had managed
to succeed
in the end
.
"There's no need to properly disclose everything. No need to tell the truth. There's no point in explaining what's right to people who won't even bother looking in the right direction."
"..."
"And there's no need to forcibly lump all those people together, either. From the very beginning — pitting them against each other in a way that suits us is the most efficient approach."
She had planned it all, given Lilliana direction, and even skillfully played the part of persuading the most important opposing nobles.
"If you're going to fight from here on, remember this. ...The nobles of this country — this is how you use them."
The Second Princess, Laila.
A girl born within the church, who had watched this country's darkness closer than anyone else.
And so. A singular, alien talent — the ability to calmly resort to dark methods, something the current Third Princess's faction simply did not possess.
Sara and Albert, who were the very first to witness her prowess...
"Yes. ...That was truly magnificent."
"Let's remember this... certainly, this is something the us of now could never have come up with."
A simple praise, along with a shudder at the strangeness. Yet, wrapping it all together was a definite respect.
With various emotions, both parties nodded.
Conversations with the nobles are scheduled for a wrap-up next time. Please look forward to it!