Side: Seraria
My husband has a difficult look on his face.
It's only natural. From where should I start explaining to gain their understanding and pull them to our side? One clumsy explanation and the whole deal could fall apart in an instant.
"Indeed. For starters, even if we wish to speak, we don't know how much you already know. If you wouldn't mind, could you tell us what information you currently possess?"
"...With all due respect, Seraria-dono, are you asking us to disclose our intelligence? I'm afraid I cannot agree to that. It would be like showing our hand. While I don't doubt Sheila, you and Rurua-dono are high-ranking figures of Roshure and Rithea. Shouldn't you be the ones to speak first?"
He's quite calm for someone who was practically crying after being scolded by Sheila earlier. Well, I suppose he hasn't been holding Lowelle's reins all this time for nothing...
"No, that's not what I meant. Let's see. Let's go through this in order. Do you know where I am currently stationed... or rather, where I am serving as Lord?"
"...Are you referring to the dungeon that Elju-dono was said to have governed?"
"Yes. As Sheila clearly knew, it seems you are aware of that much. Then, do you know why I married my husband?"
"No... I don't. In fact, we only learned of your marriage this very day."
Hmm, it seems they really didn't know.
Usually, the marriage of a princess from an allied nation after a reconciliation would be a prime opportunity to send congratulations and strengthen the alliance. There's no reason to hide knowing it.
Well, even if they are hiding something, there's nothing on our end that would be a problem if leaked. I should just get on with it.
"I see, so we start from there. I heard from Sheila that you've been investigating the source of the reparations we paid."
"...!? Sheila spoke of that?"
"Yes, my husband heard all about it while they were in bed together."
"Seraria-sama!?"
Sheila's face turned beet red.
It's cute, but from their perspective, you've committed a total act of betrayal, you know?
"Sheila, what is the meaning of this? This could drive a wedge into our relationship with Roshure. Surely you understand that?"
"N-No, that's not... there's a reason for it...!!"
"Yes, there is a reason. So please, don't bully my husband's precious concubine. To return to the point—knowing of my marriage and the source of the reparations, surely you can guess a little?"
"...Are you saying you managed those reparations? That amount? Impossible. And yet you're offering this information. I don't understand your intent at all. There is no benefit to Roshure in this."
"Naturally. What I seek is only my husband's benefit."
When I said that flatly, the room went silent.
And for good reason; that declaration was...
"...Seraria-dono, do you intend to turn your sword against your homeland?"
King Gartz asked, staring at me with a deadly serious expression.
Yes, this was essentially a declaration that I no longer belong to Roshure. Which is exactly the goal.
"Well, it's not quite that simple. But if Roshure is probed any further, a massive serpent will crawl out of the shadows. So, I've come to speak directly to King Gartz to ask him to stop his investigations. This is also a request from my father, though it's unofficial."
"...I see. Because knowing the truth would be dangerous, you've decided to hand the information to the person seeking it to prevent a clumsy leak of the truth."
"Exactly."
"Very well. Please, continue."
"Now then, regarding my younger sister... Elju..."
Before I could finish my sentence, Lowelle stood up.
"You don't have to say it!! Seraria, I know how hard it must have been for you!! Now that you and I have joined hands, we'll cut down any Demon King that stands in our way... For your... sister..."
Lowelle had always been kind to Elju... She likely had many thoughts about this incident. Even as she said I didn't have to speak, her eyes were tearing up.
"Thank you, Lowelle. But this is the center of the matter this time too."
"...Sob. What do you mean?"
I took a breath, waited for everyone's eyes to focus on me, and then...
"The Demon King's schemes to set the two nations against each other, the plot to murder Elju... the truth is, Rithea was the one who orchestrated it all."
"""WHAT!?"""
The Gartz group looked completely stunned.
Well, if you thought it was the Demon King's doing and then were told a third nation was pulling the strings from behind...
"Did you know? At the same time Elju was being called a Saintess, Rithea's internal politics were becoming unstable."
"...To some extent... I see... So Elju-dono became an obstacle to the Holy Nation of Rithea, huh..."
"D-Don't joke with me!! Because they couldn't control their own internal instability, they made a move on Elju!?"
"...Neesan, calm down. I understand how you feel. It's a crude method, but an effective solution."
"Higil!! How can you say that in front of Seraria?! And if what she says is true, then Rithea caused the war!! Do you understand how much blood we've lost?! How many loved ones we've buried?!"
"I know!! But what good does saying that now do?! What are you planning to do moving forward!?"
"That's obvious!! We team up with Roshure immediately and crush Rithea!! If we don't, then Elju... and all those people who died...!!"
Lowelle and Higil began to argue.
Even among the royalty, it was this heated; if the information were to spread clumsily, it would be a disaster.
"SILENCE!!"
""...!!""
King Gartz stopped the argument with a single shout
Heh, he's comparable to my bastard father.
"...Seraria-dono. Your father must have been heartbroken as he created this compromise, then."
"Yes."
Elju is alive, though.
"A compromise?"
"...Lowelle. You really should study more. The King of Roshure judged that there was no more reason to spread the conflict further."
"Why!? His daughter was killed!! Why!?"
"...Perhaps that is exactly why. If the war continued, Roshure, Gartz, and Rithea would all surely be exhausted. and the ones who would suffer the most are the people."
"!"
"Lowelle. I understand your feelings. I know you loved Elju-dono like your own sister. But if the three nations continue to fight and the Demon King's army truly approaches while we are all exhausted, what would happen?"
"That would be..."
"A desperate struggle would be inevitable. All three nations would be spent. That is why the King of Roshure prepared this compromise. So that there would be no more reason to fight. So that no more people—and no more of his daughters—would have to be hurt... It was a magnificent, brave decision."
"Damn it... damn it all!! For such a ridiculous reason... Elju, the people of Roshure and Gartz..."
She truly is my friend; it seems she still can't quite accept it. But that makes me very happy.
"...And as for the reparations I produced..."
"...Were they from Rithea?"
"Yes. We couldn't exactly lay down our swords while being danced around like puppets. So, I went to negotiate directly."
"Direct negotiations, eh. They must have been terrified."
"Yes, and that is why it reached that amount."
"...It's a difficult thing to ask, but were you truly alright with that, Seraria-dono?"
"...Elju did not like conflict. Even during that war, she was constantly providing treatment, traveling from place to place. If I were to spread conflict out of simple hatred, Elju would be sad."
"...There you have it. Her own sister has accepted it... or rather, she is enduring it. Lowelle, as her 'sister' as well, what will you do?"
"...I understand. If that is what Elju would have wanted... I'm sorry, Seraria."
"It's fine. Your feelings make me very happy."
I continued the conversation once I saw Lowelle wipe her tears with a handkerchief and look up.
"That is how it stands. If this truth were to spread carelessly..."
"...We would plunge into a total war with Rithea. We wouldn't be able to hold the citizens back. I swear that this shall never be spoken of outside this room. Are we clear?"
"""Yes!"""
Everyone understood how dangerous this information was and nodded.
"Thanks to Sheila, we avoided poking a hornets' nest unnecessarily. I am grateful."
"No, it is merely the duty of royalty," Sheila replied.
"Umu."
King Gartz praised Sheila, and the atmosphere relaxed slightly, but it didn't last.
"...So, why did the Saintess of Rithea—the one who orchestrated this scheme—end up marrying the same husband as Seraria-dono?"
Higil stared at Rurua with eyes full of suspicion. It's unavoidable; even if she isn't solely responsible, there's no denying she was the head of Rithea.
"I would like to explain that myself, if I may?"
"I don't mind," I said.
"...Very well. If Seraria-dono permits it."
"Thank you."
Rurua thanked them and began to speak.
"First, what I am about to tell you are only facts. I will not make excuses for myself. No matter how you look at it, there is no doubt that I bear part of the responsibility. There may be those who wish to denounce me, but I ask that you listen to the end first."
She truly is the head of Rithea. While not quite at the level of my "Old Man" or King Gartz, she projected a solid, commanding aura.
As expected of someone who had been at the top of Rithea.
Not quite on the level of my bastard father or the King of Gartz, but she still projects a commanding presence.
From there, she told them the story just as she had told us.
How she learned of Elju's assassination and went to stop it but was too late, and then returned home. How she was nearly assassinated on the way back and fled into the dungeon where I was, narrowly escaping with her life. How she then left the dungeon and returned to Rithea to rebuild it.
In the end, the scheme was a coup by hardliners who wanted control of Rithea's government. As an apology, all the hardliners' funds were handed over to me from the Rithea side. Rurua stepped down from her position as Saintess and entered as a concubine, essentially as a hostage.
Yes, she managed to explain it all without mentioning Yuki, the real mastermind, once. It's amazing how well it works as an explanation. I want to brag about him, but I can't... what a dilemma.
"...You've had a difficult time as well, Rurua-dono. As a national leader, you may have failed, but I respect the fact that you exerted yourself to the very end—no, that you are still doing so."
"...I sincerely apologize for my earlier rudeness."
King Gartz praised her, and Higil apologized.
"Lowelle, what about you?"
"...I know Rurua-dono was Elju's teacher. Her name was always in the letters. She's exactly as described. I have nothing more to say."
"...I see."
With that, everyone took a breather. It was a long story, so it was only natural to want to pause.
"And... my apologies. We understand the reparations and the truth behind the war. But... why did Yuki-dono become the husband of Seraria-dono and Rurua-dono?"
Teak asked.
As usual, he picks up on the fine details. But that's exactly what I was waiting for!
"That's simple. Stopping this conflict within this scope was entirely my husband's doing."
"Oh? Is that so?"
"Yes. While it was my father who made the final, brave decision, it was my husband who proposed it. And since Rithea was pulling the strings, Roshure was full of enemies. It was my husband who saved me from being poisoned, and it was my husband who saved my father and sister from being assassinated."
"Then he is truly a hero. It is no exaggeration."
"Indeed. But my husband's feats do not stop there. Right, Rurua?"
"Yes. My husband healed my wounds. He gave me the resolve to return to Rithea when I was in the depths of despair, and then he personally escorted me and helped me reclaim my power there. It's thanks to him that the hardliners were suppressed."
"Ha Ha ha ha ha! What a man! What a hero! Magnificent, truly magnificent! And yet, for such deeds, his name is not widely known...?"
"Yes, it was not an incident that could be made public. Officially, he is only known for saving me, my father, and my sister from the Demon King's clutches."
"I suppose so. But he is worthy. A more fitting husband could not exist. Seraria-dono, Rurua-dono."
"Yes."
"Indeed."
We answered without a moment's hesitation. There is no husband more fitting for us than Yuki.
And now, we're going to show them even more. Because the real show is just about to begin.
