I Wished for Romance, but it Turned Out to be a Romance Fantasy

EP.33

The Court Duke’s mansion was raided.

No matter how resilient the Court Duke himself may be, if the servants and personal guards couldn’t hold their ground, it was impossible to prevent an intrusion by brute force.

And this very fact sent ripples through the noble circles of the capital.

“If the Wittelbach family could be hit, aren’t we just as vulnerable?”

“I’ve heard rumors that the Crown Princess’s fiancé is involved….”

The anxiety only deepened with whispers that the Marquis Family had lent a hand.

It was no surprise. While the impeachment frenzy had been swirling, it was merely a conventional byproduct of intensified political conflicts. Nobility, after all, isn’t disposable like a one-time-use resource; unless one committed a crime severe enough to merit execution, they typically just took a break after a scandal and returned once the dust settled.

Ultimately, political conflict resembles some sort of turn-based game where the aim is to solidify control for profit while flushing out the competition isn’t the aristocratic way of doing things.

However, this dynamic assumed that even if someone drew a sword, our great nobles and high-ranking aristocrats would be there to stand as a shield, preventing any reckless attacks.

Now, one of those great nobles—the Court Duke—had put his neck on the chopping block.

Not literally, of course. Metaphorically speaking, his neck was still intact. Right now, it was merely a matter of the mansion being ransacked and important documents ending up with the Inspection Team, without any conclusions drawn from the incident just yet.

But everyone knew the stakes.

Every noble possessed at least one actionable impeachment case against them. Now that something had been unearthed, it was only a matter of time before their downfall was sealed.

“With this situation, we might need to support Her Majesty the Empress for the sake of balance…”

“If the Imperial Family grows too powerful, that would be problematic. The sacred rights of nobility must always be respected.”

This was exactly what Yom was worried about. The fact that Wilhelm had teamed up with Maria was common knowledge, as Maria herself had been fervently spreading the word. However, Wilhelm stepping in meant that the Crown Princess was involved.

“But if the Crown Princess is stepping in, isn’t this a fight for succession?”

And this was also where Maria had her own confidence.

“While it’s a bit regrettable that the Court Duke is falling from grace, he’s been backing the Empress, hasn’t he?”

“I still think we should maintain neutrality for now.”

Although the Crown Princess had directly intervened in this matter, what’s it to her? While the Imperial Family’s direct involvement was indeed concerning, the nobles had also similarly managed to grasp significant control over the Palatinate using the Empress as their backing.

Of course, although Yom and the Crown Prince’s faction, among others, had banded together to attack the Empress’s camp, the Emperor’s loyalists had so far remained inactive, meaning that in terms of raw power, the anti-Empress coalition was weaker than her faction.

Above all, since the Empress’s faction had confidently stirred up trouble far and wide, public sentiment against them had not been particularly favorable.

“I will help you up to this point.”

“That should be enough. Thank you.”

As if they were already done with their mission, the Wurttemberg Marquisate brushed off their hands, further reinforcing that atmosphere.

And within that atmosphere, the Inspection Team began their full-scale rummaging throughout the Palatinate.

——

As the Inspection Team started to probe the targeted noble households, a tense atmosphere enveloped the capital.

Today, serious corruption was unveiled in this household, yesterday revealed sinister deeds in that one, and tomorrow could very well see the inside of my own mansion raided.

Nobles under the Empress’s faction spent their days holding their breath, hoping their names wouldn’t end up on the Inspection Team’s hit list.

However, that didn’t mean the capital was completely silent. While the Empress’s faction had indeed encroached upon half of the political landscape, that merely meant the other half didn’t have any ties to them.

“Haha! The weather seems splendid these days.”

“Didn’t it rain all day yesterday?”

“If I’m feeling good, doesn’t that qualify as good weather?”

“Well, I suppose that’s true.”

The banquets taking place in the Imperial Palace were a testament that the Empress had not yet fully seized control of the capital.
The banquet was not hosted by Crown Princess Maria, but everyone present tacitly agreed that the true star of the event was Maria.

If a banquet were suddenly announced in the name of the Imperial Family during such an unremarkable time, it generally meant that some member of the Imperial Family had sponsored it in celebration of a recent joyous occasion.

Thus, even without a specific host, Maria took her seat of honor as if it was her due, and the nobles greeted her as if it were only natural.

Yes, this banquet was effectively Maria’s victory celebration.

“At last, you have arrived. I hope you have been well.”

And with victory celebrations usually comes a prize.

“Mother.”

The spoils of war.

“…You’ve certainly pulled it off.”

“Should I thank only you?”

The Empress stared daggers at Maria. Unfazed, Maria welcomed the Empress with apparent ease.

After all, the bloody conflict had already concluded, and this banquet was taking place in the Imperial Palace, meaning there was really nothing the Empress could do.

“Even if the Court Duke has fallen, those who support me still abound. No matter how much you wield the power of the Electorate, your backing is exceedingly weak. Do you really think you can defeat me?”

Perhaps that’s why the Empress was even more infuriated. While she couldn’t scream in such a setting due to maintaining decorum or risking being viewed as petty, it was clear to everyone that her reaction was simply a display of her unfavorable situation against Maria.

“Mother.”

Merely addressing her as “Mother” instead of “Your Majesty” was akin to rubbing salt in the Empress’s wounds, causing her brows to twitch.

“Disgraceful.”

And that single word was like a nail driven into her heart.

“What—what did you say?”

The Empress shouted. All eyes in the banquet hall fell upon her.

Realizing her slip, the Empress hurriedly corrected her demeanor, but everyone in attendance had already heard her outburst.

With fury blazing in her eyes, the Empress glared at Maria.

“Maria, do you think I will just step back like this? Do you believe this competition is over?”

“But right now, you can’t do anything, can you? Your hands are tied by the Inspection Team, aren’t they?”

“I swear to the Lord, I will make you regret today’s events, no matter what!”

“Oh my, are you sure it’s wise to say that?”

Maria replied to the Empress’s warning with a coy smile.

“It seems that the Archbishop, to whom you would convey your words to the Lord, doesn’t think very highly of you.”

It was mockery. Only then did the Empress realize that Maria had no intention of behaving decorously and displaying her breakdown in front of others.

And she was brilliantly fulfilling that role.

Crack.

I could hear the sound of teeth grinding. Acknowledging that no sensible answers would come from this point forward, the Empress glared at Maria as if her eyes would shoot lasers, then turned to leave.

“I should be going then.”

“Farewell.”

Maria’s expression as she saw the Empress off was filled with delight.

In stark contrast, my expression was one of concern.

“…Is this really okay?”

“What do you mean?”

Maria turned to me with a relieved look.

It seemed as though all the pent-up animosity from the past few years had been released, giving her skin a bit of a glow. Was it just makeup?

Regardless, my worry wasn’t unfounded.

“The Empress does have a valid point. It’s true that after impeaching the Court Duke, many of his followers will be replaced, and the Empress will temporarily lose her power. However, this situation is only temporary. Unless her influence in the Palatinate is completely eradicated, her faction will inevitably make a comeback within a few months.”

My determination to take down the Empress wasn’t purely born from the confidence of being an Elector’s son. From the moment I left the capital, I realized I didn’t have to fear the Empress anymore, allowing me to plan without worrying about any repercussions.
But Maria was different.

She still had to live in the capital, even if I left. There were many reasons for this, but the most significant one was simply that remaining in the capital was safer than being outside of it.

Previously, when Maria had chosen to stay in the provinces due to the dangers of the capital, I had asked her what that meant. Her answer indicated that as long as she could protect herself to some degree, it was easier to withstand political offensives from within the capital.

Thinking back, it made sense. Ultimately, her security stemmed from the privileges enjoyed by royalty. But if the Empress attempted to strip those privileges away, it would be incredibly difficult for Maria to respond unless she remained in the capital.

And losing her status as royalty without support could lead to losing her life in an instant.

“No matter how I think about it, I don’t believe you could establish a faction faster than the Empress could restore her influence.”

This would lead to trouble.

No matter how I felt about it, I couldn’t just leave Maria in a true crisis. At the very least, I couldn’t do that as someone who considered himself human.

For a moment, I felt a chill run down my spine, thinking that she might be intending this all along.

“It’s okay.”

In an instant, all my tension dissolved with her words.

“Really? Thank goodness—”

If she had made preparations in advance, I could have relaxed and made my escape. Just as I was about to let out a sigh of relief, Maria continued speaking.

“I’m planning to be away from the Palatinate for a while.”

“…What?”

What on earth was she talking about?

For a moment, my mind couldn’t catch up with the situation.

“Everyone is worried that I’ll use you as a pawn to disrupt the political landscape. The easiest way to quell those worries is for me to leave this place, isn’t it?”

“Well, yes, that’s a logical point…”

But was that really the right solution?

“Isn’t there some other way?”

She spoke so confidently that I thought she must have another strategy up her sleeve. After all, it was Maria who had brought this matter up initially, claiming there was no issue.

I knew that the Imperial Family directly intervening in disputes among the nobles would always meet with resistance, regardless of the situation. It was one thing to mediate among nobles, but openly siding with one faction would surely make our family recoil in terror.

So, I thought there must be some definitive leverage or undeniable justification to overturn this situation.

“If the issue is that my activities in the capital are restricted, then if I’m not in the capital, it would no longer be a concern, right?”

“Uh… I guess that’s true…?”

Wait a minute.

Something felt odd.

That sounded awfully familiar.

“In the end, earning the goodwill of those around you and maintaining good relationships arises from needing to settle down there for life. But if I’m not going to stay there and see those people anymore, then I wouldn’t have to worry about that.”

It was so familiar that I wondered if it was even me saying it.

Of course, that made sense.

“You said that to me, didn’t you?”

This was something I had told her.

She looked at me with a bright smile I had never seen before and asked, “Well, since you’re going to be traveling again anyway, aren’t you going to need someone to manage your finances?”

I couldn’t bring myself to speak.

“Isn’t that right? The knight who managed to squander so much money in an instant?”

It seemed that the hour of reckoning didn’t apply solely to them.