Sister I am the Queen in This Life [Novel] Chapter 142

-----------------------------------------------------------------
Translator: Harry Potta
Chapter: 142
Chapter Title: This Life's Second Proposal (2)
-----------------------------------------------------------------
Prince Alfonso swore solemnly.

“I, Alfonso de Carlo, pledge to take Ariadne de Mare as my wife, to cherish and love her for all eternity.”

He recited the words of a vow of devotion.

“I will respect and cherish her. I will not use physical force against her will. I declare that I will always love her, comfort her, and be her strength.”

It was half a confession of love, but more than that, it was a promise to himself. A promise to never become like his father.

Ariadne smiled as she looked up at Alfonso. Her expression was visible in the faint light filtering through the cracks in the wardrobe. It was a sorrowful smile.

“Alfonso…”

Her lips parted with difficulty.

“We might not be able to be together.”

Ariadne had resolved to prevent Queen Marguerite's assassination.

If Queen Marguerite was not assassinated, the event where Cardinal de Mare's daughter becomes the prince's bride would not occur.

“From the beginning… it was never going to be easy.”

Now that Grand Duchess Lariesa had caused such a massive incident, the marriage talks with her might be withdrawn. However, a marriage between a monarch's son and a subject's daughter was, in principle, a union between unequal ranks—an unrecognized marriage. Moreover, Ariadne was not even the daughter of a proper noble family.

If Queen Marguerite was not assassinated at that specific time, Prince Alfonso would likely enter into other marriage negotiations with the daughter of another monarch, even after this engagement fell through.

But that was alright.

*My love, my heart… they might not matter.*

It was a heart that had been given to the wrong person and left in tatters. Perhaps having one's love reciprocated was a privilege granted only to a select few.

Instead of being greedy, she decided to do what she could now. Repay Queen Marguerite and Prince Alfonso.

At this moment, Ariadne was okay with her love not being fulfilled.

“Ari, not you too…!”

Prince Alfonso's agitated voice resonated in the small space. He had caused a major incident for the woman he loved. And now, she was telling him they couldn't be together.

“Why on earth…!”

“No, it's not like that.”

Ariadne pushed up on her knees to meet Alfonso's eyes and kissed him. Soft lips pressed against his. Alfonso instinctively closed his eyes. A passionate kiss followed.

Body against body, touch against touch, for a few seconds when humans are most faithful to their instincts. But this was the last time.

Soon, she pulled her lips away. She held Alfonso close and whispered in his ear. The words she recited were those of an oath.

But it was not a response to the vow of devotion Prince Alfonso had recited.

“I swear on my soul, from this day forward, I pledge my loyalty to my lord. I will protect him and show him reverence in the face of any adversity, and I will place my lord's safety before my own life.”

It was the oath of fealty a knight swears to their lord.

“Ari…?”

Regardless of Alfonso's confusion, Ariadne completed the words of the oath, one by one.

“I will live for a greater good than personal gain. I will always speak only the truth to my lord, keep the promises I have made him, and without changing or leaving, I will always remain by my lord's side.”

She had always thought a knight's oath was hopelessly romantic. A pledge impossible to keep in real life. But at this moment, Ariadne meant every word.

*Except for the part about always speaking only the truth to my lord.*

She could not share the secret of her regression, but she would not break a single other word of her vow.

As Ariadne recited a knight's oath of fealty instead of a lover's response, a bewildered Alfonso grabbed her shoulders.

“Ari. I never wanted this from you.”

Desperate, Alfonso gripped her upper body and shook her, crying out.

“You just have to be by my side. Making you my knight, using you to protect me—I've never once thought of such a thing!”

With her shoulders held, Ariadne shook her head.

“I… I want to repay your kindness.”

“You just have to stay by my side!”

“…I'll make sure everything turns out right.”

She whispered as if sobbing.

“I will make you king, and I will ensure the day comes when Her Majesty Queen Marguerite smiles with pleasure upon seeing you crowned.”

*Even if I'm crushed to dust in the process, it's okay.*

Tears streamed endlessly from Ariadne's eyes.

Alfonso wiped her tears with his thumb and shook his head vehemently.

“It doesn't have to be one or the other. When that day comes, you'll be by my side. I'll place the queen's crown on your head. You'll hold my hand tightly and stay with me, won't you?”

“…I hope so.”

“It will happen. I'll make it happen.”

Ariadne nodded, but she didn't believe his promise. She now intended to interfere with the course of events directly. The advantages she possessed as a regressor would largely disappear.

And Ariadne de Mare without knowledge of the future? She didn't rate her own abilities very highly. If she had been exceptional even without knowledge of the future, she wouldn't have met such a miserable end in her past life.

Ariadne whispered only to herself.

*No matter what happens, I love you. Thank you. Thank you for everything. You and your mother are the first to ever treat me this way.*

***

Disputes between private individuals were handled in crude commoner courts where local residents served as jurors, while cases involving nobles were handled by a temporary judge dispatched from the Royal Court.

However, a murder committed within the palace was a case directly under the king's jurisdiction. It could be handled at the king's discretion. This meant that even the minimal procedural guarantees that existed did not apply.

Sir Elko, dragged away by the Royal Guard, endured harsh interrogation and severe beatings.

“Confess! Who instigated you to assassinate Duke Mireille!”

“…There was a man acting suspiciously in the attire of a royal stableman. He appeared to be an outsider, and when I tried to question him, he resisted violently, so I was forced to kill him. There was no instigator, no conspiracy.”

*Crack!*

The interrogator whipped Sir Elko's back. He bit his lip, not letting a single groan escape.

“You killed a man just because he was acting suspiciously? And what's the reason for the carriage being completely destroyed?!”

“…”

The Royal Guard was relentless.

In addition to the spotlight on the case, the guardsmen, who had always resented the prince's knights for parading around the palace in their fine gear, saw this as a chance for payback and interrogated Sir Elko all the more persistently.

But Sir Elko stubbornly refused to change his testimony. Besides, there was no faction that could plausibly be behind him to suggest he wasn't a lone culprit.

If this were a planned conspiracy, it was likely the work of someone opposed to the political marriage between Prince Alfonso and the Kingdom of Gallico. Domestically, the only candidates would be Count Cesare and Countess Rubina.

However, Count Cesare was a wastrel who loved drinking, singing, and parties. He did not yet possess the capability to attempt a political assassination.

The same was true for Countess Rubina. Her influence was primarily focused on whispering pillow talk into the king's ear to distribute benefits to the nobility; she didn't have the power to directly command people for such matters.

“We also found no evidence of foreign intervention.”

Another power that would dislike a close relationship between Etruscan and Gallico would be the Duchy of Acereto. However, no evidence emerged of Aceretans running rampant in San Carlo. The only foreigners found were from Gallico.

And Sir Elko was one of Prince Alfonso's trusted men, someone who should have been more pleased than anyone about the marriage talks with the Kingdom of Gallico. Politically speaking, Prince Alfonso had no reason whatsoever to kill Duke Mireille and ruin the engagement.

“…Therefore, Your Majesty, this incident appears to be an unfortunate accident where a royal knight, engaged in maintaining public order, failed to recognize Duke Mireille while he was causing a disturbance within the palace and killed him…”

“Does that make any sense!”

Leo III's mood soured instantly.

“The head of the delegation has died inside Palazzo Carlo, and you're telling me to send that kind of response to the Kingdom of Gallico?”

“However, Your Majesty, it is an undeniable fact that at the time of his death, Duke Mireille was wearing the unapproved attire of a royal stableman and was driving a palace-owned carriage without permission.”

To the guard captain's report, Count Marquez, the foreign affairs official of the Curia Regis who was also present, carefully added his opinion.

“…Your Majesty, we may be able to find another reason that won't displease the Kingdom of Gallico. Since the investigation is on our side, if we dig deep enough, something might turn up. However, there is no guarantee that not displeasing Gallico will necessarily have a positive impact on the marriage negotiations.”

“Oh?”

Finally hearing the kind of discussion he wanted, Leo III, though annoyed, permitted him to speak.

“Count Marquez. Speak.”

“If we provide another reason, it is highly likely that the narrative will shift to one where Duke Mireille was blameless and the fault lies heavily with us.”

In fact, this was the kind of narrative Leo III was looking for. Either Duke Mireille was a terrible villain, allowing them to shift the blame to the Kingdom of Gallico, or, conversely, his death had to be an unfortunate accident.

As long as there was no irrefutable proof that Duke Mireille had been plotting a serious crime in a foreign court, the Kingdom of Etruscan had no choice but to take the latter stance.

“…If we readily admit that Duke Mireille died due to our country's negligence, will the marriage alliance negotiations proceed smoothly?”

“Hmm.”

Leo III grunted.

“The purpose of this marriage alliance is not the alliance itself. …It is to acquire strategic weapons.”

Since there were people in the room who were not members of the Curia Regis, including the Royal Guard, Count Marquez spoke indirectly, avoiding the word 'gunpowder'.

“If we admit our fault, will they really agree to sign the contract under the original terms?”

It was a valid point. Leo III gritted his teeth.

“Those filthy Gallicans wouldn't be so easy.”

“I suggest you investigate a little further, but if no other evidence comes to light, I believe it would not be a bad idea to emphasize the part about Duke Mireille attempting something suspicious within the palace.”

“And the marriage alliance will still be concluded?”

“Honestly, I think it's fifty-fifty.”

Count Marquez glanced at Leo III's expression before lowering his head.

“However, a marriage alliance forged through our concessions would be one hundred percent useless to us. Please remember, Your Majesty, that this was a proposal where the Gallican side put forward a daughter of unsuitable status in the first place.”

“…Let us consider it further.”

Everyone in the room chorused.

“Yes, Your Majesty!”

***

Count Levien, who had suddenly become the highest-ranking member of the Gallican delegation following Duke Mireille's death, wrote a report to be sent to his home country with swift hands, a bandage wrapped around his head.

「Urgent: Duke Mireille deceased. Cause of death is head trauma and a stab wound to the chest. The Kingdom of Etruscan has identified a royal knight as the Duke's murderer and is investigating. However, there is circumstantial evidence suggesting Prince Alfonso's involvement.」

He hesitated for a moment about whether to write the last sentence, but in the end, he included it in the report.

As a vassal of Grand Duke Eudes, he had a duty to protect Grand Duchess Lariesa, but at the same time, as a subject of Philip IV, he also had a duty to deliver the most accurate information possible to the king and help his country make the right decision.

Count Levien wrote 'For His Majesty King Philip IV's Eyes Only' on the cover and handed it to a junior member of the delegation.

“I cannot trust anyone else. You must return to our homeland yourself and deliver this letter. As quickly as possible.”

The Kingdom of Etruscan was still treating the Gallican delegation, the victims, with the utmost courtesy, but Count Levien knew all too well that this could change in the blink of an eye.

“…The atmosphere here is unsettling. I need a response regarding our withdrawal. The Grand Duchess's safety is of particular concern.”

If Grand Duchess Lariesa were to be detained by the Kingdom of Etruscan, it would become a great political burden for their home country. And if the truth of what she had done came out, they would have no grounds to complain even if she were detained.

“Frankly, I hope for a swift withdrawal.”

As someone with something to hide, he was eager to return to his homeland.

“However, I do not know His Majesty Philip IV's intentions.”

“…There were certainly many suspicious aspects to this delegation's dispatch.”

“Do your best to ascertain his will, and if possible, report in a way that allows us to return home quickly.”

“I will do my utmost.”

And there was one more letter that Count Levien passed to the junior member of the delegation.

“This must be delivered only to His Highness Grand Duke Eudes.”

Unlike the main report being sent to the king, this one described the entire incident without omission, including what Grand Duchess Lariesa had done.

“Of course.”

The delegate, who, like Count Levien, was originally a vassal of Grand Duke Eudes, nodded with a grim expression.