WE TRIED TRANSLATIONS

Translator: Ryuu

Editor: Abstract

Discord: https://dsc.gg/wetried

SSS-CLASS HUNTER WHO DIES TO LIVE

Chapter 369: Taboo (3)

As soon as I emerged from Raviel's chamber, I ordered the household knights of the Ivansia family to assemble.

The vassals of the Duke were visibly disconcerted. It was understandable; I had never interfered in the affairs of the Ivansia Ducal household before.

For the servants who had been pinned down by my aura and forced to kiss the cold floor for half a day, their faces were twisted in outright hostility.

"Consort, with all due respect, even you cannot command the knightly order..."

"Respect? Thought it didn't exist? It’s surprising that it does."

I drew the family crest from my pocket and showed it to them.

"Raviel has given me full authority. My commands are as good as those coming from the Ivansia name itself. Unless you're considering a career change to rebels, I'd suggest you comply quietly."

"......."

The servants gnashed their teeth and glared at the crest as if staring it down could turn it into a fake.

I smirked.

"What? If you doubt it, run to the Duchess and verify my words. Though, it'll just be another step on your already trampled pride, but hey, it's all valuable experience. It'll fertilize your life."

"......We shall comply with your command... Consort."

"Oh, how kind of you."

I pocketed the family crest and waved my hand flamboyantly, imitating Yoo Soo-Ha's infuriating gesture. In some sense, he was the perfect role model.

"What are you waiting for? Get to work! Are you dining on the family's dime for free? I knew Ivansia was charitable to its subjects, but I wasn't aware it extended to free meals for its vassals. What? Have I, the consort of the house, been too neglectful?"

"......Grr!"

"If you have time to growl, accept the orders. Echo after me, summon the knightly order."

"Summon the knightly order!"

The servants dispersed with a look that promised retribution.

Not that I was scared. They had left Raviel exposed to potential poisoning; they were bound to be scorned by me for a long time.

It wouldn't take long for them to realize that it wasn't they who had marked me, but I who had marked them.

"Silvia Evanair."

"Ah, y-yes, m-master..."

After issuing the summon, I called for Silvia.

The vassals who followed me had already seized control of the Duke's annex. Among them, the close aides waited in the corridor outside the bedroom, and Silvia, once known as the Goldencup Lady, was among them.

Silvia approached me tentatively, gauging my mood.

"It seems you're in a better mood than before, thankfully..."

For reference, from Silvia's perspective, I had reemerged from the bedroom just an hour after entering.

In reality, Raviel and I had been playing for a full two weeks, repeating a single day. We perceived time differently.

"What did I look like before?"

"Do you want the honest truth, or something more pleasant to hear?"

"Just be honest."

"It was like a lunatic whose eyes had flipped, smiling with just the tips of their lips twitching. 'Wow, this guy could become even crazier,' I thought. 'He's striving to surpass the very definition of lunacy.'"

I let out a bitter laugh.

The fact that Silvia could speak to me this way meant my mood had significantly improved. She judged that she could joke without repercussions, given my apparent good spirits.

"Silvia, I have something I want to ask you."

"What is it?"

"You were once seriously involved with the Crown Prince, even discussing marriage. So, did the Crown Prince truly love you?"

"......."

Silvia furrowed her brows.

"......Wow. That's an unexpectedly serious question."

Her face barely changed, but an air of aristocratic haughtiness was palpable. Positively regal if spoken kindly, or downright annoying if not.

After all, wasn't she once a lady who, alongside Raviel, dominated the empire's social circles?

"Love? Hmm. If you're asking whether the Crown Prince was smitten with me, I'd say yes since I seduced him. But hmm..."

Silvia tapped her chin thoughtfully.

"......Probably not. No. The kind of love you're asking about wasn't there."

"Why do you think so?"

"For starters, since I've been taken in by you, the Crown Prince hasn't once sought me out."

Silvia laid out the facts plainly.

"Do you know what we talked about most when the Crown Prince and I were alone?"

"I can't even begin to guess."

"Try to imagine. Gossip. When we met, we'd gossip about the Silver Lily... Ah, I shouldn't call her that now, should I? Anyway. We'd gossip about the Duchess of Ivansia."

Silvia sighed and shrugged.

"We purposefully chose dating spots where students could see us just to ensure someone would witness us cuddling and run straight to the Duchess with the news."

"To make Raviel feel humiliated?"

"Exactly."

"The couple was more pathetic than I thought..."

"What did you expect? You know better than anyone, don't you? The Duchess of Ivansia is someone who doesn't get shaken by anything others do."

Silvia narrowed her eyes.

"Her only weakness was love. Love. The Crown Prince, aside from having an affair with me, had no other way to shake the Duchess. That's all he knew."

"......."

"In every aspect, he was inferior. Studies, diplomacy, administration, public affection, and even schemes. Probably even in swordsmanship. Despite being born into the most noble family in the empire, he had nothing on the Duchess of Ivansia."

"So you had a secret affair with him to feel superior to Raviel?"

"Yes."

"Truly a piece of trash."

"Is this your first time seeing trash?"

Silvia replied nonchalantly.

"There are many like that in the world."

Indeed.

The problem is, even if such people are plentiful, this one happens to be the Crown Prince of the empire.

"......I've been patient, warning him to behave. But it seems that won't do anymore."

Silvia looked up at me, and I returned her gaze.

"I'll bring him down."

Silvia's eyes widened, but that was it. The surprise she showed was just that brief.

In fact, what Silvia said next surprised me more.

"Umm, I'm kind of against that..."

"Because of some loyalty to your old flame?"

"Loyalty is just talk. No, it's just that it'd be much easier if the Crown Prince ascended the throne as is."

"What do you mean?"

"He won't be able to govern the empire smoothly once he becomes Emperor."

Silvia declared confidently.

"Ten years at most, five at the least. Complaints about the Emperor's incompetence and tyranny will start erupting from every corner of the empire. From the nobility and even the common folk. Then, when that happens, it'd be a breeze for the Ivansia family to dethrone the Emperor."

"......"

"Sure, we could replace the Crown Prince now if we wanted to. Easily. The real power of the empire is already shifting to Ivansia, but the common folk still don't know what a mess the Crown Prince is. If Ivansia is to become the new royal family of the empire, it'd be best to have the support of the people as well... What? Why are you looking at me like that?"

"No, it's just unexpected. You actually have a political mind."

Silvia made a disgusted face.

"Hey. If it weren't for you... ah, sorry. If you hadn't been there, I would have become the Crown Princess and then the Empress, bringing down the Ivansia family... Yes?"

Right. She was a returnee.

"Your advice is sound, but the head maid seems to be misunderstanding something."

"Misunderstanding?"

"Yeah. I plan to bring down the Crown Prince, but it's not because I want Raviel to become the new Emperor."

"Eh? Why not?"

I answered calmly.

"Because if Raviel becomes the Emperor, she'd be even busier than now."

"......"

Silvia was speechless.

"......Really? Is it really just for that reason?"

"What other reason could there possibly be?"

"What a lunatic... ah, right. If it's you, that makes sense. And you have room to spare. Damn it. Being around you skews my perspective on everything, and it's annoying."

Silvia rubbed the back of her head, mumbling something about how it made sense for two such people to be in love.

"So, you just want to replace the Crown Prince while keeping the current royal family intact? Is that correct?"

"Spot on."

"Then... we'll have to support either the Second Prince, the Third Prince, the First Princess, the Fourth Prince, or the Second Princess. Damn it. Am I the only one well-versed in the imperial situation to be chosen as your advisor?"

Silvia grumbled.

"If you ask me to recommend someone, it'd be the Second Prince. He might lack the ability to think for himself, but he's not capable of causing a mess like the Crown Prince. He's harmless."

"Isn't there a royal family member who could become a sage ruler or a wise monarch?"

Silvia scoffed.

"If there was, do you think the Crown Prince would have maintained his position?"

Truly, the chamberlain knew how to strike with facts.

The next day, Raviel and I entered the imperial palace.

It wasn't the main palace in the capital but a separate palace suitable for the second capital's growth, Sormewin. The Emperor happened to be staying here at the time.

"If it had been the capital's palace, the Crown Prince wouldn't have dared to command a servant to poison."

Raviel noted.

"However, this place is different. Excluding the Emperor's entourage, the servants handling menial tasks are mostly the Crown Prince's people. It was relatively easy to plot a poisoning here."

Of course, it was only "relatively" easy.

The Crown Prince had mobilized all his connections and power for this assassination attempt. Yet, in the end, only two servants in the separate palace were actually involved in the poisoning.

Unknown at the time, we now fully grasped who participated in the poisoning.

During those two weeks of leisure, the nearly fortnight of rest wasn't just spent indulging in decadence within the bedroom. We uncovered everything: the servants' family backgrounds, personal circumstances, and connections to the Crown Prince.

"Please, I beg you, show mercy to my family...! I'll accept being enslaved, or you can chop me up and throw me to the sea. Just please, spare my family..."

We easily extracted confessions from the culprits.

Their confessions were promptly reported to the Emperor. Initially skeptical, the Emperor had no choice but to sigh after personally interrogating the culprits.

"Foolish child... Was he always this foolish..."

The Emperor lamented.

He might have been lacking, but he was the chosen successor. It was natural for the Emperor to feel sorrowful. However, I was ready to deliver an even greater blow to the Emperor.

"Your Majesty. The foolishness of attempting to poison the Duchess of Ivansia is already shocking, but there's an even more tragic foolishness Your Majesty must consider."

"......And what might that be, sovereign of another world?"

The Emperor regarded me not as the Consort of Ivansia but as the monarch of the World of the Lone Child.

In official settings, I might pay utmost respect to the Emperor, but in a secured space like this, the Emperor didn't bother with maintaining his dignity.

"The Crown Prince is currently away on a hunt with his close associates. According to intelligence, their gear is unusually heavy for a mere hunt."

I bowed slightly.

"Armored horses for hunting mere beasts? Isn't that an over-preparation?"

"......"

The Emperor's sigh deepened.

He was an astute ruler despite his son's betrayal. He grasped the hidden meaning in my words immediately.

Turning his head, the Emperor ordered his chamberlain (the very same elder who had adopted me as his foster son) to act.

"Immediately inspect the main and rear gates for the guard troops."

"Yes, Your Majesty."

The elder promptly checked the palace's security and returned.

"Your Majesty, there were no issues at the main gate, but the guard responsible for the rear gate was absent, and his subordinates were barely half the required number."

"Ah..."

The Emperor heaved a long sigh.

"Is it true... is it true that my son intended to harm me?"

No one responded.

Raviel remained silent throughout. Her mere presence was enough.

Whether it was reporting on the poisoning, detailing the culprits' confessions, or exposing the Crown Prince's intentions, such potentially treasonous words flowed only from my mouth.

Even when reporting this calamity to the Emperor, I spoke not as the Consort of Ivansia but as the representative of another world. It was best not to give anyone a reason to hold me accountable later.

"Your Majesty. Summon the Crown Prince who is away on his hunt."

I urged him towards the final nail in the coffin.

"If the Crown Prince truly considers himself innocent, he will respond to Your Majesty's call. He would have no reason to refuse. However, if he truly orchestrated this entire tragedy, fearing his plan might be exposed, he will flee."

"......Very well. It shall be done."

Following my advice, the Emperor sent a messenger.

Anxiety filled the air as we waited.

Only after a considerable time did the messenger return. The imperial chamberlain whispered something to him. Once the messenger left the audience chamber, the chief servant spoke up.

"Your Majesty."

"Is the child coming...?"

"I regret to inform you, Your Majesty, but the Crown Prince turned his horse around and fled with his followers."

Silence enveloped the audience chamber.

During this time, the Emperor seemed to age five years. Despite the arrival of people from another world, he had maintained his composure and ruled the empire as peacefully as possible, but the rebellion of his son seemed to have broken his heart.

"Duchess..."

For the first time, the Emperor addressed the Duchess.

Raviel, as if she had been waiting, slowly bowed her head.

"Yes, Your Majesty. Speak, I am listening."

"What should I do with you...?"

"I shall always remain loyal to Your Majesty."

Raviel's words meant she had no intention of using this incident as a pretext to rebel against the empire.

The Emperor closed his mouth again.

Silence lingered.

"......I have done you a great disservice."

The voice that escaped the Emperor's lips sounded less like the sovereign of an empire and more like a father to a child.

"I knew my son was lacking and foolish, and I knew you were a bright child. I thought that even if he was lacking, with your support, he could manage the country, but was that judgment blinded by paternal affection? Even that..."

"......Your Majesty."

"I let you go for the sake of a lady from a baronial family, and the story was over from that moment. How can I blame only my son for his foolishness? My foolishness is far greater."

"Your Majesty has always shown concern and kindness to me since my days as a lady."

"I am sorry."

The Emperor closed his eyes.

"......The Crown Prince is no longer the empire's Crown Prince. Nor will he be my son any longer."

At this moment, the fate of the Crown Prince was sealed.

Born a prince, but not destined to die as one.

"Let the Ivansia Ducal family handle this matter."

That day, I led the ducal knightly order in pursuit of the Crown Prince.

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