Volume 2 Chapter 7 Inheritance Dispute
The next king of the Compost Kingdom.
Is Ms. Nemophila aiming for that?
The woman staring at me with a blank expression, like a doll?
Honestly, I didn't get that impression at all.
I mean...
"D-do you need to gain power to become king? I've heard that the throne is usually passed down to the children in line for it...? And since Ms. Nemophila is the third princess, doesn't that mean her claim to the throne is pretty low...?"
"I'll explain that part as well."
After taking a sip of tea to moisten her throat, Ms. Kikrys continued her explanation.
"The kings of the Compost Kingdom have traditionally prioritized the eldest male heirs for succession. However, with the changing times, it has become modern practice to prioritize the eldest child for succession rights, regardless of gender."
I've heard that the throne was passed down to the sons of the royal family who were born early.
It seems that eventually, they started determining the order of succession based solely on birth order, regardless of gender.
In other countries, queens have been ruling as a matter of course for a long time, while some still adhere to male-only succession.
"As a result, the current first in line for the throne is the first princess, Clematis, who is Lady Nemophila's older sister."
"Oh, in that case..."
Clematis Amicus.
I've heard of the name of the first princess of the Compost Kingdom, Clematis.
She's known in the kingdom as the one who will become the next queen.
So, she's Ms. Nemophila's sister.
"The current king, Milady Nemophila's father, Lord Capucine, seems to be considering preparing for abdication at this stage in case of emergencies. He was planning to proceed with the abdication to Lady Clematis, but..."
Ms. Kikrys lowered her voice slightly and continued.
"The one who objected to that was the first prince, Sir Crocus."
"Objected?"
"He claimed to Lord Capucine that, traditionally, the throne was passed down only to males, and that he should have been the next king. Sir Crocus has shown interest in the throne since he was young and strongly protested Lord Capucine's early preparations for abdication."
"Back in the day, it should have been like that, but... that feels a bit tyrannical, doesn't it? So, what did the king say?"
Well, I can pretty much guess.
Ignoring the selfish prince's opinion, they must be moving forward with the abdication preparations as planned.
The order of succession is already firmly established, so it should be impossible for the prince to overturn that.
Or so I thought...
"In response, Lord Capucine has decided to gather the heirs up to the fifth in the current line of succession to hold a 'duel for the right to inherit the throne'."
"...Huh?"
A duel for the right to inherit the throne? So, the winner gets to be king? Is it really okay to treat the right of succession so casually? More surprising is the king's response to the first prince's claim.
"Is it really okay to decide something like that...? Isn't the order of succession and the rituals supposed to be set to prevent such disputes over inheritance?"
"Lord Capucine has clearly stated that this will be a method of selection for this generation only. Additionally, he has prohibited conflicts led by his own army, stating that the decision will be made through a 'one-on-one duel' among the heirs."
"Th-that's..."
Is there really any point to this duel? And won't there be issues with just throwing out all the established rules to carry this out?
"Recently, the activities of the Demon Lord's army have been increasing, and it's become a situation where they could attack the Compost Kingdom at any time. If that happens, it would lead to an unprecedented large-scale war."
Ms. Kikrys sips her tea once, moistening her throat before continuing.
"To counter the powerful Demon Lord's army, Lord Capucine believes that 'the power of unity' is absolutely essential. Especially, the royal families should strengthen their bonds by working together."
"Th-then, wouldn't the disputes over inheritance through duels just create discord and backfire...?"
The king decides it through a one-on-one duel.
If you lose, your place in the line of succession drops.
If they go about it like some brute force brawl, the loser won't be able to unite with any grudges lingering...
That response from Ms. Kikrys seemed to say that my worries were unnecessary.
"Sir Crocus and the other heirs were also deeply convinced by Lord Capucine's proposal."
"Wait..."
"Above all, the current first in line for succession, Lady Clematis, said, 'I wanted to have that kind of intense battle!' and was very positive about it. Those without power have no capacity to command the people. It seemed she had no doubt that she would win by demonstrating her strength."
"..."
What a bold sister she is.
If she had just kicked that proposal aside and stuck to the usual way, she could have inherited the throne without any duels.
To agree to a duel just to convince Crocus, the first prince, is something else.
Speaking of which, I've heard that the king of this country has a really bold personality.
I wonder if that personality has been passed down not just to the first princess but to other relatives as well.
But on the flip side, Nemophila is incredibly quiet.
It's amazing how much of a temperature difference there is between siblings.
Anyway, I mostly understood the complicated circumstances Ms. Kikrys was talking about.
It's unprecedented for the order of succession to be determined by a duel, but if the people involved agree to it, then maybe that's okay.
Plus, if it means avoiding conflicts over succession rights among the heirs, then having a public duel to settle things might be the best option.
Well, it seems like the people behind them might get a bit noisy, though.
"Anyway, I understand the situation. A duel will be held to contest the order of succession, and Ms. Nemophila wants to win that duel, right?"
"Yes, that's correct. Currently, she is fifth in line for succession, but if she wins that duel..."
If that's the case, it explains why she said she wanted to become stronger.
Even someone like Ms. Nemophila, who is low in the order of succession, can inherit the throne if she wins in a duel.
This could be quite convenient for her.
"The date of that duel is set for 2 months from today. So, in the meantime..."
"You want me to make Ms. Nemophila stronger, right..."
Hearing the request from Ms. Kikrys again made me look up at the sky in my heart.
I never expected things would turn out like this.
Who would have imagined that I would suddenly end up helping a princess?
And to think I'm involved in such an important duel to decide the king of this country.
As I chuckled to myself about this overwhelming role, I suddenly realized something.
"Ms. Nemophila, you're the third princess of Compost Kingdom, right?"
"Yes, that's correct."
"If that's the case... I'm sorry to ask, but why are you in Hyamars town without even a single attendant? Ms. Kikrys is a servant, so it's hard to call her an attendant..."
It would be strange for a princess not to have at least one or 2 attendants.
Not only that...
"And normally, wouldn't you be able to call a proper skilled swordsmanship instructor instead of coming to me, a Nurturer? Why is a princess even in this Hyamars town...?"
I had felt something was off since the moment Ms. Nemophila was referred to as a lady.
If she were a proper lady, she should have more attendants with her.
Yet, the only person beside her was the elderly servant, Ms. Kikrys.
Moreover, given her status as a princess, she could easily call for training partners.
Why did she come to me, a Nurturer?.
In this clearly strange situation, my head was tilting more and more.
"I don't have that kind of authority."
"Huh?"
"I can't call for training partners or have attendants assigned to me. I'm not expected by anyone."
This was the first time Ms. Nemophila spoke at length.
But the content was far too self-deprecating.
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