Chapter 59 Shattered Heart
"Haah, haah, haah...!!"
In the underground passage of the Royal Palace, Rifine was running alone as instructed.
She knew in her mind that it would be better to consult someone.
Although she was known as a selfish princess who was tyrannical at times, Rifine had no real combat training experience.
Going to the site alone, she had no power to help Yumie.
Despite knowing all this, she still accepted the demands of the criminal... because she couldn't bear the possibility that consulting someone could lead to Yumie's death.
"Haah, haah...! Yumie...!!"
Yumie's scream, heard over the communication device, clung to her ears and wouldn't leave.
Yumie, who always acted bright and cheerful, never showing a tear despite being hit by wooden swords in training, let out such a voice──what in the world happened?
She couldn't even imagine.
She didn't want to.
Honestly, she wished she could just run away and close her eyes without knowing the truth.
Still, the reason she was desperately running now was that the fear of losing Yumie was greater than the fear of knowing the truth.
"..Is this it!!"
Following the instructions from the communication device, Rifine finally arrived at an abandoned church on the outskirts of the capital.
It was a creepy place.
The exterior walls, which were likely once white, were dark and dirty, with some parts crumbling away.
Countless crows flew around as if to say it was their territory, making it feel like she was in front of a grim reaper's castle welcoming the dead.
"Ugh...!!"
Clenching her teeth and overcoming her fear, she unleashed her Magical Power and slammed her fist against the door with all her strength.
With a massive crash, the entrance collapsed, and Rifine boldly stepped inside.
"Just as you requested, Rifine Dia Ortria has come alone!! Now, return Yumie!!"
Trying to mask her trembling voice with a valiant introduction, Rifine looked around inside.
There, she saw familiar faces──Alvine Neithardt and several nobles from the Royal Family faction.
"That's quite an extreme entrance, isn't it? It's impressive, but destroying things recklessly without knowing what's inside isn't something I can admire."
"Shut up already!! Give Yumie back!!"
Rifine knows she can't negotiate.
That's why she just shouts about Yumie, trying not to get sidetracked by unnecessary conversation.
Seeing Rifine's desperate resistance, Alvine shrugged.
"Well, well, there's no need to rush. I will return her. Look──."
As Alvine lifted a familiar silver-haired girl from behind and threw her towards Rifine.
In a panic, Rifine caught the girl's body as it was tossed carelessly──and then.
"That's your beloved Yumie Granbell."
She was stunned.
"Yumi, is that you...?"
The body didn't move at all, covered in countless scars.
Her arms and legs were even discolored purple and bent at unnatural angles; it seemed unlikely they could ever fully heal.
Moreover, the once lovely face that always smiled at Rifine was now burned and disfigured, a tragic sight.
"Ah... ahh...!"
She was alive.
The slight rise and fall of her chest, her heartbeat, the way her arms still clung to the sword despite being so battered, all told Rifine that the girl before her was indeed alive.
But what did that matter? In this state, just being alive wasn't enough to bring her joy.
Rifine couldn't be that heartless.
"Ahhh!! Yumie, Yumieee!!"
"Hahahaha!! That's it, just the reaction I expected! It's worth all the effort I've put in."
"Why!? Why would you do such horrible things to Yumie?! What did Yumie ever do?!"
Rifine couldn't understand Alvine's delight; it seemed he was thoroughly amused.
She thought that anyone would love Yumie and that no one could possibly hate her gentle nature.
In response to Rifine's confusion, Alvine merely tilted his head, pretending to ponder.
"Nothing's happening? That's not true. That girl over there pulled you into the social scene."
"What does that even mean...? I just held a birthday party..."
"Because of that, the Noble faction became more confident. If we had pushed just a little harder, we could have created an excuse to crush the Noble faction by provoking an appropriate Noble... My plan is ruined."
Even though he spoke the same language, Rifine couldn't understand a single word of what he was saying.
Pushing the Noble
faction and provoking them? Crushing them without mercy? That means──.
"Do you want... a civil war between the Royal Family faction and the Noble faction...?"
"Hmm, so you do have the brains to understand that. Yes, that's exactly right."
Rifine was speechless at Alvine's straightforward acknowledgment.
Alvine tilted his head, as if he couldn't understand Rifine's reaction.
"This country has been ruled by the king's absolute governance. Yet, even distributing power to local Nobles... will only cause chaos in the country. It's better to eliminate Nobles who continue making such claims."
"So you mean to start a civil war just to get a justification for killing Nobles in the Noble faction!? You say you hate for the country to be in chaos, but your words are completely ridiculous!!"
"It's just that there's no other way to protect the royal authority without resorting to such absurd methods. Besides, this situation happened because of you, Princess Rifine."
"Huh...?"
Being told it was her fault, Rifine was left in shock.
To her, Alvine mercilessly laid out his argument.
"Because you existed, people like the Noble faction emerged, leading to the division of the country. The Great Nobles would have stayed united, and there wouldn't have been any bloodshed... nor would that girl have gotten hurt."
"My fault...?"
"That's right. Because of you, that girl over there jumped out of the neutral cradle called Granbell to side with the Nobles, and now she's opposing me. If you hadn't been here, she wouldn't be in such a tragic state and would have been living peacefully in her territory."
"Stop it..."
Rifine understands that Alvine's claim is just a baseless accusation.
However, even so... when asked if Yumie wouldn't have gone through this if she hadn't existed or interacted with her, she couldn't deny it.
"You are a member of the Royal Family, a spare prince. It's because you have these unreasonable wishes and think about wanting to be liked by many that things turned out this way. You should have just stayed locked away in the Detached Palace!!"
"Stop ittt!!!"
Rifine covers her ears and breaks down in tears.
Her existence, her shallow thoughts and desires have hurt Yumie.
This harsh reality tears her young heart apart, shattering like fragile glass.
Alvine looks down at Rifine with a smug grin, but inwardly, he's a bit troubled.
(Hmm. I needed Princess Rifine to get enraged and attack us here, but at this rate, it seems impossible. Did I go too far?)
Rifine, whose existence and wishes have been denied, repeatedly mutters, "I'm sorry... Yumie... I'm sorry..." like a broken doll, showing no sign of spirit to attack Alvine now.
──Even though Alvine and the others rescued Lady Yumie from the bandits, the princess who happened to appear at that moment mistakenly thought Lady Yumie was harmed by them and attacked.
Having crafted such a scenario and even prepared a dead body of a fallen bandit to make it look like there was guidance from the Noble faction, Alvine was at a bit of a loss.
"Well... it can't be helped now. Should I just kill her?"
Rifine's heart is already broken.
However, if I were to simply return things to how they were, it would expose flaws in Alvine's plan.
The purpose of this operation is to manipulate the impression of Princess Rifine, thereby completely crushing the opportunity for the Noble faction to rise.
If that succeeds, even if some suspicion is cast upon them, they can handle it with the power of the Marquis family.
There is no room to discard the Neithardt family in this country right now.
However, if the impression manipulation is insufficient, there's a possibility that people will start to raise Rifine as a tragic heroine.
If such a thing happens while they are busy diverting the suspicion that could be directed towards them, it could actually become a great opportunity for the Noble faction to gain momentum.
That would be extremely troublesome for him.
"Don't take it the wrong way, okay?"
Brandishing his sword, he points it at Rifine.
Still, Rifine shows no reaction.
Instead, Alvine's entourage begins to panic.
"Y-Your Excellency...! Isn't killing a member of the Royal Family a bit extreme?!"
"What would the prince say?!"
"Shut up. The princess will, sadly, lose her life due to a bandit attack. I've already arranged for that, haven't I? Besides... do you really think you, of all people, can offer an opinion to someone like me, the Marquis?"
At those words, the noble entourage falls silent.
The absolute hierarchy topped by the king remains unchanged.
For those in the Royal Family faction, the opinions of their superiors are absolute.
Satisfied with their reactions, Alvine mercilessly swings his sword down at Rifine──clang.
He frowned when the sword was caught midway.
"What did you think you could do by just sitting there and listening...? What do you think of Rifine...?"
The one who caught it was a person thought to never be able to stand up again on her own.
Despite having her arm broken, her leg crushed, and her face burned, the girl, filled with an unyielding light in her eyes, used her body and sword as a shield to protect the princess.
"I'm going to beat that rotten attitude back into shape...!! Not even a finger of Rifine will be touched by you...!!"
Yumie Granbell.
The youngest daughter of the Granbell Family, who prides herself as the strongest swords in the kingdom, has stood up once again.
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