Chapter 80

Drupal.
Servants pushed a serving cart. Cutlery and napkins had been prepared in advance. As plates were placed on the table, there was little conversation.
Nobles just glare at each other for no reason. The atmosphere is uncomfortable. Only the man who had shaped the current mood seemed to be extremely relaxed.
“What’s with all the eye rolling?”
She was as handsome as ever, even in her hunting clothes. But her nonchalance was unnerving, considering the mountain man’s relationship with the princess.
It isn’t. Only an idiot would know. who is responsible for the numerous assassination attempts within the city walls.
How can you be so confident at such a young age, in front of someone who wants to take you out by any means necessary, and surrounded by so many people?
“That, hmmm.”
Before anyone could react, there was a hollow cough. It was Count Bedelov. It was always him who took the reins in these situations, and no one questioned it.
“We were surely invited by King Adrian, but how could Ainoa…?”
“Oh, sorry.”
Ainoa replied as if she had forgotten.
“I’m sorry for the delay, but I’ve asked my brother to gather the nobles of the Mountain Clan together. Perhaps there is some conflict between you and me.”
“Conflict, no way, we can’t have that.”
“If the wording was uncomfortable to hear, well. Let’s call it a misunderstanding.”
Meanwhile, the two continue their conversation.
Marquis Genned’s mind raced with speculation. Ainoa’s innocuous words had many meanings.
The wordings ‘nobility of the mountain clan’. The princess also said that she herself had asked the prince for a favor. Whatever the cost, Adrian granted the request…….
I’m guessing arbitration.
“Now you’re going to come over and pretend to be brother and sister?
We’ve always been as close as brothers, but he’s a blood brother. He’s afraid to die, and that’s why he’s so bitter. The fickleness of the Hagiya royalty was not new.
The question is, is there a reason to hang out?
“Excuse me.”
A plate was also placed at Marquis Guened’s seat. When the servant removed the opaque dome cover, the smell wafted up. It was roast beef, golden brown in the oven.
The distinctive purple sauce was impressive. The Marquis narrowed his eyes. It was a favorite dish on his estate.
“Oh, I miss this again.”
“It’s been so long since I’ve been in the capital that I’ve forgotten….”
The nobles murmured, each with a different dish on their plates. Even Viscount Hardy, who had been scowling, was impressed. It was clear that the food had been prepared with exacting taste.
“It’s nothing spectacular, but I hope you enjoy it a little bit.”
It’s not a lot of sincerity. But it was adequate to convey an ‘attitude’. Marquis Genned was half convinced that Ainoa had succumbed to the mountain faction.
“This can’t be too bad.
Choose a suitable noble son of the Mountain Clan to marry the princess. You can also use her as a bridge to get to know Adrian.
‘I know I’m going against the will of the Legion, but…….’
It’s none of your business. The feud was already planned.
The key is gain. It’s a matter of turning the wheel in the direction of greater gain. Marquis Genned, the nobles of the Mountain Clan have been doing this for a long time.
“Haha, I don’t know what to do with this.”
When I came to that conclusion, my heart felt lighter. There was nothing to be wary of. Even Carmen Mobilé, who stuck around like a stick of gum, seemed to have left her somewhere.
Perhaps his relationship with Dustborn had broken down. Perhaps she was abandoned and had nowhere to go. If so, what a poor, foolish woman she was.
“Mr. Hande Ainoa. If you’ll pardon me, but what are you wearing…?”
“My dress is messy from another matter, and I can’t keep you waiting for the construction crew, so please stop rushing, I hope you understand.”
“Yes, I hear there’s a lot of trouble in the Crystal Palace.”
“This won’t do,” he said, “I have a young man on my side of the family who has a hand to spare, and I’d like you to consider him as a servant. He’s very intelligent, and I think you’ll be pleased with him.”
The other nobles seemed to be relaxing their guard. The Marquis didn’t protest too much. Filling Ainoa’s surroundings with mountain men was a necessary step.
Soon, we were all set up.
“No thanks, then.”
Ainoa hummed and sliced the meat with her knife. She stuck a small chunk onto her fork and moved it to the corner of her mouth. After chewing and swallowing, she even took a sip of wine.
“Wow. I never thought I’d see the day when I’d be treated by Ainoa.”
Next up was Count Bedelov, who chuckled and popped a thick slice of bacon into his mouth. He grunted a few times and let out an exclamation of “hoo-oh”. He seemed quite satisfied.
This eliminated all my worries.
“Today is a good day.”
The Marquis of Genned stabbed his knife into the roast beef with a satisfied smile. The king was bedridden. His troublesome relationship with the prince had been resolved.
There was a lot of dissonance, but it turned out better than expected.
All that’s left to do is suppress Adrian’s base of support, the military. Then the mountain faction will be able to enjoy power in the reign of the next king.
‘Let’s get the Legion out of the way.
A brilliant future awaits. The flavor of success was smooth and sweet. The slightly sour, fruit-based sauce mixed with the juices to create a rich harmony.
“Oooh, that’s a treat.”
“If you like it, good for you.”
I’m almost bragging. It tasted just as good as it did in his somewhat calibrated memory. The Marquis chewed the meat with satisfaction and looked away.
A cart was parked in the corner of the hall.
I wonder if it’s to collect the plates at the end of the meal. The cart was loaded with a single covered plate. The Marquis was puzzled by this.
Thump!
The table shook with a loud crash. Marquis Genned frowned and looked to see the epicenter of the disturbance. Viscount Hardy had his head buried in his plate.
Viscount Hardy wasn’t alone.
“Eek, eek, eek!”
Groans erupted from everywhere. Wine spilled from the collapsing bodies. Glasses rolled across the table and shattered as they hit the floor.
The Marquis of Genned, realizing the trap, scrambled to his feet.
“Ah, Princess Ainoa……!”
But I couldn’t take more than one step.
My eyes became dizzy and my limbs began to tingle. My nervous system lost control, and sensations throughout my body rapidly faded.
The Marquis staggered and tried to grip the corner of the table. It was a futile struggle; he had never developed an immunity to poison, and hadn’t practiced it in thirty years.
“Ugh, huh, huh, huh….”
Liquid seeped over the marquis’s body on the tiles. Wine was soaking the colorful tablecloth and dripping from it.
There were only two people left alive.
Gulp.
Count Bedelov swallowed dryly, glancing at the princess cautiously for any sparks. Ainoa slowly put down her fork and knife.
She wiped the corner of her mouth with her napkin, a very natural gesture. Without a word, she pushed herself out of her seat and walked toward the cart in the back.
Ainoa pulled a pair of pure white gloves from her arms. Her gloved hand reached down to the top of the cart, where she removed the cover of the only bowl.
On a plain, unadorned plate was a pistol.
“…….”
Ainoa turned away, her gun in her right hand. She approached the table again. She glanced around at the defenseless nobles, then slowly parted her lips.
“You are a capital offense.”
The sentence was delivered in an emotionless voice.
“His greed has gotten the best of him, and he’s joined forces with a group of special interests to plunge Bastitera into chaos. Shamelessly disregarding his responsibilities, he has taxed the people, embezzled the royal treasury, and plotted to murder the sons and daughters of the Salviati, the very foundation of our nation.”
Four steps. Boots crunched on the carpet.
“This amounts to an obvious birthmark.”
Ainoa stood beside Viscount Cornova, her muzzle pressed to the viscount’s paralyzed, writhing head.
“I have chosen not to consider you my kinsmen.”
There was no mercy.
Bam!
A bullet pierced the back of his head. The viscount’s pupils popped open. Splattered blood stained Ainoa’s cheek. Without wiping it away, she strode to her next target.
“Hmph……!”
Count Bedelov clamped both hands over his mouth and swallowed a scream. He must not make a sound. At the first sign of disturbance, the princess would turn the muzzle of that gun on him.
The execution continued.
Bam!
Count Javier is dead. The head of a prestigious family, recognized as a nobleman for his distinguished service in a war long ago, died in vain, a single lead shot through the temple.
“Those expensive clothes are not for you.”
Baron Ruola, Viscount Gaspar.
“Who will weave a garment for you, when your sins have been exposed to the whole world?”
The white gloves were stained red with blood. His hand trembled slightly, but steadied with each pull of the trigger. Killing was something you got used to if you did it enough.
Blood mixed with wine soaked the floor. The cool marble surface warmed to the temperature of the blood. The Marquis of Guened lay sprawled on the floor, listening to footsteps approaching.
Ainoa’s dilated pupils reflected her.
“Don’t feel sorry for yourself.”
A gunshot hit his eardrum. His turn was coming.
“It is not your children, your young grandchildren, and your pretty wives who are to be executed by the gallows with the people who have been robbed.”
Poof.
His senses were blurred, but the feel of the muzzle of the gun pressing against his head was clear. Memories of a lifetime flashed through my mind like a flashlight.
It didn’t deserve to die like this.
The Marquis could not accept a death like this. He had been trying his hardest. to give himself and his family a better life.
‘By the whim of the gods, I…!
This is unacceptable. I’d never imagined being defeated by an enemy and dragged off to an execution, much less killed by a princess who didn’t understand the world.
But few people get to die the way they envisioned.
Ta-da!
The red color smeared like paint in water.
“……ha.”
Ainoa dropped her hands and sighed deeply. She glanced up at the spotless ceiling, then back at the table.
The streets were littered with bodies.
Three minutes had passed, and in a mere 180 seconds, the chains that had bound her since birth had been broken. Once she set her mind to it, it was a simple task.
Ainoa’s eyes were unclouded. Clear blue pupils stared directly at the sole survivor. Count Bedelov was there, craning his neck.
“Sow, sow, I did as I was told; boo, boo, boo!”
In the land of warriors, in the noblest of places, there were no warriors.
The Earl paled and trembled before a barely grown woman with no combat experience, clutching a flimsy pistol.
I had enough bullets.
Kim gave me a pistol with a 15-round extended magazine, just in case. Three rounds left over. It was more than enough to take care of the insignificant midge.
My index finger on the trigger moved without hesitation.
“Ouch!”
The first shot struck Count Bedelov directly in the shoulder. The count’s body tumbled backward, along with his chair. The Count broke out in a cold sweat and pressed his palms to the tiles.
The fallen table knife was in his grasp before he knew it. He crouched tightly, fighting back the dulling pain. Conscious of the knife, he waited for his chance.
“Whoa, whoa, whoa……!”
His eyes turned fierce, and he didn’t think twice. Her survival instinct overrode her reason. As soon as he saw the dummy approaching, he squeezed his eyes shut and threw himself at it.
Poof!
The feel of the knife digging into flesh. The Count opened his eyes, a crooked smile tugging at the corners of his mouth. But the elation of survival quickly turned to horror.
“Crab, Marquis Genned?”
It was old Castus’ corpse that the Count stabbed, and in his haste to regain his senses, he shoved it aside, and the black muzzle of the gun and Ainoa’s face came into view.
His eyes were filled with contempt, disappointment, and disgust.
Get it!
The Count’s forehead has a wind hole in it. The angle of the view changed as the camera seemed to rotate. His eyes, which quickly lost focus, were in line with the ceiling.
Ainoa shot the Count in the chest one last time. The weight of the pistol felt terribly light in her one-handed grip. She tore her gaze away from the corpse and walked to the firmly closed door.
Gain.
Outside the door, several people were waiting. Carmen, Kim, and Adrian stood guard over the hall. The despair on the faces of the blood family was almost comical.
“We’ve cleared the way, brother.”
Adrian’s mouth dropped open, unable to respond. Ainoa didn’t want a response either. She stepped in front of him and held the gun upside down.
“Good job.”
“…….”
Kim glanced down at Ainoa’s blood-soaked hand. After a moment of silence, he flicked the gun away with the back of his hand.
“You keep it.”
“What?”
“Think of it as a gift.”
“Um, I don’t think I should accept this….”
Ainoa smirked.
“I don’t know if there’s anything else I can use, but whatever. Thanks.”
The carpet was stamped with blood like footprints.