CH 27.1

Capture the Princess’s Room 1

“She’s gone, isn’t she?”

“Yes, it will get lonely.”

We saw Alicetia off until the carriage was out of sight, and then we returned to the castle.

“Now then, let’s begin the purge.”

This is the real reason why I sent Alicetia to study abroad. I don’t want to show Alicetia anything too bloody. And this time, showing this to Alicetia would definitely hurt her, because they were trying to make use of her own abilities.

“This all could have been avoided if only they knew their place.”

Yes, the corruption of the nobility, especially the common people, was intense. I’m sure the Empire and the Imperial State have taken advantage of them, but to them, the common people of our country are like infidels, and they will kill them when they’re done using them.

“Times change, generations change, people change. Their ancestors knew the right way, but they were lulled into a false sense of security and forgot all about it.”

It’s a common story. They are common people. They just think that there is a future where they can simply follow the Empire. There is no such future.

“Well, well. You did something troubling.”

“Count Ottoman?”

Count Darnielle Ottoman. He’s one of the country’s vestment nobles. A vestment noble is a noble with only a title and no estate of their own, who lives on a pension from the country.

“Why did you let the Princess study abroad?”

“Because it was her wish. It is necessary for royalty to know the outside world and improve themselves.”

And to keep her from knowing what’s about to happen…

“But you will be letting the other nations know the value of the things the Princess produces.”

“That is irrelevant. Alicetia does not waste her time.”

Alicetia does not show or lend her powers to people she doesn’t trust any more than she has to. She should be able to use her own power at her own will. The girl is very strong in that area, and Count Ottoman clearly desires the items Alicetia produced, but Alicetia is not currently releasing them out in the public, as she only offers them to the royal family.

Well, it would be good for Alicetia to release her works to those she approves of… although she would never do that.

“The Princess’s inventions, such as the magic toothbrush and the magic flint, are so fuel-efficient and inexpensive that they can be made from goblin magic stones, and they are popular in the country. So why don’t the nobles have the right to use them? Isn’t this the royal family monopolizing what the princess’s inventions?”

“Alicetia is not looking for profit. The royal family is not looking to make a profit either, because the profits from Alicetia’s inventions are used for welfare projects such as orphanages.”

This is because Alicetia does not want the profits that are originally given to her, and only asks for a small increase in allowance, so the original profits are passed on in Alicetia’s name.

We don’t want to profit from what Alicetia produces, and we can’t rely on her personal funds. When Alicetia passes away in the decades to come, that will be the end of it.

“However, the Princess is hiding some of her inventions. The government should confiscate them as well.”

That one… it’s true that the Alicetia’s old room is an impenetrable labyrinth. I know that she has sealed some of her inventions in there.

As for why that room is her ‘old room’, it’s because it was originally given to Alicetia when she was born, but she became uncomfortable and even suspicious when living in a room larger than a certain size, so we moved her to a room that was then a storage room.

We also repeatedly told her that she could not live in that room, but the then one-year-old Alicetia clung to the door with her young arms and silently insisted that she would not leave out of there otherwise, even if she was forced to (she could not speak yet, but she had been asserting herself since that time), so the room was renovated and became her own room.

The storage room was not much bigger than a commoner’s room, but Alicetia liked the size of it, so the storage room became her new room. And at some point, Alicetia started hiding her inventions that she couldn’t take out of the room in her old room… Well, the fact that she moved the rooms in the first place didn’t spread too far, so there were occasional assassins and kidnappers making their way to the wrong room, but since Alicetia turned the room into a warehouse, incidents of people becoming delirious and being thrown out of the room started to occur.

When I questioned her, all she said was that there was a dragon in the room or a dead family member, so I didn’t know what was going on, and when I inquired further, all she told me was not to go in the room because it was dangerous. That room is definitely off limits.

“She herself said, that an uncommon artifact of hazardous origins is stored inside and that we shouldn’t be taking it out of there.”

I’m questioning how he knows about it, but Alicetia wasn’t particularly hiding it, and she even said that it’s a great lure for suspicious people (it certainly attracts criminals, as it’s a felony to enter that room).

“The Princess is still a child, she shouldn’t be making such decisions on her own. We should be the ones making those decisions for her.”

Perhaps he’s thinking of getting all the leftovers for himself. But Alicetia can basically create whatever she wants, so she would be able to make a lot of money by selling her inventions, and that’s why the pushy nobles are bothering her like this.

“There’s no need. What Alicetia makes is hers. We don’t get involved in that, because the things she makes can only be created by herself.”

“Hers? What does it matter? The Princess hid something from us. That’s the answer.”

Saying that, Count Ottoman took a piece of paper from his pocket.

I took it and looked at the contents… it was a search warrant.

“What is the meaning of this?”

“The council suspects the Princess of treachery. The council suspects that the Princess is plotting something evil.”

“Don’t be silly!! That’s impossible!!”

“Your wild delusions are truly troubling.”

Suddenly a voice came from the side.