CH 91

The Unpopular (Next) Empress

“Well, that being said…….I did not serve directly under that woman so I don’t really know much though.”

“Nored is a big country after all. Unlike Calencia, it doesn’t seem that a high-ranking aristocrat necessarily has to be close with the royalty huh.”

“I guess so?”

Melange ironically smiled at Saki’s words. When it comes to a country as big as the Nored Empire, there are quite a few houses that hold peerages of dukes or marquis. Moreover, Melange herself is not yet the Marchioness. She’s simply the heir to the family at the moment. At best, the only opportunities she has to meet with Diaroze would be on the battlefields or during parties.

“Well, for better or worse, Diaroze is a woman who usually stands out wherever she goes. Even if you don’t have many opportunities to meet her directly, you should at least have heard some rumors about her before right.”

“I heard that she’s being called the Undefeated Princess right. With a title like that, she should be quite a celebrity.”

“Well, she did lose to us last time though!”

Saki added with a smile. Their big victory at Leboir helped boost a lot of morale for the Calencian soldiers who suffered defeat after defeat after all.

“Well, I can confirm that her ability is the real deal. But there are a lot of interesting stories about that woman too…….”

Saying so, Melange took out a wine glass from the basket on the table. Then, she urges Kisei with her glass.

“Anyway, pour me a drink. It’s the information fee.”

“Yes, yes.”

Kisei makes a bitter smile and takes out a bottle of wine from the basket. However, after he grabbed a corkscrew to uncork it, Saki immediately snatched the bottle from him.

“It would be bad if you injure yourself right.”

“Y, You are being overprotective again! Even I can uncork a wine bottle alright!?”

“Really?”

With a grin, Saki quickly handled the bottle with practiced movement and removed the cork before returning it to Kisei.

“Here you go.”

“Nn, seriously, you always do this.”

“Don’t fuss over it, let’s get started.”

Melange giggled at the scene and urged Kisei to pour her the wine. When her glass is filled with red liquid, a mellow scent begins to drift inside the room. With a nod of satisfaction, Melange took out another glass and offered it to Saki.

“So you do understand how things like this go huh.”

“Drinking alone is boring after all.”

That being said, Saki did not make Kisei pour her the wine. She poured it herself and made a light toast with Melange before starting sipping it. By the way, Kisei, who can’t handle alcohol, is drinking lemonade alone.

“Well, let’s get back on the topic. Diaroze has a second nickname inside my country. Can you guess what it is?”

“Second nickname?……..I don’t have a clue.”

“She’s called the [Loyal Dog]. In other words, she’s the Empress’s dog.”

With that said, Melange let out a small laugh.

“She’s a Yesman who follows whatever the Empress commands her to do. Whether how cruel or unreasonable an operation is, she has no objection to carrying it out. That’s the reason behind her nickname.”

“That’s surprising. When I heard the rumors about her, I thought that she would be an arrogant type who doesn’t listen to anyone.”

Still, for such a loyal person, the reputation she has is the worst. That being said, if he has to carry out such cruel and unreasonable orders then it probably can’t be helped that she’s detested…….

“That is also true. Anyway, she’s the type of person that would lash out if things don’t go the way she wants…..she won’t forgive anyone that gets in her way whether it’s an ally or an enemy. On top of that, she’s also a sadist who enjoys whipping POWs and subordinates that made a mistake. There’s a mountain of bad rumors about her.”

Melange said with a disgusted look. Every aristocrat is more or less arrogant. However, the arrogance Diaroze exhibit was excessive.

“Still, she always obeys Her Majesty’s orders. No matter how petty or humiliating it is. Some even say that she’s a woman who licked the Empress’s feet to gain the succession right.”

“So she’s both a prideful and obedient person at the same time huh. In that case, isn’t she just using her subordinates as an outlet for her stress? “

Saki mockingly said so. She then finishes her glass of wine and continues.

“Besides, an aristocrat who abandoned their self-respect shouldn’t be called an aristocrat anymore.”

“That’s it! You are exactly right!”

Melange immediately agreed and grabbed the bottle of wine to refill Saki’s glass.

“You, you know what it is to be an aristocrat even though you are a commoner huh! Just abandon Calencia and come over to my territory!”

“Hahaha, I’m thankful for the offer but this is my home so I can’t abandon it. I have a family to go back to after all.”

“What a shame.”

With a sigh, Melange pours herself another glass. She then returned the empty bottle to the basket.

“So, in conclusion……Diaroze is a sadist with no dignity. A dangerous woman who you can’t predict what she will do next. That being said, she is good at warfare exactly because of her unpredictable nature.”

“Warfare huh. Then how about her skill as a pilot? Is she comparable to those [4 Heavenly]?”

“No, you can’t compare her to those guys…….Still, you will have to be on guard against her. That woman, she won’t hesitate to resort to dirty means even in striker battle after all. Compared to your average ace pilot, that woman is much more troublesome to deal with.”

“Hmmm…..”

‘So around or slightly better than Valentina huh.’ Kisei groaned with his arms crossed. Of course, if it’s her that he has to deal with alone, he would have no problem. However, if she’s the kind of person who would use dirty tactics then he needs to be cautious against her. If she appears along with the 4 Heavenly then she will no doubt be a troublesome opponent.

“Well……albeit a rotten one, I am still a noble of Nored after all. I don’t wish for the defeat of my own country. But since we’ve already shared a drink together, I don’t want to see you guys die either. Make sure that you don’t die to that woman okay.”

“Of course. I’m the [Wicked Star] after all. My victory is guaranteed no matter who I’m up against!”

In response to Melange’s words, Kisei gave a confident reply.