The Heroines Who Framed Me Are Clinging to Me

Chapter 25 - The Imperial Palace

The Capital of the Britannia Empire, the Imperial Palace.

‘So much for being a princess…’

Without even a thin curtain to block the window, Lloyd awoke in his bedroom, sunlight stabbing at his eyelids.

The uncomfortable bed made his back ache.

“Ugh.”

Stretching as he got up, Lloyd looked out the window. Buildings adorned with luxurious gold leaf caught his eye.

Even the pure white marble pillars alone were worth the price of a typical mansion. Just imagining the cost of such luxury was enough to make one feel the palace\'s grandeur.

“Such unnecessary extravagance.”

That was Lloyd’s impression of the Imperial Palace buildings.

They might as well just peel off some of that gold leaf and give it to me.

Then I could buy my freedom immediately.

Spoiled royals.

Muttering to himself, Lloyd tidied up his bed.

He would have liked to lounge in bed all day, but…

“I can’t afford to commit the crime of disrespect in the Imperial Palace, of all places.”

This was the annex of the Third Princess, Yulia Estrid.

And yesterday, she had clearly told him:

— Get some rest today; we’ll talk tomorrow when the sun rises.

It was an order from the princess.

Disobeying an order from a member of the royal family, especially in the Imperial Palace, was unthinkable.

Sigh.

Taking a deep breath, Lloyd gathered his clothes. Even among servant uniforms, the ones in the palace were unnecessarily flashy and uncomfortable.

Lloyd checked his appearance to ensure it wasn’t ‘disrespectful’ enough to get him into trouble. Although he was only meeting the princess within the same building… it was still better to make a good impression.

Yulia Estrid.

The new owner who had bought him for a billion Crone.

“I was sure she was a villain, according to what I knew.”

From what Lloyd had observed, he was beginning to think there was a good chance Yulia wasn’t the villain he expected. Not just because of her demeanor and attitude…

“The fact that she possesses the Reverse Eye is significant.”

The Imperial bloodline, the Estrid lineage, had two types of anomalies. One was madness, represented by Ortega, who was sealed within Lloyd’s mind.

The other was the Reverse Eye, a trait of the Estrid line that had once sealed Ortega.

If madness was ‘evil,’ the Reverse Eye was ‘good.’

This made it unlikely that Yulia was inherently evil.

‘But that’s a double-edged sword.’

The real problem for Lloyd was if Yulia turned out to be a completely virtuous person. She had already sensed that Ortega was dormant within Lloyd’s psyche. If she was truly a good person, she might look for another opportunity to kill Lloyd.

“I have no choice but to obey her.”

Lloyd let out a long sigh.

The fully risen sun illuminated his quarters.

Lloyd creaked out of bed. It was time to greet the Third Princess.

— Thud.

The door to what had once been a storage room closed harshly behind him.

◆

Walking down the corridor toward Yulia’s reception room, Lloyd was met with a stern atmosphere. Despite it being the residence of the Third Princess, several knights stood guard with sharp, vigilant eyes.

Every time Lloyd took a step, he could feel their gazes piercing him.

“Hold it.”

A knight stopped Lloyd in front of the princess’s reception room.

Lloyd instinctively flinched.

The knight was clad in the white armor of the White Knights Order, bringing back memories of Arno, who had tried to kill him at the Duchess’s estate.

“What is it? I assume the Third Princess has already informed you about me.”

“Body search. Place your hands on the wall.”

The knight thoroughly patted Lloyd down, searching every nook and cranny.

Every time something sharp or out of place was found, the knight would make a snide remark, only letting Lloyd go after several minutes of this harassment.

“...”

Even as an official servant brought into the Imperial Palace under the princess’s authority, he was treated like this. If they found even a slight flaw, they’d pounce on him like a pack of wolves.

‘Creepy.’

Lloyd frowned at the deliberate force the knight used during the search.

The situation made the peril of the Imperial Palace hit home once again. In this place, servants were little more than disposable tools. If anything went wrong, they could disappear just as easily as swatting a fly. The only difference from the Duchess’s estate was that here, they were treated as temporary tools rather than resources. The danger remained the same.

‘There’s no escaping from here.’

It wasn’t that he doubted his ability to escape, but rather what would happen afterward. If he fled, he could be framed for treason, leading to relentless persecution by the Empire’s enforcers—a fate far worse than death.

In the end, there was only one strategy.

‘The goal is to get the princess to leave the palace.’

If Yulia were to leave the palace, Lloyd would naturally go with her.

To be honest, even from Yulia’s perspective, this would be advantageous. The palace was filled with the influence of the First and Second Princes and Princess. If she truly intended to vie for the throne, it would be more effective to build power outside.

A new objective formed in Lloyd’s mind.

◆

When Lloyd arrived at Yulia’s reception room, he was taken aback.

‘…Why is there so much stuff?’

It hardly resembled what one would expect from a princess’s reception room. The space was filled with a sense of practicality. Books lined an entire wall, and a large desk was cluttered with stacks of documents.

The only thing that somewhat resembled a reception area was the rickety table and wooden chairs at the center of the room.

— Creak.

“You’re here.”

A voice came from behind as the door opened.

Lloyd stood up and gave a respectful bow.

“There’s no need for all those tedious formalities.”

Yulia waved her hand dismissively and took a seat behind the desk.

Sensing Lloyd’s puzzled expression, she explained.

“Oh, this is both my reception and office.”

“...You’re quite humble.”

Pfft.

The corner of Yulia’s lips curved into a smirk.

It was a sarcastic yet oddly charming smile.

“Contrary to what people think, royal blood doesn’t come with endless wealth. The Emperor is careful about handing out funds, lest someone use the excess money to buy a blade aimed at his throne. Besides…”

“...?”

“I recently spent 1 billion crone buying someone. So I’ll have to tighten my belt even more.”

Lloyd swallowed his response—that buying him was irrelevant to the state of her office. Even for a royal, 1 billion crone was no small amount. Yulia was undoubtedly gathering funds in her pursuit of the succession war.

“I appreciate that you purchased me.”

“Surprising. I expected a sharper retort.”

“I’ll reserve my retorts until I’ve proven my worth.”

“Why? Are you afraid of losing your head in the palace?”

Yulia’s tone was teasing, but Lloyd knew there was truth in it. In the palace, a servant’s life was as fragile as a bug squashed against the wall. One had to be careful at all times.

“Yes, that is correct.”

Yulia muttered under her breath with a hint of annoyance.

“Not much fun, are you?”

Lloyd silently bowed his head.

He found Yulia fascinating. She seemed slightly more cheerful and girlish than when he had seen her at the Duchess’s estate. Perhaps she had been on edge back then.

“Well, anyway.”

Tap tap. Yulia lightly drummed her fingers on the desk.

“Now, explain how you’re going to make me Emperor. That’s why I spent 1 billion crone on you.”

Lloyd gazed up at her.

There was a hint of curiosity in her expression.

Without a word, Lloyd rose from his seat and glanced around.

The room’s understated decor seemed to insist that its owner was a person of good character. This contrasted sharply with the lavish marble and gold-leafed buildings visible through the window. Lloyd’s mouth slowly opened.

“It’s impossible.”

“...What?”

“You cannot become Emperor, Your Highness.”

Yulia’s face showed a hint of shock.

No, she looked almost hurt?

She bit her lip, sulking a bit before grumbling:

“You swindler.”

Now it was Lloyd’s turn to be taken aback.

What’s with this reaction?

And why does she look oddly cute with her pouting lips…?

‘No, focus.’

This demeanor was a stark contrast to the professional, resolute Yulia who had wielded the Reverse Eye at the Duchess’s estate.

After a moment of surprise, Lloyd shook his head to clear his thoughts.

This could be an act.

After all, Yulia was a calculating princess who had kept her ambitions for the throne hidden.

“…Well, I did have a feeling this would happen.”

After grumbling to herself, Yulia quickly regained her composure.

Lloyd, who had been momentarily stunned, spoke up.

“Please hear me out until the end.”

“Hmm?”

“You cannot become Emperor if you remain here in the palace.”

“...You’re saying the problem is that I’m staying here?”

It was a major problem.

“Surely, Your Highness is aware that countless spies operate within the palace, so I’ll skip over that. However, you likely haven’t placed any of your own spies among the other royal factions, have you?”

“…That’s correct.”

That was only natural. Building and maintaining a loyal network of spies was costly.

“And your faction is the weakest. There are many who look down on you.”

Lloyd thought back to the knight who had searched him. If the Third Princess’s authority had been sufficient, there’s no way he would have been subjected to such a treatment.

“Moreover, living in such a rundown building shows that you’ve failed to attract the Emperor’s attention. Trying to expand your power within the palace is a lost cause, as the First and Second Princes and Princess have already taken everything.”

“Indeed… hmm…”

Yulia nodded quietly.

Her expression showed she was logically convinced.

This conversation was going smoothly, which was good.

Lightly tapping her lips, Yulia asked,

“But how? An Estrid leaving the palace would require a valid pretext.”

Lloyd was already aware of this.

“We can create an organization.”

“…An organization?”

Yulia tilted her head, puzzled.