The Heroines Who Framed Me Are Clinging to Me

Chapter 26 - The Princess\'s Advisor

The Empire is a society based on hierarchical power.

It might seem obvious, but those who visit the Imperial Palace for the first time are often taken aback.

There are moments when they think, ‘Is it really to this extent?\'

One such example is the difference in the sizes of the residences where the princes and princesses reside.

The First Prince\'s palace is grand and imposing. It\'s the only residence besides the Emperor\'s to be referred to as a ‘palace,\' which holds great significance in itself.

As for the Second Princess, she recently moved to a new residence. Having ascended to the status of a hero, her power has significantly expanded. While it may not carry the title of ‘palace,\' her residence rivals the First Prince\'s in size and might even be more valuable considering it\'s a modern structure.

On the other hand, there is the residence of the Third Princess, Yulia Estrid.

Her building isn\'t much different from an ordinary commoner\'s house. Of course, being a royal, some obligatory decorations were added, but it\'s still smaller than the Imperial stables.

In one of the tiny storage rooms in that place, Lloyd looked out through a window he could barely reach by standing on his bed.

Opposite was the lavish residence of the Second Princess, Aina Estrid.

"...”

At this point, curiosity was inevitable.

Aina Estrid.

How successful had she been, the woman who had played a role in his execution?

"Just stamp it."

Today, a proposal to establish an organization initiated by Lloyd—more precisely, by Princess Yulia—would be presented to Aina.

If she approved it, Lloyd could achieve two goals at once.

The first was securing a way to leave the palace.

The second was gaining leverage against Aina by tying her to the potential failure of the organization.

In other words, he\'d have a small blade aimed at her.

He was still restraining his desire for revenge.

However.

"I need to at least prepare a few cards."

Lloyd\'s eyes briefly flashed red.

◆

A building constructed with marble bricks and adorned with gold leaf, luxurious to the point of extravagance.

Inside, in the largest office, the Second Princess Aina was listening to a report.

"The boy with the Hero\'s Mark has yet to be found. We\'ve searched the entire nation, but…”

"We\'ve searched the entire nation, but?”

"It\'s proving difficult.”

"Sir Kyle. Are you really giving such a confident report about struggling to find a mere child?”

Kyle, Aina\'s personal knight and the deputy commander of the White Knights, was currently enduring her scolding.

His cold blue hair and metallic glasses glinted with a sharp reflection in his eyes.

"Princess, it\'s not just any child—”

"Sigh.”

Aina\'s deep sigh.

It was obvious to anyone that she was criticizing Kyle.

She had been quite a courteous princess before becoming a hero.

Kyle recalled what Aina was like before she joined the Hero Party.

— Hello, Sir Knight! I want to become a cool swordsman like you!

Young Aina had been sincere, proactive, and hardworking.

Even as a newly appointed knight busy with his own duties, Kyle had felt motivated to train her with all his heart.

He believed she would become a true and righteous knight.

But now, Aina was...

"With this level of incompetence, I\'m starting to question if the White Knights are truly the Empire\'s best. The deputy commander can\'t even find one child. How do you expect to advance your career?”

He could no longer call her a swordsman.

She was just another princess, more preoccupied with power and politics than with honing her skills.

Kyle responded somewhat listlessly.

"…My career?”

"Yes. I\'ve been lenient with you out of affection for the days when you helped me with my swordsmanship. But I do expect you to handle your duties properly.”

"I\'ll do my best.”

That was the only response he could give.

A knight must obey their lord, regardless of who they are.

Kyle felt a bitter taste in his mouth as he bowed his head.

But Aina was relentless.

She pressed the issue once more.

"What\'s your plan for continuing the search?”

"…Some boys were sold to Duchess Gray at an auction. I\'m considering investigating that lead.”

"Fine. Doing something is better than doing nothing.”

Whip.

With that, Aina turned her head.

No matter what her subordinate felt, Aina shifted her attention to the next document.

Sigh.

There were many documents Aina had to process.

Having a lot of work was a sort of honor.

The closer an imperial child was to the throne, the more burdensome tasks they were given. It was a test of their qualifications for the crown.

The workload imposed on Aina was only slightly less than that of the First Prince.

It meant that, in the eyes of the Emperor and the Council of Elders, Aina\'s chances of succession were close to those of the First Prince.

‘I need to produce good results somehow.\'

She flipped through the documents.

Then, one document caught Aina\'s eye.

"…Yulia Estrid?”

Proposer: Yulia Estrid.

Proposal: Establishment of the Imperial Social Science Research Institute.

The official in charge of the document reported.

"Princess Yulia wishes to research the human mind.”

"…The human mind?”

"Yes. She\'s interested in analyzing why people interpret the same words differently depending on the person. She also wants to study the madness that can emerge in groups...”

Aina licked her lips with a dry tongue.

There\'s something unsettling about Yulia.

In truth, she didn\'t care what Yulia was trying to create.

What mattered was that Yulia was also a contender for the throne.

Though far behind, she was still a rival that needed to be kept in check.

What exactly is she planning?

"Should we put some pressure on her?”

Ignoring her subordinate\'s report, Aina\'s eyes focused on one section of the document.

- Location of the organization: Eastan.

Eastan was a city on the outskirts of the capital.

For a successor to leave the palace essentially meant abandoning their claim to the throne.

It felt like a cloud of unease had lifted.

Without realizing that this was Lloyd\'s intention, Aina nodded.

"That girl Yulia has always liked these foolish things.”

Thud.

Aina\'s seal was stamped on the document.

◆

"Lloyd!”

The next day.

As Lloyd lay resting in his cramped quarters, the door suddenly burst open.

Standing there was Princess Yulia, holding the document for the organization\'s establishment in one hand.

…She seemed to be drifting further away from being a dignified royal with each passing day.

Noticing how her demeanor grew more disheveled by the day, Lloyd shook his head to dismiss the pointless thought.

"Did it get approved?”

"Of course!”

"That\'s good.”

Lloyd pulled the blanket back over himself.

It was still four in the morning.

After spending the previous night doing chores like cleaning, he needed his sleep.

But it seemed Yulia was determined to disrupt his rest.

She approached Lloyd.

"I can\'t believe that woman Aina approved my document. It\'s like a dream!”

"Was it that difficult?”

"Of course!”

In fact, Yulia had been quite worried when drafting the plan for the organization. She was certain that Princess Aina would try to block her at every turn.

That\'s why Yulia had reached out to someone outside the Estrid bloodline—the Duchess.

To escape Aina\'s interference.

Although the result could have been disastrous.

‘Still, luck was on my side.\'

But anyway.

Lloyd glanced out the window.

Damn it, dawn was breaking.

It would be impossible to go back to sleep now.

Sigh.

He sighed deeply and got out of bed.

After quickly tidying his hair and turning his head, he saw Yulia standing there with sparkling eyes.

"…Is there something else you\'d like to say?”

The dynamic was as if the roles of master and servant were reversed.

But Yulia didn\'t mind and nodded her head.

She was clearly in high spirits.

"Yep! This is a first for me! Can you celebrate a bit more with me?”

"Haa."

…Who was this girl with flowers blooming in her head? Lloyd genuinely wondered where the Yulia with the Reverse Eye who had pressured him had gone. Still, he had to play along. After all, she did buy him for a billion krone.

"Congratulations.”

"There\'s no sincerity in that!”

"Yes, because it\'s true.”

Of course, it was a significant achievement—securing Yulia\'s freedom of movement, gaining leverage against Aina, and ensuring Lloyd\'s own safety—all in one stroke.

Even so, it was still too early to fully rejoice.

There were still many administrative procedures left to establish the research institute.

"Princess Yulia, the path you have to take is still long.”

It was far from enough to say that half the work was done; Yulia was starting from way behind.

"Well, I agree.”

Plop.

With that, Yulia sat down on the edge of the bed.

"That\'s dirty. It\'s a servant\'s bed. What if someone sees you?”

"I don\'t care. It\'s early dawn. Who\'s awake at this hour?”

…Then don\'t come here.

Lloyd\'s grumbling didn\'t make it past his lips.

Yulia asked,

"More importantly, tell me. What should we do next?”

"Why are you asking a servant? I was scrubbing floors yesterday, and my shoulders are so stiff I can barely speak.”

"Stop exaggerating.”

Lloyd merely shrugged and fell silent.

Negotiations should always take place at a moment like this.

When the other party is anxious for your advice.

When they understand your value without you needing to say it.

Yulia had been wary and placed Lloyd as an apprentice servant.

Naturally, Lloyd was dissatisfied with that.

"…”

And Princess Yulia was smart enough to understand the negotiation Lloyd was hinting at.

After a moment of wetting her lips, she spoke.

"Alright. I\'ll trust you. You can stop cleaning now.”

"Really?”

"From now on, Lloyd, you\'re my advisor.”

Yulia extended her pale hand.

The hand held out by the Princess of Rebellion.

"Understood.”

Lloyd smiled as he took her hand.