Biggest thanks for Ace-Triad for fixing my SPAG problems, and Angel Wraith for beta-reading the chapter, providing feed backs, and proving a scene of his own.
As always, I will blabber some more in my end note.
This is the final story chapter of Ambition of the Red Princess, there will be two more epilogues (I will post both at the same time, since the first one is only a little over 4k words). And then I shall see you in the sequel, Ascension of the Red Princess.
The court, which previously had only heard some muffled murmur now explodes into a full on riot. The gathered nobility, and their escorts, begin to shout at the top of their lungs, either supporting Archduke Wales' motion, or accusing him of treason. Even Prince Joseph momentarily looks stunned before he quickly schools his expression into that of neutrality. The proposal from the head of House Arc came out of nowhere even for the mad prince of Gallia. There had been no love between their two families, even less so between the two of them. It's no close kept secret that Prince Joseph considers Archduke Wales one of his greatest competitors with House Arc being next in line for the throne if House De Gallia died out after House Melromarc, and the tenacious and honorable archduke being much more popular among the people than the mad prince. Yet, in Melromarc's most precarious time, the lord who should be noble about the nation and its people's greater good chose to support the rival of the queen instead of the queen for the nation's stability.
Malty realizes that Mother had truly miscalculated, and made a possibly fatal mistake. She overestimated her own importance, while under-estimated Archduke Wales' resolve. She thought the greater good for the nation was for her to remain its queen, and continue on with business as usual. Not exactly a wrong assumption when the Wave of Catastrophe still rages, while Father's misstep and the Three Heroes' Church's rebellion had given the rest of the world a good reason to go against Melromarc. Except Archduke Wales had clearly lost any and all faith in her abilities to keep pushing down opposition and keep the situation from deteriorating. Mother opens her mouth, but for the first time, there is shaking in her voice. Be it indignation, rage, or genuine fear. The reason is not important. "Do you not know what Joseph had done after the Great War? Of all the places occupied, or brought to ruin by the Siltvelt army, Gallia is the only region that hasn't recovered after twenty years. And it's all due to Joseph's paranoia to fuel an army above anything else. Running his own people into the ground in the process. Do you honestly believe someone like him would be right for our nation now in such a precarious time?"
"Yes. When the Wave of Catastrophe threatens to destroy the world, and the other nations threaten to declare a crusade on us, I would have a liege who is personally responsible for building an ironclad army, over an irresponsible, and incompetent tyrant who neglected her duty and try to blame her own staff." The archduke narrowed his eyes, and openly announced his disillusionment towards Mother. With this declaration, there is truly no come back with the relationship between House Melromarc and House Arc. Not till his, or Mother's death. Mother's loyal knights, and army commanders walk forward besides Sir Palmer. They don't pull out their weapons like the gleeful looking female knight, but all of them have their hands on their weapons. Archduke Wales' own men, and his allies do the same for him. Prince Joseph among them. In a morbid sense, Malty feels like her Mother should be proud of herself. She managed to do the impossible and created a De Gallia, Arc alliance out of thin air.
Chapter 132: Ambition of the Red Princess
Malty looks around. Despite helping Mother take back the capital from the rebelling church, neither General Anderson, nor Balmus' children made any effort to help the queen. It's understandable for Balmus' children, considering what the queen intended to do to their beloved Father. Malty thinks her mother is probably feeling thankful they aren't siding with Archduke Wales, or Prince Joseph now. Although General Anderson's neutral stance is much more interesting. On the one hand, he was also a good friend with both Father, and the late Pope Balmus. On the other hand... his only daughter married the lord of House Amelia. A political upheaval of Melromarc would not be beneficial to the most wealthy noble family. The general probably resigned to the fact that he is now forced to remain neutral. Then again, Duke Velthamor is also not doing anything and simply observing the situation.
"Please, call off your motion, Archduke Wales. There is nothing wrong with my queen's verdict. I take full responsibility and resign from my station as glorious Melromarc's king regent. As for your critique of our queen neglecting her duties by going on foreign trips. I'm sure this will stop now after we already went through such a great crisis." A voice stops the imminent bloodshred from happening on the soil of Melromarc Castle once again. Malty turns around with everyone, and sees Father pulling the crown off his head, and sets it in front of his knees with a painful finality.
"You don't have to do this, Aultcray. Everyone standing here knows, even if not all of them would admit. You are the reason we recovered after the Siltvelt occupation. You made mistakes, but so does everyone. It should not wash away all the good you have done." The head of House Arc takes his eyes off his immediate opponent who is trying to have him killed, and puts all his attention on the disgraced regent king. 'I will fight for you' is left unsaid, but his intention was made clear. Considering his lack of any previous affection towards Prince Joseph, it's reasonable to assume his act of 'betrayal' is motivated equally by his disillusionment towards his queen, as well as his loyalty to the king.
"I let my fear, and paranoia control my own actions. I nearly led my daughters to the slaughter, instead of keeping them safe like I wanted. I have clearly lost my mind in my old age, and can no longer serve as this nation's regent. For the good of this nation, its people, and my family. I will take responsibility and step down. And I accept any additional punishment. But please, do not penalize my family any more." Father slowly bends his back down, and has his head touch the ground in front of him, bowing towards the direction of the gathered lords. Archduke Wales immediately takes a step back, not willing to accept such a gesture from one of his former comrades in arms during The Great War.
"As you wish. I... retract my motion for the Vote of No Confidence. But rest assured. I will bring it forth again if I ever feel our gracious queen continues to neglect her duties owed to us." The archduke returns his weapon back to his sheath, showing that he is willing to step back first. The warriors loyal to Mother, or Mother herself still don't dare to take their eyes off him. The most immediate threat to her reign had been avoided thanks to her husband's self-sacrifice to take the fall, but it's not cleared away. For the Lord Paramount of Defiant Bay certainly didn't forget, or forgive all the queen's missteps till this point.
"Have you decided to return to the court where your talent might be better spent than ruling your own county, Lord Ascart?" After a long, silent pause. Mother finally pries her eyes away from Archduke Wales and looks at her former aid before Duke Luigi.
"No, my queen. The life of the royal court is not for me. I would rather spend my time among the verdant trees of Samphor, with my family. I raised my banners to stop a crisis near my home, and then to fulfill my duties to you by escorting your daughters. But now, I miss my wife and children dearly, and would love nothing more than to grow wings to fly back to them." Dan Ascart shakes his head, politely but steadfastly rejecting Mother's attempt to recruit him back into her court once again. It's clear he too, hasn't regained the faith of his queen back.
"It is truly a shame to our nation to lose your talent. But I would not force you on the matter. Marquis Noches, step forward." Instead of stepping forward like Mother commands him to, Bertia's Father nudges forward on his knees, and he didn't move a single step over the now resigned regent king. If Mother felt distaste towards Lord Douglas' subtle show of loyalty towards her husband, she didn't comment on it. "Since my husband chose to resign, there is no longer a need for the king's spies, or the rank of a spymaster. It was first assembled because the Shadows are only loyal to the queen, and as a king my husband needed his own eyes and ears. From now on, my Shadows will directly take command of your agents and oversee their actions. As for you, you have shown great initiation and integrity during the crisis caused by the rebels among the Three Heroes' Church. The Shield Hero... and my daughter are both alive thanks only to you. With my husband resigning from his position as glorious Melromarc's regent, I name you its prime minister. And you will take over all his former duties effective immediately."
"I refuse, my queen." Bertia's father replies without missing a single beat, as he bows his head down in the same position as the former king. His voice was strong and firm without hesitation. Openly, and almost proudly (despite, or perhaps because of his submissive outward posture) displays his full allegiance towards Father, even if the now disgraced, and resigned king is old news. "I have failed my duty as a spymaster. As my king's eyes and ears, I need to know any and all threats before him... but I also need to convince him of the gravitus of all threats. I have failed alongside my king, therefore it is not right to reward me for my actions, when my king took all the blame."
The silence hanging over everyone's head had once again become overbearing. Marquis Noches' refusal of the queen's promotion isn't the same as Archduke Wales' attempt at motioning for a vote of no confidence against the queen, even if it's much less severe by comparison. Archduke Wales is the Lord Paramount of Defiant Bay, and has an entire province of banners he can call upon. More importantly, he would immediately gain the tentative alliance of Prince Joseph, the lord of Gallia himself due to the mad prince being the candidate to replace the current queen as the supreme ruler. If Mother tried to push down his dissent, it would immediately result in the worst situation for her: a civil war between the Melromarc nobility right after Three Heroes' Church's failed rebellion. She can't afford such a situation when the Wave of Catastrophe hasn't reached its apex yet, and the threat of a crusade still hangs over her head.
The lord of House Noches doesn't have such luxury. He is one of the nobles under the banner of House Melromarc. With him openly defying his queen and his lady, Mother has every right to punish him the way she fits, so long as it's not excessive. The former spymaster is using his own life to show everyone his undying loyalty to the resigned regent king. Sir Palmer clearly knows this, as Mother's favorite thug takes a step over and raises her sword over the marquis' head. "You think I'm too afraid to remove your head from your shoulder, you traitor?! By your own words, your actions would be punishable by death!"
"NO! Father!" Bertia tries to run forward, but Iris immediately grabs her before the former 'pig' of House Noches could incriminate herself. Iris is much taller than her friend, and probably heavier too now that the former pig of House Noches had slimmed down. Yet, Bertia nearly pulls the Amelia heiress onto the ground. Both Tanya, and Barn end up giving Iris a hand, and the three of them finally stop Bertia from running over to her father. Glass, the personal maid of Bertia gives all of them, and even Marquis Noches a sideways glance, before looking forward like nothing has happened. As Bertia's personal maid, it's her duty to protect her lady from threats. But her duty does not stop at physical threat. Stopping the people from House Amelia from restraining Bertia would be more detrimental to her health.
"You have grown up when I wasn't looking, my daughter. And more importantly, you have Lord Spear Hero, House Amelia, and House Claes looking after you. You no longer need the dubious protection I as a father can offer you anymore. House Noches is up to you now. Look after your Mother, and your younger brother." Lord Noches ignores Sir Palmer's threat as he gives what might very well be his last will to his daughter. It makes the queen's personal attack hound look even more fuming than before. Finally, he turns his face back to the enraged knight with a solemn face. His back is straight, head held proudly high. "Do it."
"Take the position, Douglas." Before Sir Palmer could swing her sword down and kill Lord Noches, Father suddenly speaks up again. He may hate it, but as a prince adopted by the previous Faubley king, he knows more about The Game than Mother. He probably realized if Mother allows her thug to kill Lord Noches, it would set the wrong example. Perhaps nobody would dare to openly oppose her, but there will truly be no one holding any loyalty to her, other than the most foolishly loyal. "Do not think of this as a promotion, Douglas. Remember what you said to me when I suggested you take the position of the Prime Minister? It is a sacrifice you would bear for my family. I can no longer trust myself to make the right decisions to protect my family. And of anyone else, I trust you the most."
"Very well, Aultcray. I'll take the title for you. So I can look after your daughters." The marquis turns his attention back to the queen once again. His voice is much softer than before, filled with less jagged edges. Sir Palmer looked disappointed that she didn't get to strike down any 'traitor' to her queen, but Mother's face remained passive. "I shall take the position, my queen."
"Now that everything has been put back in order, it's time to commence Lord Shield Hero's punishment." The inquisitors from the Three Heroes' Church steps, but they look unsure of themselves. The tall, muscular beastman and the phoenix prince standing in front of Naofumi all glaring daggers at them with much more intensity than Mother's attack hound. But in the end, the Shield Hero steps over them and allows himself to be taken. After his level was reset, he had his upper body stripped bare and forced on his knees. Archduke Wales steps right behind him with an enchanted whip in his hands. A weapon that's designed to not cause maximum damage, but maximum pain to its victim. The daughters of House Arc behind their Father, Artoria's face a carefully constructed neutrality, Lancelotte's face look like it's about to break apart into tears, Mordred is filled with glee just short of rubbing her own hands.
"No! Father, NO! GET AWAY FROM FIRO! FIRO WILL KILL YOU ALL!" The gluttonous devil bird renews her effort to struggle against Motoyasu's children, but they do not budge. Fitoria wasn't kidding when she said that almost everyone of the Spear Hero's 'children' was stronger than the spoiled little shit.
"Stop fighting back, Firo! I failed as your father. I should have taught you better to let you understand that actions have consequences. Now, you'll see first hand what happens when we do things without thinking them through. If you don't want me to get hurt in the future, learn to control yourself. Don't go around hurting others simply because you can." The Shield Hero turns his head back to look at the gathered family of Jaune and give them a strained smile. "Do it. But after today, you won't take further action against Firo."
"I will dispatch my best men to ensure Lady Firo's safe arrival to Zeltoble... as well as her continued safety." Prince Kael'thas gives a challenging glare towards the Melromarc nobility standing near the queen. The phoenix prince clearly doesn't believe this will be the end for House Arc's grievance towards his king. Maybe there would even be attempts on Firo's life from Melromarc royal house to ensure the Shield Hero stays weakened.
"On our honor, we shall consider the blood debt paid after today. For what it's worth, Lord Shield Hero. I'm sorry it came to this." Archduke Wales frowns with a despondent look on his face. Just like his son Jaune, the Lord Paramount of Defiant Bay is also an honorable man if less naively idealistic as his son thanks to living through the Great War. No doubt, he would have been a great ally to the Shield Hero if Firo didn't kill his son.
The punishment commences even as Firo continues to scream loud protests. Both Archduke Wales and Artoria didn't lash the Shield Hero more than they have to. When is Lancelotte's turm, her fingers can barely grab the handle of the whip as she suddenly breaks into tears, throw the torture device onto the ground like it's hot iron and ran away. "I can't do it! It's not what Jaune would want!"
"Don't expect me to be as soft as that gluttonous pig, Shield Demon." Mordred bends down and picks up the pain enhanced whip dropped by Lancelotte. Without any more fanfare, she begins to furiously lash at the Shield Hero. Naofumi's face began to twist from the agony, but he didn't let out any scream. Perhaps he doesn't want to give those who are watching him suffer in delight anymore satisfaction, or perhaps he doesn't want to cause Firo, or the rest of his allies anymore distress. Regardless, even as Mordred goes much more above and beyond for punishment, to the point it looks like she's trying to kill him with her torture device, the Shield Hero remains as silent as he can.
"STOP IT! You are killing Naofumi!" Of Naofumi's allies, The Spear Hero is the first one to break through their ranks and tries to stop Mordred's wild wailing on the Shield Hero. And just like Bertia, he is stopped by Iris' arm. "Why are you stopping me, Iris? Can't you see what that- that cruel woman is doing?! She's trying to kill Naofumi!"
"The queen gives her permission to do anything to Master Shield Hero short of killing him to settle the grievance of her dead brother, in exchange to settle for Firo's exile rather than her execution. And he agreed to it. If you intervene, you will be the one breaking the queen's decree, face punishment, and null the agreement between them. House Arc will be within their right to demand Firo's death again." Iris is having a much more successful time stopping Motoyasu by herself than with Bertia. "People will step in if she goes too far!"
"How far is too far?! Because this looks like it's already gone too far for me." Itsuki's question towards Iris is met with silence. Of course, Malty, and likely the heroes already knew the answer since Iris said it out loud: Just short of killing the Shield Hero. A loud explosion makes the group wobble on their feet, they turn around, and see Motoyasu pointing his spear at the gate of the inner wall surrounding Melromarc Castle's palace. There is a huge hole in the side of the wall where the gate would fall, as enchanted and fortified rock crumbles down. The Spear Hero had lost his patience, and had taken his anger out on an inanimate object. Malty supposes she (and everyone else) should be glad he hasn't decided to attack one person.
"Are you openly rebelling against my queen now, you false heroes?! You think there'll be no consequences when you attack royal properties?!" Once again, Sarah Palmer waves her blade in the face of someone, this time her target being the Spear Hero. "Don't think I forgot you kidnapped Princess Melty while she was with the Three Heroes' Church. All I needed was a reason, and permission from my queen to take you to task with what you did."
"Bring it! I just had about enough with all of this bullcrap! Pull that- that mad woman away from Naofumi! Or else I'm batting her away myself no matter who tries to stop me!" This isn't the first time the Spear Hero yelled at a woman, but this is definitely the time that could be the most destructive. Sir Palmer wasn't simply a thuggish knight who threw her weight around (a certain overweight, mustached brute from the Bow Hero's group comes to mind. Malty wonders what happened to him.). Oftentimes, she is Mother's personal attack hound where Sir Palmer will act like a thug to push against opposition, and Mother will step in to hold her back if her opponent showed enough resistance to make the push not worth the trouble. A convenient brute to do things the queen can't be seen doing publically. Which means that Sir Palmer's action once again has Mother's backing. And the Spear Hero might push himself, if not the rest of the heroes, to oppose the queen of Melromarc right after their war against the Three Heroes' Church. Even if they somehow win again (which would be impossible without an army backing them), it would leave them all severely weakened when the rest of the nations come in to collect them.
"Motoyasu is right! This has gone way longer than a punishment. It's pure torture now! Call it off, or I'm joining him!" Itsuki takes a few steps over to stand beside Motoyasu. Ren didn't say anything out loud once again. But his intention is made clear as the Sword Hero stands on the opposite side of the Spear Hero from Bow Hero.
"That is more than enough, Mordred! Control yourself for the greater good of this nation! You aren't the only one who lost something dear with this foolishness!" Archduke Wales opens his mouth to yell at his daughter before Mother has a chance to make any decisions. When the youngest Arc sisters ignored him, he immediately gave a quick glance back. "Restrain her, Claudette, Elina!"
The Vance sisters immediately leaps forward, and pries Mordred screaming and kicking away from the Shield Hero. Naofumi's body falls face first towards dirt. The three heroes immediately run towards their fellow summoned hero, with Motoyasu screaming at his child. "Come with me, Yuki! Heal Naofumi!"
"Now that the punishment for Lord Shield Hero has concluded, bring all the bodies to the Cathedral of the Three Heroes. The blessed will rest in the Hall of the Martyrs, while the condemned will face their final judgment. I will join all of you shortly." Mother's eyes turn away from the now barely conscious Shield Hero and focus solely on her for the first time. "Come with me, my foolish first born. Now that you are the personal property of Lord Hero, therefore can't be pried away from him. I must make sure you will not give him bad advice that would lead him, and our glorious nation down a dark path."
Malty has to bite back the disrespect she has towards her Mother once again. Mother would absolutely want to see her guiding the Shield Hero to his fall like Con- Fuckboy predicted. The queen simply doesn't want her nation to go down in flames with one of her daughter's ambitions. Sir Palmer motions to follow, but Mother waved the stupidly loyal knight off. It brings Malty no comfort in their impending 'family chat'. Mother isn't a naive amateur bumbling her way through The Game like her too young and innocent little sister. She would not allow herself to be alone without protection. Even in the safety of her own home, with her daughter as her only company. That means the queen's Shadow would serve as her escort, which makes it even scarier than if Palmer is standing besides the queen. They are equally, if not more loyal to those wearing the crown than a mere knight, and unlike Sir Palmer they show no hesitation when they detect a threat (perceived or real) to their charge. They don't try to stop the assailant by intimidating them into submission, they simply remove the threat. Malty is under no illusion this would be different due to her family connection with Mother, especially considering her new identity as the Shield Hero's slave. Killing her would ensure the peaceful ascension of her younger sister, if one doesn't consider the feelings of the heroes.
With all these thoughts weighing her down once again, she moves to follow her mother into the palace castle. Mother's paces are elegant, but brisk. Showing she is still feeling anxious after what happened out in the courtyard. And why not? She nearly lost her throne if not for Father's sacrificial play in the end, and that bode ill for the princess turned slave herself. In the end, Mother didn't pick one of the more private rooms belonging to her in the upper level of the castle, but merely directed Malty towards one of the less used side rooms where they could get more privacy than the open hallway. "You have been busy playing The Game, my daughter. I will admit that I have underestimated you. I always thought you were short-sighted and impatient. That someone like you would take the first opportunity to gain something and call your favors rather than playing the long game. In that, I was wrong."
"Someone had to, my queen. With Father being consumed by his grief filled paranoia, someone has to make Lord Shield Hero realize that this nation isn't fully turned against him. To ensure he isn't fully turned against us." Malty keeps her posture submissive, and head as low as Jackson did in the courtyard. She had lost everything in this game, the trust from the Shield Hero, and her own royal status. Although the lateral wouldn't offer her any protection in this case when Mother tried to use it to send her to Faubley. Unlike her little sister Melty, she knows what happens when one plays The Game and loses, and she most definitely is a loser in this case as much as she hates to admit it. "I know the implication of Father summoning all four Cardinal Heroes to our nation. A crusade is likely coming from the rest of the world, and the only thing that might stave it off is the unity of all four heroes and their strength to stand against the world. In that, Lord Shield Hero is the most important piece with how much respect and devotion he commands from the beastman and demi-human. We can not afford to lose him, so I had to improvise and help him anyway I could after Father blocked our official path."
"Do not try to deceive me, my foolish daughter! I am your mother, I know all of your thoughts before you made them. You did not attach yourself, even forgoing your pampered life of royalty to the Shield Hero because it's the right thing to do for our nation and our people. No, you did it for yourself." Malty hears the abrupt clicking of Mother's heel hitting the enchanted stone floor. "If you had any concern for our nation and our people, it was so you could rule over them. If you placed the greater good for others above your own self-interest, you would not have left your relation, the Shield Hero's relation with my foolish, foolishly sentimental husband the way it is. And it ruined everything! You think I don't know what Aultcray did wasn't all his fault? That I don't realize he had his paranoia towards the Shield Hero reaffirmed due to your unusual behavior? No, you are the one who truly dug a chasm between my husband and the Shield Hero to the point there can only be war and thunder between them. And because of you, Aultcray ends up becoming closer and closer to the Three Heroes' Church. Because of you, the Three Heroes' Church had their opportunity to inflict the most destructive wound on our land since the Siltvelt occupation. Because of you, Archduke Wales nearly motioned forward his vote of no confidence and kicked me off my throne-"
"NO! YOU SHUT UP FOR ONCE!" That had been the last straw. Originally, Malty was going to bear everything Mother said to her with her head bowed low. Just like Lord Grima, she is also a survivor. It's much better to grovel in the dirt like a worm so she can fight for another day with the hope of truly settling her grudge rather than going out on an useless blaze of glory. And it's not like Uncle Aldrecht hasn't already made her face all her own hypocrisy and pretense all the way back at the village of Flute. Uncle Aldrecht... who is not related to her by blood in any sense, yet is arguably closer to her than her entire family. Least of all being her Mother. He died by her own hands, because she didn't realize what's truly important before it was too late. "Of all the people, you are the one who has no right to accuse me for ruining this nation for my own ambition! If anything, I learnt it all from you!"
For a short while, the high queen of Melromarc is completely silent around her own daughter. Only the ragged breath of Malty fills the room they are in. It didn't take long for Malty to realize that she had thoroughly disrespected her Queen Mother, that she could probably be condemned just like Firo. And it would even be more justified in this case. Well... considering she had already given Mother enough reason to punish her, she might as well keep going. "Archduke Wales had been right about you. You know? You neglected your duty as the high queen of this nation. Giving the job of governing, and ruling our land and our people to Father while you go on expensive foreign trips funded on the tax of our hardworking, honest common folks. And for what purpose? You know those animals from Siltvelt hate us, and we hate them right back for so many grudges built upon generations and generations of killing each other and worse. And the king of Faubley is a backstabbing snake pretending to be a harmless pig who will sell us out at the first opportunity. No. Your so-called 'negotiation for peace' doesn't benefit our people. It only benefits you where you get to keep your crown on your head as you sell out the money, the rights, and the wellbeing of our people to those who would help you claim your throne."
The princess turned slave has to take a moment to draw in deep breath again. And strangely, her Mother lets her rather than chastise her for her disobedience. After a while, she finally opens her mouth. "Pray tell. What would you have done differently to make the crisis we found ourselves in better in this case? It's easy to point at where I fall short of my duties, especially when Archduke Wales already did a fine job taking me to task. But do you have any better ideas that would have improved our situation?"
"You should have sent my Father to the conference in Cal Mira island, and not have gone yourself!" Mother's act of nonchalance makes Malty's blood boil. Well... if Mother thinks Malty is someone who can only mimic all her words from someone else, she clearly didn't underestimate her daughter enough. "The world conference against the Wave of Catastrophe required a member of royalty from all the nations to attend in order to negotiate for their right to summon one of the heroes. It never specified it had to The Ruler herself. As your regent king, Father is in a perfect position to not only attend, but to negotiate on our nation's behalf! He would have fought tooth and nail for our nation's interest, if for no other reason than his hatred towards the animals and his grievance against his adopted brother King Egbert. You, as our nation's supreme ruler, would stay back home, making the political landscape stable enough to deter any would-be Player who wants to overachieve in The Game from making power plays! But NO! You choose to go yourself. Either because you are genuinely arrogant enough to think you are the only one who can get it right, or because you were afraid Father would sour the relationship you built with the other nations so much, you would lose their support in helping you keep your mockery of a crown! And what's worse, you took Melty. Your designated heiress with you. And then you sent her back with a small detachment that could have easily had her overpowered and killed!"
"It is to my understanding that the Three Heroes' Church only launched their coup after my husband was nearly killed during the Third Wave by an invading foreign goddess." Mother narrows her eyes. "Do you hate me so much that you would rather it be me who almost gets killed by an outer goddess?"
"Oh, don't give that crap, Mother! That fucking goddess summoned by Lautrec only wanted to kill me. And maybe Pope Balmus. The only reason Father nearly died was because he jumped in front of me, used a forbidden spell that's fueled by his own blood on the goddess, and then assigned his hero weapon to me afterwards. Would you even jump in front of me, or would you happily sit back and allow the goddess to murder me?" Mother's silence speaks much louder than any of her words could. "I thought so."
Mother's eyes cast downwards rather than focused on her enslaved daughter. It seems like Malty's word did touch her somewhat, even if she is nowhere near as shaken as when Archduke Wales took her to task. Then again, that could have come from the fear of losing her throne rather than having her mistakes laid bare. But there are more personal ways Malty can stab back at Mother that's unknown by someone outside of their family. So she continues after a short beat. "What's more, you failed all of your family! And I'm not talking about myself, who you barely treat like your own flesh and blood. You can't be ignorant of your father's grief, but instead of helping him seek counseling, or trying to get justice for his sister for what Siltvelt did in The Great War, you throw him to the wolves and have him swarmed with work of ruling this nation. Works that should have been your own duties! You seeking peaceful negotiation is a slap to Father's face when his sister was taken by those animals... and when he lost the lives of his first wife, and daughter for the war you started!"
Mother's eyes shoot up, focused on Malty once again. There is alarm in them, making Malty wonder if she really had stepped over the line and brought doom to herself. Not that it matters much when she had already lost everything. But after a while, whatever intense emotion in Mother's eyes fades away. "Did Aldrecht tell you this?"
"I visited the ruins of Flute village with Master Naofumi. I saw the graves myself." The princess turned slave didn't give a straight answer back to her mother. "And let's talk about how you treat Melty, shall we? Your precious heiress, who on the surface got all the love and care from you my father and I never got. But I know the truth. You treat her more like a tool that will inherit your throne than an actual daughter. She's only a little over ten, yet she was forced to study subjects that should be way above her understanding. Which you simply forced her to memorize rather than her grasp, and understand the concept because of her lack of life experience. And you know what's truly ironic about this situation? The precious gold heir you did everything to keep away from me, because you fear some of my own bad habits would rub off on her. She's the one who comes seeking me out! Because I'm the one who will take time to read her stories, or take her out for rides. I treat her like a real person of her age, not you!"
Once again, the room goes back to silence aside from Malty's ragged breathing. After a long while, my Mother started to speak. Her eyes are still downcast, and her voice sounds far away. Almost like she is speaking from a dream. "There once was an overly ambitious princess, who coveted the throne that didn't belong to her. Her pride made her ignorant of her mother, and her sister's abilities and achievements. She thought them weak, only able to hold onto their power by appeasing to outside forces rather than facing them heads on. How could the crown passed down from Queen Evangeline, the fierce warrior queen who saved this nation from the brink during the Wave of Catastrophe be held by such weaklings? So with ambition alone, she raised an army and formed a contract with the young king of Faubley. They will break down the empire the King of Rape transformed Siltvelt into. Removing the biggest threat to human nations, and gaining enough prestige among both the nobility and the common people for her to inherit the throne. Regardless of her mother's wishes."
Malty's first reaction towards Mother's words is to scoff. This time, she didn't hold it back considering how much disrespect she had already openly shown her mother. To think her mother would still chastise her even after Malty pointed out all the flaws of her mother. But the princess turned slave quickly realized her own mistake. She had never started a war herself, let alone working together with some young foreign king. No, Mother is talking about her own past. Malty doesn't want to admit it, but... she sees similarity to the mother she despised with herself.
"The king of Faubley left me to the hungry beasts, and I led them to our nation when they torched the land and ravaged our people. All I could do was run, trying to save myself. My mother and my sister, who I thought were weak... Mother stayed behind in Melromarc Castle and sent myself and my sister south. She died together with the capital, and let the two of us live. And when the Siltvelt pursuers caught up with us, my sister, Princess Margaret was the one that led them away while I cowered in the carriage. I am not the warrior princess who survived the Siltvelt army through my valor and reclaimed our nation. That is nothing more than a myth to legitimize my claim to the throne. I was a coward who took credit for what others did. But at least I know how to be a bad ruler. That's why I need to hold this throne, so I can continue to direct this nation till I find... or raise a proper ruler." Mother's eyes finally leave her own feet and look up at Malty. "That person is not you, Malty. You are too much like me: A creature who is driven by ambition but lacks wisdom. Someone who will not only burn ourselves, but everyone around us to ash. The one who sits on the throne has to be someone who doesn't want power. Someone who will be responsible for it, rather than using the power to fulfill their own personal ambitions."
"Are you saying... after all that political power play you just did. You didn't want this throne to begin with?!" Malty can't help herself, she balls up her fist and takes a step towards her Mother. She feels like punching her Mother in the face, the (hidden) presence of the queen's shadow be damned. "I can't believe this. All the suffering you caused Master Naofumi... all the humiliation Father suffered for you. Just for a crown and a throne you didn't care for to begin with. If you hate it so much, why don't you abdicate!? I'm sure there are plenty who want it!"
"Have you not heard what I just said, you foolish girl?! This is the reason why I can't pass the throne to you!" Mother seems to regain her energy as she pushes herself up from the chair she is sitting, and stands up to full height with her back straight. "I am holding onto this throne because there's no one who can do better at our current time. Who will I abdicate to that would be better for this nation, and more importantly, its people?! Prince Joseph of House De Gallia? He is a cold blooded, paranoid monster who would rather starve all his vassals to death than live without his ironclad army!"
Malty thinks back to the short time she spent in Gallia... most importantly. The city of Gallia. She hates to agree with her own neglectful, downright abusive Mother. Yet she can't argue against the truth. After witnessing how Prince Joseph ruled his own city, she knows the mad prince of House De Gallia is not the right pick as her nation's supreme leader in spite of what Archduke Wales thinks, at least not in the long run when the Wave of Catastrophe passes.
"Archduke Wales would be a better pick than Prince Joseph. He is noble and fair, but he lacks the flexibility to rule our entire nation. He would not allow lesser evil to happen under his watch for the greater good, and he can not make tough decisions needed for the survival of an entire nation. What's worse, his claim to the throne would be weaker than Prince Joseph in terms of dynasty succession. House Arc claims the closest relation with the dead out house of Albion royal family, but they are not the direct descendent. Unlike Prince Joseph, who is the legitimate heir to the Gallia royal family, Prince Joseph would not allow Archduke Wales to rank above him, and there would be civil war in our nation if Archduke Wales became our king!" Mother begins to list all the possible candidates to the throne, and shoots them down just as quickly.
"Duke Amelia's family has the wealth and power to take over our nation, and he himself has enough talent to rule. But he lacks enough claim through dynasty succession, and the other great houses will not accept his claim. Once again there will be civil war. Same reason for Duke Velthomer. The crusader block is the backbone of our nation's military might, but the other noble houses will not accept someone who claims no direct descendants from one of the older kingdoms."
"In spite of all the mistakes I made, I am the only pretender to this throne that could keep the situation even relatively stable. Anyone else would only make the situation worse, in the long run, or even in the short time. That's why I can not leave the throne even if I have made so many mistakes, and hurt so many people. The best thing, and the only thing I can do, is to make sure my successor will not be a pretender anymore, but a true queen who will truly care for the people under them, and do what's best for them." Mother slowly turns away from Malty as she begins walking towards the door. Apparently to the pretender queen of the (not so) glorious Melromarc, this conversation is now over.
So that's all you have to say? With all the pain you caused everyone? We all deserve it because of what you did twenty five years ago?" Malty turns on her heel and glares at her mother. "I didn't choose this. Melty didn't choose this. The only one who was even alive back then was my Father, and did he even choose this?! How is this even fair to any of us?!"
"It is not fair, my daughter. But neither is you being born a princess, living a pampered life with the tithe of the common people, is it? With how much we enjoyed our right of royalty, we must bear the duty that comes with it." Mother slowly turns around, gives Malty one last look that feels more like an afterthought. "For what it's worth, I'm sorry for what I did."
"Fuck you, Mother." Malty spits out before Mother could fully walk away, making the Queen stop for a moment, not even gracing her with turning back to look at her. Malty knows that she's sounding damn near like Fuckboy at this point, practically spitting in the face of her rule, but she's essentially been thrown into reckless abandon, so what's the harm of going a little further?
"You don't get to just walk off with such a half-assed apology, like that actually means anything to me at this point. We may be similar in some regards … but where you are wrong is the fact that I never got the luxury of cowering like a gutless coward in a carriage when the world was burning around me and riding the coattails of others to save my own skin. Or getting 'lucky' and having my sister and mother killed because of my own fuckup. Or selling my own damn daughter to a rapist to save my own ass," Malty says with every last bit of venom, anger and resentment of everything she has suffered these past few days at her sorry excuse of a Mother. " You can hide behind that fan as much as you want Mother, but you and I both know that you're still the same sniveling, self-absorbed coward who thinks too highly of herself and blames everyone around her for her own failures. At least I can say that I survived on my own power. You just rode Father's coattails to your precious throne."
Mother doesn't react, in fact she seems perfectly still as Malty delivers her next words.
"If anybody deserves to fall on sword for the 'greater good' then - it is you, if you care so damn much about Melromarc," Malty said, letting it all out. "It's what you deserve for all the suffering you brought on our people and nation."
The Queen doesn't turn to face her, only a slight turn of her head indicates that she listened to what she said. To her surprise, she gives an almost solemn nod. "Maybe you're right..." That was all she said, before she walked away silently.
Malty feels her rage rising up once again. How dare her Mother give such a half hearted apology after everything she did. And she can hear Mother's unsaid words in the end. She may feel sorry for the things she did, but she would do it again if she were to go back in time and have a chance to be different. Right after the unfair verdict she passed to the Shield Hero ... and her wrath was drained just as quickly when she thought of Naofumi. Hasn't she done the same to the Shield Hero for what she accused of Mother? Malty supposed in the end, Mother was right about one thing. She truly is too much like her own mother in all the worst ways possible. And now ... it's time for her to face the Shield Hero's judgment just like the queen (nearly) faced the judgment from the nobility under her.
The walk back to the courtyard felt much longer when she came. The gathered nobility and their escort have all left. Clearly, for the cathedral where Pope Balmus' final punishment would take place. Only the heroes, and their own procession is left hovering over Naofumi. Firo is already nowhere to be seen, likely escorted to Zeltoble by the Siltvelt warriors as promised by Prince Kael'thas. The phoenix prince is also the first to turn around as he narrows his eyes at Malty, his hand hovering towards the hilt of his blade on his waist. But it's Motoyasu who says the first words. "I think we should give Naofumi and Me- Princess Malty some privacy. Guys."
"I would like to point out to you that Malty has already forsaken her title as a princess, Master Motoyasu. Still addressing her with her royal title will cause confusion." Iris gives a sideways glance at Malty, and then looks back at both Motoyasu and Melty. Malty doesn't fault her childhood playmate for her sudden cold behavior. With her now being an ally to the Crown Princess Melty, she can't be seen as openly supportive of the fallen first born. Addressing Malty as a princess would give all the players in The Game wrong ideas about House Amelia.
"Says the queen, not me! Malty has more royalty in her little finger than that queen's entire body." Motoyasu crosses his arms in front of his chest, and mumbles through a puffed up face. Melty is actually nodding her head furiously behind him.
"You can throw your tantrum somewhere else. Like you said, let's give Naofumi and Malty some privacy first." Ren drags the Spear Hero away. Everyone else from the three heroes' group follows their example and walks away from the inner wall gate. The only ones left are the Shield Hero's group, and Naofumi's newly recruited Siltvelt guards.
"It's alright. No one's going to try to assassinate me here." The Shield Hero places one hand on Prince Kael'thas' arm. The phoenix prince gives him a long pause before nodding and leaving with the beastmen raiders and Naofumi's companions. Raphtalia gives the two of them a long stare before trailing after the rest.
The princess turned slave slowly stops in front of the Shield Hero, and kneels down in front of him so their eyes meet on the same level. She takes a deep breath, and tells the Shield Hero her secret he had already known back when they were fighting against Pope Balmus' men. "I... guess it doesn't matter now. But I have lied to you this whole time, Master Naofumi. I am not some commoner living in the village of Samphor, but the first born daughter of Queen Mirellia and King Aultcray."
"I know. I mean ... I kind of figured it out for a long time. Around the time after we were backstabbed by Three Heroes' Church after the Third Wave." Naofumi's response manages to surprise Malty. "Because you know... that guy Straybow kind of explained why you were the first princess of this country when we were at Graile. I know more than he did, so that's also what I figured. I just wasn't sure if I was right or not. At least till the church said your identity out loud."
Oh, right. She honestly should have expected this from Naofumi, since he had shown time and again he wasn't an idiot who ignored details like a certain Spear Hero. Now that Malty thinks about it, she should have figured this out herself around the same time as when they were planning their rebellion in Graile. Before this point at the ruin of Flute village, Naofumi was openly showing his distaste towards the entire royal family (which includes her own true identity, the first born princess of Queen Mirellia) after she told him what her mother did during The Great War. Yet, he was openly showing concern for the safety of this same first princess of Melromarc when they were at Graile. She thought it was his compassion overtaking his annoyance at someone, but it made more sense if he realized, or at least suspected she was this princess. But it still doesn't explain why he was willing to give her the benefit of the doubt after she deceived him.
"The Three Heroes' Church was the reason why you had to hide who you were, right? You somehow learnt their conspiracy, but they obviously had your Father fooled into fighting against me. Or maybe they already had some plan to take your Father hostage. That's why you were forced to join the Shield Demon under a false alias: To protect your family and stop those bad guys from the Three Heroes' Church. Maybe... even helping me?" The Shield Hero's analysis leaves Malty completely speechless. On the one hand... she had suspected foul play from the Three Heroes' Church. Much like her mother, she had assumed malicious intentions from their family's biggest supposed ally for a long time, especially after her private meeting with Pope Balmus when he was treating her cursed wound. But no, she definitely didn't know about their conspiracy, and she definitely didn't help the Shield Hero for his, or her family's sake. She did it for her own personal ambition, and she had a hand in driving Naofumi and her Father apart as a result.
The princess turned slave wonders if she is in a dream, where the hero she had been deceiving and manipulating this whole time somehow assumed the best intention from her. It would have been a great opportunity to simply let him continue to believe in her benevolence. So she would not lose everything even after her fall from grace. With his gratitude and help, maybe there'll be a chance for her to claim her royal heritage. After all, the only reason she threw it away in the first place was because that's the only way to escape her marriage to her Faubley 'uncle' when her mother tried to force the issue. And it would be an issue no more if the Shield Hero (who has more than an amicable relationship with his fellow heroes, including the Spear Hero who should be supporting her little sister Melty) gained enough power and prestige to resist the king of Faubley. And really, who is going to prove otherwise to The Shield Hero when he already believed in her intention? The only one who has enough authority, and would speak badly about her own character would be her mother, and Mother had already thoroughly soured her own relationship with the Shield Hero to not have him believe her words being baseless slanders.
There is no such thing as a do or do not in life. Anyone who honestly believes they will accomplish only what they set out to do is a fool, no matter how pure the intention, no matter how simple the action. There is only try, or not have tried at all.
Uncle Aldrecht's words echo in her head once again. Was not her 'making up lies for now, worry about the consequences later' attitude what caused all this pain and suffering to everyone? Would things have been better, if at least she made a concerted effort to win Father over to her side from the beginning? Father was desperate to make sure Melty and herself stayed safe, and he only lost his mind when he thought she was somehow enchanted by the evil Shield Demon. There was a chance that he would keep her away from the dangerous Shield Hero if she made her intention clear, but there is also a chance he would listen to her and get to see through all the lies for who Naofumi really was. All the prosecution Naofumi and his companions received would not have happened. There's a chance the coup launched by the Three Heroes' Church would not have happened. At the end of her ambition, could she not be honest to the person she grew to care about the most one last time?
"That... is not true, Master Naofumi. I hid my identity from everyone, and got close to you for selfish reasons." Malty fights to keep her voice from breaking down. Now that she is finally ready to tell one of the truths to Naofumi after lying and misleading him for so long, it feels very difficult. "I overheard my mother ready to give me to my Faubley uncle when I was young. So I knew only marriage to someone who would be above the Faubley king will save me from this fate: a marriage to one of the heroes. Possibly even winning the throne for my own nation. I hid my identity from all of you. First because I wanted to know which one of you is the best match for me. And I continued to hide my identity from you because I know my father would not approve of us together. I made him think you were some evil witch who put a spell on me, and made him continue to antagonize and prosecute you. And I made the rebellion of the Three Heroes' Church possible. All for my personal ambitions,and not for some greater purpose."
The princess turned slave feels completely drained, but also a great sense of relief that her biggest lie to the Shield Hero is finally cleared. She bows her head low, and ready for his judgment. She doesn't know how long it actually took. It feels like a long weight, yet also happened in an instance. And Naofumi's reply was much simpler than anything she imagined. "Okay."
"WHAT DO YOU MEAN 'OKAY'?!" Malty's head shoots up as she looks at Naofumi's face. The Shield Hero looks nonplussed... no, upon closer inspection he actually looked nonchalant at the revelation she had to work up all her courage for. "I just told you all this mess we're in happened because I lied to everyone for my selfish desire. And your response is just 'okay'?"
"Well... first of all, The Three Heroes' Church's coup isn't caused by you. I'm sure your action made it easier, but they didn't immediately go mustache twirling evil McFuckface as soon as you went against their plan to accuse me at the start. Hell, they didn't do anything even after the first wave we were in when I 'neglected my heroic duties'. It only happened after Lautrec summoned his fucking goddess, and she hurt so many people. You don't have anything to do with Lautrec, or the bitch goddess, do you?" Malty shakes his head, and Naofumi nods. "Right. So you did not cause the rebellion by the church even if your action indirectly helped them."
The Shield Hero slowly turns his head to face away from Malty. For a brief second, the princess turned slave wonders if he no longer wishes to look at her. But then, she realized his face doesn't show disgust, but shame. "Also... I have been lying to you too. All those things I told you about our world. Those with special powers... all of them are make-believe. Stories people made of them with imagination. And I wasn't some well-prepared hero who went to a school trained to save worlds. I went to some third rate school to study economy, how to run a business. Because my marks weren't good enough to get into one of the best academies from my country."
It takes a few moments for Malty to process what Naofumi said. She has to take a pause for how he seems to think the fact he 'lied' (which is more like he didn't clarify Malty's misinterpretation) to Malty about his past, and his world makes him as bad as hers. "That's... not the same as what I did, Master Naofumi. Your 'lies' didn't make a ruler of one of the most powerful nations become so paranoid, it destabilized the entire country and caused countless deaths. Plus, you did use all the knowledge you learnt from the 'make believe' from your world and applied it to both your shield, and your own skill. If anything, that makes you an even better hero as you are able to adapt what you know and apply them into your act of heroism. Not someone who gets trained by an institution and doesn't know what to do in situations they aren't prepared for."
"That's- that's not the point I'm trying to make! What I'm trying to say is... there's nothing wrong with you doing things for your own benefit. Because who doesn't want to look after themselves first? A few selected saints, that's who. You were about to be given to some fucking sadistic rapist. Of course you want to save yourself first! And it's not like you were actively hurting us to get what you wanted. You could have easily gone with that false... accusation and sell me out. But you didn't. And there were plenty of times you put yourself at risk for other people. Hell, you actively hurt yourself when you burned your face to hide your true identity, and went to look for information after I lost my shield." Naofumi quickly holds his hand up to ask for Malty's silence. The princess turned slave obliged him, and the Shield Hero began to scratch his head with his hand. He looks embarrassed this time as a blush appears on his face. "And what's more... the way you are determined to change your own fate and never give up even in the worst time. I found that really... attractive..."
"WAH~?" This time, Malty is truly left speechless. Of all the things Naofumi would say, she didn't expect him to still find her appealing.
"Yeah... sorry! Was I too blunt? I don't talk with girls a lot, like Motoyasu. He'll probably word it better." The Shield Hero quickly begins to wave his hands in front of Malty. His face looks like a startled rodent, carefully observing the situation to make sure there's no sign of danger. "What I'm trying to say is... I give up too easily. I gave up trying when my parents kept praising my little brother for being a better student till I met my best friend. And I immediately gave up on my life when I failed to get into Tokyo University with him. And... I almost gave up living after what the Three Heroes' Church did after the Third Wave. You had to slap me back to my senses. I... I can never get over the sense of disappointment of failing even after trying my best. So I thought it's better to not try at all. But you aren't like me. You hold your head high even when everything turns against you, and you continue to try for a better outcome for yourself. And that's really inspiring... and attractive. If I'm with you... I feel like some of your resolve would rub off on me."
Malty didn't let Naofumi say anything more. She leaps forward, and presses her lips on his. The first kiss she shared with Naofumi isn't as bitter as the one Raphtalia gave her, on account of there's no poison curing antidote between their tongues. There is still a bitter aftertaste, considering what her Mother forced on them. But she can't ask for much more with her first proper kiss.
"...wow. I... I never..." Naofumi looks to be in a daze after their lips come apart. After taking a few deeper breaths, the Shield Hero looks at Malty once again. "Right... let's not keep secrets and lie with each other from now on."
"Are you sure about that, Master Naofumi? Because I'm nowhere near as nice as 'Mein of Samphor'."
"Yeah. But I would like to know the real you. Not some make-believe character that doesn't exist. And... I'll make sure to tell you my next idea comes from some fantasy the next time I come up with something." The Shield Hero extends his left hand out to grab Malty's shoulder. He pulls her closer to him, so their heads touch each other. "Come on. Let's... not keep the others waiting and worried."
Ambition without wisdom is like a bird with no wings. On this day, Malty Sophia Melromarc learnt that when one ambition of hers dies, another one rises its head. She supposed she can't ask for anything else.
End Note:
So, as the beginning said. Final story chapter, hopefully Malty got a good (if not a few) mic drop on her mother, and she got hit by a mic drop from Naofumi in return.
XD
Whipping boy's bitch more or less single handedly created a Lannister/Stark alliance against her with Joseph De Gallia and Wales Arc. Or would a Lannister/Stannis alliance be more fitting? Anyways...
As I already explained (ranted) in detail from last chapter, I don't like how whipping boy's bitch was written in canon where she's just a badly thought out 'good ruler' to counter balance Trash being a 'bad ruler' in that it makes absolutely no sense with details already established by Alenko. So my idea from very early on in the story, is she is the rational side of ruler, while Trash is the emotional side of ruler. Obviously, both have their places, but they are both ineffective ruler due to them being beaten down by the trauma from The Great War.
The seemingly hatred of Whipping boy's bitch towards Malty is finally revealed in this chapter where we gets her explanation. She doesn't actually hate Malty. She hates herself for what she did in The Great War, and her opinion on Malty is simply affected due to Malty taking too much after her.
And of course... Naofumi reveals that he figured out how Malty really was a fairly long time (in term of chapter count, not actual chronological time) ago. He just thought she had to hide her true identity because of what the church planned to do and actually did. Hope this was telegraphed well that it doesn't feel like it came out of the left field. Naofumi did have a completely 180 on his attitude towards the princess of Melromarc when he initially dismissed her as someone possibly worse than the queen, and then he suddenly started to openly worry for said princess around the Graile arc. It's okay if you didn't remember these details because of how long I took to write the story and because I didn't reinforce them enough in my story. I myself forgot all about it, until I read someone's entry for my story's TVtrope page.
:P
Malty finally found the courage to tell Naofumi the truth that she was using him. After he revealed his own, correct guess on her real identity, and remembering some words from her mentor. Now all the lies have came down, and they are ready to begin anew just like the story. Not before they seal their new relationship with a kiss, of course.
:)
I will hopefully see you all in the sequel!