EPILOGUE.

Sitting in a corner Erica watched as her new minders played with their babies in one of the many, many chambers of the palace.

Watching the Pirate's Bane chasing his crawling and laughing baby boy while making silly growling noises was surreal.

But even that paled in comparison to watching the villainess of the game making silly faces to make the daughter of the protagonist smile.

All her life Erica watched Angelica grow to become the villainess she knew from the games and that led her to believe her fate was sealed.

She resented them. How could she not?

Yesterday she learned that all her half siblings were executed… all of them!

Including lil Richie!

And in contrast, both of the blondes are pregnant with their second child!

"They are cute aren't they?" a voice she barely knew called out to her.

"Lady Bartfort" she greeted the youngest Bartfort girl: Finley. "Are you here to gloat?" she asked, she hadn't exactly harassed her when they were both at the academy, but she was sure she inconvenienced her more than once just by keeping an eye on her.

"Not exactly, considering that you had the power to make my life a living hell in the academy keeping an eye would be considered kind of you, besides you were never deliberately mean to me… other than when you tried to kidnap me I mean" she jested, and she almost got her to smile.

"There was no reason to antagonize you, we both knew where we stood and what we would try to do" she wouldn't call their time at the academy a chess game, but both of them did their best to either escape notice or to sneak followers to observe the other, but it was kind of fun.

"It was almost fun though" Erica doesn't know what this girl's intentions are and she is not in the mood for games right now.

"What do you want, Lady Finley?" she asked.

"To welcome you to the family I guess" that took her off guard, what was Finley talking about?

"You do know I'm your brother's hostage don't you?" Erica asked with sarcasm.

"No noble family is complete without one" the matter of fact tone Finley used to deliver that sentence almost got her to fall off her chair.

Erica glared at the girl, she was not in the mood for jokes, so she gave the Bartfort girl her nastiest glare to convey her message: Leave me alone!

Finley held her gaze for a few seconds before sighing and speaking "Look, I know you are grieving your half-siblings, but that's outside our control… and remember, had your family won, no Redgrave or Bartfort would have been spared."

She knew Finley was right, but House Holfort lost and the Redgraves became the monsters who slaughtered children, truly, humans are no different than animals, in fact this was eerily similar to a male coalition of lions taking over a pride of lionesses.

Erica knew that the tables had turned and now she couldn't tell her rival to get lost like she could have done a couple of months back, so she instead lowered her head and hoped the girl would leave her alone!

She was surprised when instead of walking away, Finley hugged her awkwardly "Listen, I don't hate you and I don't think they do either." She said while pointing at the happy family.

The Pirate's Bane was laying on the carpeted floor watching as his women tried to make his children play with each other, but them being as young as they are made it look as if it was two young women playing with dolls, a satisfied look on his face as his hands reach and caress the saintess belly and tenderly caresses it and then he caressed Angelica's belly as well.

Angelica smiles for a moment but for a second her smile drops and she had a faraway look on her face that reminded Erica that the blonde was also grieving her older brother, the one she named her baby after.

They really looked like a nice albeit unconventional family.

"Leon isn't the brother I wanted for you, but he is still a good man. I'll leave you to mourn, but know that I hope we can become friends in the future"

As Erica watched Finley join her brother's family and tried to get Angelica to part with the baby girl her eyes found the figure of Hero of the war, he was looking at the scene with a content smile that grew bigger once Finley gave up, hugged Angelica and joined her in making silly faces.

She envied them and hated them.

But at the same time: Angelica was the reason she was alive right now, and as someone who experienced death before she was thankful for the second chance she got in this life and the fact that she needed a second chance was stunning because she had an unfair advantage thanks to her memories from the game.

Had she been more proactive, could she have done more to save her family?

She knows it is pointless but she can't help but wonder about how things would have changed if she wasn't afraid to change what seemed to be a good ending scenario.

Her lessons in this life taught her that her brother's actions could end in conflict and yet she did nothing thinking that this all was part of the fate that would help him and the kingdom survive an apocalypse.

How could she have guessed that her innactions would cost her so dearly?

It was as if fate itself was putting a blindfold on her eyes because even when she noticed the existence of another reincarnated person she could not find any flaws in her plans, everything seemed to go smoother than the original plot for a couple of years even!

Looking at the happy young family she remembered how her attempt to take Finley hostage ended because she had help from a familiar.

Erica had thought for a while that maybe Finley or someone close to her could be another reincarnated person, but she never had the chance to think much about it because soon enough Fanoss attacked.

Could one of them be a reincarnated person just like her?

This wasn't the first time she had thought this, but this was the first chance to test her theory.

"Are you japanese?" she asked in nihon-go, loud enough to be heard by everyone in the chamber.

"Yes, I am." Her eyes widened when Lord Leon replied without hesitation in perfect nihon-go.

She knew she wasn't the only one to have reincarnated in this world, Marie seducing the five capture targets so easily practically put a bright neon sign above her head.

And for that very reason she never suspected another reincarnated person could be as sneaky as this man had been.

He hid in plain sight and replaced a character that was probably mentioned just once to devastating effect.

Erica noticed Angelica and Olivia staring at her with surprise.

At her, not their husband.

Are they aware their husband is a reincarnated person? But Finley's confused expression told her she didn't.

"We have a few things to talk about" the other reincarnated said in nihon-go again "Finley, please keep an eye on Gil and Dalis." Despite being clearly surprised Finley still nodded after a couple of seconds, Lord Leon then helped his women to stand up and then he guided them to the chamber Angelica used to occupy when she was her mother's personal handmaid.

The room wasn't what would be afforded to a normal handmaid, it easily accommodated the Duke's daughter, her husband and sister wife after replacing the single bed for a much larger bed.

The room had a nice view of one of the gardens and it had a desk and a few extra chairs.

Angelica sat on the bed with the protagonist, and was promptly embraced by her.

Various reports described them as close, but that didn't sink in until she saw the protagonist embrace Angelica in a comforting and intimate manner that Angelica seemed to take comfort in.

Erica remembered just then, that despite their total victory, the Redgraves didn't escape unscratched, Angelica's brother perished in battle and the Redgrave's line of succession was not all that clear at the moment.

Taking a deep breath she spoke in nihon-go again "Aren't you going to send them away?" she asked while looking at the blonde women in the room.

"I came clean with them before the battle, if anything this will further prove I wasn't lying when I told them I was a reincarnated man." Her fellow Reincarnated person surprised her, she never once thought of telling her family, first because she had no proof of it but mostly because if they didn't believe her her life would be over one way or another.

Erica nodded and thought what to say, she only spoke in nihon-go on a whim, not really expecting the Pirate's bane to be the reincarnator.

If she was honest with herself, she was baiting Finley to make a fool of herself by following her lead and speaking nonsense in front of her brother and sisters-in-law.

"Is it true that most of the things in the dungeons are just mundane things?" The protagonist asked with genuine curiosity.

Erica never expected a question like that, didn't seem really that important in the grand scheme of things to really think about the uses of the objects left behind in the dungeons, but somehow that was important for the saintess.

"Well… considering that most of the things found in dungeons like the one in the capital are electric switches, home appliances and bending machines, yes most of them are just things people use everyday." as far as she knew all of the really valuable things found originally inside the dungeons were already removed.

"Leon 50 Livia 0" Angelica giggled and the protagonist pouted, clearly, she was missing context here.

"The game was rigged!" the protagonist protested, it was bizarre to see a person like her acting kind of childishly after commanding two armies to fight till the bitter end!

"Just like most of the machines in the dungeons" Said Leon causing Angelica to laugh out loud and the saintess pout to intensify.

"Is there something wrong Erica?!" Angelica asked sharply, her comment caused the protagonist to put her guard back up after their short display of humor.

"It's a bit strange to see the Saintess, in such a domestic setting after… after, you know" she couldn't bring herself to say it, but it was nerve wracking to see such a powerful person acting so normal after sealing most of her family's fate!

"At the end of the day, Livia is just as human as the people walking on the street, like Angie, or even us," Leon said defensively.

She got the message, this is a sensitive topic and she better stir clear from it.

And so, she did and took the opportunity to ask one of the questions she had in mind ever since she learned about Marie's existence.

"How old were you when you died… the first time?" Erica lived to her sixties and she thought her previous life experience had helped her greatly… but given her current situation she wondered if being too cautious in this life was not the blessing she thought at first.

"I died early in my life, in an accident." The young man admitted with a bit of shame in his voice. "How about you?"

So he was only a kid when he died in his previous life?

Like her uncle whom she never met… Could he be her uncle?

It would be too convenient to assume that. The possibilities are probably too low to even bother asking.

Although Leon's early demise in his previous life would explain the boldness he displayed in this life.

"That would explain why you acted so recklessly, endangering your family like that" she scolded, gaining a raised eyebrow from the young man and his wives.

"You lived longer than me then, perhaps you were an old woman, or an old man in your previous life?" Leon correctly deduced, "Ageist."

Erica glared lightly at the last, almost unheard remark but held her tongue, accidents don't pay attention to people's age, her uncle in her previous life also died young after all.

But she had to recognize that their past lives experiences are of little importance in this one, especially considering how vastly different the world is…

And that is ignoring the results of their actions in this life.

And if she insisted on this matter he would likely point out that he is older than her in this life.

She needed some kind of leverage, she would have liked that neither Angelica nor the protagonist knew about his status as a reincarnated person to put some pressure on him, but the young man took that option away.

But Erica was not without cards to play, Leon acted by mostly staying out of the game's plot, assuming he left the second game's protagonist to fend for herself in Alzer like she did with Mia but there was still the issue of the third game, and nothing he has done so far suggested he knew about it.

There was the possibility that he died before the third game was released!

"What do you want from me?" she asked, and depending on his answer she would decide what exactly she could ask for information about the third game.

"That is a good question." Leon said, turning to look at his wives, Angelica was still in the protagonist's arms… and the protagonist's arms were caressing the red eyed woman's belly rather sensually.

"Gilbert died in battle…" Erica felt a knot form in her throat when she noticed the sadness in Angelica's voice, war is such an awful thing.

She heard once in her previous life that war leaves no victors, just survivors, and that seemed truer than ever right at this moment when the loyalist will probably use any excuse to deny the Redgraves suitability to rule.

"And Lord Roseblade and Lord Atlee are in a private conference with father… This might seem conceited, but I think they'll try to appoint Leon as the next king… Do you understand what that means, Erica?"

With great effort she managed to undo the knot in her throat and gulp.

Erica knew all too well what that meant.

Her being taken as Leon's concubine and bearing him a child would pacify many Holfort's loyalists.

Even if in the future those same loyalists would push for her child to inherit the throne they would be much more manageable…

"Would you force that on me?" she asked Leon, her voice trembling.

"I'm quite capable of artificial insemination if you do not desire to engage in coitus with master" A floating, blue spherical object materialized out of nowhere and answered instead of Leon, was it a pay-to-win item? "Of course I would make sure any offspring you have would be female."

"We talked about this last night, and sadly that is the most we can offer" Leon said with finality.

Erica was almost impressed by the united front the lovers presented, however, this is not an outcome she desired; could she still bargain for something better?

Like faking her death and getting sent to somewhere else to live free.

Or more realistically…

To let her live in celibacy.

*sigh*

Freedom in exile is impossible and celibacy… Did she really want that?

But she couldn't ignore the fact that the only man she would be allowed to have intimacy with is also one of the people that caused her family's fall from grace.

And even with that knowledge… She could fulfill a dream she thought would go unrealized in this life.

That's right, when she realized exactly who she was reborn as, she knew that she would never be able to become a mother in this life, her diminishing health was proof enough she wouldn't be able to give birth and survive.

The recent events have changed her circumstances…

However this is the Pirate's Bane, her family's bane!

The man kept Angelica relevant for the kingdom's politics, seduced the original protagonist and his contributions in battle all but sealed her enemies victory!

Now would be the ideal time to play her last card, once the third protagonist awakens Arcadia would be the downfall of the world.

"How about we make a deal, my information about the third game of the series for my freedom?"

That perked her fellow reincarnated attention.

"Third game?" judging by how fast Leon's face turned green… and fighting to keep his food from escaping his mouth, did not make him happy!

"Not a fan?" she asked rhetorically, he probably died before the devs finally managed to fix the first game, many of the first reviews of the game said the bugs were vomit inducing…

"I played the game as a favor, not a fan of the genre" the other reincarnate said "So, there is another world ending threat?" he said in a serious tone, good, that means he is taking her seriously, and judging by his wives expressions, so are they.

As far as they know, this is prophetic knowledge, so it is understandable to value this information.

Perfect.

"Yes indeed, and if you want to hear about Arcadia and how to avoid awakening it, and angering the Empire you will.."

"I destroyed Arcadia four weeks ago, as for the Empire, I assure you Lady Erica, we do possess the power to subdue it many times over '' A new floating orb appeared out of nowhere, this time the lent on it was red though.

"That's the thing that had you all worried, Luxy?"

It's gone?

"Congratulations Luxion, it couldn't have been easy!"

Her last card is useless!

"Kick em while they're down, you do as you preach"

She… she has nothing!

"Does this mean we can focus on spreading the seeds of old humanity? Because those twin sisters from the Republic have rights to their proverbial throne"

Wha… What is the blue eyed sphere talking about?

"I don't want any more wars Cleare"

Sisters from the republic with a right to rule?

Is she talking about the protagonist of the second game?

But she didn't have a twin as far as she remembers!

"That's not something we can avoid, Leon-kan. the Holy Kingdom of Rachell will surely declare war on us now that they think we are weak and exhausted from two consecutive wars, and the Belkans must be salivating at the prospects of carving a piece of our kingdom for themselves too"

"We need to either conquer Rachelle or take over enough of their land to have a reliable supply chain before we are in position to invade the Republic"

"Luxion…"

As her minders chatted about future exploits Erica could feel herself falling deeper into despair.

She had nothing they couldn't simply take by force.

"Let's be realistic, we will need more lands to reward the Houses that fought for us, and by taking those lands from Rachell we would be killing two birds with one stone!"

They can even force her to cooperate by threatening her mother!

"Mistress Angelica is right, not to mention that Master's brother will need land befitting a Marquis at the very least"

"Why would Nicks need to be promoted all the way to Marquis though?"

"Because Lord Vince has agreed to pass the throne to you with the condition that the kingdom's new name would be Redgrave Kingdom"

And that makes it official, she would have to bear a child for her fellow reincarnate no matter what, Angelica who was born under this system and knows nothing better would make sure she does!

"Uhg, that sounds like such a pain.."

"Makes you think though, was Angie always destined to become queen?"

"I can't say no without being a massive hypocrite, all I can say is that I wanted to live on our Island, make some money and raise our children… Becoming king was never in my plans."

Despite being born a princess in this life, she was a mere commoner in her last life, and being a japanese salarywoman meant she had no complaints about kowtowing when necessary, who knows, she might popularize the dogeza in this world.

"Erica, what are you doing?!" The saintess was the first to notice the submissive posture she assumed.

"Please stand up, I don't want the dogeza to be a thing in this world!" Leon, who apparently died young in his last life, must hate this practice.

But Erica lived through rough times and economic recessions and a couple of nightmarish events. Her life experience made sure that she was no stranger to this humiliating practice… And the benefits of kowtowing to someone who isn't a complete human garbage.

"Is dogeza some kind of… ritual from your past life?"

Erica heard Angelica ask.

"It's a tradition, the dogeza shows deference to a person of a higher status, it means either: a deep, sincere apology, or the desire of a favor from that person" Leon explained "Now please stand, I never once prostate myself in front of anyone"

That has more to do with him dying young than anything else though.

"What does she want though?" the Saintess asked immediately deducing the purpose of this gesture.

"I… I want two years of grace to decide how to bear Lord Leon child" for now she couldn't see a way out of this, but with two years, things could change and an opportunity might arise.

"I'm sorry, but we cannot agree to your request." Contrary to what she believed it wasn't Angelica who denied her, it was the Saintess, even her fellow reincarnated felt surprised by this.

Erica looked at Leon pleadingly, he should be able to overrule his wives' decision.

"Livia is right, two years is too much, if we take too long it would invalidate the point of you joining us and the Holfort loyalists may revolt, there are lives at stake here." Angelica explained ruthlessly.

"This is why I wanted to stay as a baron, no lives at stake, just an easy life" Leon groaned

"Oh my love! someone like you was never meant to remain as just a baron!" Angelica commiserated with her husband and stood up to give him a comforting hug. "Although I hoped we could be just a ducal family.

Angelica let a couple of tears escape her eyes and a very silent sob to go with it.

Leon pulled Angelica down and sat her on his lap and gently caressed her back as she rested her head against his.

The saintess isn't far behind in her effort to comfort Angelica.

"Listen, Erica, we will give you half a year to make a decision, I really hope you agree to become part of our family, even Leon understands that this is a necessity." Unsurprisingly, Angelica is the one to speak.

"Don't worry though, I'm sure our Leon will be happy to court you, he kind of enjoys hosting tea Parties" The protagonist said.

Erica is relieved to know that brainwashing her isn't their first option at least.

"I accept" She said, in her past life she always managed to complete her goals by compromising, and while she isn't sure her past life laboral practices translate well to this environment, she needs to at least try.

"You don't need to decide right now, we will ask you again in six months" the words of the future king reassure her.

"May I meet with my brother please?

0x0x0

Julius watched the bars of his cell with resignation.

Beyond those bars there are some strange creatures guarding the access to this place.

He wasn't even able to die in battle and all he has left is to wait for his execution.

It should happen soon at least.

The Duke… no! The traitor has no reason to keep him alive and so many things to win by getting rid of him.

Give the loyalist enough time and they'll come for him… they are too stubborn to lose their comfortable positions without doing anything.

He isn't even sure how long he has been here, he didn't even know if it was night or day!

He is so tired and thirsty!

He lays down in the uncomfortable cot in the corner of the cell and tries his best to sleep.

"..."

"..."

The thunderous sound of something hitting the bars wakes him up.

"Lius! Julius!" He looks at the bars in his cell and finds his mother there, it is such a relief to see her… alive.

"Mother!" He gets out of the cot so fast that he slips and falls to the hard, cold floor of his abode, but he doesn't care and goes closer to his mother.

"Are you alright?" she asks after he clumsily falls, his mother puts a hand on his cheek and he feels relieved, however despite that sensation that everything will be alright being fake.

He is still grateful to her though.

Julius lowers his gaze, and lies "Yes, I'm alright" for now…

"I'm… I'm so sorry, my little one!" Her crying hurts more than the fall.

"It's not your fault" he tries to comfort her and he hugs her through the bars.

"Certainly, you are responsible for your own actions, but many would argue that had you been raised properly, none of this would happen"

A cold, indifferent voice breaks the moment and his mother cries even harder.

That wasn't necessary!

His mother breaks down and this time all he can do is hold her.

He glares at the owner of that voice, but it has no effect on the man.

He glares at him a little longer, but then he notices that no matter how long he tries the other man will never be intimidated by a defeated and imprisoned man.

"It's not pretty, but it's something you need to hear, Lady Mylene, my father will not tolerate a child like this one"

What?

What is he talking about?

His mother went rigid the second those words were spoken!

"Mother?!" he asks her, he wants her to deny what that man just said, to tell him that it isn't true…

"I'll just be your father's hostage" his mother said, and while he feels relieved, the situation hasn't changed much.

"Will you stop pretending you are a rookie? I'm a rural noble and even I know you'll need to be integrated in the family, and you don't need to worry, even if my mother would not be happy at first, you don't need to worry I think that after a while she'll be happy to have more babies to spoil, especially if she doesn't have to give birth to them herself."

For an instant Julius forgot he was behind bars and lunged himself at the man who was insulting his mother.

But all he got was pain once he collided with the metallic barrier keeping him inside.

"Julius!" his mother screamed.

He sighed, all his efforts accomplished was to make his mother worry.

"Please… not here" His mother pleaded with the man who was here to make sure she didn't help him escape.

The man said nothing, but nodded his head indicating he would oblige.

"Who is he anyway?" he asked, he had never seen that man before.

"I am Nicks… Bartfort" the man introduced himself.

From his name Julius could deduce he was related to the Pirate's Bane, but why not say his middle name?

"Fou, Fia?" He asked, Julius just wanted the man to be civil so he could say goodbye to his mother and being polite seemed the best way to achieve that.

Nicks just shrugged "I was Fou yesterday, tomorrow… I don't know"

Satisfied with the answer and hoping for no more interruptions he looked at his mother again, he had so many things to say to her…

But there are a few things he wants to know before he truly has to say goodbye.

"Mother, what about Marie and my friends?" He asked, Chris took Marie and tried to escape. He hoped he was successful in his attempt but he knew nothing of his other two friends.

"..." his heart ached when his mother said nothing and looked away, her silence was enough of an answer to him.

"Field and Marmoria are dead" Bartfort butted in again unnecessarily.

Julius glared at the man, but Bartfort wasn't smiling, he was just explaining facts.

"It must be nice to stand there and speak of other people's lives like you are above them." Julius accused the fact that his dear friends are being referred to as mere casualties bothers him so much.

"Julius…" his mother whispered, trying to prevent a conflict, and he understood her, but he literally had nothing left to lose.

"I thought you would know about it better than me, you were born into a position of power and privileges, simply discarding people that were not to your liking" Bartfort replied right away.

"What are you talking about!" he almost yelled, only his mother's embrace stopped him from lunging at the man again, bars be damned!

"Julius stop!"

"What am I talking about? don't you remember Angelica, the girl you grew up with? your former fiance?!" Bartfort got closer to his cell, his hands going to his belt where he had a sword ready to be unsheathed.

"Lord Nicks please stop!" His mother turned back to face the irate man. It hurts Julius to see his mother in this position and he wanted to stop, but he ran out of patience.

"What? That woman who only wanted to marry me so she could become Queen?!" He asked, "She was always pretending to love me, so good riddance!" As far as Julius was concerned, separating from Angelica was just getting away from bad company.

"No, the woman whose duty was to marry you and did her best to fall for you!" Bartfort took a step back and crossed his arms in front of his chest, probably a gesture to not worry his mother.

Julius himself took a deep breath and calmed himself, if his mother wasn't here the idea of provoking Bartfort until the man would kill him to avoid a public execution would have been a viable option.

"That's what you say, but she gave birth to the pirate's bane child before her wedding's first anniversary!" He said to prove how little he meant to her… And it always bothered him that Angelica gave herself to another man so readily after pretending to love him for so long!

That was proof he needed to know that all she saw in him was a ticket to the crown.

"Julius please stop!" his mother once again turned to face him, this time she took his face in her hands and pleaded for him to stop again "Please".

"That has more to do with you being a pathetic man child that never treated her right than with her or Leon!" Bartfort smirked after saying his piece.

Julius took a deep breath, that hurt deeper than what he thought it would, he knew deep down that he never really took his responsibilities seriously like an adult should, and that being able to at least tolerate Angelica was part of his responsibilities.

"And Il guess I'll soon have her coming here to tell me exactly the same thing but in much greater detail?" He asked sarcastically, of course he would be Angelica's scapegoat!

His mother hugs him tighter.

"Don't flatter yourself, Angie is grieving his brother and we just found out that Livia and her are pregnant again, so she has too much on her plate to worry about you."

Julius genuinely didn't know how to react at the news of his former fiancee expecting a second child…

After a moment of self-reflection he realized how uncomfortable it felt that Angelica had completely moved on from her relationship with him and the mostly happy life she is living right now while he is awaiting his execution.

For the briefest moment he regretted ending his engagement with her, but then he ruthlessly suppressed it, he wouldn't exchange the marvelous time he spent with Marie for nothing in this world, especially the night they shared together before the battle!

"So, Jilk and Brad are dead… but what about Marie and Chris?" he asked, he wanted to at least know if his beloved and his friend managed to get away or if they…

"We let them go" Julius was more than just surprised at the news.

He was shocked.

"What… What do you mean?" Julius asked, it makes no sense to let one of their enemies go, if the situations were reversed he would have never let an enemy go.

"There is no point in pursuing them, if Archlight takes Lafan to one of the loyalists and they try to dethrone Lord Vince we will crush them and make an example out of them."

"If on the other hand they leave the kingdom and live a normal life then: They are not a threat and we will make sure everyone knows the Sword Saint ran away from the Pirate's Bane and that will discourage others from attacking."

That was naive, Julius would know, he is in this cell because he thought himself invincible as well.

But who was he to stop his enemies from making a mistake?

He looked at his mother again and asked the last truly important question he had left "What about Erica?"

He had little hope for the bastards his father sired. They are in a deadly twilight zone being too important to let them live and at the same time not important enough to be used as hostages…

"She was given to the Pirate's bane as a Hostage…" His mother, the former Queen's voice trembles as she speaks-

This hurts, his last living relatives would spend the rest of their lives being used against each other.

"Mot… mother" his own voice fails him, his dear sister who was always supportive was now to become either the unwelcome addition to Angelica's family at worst or the side dish of a man who doesn't care about her! "I'm so… so sorry"

This is his fault.

All of it, if he had just stayed with Angelica nothing of this would have happened!

His selfishness cost his family everything!

"I'm sorry, Mother!"

0x0x0x0

Julius had cried long and hard.

HIs mother's presence was of little comfort when she was about to suffer untold indignities at the hands of Angelica's in-laws.

And even though he was forgiven, that fact in no way alleviated his heart.

The worst part was when she took part of the blame for herself, admitting that she should have been stricter.

Part of him was tempted to blame all of this on her, it would have been so easy to do as well…

But he knew better.

Had the Redgraves taken his decision with grace nothing of this would have ever happened!

But noooooo!

Angelica had to have her way, the rest of the kingdom be damned.

It is as Marie said, the war was fought because of a spoiled little girl and a cunning man.

The death of his half-siblings, the destruction of the capital and the future invasions to the kingdom are all Redgrave's faults!

As the door of the hall opens once more he does his best to dry his tears and recompose himself, that was probably Angelica coming to humiliate him and gloat about her victory.

"Brother!"

"Erica!"

Julius does his best to embrace his little sister through the bars like he did when his mother visited earlier.

Relief washed over him, his mother told him that she was spared and that Erica would become her hostage to guarantee her cooperation, but seeing her alive with his own eyes filled him with joy!

They stayed like that, embracing each other for a few seconds before his eyes wandered around the hall. They would not allow his sister to come here by herself and soon enough he found Her.

He did his best to avoid her gaze, but he could see her looking at him as if he was some kind of freak in an exhibit!

"What is going to happen to you?" he asked quietly, he knew she was attached to Angelica's house, but not what his former fiance's plans were regarding his sister.

"I… I was given six months to grieve, after that, Lord Bartfort will court me" she said with resignation.

That made his blood boil.

So his last two surviving relatives will be used as bed warmers by the Bartforts?

"Flee to the temple, swear celibacy" he whispered his order in her ear.

"It's no use, if I try that, I'll end up as one of our family's loyalist wife and then crush my supporters again, but the Bartforts won't show me mercy a second time"

"There must be some way out for you" he whispered again.

The witch shook her head with amusement, she heard him this time… no she probably had heard everything!

"Do you find our suffering funny, you witch?!" he could resist this situation any longer and he simply needed some way to retaliate and this woman, a former low ranking noble was the perfect target for his ire.

"No, It's your lack of awareness that tickles me" was her answer, for a moment he could see all the hate she harbored for him, and it startled him for a moment.

But it made sense, she was in constant contact with Angelica, who he knows for sure hates him, and so this witch would only know the worst about him.

He was about to put her in her place when Erica shook her head and put her finger on his mouth silencing him.

"She is right, you know?" she told him, with a sad smile and a little anger in her eyes "Truly, you never think about the consequences of your actions and how it affects the people around you."

"You could have easily married Angelica and then taken Marie as your concubine and prevented the war" she was gentle but accusing too, it wasn't that simple.

He couldn't tolerate Angelica and everything she represented, the woman that pretended to love him was the cause of everything that went wrong with his life.

"Angelica would have never allowed it, I'm sure Marie would have died in some accident soon after I took her in as my mistress" she was that ruthless.

"That's not true, Angelica's duty was to keep you happy, true she never loved you, but she isn't someone who would neglect her duty, even now she is putting her feelings aside and allowing a our husband to take another woman for the sake of our new kingdom, and she does love our Leon" the witch said in a severe tone that left no room to argue.

But he wasn't about to let her have the last word, not when she was completely wrong about Angelica.

"You don't know her like I do" he said knowing that Angelica has probably built up a facade to seduce the naive border noble.

"Really? then you wouldn't mind telling me what her favorite dish is?" the witch spoke again sarcasm oozing from her voice.

He searched for the answer in his brain, sure that it would take no more than a couple of seconds to find it, but after those two seconds passed he found himself without an answer, so he went with the most expensive and refined "White Truffle Risotto" he said confident in his answer.

"Well, you would be wrong, she loves roasted hare, especially when eaten during an outside trip" the witch said with a smug face.

But that didn't make any sense, as much as he despised Angelica, she is a proper lady and she was raised to become the next Queen, he just couldn't imagine her enjoying such a simple dish!

"That's not the Angelica I know," he mumbled.

"The Angelica you knew was just doing her best to fulfill her duty towards you, including trying to fall in love with you, the real Angie is a kind yet strict woman who loves her family and cherish every opportunity to go out on an adventure with us" the gentle smile on the woman almost convinces him.

But he knows everything she said is just a lie, otherwise, everything that happened would be his fault!

"You're lying, witch!" he replied "How can I trust someone claiming to be the true Saintess?" he said knowing that no matter what kind of outside source this woman used, Marie is the Saintess.

"I don't care about the title of saintess, and I remember when we were in the academy: You spent all your time avoiding Angelica and frolicking with the Saintess, and I doubt you were any different before that time" the witch accused him and she would be right.

However…

"Why would I ever want to be with her?" he asked "She was meant to be the wall that would keep my happiness out of reach!"

"Because it was your DUTY!"

To say that he was shocked by his sister's outburst would be an understatement, and perhaps equally shocking was the fact that the kind and polite Erica was squeezing his arm with all her might!

"We were born into royalty, nothing was ever denied to us!" His sister that so far had her head down gazed directly into his eyes, and through her eyes he could see she was full of grief and resentment. "Did you ever notice all the effort Angelica put into becoming your ideal queen? or the fact that had you married her you would have ruled unopposed!?"

"I would nev…" he tried to state that he would have never been happy like that.

"So what!? Did you think that our father passed the throne to you just because you somehow managed to activate the royal ship?"

he nodded, as he certainly thought that was the case, otherwise why would his father give up the power of the throne?

"No. Father did it so he could be free to live the life he wanted!" She yelled again "Even a father who fornicated with as many women as he could, understood that his duty had to be fulfilled!"

"Erica…" Julius didn't want to hear this and he tried to gently push Erica away and…

"My own duty was to marry into House Fraser and guard the border with Rachell for you and I did my best to be able to fulfill that Duty, I did my best to make Elijah into an acceptable partner and in return I did my best to become the best support for him that I could be!"

She tightened her hold on his arm as if perceiving his intention of retreating into his cell.

"Because we live for our House and kingdom… The civil war that just ended?!" she asked "It was not started by a spoiled girl and her cunning father, the culprits were a King that couldn't be bothered with ruling, a Queen who couldn't bring herself to discipline his child and a spoiled brat of a Prince!"

Julius finally got enough of the things his sister was spitting like some kind of corrosive venom and pushed her away.

He immediately regretted it!

He tried to get through the bars once again to help and comfort her, but he still lacked the power to do so!

"Erica, I'm sorry!" He said with desperation, this was the last time he would ever be able to see his little sister, and he didn't want her last memory of him to be like this.

When the witch walked towards Erica he felt his heart beating faster, he was afraid of what that woman could possibly do to her…

Or already did!

Of course!

Erica is already under one of the witche's spells!

"You get away from her!" he yelled trying to save Erica from that woman's clutches as he unsuccessfully tried to reach for his sister.

"I'm sorry Erica, but I don't believe it is safe for you to remain here, given the circumstances." the witch said and much to his horror he saw his sister nodding sadly.

"ERICA!"

He felt true despair when he saw the witch take his little sister away, there was no way he could pass away peacefully knowing his sister would be bred as a mare to appease the last nobles loyal to his family.

AND HE COULD DO NOTHING ABOUT IT!

0x0x0x0

Sonya Fou Evans looked up to the horrifying devices that were installed in the center of the biggest plaza in the capital located in front of the palace.

She is here driven by a mix of necessity and curiosity. Why else would she be in a place so full of peasants otherwise?

Today was the fourth day after the battle that destroyed her home had ended. If she wasn't secure in the basement of her mansion she wouldn't be here today!

An imponent stage was built to accommodate the new King and his family at its top, or to be precise that exiled daughter of his and her family.

Right…

She smirked at the thought of Gilbert Rapha Redgrave's death, it was rather poetic that neither side came unscratched after all the chaos they unleashed.

Below them are their closest allies who would probably replace the rest of the founding houses.

In front of them are two sets of posts supporting the biggest, sharpest and meanest blades she has ever seen!

The worst part were the two low pillories at the bases of the post and the baskets right in front of them.

She knew that today the Redgraves are executing the last two kings from the Holfort dynasty… rumors say that all Roland's bastards were already executed.

Even the babies!

As she thought of the brutality of the new regime she wondered if her good for nothing Husband would be able to get the new king to rebuild her home.

And maybe something extra, she doubted she would ever forget the two brutes that battled inside her home, Sonya felt a shiver go down her spine just thinking of the huge footprints that littered the floor of her home.

Then she watched as the bruised and battered King Roland was secured in the first pillory and an executioner put a basket right below his head.

She always thought Roland Rapha Holfort was a handsome man, and it was truly a shame that he was obsessed with fucking nubile girls instead of looking for a real woman… but he was only a male, with or without a crown.

Next was Roland's son, Juilius.

He was in a much better shape than his father, but he still had bags under his eyes and one can say he already had no life in his eyes.

Their death is such a waste, such good looking men do not grow on trees!

A man walks forward and explains the necessity of overthrowing the Holforts…

Blah, blah, blah, bleugh!

Everything he says means nothing.

She just wanted this to be over so she can go back to her regular life!

She took refuge with her friend Laura since her home was destroyed and the bitch already wanted her gone!

Her husband better hurry rebuilding her mansion, or else she will make sure his youngest bastard dies in the next conflict with Rachell!

"AHHHHH!"The sudden fall of the blades killing the former royals took her by surprise!

There is just so much blood!

If it wasn't so unladylike she would have puked right now!

All around her the people start cheering and she does her best to join them, but the sight of the two heads falling to the baskets just has left a deep impression and she can barely make any sound come out of her mouth.

The Duke… king stands up smiling and with his hands asks the people to stop their cheering.

"People of the Redgrave Kingdom" he starts his speech once the noise stops, and his first words confirm the change of the kingdom's name to match that of his House… how predictable.

Sonya blinked and she could see the falling heads again!

"Today marks the end of an era of corruption and incompetence where fools could get away with anything just because of who sired them…!" Also, it marks the beginning of an era where a pretentious and violent family can do anything they want, but that will remain unsaid as it is not convenient for the new Royals.

In the end of the day it doesn't really matter if it's a Holfort or a Redgrave ruling over this land, they are basically the same in her eyes, and that is rather convenient.

Sonya tuned out the monotonous speech of her new king in favor of more concerning matters, like how long it'll be until the next conflict starts, she was sure many of the older members of the forest are ready to claim insurance upon their husbands tragic deaths.

She ignored as an elderly woman dressed in gold and white put the crown into the new king's head and all the religious nonsense that came with it.

She was much too young to have provided the organization with a stooge, her own son is an officer in the castle guard and her husband tried long and hard to woo her, it was irritating, had he realized that she had no interest on him four years earlier she would have some extra spending money right now!

"The hero of the war, Leon Rapha Bartfort!"

The air suddenly felt heavy and she felt the change in the general mood of the people in the plaza. She looked at the woman next to her but she didn't know what was happening either, turning to the other side she glanced at a man with peasant clothes and a smile on his face.

She was debating with herself the merits of asking the lower life form for the information she wants. Is that information really important enough to sully her ears with the voice of a commoner?

Deciding that as long as his breath doesn't stink too much it wouldn't be too bad it would be worth it she was about to speak but the man and most of the plaza erupt in a roar of approval.

It took what felt to be an eternity for them to stop and she finally got her chance to ask "What happened?!"

The man looked at her with irritation and instead of answering like he is supposed to do he asked his own question "Weren't you paying attention?"

Sonya resisted the urge to just order her exclusive servant to smash the peasant's head, she was too curious though, the man was lucky this time, so she just glared at the man in response.

"Lord Vince just announced Lord Leon as the Crown Prince." the man said before looking at her servant and then walked away.

An adventurer for a king?

How nostalgic.

And convenient, surely the forest will be able to run circles around that country bumpkin.

"Those reforms will include replacing the inept officers whose only strategy is to depend on superior numbers and a minimum height to join the army, and in case of dead the pension will be directed at the birth mother of the man in question, with this we trying to prevent not only unnecessary deaths but also the exploitation of our young."

"A full scale investigation is already on course and those found guilty…" After hearing those words Sonya went from feeling excluded to feeling relieved her husband took so long in siring his bastards!

0x0x0x0

VInce didn't feel relieved, or accomplished much less happy after executing Roland.

He had lost so much in this war…

He knew there were risks involved and he felt ready to pay for this Kingdom with his life.

Just not with Gilbert's, his son was supposed to live at all cost.

His son had an easy job and he was performing it admirably.

If not for that Knight from the empire his son would still be here, being a pillar he could lean on as he prepares for his retirement and deals with Robert's death.

He lost his pride and joy that day.

As much as he loves Angelica, she made it clear that she considers herself a Bartfort now and he has come to accept it.

That was probably the reason why he poured all the hopes and dreams he had for his house upon Gilbert's shoulders.

Vince felt closer to his son than ever in his life this past year.

Every opportunity he had to share with him was cherished, even if those chances were spent talking about the court's affairs there were still times where they could share a drink and talk about their lives.

He talked about Angie's letters that were filled with things little Gil did since he knew his son didn't felt comfortable talking about the intimate moments he shared with his lover.

And in exchange Gilbert had confided in him his fears of never being able to have a son, that would be considered a great failure.

They shared the hope that Miriam would succeed this time and she would have a healthy baby boy and spare Angie the pain of letting go of her son.

Even if she is a Bartfort now she would agree to letting Gilbert adopt her son if that meant he would eventually become King.

And although he didn't like it, Vince had to accept when Gilbert told him that this would be their last time trying to produce a baby themselves.

Five unsuccessful tries have left a mental scar on Miriam and his son, especially considering that a viable candidate for adoption was available.

Leon's familiars are now monitoring Miriam's pregnancy to ensure her grandchildren's survival, and if they are to be believed, they are a pair of girls. Twins.

He wiped a tear that rebelliously appeared in the corner of his eye, his son would never have the chance to hold them in his arms and watch them grow…

Miriam almost broke when she heard about Gilbert's death, and she had to be sedated to protect the babies she was carrying.

Luckily she was calmer the next day and she grieved for three days before approaching him and asking a favor from him, a rather sensible one at that.

Assuming Leon's familiar's were correct, one of her baby girls would be engaged with baby Gil.

Vince agreed to do his best in accomplishing just that, their new kingdom would need to tighten their bonds and secure alliances inside and outside.

Although he already has plans to increase his national power by expanding onto Rachell's territory to both cow his enemies with a show of force and reward the frontier nobles that voluntarily sided with him when it was most needed with new lands.

It would be amusing to see that hedonistic bastard throw around the Empire's name to intimidate him.

But that would work this time, not after learning that by some stroke of luck they found themselves having the favorite daughter of the emperor!

The man who killed Gilbert was indeed extraordinary, and he was here guarding the illegitimate daughter of the emperor, that was what they managed to learn before the man was allowed to pass away.

He would return her after Rachell was pacified, and with Leon and his brothers that would be rather soon.

Anyway, he was sure Angie would agree to the deal, with some condition, she probably would want Gil to be able to choose between the sisters and maybe socialize them better so they could avoid a repeat of the circumstances that lead them to rebellion.

He would do his best to supervise them all to ensure his grandchildren had a good relationship.

Gilbert would have wanted it that way too.

Vince felt a new pan of pain as if to remind him of Robert's death.

His lover's death was a bucked of cold water, but it was somewhat expected, Bobby insisted on staying on the battlefield no matter how much he tried to get him away from the front lines!

But he wasn't the same after losing to Leon, Vince never got him to elaborate how he felt exactly about that duel.

Leon's appearance was like a hurricane that shook his house to its core, and his knights were in the eye of it.

He organized tournaments every four months to keep his men sharp and busy, they were regular enough that it wasn't strange to have up to ten young men show up to try and impress him with their awesome skills hoping to impress him enough to gain an invitation to join his ranks.

At first he didn't thought much of the young man, just another new face that would taste the dirt of his House's arena.

That changed when he presented his goliath of a ship and his Knight armor, both of them being Lost Items.

Leon had raised in his esteem by having achieved success as an adventurer, something he dreamt about when he was younger.

He was upfront with his intentions from the very beginning, he was about to be promoted to Baron and he wanted to join his faction in exchange for a good wife.

When Vince saw the Arroganze felt some pity for the young man and even allowed him to use one of his House's Knight armor thinking that Leon trusted his outdated armor just because it was a Lost Item.

He wanted the young man to succeed and so he offered to engage him with a woman worthy of his skills…

At first he thought that would entail marrying him to one of the daughters of among the Barons that swear fealty to him.

But when he defeated a man that had been steadily climbing positions in the tournament the last three years in such a cutthroat and efficient way he knew he would have to put some effort to keep his word.

By the time Leon got to the semifinals he thought he had hit the jackpot with the young talent that had dropped on his hands, he would marry him to Cordelia and keep the powerful young man at his dear daughters side.

He was ready to watch him lose to Robert and give him the good news right after his defeat to cheer him.

And then they fought, Robert, the man that comforted him after his wife's death took the fight seriously after seeing him injure two overconfident veterans.

His number one knight wanted to put the youth in his place after such disrespect, he told him as much before they began.

However, even with superior armor Robert couldn't get the upper hand and found himself losing terrain to Leon and soon Vince understood that he wouldn't be able to keep his word to the young man, not even if he married him to one of his nieces.

When he saw the desperate attempt by Robert to steal a victory from defeat's clutches backfired spectacularly he felt fear after the young man was barely able to stop his hand from killing his secret lover he felt relief.

He would cheat him out of his prize because his daughter was already engaged.

Robert changed after that day, he threw himself harder into his training and while he enjoyed the results he couldn't help but worry for him.

Because Robert always took pride in his position of the strongest among his forces, but after that duel it was clear for anyone that spectated the duel that there was a new number one knight among his ranks.

Vince pretended to deliberate about Leon's promised wife while making sure his lover could fully recover from his injuries.

He playfully scolded him in private, they were past their prime and sooner or later someone would become stronger than Robert, that was inevitable, and while he could understand that it was much sooner than they expected, he didn't think of it as something bad.

Then after 3 days he informed Cornelia about his decision and he was ready to announce to Leon about his prize when news about Julius' betrayal arrived.

None of his knights volunteered to be Angelica's representative, he knew they would do it if ordered, but the situation was too dire to just rush on to danger.

Then Robert offered up to fight for her when no one else did.

Perhaps that should have been his first warning, that his dear Robert had started to question his value to House Redgrave.

Alas, he had been given a chance to save his daughter and keep her safe in the form of Leon and he certainly didn't waste it.

He will always regret not doing more to reassure Robert about his importance to him personally over his value to House Redgrave.

And now he had new duties and an uncomfortable task he didn't want to delegate.

He would be the one to shoulder all the blame for the unpopular decisions that have to be made.

Such as disarming the temple and making sure they weren't as involved with identifying future saintesses in the future.

He was aware of the danger the kingdom's official religion posed for the rulers with their considerable military power stationed right in the capital, a dagger pointing to his family.

He still has his fleet in the capital and it's the perfect moment to strike a deal with the clergy.

He has plenty of reasons to disarm and discredit them, starting with pointing out that they had been bribed to name Laufen as the saintess despite the many letters form Miss Joan of Spring Valley sent letter after letter asking for them to evaluate Livia.

0x0x0x0

Lelia was waiting alongside her twin in one of the palace's chambers, it was a cozy place with a lovely view of the west garden.

It took a week for the Bartforts to bring their closest subject from their territory, which luckily included her and sister.

The trip was gloomy with many mourning women and children aboard, the widows and children of the men that fell in battle.

Among them was Lord Leon's half sister Merce. Apparently, one of her Lord's father's bastards perished in battle.

Reluctantly Lelia decided to give Leon time to mourn the loss of his half sibling before starting her pursuit of his heart again.

The door to the chamber opened and Lady Olivia entered with another Lady accompanying her, she was younger than them by two or three years but judging her fair skin and her budding chest it was obvious that she would grow into quite the beauty.

Lelia didn't know what to expect out of this meeting, she knew that Lord Leon's second wife was aware she was attracted to him but Lady Olivia never let her know how she felt about it the times she was caught spying on his training.

If she was to be honest with herself, Lelia was nervous, very, very nervous.

House Holfort's defeat was just the end only for them.

Life goes on for everyone else, the Redgraves and especially for the Bartforts have so much ahead of them, so many Nobles inside the kingdom still don't recognize Lord Vince as the new King, and if that wasn't enough they were surrounded by opportunistic neighbors that are surely getting ready to attack.

The situation might be good for House Bartfort, she has already heard the news about Lord Leon's appointment as the next king.

That appointment was not planned and it opened so many possibilities concerning her and her sister, the Bartforts could simply decide keeping them around was too much trouble for them, and it is entirely possible for the republic to blame them for their heir's deaths…

"I'm glad to see you two, welcome to Redgrave's Kingdom Capital, and our new home, the Royal Palace." Olivia said with her usual polite and pleasant tone that only managed to put Lelia even more on guard.

"Thank you it's nice to be here" Noelle said with a pleasant smile of her own, but Lelia knew her sister was as much on edge as she was.

It would have been better if their benefactors were only promoted to a Ducal House…

"I'm sure that by now both of you have heard the news: my husband was appointed as the next king" Olivia said, her eyes fixed on her, looking for a reaction.

Lelia didn't know what the blonde was expecting from her, but she knew all the possible outcome of their reactions would entail, she was just hoping for the best, but she knew this could end with her and her sister being deported back to the Republic.

"Yes," Lelia said, it's quite the popular topic in the palace after all. "And… other rumors as well." she said softly, unsure if those rumors are true or just gossip.

Eying the younger woman who matches the description of the Daughter of King Roland and accompanies her crush's wife seems to validate the rumors she heard about the former Queen and Princess of the kingdom being spared and… added to House Bartfort.

"I'm sure you did hear the rumors" the young woman, who is almost certainly the former princess of the kingdom, said with disdain.

"Those rumors are true as well," Lady Olivia said firmly, that was not something Lelia expected from her, so far she was much more pleasant, but she could understand that she would not be happy with the distasteful yet politically savvy move.

Lelia felt a jolt of despair go through her spine…

"However, Erica hasn't decided in which capacity she will be joining us, we will allow her to mourn for six months and after that… Leon will start to court her…" Lady Olivia made a pause to look at Erica "If Erica and Leon can form a relationship she will be joining us in full, but if they can't, she will bear My husband a child and be kept at a distance and be cared for properly." Harsh!

The world was a cruel place, the young woman must face two truly unpleasant futures, but judging her lack of reactions she was fully prepared for it.

She pitied her

But Lelia couldn't afford to show it because the world was cruel to her as well, at this rate she will never be able to get close to such a magnificent man, and what is worse, that brat isn't even happy after winning a lottery she never bought a ticket for!

It wasn't enough that Lelia lacked the charms Lord Leon looked for in a woman!

He kept surrounding himself with more and more beauties!

Reigning in herself fast she avoided showing her ire, because after thinking about it again, the price for the former princess' ticket was the life of most of her family.

However the medieval-like customs of this world are still in play and Lelia is not out of the game yet… or even started playing it in fact.

"I have been reading about the republic," The blonde said, that was good for her, for them, they are the last members of House Lespinasse, their lineage is still valuable for them, ideally, that would mean that by marrying one of them Lord Leon would give the chance to claim part of the republic's resources, And Noelle doesn't need to sacrifice herself for her, she would gladly bite the bullet for her.

"And other than finding its religion a bit weird…" yeah, the whole worshiping a semi-sentient tree always seemed ludicrous to her, but the Sacred Tree is certainly powerful and has earned its deity status in the republic.

"Hey, at least we don't worship some dead woman!" Some things never change, no matter the world, one of them was the need to defend the culture you're born into, Lelia herself felt the urge to defend the Tree as well, even knowing the risk it represents.

"We are not here for a theological debate." the former princess of the kingdom said tersely trying to stir the conversation back to productive grounds.

"Well, not entirely at least" Lady Olivia said while lifting her hand towards Noelle, asking to not be interrupted.

Noelle bit her lip a bit but then nodded, it was good to see pieces of her old self come back little by little, but perhaps her need to defy authorities was something that could wait a bit before coming back full force.

"The thing I dedicated the most time to was the Republic's government and of course, Lespinasse's role in it." Just as Lelia expected, this will be a power grab move to obtain a constant supply of mana crystals from the republic… or a sizable piece of Alzer's territory!

And the Bartfort are going to use them and their tragic lives as excuses to get what they want.

Feeling her sister's gaze on her, Lelia ignored her for the time being, she knew Noelle wanted her to take care of this, as she had made this abundantly clear she would be the one to deal with the potential alliances between their House and the Bartforts.

She was more than ready!

Olivia looked at them for a couple more seconds before acknowledging they understand the situation and continuing "Since both of you understand the situation I'll tell you how we will proceed from now on…" the second Queen sighed. Was this too troublesome for her? well too bad!

"Leon will be courting both of you for the next few months and see which one of you is more compatible with him…"

"Oh, that's not necessary!" Lelia and Noelle said at the same time, their eyes met and they smiled at each other.

"We knew this could happen and we decided which one of us would take this roll" Lelia said with a smile.

Olivia's reaction wasn't as she was expecting, instead of feeling relief at solving the situation quickly she looked guilty.

"Lelia, this is not a well known fact, but some Holy Magic users have the ability to… influence people with their magic, and I think that I might have done that to you the first time we met" Olivia was not looking at her when she dropped that bomb.

So, are all of her feelings for Lord Bartfort the result of this woman's meddling?

Did she stop caring about Emile because of some mystical nonsense?

No, that was because Emile was stupid enough to fly a Jolly Rogers in the territory of a man people call Pirate's Bane.

And she never really loved him in the first place, he was just the easiest way to secure her future.

And in a certain way, Bartfort was the same… just more competent and…

She shuddered.

Yes, she would put Bartfort in the same role as Emile, but there is also the fact that Bartfort is a better protector and provider than Emile… and his body, while not that of a statue of a Greek god was very enticing.

"E… even if that was true, it does not change our decision" Lelia said firmly, she was always ready to marry for politics and Bartfort is probably the best option she'll ever have.

Freaking out about being brainwashed can be done later!

"Are… are you sure Lelia?" She smiled for Noelle, no she wasn't all right, but she knew stuff like this was possible and while this is a nasty surprise, the woman who did this to her seemed to regret it at the very least.

"My… condition does not change the fact that one of us must do this and it doesn't change our situation" she said bravely, just ignore the occasional trembling of her voice.

"I don't know how to undo what I did and I apologize for doing it" Olivia said and lowered her head, but the former princess stopped from doing it.

"That's fine and all, but if you keep showing this kind of weakness people are going to perceive you as the weak link in the royals and attack you" Erica said with a cold voice.

"Why are you helping her?" Noelle asked intrigued, Lelia must admit she was curious as well, there are still a lot of Holforts Loyalists out there and the possibility of being rescued is still high.

"Because I've seen the new King's army in battle" Erica said in a somber voice, her eyes dull and staring at something that was not here "And I know that none of the nobles that remain loyal to my mother and me won't stand a chance against them"

Lelia nodded, she had no idea about the military strength the new Redgrave kingdom possessed and while there is a chance that this girl is wrong or if she has another agenda, she'll have to have an eye on her at all times in the future.

She sighed and nodded, at least her excuse was good.

"Lady Olivia I understand Lord Leon has more demands for his time these days and I'll be patiently waiting for Lord his tea party invitation" she said hoping to put the matter to rest for the time being.

Olivia shook her head and her lips turned into a strained smile. "I understand that traditionally you accepting to become my husband's wife would be the end of the discussion, but Angie and I think that it is important for all parties to fit well together."

Where was she going with this?

"And for that purpose he will be courting both of you and we will join every once in a while to check on your progress"

"What…?!" both Noelle and her asked at the same time.

Olivia said nothing and left the room with pink cheeks.

"The Bartforts will claim both of you, like they did with my mother and me" The one who answered was Erica, her nonchalant voice was betrayed by her smirk.

0x0x0x0x0

Rowina Fou Dawson was scared.

Her family had supported the wrong side in the war and as a result she and the rest of her friends were taken as hostages for the Redgrave and Bartforts, her personal servant taken away from her and expelled from the capital by the Barons that joined the winning side.

And today's morning some people threw the new uniforms at them and later dragged them out of their rooms towards the academy's auditorium like she was some peasant.

She was too scared to say anything about it because they were surrounded by her peers dressed in red and by Redgrave followers who were all armed with either melee weapons or guns!

She barely paid attention to the man who she has never seen before entered the scenario and identified himself as the new Principal of the academy, her eyes instead were glued to the petite figure of the girl sitting in a fancy chair that could very well pass for a throne dressed in a fancier version of their uniform and a diadem that looks suspiciously like a crown.

Bartfort!

That flat chested bitch is grinning from ear to ear as Redgrave's puppet spouts lies about the Holforts and the new norms of the academy!

They aren't even being subtle about it, they are just not saying it.

How else would you explain a stricter curfew, them being locked inside the academy, their right to go dungeoneering was revoked and they are now banned from having any kind of weapon and they will be monitoring their mail?

By far the worst part of this was that the Barons who collaborated with the Redgraves and their fiances have fancier versions of their uniforms with at least three badges of honor each of them displays proudly!

Courage.

Loyalty.

Wisdom.

What is that nonsense the Principal is talking about now?

"You should be focusing in your studies because you, young men will have many, many more options once you graduate from the academy, so don't go around like the world ends when you turn twenty"

Looking around Rowina noticed that all the males that weren't part of the rebellion looked relieved…

Well, that 's bad.

0x0x0x0x0

Bartfort's ships are fast.

They traveled from the capital to the border with Ustio in four days.

It is surreal.

Who would have ever thought Queen Regent Mylene would end as the concubine of a border noble?

THe island was small, she could even call it cozy.

but that didn't change the fact that she is an unwanted concubine.

That was clear the moment she saw the faces of her new Lord, his official wife, and Lord Nicks women: Angelica's former maid Cordelia and that annoying Dorothea.

Barcus Rapha Bartfort, newly appointed Marquiss was an older man whose wrinkled face showed the harshness House Holfort subjected to the border nobles.

He was stern and avoided her like the plague when they were traveling here.

When Mylene saw how affectionate he was with his wife she felt like when would once again be used to produce an Heir and be casted aside.

Luce, Barcus' wife was around five years older than her but her face was that of someone a decade or more older than her.

Mylene curtsied and awaited to be ordered to go be guided to either her chamber or to be given some task to complete.

To her surprise it was the bespectacled wife of Lord nicks who spoke.

"Mylene, I'm sure you know that your presence here isn't appreciated" she grind her teeth to not retort at the familiar face "but Lord Vince saw fit to give you to us and while you were traveling here we talked about how to best integrate you to the family"

*CLICK*

Mylene felt something around her neck, touching it with her hands she discovered it was some kind of collar, turning around she saw Lord nicks holding a leash that was connected to the collar.

someone grabbed her hands and…

*CLICK*

"Rejoice Mylene, we will show you the pleasures of bed" Dorothea whispered in her ear and pushed her gently towards Lord Nicks.

"Whaaaa… " whe was about to ask what they were doing but Cordelia used the chance to put something in her mouth and silence her.

"Come Mylene, I know from a reliable source that you can use a Good Pounding"

This has to be a joke, Lord Nicks is young enough to be her son!

"Mffg" she moaned when Lord Nicks other two women pushed her with a hand in each asscheek.

0x0x0x0

Louise Sera Rault has spent too much time in her airship!

All because of Serge!

She honestly couldn't understand what was going on in the mind of that idiot for him to just up and leave one day without any explanation or even a warning!

How hard was it to just send someone to warn father or anyone really that they are going to take a trip to a war zone?

But that wasn't all he did. No, not only he left with the heirs to other Great Houses but he also had to take the Lespinasse twins!

Granted, he didn't know who they actually are… But if you combine all the other things he did, like skipping school for months even before this disaster should be enough to disinherit him!

Except they couldn't do it because he is their last living male relative who can reproduce!

And that is the reason why she finds herself in this mission to retrieve the heirs of not only Rault's House, but also the Pleven's, the Barielle's and the key to the Republic's future in the form of the Lespinasse twins!

They would be in deep trouble if anyone outside the Great nobles should learn about their true identities and those idiots just took both of them to a warzone!

As she looked outside her ship she could see the other four ships that were escorting her, each one sporting the emblem of the other Great Houses, that was all the help the rest of the Houses were willing to spare.

Because they have spares and wouldn't care to risk more to save these reckless children!

Only House Rault was desperate enough to send someone who can actually order those three idiots to return to the Republic.

And due to the state of civil war within the kingdom they were forced to avoid any potential conflict zones along the way and increased the length of this trip.

Her ship and those of the other Houses were well equipped to deal with aggressors, but that didn't mean she was looking for a fight.

And Last week she finally got confirmation about the resolution of the conflict when a small fleet of warships arrived to the territory where she was resupplying,

They declared themselves Holfort's Loyalists and the invading fleet were Redgrave's supporters… Including the Count's son and former Heir, Ethan…

The boy arrived with news and an ultimatum.

The news: The war is over and Duke Redgrave prevailed.

The ultimatum: abdicate their title and territory to him and face banishment willingly or by force.

She had to give the Robson credit though, they played to both sides and managed to keep their family's titles and standing with their gambit.

And now that she was close to the capital of what is probably the Redgrave kingdom she was ready to negotiate for the Redgrave's cooperation to find her foolish adoptive brother and his companions.

The capital of the kingdom was surprisingly intact for a place that was the last bastion of a falling dynasty not two months ago.

And was that another Island floating above the palace?

It looks nice from the docks.

After some required paperwork she is finally led to the palace and granted an audience with King VInce Rapha Redgrave.

Greeting him like protocol demands is taxing on her exhausted mind but she manages to do so flawlessly like it's expected of her.

She presents her case to the new ruler of these lands and finally asks for cooperation and now she must endure the man demanding more mana crystals in exchange for his help.

"Ah yes, we were aware of their presence here, sadly we cannot say the same for the Holforts…" Louise felt her face turning pale as the king shook his head "They were caught in a conflict zone and were boarded by their fleet."

'Are they dead?' Louise thought with dread. The Republic is considered invincible in defensive warfare, but these circumstances would force her homeland to step outside their borders to maintain their image.

Serge was a liability till the end.

"Later that fleet tried to block my son-in-law's own fleet and were shot down, I'm afraid that the only survivors were the… Beltre twins"

Louise did her best to hide her surprise at the unexpected news, she eyed the new king to see if he noticed something but the man maintained a polite smile adequate to the news he just delivered and nothing more.

His poker face is perfect.

Louise showed the man the sadness expected of someone who just learned about the dead of a sibling, although it was mostly out of respect for the other heirs that perished during the incident and none of it was for the brat that couldn't have the decency to prepare himself to preserve the good name of the House that adopted him.

"I was too late then…" she said lowering her head, she needed time to school her features to match that of someone who just learned they just lost a sibling.

It was hard but after only a second he managed to replicate the sorrow she felt when she just learned about her real brother's death.

The king nodded solemnly, respecting her performance at the very least.

"The Beltre twins… Ah yes, Loic and Emile fiances." she said, acting as if she had to remember who they are, she needed to get a meeting with them and then return them to Alzer's territory.

If the king is truly ignorant about their heritage it would be a simple matter, but if not…

There would be war.

"I guess the least I can do is to take them back to Alzer, I'm sure they'll be happy to go back to our homeland and their friends." please buy it, the Republic does not need to fight an offensive war.

"I don't think that'll be necessary, they found favor in my Daughter's household as my grandchildren's caretakers" the Redgrave King said diplomatically.

Nothing she didn't expect, as much as she hated to admit, Noelle is quite charming and Lelia is an upstart that wouldn't let a chance to ensnare a future king pass.

But she can still convince or coerce them to go back to the republic with her, she just needs to convince Lelia that she could match her with Hugh or someone else and she'll have both of them return to the Republic.

"I suppose the could, but let me ask them at least '' she said as if she was still in shock over Serge's death.

"Then I'll have Antoine out there escort you to them. You and your family have my deepest condolences about your brother's death."

Louise stood up and gave her own farewells before exiting the office and asked the man outside to guide her to the Princess.

It was only twenty or so minutes later that she found herself on the island floating over the capital.

The island wouldn't have looked out of place in the borders of the kingdom with extensive crop fields covering a vast majority of the lands and a small settlement for the people that works the field and in the center of it a small comfy estate that simply couldn't compete with the opulence of the palace below it.

She couldn't help but wonder if the Bartfort had towed their island all the way here from wherever it was before.

She didn't want to admit it but that was impressive.

Soon she was guided towards the estate gardens where the young Bartfort family could be found.

Two unfamiliar young women with blonde hair and the most elegant dress she has seen in this island could be found in a rather… rustic table with plenty of books to study, they are no doubt Angelica Rapha Bartfort ne Redgrave and her sister wife Olivia.

A young black haired woman joins them bringing a couple more books.

And further beyond in a well maintained fenced area is a young man with black hair and naked torso is training with a sword, the strong muscles in his back made her shiver every time his sword cuts through the air making sharp noise her ears are simply not used to hearing.

That is no doubt Leon Rapha Bartfort, the Pirate's Bane and the next king.

And then she finally sees them, the last of the Lespinasse are sitting on a blanket in the grass next to the fence, looking after two babies, one of them eagerly trying to copy his father's movements with his small and clumsy arms and the other is being fed a bottle in Lelia's bosom.

The knight that escorted her announces her and she could see the reactions of the twins.

They were surprised to see her here, but they soon return their attention to the babies when the older one falls after losing his balance when he tried to see who the new comer was, Noelle tries to help him back to his feet but the baby rejects the offer agitating his arms up and down and stands up on his own.

The three young women at the garden table stand up to greet her, but Lord Bartfort just keeps training his forms.

Just what she expected from a savage that got where he is in life by using his weapons and she was somewhat surprised he swung a sword instead of an ax, that would have completed the picture of a uneducated, brute barbarian she already had of him.

"It's a pleasure to meet you Lady Louise Sera Rault, I'm Princess Angelica Rapha Bartfort and these are my sister-wife: Olivia and Princess Erica Rapha Holfort." The red-eyed blonde reached up to her, probably wanting to save her House's image after her husband failed to react in a civilized manner.

Louise eyed the last daughter of House Holfort and almost pitied her, but Erica is at ease here, she has to commend her for adapting so well to her circumstances, perhaps the brute is good under the sheets?

"The pleasure it's mine, Princess Angelica, Oliva and Erica" she nods at each woman in order, cordiality must be maintained if she wants to get out of this third world country with the two priestesses candidates in toe.

"You have my condolences for your brother, I understand that you are here to see about the welfare of our nannies?" the princess asked again, it is strange to have foreign be this direct with her, royalty or not.

Louise is much more used to having foreign authorities to tread carefully when dealing with Alzer's great nobles, the risk of losing their share of mana crystals if any of her peers dislikes them is very real.

"Yes, Loic's and Emile's families will at least find solace in having them back with them" of course their families would love to get their grubby hands on the future priestess!

*WHOOOOSH*

The sound of the sword swing and a sudden gust of wind swept through, tousling her and the women in front of her hairs as well as that of the woman in front of her, sending strands flying in all directions.

The source of both the sound and winds was the man training in the fence who was now removing the sweat from his body and currently hiding his face.

Well, brute barbarians apparently have amazing bodies, his muscles are different from those she is used to seeing in men who cared for the physique back in the republic, not as big but no less appealing.

The blonde women in her group giggled at the sight, both of them are younger than her, and both of them are have already given birth once, they'd probably enjoyed quite the time with the brute, while Louise herself is is still a virgin and couldn't avoid a pang of jealousy, her last suitor was a womanizer that never paid her any mind!

And then she saw his face.

It simply couldn't be…

Despite not seeing his face in over a decade she still has a fresh image of her brother's face in her memories.

"Leon…" the absence of baby fat in his face was the only difference she can find and given his age that is to be expected, was he her little brother?

"I'm afraid they don't want to go back and don't want to let go of them either…"

She simply couldn't bring herself to care, that was her brother who just left with her nephew in his arms and that annoying Noelle left with them!

The most rational part of her knew and accepted that this man was not her little brother, but such resemblance couldn't be coincidental, there has to be at least some part of her Leon's soul in this man, she just knew it.

What followed was a political disaster for the Republic.

At first the three women pretended not to know about Lelia and Noelle and just praised their dedication and pointed out that their kids love the twins.

Things changed when after twenty or so minutes her brother's reincarnation rejoined them, this time he was properly dressed as a man of his station and he even brought with him tea and sweets that complimented each other really well.

She tried to appeal to the boy that just had to have some sort of connection with her younger brother, but in response the man called for Lelia and the less endowed twin joined them for the first time.

Then Lelia declares she has no intentions of returning to the republic, the Bartforts subtly show that they know about their nannies heritage and Louise is sure they are willing to go to war to control the Lespinasse territory and its resources…

Realistically speaking the newly renamed Redgrave kingdom stands no chance against Alzer, but she cannot bear the thought of losing her beloved younger brother a second time.

Louise took a decision as the person in charge of the expedition, and more importantly, as a Rault, she must do everything to protect her family's interest which now include her brother's reincarnation.

Her father might call her impulsive or naive, but she was sure that he would change his mind after meeting his son once again.

When Louise returned back to the Republic she had drafted a preliminary alliance between the Redgrave kingdom and House Rault whose goal was the subjugation of the other four Great Noble Houses and to reinstate the heirs of House Lespinasse back to their rightful position.

Left unsaid was that those heirs would no longer carry the Lespinasse name.

0x0x0x0

Ten years later, somewhere in the United Kingdom of Repard.

"See you later Ann!"

"Come back tomorrow, one should bathe at least once a day Simon" A small blonde haired woman is seated in the counter of a bathhouse sending off the last of her morning clients with a smile.

Not only is it good for business but it also keeps her customers healthy too!

"Maybe if Lea stops parading around in that fundoshi thing!"

Ann doesn't bother replying to that last jab, her husband's attire is often treated as a joke by the male patrons but the women around flock here to see him wearing only it and a headband.

She would be jealous if she wasn't sure Lea only has eyes for her.

Life is good.

Finally!

"Mama,mama, look!" a small hand tugs the fabric of her dress. "She 's pretty!"

Looking down she finds her five years old son William pointing enthusiastically towards the entrance door where an adorable little girl around his age is wearing an elegant blue dress made of fine silk, the likes she couldn't afford even if she saved for half a year.

The little girl has a round face and her black hair with some really elaborate braids.

The little girl is probably the daughter of some wealthy merchant, this island is now part of a new trade route that connects the kingdom's lands in Alzer with Repard's Capital.

"Where are the baths!" The little girl's enthusiasm tells Ann she has been stuck in a ship for quite a while.

She smiles at the girl's exuberance that has yet to be tempered by the norms of high society.

No doubt in the future this little girl will go through some strict education so she could marry well and that would dampen this part of her personality.

"Madeline, mom told you not to run!" an older girl, eight or nine years old joins the little girl now named Madeline in the door, Ann hides her mouth with the palm of her hand to hide her smile.

Despite scolding her younger sister, the newcomer came running as well but she was doing a superb job in keeping her breath steady.

"Awww, but Meg, we haven't been in a bath for a week!"

Like her sister Meg was wearing an elegant, high quality dress of a darker blue, but the most eye-catching thing about her is the little sword in her belt.

"It's only been three days…" the older kid says, her face had fondness for her sister and she guides her to the counter where she is still waiting for their parents to come and pay to use her baths.

She smiles as they approach the curtain for the women's bath and then again she looks at the entrance door expectantly, the little girl's parents or servants would be entering at any moment now.

As Ann expected, a woman in yet another elegant blue dress soon appeared at her door. She has gentle waving black hair, she was in her mid twenties and her black eyes…

"Hello Marie"

"..."

"E… Erica?" Ann, no, Marie recognized the newcomer.

And if she had any doubts left, they were gone after a Redgrave Royal guard entered after her followed by a dozen other armed men!

The men immediately went for the men section of her family's business where Lea, Chris, was probably about to be done cleaning the floors to have them ready for the night rush.

"HEY YOU CAN'T ENTER HERE WITH BOOTS ON!" her lovable husband took her job very seriously, but this was a really bad moment to show it.

"Do you have a private place where we can talk?" Erica asked nonchalantly.

Marie knew resistance is futile, but she was no quitter "You can't just enter and start ordering us around, this is Repard!" legally, Erica couldn't, but her men certainly can force anything the Third Queen desires.

"I disagree, now let's go to your office…" Just then her men brought a handcuffed but still struggling Chris in nothing but a fundoshi "And for the saintess' sake give that man some pants!"

How did she find them?!

Was it dumb luck?

Was her family's small business famous enough to get her attention?

She guided Erica to the small room she uses to keep the bathhouse's books and a small firearm concealed in a hole carved in the thick wood of her desk just in case…

The Royal guard pushes her aside and enters the room first, her blood turns to ice once the man starts searching her desk and bookshelves.

"Clear!"

Lucky.

Erica enters ahead of her and sits on the only chair in the room and idly takes a folder and entertains herself with it.

And all she can do is stand awkwardly a few paces away from her and her gun.

A couple of minutes later a now dressed Chirs is pushed into the overstuffed room.

It was supposed to only fit her and her papers, not half a dozen armed men, and a foreign Queen whose brother, her husband and her abandoned!

"Erica!" Finally Chris notices the person behind their current situation and his reaction is even worse than hers.

"Look, we… We are sorry, we tried to bring Julius with us but he wouldn't listen…!" she explained desperately.

Erica's face shows the fury she must have felt ever since that fateful day over ten years ago, but just for a moment, she calms herself immediately though.

"No, I know you tried to help him that day, but both of you bear some responsibility in the decisions that lead my Brother to his death" Erica's voice was just as cold as she imagined.

Marie couldn't deny that she was the catalyst that caused the fall of House Holfort.

"And while I wouldn't mind punishing you, I'm not here for such a petty reason…" Marie couldn't really feel relieved after hearing those words, Erica was not someone she could trust.

It wasn't for some petty reason like the fact that Erica was supposed to be the third game villainess. No, Marie has accepted that she wasn't reincarnated in an otome game, the world around her, the people surrounding her, the woman sitting in her chair, her husband, they all are just as real as herself.

"For all your faults Marie, you are still a very powerful Holy Magic user" Maybe her family and her could still survive if House Bartfort intended to use her for her magic "so tell me, Ann, would you like a job in the Redgrave Kingdom's court?"

Marie could feel herself sweating, can she say no without getting her family and her executed?

Marie isn't some silly girl that acted without thinking about the consequences of her actions anymore, life made sure to beat sense into her after she escaped the capital all those years ago.

She knows the Empire's patience with the Redgrave kingdom and its rapid expansion is at its end.

The Redgrave kingdom has nearly doubled its territory ever since Leon Rapha Bartfort ascended to the throne.

The man once known as the Pirate's Bane has expanded his territory through conquest and alliances.

First by claiming part of the Holy Kingdom of Rachelle's territory as compensation for the attacks on his kingdom territory and then by claiming half of the Republic's territory and resources by some convoluted plot she couldn't claim to understand too well with the news she got as just a simple commoner living in a nation allied to the man's kingdom.

A war likely bigger than any in recorded history is coming.

Ever since Emperor Carl abdicated, she has heard some of the few Rachelle's refugee's talk about how his son has been acting to restore Voldenova's pride and how he will sooner or later act to restore their nation's territory as well.

"Will you give me an answer before I lose my patience, Ann?"

Looking at Chris, who has his head down up to that moment, gives her a determined nod.

He had the same eyes as back in the days they were on the run trying to get away from the kingdom's armies, he never let her down then and she'll trust in him once again.

"What will be expected of me?" She has already accepted that she has no other choice but to go with her, but she wanted to at least pretend she has some say in this.

"You'll be working under Livia, helping to train the few other Holy Magic Users we have been able to gather in our territory of course."

A/N: sorry this took so long, I'm doing well and things have mostly gone back to normal, except for VAT going up to 15% that is.

Writing this took a lot longer than I expected, not only I had other things in mind but I also got hit by random writers' block episodes, and even a couple of times I thought about writing an epilogue for Upstarts too, but I feel the biggest reason of all was that I had left so many loose ends in the story.

This gigantic chapter(By my standards at least) is the end of The Poor Baron's route.

Thank you all for taking the time to read this experiment of mine. As I'm sure many of you noticed not one scene was written from Gary Stu's(AKA Leon), I wanted to see how such a story would be received and if it could be likeable.

Surprising nobody, some people didn't like it but other people enjoyed it.

Once again thank you for reading.