Reincarnated as the Hated Villainous Prince, I Thought I Could Live Freely in This Life, but Unconsciously Acted Like a Saint ~Trying to Create an Evil Kingdom, but for Some Reason I'm Highly Respected by Everyone~ - Chapter 27

Vefeld Royal Castle.

First Princess Yurisia gazed up at the grand doors leading to the “Throne Room,” swallowing hard.

Every time she came here, she felt nervous.

Her father, the current King Shudrich Sia Vefeld, was a man without a single weakness.

Born as the fourth prince, his chances of succeeding the throne were initially slim, I’ve heard.

Nevertheless, the fact that he is sitting on the throne means he won the fierce battle for succession, despite the odds.

“…Phew.”

Yurisia lets out a deep breath, about to knock on the grand doors when―

“There’s no need to knock. Just come in.”

Hearing her father’s voice from beyond the door, Yurisia instinctively straightened her back.

This extraordinary perception…

Another reason that made her father a superhuman.

The King, having undergone rigorous training in his youth, was an exceptional swordsman too. A famous anecdote tells of how he single-handedly repelled a group of sudden terrorist attackers.

“Then… I apologize for the intrusion.”

Saying so, Yurisia touched the door.

GOGOGOGOGOGOGO…!

As the heavy door slid open, the familiar “Throne Room” spread out before her eyes in all its glory.

The red carpet laid down in the center.

Soldiers lined up at regular intervals along the edges of the carpet.

And at the end of the red carpet―

“You’re late, Yurisia. What have you been doing?”

King Shudrich, propping his cheek with his hand on the throne’s armrest, cast a cold voice toward Yurisia.

“M-my apologies, Father. I only just heard from Hams that I was summoned…”

“―Fufu, that’s not good, Yurisia. You shouldn’t be blaming the butler.”

That was said by the First Prince―Lucias de Vefeld, standing next to the throne.

At first glance, he is a blond-haired, blue-eyed, refreshing young man, but Yurisia knows the darkness hiding within.

Given his position as the First Prince, he was the person Yurisia most guarded against in the struggle for the throne.

“Haha, what are you standing around for? You’re in front of the king. Lower your head.”

“Gugh…!”

Yurisia gritted her teeth but kneeled following Lucias’s command.

―Lucias’s presence here means the incident with the Elf Kingdom must have been reported to him as well.

In other words, a person she didn’t want holding leverage over her had learned of the scandal.

As Yurisia remained silent,

“Cough.”

King Shudrich cleared his throat.

“Everything that follows is classified information. The guards and everyone else leave the room.”

“Yes, Your Majesty!”

With a spirited shout, the soldiers promptly vanished into the lobby.

“Now, Yurisia. Let’s get straight to the point. Currently, a written message from the President of the Aurelia Republic has been delivered to us. It accuses our nation of not only kidnapping elves but also causing confusion among nations under the guise of soldiers from the Virginia Empire.”

“…Yes.”

Yurisia solemnly nodded, and the King sighed heavily.

“I won’t bother asking if you know about this. If it served the interests of our Vefeld Kingdom, I was prepared to turn a blind eye.”

“…”

“But now, it could greatly harm our national interests. Don’t you think so, Yurisia?”

“…Yes.”

She didn’t need to look up to know that First Prince Lucias was smirking smugly.

“In light of this situation, naturally, Vefeld Kingdom will plead ignorance. Therefore, Yurisia, you alone must resolve this. If there’s no improvement seen shortly―you shall be stripped of your inheritance rights, and consider your life forfeit. Do you understand?”

“…! T-this is…”

“Silence. I only asked if you understood.”

“Ugh…”

This was a troublesome development.

Frankly, Yurisia couldn’t think of any way to resolve this situation.

It was far beyond what she could resolve with her own wit.

Yet her father had said―she alone must resolve it, or face execution.

“What’s wrong? If you refuse, you’ll be executed as a traitor right now.”

“I-I’ll do it…! Please, give me a chance to redeem myself!”

“Good. Don’t fail. Absolutely… not.”

The pressure in his words was so intense, Yurisia felt nauseous right then and there.

“Haha, it’s only natural. If something isn’t done, who knows what will become of Vefeld Kingdom.”

Lucias seemed to find Yurisia’s discomfort amusing.

“However, Your Majesty, I’m surprised. I’ve heard Esmeralda has garnered quite a respect among the elves.”

“…Hmm. He must have made his efforts accordingly.”

“Indeed. I must not be careless, lest, like Yurisia here, I get tripped up.”

Esmeralda, Esmeralda, Esmeralda…

Just hearing that name was enough for Yurisia to feel an abnormal amount of stomach pain.