"Pl-p-please, present me with a convincing reason."
Laura spoke. Her voice was pitifully thin. She surely knew this was nothing more than a futile struggle. I flashed a smile.
"Think about it. The Crown Princess holds a monopoly on military authority. Excluding the Marcher Lords stationed in the rear, the entire Imperial Army has fallen into Elisabeth von Habsburg's grasp."
"The Imperial Court Chamberlains are no pushovers, either—"
"In times of crisis like this, military authority is power. Do you understand, Laura? The Crown Princess is the single most powerful figure in the Empire."
I ran my hand gently over her small rear. Perhaps because of the foreign object inside her, Laura occasionally scrunched up her face and breathed out hot, labored breaths.
"To counter military authority, you need military authority. If you wish to topple the Crown Princess, you need a force stronger than hers — or at the very least, one on equal footing. The Court Chamberlains have no troops to speak of. That means you'd either need to win over the Crown Princess's subordinates, or draw in the Marcher Lords."
But there had been no such developments whatsoever.
"According to the rumors, the Crown Princess has secluded herself of her own accord. When the Emperor ordered her to evacuate every last citizen of the capital, she couldn't bring herself to defy the Imperial decree and withdrew… Heh. Isn't the real motive transparently obvious?"
If the Court nobles' power were truly formidable, they would have stopped at nothing to spread malicious rumors about Crown Princess Elisabeth. They would have worked tirelessly to plant the idea that the Crown Princess's resignation was the right and proper thing to do.
Yet every rumor circulating favored the Crown Princess. On the contrary, the people were furious at the Court nobles, the Emperor, and the Second Prince.
"How do you think this looks from the common people's perspective? The Demon Lord's army has been advancing with unstoppable momentum, and it was Crown Princess Elisabeth, the Third Princess, who held them off this entire time. But the moment the Court noble faction took charge, the Imperial Army lost the capital without putting up any resistance. That is the narrative they see."
March Rosenberg hadn't even been able to mount a proper defense before being driven from his territory.
Crown Prince Rudolf had suffered a crushing defeat on the hills of Austerlitz.
Both the frontier armies and the central forces had been annihilated in their entirety. At that darkest hour, the Third Princess appeared like a comet and stood against the Demon Lord's army. And even though the Demon Lord's forces had assembled a grand army of a hundred thousand, she had wielded a small force to achieve one miraculous victory after another…
"The common people don't know the granular details of how the war unfolded."
No distortion could rival the brilliance of this one.
In truth, the victories the Third Princess had achieved in battle were modest. They were merely tactical wins.
From a strategic standpoint, the Third Princess had been in a state of constant retreat — eventually conceding the Imperial capital itself. That fact was hidden behind the glittering facade of tactical victories. The people were cheering for the victories they could see.
"Based on my estimates, His Majesty the Emperor and the Second Prince have already become Elisabeth's puppets. The ones truly confined aren't the princess — it's them..."
"Li-little sister. I have a favor to ask."
The man spoke with extreme caution.
The woman seated at the desk did not so much as glance away from her documents as she answered.
"Yes. Go ahead, brother."
"I want you to let me see Father. Just once is enough."
"I'm sorry. That can't be done."
The reply was immediate. The man gritted his teeth.
The Second Prince of Habsburg — Ferdinand von Habsburg.
The twenty-four-year-old was not someone desperate to become Emperor. In truth, he had no interest in the throne whatsoever. Ferdinand believed that assuming such a burdensome position would only make one's life miserable.
But power was precious. To enjoy life's luxuries, one needed a certain degree of power. Ferdinand cooperated with his elder brother, the Crown Prince, while simultaneously building up his own faction.
It was a faction of just the right size. Whether it was Crown Prince Rudolf or Princess Elisabeth, whoever wished to win the succession struggle and seize the throne needed the backing of the Second Prince's faction.
He himself could not become Emperor. But he could make one. Ferdinand was content in his role as kingmaker — so long as he could maintain a lavish life regardless of who inherited the throne.
However, such a scheme only worked so long as the balance of power was maintained.
He had lost count of how many security checks he had to endure just to meet the princess. A body search was the bare minimum — anti-magic wards had been placed on him as well. It was an insult almost unthinkable for an imperial prince. And bearing that insult was yet another part of Ferdinand's predicament...
He knelt.
"The people's grievances are piercing the heavens... If things continue like this, there will be a revolt. Sister — Father's safety hangs in the balance, and with it, the destiny of Habsburg. As a prince of the Empire, it is my duty to beseech Father to calm the people!"
One of the most noble figures in the Empire knelt upon the cold floor. And he did so before the very princess who was widely known to be living in seclusion. Anyone who witnessed this scene would have been struck speechless.
But the princess did not so much as turn her eyes from her documents. Her brother kneeling meant nothing compared to the papers before her. Her attitude seemed to say as much.
"Have I not told you? His Majesty has expressly forbidden anyone from seeing him. Even I haven't been granted an audience since I was turned away last time."
"So, if you could just somehow......"
It was a lie.
Ferdinand was no fool. How could he not see that the younger sister before his eyes was lying?
The court ministers' families had been taken hostage. The prince's own wife and son were also imprisoned. Orders continued to rain down on them under the banner of "imperial decree" — evacuate the capital, exhume the imperial tombs — every last one a madman's command.
The ministers and the prince had, naturally, stormed the imperial palace to protest. But the ones they encountered were not the Emperor — they were warriors radiating cold killing intent. The warriors cited "His Majesty's protection" as they drove the delegation out. Only then did the nobles realize that all of this was nothing more than someone's script.
No one had the courage to point out the truth to that someone's face.
No — to be precise......that courage had been eliminated. Nobles who resisted were thoroughly slaughtered. Their entire houses were wiped out. The capital had descended into chaos as the populace was driven out, and the destruction of a few noble families was buried beneath the upheaval.
The Second Prince was no different. He had one son and one daughter. Both of his children were being "guarded" by the princess's faction — protected with utmost security lest the enraged populace launch an attack...... The prince had no choice but to speak in such roundabout terms.
"Somehow, she says."
The princess let out a faint smile. It was a smile as dry as a desert.
It was the first sign of interest she had shown since her brother entered the room, but the prince found the reaction not welcome in the slightest — it was deeply unsettling. She had probably worn that same dry smile even when ordering the destruction of noble families as an example to the others.
"You're placing far too heavy a burden on me, brother. How could I ever dare to refuse His Majesty's command, unless I were to become the Emperor myself?"
"......"
Ferdinand trembled with fear.
He had lived in the palace for over ten years. There was no way he could fail to read what the other party was implying. Just now, his younger sister had made a naked declaration that she intended to seize the throne. But that was not all. She had said she would not ascend the throne herself — that he, her brother, would be the one to place her upon it......
"Y-Your Highness."
The way he addressed his sister changed. The prince found that kneeling alone was not enough and pressed his palms flat against the floor.
"Even if the bonds of affection in our family were never deep, I believe we are siblings connected by the same blood...... Please, grant me — your brother — even the slightest right to know the truth."
"Brother. Of course, I am your loyal little sister."
Despite her gentle words, the princess still had not turned her head. She did not tell him to drop the formal address, nor did she grant him any right. The prince's insides burned with anxiety.
"What am I supposed to do from now on... no, what will become of our family?"
"You are already the head of a household, brother. Depending on how the head conducts himself, the household may weather the crisis — or be capsized by it."
His wife's and children's lives depended on him. The prince lowered himself even further.
"If it would allow Your Highness to meet with His Imperial Majesty... could I assist with that?"
He was asking if he should help with your coup. That was what he meant.
As a prince, it was the best he could think of. Betray his father and support his younger sister. In exchange, secure the stability of his family. Could there be a more devoted act than this?
She denied it simply.
"No. What I am asking of you, brother, is not that."
Princess Elisabeth rose from her seat. She approached her brother and slowly lowered herself as well, placing both hands on his shoulders.
"Lately, lawless elements have appeared among the people. They have been openly spreading words that will bring Heaven's wrath upon us — that the Habsburg Empire is finished, that the people must rise up and crush the Imperial family with their own hands..."
The prince knew this as well. Hadn't he himself used the people's anger as justification to request this audience?
"I need you, brother, to punish them."
"What..."
The prince's head snapped up without thinking. The people were already on the verge of eruption. If he responded with violence at a time like this, rebellion would be inevitable — ten times out of ten. His wise younger sister could not possibly be unaware of that, so why—
His gaze met hers. Eyes blue as the sea stared back at him, cold and unyielding.
Ah.
Seeing those eyes, the prince understood everything. A chill ran down the back of his neck.
His voice began to tremble uncontrollably. He couldn't even finish the sentence.
"I'm... I'm to be the... the scapegoat?"
"My royal guard will ensure your family's safety."
The princess never said she would protect her brother.
The second prince oppressed the people. Right when the people were about to erupt, the princess stepped in and cut her brother off. The prince would bear all the rage and die. Meanwhile, the princess would gain support and aim for the next step. A classic case of cooking the hounds once the rabbits were gone.
Prince Ferdinand grabbed his sister's hand and begged desperately.
"E-Elisabeth… please forgive me… please, forgive me… aren't we family… aren't we siblings who share the same blood…"
"Don't call me by that name."
A gaze so cold it was chilling stared down the prince.
"Not once since the day I was born have I ever considered it a blessing to have been born of the same blood as you. Ferdinand. You haven't forgotten already what you and Rudolf did together, have you?"
There were other princesses in the Habsburg Empire besides Elisabeth. Those princesses had died of illness years ago.
The truth was different. Crown Prince Rudolf and Prince Ferdinand had conspired together and raped the princesses. Not just once. Over the course of years, they had persistently gang-raped them. In the end, the princesses could not bear the humiliation and took their own lives. To the public, they were said to have died of illness…
"Don't come asking for my affection now. When was there ever affection in our family?"
"…"
"You and I are certainly of the same blood. Equally cursed monsters. You raped your sisters, and I'm driving you to your death. What a fine family we are."
The prince caught a glimpse of scarlet madness in his sister's eyes. And he knew that his death had already been decided, and that if he wanted to save his wife and children at the very least, he had no choice but to do as his sister said.
"You won't be alone in this. The court ministers will also take part in oppressing the people. Your journey to the afterlife won't be lonely. Consider it my last act of recognition toward you, brother. At the very least, I'll fulfill my duty as family."
Elisabeth smiled.
The prince left the room lifelessly. The princess's laughter clung to his back as though it would never let go no matter what. He shed tears and lamented. When had it all started? When had everything gone wrong…
Three days later, the prince faction's atrocity took place.
The second prince, Ferdinand von Habsburg, along with dozens of court nobles, mobilized private armies and indiscriminately oppressed the citizens living in the capital. During this process, three hundred civilians were killed.
Elisabeth, who had been quietly in seclusion, was enraged by the nobles' tyranny.
She cast aside her seclusion and personally commanded military forces, utterly destroying the nobles' private armies. Every court noble who had participated in the atrocity was executed without exception. Her own brother Ferdinand was no different. The second prince was beheaded, and shortly after, his wife and children were also beheaded and thrown before the people.
The people praised Elisabeth von Habsburg's resolve to stand up for them.