Hister’s face, as he faced Sinclair, was devoid of even a hint of color.

‘This… damn it…’

Hister himself never properly realized it, but his fatal flaw was surprisingly constant.

Always thinking of Sinclair Butler as beneath him.

And not recognizing at all that in this way, step by step, he could tighten the noose around his neck without any escape route…

“Or are you going to claim this time that even the Prime Minister’s will was forged? How dare you.”

The Prime Minister had finally made his choice.

To remain a victim rather than a perpetrator complicit with Hister.

That way, he could at least preserve his honor as a respected Prime Minister.

The will, written before going to the temple to meet the Emperor, was also at Sinclair’s direction.

Just like the poison he had handed over, telling him to take it and die on the spot.

“This is…”

Hister, who had been trembling with his mouth tightly shut, began to squeeze out a voice like a cornered rat.

But what cards could you possibly play now? Sinclair inwardly mocked him.

“…This is all just a shoddy slander. Whether I say it in front of everyone, or stake my honor on it, I declare that I have never ordered such a despicable act.”

And as if to prove that Sinclair’s thoughts were correct, Hister began to ramble on with words that were undeniably sophistry to anyone who heard them.

“It is true that I inherited and oversee the two orphanages my mother used to run. But it was common for the temples to re-donate the donations they received to help the imperial citizens. Don’t you all know that?”

“…”

“I still stand by my suspicion that my elder brother orchestrated all of this. The same goes for the support given to the Rainhell Mercenaries. Is there anyone in Edenbell who doesn’t know that Eric Connor, who is close to my brother, commands a sizable private army that cannot be ignored?”

Hister made a desperate effort.

“And Eric Connor is very close to my elder brother. I know the situation is getting a bit strange, but as the Crown Prince, I have been steadily preparing for any eventuality! To keep His Majesty the Emperor and our Edenbell safe!”

Despite his painstaking efforts, the reactions of the royals and nobles were as cold as could be.

Chaz, who was shoved into a corner like a sack of barley, as he was during the founding festival, could only sit there terrified without saying a word, and the collateral bloodlines, including Anelli, were frowning as if they couldn’t believe Hister’s words.

The reactions of the five representative families of Edenbell were not much different either. To be precise, it seemed that there had been a division among them, as Elaina had thought.

“…It would not be an exaggeration to say that the truth of what you two are saying depends on the words of His Majesty the Emperor.”

And it was Duke Heswin who stepped in as if to mediate the situation.

“It seems that no matter how much more we discuss this here today, nothing will be resolved. For now, since His Majesty is in his sickbed… How about we prioritize His Majesty’s recovery and investigate further?”

“Let’s do that.”

Sinclair shrugged and replied briefly.

“I have nothing to lose anyway.”

Sinclair’s words were not a lie.

After all, Sinclair had successfully achieved his goal in this council meeting.

Namely, damaging the reputation of Crown Prince Hister Butler and causing a division among the nobles who supported him.

Of course, the situation would vary greatly depending on when the Emperor recovers, but it was still a fight with a chance of winning.

“Then the Crown Princess and I shall take our leave now. If you all have nothing more to discuss either, how about returning to your respective residences? You must have a lot to talk about with each other.”

At Sinclair’s words, which somehow felt cutting, the nobles kept their mouths shut, and Sinclair slowly reached out his hand to Elaina.

Elaina naturally linked arms with him as if it were a matter of course, and they began to leave the council chamber together.

“…”

As the Crown Prince and Princess left, the royals and nobles also rose from their seats, murmuring softly.

Unlike ever before, they did not intentionally strike up a conversation with Hister. They merely paid their respects to him with the minimum courtesy.

Hister, who was sitting there trembling, gritted his teeth.

[…If you’re going to pick a fight, at least put up a fight with all your might.]

And then, he mulled over the words Sinclair had once said to him.

[Even then, your chances of beating me are not even half.]

Sinclair was right.

No matter how hard Hister fought with all his might, his chances of beating Sinclair were not even half.

But he had rushed in with a clumsy political struggle without even mustering his strength, and with the Emperor, whom he had always relied on, now lying in his sickbed, so this result was perhaps only natural.

How very unfortunate.

[This is the timeline separator]

Elaina and Sinclair, who had left the council chamber, were walking very slowly along the endless corridor.

Of course, Elaina was not unaware of the fact that it was an act of consideration for her discomfort.

But what filled Elaina’s mind at the moment was not just gratitude for Sinclair’s consideration.

“…From where to where did you prepare all of this in such a short time?”

Elaina turned her head, clung as close to Sinclair as possible, and whispered in a very small voice as if speaking into his ear.

“What do you mean?”

“Everything that happened today.”

“You already knew, didn’t you? That’s why you said those words in front of Eric earlier.”

“…What I mean is, I expected you to take that tone, but I didn’t know you would have evidence and such prepared to this extent.”

“You must be referring to things like the will and ledgers.”

“Yes, exactly that.”

“I told you. I’m more capable in these fights than you think.”

Sinclair chuckled.

“I’m not just a good-for-nothing, as people believe. Surprisingly, I’m a smart good-for-nothing, you could say.”

“…”

“Anyway, with this, Hister will be driven into a corner. He won’t even have the Emperor to help him, so he’ll find himself in an even more difficult situation.”

“What if there are variables…?”

Sinclair easily realized that the variable Elaina was referring to meant the Emperor’s condition.

“The answer is simple.”

“How…?”

“If he gets worse from here, we’ll have to step up our efforts to drive out that annoying bastard. On the contrary, if it looks like he’ll recover, we’ll have to prevent that.”

“…”

“In the end, it’s best for us if he remains unconscious in his sickbed, just like that.”

Just how much had Sinclair anticipated and from where to where had he already made moves? And since when had he been working on it? The incident at the founding festival wasn’t even that long ago…

The man before her eyes kept showing new sides of himself that Elaina hadn’t expected.

It was a bit startling… but not unpleasant.

“…So, how was it?”

“What do you mean?”

“Did I play my role well?”

“…”

“I already knew I wouldn’t be of much help, but I didn’t want to let you fight alone in such a large council chamber.”

Elaina slightly lowered her head and mumbled in a very small voice, like a mosquito.

“So… did I do well as an audience?”

“Perhaps.”

Sinclair replied with a grin.

…It was a first for Sinclair too.

Before Elaina became the Crown Princess, he had always been forced to stand alone in front of everyone and take the arrows since childhood.

Even if it was a situation where he couldn’t get a single word of support, the feeling of having someone on his side watching over him…

Surprisingly, it seemed to give him peace of mind.

Yes. It was the same feeling he had felt whenever Elli looked at him in that valley.

“But wasn’t that person named Joshua the Prime Minister’s confidant?”

“He used to be.”

In the end, it was unclear what means he had used, but it meant that he had turned even Joshua to his side.

Perhaps Sinclair had been covering up his abilities by using that nickname of a good-for-nothing and hiding behind it?

“Anyway, Eric, Schuler, and Glen must be gasping for breath. They probably think I’m being executed.”

At Sinclair’s words, which could be either a joke or serious, Elaina laughed briefly.

“Then let’s hurry back. They’re already struggling to assist Sinclair all the time, so there’s no need to make them gasp for breath too. It would be even harder to find new trustworthy people like them.”

“…It sounds like there’s a barb in your words? What do you mean by struggling all the time? Elaina Butler.”

“No, that’s not what I meant.”

Sinclair seemed to frown slightly, then showed his characteristic smirk.

And so, the two of them began to return to the Crown Prince’s palace at a slightly slower pace compared to others. But at a slightly brisker pace based on Elaina’s standards.

“Greetings, Your Highness the Crown Prince. And Your Highness the Crown Princess.”

If only it weren’t for the voice that suddenly stopped them from behind.

It was Anelli.

“…”

Elaina and Sinclair stopped in their tracks and faced Anelli, who was looking at them.

Anelli quietly looked around and, after making sure no one was there, began to speak again.

“It seems you have prepared quite a lot, Your Highness the Crown Prince.”