“My words have been of help to Your Highness! I am deeply moved, Your Highness.”

“What help? Someone listening might think you’re trying to take responsibility because of your words.”

“Is that not so? You asked me what you should do. And I gave you an answer.”

“Even without you telling me this or that, of course I will take responsibility for my own flesh and blood. I’m not saying your words were helpful, but that your words and my thoughts were already in agreement from the start.”

“This way or that way. Isn’t the important thing that the result is the same?”

Clovis laughed heartily. His laughter was sincere. He truly, very much, was in a good mood.

Our Your Highness is getting married! Finally!

Everything was perfect except for one thing, if there was a single flaw it was that he had stayed away from romance and failed to build his own family, but now Archduke Albrecht was about to fill even that one flaw with his own hands.

With marriage comes an heir at the same time. Having built a solid family as well, Carl has now become a talent truly worthy of the position of future emperor. Clovis felt like he wanted to applaud.

The capital’s wealthiest, fallen by scandal

The heir of a depraved and dissolute count’s family

Whether in the outside world or the world of books, the fascination with rumors and scandals is the same. Today again, the newspapers were full of articles about me and Valerie.

“Why are you looking at things like this, Count?”

“Even if I try not to look, I can’t help it. I’m curious how people on the outside see me.”

“What does it matter what they say or how they see you? It’s not even true.”

“Even things that aren’t true can become true if the majority talks about it.”

No sooner had I put down the newspaper than Hannah gathered up all the newspapers on the table and cleared them away. She seemed to want to keep them out of my sight. But what’s the use, when I’ve already seen it all? A deep sigh seeped out.

I had some idea this would happen from the moment I appeared at the train station with Valerie, but I didn’t know the reaction would be this big.

“But why do they exaggerate this much? Saying the family will fall, that it’s depraved and dissolute…? Goodness, I’m at a loss for words.”

I am the epitome of complete and utter purity who has never even held hands with a man. Yet in an instant I’ve become a frivolous and licentious noble lady enjoying a depraved and dissolute private life. There’s no false accusation like this false accusation.

“That’s how gossip articles are. They have to write as sensationally as possible to sell a lot.”

“Indeed, it’s the same everywhere. These unscrupulous people who will say anything to make a profit, regardless of whether others become unhappy.”

“Pardon?”

“No. This, completely burying a person alive just to sell some of their newspapers, I really think this is problematic.”

“That’s right. They’re completely wretched. But what can we do? Those guys even go after the imperial family at the drop of a hat.”

“What? They insult the imperial family? And they still continue to publish newspapers unscathed?”

“Rather than unscathed… A long time ago, when an article slandering the imperial princess beloved by the previous emperor was published, action was taken once.”

“My goodness, they went after an imperial princess? Wow, they’ve got guts, these guys.”

“But it caused controversy, and eventually public opinion arose criticizing even His Majesty’s control of the military.”

“What does that have to do with this?”

“In nearby countries, imperial authority and military authority are separated, right? But in our empire it’s not like that, so there have been voices from long ago saying the emperor has too much power. In that situation, when they tried to pressure even the newspaper companies, protests erupted saying they were trying to control the media too, that imperial authority was becoming too great.”

“…That’s way too much of a leap. What father would stay silent when his daughter is being insulted?”

“I know, right? That’s what I think too. Anyway, the backlash was so great at the time that I heard the imperial family officially announced they would not interfere with the media in the future.”

“Nothing works. And here I was thinking of trying to protest.”

If even His Majesty the Emperor had to watch his daughter being insulted, what could a mere noble do?

I was angry at the behavior of spreading false information, but even more frustrating was having to just watch as rumors spread far and wide without being able to do anything.

“But there’s been no contact from the imperial palace.”

Hannah grumbled, having thrown the newspapers far away. That point was a mystery to me as well.

When did Carl, who had rushed in as if he couldn’t wait a moment to confirm his blood relation with Valerie, disappear without a trace for days?

“I thought he would take some action now that he confirmed Miss Valerie is his blood relative.”

I thought so too. Wasn’t that why he had rushed in so urgently to confirm paternity?

“Was he just probing to see?”

“No way! Miss Valerie is now clearly of imperial blood. His Highness the Archduke would know what it means to inherit imperial blood. Just probing, that’s nonsense, Count.”

“Then why is there no word? I really don’t understand Carl’s psychology.”

“On that point, I also… Oh, or could it be that he’s preparing to officially welcome Miss Valerie as family?”

“What preparations could take several days?”

“Of course it would take several days and more! His Highness the Archduke is unmarried. If he’s suddenly going to bring in a blood relative that appeared out of nowhere as his child, there are probably many procedures to follow.”

Is that really so? It was frustrating to have no word after dragging people to the capital saying it was urgent. If this was how it would be, why did he rush to pull me out of Urentum?

“By the way, would it be alright to go out today?”

“No, Count!”

“Why. Why won’t you let me even go outside? I’m dying of boredom.”

They said there would soon be a summons for investigation regarding Duke Schwaben’s death, but even that was quiet. At this point, I wanted to be investigated or whatever just to relieve the frustration.

Why frustrated, you ask? Because I was under house arrest due to the talk of the town – that the wealthiest Count Louisette, who had disappeared from the capital, had appeared with a child while unmarried.

Hannah and Kendrick, as well as Liv and Cecil, all blocked my way with wide eyes, saying that going out now would be volunteering to be easy prey for people to tear apart.

What could I do when four people blocked my way like one body and stubbornly insisted I couldn’t go out? Just carefully observing the atmosphere and looking out the window was my entire daily routine for days.

“You’re not the type to just watch people gossiping.”

“Me?”

Hannah nodded. Vigorously at that.

“If someone whispered in front of you, you would remember their face and name to pay them back double.”

“I do that? No way.”

“Even if you’ve lost your memories, you shouldn’t deny it that much, Count. Why else do you think the nickname ‘Sniper Count’ was attached to your name?”

“Sniper Count? What’s that?”

“It’s your nickname. They say if you’re marked once by Count Louisette, you’ll be punished to the end, so Sniper Count.”

“Ah…”

I had forgotten. That Celeste was the world’s greatest villainess. They said she couldn’t tolerate anything that harmed her at all. But still, Sniper Count?

“I probably won’t do that now, will I?”

Because that Celeste and I are different people. Besides, I’m a timid commoner who can’t openly punish anyone.

“No matter how much you’ve lost your memories, a person’s nature doesn’t change. There’s no way you wouldn’t.”

“Just what kind of life did I live before, Hannah…?”

“Well, it feels like a dream that you’re joking around with me like this.”

“Was I not affectionate towards Hannah either?”

“Not as much as now, but you were favorable to me and the mansion staff. To others, though, you were icy cold.”

An ice queen, was it something like that? Roses have thorns, is that it? The more I heard about Celeste’s past, the more I wanted to shake my head.

Still, exchanging light banter with Hannah like this seemed to make the boring time pass a little faster.

“What about Valerie?”

“She’s taking a nap now.”

Since coming here, there have been few occasions for Valerie to be in my hands. In Urentum she was in my arms all day long, but at the count’s mansion there were over ten hands rushing to take care of the child.

My turn was last. Apparently nobles don’t directly raise children. Sometimes it felt good to have my body free, and sometimes it felt bleak that mother and child were not together.