I Thought It Was a Common Transmigration - Chapter 104

“Archduke Langston is said to be constantly attending banquets, large and small, to shape public opinion.”

Stopping off at the Ludwig mansion to avoid attention, Princess Catherine sipped the tea the Duchess had offered and said with a hint of annoyance.

The Duchess shook her head. “I’ve been avoiding attending banquets for fear of being labeled overpowering, but I suppose that gives them an excuse to make a move.”

With the military force showing up so suddenly, House Ludwig has been careful not to offend the imperial family in the slightest.

But no matter how careful they were with their good intentions, detractors would somehow twist them into something bad.

“I don’t think it’s anything to be afraid of, Mother…… but I do worry that some people will get caught up in the atmosphere of the moment and join the Archduke’s faction,” I expressed my opinion calmly.

To those who don’t know my story, it would seem ridiculous that I, the daughter of Count Riegelhoff, would say such a thing.

“I’m surprised, Miss Edith.”

As expected, Princess Catherine asked curiously, “Don’t you think that the more people who join Archduke Langston, the better?”

“Why do you think so, Your Highness?”

“Because that way Count Riegelhoff has a better chance of surviving?”

Princess Catherine had no malice toward me; she merely wanted to know my inner thoughts.

Of course, I had long since made up my mind.

‘Even if the Riegelhoffs win, I am a traitor to them.’

But not in the eyes of others.

When the war is over, everyone will know that I have completely disassociated myself from the Riegelhoffs, but those who would criticize me will find a way to do so.

‘It’s certain that the Ludwigs will win, and if I feel the slightest bit sorry for the RIegelhoffs, they’ll accuse me of being a traitor, and if I rejoice, they’ll accuse me of being a poisonous bitch who abandoned my family.’

If I’m going to be vilified one way or another, I’d rather it be the latter. I want to live to see the downfall of those who mistreated me!

“Your Highness, people don’t have just one position. Even you, Your Highness, may find that your position as Princess and your position as someone’s wife conflict with each other. What do you think you should do then?”

“Well, I’d have to prioritize the more important one.”

“Who decides which is more important?”

“Ummm…… my father or……”

She’s been called a selfish princess, but it’s times like this that I realize she’s still stuck in the confines of traditional education.

I shook my head and said, “What if it’s your life that’s at stake? Can you still excuse yourself for listening to others? It’s your choice, after all.”

“Uh…… hm……”

“I have also made my choice. I chose the Ludwigs, who have protected me all this time, over my own family, who started a territorial war without a thought for me after marrying me to House Ludwig. No matter what the outcome, I will take responsibility for my choice and I will not regret it, even if someone criticizes me for it.”

It was a choice I had no option but to make, but they wouldn’t know that.

“You are surprisingly strong, Miss Edith.”

“Why are you saying this out of the blue?”

“I’m sorry, in fact, when I saw you the other day, I got the impression that you were very much at the mercy of Count Riegelhoff. Everyone says that Count Riegelhoff raised you well…… but it seemed to me that you were always under his thumb.”

It seems that the Princess is not just anyone. Everyone else was fooled, but she saw right through it.

“I was young and immature then.”

And there was nowhere to go but back to Riegelhoff.

The original Edith wouldn’t have lived like that if she’d had a place to run to.

“Well, I’m not judging you for what happened then, I’m just saying you look a lot better now…… and I’m sorry if I’ve offended you because I’m not very good with words.”

“No, thank you for your honesty.”

If everyone is as honest as she is, I wouldn’t have to worry about it like this.

Nodding and smiling, Princess Catherine turned her attention back to the Duchess.

“Oh, by the way, the Emperor asked me to tell you that he’d like to send some imperial knights to the mansion, just in case.”

Oh, what a generous offer!

Imperial knights protecting the mansion area would be enough to stop Shane’s raid as it happened in the original story.

But the Duchess shook her head. “No, I don’t think we should bother the Emperor with something of this magnitude. Please tell him not to worry too much, we have enough knights to protect the mansion.”

I looked at the Duchess with a “No, why?” look on my face.

Princess Catherine furrowed her brow and tried to persuade her again. “On the contrary, your refusal will only increase the Emperor’s anxiety. After all, this was done to deal with a group of traitors, and the Emperor should bear the responsibility.”

Right!

But the Duchess shook her head again. “When a territorial war breaks out, the imperial family must remain neutral.”

“Of course, we won’t send word that they’re imperial knights; we’ll dress them up as mercenaries, appropriately enough……”

“If word gets out, we’ll just be giving Archduke Langston another excuse.”

The ostensible reason for this war was a feud between the two families, and the appearance of the imperial family taking sides in a war fought for that reason might be just what they were looking for.

‘But that only becomes a problem if the territory war continues for a long period of time. By the time it is revealed that it was the imperial knights who protected us, the entire group of traitors will be executed.’

Of course, this is my opinion based on my knowledge of the original story, so it may be a matter for the Duchess to consider.

In the end, Catherine sighed and agreed with the Duchess.

Suddenly, the Duchess was startled and took a handkerchief from her pocket and held it over Lizé’s mouth.

“Lizé!”

“Oh, Lizé, are you all right?”

Lizé was bleeding from the nose.

“I- I’m sorry. Why is this happening all of a sudden……”

Lizé looked startled, too. The white handkerchief the Duchess handed her quickly turned red.

“It looks like Lizé is too stressed out from the territorial war.”

At my words, the Duchess hastily called for Lizé’s maid. It seems that such tension or worry is enough to make such a slender girl’s nose bleed.

Lizé was eventually escorted back to her room by her maid, and tea was ended earlier than expected.

On my way back from seeing Catherine off, I turned to the Duchess and asked, “Still, wouldn’t you feel much more at ease if the imperial knights helped defend the mansion?”

“Hmm…… I suppose so.”

“Then why did you refuse, is it really because of the imperial neutrality obligation?”

“I’m sure that’s a good reason……”

There was something strange in the Duchess’ demeanor.

After a moment, she shook her head and muttered, “Why did I do that?”

“Sorry?”

Huh? What kind of reaction is this?

The Duchess was regretting her decision as if she were a completely different person than she had been just half an hour ago.

“No, no. It’s not like the mansion is under-guarded, so there’s nothing to worry about.”

“Ah, yes.”

No, it’s not. It wouldn’t be enough to stand up to Shane’s mercenaries.

‘Is the Duchess’ strange behavior also due to the flow of the original story? Even in the original story, there is no mention of the imperial knights protecting the mansion. That’s why Shane’s mercenaries attacked…….’

The flow of the original story has become much weaker due to the fact that I met the second exception condition and overcame the author’s intervention twice, but it hasn’t completely disappeared.

‘Since this is the most important event where I, the villainess, die, I think it will go according to the original story, different from the previous minor episodes.’

But I couldn’t just sit back and let it happen.

‘No matter what, I can’t give them an excuse to storm the mansion.’

I clenched my fists.

***

From that day forward, I walked around the mansion every evening, checking for anything unusual.

I couldn’t shake the feeling of unease in a mansion even with so many knights and servants.

‘Is he going to use sleeping incense again?’

The reason Shane can storm the mansion with so many people is because, in addition to the unlocked back door, he has scattered sleeping incense to make everyone fall asleep or become dazed.

In the original story, it is of course Sophia and the spies who placed them throughout the mansion in advance.

‘With Sophia gone, they may not have placed the sleeping incense, but you never know……’

I don’t know who the spies in the mansion are.

The author probably didn’t set it up properly either.

Therefore, I had to examine the mansion without the knowledge of the unknown spies.

‘I’ll have to check the back door every day.’

I don’t know if the original flow, which cannot use me, might use a spy to install an anti-lock device on the back door.

I checked the door with Anna, and when we got near the back door, I had her check the other side.

If there really is a strange device, it would be hard for me if she asked how I saw it coming.

But then I bumped into the least desirable person I could think of.

“Huh……? What is she doing?”

Lizé was standing by the doorknob of the back door.

Sensing my presence, she spun around, looking surprised.