Chapter 11: Chapter 09 ─ Responsibility

Viscount Ressel, or rather, the present-day Baron Ressel, was walking all depressed in the streets of the city.

What was wrong with him?

Thanks to the evidence Ixion gathered, it was discovered that in addition to being an accomplice in the attempted murder of Rudel and Lucy, he was also receiving bribes from the Bartolini.

Of course, Randolf did not hesitate for a second to destroy him.

His title of viscount was demoted to a mere baron without territory.

His property, assets and above all his pride were stolen on the same day.

He was even expelled from the academy.

"Damn... it's all his fault."

"If it wasn't for that brat... if it wasn't for him coming here..."

"My perfect life wouldn't have been ruined!"

For Baron Ressel, his goal was to have a son and name him Peter II, then for his grandson to be Peter III and become a count or marquis.

Such a wish died and now he turned to drinking.

Baron Ressel threw his drink on the floor.

"I swear I will take revenge on you brat of the realm!"

◇

The first semester was days away from ending and the winter break began.

I am excited.

After so much trouble I'll finally be able to rest.

The idiots and Erselica have bombarded me with useless questions about what we will do on this holiday abroad.

Some want to go sightseeing, some want to go on adventures and finally the little ones want to go and eat every typical local dish.

At home I don't care, I just want to rest.

Or so I thought until involuntarily a new problem arose.

That problem was her.

"Good morning."

"Good morning Rudel-kun!"

"..."

The day I beat up Jude, Lucy confessed to me.

She said she loved me and that I was a miracle in her life that came to save her.

I told her it wasn't like that, but she doesn't listen to me.

Since that day, Lucy smiles more than before.

Erselica said that this was the heroine's personality so after hearing how Lucy fell in love with me, she looked at me with threatening eyes.

It's not like I want women to fall in love with me, is it?

Leaving Lucy's all-loving breakfast aside and her bright eyes waiting for my response.

"Delicious."

"Hehehe, thank you."

After saying that, she gave me a kiss on my cheek.

Actually, I'm confused about this.

I should tell her that I have fiancées, but something inside me tells me not to even try.

"By the way Rudel-kun, is it true that my intensive courses will start soon?"

"That's right. You should start preparing, I heard from the teachers that they will be very rough with you because you will have to learn in a whole month what you didn't see in a semester."

"Waah, that sounds awful of them, can't I do something to make the workload go down?"

"I don't think so. You'll have to study hard."

"Huhhhhh~."

Even with that tantrum, they were quiet days.

*Bell ring*

Someone knocked on the door.

"I'll go check."

I got up and let Lucy eat her breakfast in peace. When I opened the door I was in for a surprise.

"Sara? Is something wrong?"

Sara was at my door, her casual dress was beautiful, it showed off her long legs and the front emphasised her large breasts.

"Good morning. Sorry to disturb, or am I interrupting something?"

Lucy peeked out to see who it was, but stuck her head in when she saw it was Sara.

Lucy told me that last year, Sara bullied her, but Sara herself told me that it was because of that bullying that both Jude and Derrick left Lucy alone.

In other words, Sara was protecting Lucy.

Why would the villainess daughter of the man who destroyed her house because he was jealous?

Truth be told, the mystery of Randolf is something I couldn't care less about, I'd say that if it weren't for the fact that he doesn't seem like a bad man.

I really want to know what happened that day, but let's leave it for now.

"You're not interrupting nothing. We were just having breakfast."

"Do you need something from me?"

She looked a little sad.

"Nothing at all, I just wanted to say goodbye."

"Say goodbye? Are you going somewhere?"

"It's not that I'm going anywhere. It's just that I'm not going back to the academy."

"... My father told me that the engagement is official."

"I... I'm engaged to Tom of Exner Household."

(To Tom!)

(Does that mean that the fiancée in the game that Erselica was talking about and went crazy with jealousy was you?)

(No. Sara doesn't seem interested in Tom at first seeing her sad expression, but she doesn't seem interested in Lucy either. What does it mean then?)

I said to Sara after seeing her depressed face.

"Can't you reject him or something? Why compromise with Tom?"

"My father said it's necessary. Trust in the great nobles was obviously bad, but with your problem it got worse."

"It's better to have allies than enemies. He said as he begged my pardon."

"It can't be helped. It was the minimum requirement for being the daughter of one of the great nobles, at least I'm sure I'll be able to help my father with this."

(Why does your mouth say that, but your eyes don't?)

I remember something similar to last year.

When Liam and Alisa's engagement broke up over Erselica, Alisa was devastated.

The difference is that Sara does not consider Tom as a partner or romantic interest.

This is the cruel world of nobility.

She came up to me and gave me a gentle kiss on the cheek.

It was a kiss you'd expect from an older sister.

"I suppose this is goodbye. If I am seen with a man who is not of my family or betrothed, I could make a great scandal."

"For that reason, Rudel-kun. Goodbye."

Sara uttered those words and left showing a bitterness in her parting words.

I stood watching her get into her limousine and not for a single moment did she turn her face for me to see.

But I could see that a tear of sadness was running down her cheeks.

I closed the door and sighed.

(Again. What am I thinking?)

◇

While I was thinking about what Sara told me, it was midday.

Someone knocked rudely on my door.

I thought it was a shitty brat and I was going to hit him with the newspaper.

But it was worse than an idiot child.

It was Diana who was showing an expression of displeasure.

"Excuse me."

She walked in without me giving her permission.

Doesn't this girl think she's a little boss of a company or something?

"Onee-chan, answer me! We're going home!"

I grabbed her hand, getting really angry.

"Hey, it's disrespectful for you to walk into someone's house like that. Besides, if Lucy didn't want to go home it's precisely because she doesn't want to."

She got quite angry with me, abruptly removed her hand.

"Hah? What do you know about us?"

"The worst thing you could have done was to come and get in where no one called you. Not only did you kill Derrick, you also got rid of the Bartolini's, and worst of all, right now Jude is at home recovering from the beating you gave him."

"There are no more capture targets available! The game is ruined and we're headed for the bad end because of you!"

I partly understand her anger.

But I still won't let her treat me like that.

"Derrick brought it on himself, that guy was scum. So were the Bartolini's, even the Acting Chairman thanked me for taking them out."

"Jude's situation is something he brought on himself and the worst part is that it happened because of you. Did you really think your sister would be safe with a maniac like that?"

"There was no other choice!"

Diana became quite upset.

"I made sure my sister had a chance to date every one of them with the exception of Lugh. They were all failures."

"Sometimes they'd be late and she'd leave. Others didn't go or my sister didn't go."

"There was only Jude left, the possibility of Linus being the one was based on the first year and my sister shut him down with no chance of it happening."

"Everything I did was for the sake of us and this country! You don't understand how I feel knowing that the whole plot of the game progresses in the worst possible way and, on top of that, you come along and completely destroy it!"

"That girl told me you'll be leaving for the kingdom after next semester."

"That would leave us a year and a half to avoid the bad ending. Do you really want me not to worry?!"

Every complaint from her was valid, but that didn't make her right.

"If you'd listen to me you'd know that the Acting Chairman let Lucy go to the kingdom, it means she's not interested in them, surely not in you either."

"Sara will marry Tom, that means she won't bother your sister or you. Therefore, the Acting Chairman would not destroy the future of his house."

"... That's it. Even with that, that guy is still dangerous."

"I also have my questions regarding his past with you and I will try to find out if he was really responsible or what really happened that night."

"For that reason just wait before you jump to conclusions, if he really is a danger I'll make sure Ixion left him in a wheelchair so he doesn't do any harm."

"... That sphere can do that?"

"Sure. Ixion can do whatever he wants."

"Whatever he wants?!"

For some reason, Diana was weirded out.

She ran off.

Lucy came down after that.

"I thought I heard Diana's voice from the shower. Did she come?"

"Let's just say she left and came."

"...?"

"More importantly, Rudel-kun. What do you want to eat tonight?"

I couldn't give my answer to Lucy because I had a strange feeling when Diana ran away.

I hope it's nothing bad.

◇◇◇

When Diana ran out of Rudel's house, she was thinking about negative things.

(It can't be.)

(It's true. In the game, the payment cheat item was very strong.)

(If we assume that what he did to Derrick, Bartolini and Jude was not serious, but just his anger unleashed.)

(You mean when he gets really angry or bored, he'll treat this country like trash?)

Diana was having wrong and distorted thoughts about Rudel.

They were assumptions of hers with no credibility whatsoever.

(This is bad.)

(That guy is dangerous. We must do something.)

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(I must stop him.)

(He ruined the game, he has a good relationship with my parents' murderer and he managed to get my older sister under his control.)

(I must stop him. I must save this country and bring about the happy ending we deserve.)

(How do I do that if I don't have the power to stand up to Ixion?)

"Kyah!"

Diana crashed into someone, they both fell to the ground.

Some clothes were on her, Diana took off the clothes covering her face.

"I-I'm so sorry. I didn't see where─"

Her eyes focused on the young man she saw touching his head.

"It hurts so much. Watch where you're going next time─"

"Zack!"

Diana called out an unexpected name.

Zack Noctis Wayne, the penultimate capture target was making his presence known.

A healthy looking young man, good physique, blue-white hair, yellow eyes and piercings in his ears.

He looked like a real bad boy, or so you'd think if you met him.

"Huh? Diana, what are you doing here?"

Diana didn't realise she'd arrived at the harbour, Zack was heading home after venturing further than he should have.

She stopped hugging him and looked into his eyes.

"Zack, I need your help."

"For what?"

(That's right. There's a chance, we only have one chance to rid this country of those two.)

Diana said the words she would regret in the not too distant future.

"I need your help to save this country."

(If it's like in the game, in the deepest part of Aster's dungeon I find a payment cheat item.)

(A weapon that looks just like Ixion.)

And so, the winter holidays began.

◇

Winter break has begun and I still have no news from my fiancées or Bell.

I was standing next to Lucy at Erselica's mansion.

The idiots wanted to celebrate that she was feeling better.

Thanks to Frey who found out some things for me at the embassy, I found out why Randolf gave me a deadline.

It turns out that every six fiscal semesters, there is an evaluation of the country.

On that date there is a meeting that takes place over several days where the great nobles will talk about various things.

And, as if by fate, they will also discuss the treatment of pirates who have invaded their lands.

It seems that Randolf is the only one who wants to execute them all, but the great nobles, with the exception of Linus, are opposed to it.

I imagine that Randolf wants to use my problem of leaving me in this country to make the great nobles careless and as well as the information obtained from the Herring Household he can take power away from the other great nobles.

Politics is scary, very scary.

I would never want to be one.

Even though everything was bustling, it was a happy time.

I didn't even dislike being with the idiots or Erselica, who kept sending me threatening looks as if to say, "I knew it would turn out like this".

Lucy started to cry.

Cana handed her a tissue.

"Is something wrong?"

"It's nothing. It's just... I haven't experienced this since I was a little girl... then Jude's problem came along and I really didn't think I would ever experience being at such a bustling table to eat with a lot of people."

She started to cry, Clovis and Chlust tried to cheer her up.

"Don't worry Lucy. As long as you're here, we'll make sure Bradford makes you smile."

"Normally when a girl cries I make sure she cries on my shoulder, but it's dedicated solely to Erselica. So I wouldn't mind helping you feel better."

"Clovis, you made her feel disgusted by what you said."

"No way!"

We all laughed at Clovis.

Truly... these are moments I would never dare to change,

◇◇◇

Several weeks ago in the Kingdom of Altfode.

The highest authority in the country, King Leonis von Altfode is a middle-aged man with silver hair and purple eyes.

Everyone would think what a magnificent king he was to watch him work day and night without rest.

Or so you would think if it weren't for what he said.

"That fucking snot-nosed braaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaat!"

Leonis was about to go to his royal chambers to amuse himself and his girls.

But a messenger came running straight to his room interrupting his preparations.

"Your Majesty, there is serious trouble!"

"Hah? Leave it for tomorrow, don't you see I'm about to work hard for the kingdom?"

"Y-Your Majesty... this matter involves Count Bradford and the kingdom of Aster in a fight!"

The pills in his hand dropped at the sound of Rudel's name.

"That brat did what?!"

From that day on, Leonis worked hard along with the other ministers to try to calm things down.

But on the day where they finished Rudel's apology and demotion paperwork, a new message came through.

"There's trouble!"

"Now what's the matter?"

"Count Bradford struck the heir of one of the great nobles and nearly killed him!"

For nearly two months the ministers of the kingdom had worked tirelessly.

Even the king himself was thin from not sleeping and not eating.

He was in bad shape, Leonis thought that Rudel was doing it on purpose to annoy him.

Then a messenger came in, bringing correspondence.

Leonis was signing various documents, he told the message to be delivered to his wife, Queen Lecia von Altfode.

A beautiful woman with ash blonde hair and navy blue eyes.

Lecia was less stressed than before as her husband had to sign various things as well as write letters.

She read the letters and most of them were rubbish.

"Darling, there's a letter for us from the count."

"Burn it. Surely it must be that snotty little shit mocking me."

Rudel's wicked grin appeared in the king's mind.

He broke his royal pencil due to his suppressed anger.

"I swear I will kill him. No, I will promote him, give him a lot of power and then make him work as my slave."

"Making the king work hard is unforgivable. I've had bad nights thanks to a man and not for a woman. I'll get you for that, you snotty little shit!"

"How exaggerated you are."

Commented his wife after reading the letter addressed to the king, she proceeded to open her own, it was bigger in content because of the size of papers inside.

Lecia began to read the letter when she suddenly stopped.

"What's wrong?"

After getting up, she walked towards the door.

"I'm going to go take a break, I have a headache."

"Hah? But you haven't done anything, you've been putting your fat ass on that chair for hours─"

"I said I'll go take a break, don't bother me!"

Lecia after opening the door and walking out slammed it shut very forcefully.

"The letters you write are poorly written and I have to correct them, so you can't tell me I haven't done anything, you big idiot!"

Her angry voice at her husband was heard by all.

A minister in a low voice muttered.

"My queen, thank you for telling him for us."

The ministers who heard him nodded with him.

◇◇◇

Lecia's head was bowed.

A maid passing near her looked at her and asked.

"Your Majesty, is something the matter?"

"... Nothing. Tell the other servants to stay away from my room, I'll be working there quietly."

"Understood."

The maid wondered.

(Her Majesty's cheeks were red. Will she be feeling ill?)

After entering and locking her door, Lecia collapsed on the bed.

Her cheeks were red, but not from fever.

She was flushed.

She turned over and quietly read the letter Rudel gave her.

"My queen, how are you? I hope well, I am perfectly healthy thank heaven."

"Aster is a very nice place, it is certainly better than the kingdom in its streets and treatment of its people, but the nobles are trash."

"Even though they are trash, I would never dare to change my country as you are the best ruler in the world."

Those flattering words made Lecia feel happy, being queen was a job rather than a birthright.

The possibility of something going wrong and the royal family getting in trouble and being executed for it was too great.

The commoners and nobles didn't understand that, so Lecia never bothered to argue about it because they would think she was lying.

Her cheeks grew redder and her breathing increased by the next paragraph.

"There isn't a day that goes by that I don't think of my beautiful fiancées, but I also think of you."

"After all, there isn't a woman in the world who compares to you."

"Your radiant silky hair, your slender sensual body which gave birth to a healthy baby, that wonderful ass with those wide hips worthy to give birth to many babies and especially those huge breasts."

"I would like Alisa to one day have the breasts of the queen. I would never leave my bed, if the queen were my wife. We'd be in our room every day making babies."

"I would never leave a single day without telling her that I love her."

Rudel's letter at some point ceased to be a letter to a queen and became a bawdy thought to a married woman.

It was ten pages of raging lust where Rudel described his sexual desire for her. Even what he would do to her if she were his woman.

For Lecia, that letter should be an offence, but because of her husband she never saw herself as an attractive woman.

Indirectly this letter was a way of flirting with her. Lecia instead of feeling repulsion felt joy.

So much joy, she didn't notice her hand moving to a place it hadn't touched in a long time.

She bit her lips as her legs moved wildly and her eyes arched back.

About two hours later, the door opened and the same maid walked through.

"Your Majesty, you're done─"

She was speechless as she watched the queen emerge from her room drenched in sweat and with her hair sticking to her clothes and face.

"I'll go take a bath... please clean my room in the meantime."

"A-As you say."

Lecia didn't notice that she was missing a sandal, she walked as if she was limping.

The maid entered the room and sniffed a strange smell.

"It smells like sour grapes... did she drink alone again? Even the floor has a stain on it."

The maids tidied her room as if nothing had happened.

Evening came and Lecia returned refreshed to the ministers' hall.

Many even compared her expression before she came out and her current appearance, implying that she had relaxed so much that she looks like a new person.

For Lecia, a letter from Rudel was her escape to a happiness she had long forgotten.

"I can't stand it anymore! I want to be with my girls!"

"Darling. Shut up now and work."

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