I lay on my bed, exhausted.
A sigh escapes my mouth.
"Hah~ How the hell am I supposed to face Mary now?"
The hellish dinner with my family ended just a couple of minutes ago.
When it did, I made sure to leave without a second thought.
*knock knock*
"… Who is it?"
I yell to the person behind the double doors, not getting off my bed.
I was tired, really tired. It was like all the energy in my body had been drained dry.
*click*
The door opens without my permission.
At the same time, a horrific aura fills the room.
Dread and fear grips my throat tightly.
"H-hey Mary. What brings you here at such a late hour…?"
"It's already morning."
I twist my head to avert her gaze, looking at the open windows.
…
"Huh, it really is morning."
"Yeah… it is."
The grip tightens.
「Skill 'Intuition' is warning you」
I give her an uneasy smile.
"Mary, I believe it is time to let go now. You're hurting me."
"No." She said flatly. "Liars don't get to make requests."
"B-but..."
"Shaddup!" She yelled without constraint, ignoring our social hierarchy completely. "Once again, you create yet another problem that I will have to spend many countless nights trying to fix.. Why do you always fall prey to such unfortunate situations, huh? First the Marquis and now this. It's just one hell and into another with you! Can't you just, I don't know, stay put or something? I honestly believe that that would be the best solution to all of our problems. If you just stop… being yourself, then everything would be fine. Oh, what's this I have her—"
"That's a stretch."
Ignoring the conveniently placed documents Mary pulled out of her bosom, I peel her off me.
It was only out of courtesy that I let her pin me down anyways.
Unlike myself and Ev, Mary lacked the talent and capability to fight. Mary was more of a diplomatic type. It was up to her to decide most of my — and her own — future in this country.
I got off the bed and moved behind a screen in the corner of the room.
*rustle rustle*
My clothes rubbed against each other as I took off my clothes to change into more appropriate attire.
Mary spoke from beyond the screen.
"You really have no shame, huh…"
"I don't wanna hear that from you."
I barked back from behind the screen.
She scoffed.
"Hmph. Well, you should at least have some dignity. You are technically still royalty."
"'Still…?'"
I move away from the screen, wearing training uniform that allowed for better mobility.
Mary shrugged, bringing her arms to her chest.
"Yes, 'still'. With your recent stunt, I'm highly certain that the king and queen—possibly even the first prince himself is plotting to cut off all connections to you. Of course, that also involves methods that would be detrimental when it came to the already crumbling image of the royal family."
She said informatively.
Apparently, assassination is on the table. The royal family, MY family sees me as nothing more than a liability now. I might as well have been a bug to them.
I grit my teeth, frustrated.
If it wasn't for that damn noble…
But, no. I could not blame Marquis Lockhart this time.
It was I who made the mistake, fell for the trap, and refused to stand back up. If anyone was to blame for this, it was me.
Mary grinned, sending a cold shiver down my spine.
"Just like I planned."
"… What?"
I stare at Mary, my eyes wide open in surprise.
Her face relaxed, then contorted into a devilish smile, giving her a sinister aspect.
*gulp*
I swallowed the saliva that got stuck in my throat.
"It'll be difficult, but with my help, you should be able to pull it off."
"What are you talking about?"
I asked her, my voice a little impatient.
She did not seem to mind this though, her grin growing more sinister with each word said.
"Morgen, how would you like go to the academy?"
She exclaimed proudly.
"… What?"
I aske her, dumbfounded.
The academy us one of the biggest and most prestigious educational facilities in all of Yongdiskr. Everybody that graduated from there either became renowned adventurers or famous researchers. While normally a matter-of-course, the royal family has decided to not enroll it's heirs for the sake of safety, except the first prince.
The king — my father — told me very early on that I would never get the chance to enroll and experience life in the academy.
Still, if what Mary was saying was true, then…
I give Mary a doubtful look, assessing her intentions.
Mary knew that there was no real benefit in me enrolling. Everything that I could possibly learn and need in order to make our plans come true can be taught by her and Ev. We did not need to go to the academy.
Mary gave me a serious and determined look that completely disregarded her usual behavior.
"Morgen, you're going to the academy whether you like it or not."
Hah?
"Mary, what are you talking about? Wasn't it you who told me that I wouldn't the academy for our plans? Besides, my father—the king would never agree to it. It was already a miracle that my brother got to enroll, let alone stay. Furthermore, I screwed up big time. With my recent failure, that just made it even more unlikely that the king would even listen to any request that I would make."
"That's exactly it!" Mary beamed. "The royal family — especially the king and queen — is in a state of panic right now. Because of your failure, they are very eager to either get rid of you or use your connection to Marquis Lockhart to launch a counterattack. However, there's one problem with that"
Mary trailed off, letting me process her words.
If what she said was right, then my future in the Flügelheim kingdom is looking darker than ever. If I wanted to turn things around for myself, I wound need to take action. That action being…
"So I need to attend not to learn, but to escape?"
Mary grinned.
"Exactly. While the king wouldn't bat an eye just to get rid of you, as cruel as that sounds, the queen would doesn't think the same. She's very sentimental, that queen of ours. If you ask her instead of the king, then your chances of success will be better and more manageable."
Mary described her plan with a cold glint in her eyes, the calculating side of her taking over.
It was a stretch, a BIG stretch, but it was better than being used as a tool for the rest of my life.
Still…
I give Mary a determined nod, my mind set.
"I'll do it!"