[Episode 11] - Replacing the Teacher (1)
Gripping the princess’s forearm, Marchioness Lorenzo began smearing her muddy obsession all over the princess’s body.
Like molding porcelain with a delusion as swampy, thick, and disgustingly sticky as mire, she began shaping the princess into the form she desired.
“Your Highness, your mother, Her Majesty the Queen, was truly a beautiful person.”
The princess quietly began to listen.
It was a story she had already heard dozens, hundreds of times, but the princess did not resist. She quietly lifted her head and looked into the marchioness’s eyes.
Surely, the marchioness’s eyes were supposed to be a deep orange.
‘...They’re like a bottomless swamp.’
Right now, they looked like nothing but a muddy dark brown.
“Her Majesty the Queen was intelligent from the time she was young. If she learned one thing, she understood ten; if she learned ten, she created another ten. She was truly someone bestowed upon us by the heavens.”
The marchioness’s voice trembled. As though a deeply devout person were praying while thinking of the object of their faith, the marchioness recalled the past in a voice filled with rapture.
“As I always tell you, even Her Majesty was, before she met me, an ordinary noble young lady, common and found anywhere, who was called the ‘defective product’ of her family.”
The same story as always. The princess could only look at the marchioness with weary eyes. She knew what would happen the moment she interrupted this story.
“It was with my own hands that I made her queen. I, with my own hands, molded her into a beautiful queen. So—”
The marchioness’s hand, which had been gripping the princess’s forearm, moved toward the princess’s face. Like she was sculpting her face with both hands, her rough, aged hands seized the princess’s face.
“Your Highness need only follow my words. I will make you just like Her Majesty the Queen.”
“...Yes. I’m always grateful, Marchioness.”
At those words, the princess forced up the corners of her mouth and smiled. Hearing that satisfying smile and answer, the marchioness happily stroked the princess’s hair.
“This time, I won’t make a mistake.”
At the sensation of sticky mud being rubbed into her hair, the princess could only smile bitterly. With the unpleasant feeling of sand mixing between the strands of her hair, for some reason, the princess thought of the Second Queen.
‘When Her Majesty the Queen stroked my head... it didn’t feel like this...’
*
The day after I heard from Einsel that the princess had no name.
Tap, tap, tap.
In a room where silence had settled to an excessive degree, Baengsho and I sat facing each other. With my arms crossed, I tapped my forearm with my fingers and glared at Baengsho as he sipped his coffee.
Perhaps unable to endure the silence any longer, Baengsho set down his coffee cup and looked at me, only to instantly glance downward and avoid my gaze. Vivian’s eyes really must be frightening.
I tilted my head slightly to the side and asked Baengsho,
“Baengsho, do you know why I called you here today?”
“I am ashamed to say... I do not know...”
As though he truly had no idea, Baengsho rolled his eyes in every direction, seeming to rack his brains madly over why he had been summoned here. I had called him without telling him the reason.
I glanced at Baengsho and brought up the reason I had summoned him.
“I called you regarding the princess’s ‘education supervisor.’”
“Regarding... Her Highness’s education supervisor, you say?”
For a moment, Baengsho blinked widely, wondering if he had heard wrong. I lifted the coffee cup in front of me, took a sip, and continued. Baengsho would need time to think as well.
“I do not like the princess’s current ‘education supervisor,’ Marchioness Lorenzo. As I recall, that woman is severely obsessive.”
“...Did Your Majesty investigate Marchioness Lorenzo?”
“It was not enough to call it an investigation... but something of the sort.”
I couldn’t exactly say I had seen it in the game... so this was the only way I could phrase it. Baengsho stroked his beard, seeming to fall into thought.
“It is true that Marchioness Lorenzo has no small tendency toward that. However, she has experience as the godmother of Her Majesty the First Queen, which is why His Majesty appointed her as Her Highness’s ‘education supervisor.’”
“Continue.”
“No matter how much Your Majesty dislikes Marchioness Lorenzo, would it not be somewhat difficult to remove someone who became the education supervisor by His Majesty’s order?”
Baengsho spoke only the sound argument.
Yes, because of that damned shut-in, unemployed His Majesty’s order, what I could do now had been reduced to an extreme degree. Until yesterday, I had stopped thinking at the same point as Baengsho, but...
Last night, when I couldn’t sleep.
An idea that made my head flash struck my mind.
When Einsel heard my idea, she snapped, “Get some sleep and think about it again,” but I thought this idea was the only way to rescue the princess from the marchioness’s hands.
“Hehehe...”
—Sigh...
“...? Your Majesty?”
A laugh escaped me without my realizing it at the splendid idea. I heard Einsel sigh beside my ear as well, but right now, I was not about to be cowed by Einsel’s sigh.
I set down the coffee cup in my hand, crossed my legs, and looked at Baengsho.
“Yes, I cannot disobey His Majesty’s command simply because I dislike her.”
“Then...”
“However, it should be possible to replace her with another ‘education supervisor.’ It is quite common for the ‘teacher’ of a class to be replaced by a better ‘teacher,’ is it not? Baengsho.”
“Yes, yes...? Uh... th-that is true, but..?”
“To begin with, His Majesty would surely want a better teacher for the princess as well. At the time, the marchioness must have been the best choice, so he selected her as the ‘education supervisor.’ Am I wrong?”
“Uh, uh? Yes, eh? Th-that must be so?”
Seeing Baengsho’s reaction, I became certain.
‘This will definitely work.’
I smiled brightly and thought I should tell Baengsho the brilliant idea I had come up with last night. This would definitely work. As if making a declaration, I nodded vigorously.
“In that case, I can simply become the princess’s ‘education supervisor’!!”
“...? Pardon?”
“Have your ears gone with age too, Baengsho? Is there not a more excellent ‘education supervisor’ for the princess than Marchioness Lorenzo right before your eyes?”
“...Where do you mean, Your Majesty?”
I raised my palm and made as if to smack Baengsho on the head. At that, Baengsho’s body flinched violently, and he raised both hands to try to block mine.
“I will ask once more. Who is before your eyes?”
“The most beautiful person in this country, H-Her Majesty the Queen..!”
“Yes, that is right. Are you trying to say that I, the queen, am inferior to Marchioness Lorenzo? That I cannot become the princess’s ‘education supervisor’?”
“R-Realistically, it is impossible..!”
What a truly loyal subject.
My mood drooped because of Baengsho, who gave only a realistic answer even while prepared to be hit. I tapped Baengsho’s nearly bare forehead with my palm, then sat back down and looked at him.
“Why do you think it is realistically impossible? As you know, I am someone who surpassed countless young ladies and passed numerous tests to ascend to the position of queen. Are you trying to say that someone like me falls short of the marchioness?”
“Th-that is not what I mean... Certainly, considering the examinations Your Majesty took when you rose to this position, Your Majesty does seem more than qualified to become Her Highness’s ‘education supervisor’...”
“Then what, exactly, is the problem?”
“However... even looking through the past, there is no record in this country’s history of Her Majesty the Queen serving as Her Highness’s ‘education supervisor’..!”
“What does that matter?”
I gave a small laugh, leaned back fully against the sofa, and placed both hands atop my crossed knee. Baengsho stared at me blankly, his mouth hanging open as though he was truly dumbfounded.
“Does history not belong to those who record it? Then I shall simply record a new history.”
*
One week after I declared that to Baengsho.
Thump, thump, thump.
As I was elegantly enjoying coffee in Baengsho’s office, I heard a sound from the corridor like a wild boar charging toward us. Hearing it, Baengsho let out a deep sigh, as if what was due had finally arrived.
Bang!
Marchioness Lorenzo entered with enough force to nearly smash the wooden door apart, and she looked back and forth between Baengsho and me with murderous intensity. Meeting that gaze, Baengsho swallowed a hiccup.
Her face was so red, it seemed to demand an immediate explanation for what in the world was going on. After taking in a deep breath, the marchioness calmly held out the crumpled paper in her hand to us.
“I would like an explanation. What is the meaning of this?”
The thoroughly crumpled paper was something like the “reassignment notice” Baengsho and I had sent her last night. It contained the instruction to step down from her role as the princess’s “education supervisor” and take on the role of assisting me.
‘Well, given the marchioness’s personality, she’ll probably quit before assisting me.’
Baengsho looked down at the badly crumpled paper, let out a deep sigh, and looked at the marchioness. With an attitude as calm as if he were soothing a furious child, he continued explaining.
“As you know, Her Majesty the Queen has said she will take charge as Her Highness’s ‘education supervisor.’”
“What in the...”
“This is the result of comparing and judging Her Majesty’s achievements and yours. A meeting was held at the Ministry of the Royal Household, and in the end, it was determined that Her Majesty’s achievements were superior. Therefore, we sent you a document asking you to step down from the position of ‘education supervisor.’”
The Ministry of the Royal Household was one of the kingdom’s administrative departments. Because it handled matters related to the royal family, even the members of the Council of Elders could not carelessly interfere with it.
Honestly, when Baengsho said he would convene a meeting at the Ministry of the Royal Household, I thought it wouldn’t work. The minister of the Royal Household was also one of the members of the Council of Elders. But for some reason, the ministry sided with me.
And that was how we became able to send this notice-like letter to the marchioness. I should probably send a letter of thanks to the minister of the Royal Household later.
“What did you say..?”
“...Do you need further explanation? You have also grown old now, just like me. It contains the feelings of the younger nobles telling you that it is all right to rest now, so will you not quietly accept it?”
At those words, the marchioness’s face crumpled even further. Her already wrinkled face began to distort like a shattered mirror.
“Does the Prime Minister truly believe Her Majesty the Queen can properly look after Her Highness?”
“That is not for me to judge. It is for the Ministry of the Royal Household. And personally, I do not trust Her Majesty the Queen.”
What, this bald bastard?
I had been sipping my sweet coffee, but at the outrageous remark that came from Baengsho’s mouth, I turned my head in surprise and looked at him. Baengsho looked at me, smiled, and continued speaking to the marchioness.
“To begin with, there are likely few in the Ministry of the Royal Household who trust Her Majesty the Queen. And yet, if you ask why this meeting passed... it is probably because the ministry judged that there was a problem with you.”
“...What problem could I possibly have..!”
“Are you truly asking because you do not know?”
Baengsho asked the marchioness, who was appealing as though wronged, as if he truly could not believe she did not know. I sat between them, busy sipping coffee and watching their exchange.
Phew.
Baengsho let out a long sigh, narrowed his eyes, and looked at the marchioness.
Then words burst from Baengsho’s mouth that made me doubt my own ears.
“I am asking whether you truly do not know the rumor that you were involved in the suicide of Her Majesty the First Queen, Aurora Snow White, two years ago.”
For a moment, I nearly dropped the coffee cup I was holding.
What did he just say?
The First Queen committed suicide?
“I know of it! I was investigated then, and they said there was no suspicion against me!”
“The absence of suspicion does not mean the rumors disappear. The Ministry of the Royal Household must have judged based on those rumors that it would be better for Her Highness to have Her Majesty the Queen by her side rather than you—”
The sound of their argument no longer entered my ears.
What is this? What on earth is going on?
Einsel had clearly said, “Vivian was jealous of the First Queen, who received the king’s favor, and carried out a ritual to exchange bodies.”
If the First Queen had committed suicide two years ago, that would mean Einsel’s words were a lie. It had only been a little over a month since I came to this world because of Vivian’s failed ritual.
I fiddled with the earring that held Einsel and urged her to explain, but Einsel gave no answer.
As though she was not here at all.
‘You... what exactly are you hiding from me..?’