[Chapter 30] - A Promise with the Council of Elders (1)
“Then, since everyone is gathered, let us begin the meeting.”
The Queen Dowager raised her hand, declared the start of the meeting, and let out a deep sigh before looking over the faces of those gathered in the conference hall. Every time the nobles’ eyes met hers, they were busy lowering their heads.
“First, I wish to express my deep gratitude for the hard work all of you, as ministers of your respective departments, have done over the past two years. Though His Majesty shut himself away and did not manage state affairs, I am grateful that you led the country without causing any major incidents.”
The meeting began with the Queen Dowager’s words of thanks. Naturally, I had assumed the nobles of the Council of Elders would be a bunch of slippery old foxes, villains who would chuckle and nitpick at the Queen Dowager’s every word—but.
““Not at all!! Your Highness, Queen Dowager Rosaria!! We merely did what we had to do as the kingdom’s senior officials!!””
The members of the Council of Elders I saw in person were completely different from what I had imagined.
The white-haired old men trembled before the Queen Dowager like fresh recruits with discipline drilled into them. If they were called on, they immediately sprang up from their chairs, raised their heads, and answered in loud voices.
The Queen Dowager looked at them, chuckled, and pointed a finger at the Minister of the Royal Household. The instant she did, the Minister of the Royal Household shot up from his chair and stood at attention, listening closely to her words.
“It is the royal family’s fault for failing to look after you all for nearly two years, so I shall not speak at length. However, could you not have exercised some moderation? Have you not pushed Vinsho’s hairline half a step back while he was mediating between you?”
“N-No, why my hair...!”
At the Queen Dowager’s joke, the old men laughed warmly and continued the conversation. For some reason, seeing the atmosphere of this meeting, which somehow drained the strength out of me, I found myself unable to adjust.
In the game, the members of the Council of Elders had been portrayed with quite a sly image. Old raccoons who had spent decades immersed in politics. That was the kind of image I had of the Council of Elders.
But the council members standing before the Queen Dowager reacted to every word she said like recruits before a company commander, their posture stiff and disciplined to the extreme.
Leaving behind the chatter of the Council of Elders, which felt like old men gossiping at a senior center, I poked Vinsho in the side as he sat beside me, stroking his hair. Then I whispered in a voice only Vinsho could hear.
“Y-Your Highness.”
“Vinsho. I am very flustered right now. May I ask for an explanation?”
“What explanation do you mean?”
“Why have the nobles of the Council of Elders turned into fresh recruits in front of Her Highness the Queen Dowager?”
“Ah. Your Highness would not know.”
Vinsho chuckled at my question, recalling the past with a smile. Then, seeing that the Queen Dowager was still speaking with the other nobles, he continued in a whisper.
“I am not sure where to begin, but first, most of the ministers currently seated in the Council of Elders received Her Highness the Queen Dowager’s instruction when they were young. I did as well.”
“Instruction?”
“Yes. It was around the time we had just entered the royal castle and begun learning public affairs. At that time, His late Majesty once fell gravely ill with an epidemic.”
Vinsho continued his story with a chuckle, as if he missed those days. When I turned my head to look toward the Queen Dowager, I could still see the Minister of the Royal Household putting on tricks before her like a puppy.
“At that time, the one who administered state affairs in His Majesty’s stead was none other than Her Highness, Queen Dowager Rosaria. But that, well... looking back on it now, it was done in a truly absurd way...”
With a bitter smile, Vinsho stroked his stomach. As if caressing an old, painful wound from the past, he gently rubbed his belly, then glanced at the Queen Dowager and squeezed his eyes shut as though he did not want to remember.
“...In any case, it was not a normal method. Fists flew, kicks flew, and it was a life accompanied by both verbal abuse and violence. We learned then that Her Highness’s family was not called a ‘family of knights’ for nothing.”
“Her Highness the Queen Dowager was the young lady of a knightly family?”
“You did not know? Before Her Highness the Queen Dowager married His late Majesty, she was a female knight. The story that His late Majesty fell for her after seeing her swing a sword is quite famous.”
It was a story that had not appeared in the game. To begin with, the Queen Dowager had merely been an NPC who helped the princess in the game, and there had been no personal story about her. That aside, Her Highness the Queen Dowager was a “knight,” huh...
“...After marrying His late Majesty, Her Highness the Queen Dowager could no longer swing a sword, so she swung her fists at us instead. Back then, young as we were, we did not have to participate in state council meetings, but by Her Highness the Queen Dowager’s order, all of us were forced to attend.”
“U-Um...”
“At that time, if we made a slip of the tongue, brought the wrong documents, or, in any case, made even a single mistake, Her Highness the Queen Dowager’s fist would immediately bury itself in our solar plexus. There was no such thing as mercy.”
“T-That must have been...”
“...To be honest, the fact that we were able to rise to the positions of ministers owes much to Her Highness the Queen Dowager’s teachings, but... the fists... the kicks...”
Remembering his trauma, Vinsho trembled all over. The sight was so pitiful that, without realizing it, I could only pat him on the shoulder.
Then, suddenly, I realized that the surroundings had gone quiet.
Perhaps I had been too absorbed in Vinsho’s story. When I glanced over at the Queen Dowager, she and all the other nobles were staring intently at Vinsho and me.
Vinsho seemed to notice it too, and he went pale as he looked at the Queen Dowager, breaking out in a cold sweat.
“Are you done reminiscing, Vinsho?”
“I-I have committed a mortal sin, Your Highness the Queen Dowager.”
“As long as you know. Then let us resume the meeting.”
Vinsho let out a deep sigh of relief, stroked his chest, and leaned back against his chair as though he had survived. Feeling somehow exhausted as well, I leaned lightly against my chair and let out a small sigh.
*
The kingdom’s administrative departments were divided into twelve ministries in total.
The Ministry of the Royal Household, the Ministry of Finance, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, the Ministry of the Interior, the Ministry of Justice, the Ministry of Education,
the Ministry of Land, the Ministry of Industry, the Ministry of Culture, the Ministry of Agriculture, the Ministry of the Ocean, and the Ministry of War.
The ministers of those administrative departments were the executives of the Council of Elders, and in the old days, high-ranking nobles had often simply occupied the ministerial seats. A system where the heads were mere decorations, and only the people beneath them worked themselves to the bone.
The Queen Dowager, displeased with that system, spent the five years she was in charge of state affairs training disciples with the idea of cultivating talent step by step from the bottom up.
After that, several decades passed, and in as many as nine of the twelve departments, the iron-rice-bowl ministers ended up stepping down from their posts.
And the ones who filled those vacancies were none other than the Queen Dowager’s disciples, whom she had personally raised over five years. Those nine took up ministerial posts.
It was not that the royal family had backed them. They were nine ministers who had broken through the walls of blood ties, regional ties, and school ties, and taken their posts purely through ability.
And now, they were—
“I support Her Highness the Queen Dowager ruling as regent!”
““We support it!””
“I have not even stated the agenda yet.”
They were busy wagging their tails at the Queen Dowager with all their might.
This was... the sly Council of Elders I knew?
In particular, the Minister of the Royal Household was wagging so hard that I could almost see a tail that did not exist. I already knew that the Minister of the Royal Household was the Queen Dowager’s puppet, but seeing an old man wag his tail was unsightly.
The Minister of the Royal Household bowed deeply and pleaded with the Queen Dowager.
“Your Highness, the princess, who carries the blood of the royal family, is still only six years old. It is only natural that the princess ascend the throne, but as she is still young, please, Your Highness the Queen Dowager, rule as regent and look after her.”
“Your Highness the Queen Dowager! You must do so!”
“That is right! It is for the sake of the country that Your Highness the Queen Dowager rule as regent! Your Highness!”
The eight ministers, excluding Vinsho, begged before the Queen Dowager as if they were wailing. Just what on earth had made them like that?
When the Queen Dowager waved her hand irritably, the ministers shut their mouths. Then, after letting out a deep sigh, the Queen Dowager slowly raised her head and looked at the ministers.
“...Very well. I understand, so shut up and let us end this agenda here. Then the next agenda is—”
...? Was this really something that could be brushed aside so casually?
But before I even had time to worry about that, the next agenda began choking me. The moment she said “next agenda,” the ministers’ eyes, which had been sparkling as they looked at the Queen Dowager, turned sharp enough to tear a person apart.
“Regarding the treatment of the Second Queen, ‘Vivian Liliensol.’”
“......”
The atmosphere of the ministers, who had been laughing and chatting just moments ago, froze in an instant. As if I had thought they were animals tamed by people, only to find they were actually beasts of prey. Showing their sharp teeth, the ministers stared at me.
Silence descended, but only for a moment.
The old man seated before the sign that read Ministry of Foreign Affairs raised his hand and obtained the right to speak. When the Queen Dowager permitted him to speak, the Minister of Foreign Affairs rose from his seat and looked at me as though he would tear me to death.
“First, before we begin, I ask the ministers who believe Her Highness the Second Queen should remain here to raise their hands.”
At the Minister of Foreign Affairs’ words, several ministers raised their hands. The Queen Dowager, Vinsho, the Minister of the Royal Household, and the Minister of Education. Four in total.
As if there was no need to see any more, the Minister of Foreign Affairs told the other ministers to lower their hands.
“As Your Highness the Queen has seen, Your Highness’s standing in the Council of Elders is not very high. To speak frankly from my heart, truth be told, I wish you would leave this place at once.”
“......”
Even though it was a statement that completely insulted a member of the royal family, the Queen Dowager said nothing. As if to say that I should overcome a situation of this level on my own, the Queen Dowager simply looked at me in silence.
As though he was not yet finished, the Minister of Foreign Affairs continued.
“For two years, Your Highness the Queen did not receive His Majesty’s affection. You were not even granted the royal family’s surname. Now that His Majesty has passed away, is there any reason for Your Highness the Queen to remain here?”
“......”
“To begin with, surely you do not fail to understand why we received Your Highness as the ‘Second Queen.’ Before you became the Second Queen, we clearly asked you for something. We wanted the kingdom’s ‘little sun.’”
It was a sound argument. So sound that I could say nothing. The Minister of Foreign Affairs looked steadily at me, as if waiting for my answer. Meeting that gaze, I lifted my head.
“I... no, I am currently serving as the princess’s ‘education supervisor.’ I can teach the princess even more—”
“I am aware. However, we can bring in an education supervisor with as much ability as Your Highness at any time. No, rather, there are more than enough noble young ladies and noblewomen far more excellent than Your Highness.”
“H-Huh...? That cannot be...”
“On the contrary, many are worried by the fact that Your Highness is educating the princess. Many fear that the princess may learn Your Highness’s temperament and become eccentric as well.”
“T-That is...”
“Furthermore, there are even suspicions that Your Highness is a ‘witch.’ That harmful influence could reach the princess as well—”
I felt malice from the Minister of Foreign Affairs as he cut off my words midway. Even after that, none of my excuses worked. As if finding fault with every word I said, the Minister of Foreign Affairs ignored all my attempts to justify myself.
As if it had already been decided that I would be expelled.
“Th—”
“I!”
The moment the Queen Dowager, unable to watch any longer, raised her hand to tell him to stop, I could not control the emotions boiling up inside me and sprang from my seat, slamming both hands down on the round table.
None of my excuses had worked. No matter what I said, the Minister of Foreign Affairs had no intention of listening to me. Then, in the end, I had no choice but to beg.
“...As the ministers wish, I will give up everything a queen can possess. You may take the jewels in my room, and you do not have to provide me with the allowance for maintaining my dignity anymore.”
“......”
“If that is still not enough, I will truly step down from the position of queen. In exchange, please give me a chance to work in the royal castle. I do not mind being the princess’s maidservant, or even a maid who takes care of the palace’s chores.”
The Minister of Foreign Affairs said nothing more. Instead, the Queen Dowager, who until now had merely been watching me, asked me, as if to say whether I truly meant those words.
“What will you do if I truly tell you to work as a maidservant?”
“Do you think I would have said it without even that much resolve? If it means I can remain here, I am prepared to lick Your Majesty the Queen Dowager’s feet.”
“How filthy...”
The Queen Dowager let out a sigh, as if dumbfounded, then rested her chin on her hand and covered the corner of her mouth with her fingers. To be honest, at this point, I was ready to let things go however they would.
If they truly meant to drive me out, I was prepared to cling to the Queen Dowager’s ankles right here. That was how certain I was that I could never leave the princess behind like this.
The Queen Dowager frowned and asked me,
“...Why are you going so far? If it is the temple you fear because of the rumors that you are a witch, I shall personally send a letter to the temple. Then, even if you leave the royal castle, the temple will not be able to touch you.”
“...I am not doing this because I fear the temple, Your Majesty.”
“Then...”
I simply...
I lifted my head, gave a gentle smile, and looked at the Queen Dowager. Seeing my smile, the Queen Dowager’s eyes widened slightly in surprise, and she met my gaze.
“I simply wish to become someone the princess can rely on. Even if only until that child grows up, I want to stay by her side and help her.”
“......”
“That is truly all I want.”
After that, silence settled over the conference room for a while.
The Minister of Foreign Affairs sat down as if he had nothing more to say and waited for the Queen Dowager’s decision. Was even pleading like this not enough? Did I really have to lick the Queen Dowager’s feet?
Just as I was wondering how to break through this situation, something flashed through my mind. I immediately looked at the “Minister of Education” seated at the round table.
“Your Excellency, Minister of Education.”
“Yes, yes. Your Majesty the Queen.”
“As I understand it, members of the royal family enter the ‘Academy,’ where Your Excellency serves as headmaster, in the year they turn fifteen. Am I correct?”
“Yes, yes... That is correct. Her Highness the Princess will also enter the Academy when she turns fifteen. Upon entering the Academy, she will develop social skills alongside royalty from other nations, as well as—”
I might not be able to stay with her until the princess became an adult... but if I got down on my knees, perhaps they would let me remain until the princess entered the Academy.
Until her enrollment in the “Academy,” the main setting of “Autumn” in the game.
If I could just see the princess enter the Academy, then I felt I would be able to leave her side with at least some peace of mind. There would be many people there, besides me, who could help the princess.
I immediately looked at the Queen Dowager and pleaded.
“Your Majesty, could you not allow me to remain here at least until the princess enters the Academy?”
“...You mean until the princess turns fifteen?”
“Yes. As far as I know, at the ‘Academy,’ even royalty cannot leave for the three years between enrollment and graduation. Therefore, after the princess enters the Academy, I will leave the royal castle myself.”
The Queen Dowager stroked her chin for a moment as if deep in thought, then glanced at the ministers beside her. The ministers showed no reaction to the Queen Dowager’s gaze and merely looked back at her in silence.
Then, with a deep sigh, the Queen Dowager gestured and called over the secretary who had been recording the meeting by the door. The secretary quickly hurried over and took a place beside the Queen Dowager.
“Secretary, write this down at once.”
“Yes, Your Majesty.”
“The Second Queen, ‘Vivian Liliensol,’ shall be stripped of her position as Second Queen after the princess’s ‘graduation ceremony’ from the Academy. Thereafter, Vivian Liliensol shall be barred from entering the royal castle. Until then, she shall faithfully devote herself to the princess’s education.”
“...Thank you, Your Majesty the Queen Dowager.”
“...This is a ‘promise’ between you and the kingdom, so you must faithfully keep this promise.”