Chapter 170 Roeni’s Struggle Part Eleven: The Diplomatic Aftermath꞉ Royal Court Intrigue and a Marquis’ Punishment
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
Every noble in the chamber watched the massive figure of Lord Fried being escorted from the hall.
For the Prince’s faction, led by Aprelton Marquis, there was no longer any reason to shield the disgraced accomplice; their only fear was the fallout from the shattered conspiracy further damaging their own standing. Yet, Lord Fried could only cling desperately to the Marquis, knowing that a foolish outcry, or exposing their prearranged collusion, would only confirm guilt.
They had a better chance of survival by clinging to their own strength as a bargaining chip, rather than succumbing to utter despair. The Marquis’s cunning lay precisely in fostering this flicker of false hope in his pawns, thereby diverting any scrutiny away from himself.
He did not spare a single glance for Lord Fried as the unfortunate noble strained to earn a sliver of mercy, instead tapping his fingertip silently on the table, his face a mask of utter impassivity. Ultimately, no further commotion erupted, and the grand central doors shut with an absolute, resounding thud, indifferent to the fate of those within.
”Now then, Aprelton,” King Valentio addressed him, his voice strained. “Your witness seems to be rife with countless inconsistencies. Do you still wish to pursue your petition?”
”Nay, Your Majesty, I shall withdraw it,” the Marquis replied, perfectly composed. “I simply yielded to a heartfelt plea based on some small assistance I provided in the past, but it appears their claims were untrue.” The King had challenged the very legitimacy of the summoning, and the conspirator, with an utterly straight face, claimed to have been deceived himself.
It was generally understood that a Marquis of his standing would not swallow the words of a knight outside his faction without some vested interest. But perhaps this was the very essence of the leader of the largest faction: even when his conspiracy was overtly crushed, he gave them nothing to seize upon.
”Nevertheless, that a man of your position could be led astray by misinformation¹ and commit such an imprudent action cannot be overlooked, considering the wide-ranging implications. Aprelton Marquis, I hereby sentence you to one month of house arrest.”
”—I accept with humility, Your Majesty,” the Marquis yielded, bowing low. Still consumed with worry for his missing daughter, King Valentio could not allow the Marquis to scheme further.
This arrangement was a political compromise: in exchange for practically ignoring the true mastermind behind the incident, the King was able to neutralize the Marquis for one month, thereby preventing him from sabotaging the rescue operation. Having passed sentence upon the chief conspirator, King Valentio turned to his son, who sat beside him.
”And Maricio. Your right to the throne shall be suspended until Marina returns, or until Arsh comes of age.”
”What—”
”That is truly an outrage—”
For the Prince’s faction, the commotion had merely resulted in the loss of a few pawns while scoring a major victory by rendering their rival figurehead, the Princess. They were not overly concerned that the Marquis had merely earned himself a month-long respite² as compensation.
However, the King’s decision did not end there; when the sole remaining right to the throne—the very thing their faction rallied around—was affected, murmurs of complaint inevitably spread throughout the room. Despite this, Maricio, the Marquis, and many others remained perfectly composed, accepting the King’s decisive move without agitation.
They knew that though the right to the throne was temporarily revoked, no one else currently held it. One condition for its reinstatement was the Princess’s return, which, to the Prince’s faction, simply meant returning to the status quo.
Even if the Princess failed to return and their younger brother Arsh gained the right years later, the Elder Brother’s Faction would have only grown in strength by then. Accepting the judgment quietly here and now would actually grant them the moral high ground, acting as a political expiation³.
”I understand, Father,” Maricio stated formally.
”Good. I shall now issue commands for Marina’s rescue. You, meanwhile, shall return to your private chambers and remain there until I send for you. —And let all others here take heed! Excluding Maricio, no one in this chamber is permitted to leave before I do!”
”W-what, but then—”
”Oh! That is quite a maneuver—” As the Prince was leaving, the King’s third command was issued, and this time, astonishment rose from the Princess’s faction and the neutral parties as well.
Some within the Prince’s faction were surely hoping to make arrangements across the city before the King could.
But by sealing the chamber and ensuring that only the King could issue commands, their designs were thwarted. For at least the several hours it would take for the King to finally give way to exhaustion, they would lose invaluable time that could have been used to take advantage of the now defenseless system.
By imposing the same waiting period on the Princess’s and neutral factions, the King simultaneously managed to hold the Prince’s faction in check.
These two groups had little to complain about, since simply sitting there allowed them to hinder the Prince’s faction without becoming the target of contention. And having organized this unnecessary, erroneous assembly, the Prince’s faction was in no position to object.
—Using this hard-won time, King Valentio rapidly issued a series of directives. His immediate concern was forming a rescue squad for the Princess, who was isolated within the Labyrinth. He also arranged for a unit to accompany the Marquis during his house arrest, ensuring no further schemes could be carried out.
As Roeni watched from a distance, the King summoned Alegria Count and directly ordered him to seek Roeni’s advice and intermediary services with the Guild. The King required a plan for exploring up to the fifty-seventh floor—the end of the Labyrinth’s middle section—and a list of necessary personnel and supplies. But even the slightest misstep often meant failure in a mid-level Labyrinth trek. Roeni knew she possessed the knowledge, yet she hesitated to reveal her tactics while the Prince’s faction was still standing mere feet away, listening.
”Understood. I shall arrange for a reception room later.” When she relayed her concern, King Valentio managed a wry smile, admitting that she was right.
Therefore, their immediate discussion focused on selecting personnel who could quickly execute a blockade just before the twenty-seventh floor—a task the Prince’s faction could not stop even if they knew about it.
The plan was to bribe every accessible adventurer before the Prince’s faction could contact them, increasing their own forces and sending them into the Labyrinth ahead of time. This would also help safeguard against the Prince’s hired assassins, easing the eventual deployment of regular troops.
After these adjustments, and once the orders were sufficiently distributed so that the Prince’s faction could not easily overturn them, Roeni then presented another concern: the need to secure Yuuri’s rented home, a detail she had almost overlooked in the intense strategic back-and-forth.
”Ah, you are right. Though the investigation must continue, I shall instruct the guards to handle the furnishings with care,” King Valentio assured her.
The King already believed the incident was nothing more than a stunt orchestrated by the Marquis.
To allow the property of an innocent citizen to be carelessly ravaged would be a stain on the King’s own honor. Although she made the request with utmost reserve, the King readily agreed.
—Just as a burden lifted from her shoulders and Roeni finally exhaled, a powerful, deep rumble shook the very floor beneath their feet. This was a high floor of the Royal Castle; the tremor immediately sent a shiver of fear through her, suggesting an impending catastrophe. But the shaking was momentary, and the roar and any subsequent cries did not follow.
”What was that?” The King demanded. No one in the room could answer. For now, they restrained the Prince’s faction nobles who tried to bolt, directing everyone to separate corners of the room under the protection of soldiers. Moments later, a soldier, apparently a messenger from the site, burst into the chamber, shouting his report.
”Arman Fried resisted the Skill Sealing procedure and escaped by smashing through the wall!”
”What!—Paradis! Was this your doing as well?!” The timing of the escape was so perfect that King Valentio wondered if the Marquis’s earlier coldness toward Lord Fried had been a subtle clue. He called out the Marquis’s name with intense frustration. But faced with the King’s displeasure, which he had seen countless times that day, Aprelton Marquis simply replied with complete casualness.
”What an odd thing to say, Your Majesty. Pray, do not attribute every incident to my plotting. It merely appears that a man who sought to deceive myself and Your Majesty has now fled. Indeed, is this not simply a testament to the incompetence of Your Majesty’s own forces? That man attempted to take the life of Your Highness, the Princess. If his guilt is confirmed, the death penalty is certain. I speak from experience when I say: do not harbor the naïve belief that one who defies the Crown will grovel before its might when facing death.”
”Ugh, indeed…!” Valentio muttered.
The cornered rat, he realized, had no reason to become docile.
It was Valentio who had been insufficiently careful, and the absolved Marquis shamelessly offered his counsel, pretending to be a loyal subject. What’s more, the deep-seated weariness of a long life lived, which the man embodied, seemed to lend a quiet, powerful authority that even the King struggled against.
”Then, he shall be killed on sight,” the King declared with decisive resolve.
”As you wish,” the Marquis accepted, seemingly indifferent.
Was he truly unconcerned about Lord Fried, or had he already provided a prearranged sanctuary for just such an event? While the two men glared at each other in silence, the frantic movements of soldiers trying to grasp the situation could be felt echoing from outside.
The report confirming the complete loss of Lord Fried’s trail arrived two hours later, after everyone had grown exhausted from the tense waiting period.
—Only after the royal orders had fully disseminated and the nobles were finally permitted to leave, was Roeni escorted to a reception room on an even higher floor than the chamber they had just left. The room was lavishly prepared for state guests—beyond anything in a Baron’s home—and she felt a bit out of place.
However, after successfully dismantling the Prince’s faction’s scheme, they could hardly discuss future plans down in the lower floors where the plotters still lingered.
Since Valentio had requested they remain in the Castle for at least a full day, fearing an assassination attempt by the escaped Fried-lord/lady, they had no choice but to accept. Roeni resolved to embrace the situation, using the opportunity with Silcro to observe the museum-quality furnishings and broaden her knowledge.
”Ha ha, are the furnishings even here a novelty to a Baron’s house with a business of that scale, then?” Alegria Count teased lightly.
”Indeed, Your Excellency,” Silcro replied, a grounded quality in his tone. “Our concern is mostly the raw materials before they pass through human hands. To see the pinnacle of human craftsmanship like this makes me truly feel ashamed of my own lack of learning.”
Although the Marquis was under house arrest and could not give orders, his powerful retinue would surely act on their own. Thus, the plan was to quickly finalize the discussion with King Valentio and Alegria Count.
But the King was clearly too busy in the aftermath of the upheaval.
The Count had joked with them first, but for the Baron family, whose main business was closer to the primary industry, everything here was genuinely a novel and exquisite masterpiece. As Silcro frankly shared this context and the Count engaged him in amiable conversation, King Valentio entered the reception room, breathless from his intense workload.
”Forgive the wait. I had to preemptively contain the movements of the Prince’s faction. It took me a great deal of effort to finally free myself.”
”We can only imagine the strain you must be under, Your Majesty—” Roeni expressed her empathy.
Sometimes, the Baron family was taunted for making easy money just by sending people into the Labyrinth to retrieve goods. Hearing that always brought a deep disappointment, a sense that people did not understand the immense struggle required to run such a business.
Roeni felt the same must be true for the King, who seemed to dwell on a cloud high above: behind the dazzling facade, there must be extraordinary hardship in maintaining the stability of the state. Sharing an unexpected moment of commiseration, she and her husband moved from inspecting the furnishings to sit upon the long sofa in the center, resolved not to cause the King any further delay.
While the King was retrieving the necessary documents, both he and the Count turned and bowed deeply before them.
”P-please, rise! You have no cause to do this…!” Roeni stammered, flustered, trying to stop them.
”No, that is not possible, Lady Confianza—no, I must call you Roeni-dono, as you are the true architect of this situation’s resolution,” Valentio corrected her, refusing to straighten up. “Were it not for your actions, I would have been forced to meekly comply with Paradis’s insidious plot. I am overcome with gratitude for your quick thinking, for seizing the tails of those conspirators, and for having the courage to speak up. As the ruler of this kingdom, I am only left lamenting my own weakness.”
Even as Roeni choked on her words, attempting to make them stop, Valentio and the Count remained bowed.
When they finally stood straight, their faces clearly showed the exhaustion and distress they had endured. Considering their appearance, it was clear that the Marquis’s plot had indeed left the King and the Princess’s faction utterly helpless.
Therefore, this apology from the King was utterly sincere and not something she could lightly dismiss.
The important thing was to acknowledge their sincerity and meet it head-on. If it came from the King, then as one who benefitted from his rule, she decided she must respond with gratitude for the confidence he had placed in her meager abilities.
—
Summary:
The political tension at the Royal Court explodes as King Valentio acts decisively against the Prince’s faction. The Marquis is sentenced to house arrest, and even the Prince’s claim to the throne is temporarily suspended.
Just as the King begins planning the Princess’s rescue with the help of Roeni, a sudden, violent earthquake and a desperate report signal the explosive escape of Arman Fried, the key conspirator, shattering a castle wall.
The King and the Marquis exchange sharp, politically loaded barbs over the failure, highlighting the sheer cunning and control of the Marquis. The chapter concludes with Roeni and her husband in a luxurious royal parlor, receiving a profoundly humbled apology from the King for her heroic, life-saving intervention against the conspiracy.
—
Character Insight:
This scene reveals King Valentio as a deeply stressed, but ultimately determined ruler who can learn from his mistakes and seize control when the opportunity arises.
His temporary suspension of the Prince’s right to the throne shows he is willing to risk internal conflict to protect the kingdom’s stability and the safety of the missing Princess. Roeni’s quiet humility and reluctance to accept the King’s profuse apology highlights her true nature: a clever and effective political player who is uncomfortable with the grandstanding of noble court life, proving her value lies in action over status.
—
Behind the Scene:
After the Marquis’s scheme using the false witness failed, King Valentio made the political compromise to give the Marquis a token sentence of house arrest for one month, avoiding a wider civil war. The King then sealed the room to buy time to issue rescue orders and counter-orders that the Prince’s faction couldn’t immediately reverse.
The sudden escape of the key conspirator, Arman Fried, was a major, unplanned complication that wasted valuable time and confirmed the Marquis’s warning that cornered criminals fight back. Roeni and her husband were then moved to a safe, upper-level reception room to consult with the King and Count on Labyrinth matters without interference from the Prince’s faction, a sign of their new, elevated, and trusted status.
—
T/L:
1 Misinformation (誤報): While it literally means ‘erroneous report,’ in this context, it’s used to mean ‘false information’ used in a political maneuver. ↩
2 Respite (休暇): Literally ‘holiday’ or ‘vacation,’ but here means a period of imposed political rest or suspension. ↩
3 Expiation (禊): A term that carries the religious/cultural connotation of purification or atonement for a sin or fault, which in this political context, is used as a formal ‘clearing of the slate.’ ↩
Notes:
• Valentio – The current King of Restea. A large, imposing man with sun-gold hair and a crown, he commands authority, though his current actions reveal a deep-seated agitation, likely due to the political crisis and the uncertainty surrounding his daughter, Marina’s, fate. Looks like King Bradley from certain series.
• Ai – The recently-formed sub-divinity/ego who manages the world’s Skills. Her sudden, intense burst of divine will (‘ki’) almost bleached Yuuri’s wicked thoughts. Called Yuuri ‘Elder Brother’ and declared genuine affection and trust based on his efficiency with her Skills.
• Marina – First Princess of Restea—needs labyrinth escort.
• Arsh – Marina’s the princess younger brother.
• Roeni – Guild receptionist, former adventurer, now a baroness—mentor to Yuuri. The wife of Baron Silcro Confianza, and effectively manages the labyrinth exploration business which is the foundation of their house’s power. She is a former adventurer, which gives her a practical, no-nonsense approach to problems. Look like Lisa from certain game, brown hair but neat hair.
• Arman – Knight captain who escort Marina on the first mission.
• Paradis – Mentioned as Suzuri’s companion, he was part of the group that explored the labyrinth and was someone she hoped remained safe after she drew the monster away.
• Silcro – The Baron Confianza, the quiet genius whose family’s survival depends on their exploitation of the Royal Labyrinth. He is short and round, a look that sometimes causes people to underestimate him, which he uses to his advantage. He is utterly devoted to his wife, Roeni, who he sees as his greatest asset and love.
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Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
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