Chapter 136 The Main Act Appears
Edited by: Kanaa-senpai
The vast gardens of the Royal Academy of Magic, Arcanum.
At the elegant yet cutthroat tea party being held there, Violetta, daughter of Duke Azalea, began picking a fight with Princess Elisabeth of the Adrastea Empire.
”A baseless accusation, you say?”
”My word! Such impudence!”
The lovely young ladies of Violetta’s faction raised their shrill voices in protest, stoking the tense atmosphere.
”A ‘baseless accusation,’ you call it? How dreadfully uncouth of you. The tea placed before my eyes does contain poison. If you claim otherwise… then, Elisabeth-sama, I invite you to drink every last drop of this poisoned tea yourself, here and now, to prove your innocence before us all!”
Violetta curled the corner of her lips into a crescent smirk, her voice dripping with honeyed cruelty as she delivered her merciless demand to her romantic rival. Sweet as syrup – yet sharp as a drawn blade.
(So this is the trap the villainess laid.)
I see now – impressive.
If Elisabeth drinks the poisoned tea and dies here, it becomes “she died by her own poison.” If she refuses, rumors will spread: “She couldn’t drink it because she was the one who poisoned it.”
A classic fork in the road – checkmate in two moves.
Of course, the obvious question – how did Violetta know the tea was poisoned before drinking it? – carries little weight here. In these aristocratic circles, the whole game is built on trading baseless accusations. Even if pressed, she could simply say: “We detected Elisabeth-sama preparing the poison in advance and were on guard, so we noticed immediately.” That excuse would fly well enough.
* * *
By now, Elisabeth’s attendants seemed to grasp their desperate predicament. They’d been outmaneuvered – cleanly.
The tea before them almost certainly contained real poison. With that suspicion looming, the final gambit of proving innocence by drinking it was impossible. At worst, it would be pointless suicide.
Elisabeth’s expression remained unreadable, maintaining her princessly dignity and composure. But inside, she must have been panicking.
Her best option now was to send for Prince Liam, who was likely still on academy grounds, and ask him to mediate.
”If you insist, let us have His Highness Prince Liam confirm the matter.” That was her only play.
(…But the guards assigned to this tea party are Violetta’s household retainers, bearing the Azalea crest.)
And Freya Bertrand, Elisabeth’s personal knight, was nowhere near the venue – probably excluded out of diplomatic consideration.
So even if one of Elisabeth’s ladies ran for help, she’d likely be intercepted and scuffled with before reaching anyone. And even if Prince Liam eventually arrived to restore order, the rumor would spread – Princess Elisabeth and her party ran amok in the garden during a tea party – spun for maximum entertainment.
Judging by Elisabeth’s demeanor, she hadn’t coordinated with Prince Liam beforehand to prepare for this worst-case scenario. She displayed none of that calculating composure.
(No groundwork laid…)
Not surprising, really. Her heart had already shifted from that earnest Prince Liam – to me. Perhaps unconsciously, the instinct to rely on Prince Liam had been suppressed.
In that case –
This is where I step in.
I slipped away from the shadows, then slowly made my way toward the entrance of the private seating area where they were gathered.
Parting the green curtain of bushes, I finally emerged onto the stage of this women’s battle.
”Pardon me. Is something the matter?”
At my sudden appearance, the ladies’ shrill chatter died instantly. All eyes in the venue stabbed into the intruder – me.
And Violetta, the architect of this farce, went pale as if she’d seen a ghost. She glared at me warily, sizing me up.
It was her two attendants who reacted first.
”Wh-who do you think you are, appearing out of nowhere!” the first attendant exclaimed, her voice trembling with indignation. “For a man to intrude upon a ladies’ tea party without so much as an announcement – how dreadfully rude!”
”Well, well,” the second attendant drawled, her fan concealing a smirk. “If it isn’t ‘Zero the Loser’ – the incompetent Margrave heir. What business could you possibly have here, mana-less dropout? Just having you in my field of vision is an eyesore~desuwa.”
Violetta’s attendants initially flustered, but quickly recovered their poise. Hiding their mouths behind fans as usual, they giggled mockingly, looking down on me with obvious contempt.
They showed no wariness despite my flashy duel victory the other day. Ladies of their ilk, who considered dueling a barbaric affair beneath their notice, probably hadn’t watched – nor heard the rumors.
Elisabeth’s two attendants, meanwhile, wore puzzled expressions.
My frequent exchanges with Elisabeth were well-known, so they didn’t harbor obvious hostility toward me. But neither did they look relieved to have an ally.
Elisabeth alone seemed genuinely gladdened by my arrival.
Her snow-white cheeks flushed faintly, and her beautiful eyes shone with unmistakable hope as she fixed them on me.
Cute.
Violetta’s servants in attendance, and the guards at the venue entrance, tensed visibly at my sudden appearance. But they stayed in place, making no further moves.
Wise decision.
(If they start a brawl with me here, this finely laid trap – the poisoned tea incident – might get swept under the rug.)
I approached them slowly, explaining my reason for coming.
”I was strolling through the gardens when I overheard some rather alarming talk of ‘poison,’” I said, letting my gaze sweep across the assembled nobles. “I wondered what was going on, so I decided to show my face. I hear Elisabeth-sama is accused of poisoning Violetta-jou? …Is that true?”
I fixed my gaze on Elisabeth and asked.
And simultaneously –
With a confident smile, I sent her a signal.
”Leave it to me.”
Her wavering eyes finally lit up with certainty. Absolute trust in me.
Her answer was decided.
”…I have poisoned nothing,” Elisabeth said, her voice steady and clear. “Violetta-sama must be laboring under some dreadful delusion.”
Her demeanor was no longer that of a cornered, fragile girl. Her voice was strong, full of the dignity of a true princess, fully restored.
At her bold answer, Violetta’s attendants bristled with eagerness – they must have seen it as prey taking the bait.
Now.
The second act begins.
—
Summary:
The protagonist analyzes Violetta’s poison trap as a classic fork – either Elisabeth drinks the poison and dies, or refuses and gets branded guilty. He recognizes that relying on Prince Liam is blocked by Violetta’s guards and Elisabeth’s shifted feelings. Stepping out of the shadows, he intervenes directly, signaling Elisabeth to trust him as the second act begins.
—
Trivia:
Violetta’s trap forces Elisabeth into a lose-lose scenario: drink poison or be branded guilty.
Prince Liam cannot help because Violetta’s family guards control the venue.
Freya Bertrand, Elisabeth’s personal knight, is absent for diplomatic reasons.
Elisabeth’s heart has already shifted from Prince Liam to the protagonist.
The protagonist’s recent duel victory hasn’t reached Violetta’s high-society circle.
Violetta’s attendants dismissed the protagonist as “Zero the Loser” despite his victory.
The aristocratic system accepts baseless accusations as normal political games.
Elisabeth’s final response marks her complete recovery of princessly dignity.
Notes:
• Elisabeth – Princess of the enemy Adrastea Empire, Prince Liam’s fiancée, and the game’s main heroine. Dignified and diplomatic even when cornered or falsely accused, she is targeted by Violetta’s assassination plot. While Xenos exchanges opinions with her, her heart has shifted from Liam to the protagonist, showing visible relief at his arrival while unconsciously avoiding relying on her fiancé.
• Violetta – Daughter of Duke Azalea. The orchestrator of the tea party trap, using poison to frame her romantic rival. Displays refined superiority and honeyed cruelty. Possesses a sharp, calculating mind wrapped in elegant manners.
• Azalea – Violetta’s family name. The villainess of the world.
• Liam – Liam Asgard, the golden-haired, emerald-eyed Crown Prince of Asgard, is Liliana’s older brother, betrothed to Elisabeth, and liege to Elliot and Aldrick. Though possessing royal Light Mana and a sense of justice, he speaks with polished grace to hide a manipulative, calculating ambition. Scheme-driven to destroy his rival Xenos and obsessively steal Cecilia, he uses his authority to incite war.
Please bookmark this series and rate ☆☆☆☆☆ on here!
Edited by Kanaa-senpai.
Thanks for reading.
Leave a Reply