The Strongest Dull Prince’s Secret Battle for the Throne

The Inner Palace.

Inside the room of the Fifth Consort, the brown-haired maid was making her report to Zandra and Zuzan.

“Is there no doubt about that?”

“Yes, there’s no mistake. Their vigilance was clearly abnormal.”

“If it’s coming from you who have been trained as an assassin from a young age then there shouldn’t be any mistake here.”

Zuzan speaks to the maid while sitting on top of her chair. Her expression was full of trust.

Zandra also doesn’t look down on that maid.

Because she knew. Among their many maids, this one maid in front of her is exceptional

“I thought that an innate magic that allows you to see the future only exists in legend but…..Okaa-sama. I want it.”

“Right. she will surely be a worthy specimen. Don’t you think so too? Xiaomei.”

The maid, Xiaomei, raises her face and agrees to her master’s words.

Satisfied with her reply, Zuzan started thinking.

No matter how much they want her as their specimen, the other side is an imperial princess. Directly taking her is too dangerous. Moreover, she is the daughter of the Second Consort. If anything happens to her, she will be the first person to be under suspicion.

“Wouldn’t it be fine to have Xiaomei grab her for us?”

“Use your head a little. If you do it directly, they will surely start to suspect me. I am already under suspicion even if I don’t do anything anyway. It’s fine if they are suspicious of me but if their investigation led to me, you will be ruined too you know.”

“It would be too much for me to fool the eyes of the heir of the Amsberg house as well……but I have a good proposal.”

“Ara? Do tell.”

“Let’s use the merchant that Zandra-sama has been getting supplies from to do the kidnapping for us.”

“What are you saying!? If they get caught, the fact that someone has been supplying me with children will come out you know!?”

“Zandra. Keep quiet.”

Zuzan calms Zandra down and urges Xiaomei to continue.

Xiaomei who is used to Zandra’s outburst gives her a nod and continues talking with no shred of fear.

“Since His Highness Leonard has been dispatched to the south, it is only a matter of time before that merchant will be connected to the kidnapping cases.”

“That’s not necessarily the case! Oji-sama won’t let the likes of Leonard get the better of him!”

“But there is still a risk, am I correct?”

“Yes. that’s why we should use them here. If they succeed, they will bring Her Highness Christa to us and in case they failed, we can just destroy them ourselves.”

“What if there are survivors who can rat us out?”

“Please do not worry. I will be the one who does the cleaning up myself.”

Saying so, Xiaomei shows them a smile.

Her smile was terrifyingly creepy even from Zuzan and Zandra’s perspective.

Still, Zuzan and Zandra do not let go of her. She is overwhelmingly outstanding and like the other maids of theirs, Xiaomei also has a [Curse] put on her.”

She is a powerful assassin with a collar that can not be removed.

That’s why she is the favorite of both Zandra and Zuzan.

So they accepted Xiaomei’s proposal.

Zandra and Zuzan are smiling. Zandra is thrilled by the innate magic she has never got her hand on before while Zuzan is enjoying the future where the daughter of the hated Second Consort will be experimented on.

Thus the plan was put into practice.

—————————————————–

“The Fifth Consort has extended her invitation for Your Highness Christa and Elna-sama, she said that she has something to talk with the two of you, my ladies.”

Hearing the maid relayed that message, Elna frowned.

Elna has heard the story between the Second Consort and Zuzan before.

Bringing the daughter of the Second Consort like Christa to Zuzan’s place is like bringing a small animal into a beast lair. There’s no way to know what she will do to her.

However, inside the inner palace, the word of a consort is absolute. Starting from the Empress, the higher one position is, the more powerful influence they have. The Third and the Fifth Consorts who also participated in the succession war are especially powerful. Mitsuba’s influence is incomparable to them as she is not actively involved in the succession war.

“Since Mitsuba-sama is not available today we will accept the invitation another day.”

“Her Highness is inviting the two of you while being aware of that.”

It would have been possible to refuse if Mitsuba was here but unfortunately Mitsuba has been called away by the Emperor.

Since he has sent both Al and Leo on a mission, the Emperor also has to take care of Mitsuba.

Elna looks at Christa who is hiding behind her.

If she brings her there it will be hell. Even if I go there alone it will be the same.

Refusing is not an option here either. If she does that, they will use that as a reason to attack Mitsuba.

However, it is unfair to bring Christa to a woman who might be her mother’s enemy.

Nevertheless, there is a matter about that future to consider as well. Leaving her side is too dangerous of an option.

“Tell the Fifth Consort that we need a little time to prepare ourselves.”

“Understood.”

Saying so, the maid leaves the room.

However, this is but a borrowed time.

“Are you alright? Your Highness.”

“Elna….I don’t want to go…..”

“Of course. Your Highness will remain here and I will be going there alone.”

“Elna is going…….?”

“If I don’t go Mitsuba-sama will be in a tough spot. So Your Highness must never leave this room. You guys understand?”

After she talked to Christa, Elna gave a command to the guards that were assigned to Mitsuba.

The inner palace guards only consist of women and are in charge of the security inside the inner palace. A portion of them are assigned to each consort and even if another consort has a higher standing, they are not allowed to speak to other consort’s guards. They are something like their private soldiers.

The only exception to this rule is the Empress who oversees the inner palace but since the current Empress will not intervene unless something big happens, they are acting more like the consorts’ private soldiers at the present.

“Yes, please leave her to us.”

“No matter what, even if Her Highness herself told you she wanted to leave, you mustn’t let her out of this room alright.”

“Yes!”

Under this special circumstance, Elna was given command over Mitsuba and Christa’s guards.

However, Elna is still worried because she couldn’t use her direct subordinates.

There is not enough manpower.

The situation would be different if she can bring Marc along but the inner palace is a palace exclusively for women. No man can enter this place without permission.

“Listen, Your Highness. Please promise me that you will not leave this room.”

“Okay……I won’t leave this room…….”

“Thank you very much. Even if they used my name, you must never come out alright.”

Saying so, Elna strokes Christa’s head and leaves the room.

The sudden disappearance of Elna is making Christa anxious.

So Christa wrapped herself with the futon on her bed and hugged her favorite bunny doll.

However, a report came in and shook Christa’s heart.

“Y, Your Highness! It’s terrible! H, His Highness Arnold is!”

“Al-niisama!? Did he return already!?”

Christa responded to the report with a voice filled with anxiety and noticed that the maid that came in to report to her was covered in blood. Since the maid looked fine, she understood that those are not the maid’s blood.

Something happened.

Christa’s body intuitively shakes.

“Wh ,what is ……”

“They’ve encountered monsters on their way here. It seems he was injured while he was protecting Duke Reinfeld from a monster’s attack…..it is quite serious.”

“No……”

“He was calling for Your Highness Christa so I have come to relay the message……please hurry.”

The maid’s cold voice shook Christa.

Christa tries to run out immediately but the guards stopped her.

“Please wait Your Highness!”

“Release me! Al-niisama is!”

“Elna-sama told us that we mustn’t leave the room no matter what!”

“Nii-sama is in danger! Please, let me go!”

“Mitsuba-sama is already at the scene! Please hurry!”

Following the maid, Christa shakes off the guards and started running.

The guards now have no choice but to follow after her.

The bloody maid is leading the way.

“Oi! How far are you intending to go!? Isn’t this the merchant entrance!?”

“I use this path to avoid the commotion! He is unable to move so we have to treat him on the spot!”

“Hurry!”

Christa ran so fast like never before.

She was so worried about him that she threw away her rabbit doll as it was a hindrance to her running.

When Christa turned the corner, she saw a bloody person collapsed on the side of the carriage undergoing treatment.

“Nii-sama!!”

Christa rushes to the fallen person.

However, when she approached, it was a different person who happens to have the same black hair as Al.

“It’s not…..Nii-sama…..?”

“Yes, it’s a trap after all.”

Saying so, a fat man by the side of the fallen man covers her mouth with a hand towel.

“NNNNnn!!?? Nn…..”

Christa tried to make a noise but she couldn’t as she couldn’t beat an adult’s strength.

The smell of the medicine that was soaked into the hand towel rendered Christa unconscious.

When that happened, it was accompanied by the sound of people falling.

The three guards who followed behind Christa bleed from their necks and fall down.

“Wonderful job as always, Gunther.”

“Leave the compliment, just hurry.”

Gunther was the middle-aged assassin who once targeted Al.

He usually used his magic when performing assassination but this time he opted to use a simple knife.

He can’t be connected to this crime after all.

“Then I will leave the rest to you.”

“Ahh, I think you already know this but,”

“Of course. I won’t do anything to her. Yes, of course.”

Seeing the vulgar smile on the fat man’s face, Gunther glances suspiciously at him.

Gunther knew that this man was one of the top merchants of the imperial capital but behind the scene, he was a kid-loving slave trader who kidnapped and sold children from all over the country.

A girl around Christa’s age is his favorite.

“We won’t stand by if you treat this as a joke. You know that right?”

“Ye, Yes. I understand.”

Looking Gunther in the eyes, the fat merchant was frightened.

After that he has his subordinate carry Christa to the carriage.

The place they put the sleeping Christa in is a hidden luggage compartment in their carriage. The double-layer floor of their carriage is there for them to transport illegal goods to the castle.

There are only a few inspections when they leave but they are carrying out an imperial princess this time so they must be very cautious.

The merchant doesn’t feel any guilt. Of course, it is the first time they kidnap a princess but they often kidnap noble ladies and turn them into slaves.

Of course, they also have fear, their opponent this time is a real bigshot after all. However, since the person who made the request this time was none other than Zandra, the merchant thought that it would still be okay.

As long as they don’t commit any mistake, it will be fine.

After seeing the merchant get into their carriage with a smile, Gunther ordered his men to clean up the corpse of the guards.

Then the carriage slowly started to move away.

However, there is a child running after that carriage.

It was Rita.

In Rita’s hand was a bunny doll belonging to Christa. Rita manages to somehow get on to the carriage’s luggage compartment and throw the bunny doll behind her.

“Rita will save you……Kuu-chan.”

Shortly afterward, Christa’s disappearance became known throughout the castle, setting it on an unprecedented high alert.

But the carriage had long left the castle at that time.

Thus, the Imperial Capital was steadily approaching the future that Christa saw.