Previously
Cecilia manipulates her father and Roselia into allowing her to recruit young servants for the Sixth Squad, arguing that her current knights need successors so they can eventually return to the First Battalion.
Before long, applications began pouring into the Imperial Palace.
In keeping with the recruitment's purpose, the screening was limited to verifying that an applicant hailed from an impoverished estate below the established threshold. There was virtually no chance Cain would be disqualified.
If only he actually applied.
With a racing heart, I flipped through the applicants' paperwork.
The Third Battalion's personnel division was supposed to handle the preliminary screening, but in my eagerness, I had secured copies for myself.
There were so many boys and girls flocking from the provinces in hopes of becoming knights….
Even with the requirement restricting applicants to impoverished estates like Roseberry, the number was immense.
Immense… truly far too large.
“Will this ever end, no matter how many pages I turn?”
“It seems the number of applicants has nearly reached one hundred.”
“A hundred? Are there really that many struggling estates in the Empire?”
Patricia smiled at my question and filled the cup before me with grapefruit and orange tea.
Ever since I returned from my undercover outing, she had served me nothing but these “vitamin bombs” for an entire month.
“When children come to the capital from impoverished regions, becoming a knight is practically their only path to success. Both for coin and for honor.”
“I see….”
Perhaps that was simply the nature of this world, something one could never fully grasp through mere contemplation.
Indeed, certain estates showed a noticeable surge in applicants. Aside from Cain, a few other applicants from the Roseberry estate caught my eye.
‘With so many applicants, isn’t it terribly stingy to choose only three or four…?’
I could not single out Cain alone, so I had agreed to select three or four people.
‘To tell the truth, I wanted to pick more than ten just to raise Cain’s chances….’
Yet I had relented in the face of Roselia’s firm refusal. She had warned that suddenly crowding people around me could invite unforeseen dangers.
‘If someone famous from the original story is among them, it wouldn’t hurt to recruit them early.’
With that thought in mind, I kept turning the pages….
Hmm, every single name was unfamiliar.
‘That means none of them committed any notable villainy in the original story, right? Well, the villains were all nobles anyway.’
Since there were no villains among the commoner knights, perhaps picking any of them would be fine.
Holding on to that optimistic thought as I flipped through the documents, my eyes finally caught the name I had been waiting for.
‘Found him!’
I had worried his application might not arrive, but it turned out just as I expected.
Yes, after all that publicity.
‘I’ll place him in the Sixth Squad, house him in the dormitories, and when he’s knighted later on, I’ll gift him a townhouse in the Second District… Emily’s home base will get quite the upgrade!’
And while I was at it, I would have him pick up meatballs from The Princess and the Night Bird and wheat bread from Paulina.
‘He must be living there right now, so it won’t be a difficult errand.’
Hehe, I couldn't help smiling at the mere thought.
I had not laid eyes on him yet, but knowing how his path would unfold ten years from now made him feel remarkably familiar.
Besides, he would be my first acquaintance among the cast, right after Leoport.
On top of that, he wasn’t chosen through anyone’s recommendation; I had picked him myself… a person devoted entirely to me.
‘If Cain showed such loyalty to his former lady, Emily, he will naturally be devoted to me as well.’
In high spirits, I began browsing through the rest of the papers.
“My man, my right hand, my follower, my servant.”
I was so giddy that I broke into a nonsense little tune.
Beside me, I heard Patricia stifling a laugh. But I paid it no mind; I was far too thrilled that my plan was on the verge of succeeding.
‘Now then, who else should be chosen? Or should I persuade Roselia to let us pick a few more?’
After all, this would be a golden opportunity not just for Cain, but for every trainee.
Before seeing this stack of papers, such plans had never crossed my mind, but now they began piling up, one after another.
‘Should I properly build an escort squad of my own? I can reduce my guards once I come of age, but more eyes and ears are always an asset.’
Just as I intended to earn Cain's loyalty by granting him this chance, raising more people like him would undoubtedly prove useful—no matter what path I chose after coming of age.
Still, if I was going to pick them, I would have to treat them all just like Cain.
‘Truth be told, I've been wondering whether I could buy townhouses for three or four of them out of my own pocket….’
Mm, that’s right. Since the trainees chosen this time would all become my vassals, they were bound to lend me their strength later on.
In that case, the person I needed to consult was obvious.
Having settled my thoughts, I turned to Patricia with a lighthearted expression.
“Patty, arrange a lunch for me with the Crown Princess soon.”
The very next day, Grace requested to have lunch with me.
Living in the Pomegranate Palace with her husband, Duke Edel, Grace was already a working mother who had borne two imperial children, a daughter and a son.
Swamped with affairs of state, meeting her without an appointment had become nearly impossible.
“I apologize for troubling you when you're so busy, Sister.”
“Nonsense, Cecil. What is truly regrettable is that sisters must make an appointment just to share a meal.”
Grace, nearing thirty, was as stunning as ever. If anything, she carried a more mature dignity now.
‘It seems turning thirty here is quite different from turning thirty in my previous life.’
Just as I was finishing my cold shrimp dish, Grace looked at me quietly from behind the locks of hair draped over one shoulder.
“So, what matter prompted you to request a private meeting, Cecil?”
True to her pragmatic nature, Grace wasted no time over lunch and cut straight to the point.
I swallowed my bite quickly and rinsed my mouth with lemon water.
“Sister, I have been thinking about what I will do once I come of age.”
“It isn't becoming a naval admiral or a chancellor, is it?”
A hint of playfulness colored Grace's voice.
A faint smile touched my lips as I recalled that day when my siblings fretted over my future.
“I am speaking seriously this time.”
“I see.”
Grace offered her usual smile and leaned back comfortably in her chair.
“You've always said you wanted to remain in the Imperial Palace and work in administration, haven't you?”
“Yes, Sister.”
“Have you settled on a decision already? You are only ten years old.”
Grace smiled as she spoke.
“I have an idea, and I believe it could be of great use to you.”
I hesitated for a moment, then continued with bright eyes.
“Sister, I want to… oversee noble society and monitor public opinion.”
“Monitor?”
“It is true that the imperial family flourishes by fortune's grace and our military is mighty, but stagnant water rots. I believe we can catch anything harmful to the Empire before it takes root.”
I cleared my throat and lowered my voice.
“Such as suspicious movements from the Noble Faction.”
“The Noble Faction serves as salt that balances the imperial family and curbs tyranny.”
Grace answered immediately, her expression impassive.
Despite her words, I knew that was not what she truly thought.
Asuramasura was an empire where imperial authority reigned supreme; this was the imperial family that had shielded the main continent with divine power formidable enough to repel an invasion from the demon realm.
In an era of sanctity where holy power equated to authority, the Commander of the Temple Knights and even the Pope were predominantly chosen from the imperial family.
Yet even after five hundred years, dissenters bound to challenge that authority were bound to emerge.
The Noble Faction would gradually begin acting as an anti-imperial faction, and the stage where those tensions escalated in earnest was the setting of ‘The Violet of the Duchy.’
For that reason, the conflict between the hero Leoport and the second male lead Rosivius was, in another sense, a reflection of the clash between the Imperial Faction and the Noble Faction.
Without pressing further, I smiled at Grace as though I saw through her intentions.
“You speak of an intriguing matter….”
Grace paused, appearing to weigh her thoughts.
Just then, the servants cleared away the empty plates and brought in the main course.
“Leave us until I call for you.”
Grace instructed in a low voice.
The servants refilled our water glasses and promptly withdrew from the dining hall.
The moment the latch clicked shut, Grace rested her elbows on the table and clasped her hands.
As if anticipating this turn of events, the main dish was a turkey sandwich that would not suffer from going cold.
“So, you wish to keep watch over the Noble Faction.”
“Yes. To keep watch over noble society, one must dig up from the very bottom.”
I replied without hesitation. My voice now bore none of the childish lilt from moments ago.
I could not persuade Grace using the innocent persona of a little sister suited to Cecilia's appearance. Grace was not my mother; she was my sister, and the future ruler I would serve.
“I heard that when it came time to choose your consort, the Noble Faction pushed hard for one of their sons. While marrying Duke Edel was the right choice, they harbored resentment, viewing it as a bias toward the Imperial Faction.”
And it had indeed been an impeccable choice.
Count Rosenhart, the Chancellor, was a genius destined for the history books, and my brother-in-law, Duke Edel… was a tall, handsome, and gentle man.
Aside from that, the decisive factor was that House Rosenhart had agreed, as part of the dowry, to lease a crystal mine of immense yield to the imperial family free of charge for a hundred years.
Shortly before Grace's wedding, heavy casualties had been suffered at the Sea of No Return, making crystals that store and amplify holy power desperately needed. Crystals were a core component of the Temple Knights' weaponry.
“The Noble Faction's offensive will not abate; it will only intensify.”
“……”
Grace's expression turned solemn at my conviction.
It was the truth, after all. Once the events of ‘The Violet of the Duchy’ began, the Noble Faction's schemes would plunge the political sphere into turmoil.
“We need not suppress them outright, but there is no reason to fall for their tricks either. Father's reign is flourishing, but that doesn't mean we should overlook their petty schemes, should we?”
I met Grace's gaze squarely, hoping she would recognize my worth to her as my future sovereign.
“…Have you discussed this with Baroness Rentil?”
“No. She avoids dabbling in politics.”
Despite her incisive critiques of society, Baroness Rentil steered clear of political involvement.
Though she was a senior scholar of the Tower of Sages, I suspected her caution stemmed from her family's considerable political influence.
“I realized it when I went undercover and saw the commoners in the market. Among the public, small matters are easily exaggerated, and public sentiment shifts just as quickly.”
This was calculated to strike a chord with Grace, who had often disguised herself to walk among the people in her youth.
‘She was the only one in the family who supported my idea to go undercover, because she cares about how the people live.’
I paused briefly before adding,
“Since the nobility is closer to them than the imperial family, public opinion could easily be swayed by the Noble Faction's agitation if we are not vigilant, could it not?”
“I see… You are considering the possibility of the nobles waging an information war…. Do you truly believe the Noble Faction will attempt to overthrow the imperial family?”