Chapter 17 – Never Disrespect Them (Touko’s POV)
“I see. That’s why you introduced Suzuha’s older brother to me.”
“Now do you understand?”
“Yeah. The aristocracy in this country is basically made up of idiots and greedy people. With a few exceptions like me and Yuzuriha, of course.”
“That’s what I mean.”
Touko is convinced by what she was told.
The three of them here are a potent force in this country.
If used correctly and in the correct amount, the country would be safe for hundreds of years to come.
But if used incorrectly, the country would collapse instantly.
“Hey, Yuzuriha. What do you think I should do?”
“Touko can do as she pleases. Basically, those siblings are good people and Touko is not stupid. Just promise me one thing.”
“What?”
“Don’t ever disrespect Suzuha-kun’s older brother—No, don’t ever disrespect those two.”
Touko stopped in the middle of her attempt to argue that she would not do such a thing. Because…
Yuzuriha’s expression was more serious than she had ever seen before.
“If Touko fails in her negotiations and loses favor with Suzuha-kun and her older brother, that’s fine. At that time, our Duke family will do everything we can to bring Suzuha-kun and her brother into our family, even if I have to become queen to ensure the continuity of this country. Of course, that is an undesirable future.”
“……”
“The thing is, if Touko, who is a princess, acts rudely and causes those two to lose interest in the nobility or the country itself, there’s a risk they might leave the country. That would be extremely bad.”
“W-We can’t let that happen! If those two leave and antagonize us, we’ll…!”
“That’s what I’m talking about.”
Yuzuriha had observed that the younger sister Suzuha will fully submit to her brother’s will.
And the older brother seems to think that the aristocracy is arrogant in its own way.
It would probably be safe if they were treated as commoners by nobles they don’t care about or have no contact with.
However…
If nobles who they thought they were getting along so well with suddenly turned against them or showed their tyrannical side…
Or if the nobles saw them as commoners and put on a disrespectful attitude towards them—
It wouldn’t be surprising if those two siblings abandon their country so easily.
“Huu…!”
Touko tousled her hair.
Yuzuriha knew that it was a habit of hers since childhood, a habit she does when she’s troubled.
“What is Touko worried about? You’ve just had an unprecedented opportunity to make yourself the next queen, haven’t you?”
“Yes, that’s true, that’s true, but..! If I make a mistake, the country will collapse, that’s too much pressure!”
“Don’t worry. While their abilities are unbelievably excellent, the younger sister is just a brocon and the older brother is a clueless idiot who doesn’t realize the full extent of his abilities. It’s a dangerous balancing act to handle them properly, but there’s nothing to fear if you approach them with sincerity.”
“Then why did you say those threatening things!?”
“That’s why it’s such important advice. It was necessary, wasn’t it?”
“Well, that may be true, but… Ugh…”
Touko then scratched her hair for a while, but eventually stopped and let out a deep sigh.
“…I see. I’m going to be queen in the near future. I see…”
“It’s not a done deal yet.”
“Even if you say that… Yuzuriha introduced Suzuha’s older brother to me because she had that intention, right? Well, among the current nobles, I’m probably the only one who won’t discriminate against Suzuha’s older brother who’s a commoner.”
“Well, that’s right.”
“Have you unveiled this to other nobles yet?”
“Not yet. Well, most nobles are either stupid or overly power-hungry, or both.”
“But there are a few who aren’t. Why didn’t you choose from among the nobles of the Duke’s family and introduce them to Suzuha’s older brother?”
“…Well, I could, but…”
“Oh, I see…”
Touko could tell by Yuzuriha’s brusque attitude, which was unlike her.
If Yuzuriha introduced Suzuha’s older brother, then people would see his value and want to take him in even if it means making a connection with him. That is what nobles do.
Among them, there would be a wise head of the family who would ask Suzuha’s older brother, a commoner, to be his son-in-law, or even girls who would ask Suzuha’s older brother to marry her.
After all, they are commoners, and such an offer would not be seen as stealing Suzuha’s older brother from the Duke’s family. At least not in terms of aristocratic society.
Rather, they are usually praised as having brought in a good commoner into nobility.
However…
Even though Suzuha and her brother are commoners, it’s highly unlikely that the Duke family wouldn’t want to bring in siblings with such exceptional abilities into their own circle.
“Hmm. So that’s what it means.”
Touko was introduced to Suzuha’s older brother first because the royal family can’t marry commoners.
Realizing this, Touko was completely convinced.
