217.1: The Battle Maiden is at the Crossroads of Marriage (33)
“What is the meaning of this, Jill? If there’s been a misunderstanding, we can always talk about it.”
Her twin brothers regained their senses at Lawrence’s calm tone.
“—Right, what are you doing, Sister Jill? Don’t you want to retrieve the national seal!?” (Rick)
“Leaving aside your engagement with the Dragon Emperor, we still have Princess Natalie to think about.” (Andy)
“—Then, let me ask you something, Lawrence. Aren’t you going to save your sister from the Southern Palace?”
The twin brothers gasped. Jill spoke coldly, maintaining a firm grip on Lawrence.
“So, you failed to set up the location.”
“…After considering the time and circumstances, I decided to postpone it.”
“Really? The Lawrence I know would have created a plan to save his sister, definitely not one for Her Highness Natalie.”
In the future she knew, as the conflict between Rufus and Geraldo escalated, Lawrence would prioritize his desire to save his older sister. Not only was the situation then even more tense than the present’s, he wasn’t allowed the opportunity to rescue his sister.
There was no way a person who acted at that time would remain inactive in the current situation.
—If such was the case, only one possibility remained.
“That is to say His Highness Geraldo has joined forces with the Southern King.”
The stealing of the national seal, the current situation—everything had been orchestrated by the Kingdom of Kratos.
“…And that’s why you aren’t attempting to rescue your sister. Because it’s unnecessary. I don’t even need to think about it. Congratulation is in order—this is all because I became the Dragon Princess.”
There would be one less miserable future.
By working alongside the Southern King, perhaps even her parents could be spared.
It sounded like quite a deal—that was, if she weren’t the Dragon Princess.
Lawrence sighed, smiling wryly.
“I’ve almost forgotten, that enigmatic side of yours. It’s as if you know how I’d act in the future from the beginning.”
“But Sir Lawrence, we haven’t allied ourselves with the Southern King.”
Lawrence laughed playfully at Andy’s reproachful voice.
“Indeed. Well, try telling her that. If it’s for the sake of defeating the Dragon Emperor, we’ll cooperate. …It’s like admitting defeat, I know, but I’m struggling, too. I do wonder, though. Why didn’t you insist on going to rescue Princess Natalie? Anyone else would’ve prioritized the life of another over the national seal. I concluded it was because you were still devastated by the Dragon Emperor’s actions.”
“Oh, I’m fine, thank you. This time, His Majesty isn’t counting on me at all. Besides, His Majesty will do something about Her Highness Natalie, anyway.”
“Hee, then it’s true that the Dragon Emperor cut all ties with you…”
Lawrence rubbed salt into her wound, so Jill twisted his arm to try and shut him up.
Upon hearing that, the expressions of her younger brothers changed.
“—Then, Sister Jill, why are you doing this? You’re no longer with the Dragon Emperor anymore, so why? It’s not like us working together would put you in a disadvantage?” (Rick)
“Sister Jill, as long as you have the national seal, you can still marry the Dragon Emperor. Is there a need to do any of this?” (Andy)
“…The two of you are better at comprehending things and smarter than me, so you should understand, right?” (Jill)
Jill laughed in self-depreciation.
“—The truth is, I don’t need Kratos’ permission, much less the national seal, to marry His Majesty.”
Indeed.
She was the only one who didn’t understand.
“But since that’s what I wanted, His Majesty compromised until the very last moment. He only came here with me for fun. …You all knew this and used me as a bait against His Majesty. You wanted to set him against the Southern King.”
Even if the Rave Empire did try to get involved with an internal conflict of the Kingdom of Kratos, if done poorly, it’d be seen as an act of aggression. And what would happen if the Rave Empire were to be vandalized from within while they were focusing their efforts abroad?
There was no way Lawrence and Geraldo wouldn’t notice that—
—nor Hades either.
Knowing their intention, Hades retaliated by saying that he’d wage a war of aggression on the grounds of Natalie.
“You took advantage of His Majesty’s feelings towards me.”
Oblivious to all that, Jill cast doubt on Hades, just as Geraldo and Lawrence had planned.
“…No wonder he left. He was disappointed in me.”
Seeing that Jill was downcast, even her younger brothers seemed hurt.
There weren’t acting.
If only it was.
“The same goes for my house. I was too idealistic. I didn’t realize that ours was a territory that couldn’t survive without Kratos’ protection.”
The Saber Family had a vast territory, yet she had never heard of any reports regarding people starving. That was because of the love of the Goddess—something that was outside the realm of the Dragon God.
That explained why Andy always seemed troubled, while Rick was choosing his words. Yet, neither they nor her parents told her to acquiesce for the sake of the family.
As a result, Jill misjudged how to draw the line.
Andy spoke quietly as if to make sure.
“…That’s not Sister Jill’s fault.”
“That’s right, it’s not entirely my fault.”
When Jill firmly declared that, her younger brothers were taken aback.
“See, I knew this would happen—I’m sure that even now, this is what His Majesty is thinking.”
Hence why he didn’t say a word to Jill from the beginning.
After all, just as he predicted, Jill would succumb to her feelings for her family and turn against him. He was prepared to visit and greet his in-laws. He was also excited at being considered her boyfriend. Yet, deep down, he never gave up that suspicion.
“But I have the last laugh—you underestimated me too much, you stupid husband!”
***T/N: YESSSS, GOOOOO JILLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLLL YASSSS DRAGON QUEEEENNNNN
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