“It is regrettable that I have been powerless to even dissuade him. His Majesty, the late King was murdered by Crown Prince Larsen!”

No one knows whether it was true or a sham.

However, when the King was autopsied, a large amount of poison was detected, and the doctor’s testimony added that a small amount of poison had been injected over a long period of time.

In addition, a servant even reported that the King’s meals were simultaneously served in the crown prince’s palace kitchen. Even though she knew this was being led, she couldn’t help but wonder, ‘What if?’

“Even if the abdication was almost decided for the Crown Prince, this is…”

“Treason…”

The late King personally revised his will and placed Jerryel on the throne. Furthermore, the Crown Prince led the royal army out and started a pointless war, destroying it. What if he came back after winning?

There was no room for excuses from Larsen, who did not even look human.

“Huuooo! Uuhh, trap, it’s a trraaappp…”

Even Larsen, who was rolling on the floor, shouted hoarsely as if he couldn’t bear it anymore. Still, it was so small that even Selina’s ears in the front row could not hear it properly.

“Prince Larsen. Would you like to argue?”

“It’s a trap… everything a trap…”

“Is that all there is to your argument? Do you have any evidence to submit?”

“Huuu… they’re all, together… Uhh, I’ll kill them all. All…!”

However, Larsen’s threat had now lost even its spitefulness. There was really nothing left for him.

The trivial argument was over.

“We begin sentencing on a total of 158 accusations against Prince Larsen.”

Larsen, exhausted after a few words, lay down on the floor and could only breathe. A decision was made without any sympathy or respect.

“The greatest crime of assassinating and insulting the King is the greatest sin that Her Majesty the King must personally judge, but Her Majesty King Jerryel ordered lenient treatment considering his status as a royal family. I hereby render judgment.”

In principle, the King himself makes decisions on royal matters, but Jerryel had not even had a coronation ceremony yet. She reportedly handed over the trial to the judicial court in order to make it objectively acceptable.

Even if everything was decided, a single word from the judge could have gone awry. Everyone held their breath and waited for the final verdict.

Selina also clenched her fists.

“As of now, the final ruling is to strip the accused of all his rights as the royal family, dethrone him as the Crown Prince, and imprison him in the Northern Palace. The damages for each case will be adjusted in subsequent trials.”

“Ah…!”

Stripping of royal authority and dethronement.

For the Crown Prince, the sentence was close to death, but on the other hand, it felt overly lenient. It was not a capital punishment. After all, as long as he lived, he could make a comeback at any time. It was not a judgment to be passed on to a political opponent.

However, Jerryel was raising the corners of her mouth in satisfaction.

It was not like sticking the nose into cooked rice*, but wasn’t the last part too soft? She may have vented her anger in moderation, so she might think this was enough.
[ T/N: An idiom meaning to fail on a completed job. ]

At that time, the judge declared the court closed, and Jerryel stood up.

After paying homage to the King, the trial officially ended.

Larsen was dragged out by someone else’s hand just as he had come in. Although the nobles understood the ruling, they were not completely convinced, so the confusion remained for a long time.

“Why wasn’t he just killed?”

“I guess it’s because he’s royalty.”

“Still, if he’s alive, we never know what might happen…”

Selina couldn’t let this go without asking.

“Why do you look uncomfortable?”

Jerryel asked brightly.

“If he’s alive, won’t he become a threat someday? I think it’s too soft.”

Jerryel let out a dark laugh at Selina’s question.

“It would be too easy for him to just die. He deserves to die because it is as painful as the time Father was in pain and the time I was abused.”

Ordinary people, no matter how angry they were, when they saw their target lying around, their hearts would become weak, but it seemed like Jerryel was just getting started. How deep was the darkness inside her?

“Wouldn’t it be worthwhile for him to live and learn at least what life is worse than death?”

Jerryel smiled at her again, but her eyes were cold and sharp. It was as if she threatened to not leave her alone if she objected.

Selina had no intention of stopping her.

“Can I ask you a personal favor?”

“What request?”

“Before killing him, please cut off his XXXX.”

Rather, she was rather supportive. She also commissioned her own personal revenge. While she may not be able to do it directly, it didn’t matter as long as the results were the same.

Jerryel’s eyes widened.

‘Did I speak to the child in too unrefined terms?’

Jerryel, who was slightly reflecting, suddenly started clapping her hands.

“That spirit, that determination. You are the true queen.”

“…Huh?”

She looked extremely serious as she was nodding her head. Jerryel turned to Selina and said with her eyes, ‘You are inspiring just by being yourself.’

“Actually, I’ve always thought you were cool. Ha… Why couldn’t I recognize the beauty that comes from this true strength?”

Why was she like this all of a sudden?

This was beyond just admiration because Selina was cool, like possessed… eyes that shook from the beginning before becoming a fan.

Selina instinctively felt she should leave the place.

“Well then. I guess you’ll do me a favor, so I’ll take my leave…”

“I….”

Jerryel grabbed Selina’s hand tightly.

“…Yes?”

“I won’t hide the fact that I fell in love with that beauty.”

“….”

It’d been a while. Such a bold and reckless attack on affection. As passionate as teenage love was, it could easily burn out in an instant and then move on to another place. The flame that had headed towards Kalcion now moved to Selina.

“Yes, thank you… I’ll get going.”

She was not happy about being separated from Kalcion. If Selina got caught, it was obvious that she would burn like crazy for a while since she was Jerryel’s new target.

This kind of thing needs to be cut off right at the beginning to avoid any regrets.

As Selina tried to firmly turn her body away, Jerryel, as expected, clung to her with a flirtatious attitude.

“Hey. You came this far, so why are you leaving so quickly? Please watch my coronation and enjoy the party afterwards.”

“…Why?”

“Why? It’s because I want to spend a little more time with Sister.”

Finally, Jerryel shook her shoulder and acted cute. But as Selina looked at it, her blood ran cold. It was so outrageous that this mad dog acted like a puppy.

“…Who is King Jerryel’s sister?”

“Sister.”

Jerryel smiled at Selina.

“Why?”

“Originally, if you’re cool, it’s Sister.”

“Since when did you find me cool?”

“In the past, I was blinded by love and couldn’t see how wonderful Sister was. So, now I’ve decided to bet my life on Sister!”

It was something she had heard over and over again. It was not a trivial matter that Jerryel was saying the words that Selina had heard tens of thousands of times from girl fans all over the world.

“…No, don’t bet it—”

“Ah! How about you just marry me?”

Even before Jerryel, she received thousands of marriage proposals. Each time, she responded by saying, ‘Sure!’ or ‘Bring the documents’ or ‘If you change your mind in three years, I won’t let you go.’ Still, this time, there was a clear reason for rejection.

“That would be troubling. I’m already in love with Kalcion.”

“You will love me more. The conditions are also better with me. The Duke is the Duke, I am the King. Wow! Aren’t we both kings? People who had no chance of becoming kings became kings almost at the same time! It’s fate!”

“If this is fate, then all the people who ate the same breakfast menus are also fate.”

“Ah! This morning, I ate button mushroom soup, white bread, fig jam, fruit cheese, pork sausage, and mashed potatoes! What about Sister?”

“I ate a passing bird.”

Selina did her best to avoid that fate as much as possible.

When Jerryel was a princess, it didn’t matter whether she looked good or not, but now that Jerryel has become a king, it was better to have minimal friction.

Then, she was interrupted by Queen Meryl.

“Oh. Were you talking about a national wedding? If the two kingdoms were to be united through marriage, there would be no greater union than that. Our Jerryel is a pretty good kid.”

“I’m already in love with Kalcion…”

“Why is love necessary in marriage?”

“I am a woman.”

“I have no prejudice.”

What was with this mother and daughter? They were not losing.

Selina felt helpless and held her head. It was easier to deal with someone who hated her and attacked her. For her, rushing in armed with love was more difficult to handle. It was selfish of Jerryel to make demands without considering Selina’s position, but the feelings were real.

She wanted to refuse so as not to hurt Jerryel as much as possible.

“Did you two forget that I was next to you?”

When Selina seemed to be troubled, Kalcion intervened.

“How can a duke intervene when kings are talking?”

Jerryel scolded him severely, taking care of her dignity.

“If the country is suddenly destroyed, the king and whatever will disappear.”

However, Kalcion didn’t even flinch. He was not someone who just gave in to the crown prince and moved on because he did not want to start a war. There was already a war once, so there was nothing to hide.

“It’s okay to touch everything else, but not my goddess. I will be willing to go to war if she is taken away.”

“That goes for me, too!”

“Try it.”

“Then you think I can’t do that?”

One war ended, and the other war would start again.

“Stop, stop.”

Eventually, Selina separated the two.

“I don’t want to get married without love, and I don’t want to make the mistake of turning my eye to someone else when I have someone I love. So, King Jerryel. I will reject that heart of yours.”

Jerryel suddenly became wrinkled and stepped back.

“For now, I’m stepping back out of respect for Sister’s feelings, but… love is not eternal!”

“It will last forever.”

Kalcion just cut it off.

“Just wait and see, Duke. Don’t let your guard down too much. No one knew until the ceremony.”

Nonetheless, Jerryel’s spirit did not subside easily.

He lifted the hilt of his sword without a sound. If he just killed everyone here, wouldn’t everything end neatly? He felt that way.

Selina gently pressed the back of his hand.

His boiling heart was not much different from that of a teenage girl.

__