Gacha Kingdom Building

Chapter 206 Divide

During her second vacation from the academy, Isabella and the other students were investigated and questioned by the Royal Family due to the accusations made by Prince Edmond and Saint Sabrina.

Once again, she barely had any time to rest thanks to the trial that followed.

While she wasn't too worried about the results, as I assured her the Kingdom was ready to go to war if necessary to protect her life or title, it was undeniably preferable for us that the Royal Family didn't punish her.

The likelihood of that was low. Even if she were proven innocent by all accounts, there was a good chance that the Royal Family might punish her simply to appease neighboring nations.

That is how invaluable a Saint is in this world.

Every country would do anything in its power to become their residence, and they are quick to protest any form of mistreatment against them, alleged or proven.

Even a declaration of war isn't off the table. Some countries seemed quite intent on it this time.

It was only thanks to Sabrina calming the situation down that it didn't come to this.

I'm sure she has her own reasons to protect Terith, many of them probably relating to the game, but...

She might have regretted her decision a bit considering how good of a defense Albert and I prepared.

Thanks to the two of us, Isabella's sentence ended up being extremely light.

She pretty much got away with a slap on the wrist.

Considering how convinced the parts were by our arguments during the trial, rather than an act of justice, her sentence was probably done for the sake of appeasing Terith's neighbors.

I had to move a few of the more risky pieces I had prepared behind the scenes to pressure the Royal Family, which could have raised suspicion, but...

It was well worth it.

Isabella used the opportunity to start increasing her control over the nobles of the Evretis territory, forcing them to make concessions and decreasing their autonomy wherever possible.

She was acting like a tyrant but the results speak for themselves. By manipulating the needs and concerns of the lesser nobles and selling them the solution instead of acting to solve the problem she won a good hold of most of them, be it through their secrets or desires.

With her power and position fully consolidated, I fully believed her capable of keeping her promise of military aid to me.

And if the Royal Family were to question her title or declare war, I do believe the current her was capable of fighting them on equal grounds now.

Still, while she did manage to do a lot in just a short period of time, it was a daunting task nonetheless.

Because of this, she decided to return to the academy at a later date compared to everyone else.

It might have also been an attempt to buy time to face her fellow students after everything that happened during the end-of-the-year party, or she might've hoped that the talks would have calmed down with time, but such a thought ended up being a little too optimistic.

The two weeks she took to extend her vacation didn't have much effect in that department, but surprisingly, she also didn't see much effect on her scores and understanding of the classes.

It goes to show that from the start, she was already ahead in most subjects, but I was hoping to see her struggle a little more.

Having her distracted a little by the classes would have been better than facing...

Well, the most nasty change in the academy.

In our absence, Sabrina and Edmond, who already had formed a good friendship, had become an inseparable duo.

His entire entourage has been fully captivated by the Saint, and it's pretty obvious to anyone watching that he has feelings for her.

It's a little... nauseating.

It would've been a little cute, the usual teenager romance and all of that.

However, she's clearly leading him on.

Sabrina desires more than just Edmond.

She's probably focused on the harem route, although it's obviously unobtainable for her by this point.

How much of a fool he is has nothing to do with me though... I'm not the type to meddle in someone's romantic affairs, even more so if they are a cute and innocent couple.

The problem I'm facing is that I still have questions I need answers from Sabrina, and so, the prince has developed quite the disdain for me thanks to our "secret" encounters at the old gazebo.

He's also showing Isabella a similar attitude, and he has cut off all contact with her, even their studying lessons as the attacks on Sabrina have miraculously stopped.

To be fair, while a little bothersome, neither Isabella nor I cared too much about it, but...

As we were making our way through a corridor after one of the classes, a bit of a situation happened.

Isabella: "You know... I heard a few rumors. Seems like Saint Gabriella has taken residency in Hamperlon... You wouldn't know anything about that, right?"

Miwen: "Me? Nah."

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Isabella: "Yeah? I just thought it was weird since there was a girl called Gabriella in your Kingdom. And she had [Light Magic], right? I took a look at the [Citizens] menu, and I have confirmed that she's still there, but... It's been a while since the last time I saw this particular girl..."

Miwen: "Hm... Well, I don't have that level of control over every girl-"

Isabella: "Uh-huh. Wanna try again?"

Miwen: "...I'll abstain, for now."

Isabella: "Idiot~"

Both of us were a little distracted by a topic or two.

It wouldn't be out of the question for me to have caused the accident, so I don't blame Isabella for it.

It just came down to luck.

Isabella: "Oh, sorry... Ah..."

And bumping into Sabrina of all people was also...

Well, who else could it have been, right? It's not like there are other students in the school.

Isabella: "..."

It's quite rare for Isabella to lose her composure nowadays, but understandably, the awkwardness was palpable.

Especially since instead of moving on, caught by surprise, she stood there for a second without saying anything.

Both of them did.

However, it did look to me like Sabrina was trying to look down on her. Her eyes, for the first time, seemed to carry a lot of anger.

Edmond: "I thought you would have learned your lesson after being publicly shamed, but I suppose such a thing barely affects you now."

While she stood silent, her prince spoke in her place.

The line he chose to open with made clear that their intentions were different from ours.

Isabella: "...Prince Edmond, it's a pleasure to see you in good health. I wish you a lovely day."

We didn't really want to cause a commotion, or start any trouble with them, really.

Such a thing was quite petty, and what happened was a small incident.

It should have been resolved fairly easily, and Isabella's words and actions were all done to ensure such a result.

However, the way Sabrina responded prevented such a scenario.

Sabrina: "You... How did you do it?"

Isabella: "...I already apologized. Would you-"

Sabrina: "Don't play dumb. I'm talking about the butler."

Isabella: "...Miwen?"

Sabrina: "The brothers are one thing. But how did you get him? Even for the Saint, he's the most difficult. It shouldn't have been possible for you..."

Unlike the other characters, the butler is quite mysterious, for both heroines, his personality ends up being a big question mark.

However, while Isabella sees me as the person I am, I always have this weird feeling when interacting with Sabrina.

Like she sees me as a character instead of a normal person.

Instead of Miwen, to her, I am the game's butler.

A character to be conquered.

It makes sense considering what I know about her, but it still bothers me.

Isabella: "...I'm not sure what you're trying to say, but... Our relationship is not what you might think. Yet..."

Somehow, she seemed a little dejected about it.

But that last comment... Even though it was probably directed at me, it seemed to trigger something in Sabrina.

Sabrina: "Are you an idiot!? You should not get any of them. I'm this world's only hope! If I miss a single one, what are you going to do!? You-"

Miwen: "That's enough."

She allowed her emotions to take control, but I stopped her hand before she could do anything against Isabella.

Edmond: "Release her, unless you want to lose your arm."

He was quick in drawing his sword... Perhaps all the monster encounters made him stronger...

But his arm strength was still lacking... Even though I could tell he was exerting all his force, I barely felt anything.

Edmond: "This is a warning, Isabella. Terith will not tolerate any more harm or insults towards Saint Sabrina. Order your servant to release her, or I'll have the both of you executed."

Oh, appealing to his authority.

With him still grabbing my arm, even though it wouldn't change anything if I wanted to harm Sabrina, it was a great way to save face.

Isabella: "I'm sorry, Your Highness, but my servant has acted in order to protect me. I cannot allow you to threaten him for that, nor do I feel safe ordering him to stop until the threat steps away."

Great.

Now she's angry too...

Edmond: "Threat? Are you utterly insane, woman? Have you forgotten where you stand in the hierarchy?"

Miwen: "...Isn't that question more suited to you?"

Edmond: "Huh?"

Miwen: "I mean... What authority do you even have? As far as I know, unlike her, you have no territory of your own, right? While you were here enjoying your youth, she has consolidated herself as a proper Duchess, recognized by everyone inside and outside of her territory. She can lead her people in whichever direction she decides. While you... Well, you can cry to your family."

Edmond: "Haah. As expected of a peasant. You don't understand anything about how the world works. Isabella, tell him. It's an order."

...

Isabella: "..."

Edmond: "What are you doing? Are you trying to defy me?"

How I wish he could've been the ultra-forward-thinking prince that is now common in romance games and stories...

While he didn't appear to be such a douchebag at the beginning, his humble and considerate act seems to have been pretty superficial.

Once pushed back, he becomes exactly as one would expect of someone with his status.

Miwen: "...Do you know the reason why your family didn't enact any harsh punishment against Isabella?"

Edmond: "...It was a stroke of good luck on her part. I'm told it wasn't a good time since some nobles seemed discontent..."

Ah yes, Isabella's famous luck...

While there is some truth to that, he's way off-mark.

Miwen: "Right, let me put it another way... If I remember correctly, Terith's Royal Family rules directly about 30% of the territory, with three other ducal houses ruling the rest. Among them, Evretis is the biggest, ruling approximately 20%... Now... Can you imagine what would happen if, say, one ducal house disagreed with Isabella's punishment?"

It's quite simple, really.

Terith's Royal Family position is not as good as Edmond's seems to think it is.

They can't act unreasonably against a Duke, or else, they risk a civil war starting.

The Evretis house rules the rich territories of the south. They might not have as big of a population, or as vast of a territory, but they are powerful enough to challenge and question the Royal Family.

Only with the support of the other Dukes and lesser nobles could they punish Isabella, even if her position was weaker at the time than it is now.

However, since Isabella came out as the victor in her trial, the small fine Terith gave her was by all means the most they could have done without incurring the ire of the houses they rule over.

Anything more, and they might have seen themselves forcefully deposed.

Miwen: "Your family rules because the others allow them to. If they become too unpopular, they will rule no more. So... You should be very careful with how you act and what you say. Especially in a school with so many nobles... You certainly wouldn't like to be heard unreasonably ordering a Duchess, right?"

Due to his emotions, he didn't realize how many people had gathered to watch us.

Isabella: "That's enough... We wouldn't want to incur the prince's wrath. Who knows what he might do?"

Miwen: "Of course, My Lady."

Isabella: "Thanks, big brother~"

Miwen: "Stop that."

I'm not sure whether Edmond understood what I said or not. He seemed to still be quite angry, but at least he stopped to think about the situation he was in..

However, the most troublesome one still wasn't done with us yet...

Sabrina: "...Big brother, huh... I would have never imagined... Alright! I know what I need to do now! See you later, big brother!"

It was such a joyful smile.

It sent shivers down my spine.

Isabella: "Hmph! Who does she think she is, trying to steal my big brother away!?"

Miwen: "You're abusing..."

I suppose that's what I get for being honest about my feelings.

Isabella: "It's only fair. You should have called me by my name."

Recently, Isabella has begun trying to distance herself from our pretend relationship of a lady and her butler.

Miwen: "We are in public. Theatrics, remember?"

Isabella: "Hmph! Then, I expect you to act the part."

Of course, she would take advantage of that as well...

My little dark star seems to enjoy making me play in the palm of her hands.