Noblesse Oblige

"Is this everything?"

"Yes. There should be no issues now."

We looked completely different from before.

As the maid said, this should be presentable enough to be near Lady Anatia.

"Is it the Chancellor who's currently commanding the castle?"

"His Excellency the Chancellor has taken temporary command. The other ministers should gather soon…"

"As expected of him. But the current Chancellor, while capable, is only a baron, so there might be resistance. He's usually at odds with the Secretary of Military Affairs."

"There were indeed signs of confusion in the orders. We couldn't act immediately because the Secretary of Military Affairs and the Chancellor gave different instructions…"

"The Secretary of Military Affairs is a count from a distinguished family dating back to the kingdom's founding, after all… He only reluctantly followed the Chancellor because he had His Majesty's backing."

… Information that a common merchant would have no way of knowing was coming out freely.

She knew it was within my hearing.

They were clearly planning to involve me completely.

I had completely lost any chance to escape.

Well, if it's Lady Anatia, I suppose it's fine.

"Now we just need to wake up this sleepyhead."

The critically injured Kanon had already been taken away, but Princess Tianis remained here.

I'd wondered why they didn't transport her together, but apparently they were going to bring her along.

At some point, she too had been changed.

That she still didn't wake up despite that was quite something.

"Once she's asleep, she won't wake up…"

Saying this, Lady Anatia used her right hand to pinch the sleeping Princess Tianis's nose.

Her innocent sleeping face soon reacted to having her breathing cut off.

"Cough, what?!"

Princess Tianis shot up and looked around.

She was about to panic from not being in her own bedroom, but Lady Anatia grabbed her face with both hands.

"Tianis. We don't have time. Listen carefully."

"Anatia-neesan?"

So that's what she usually called her. She stared with a puzzled expression.

"His Majesty and your brother and sister are seriously injured. Right now, we're the only ones safe."

"Wha—-"

Princess Tianis was shocked, but quickly regained her composure.

As expected of royalty, she had nerves of steel.

"I'll explain the rest while we move. There's not much time."

"Right… But let me ask just one thing. What is Father's condition?"

"The physician says tonight will be critical."

"I see."

With those words, she put on a resolute face and moved forward.

But her hands were clenched tightly, and the shock must have been immeasurable.

She glanced our way briefly but didn't question our presence as she headed toward the castle.

I couldn't tell from the approach to the annex, but the royal castle had indeed sustained damage.

The damage was particularly concentrated around the throne room.

If someone did this deliberately, the thought made my spine shiver.

"Please wait without speaking until you're addressed, Yohane-sama."

"I understand. I don't want to stick my neck out either."

"I can only imagine the trouble this is causing you."

The attending maid said this before moving to position herself slightly behind Lady Anatia.

I didn't want to come to the royal castle because of trouble.

Unlike the quiet and deserted exterior, the interior of the castle was crowded with people.

There were injured among them.

It was complete chaos.

"The civilians' evacuation comes first!"

"What if something happens to the castle now?!"

I could hear soldiers shouting.

It seemed their policies were conflicting.

Moreover, those arguing appeared to be captains.

I see, they're confused.

This is why the Kingdom army's response has been sluggish when they should have been acting long ago.

During the earthquake in Alsarm, rescue had already begun by this point.

"I can't watch this. The soldiers endure harsh training daily precisely for times like this. What's the point if those in command don't do their jobs?"

"It's those two, isn't it? I can't believe they're fighting even at a time like this. Even if they're usually at odds, isn't it a noble's duty to join forces in times of crisis?"

"… That just shows how deep the rift between their houses is. But they did function properly under Uncle."

Usually I lump them all together under the word "noble," but nobles are actually quite diverse.

Especially houses established during the kingdom's founding are considered the most prestigious of the prestigious, wielding strong influence even among those of the same count rank.

The Secretary of Military Affairs was head of one of the Kingdom's most distinguished families, second only to the royal and ducal houses.

And the current Chancellor was, if I recall, a baron of legal nobility without territory, a family that was noble in name only. But I'd heard he was studious, strong with numbers, and capable.

He'd been doing administrative work at the royal castle when his abilities impressed the king, leading to his appointment.

After continuing to produce results, he rose to the position of Chancellor. A remarkable man.

Perhaps because he rose from poverty to success, he was quite popular among commoners.

He didn't accept bribes and listened to petitions.

They said the Kingdom had prospered since he became Chancellor.

Before that, trade was on a far smaller scale, and the Kingdom's economic power was far inferior to the Empire.

Yohane's father had died right around that transitional period.

If he had lived a little longer, riding the tide would have made running the shop much easier.

… Even just from this information, I could easily imagine they couldn't get along.

Without the king's wishes, the Secretary of Military Affairs might well have been Chancellor instead, given his family's standing.

Oil and water, as they say.

Under the king, they had managed to work together.

But that king was now on the brink of death, and the Chancellor had lost his backing.

And the noble with the most authority in the castle right now was the Secretary of Military Affairs.

If anyone could do something about this, indeed, it could only be these two.

It was too heavy a burden for young girls to bear, but only a few could shoulder it.

Noblesse oblige, huh.

I really thought being a noble must be hard.

I'd envied them before, but the more I learned about the inner workings, the more I thought being a merchant was easier.

Alexia had even said she lived far more comfortably as a slave than she had as a noble.