Chapter 42

My head hurts. Since that bitch Rosie planned this, ordinary means won’t be enough to deal with it. When it comes to pressuring the opponent and building up schemes over time, no one can match her. In terms of scheming, she’s even better than our brother.

“That damn bitch… I never thought she’d pull something like this…”

Now I think I understand why that Rizel bitch—no, Raul’s mother—had such an uncomfortable expression. She was generally soft on the family members other than Raul, though she never showed it openly.

That woman probably tried to counter things before they blew up, but someone who lived by the sword could never beat Rosie.

“Brother, isn’t there any way? Hey, Penelope. You and Asel could use the Imperial power to solve this, right? Let’s teach that crazy brat a lesson too.”

“Impossible. That woman wouldn’t have planned this without considering that.”

Instead of Penelope, who was grinding her teeth, it was our wall-punching brother who answered.

“Raul is also involved, but the main target of this scheme is the previous family head, Count Arthur Berze. Sadly, he passed away before the rebellion, and his achievements made him a symbol of the previous Emperor’s era.”

I don’t see how that has anything to do with the Imperial family not being able to act.

“He’s a symbol of the previous Emperor’s era, which the current Imperial family overthrew. If the current Imperial family were to protect him, it would only destabilize the Empire further.”

In other words, Asel and Penelope want to step in but can’t.

I didn’t expect that cunning bitch to use their positions as Emperor and Empress to tie their hands. She even reversed the disadvantage.

“Then Brother can step in, right? His teacher was also…”

“If the acting Minister of War were to protect the symbol of the previous Emperor, it would look quite favorable. She must have planned this with that in mind. You’re the same.”

We’re also members of the Duke Argos family, meaning we’re the children of the Minister of War, so officially, we can’t help Rizel.

In other words, that bitch tied our hands by shifting the main target from Raul to his father.

The only people who can properly counter this scheme are members of the Berze family. Meaning… only Rizel, who’s sitting here drinking tea with us…

“Father wouldn’t do that… But still… What if…”

Rizel completely broke down.

She clearly wants to deny it, but she’s confused. She’s had her memories and hatred completely denied recently, and this situation is a first for her, so it’s natural she’s panicking.

Understanding that, neither Penelope nor I said anything, waiting for her to calm down.

The only unfortunate thing for Rizel is that my brother has absolutely no sense of consideration.

He poured a cup of cold water and splashed it right on Rizel’s face.

“Hey, you crazy bastard! What the hell are you doing?!”

“Panic only brings confusion. It solves nothing.”

This guy is a completely different beast from Raul. If it were Raul, he’d probably be sitting there with a lack of confidence, hugging his knees, saying, ‘I’m someone who can’t do anything for her. It’s an unnecessary act.’

And then he’d add, ‘I don’t need to calm Rizel down. She can overcome the confusion in her heart on her own.’ That’s what would piss me off even more.

If we locked these two hopeless humans in a room and made them talk, maybe things would improve a bit. No, actually, I’d explode listening to them.

“… Rizel Berze. I’ll say it again. Tearing at your hair won’t solve anything. It’s a useless waste of time and only shows your incompetence.”

“Do you have no fucking sense of consideration?!”

“Showing consideration won’t improve the current situation.”

This guy is so bad that even Raul would say, ‘That person needs to learn to respect others a bit more.’

“Rizel Berze. I’ll say it again. Tearing at your wet hair won’t solve anything.”

“Even so… I…!”

“Raul Berze would have handled this calmly. At least, the man I know would have.”

“But I’m not my brother…!”

Then our brother replied with a completely indifferent face.

“Then he’s an incompetent man, contrary to my evaluation.”

“Huh?”

Rizel’s expression changed.

“I’ve done wrong, so you can curse me all you want, but my brother is an exception. He’s suffered because of me…!”

“This has nothing to do with your circumstances. He entrusted you with the position of family head, and you’re showing qualities unfit for that position. If that’s the case, then he made a poor choice, making him equally incompetent.”

Rizel looked shocked and started stepping back.

“Your incompetence is just proof of insult towards him.”

“But what am I supposed to do…? If that’s true, I don’t think I can handle it…!”

“That rumor is clearly false… but that’s not important. And whether you can handle it or not is also irrelevant.”

Rizel was on the verge of tears from his completely inconsiderate words.

“This isn’t about good or evil. It’s not about truth or lies. That’s not what’s important.”

As Rizel was about to cry again, our brother splashed more cold water on her face.

“What’s important is teaching everyone what it means to turn you and your family into enemies. That’s what your brother did as the family head.”

At those words, Rizel seemed to pull herself together, putting on a determined expression. Though to us, it still looked like a chick furrowing its brow.

Even if Rizel has pulled herself together, Rosie isn’t an enemy Rizel can handle alone. That cunning bitch is naturally talented in scheming, unlike Rizel.

But the Imperial family and the Argos family can’t step in, and other families have no reason to help Rizel.

“Damn it, are we just supposed to sit here twiddling our thumbs…?!”

“You’re quite carefree. Maybe it’s because you’re a beast, but get moving.”

“You just said we can’t move earlier!”

“The family can’t move, but as individuals, we can help.”

Then Penelope, seeming to catch his drift, replied,

“His Majesty and I will also help as much as we can behind the scenes. The Imperial family can’t act, but we can offer personal assistance.”

“… Beast. You’re fast, so go inform Raul of this.”

“Hey, have you thought about the shock Raul will get when he hears this? And that idiot is also part of the current Imperial family, so like us…”

“Your brain has truly fallen to the level of a beast. Whether good or bad, he’ll hear about it eventually. Hearing the truth, even if it’s fragmented and malicious, is better than rumors. He’s also a member of the Berze family and a party to this rumor. There’s no better ally in the coming conflict.”

I really hate how he keeps calling me a beast, but he’s not wrong. I want to stab him with a spear a couple of times, but I’ll hold back.

“Fine, I get it, but what do you mean by conflict? What’s that about?”

“… You beast. You still don’t understand what they’re planning, do you?”

Penelope also seemed to understand what he was saying, resting her chin on her hand and thinking deeply. It’s so annoying when they talk in code like this.

If this guy had talked to Raul, the result wouldn’t have been much different. The smart ones understand each other, and the ones with no communication skills are the same.

“The rumor is that Count Arthur Berze raped someone and fathered a child. For now, it’s just a rumor, so it’s not too damaging. But.”

“Ah… Don’t tell me…”

“If the child files a lawsuit claiming inheritance rights, the story changes. The rumor becomes truth, and the Berze family will suffer massive losses, their prestige crumbling.”

I didn’t need to explain how Raul and his father’s honor would be affected.

But if that happens, I’ll kill Rosie without a second thought. Even if it means I get executed for it.

“Alright, I’ll go tell Raul that. I don’t know how he’ll react, but… Seriously, it’s a talent to make someone who left so confidently come back after two months.”

At this point, I’m starting to suspect she did all this just because she missed Raul.

“Even if our hands are tied, we can still help. Make sure to tell Raul that.”

—

Two days later.

“… That’s the gist of the situation.”

Raul, who was listening, was so shocked that the teacup in his hand was trembling, and even the maid beside him was stunned.

“Father wouldn’t do that.”

“I know. But people don’t think that way. They want something more sensational and entertaining.”

Of course, this was also a prepared response from our brother, anticipating Raul’s denial.

“You need to step in and help too.”

“I’ve left the capital. And even if I become trash for pressuring people…”

“Are you okay with your father being insulted and your sister’s family being torn apart…? At least, the Raul I know wouldn’t be.”

Raul hesitated for a moment, then put down his teacup, gripped his cane tightly, and said,

“I’ll help. On one condition.”

“What is it?”

“I’ll decide how to deal with my ex-fiancée. Don’t take any measures against her. I’ll handle it myself.”

“You’re going to go easy on her again, aren’t you?”

“… This time, I plan to have a stern talk with her.”

A talk… I plan to make sure she never dares to cross me again.

Physically or psychologically, I’ll make sure she can’t defy me.

… I wish he’d show that kindness to me too. That bastard. There’s a woman who devotes herself to him and another who just takes.

He’s really a bad guy. But even so… I can’t leave him alone.