Huaah!
I momentarily forgot while fantasizing about the future, but the villa I entered was the hideout of the Noble faction!
No wonder! No wonder!
This person walked in so confidently as if they were the owner of the suspicious hideout of the Noble faction!
Uaaah!
No! No!
They say if you keep your wits about you, you can survive even in a tiger’s den!
But since a human den isn’t a tiger’s den, can you really survive even with your wits about you?
Huh, what a bad realization.
Pastel turned pale.
“First, I have to verify whether you properly leaned towards the Republican side.”
Duke Nastasha smiled.
“Personally, I don’t want to pressure you too much! Wouldn’t it be too cruel for an adult to act coercively toward a friend’s child?”
Ah!
Mom’s friend?
Seeing the connection, Pastel’s expression brightened.
Mom, I love you!
“Are you friends with my mom?”
“Blossom? I was talking about your father, but that’s a truth too, right?”
There was something subtly nuanced about it.
The reason became clear as Duke Nastasha cheerfully explained further.
“Blossom was a rival of mine from back in the day when I fought over your father, so calling her a friend is a bit hard on my pride. In the end, I lost, though.”
Smiling.
A former rival.
Blossom walking with a reverse harem, while Duke Nastasha chewed on a handkerchief while watching.
Mom, what are you doing?!
Pastel felt uncomfortable in this moment for a different reason.
A trial that I can’t possibly resolve.
Mom, I only half love you…!
While looking for an escape route in a panic, Pastel noticed Duke Nastasha’s girl-like physique and attempted a quick change of subject.
“You look incredibly young!”
The paint-covered artist attire and her demeanor and atmosphere exuded a youthful girlish essence!
“Right? I didn’t expect to look the same after turning thirty.”
Duke Nastasha laughed.
“When I confessed to your father, he told me that he didn’t want to date someone who seemed like a thief. I guess that concern was justified?”
Father…!
Pastel screamed inwardly.
Dad has done nothing beneficial in my life!
Truly nothing at all!
“That was once upon a time, though.”
Duke Nastasha tidied up her art tools. Then she took a look at Pastel’s portrait and nodded.
“The portrait turned out well. Want to take it with you when you go? Don’t forget.”
“Ah, yes.”
She glanced at the portrait. It depicted Pastel in a colorful way. Although not a single petal was drawn, it radiated the aura of full-blown cherry blossoms.
Wow, do I look like this?
I think I understand why I’m so popular!
Duke Nastasha dusted her hands.
“Speaking of which, I haven’t been able to contact your father lately; do you know what he’s up to?”
“My father?”
After joining the Cult to resurrect Mom, he’s been involved in wicked deeds. I even heard him say that he’s in the Demon Realm, so if anyone wants to join him, they should come find him. What a truly bad dad.
It was quite awkward to phrase it that way.
“I don’t really know.”
Just as Pastel answered, she suddenly became alert.
Huh?
Wait a second. Is this situation about a woman who was rejected after confessing in her youth trying to reach out to a man who has lost his wife?
Am I currently in an unknowing state of preventing an affair?
Huu~.
Mom! I’m such a good child!
Meanwhile, Dad has abandoned his kids and is engrossed in resurrecting Mom, so thoughts of an affair probably don’t even cross his mind!
I don’t know whether that kind of dad is a good one or a bad one~.
“Now that you seem relaxed, should we get to the main topic?”
Duke Nastasha brought a chair in front of Pastel. Sitting down and crossing her legs, she calmly continued.
“Our Republican faction welcomes the inclusion of all nobles, but we don’t accept spies. Especially families with a solid history of Loyalist ties.”
Uaaah.
I’m still not relaxed.
I guess I won’t ever relax.
Pastel fidgeted with her fingers.
“I have a question.”
A puzzled look came back at her.
“Is the Noble faction different from the Republican faction?”
An important question.
I thought this was a Noble hideout, but finding out it’s Republican is surprising.
But it seemed that Duke Nastasha took this question in a different sense, as her expression grew serious.
“You’re more serious than I thought? Some people call us aristocratic rather than republican, but that’s the real misunderstanding. How can one discuss change without distinguishing between oligarchic and republican politics?”
Her brown eyes looked somewhere far away.
“Perhaps education can be a solution that doesn’t fall into fantasy, but before making claims, it’d be wise to check the literacy rates of the subjects. Only when the system precedes, the institutions follow, and culture ensues, can fantasy become reality.”
Suddenly faced with an out-of-context argument, Pastel shrank back.
“Um, that’s not what I meant. I was just asking if there are separate aristocratic and republican circles in high society.”
“Eh? What do you mean?”
“Huh?”
“Eh?”
Duke Nastasha appeared flabbergasted.
“Are you seriously asking if, literally speaking, there are separate Noble and Republican factions?”
“Yes!”
Finally, they understood each other!
Duke Nastasha pondered and then wore a perplexed smile. Her finger rubbed her lips before she pointed at Pastel.
“To drop the facade and give private advice to a friend’s child, pretending to be ignorant isn’t good for a political career. Ambiguous reliability can raise unnecessary suspicion even among allies.”
Huh, that’s some good advice.
Lately, the suspicious glances from Ellie watching my every move have been quite burdensome.
What have I done?!
But, but the truly important fact is—
I really don’t know!
Are the Noble faction and the Republican faction different?!
Pastel felt wronged.
“I’m really not acting; I truly don’t know. I’m Pastel, from the outskirts, just loafing around on Sky Island.”
Duke Nastasha looked troubled.
“Are you asking me to believe you didn’t even do any research on the high society? That you can’t even tell that the Noble faction and the Republican faction point to the same subjects?”
“Well, that’s…”
I did investigate the high society.
I definitely did.
Although it was just my question to the demon lord in the hospital about the political landscape.
Back then, the demon lord simply explained that it was a conflict between the Loyalists and the nobles.
But upon coming here, it turned out the name wasn’t Noble faction but Republican faction.
So I was just wondering if they were different?
“Though you may be unskilled, blood is thicker.”
Duke Nastasha switched the crossed legs to the other side. Then, smiling, she rested her chin on her hand.
“Maybe in the outskirts, you managed to fool them with that appearance, but here, there are many who smile and stab with a dagger. Who would believe someone pretending to be innocent when they just received the governor position from the Emperor yesterday?”
Huh.
It was definitely a quiet conferment of the gubernatorial position in the hospital, but by now the information had slipped.
Moreover, wasn’t this an interview to verify if I was a spy for the Emperor, while at the same time they already knew that I received a loyalist commemorative gift?
What?! What?!
I’m scared!
Pastel trembled.
I joined the Loyalists, but I really don’t want to fight against such scary people!
“Maybe it’s the vigilance created by a lack of experience?”
Duke Nastasha pressed her lips, contemplating. Then she smiled brightly.
“You don’t have to hide so much. The purpose of this meeting is to clearly confirm your ambiguous stance. It’s the distinction between friend and foe.”
Pastel felt like a mouse in front of a cat. The only difference from an ordinary mouse was the cherry blossom ribbon on her head.
Escape! Escape!
Gathering all her mental resources, she sought an escape route.
Task: To flee to Sky Island without becoming hostile to the Republican faction.
The method is… the method is…
After considering, Pastel decided to evolve from a mouse to a hedgehog.
In other words, raise her quills and act tough.
Hwaah-!
Craft mode…!
Her body that had been visibly trembling gradually calmed down. Her pink eyes calmly fixed on the Duke.
Then, the pink eyes narrowed, and her body twisted slightly. A slight plea for them to hear her was wrapped in cunning charm, balancing the relationship of parental friends.
“However, I think it’s hard to show sincerity to someone who doesn’t let go of the leash. Respect is beautiful when it’s mutual, isn’t it?”
Duke Nastasha’s mouth slightly dropped open.
“Your blood runs thick.”
Her crossed legs relaxed.
“Yesterday, we prepared to pressure the Emperor by making an error in the banquet and causing the Viscount to faint. The Craft family seems to be deliberating about changing sides, so we also intended to let them lead and firmly establish their turn.”
Duke Nastasha rummaged through the corner of the art studio. Colored paint bottles clinked together.
“First, I’ll bring up the topic of the former tyrant to create a harsh atmosphere in the political scene. Then, the culprit behind this issue, who is still an outsider in central politics, the Viscount Pastel, will find it hard to revert to the Loyalists immediately.”
Duke Nastasha rose.
“At that point, if I show them this true evidence and make them choose between completely turning to the Republican side or remaining an outsider in politics under suspicion of framing the Emperor while facing an alliance of the Loyalists and Republicans, they won’t be able to balance between factions and will have to go Republican.”
In Duke Nastasha’s hand was a magic stone pepper shaker. It looked exactly like the one Pastel had.
“However, we hadn’t even moved yet, and after the Viscount received the gubernatorial position, opinions started to diverge. Did he initially have sentiments toward the Loyalists? Or does he have other intentions? There were many opinions on the latter, but…”
Duke Nastasha smiled broadly.
“We’ll cancel the scheme and persuade the Emperor while dismantling the weaknesses that only pertain to this issue.”
Approaching, she handed over the magic stone pepper shaker.
“An inexperienced person only thinks about the success of the scheme, but an excellent one considers its flexibility.”
As though more important than the success of betrayal, one should calculate the follow-up procedures.
“Blood runs thick.”
“Well…”
The girl casually received the evidence back.
“This much is common sense.”
Her pink eyes gently folded.
“Now that it’s fair, shall we talk business, Duke?”
Duke Nastasha’s mouth opened wide.
“I wasn’t like this at this age.”
