The Bewilderment of the Sacrificial Second Princess ~ Married Into the Enemy Country as a Hostage Princess, but Was Strangely Welcomed With Open Arms~ – Chapter 87
Chapter 87: A source of fire called sacrifice
“If I were the Emperor of Faithnum, I would have arranged a marriage between my daughter and the suitable kingdom of Wegrain. It’s disheartening that I failed to anticipate this, despite my limited understanding of religion…”
“I concur. This situation should have been prevented… by now, Princess Bianca is likely already established as the Queen of Wegrain. The king of that kingdom remains unmarried.”
“…With the nation united behind them, those who worship the old Lina Religion… while accepting the blood of the goddess Lina as a legitimate spouse, they sacrifice me, with my pure blood… disregarding the sanctity of the blood of the goddess of the Lina Religion, if I were to pass away, the Wegrain Kingdom would shamelessly launch an attack on Baratonia.”
“…it’s only a speculation, but that seems to be the most probable outcome. The Faithnum Empire would have a valid reason to declare war if Claire were to fall and her death was caused by the Baratonia Kingdom.”
“If it were a suspicious death within the kingdom, there would still be resentment among the nobles and royal family of Baratonia towards the Faithnum Empire. This speculation would work to their advantage. If I die on my honeymoon, then the Faithnum Empire can claim that I have been treated roughly, they could launch a pincer attack by involving the Wegrain Kingdom. The former is simple, and the latter is sure to emerge victorious in war.”
Gauche appeared exasperated and rubbed his head under his headscarf.
“In reality, we were handling a minor task on our own. Reporting it would only alarm Claire-sama, and we don’t want to make things worse. Dammit…have we made a mistake? Regardless, we at Nejia don’t have the option of having Claire-sama killed either.”
“…So they are trying to kill me, because their previous attempt was too simple…and they are trying to start a war and ensure their victory by involving the Wegrain Kingdom.”
If Bianca is behind this, it would be a simple matter to have a letter of introduction sent, keeping me in the Wegrain Kingdom for an extended period.
I may be a ‘failure of proper lady education’, but Bianca is the complete opposite. She is a true ‘perfect lady’.
“Manipulating a man through words and expressions is effortless. However, if he is the king of a country believed to have the bloodline of a highly revered deity and has married into it…
“Of course, I cannot perish under any circumstances.”
“Of course. I will not let Nejia kill the highest priority. ——And as your brother, I won’t let that happen.”
Previously, I was only intimidated by the prospect of my own death.
However, now that things have reached this point, the situation has changed. If I were to die, as Lord Balk stated, the kingdom of Baratonia, which I have come to know and love, may be caught in the war and come to a standstill once again.
Being a mere vassal may not be sufficient this time. Baratonia may be reduced to a state of servitude, treated as a mere chattel, and the country’s name and heritage may be erased and lost to history.
“The Kingdom of Baratonia is my nation. I will not permit my passing to result in its downfall.”
I spoke with a resolute voice.
