The sixth prince, who had been executed in the kingdom after being betrayed by the trusted saint, was reincarnated and, in order to seek revenge, became engaged once again to the neighboring kingdom’s “Guillotine Princess.” As a result, he was adored and lived happily.

“Gustave, Your Highness… Who do you think is suitable to be the next Queen of the Straskreid Empire?”

Sitting on the terrace, Princess Bridget took a sip of her tea and smiled.

“Who is suitable, you say…?”

“Yes.”

I deliberately played dumb and asked again, to which she nodded.

In truth, even in my first life, I had been invited for tea and asked the same question. The reason was that in the Straskreid Empire, there were only two legitimate heirs to the throne: Princess Abigail and Princess Bridget, who were engaged in a rivalry for the crown.

However, Princess Abigail, as known, lacked emotional expression, and she even had the unflattering nickname of the “Guillotine Princess,” making her unpopular both within and outside the empire. On the other hand, Princess Bridget, with her ever-present smile and friendly personality, had garnered much support from nobles and commoners alike.

In other words, Princess Bridget was currently leading the race to become the next Empress.

To break this situation, Princess Abigail’s supporters had come up with the idea of marrying her off to a prince from Valrois Kingdom, forging a strong alliance through marriage. However, they never expected that the chosen prince would be none other than the illegitimate Sixth Prince, me. I still vividly remembered the disappointment in Princess Abigail’s camp during my first life.

Well, back then, I had thought lightly of it, considering that the empire was winning the war. It was a miscalculation on my part.

“Gustave, Your Highness, as you may have noticed when you met my sister, she is not very sociable. In addition, she has earned herself a bad reputation with titles like the ‘Guillotine Princess.'”

“…”

“If my sister were to become the next Empress, I can foresee that she would face many challenges. I do not wish to see her suffer…”

Despite her cheerful demeanor earlier, Bridget now wore a more melancholic expression.

“…Is there a particular reason you’re telling me all of this?”

“No, not really. I just wanted you, as my sister’s fiancé, to understand my feelings.”

“I see…”

I gave her a sympathetic look and took a slow sip of my tea.

“Gustave, Your Highness, if you have even the slightest concern for my sister, please keep my words in your heart.”

Bridget stood up, curtsied, and left the seat.

Left alone, I covered my face with both hands.

“Heh…”

I couldn’t help but burst into laughter. It was amusing how convincingly I had acted.

In reality, I had no intentions of supporting Princess Abigail. My only goal was to use her to achieve my revenge. Just like the Holy Maiden and Mariette, all these women approaching me were no good. They were all using me, but that was to be expected, as they all had their reasons.

That woman, too, approached me for the same reason—to bring me into the fold. She knew that I was the illegitimate son of Valrois, but she still thought I could be of some use.

Even in my first life, she had approached me with a similar conversation. However, back then, I had ignored her, considering it a trap by the enemy empire. She soon gave up on me and, in fact, went on to spread bad rumors about me, just like she had done this time.

Yes, it was Bridget who had spread the rumors about the “Guillotine Princess.”

She had ordered her agents, disguised as Princess Abigail’s followers, to kill many Valrois soldiers who had become prisoners and then displayed their heads in a square in the capital. She even made it seem like Princess Abigail had executed them by beheading on a guillotine.

While King Edward probably knew who was behind it, he chose not to confirm or deny it, as it served as a means to lower the enemy’s morale during wartime.

As a result, Princess Abigail had been falsely accused.

“This time, I decided to go along with her. She might approach me again… maybe as soon as tonight.”

To gain Bridget’s trust, I planned to entertain her for a while. Otherwise, I might not get closer to the truth.

However, there was one issue.

“…I need to find a way to convey my true intentions to Princess Abigail.”

Even though my purpose was revenge, if I continued like this, she would undoubtedly misunderstand me. It was a given. But with Mariette constantly by my side as a watchdog and a palace full of untrustworthy individuals, it was challenging.

Even among them, the only one I might somewhat trust was Claire, Princess Abigail’s lady-in-waiting…

“No, it’s impossible. She views me as an enemy. She’ll probably think it’s a trap or something.”

If I wanted to talk to Princess Abigail, it would have to be when we were alone. I needed to clear up the misunderstanding, and I intended to do it tonight.

“It might get a bit forceful, but there’s no other way.”

In a different sense… I might end up being misunderstood again, I thought, as I held my head in my hands.