I Was Reincarnated as the Prince in a Villainess Story, so I’ll Use My Cheat Knowledge to Create a Noble Lady Harem and Make Them All Happy - 57

Chapter 57: Remnants of the Past and the Heretic’s Consequence

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There were far too few people for it to be called an imperial council. It was a small conference room at night. Two candlesticks were placed at the end of the long table, and each time the emblem flags on the wall swayed, the flames stretched thin or shrank back. There was no way to maintain any sense of solemnity. There was no line of senior ministers, nor even attendants to observe. Only Valis and Duke Elfein, Milia’s father, were present.

“…Your Highness.”

Valis gave Duke Elfein a small nod.

“Father and Mother are resting in their chambers. …To be precise, I was the one who made them rest.”

As he spoke, something bitter remained in the back of his throat.

“At that moment, when Reina changed—Father and Mother said they both heard the voice of Reina’s mother, Laura. Both of them… Are exhausted.”

Seeing the self-reproach on the duke’s face, Valis had no words to offer. If Reina’s mother Laura was the one behind this incident, there was no denying that the responsibility lay with them. Precisely because of that…

Please allow me to handle this matter.

The two of them said nothing and slowly nodded. That was the situation as it stood. Duke Elfein must have known about the events of the past as well. He did not question Valis further and simply nodded in silence. Just then, a voice from an attendant came from outside the door.

“Marquis Agreia has arrived.”

“Let him in.”

Valis answered briefly and returned his gaze forward. If he was going to speak frankly with Reina’s father, Livele, then it was better for Father and Mother to be absent. That was Valis’s own judgment. The door opened, and Marquis Agreia, Livele, entered. After a small bow, he took the seat directly across from them. The panic he had shown earlier at the venue was gone, and he had regained his usual quiet composure. That alone loosened some of the tension in Valis’s chest.

“Your Highness, thank you for waiting. I apologize for losing my composure earlier. And I offer my deepest apologies for my daughter Reina having placed Your Highness in danger.”

His words might have sounded formal. But Valis understood from his voice that they were sincere. Valis shook his head and moved straight to the main point.

“Marquis Agreia, judging from your reaction earlier, I believe you may have some idea of what caused Reina’s transformation.”

Livele lowered his gaze once, then slowly looked up again.

“The fact that His Majesty… Ars-sama is not present must be due to Your Highness’s arrangement. …You are aware of the circumstances regarding myself and my wife Laura. …I am grateful.”

“My father told me.”

“To be honest, until matters reached this point, I could not bring myself to be certain. The fact that I stood idle… That is my heavy sin.”

Saying so, the marquis narrowed his eyes as though looking at something far in the distance and began to speak.

“Originally, Laura was the only daughter of the previous Marquis Agreia. Shortly after her engagement with Ars-sama was dissolved, I, though from a branch family, was adopted into the Agreia house and designated as the successor, and I married her.”

Valis knew the custom of House Agreia—placing service to the royal family above all, selecting successors based on merit even from branch families, and maintaining only the rank of marquis to avoid gaining too much political power due to their proximity to the royal family. But hearing it from someone directly involved carried a different weight.

“Because of that family culture, none of us—not even myself—believed that Laura harbored such deep attachment toward Ars-sama.”

Livele continued his explanation with a steady voice. Laura’s illness had already progressed, and it was widely believed she could no longer bear a child. Even if Ars had not requested the dissolution of their engagement, it would likely have happened eventually.

“To be completely honest… Having known her since childhood, I felt sorry for her. So I agreed to the marriage she wished for. And when she said she wanted to leave something of herself behind—to bear a child—I… I went along with it.”

Here, Livele exhaled, something between a bitter smile and a sigh.

“In the end, the harsh words I spat at Ars-sama and Mina-sama when I saw her will were nothing more than the backlash of my own guilt.”

Livele continued.

“Reina originally had almost no chance of being born safely. I had already given up. It is terrible to admit, but at the time, I only thought… if she herself wished for it, then so be it. But—”

The marquis looked straight at him.

“The Reina who was born had no physical problems whatsoever. At the time, I believed that Laura’s strong wish had worked a miracle. At the same time, when I read her will, I learned that the driving force behind that wish had been her attachment to Ars-sama.”

Valis felt a stir deep in his chest at the words he knew were coming.

“Laura must have clung to some kind of heretical power. And Reina was born with that power within her. …When I saw my daughter earlier, I became certain.”

The marquis’s voice was hoarse. Those black wings, those horns, that presence—their overwhelming majesty surpassed any ordinary demon and belonged to a demon god.

“When Reina was very young, she sometimes spoke of her mother—things she should not have known. It was strange, but eventually she stopped speaking of her mother and began talking more about her strong feelings for Your Highness. …There was a time when I vaguely wondered whether Laura’s feelings were dwelling within her.”

Valis asked his question plainly.

“But how could Reina’s mother, who was so frail, have gained heretical power…?”

The marquis lowered his eyes and steadied his breathing.

“That is what I went back to confirm. I checked Laura’s grave. Some of the burial items were things she had used during her life, so…”

He had examined the grave. Valis’s chest tightened. Considering the marquis’s feelings, it was not something he could have done lightly. But he had done it. Valis waited silently for him to continue.

“After checking the burial inventory from the time, one of the keepsakes—a bracelet—was missing. ‘An ordinary silver bracelet.’ …And yet, there were no signs that the grave had been disturbed.”

“A bracelet…”

Valis searched his memory. He had no recollection of Reina ever wearing a silver bracelet. The marquis continued.

“And a similar bracelet was found among the relics recovered from beneath the estate of Lynas Wolm—the one who summoned Biblos—that the Duke of Rozheim had been investigating in Beltea.”

“…!”

His breath caught. He knew from the reports that Lynas had traveled throughout the kingdom, visiting various nobles. There were no records of him visiting House Agreia. Noble graves contained many burial items and were heavily guarded to prevent grave theft. And yet the connection was appearing here.

“To be honest, I cannot imagine the full extent of the connections. But at the very least, I believe it is highly likely that the origin of the heretical magic Valcode and the manifestation of the demon god Biblos in Beltea lies within our own kingdom.”

Valis closed his eyes and steadied his breath. It felt as though a thorn remained lodged in his throat. Even so, his thoughts aligned into a single line. If that black seal was a heretical power, then the best bet was this bracelet.

“The Duke of Rozheim had already begun arrangements to send the relics to the capital, even before this incident. They should arrive within a day or two.”

Valis nodded at Livele’s words. Preparing everything to take immediate action once the relics arrived was the best he could do now. He had to break that black seal at all costs and follow after Reina. Livele suddenly stood up and bowed deeply.

“Your Highness… As both a husband and a father, though I lived carelessly without noticing anything until matters reached this point, I have no right to say this. But… Please, save Reina.”

His voice was low, but not trembling.

“And… Though it is presumptuous of me, given how much of this responsibility is mine… I cannot bear to watch Ars-sama and Mina-sama torment themselves any further with guilt. Those two bear no sin at all.”

Valis rose from his chair and returned the deep bow with a firm nod.

“…Of course, Marquis Agreia. Reina is my partner, my queen. I will bring her back without fail.”

The moment he spoke those words, a single pillar of resolve solidified within him. Even if the other side of that black seal remained a darkness he could not yet see, the path he had chosen was singular. He did not know what state Reina was in beyond that hole. How her life was being maintained, whether she had food or water—nothing was certain. There was not much time.

“Your Highness.”

Duke Elfein spoke quietly. 

“I will handle the arrangements. You must rest.”

“…Thank you. I apologize, Duke Elfein, but I will need your daughter’s cooperation as well.”

Valis offered a short word of thanks as he spoke of Milia, whom he trusted deeply. Duke Elfein nodded firmly in answer. He closed his eyes. In the darkness, a white smile wavered—the quiet smile from that moment.

I will go. Without fail.

Valis vowed once more in his heart.

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