The inquiry was dismissed as a 『false accusation』.
The Republic, acting as mediator, admitted to the error in their judgment and apologized. The Kingdom accepted the apology, and it was agreed that such incidents would not happen again. In short, that was the outcome.
And as for me, who had messed up yet again…
-0-
「I am truly, deeply sorry!」
As soon as I entered the room, I slid into a full prostration with all my might.
This was the only option left. Should I commit seppuku like a samurai? Sorry, impossible.
I banged my forehead against the floor repeatedly, apologizing deeply.
However, the lack of reaction made me anxious… When I timidly lifted my head, the desk in His Majesty’s office was empty. Was this some novel form of harassment?
「Oh, Arg? Is the show over?」
「That’s your reaction?!」
The three of them, father and sons, were sitting on the sofa, downing drinks.
Wait a minute. Were they using my desperate prostration as an appetizer for their alcohol? I’m going to lose it! I’m already on the verge of collapsing from lack of sleep!
Two two-seater sofas were placed facing each other across a table. I joined the three of them, who were drinking while facing one another.
I had braced myself for a severe punishment.
「Well, what’s done is done. Argusta.」
「Yes?」
「You will pay the fine in installments.」
「……」
After His Majesty the King, seated opposite me, spoke, onii-chan sitting next to him slid a piece of paper toward me.
The amount written on it… was no laughing matter. It essentially demanded that I work for free for at least five years.
「Isn’t this a bit high?」
「I lowered it considerably, you know? Just for letting us see that Minister of Internal Affairs’s frustrated face.」
「…Understood. Installments are fine, correct?」
「They are.」
I didn’t think it was impossible to pay in lump sum… but given that I was currently quarreling with Noie, I resisted using up the household savings.
Suppressing my tearful feelings, I tucked the document I had received into my pocket.
There were many problems.
Afterward… thanks to the situation turning into negotiations rather than a battle, I, who should have been a party involved, was kicked out and ended up searching for someone who could breastfeed with Noie. Lady Rashem had refused to nurse the child.
More than that, she completely abandoned childcare and finally said, 『You can abandon or kill it, I don’t care』. Noie’s ahoge stood on end, looking like she was about to explode in anger, so I stepped in… and slapped her cheek to silence her.
Ouch… I had raised my hand against a woman for the first time. I was the worst.
But after being slapped, she looked as if she didn’t understand why she had been hit… Feeling unbearable discomfort, I left the rest to the Royal Guard knights.
It was decided that she would be punished for crimes such as unauthorized defection to a foreign country and perjury in suing me. I didn’t know how severe the penalty would be, but at the very least, she would not be raising the child.
After going into the city to find someone who could breastfeed and having the child nurse, it drank with tremendous vigor… I was reminded of just how hungry it had been, which made me feel even worse.
「Don’t make such a gloomy face at a rare drinking party.」
「I can’t help it. It’s a fine, after all… and I’m worried about that infant.」
I sighed as I accepted the wine glass His Majesty thrust toward me, urging me to drink.
Noie seemed to be in severe shock, unable to believe Lady Rashem’s words and actions.
I remembered that she had forgotten her work, so I sent her off to exterminate dragons for now. However, since she refused to let go of the infant she was holding, she went as is. Was that okay? She wasn’t exterminating dragons while holding the baby, was she? Wait… knowing Noie, she might actually be capable of that.
I swirled the glass in my hand, watching the liquid inside sway.
「What will happen to Lady Rashem?」
「…If one commits a crime, one must be punished. Status and gender are irrelevant. All people should be punished equally for their sins.」
「Is that so.」
His Majesty seemed to become more serious when drunk. Next time something happened, I would get him drunk.
But if that were the case, that infant would become an orphan. Surely her family home… would not take in the child of a daughter who had brought trouble upon them. Even if they did, the treatment would likely be harsh.
「If you would allow it…」
「That is impossible, Argusta.」
He denied it before I could finish. In other words, there was no room for persuasion.
For us to take in that child… indeed posed problems. In the worst case, it might be said that I forcibly took the child. I wouldn’t mind being talked about, but public opinion would interfere.
「Do not worry, Argusta. We will entrust the child to a proper place. I promise to raise it happily.」
Looking at His Majesty, who asserted this forcefully, I finally realized what his wife, Her Majesty the Queen, was doing.
「If Her Majesty the Queen is taking care of it, I can rest assured.」
「What is with that thorny remark?」
「No… I heard that someone has a track record of distorting promises made to Her Majesty the Queen and reshaping them to suit his own convenience.」
His Majesty gave a wry smile. He must be uncomfortable having hit the mark.
However, my two older brothers were looking at me with sharp eyes.
「Arg. Who did you hear that story from?」
「Huh? Sometime ago, when I was looking at the sky from the balcony, vi… Sieck-san appeared and told me.」
「I see. That monster… she was active after all.」
The Idiot Prince opened a bottle of wine with a grim expression, while onii-chan remained silently quiet.
Um… I don’t understand the conversation at the very end?
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