I Was Told to Drink Poison, So I Drank It - 14 - The Last Hope of Victoire
The current king, Henry, was just a puppet of the temple… of his uncle.
This time, the harsh criticism that General McGregor might be using Noah seemed to have reached him.
General McGregor opened his mouth to say something, but eventually put a hand to his forehead and fell silent.
“…Even so. As a citizen of Victoire, I want Prince Noah to become king. If that doesn’t happen, a revolution will rise from the people, and Arcana will use the chaos as a chance to invade. Our country will become a vassal of Arcana.”
“That’s…”
Indeed, what he said was true.
Right now, in Victoire, there is no one else but Noah who can lead the people.
The former king’s younger brother—Aidan Lips—joined the temple with the intent to steal the throne.
If things continue like this, either Aidan will become the next king, or, just as General McGregor said, Arcana will invade during the unrest…
And if the latter happens, Victoire doesn’t have the power to defend itself.
Even if Aidan becomes king, the temple’s ultimate goal is to gain supreme power.
In other words, to take over the royal family.
Aidan would either become a puppet king like Henry, or be eliminated if he resists.
Even if he listens to the temple, if he becomes inconvenient, they will sell him out as a scapegoat.
Just like what happened to Henry this time.
No matter how it turns out, Victoire has no future…
As I bit my lip, General McGregor spoke with a weary voice.
“This is also a desperate measure for me. Prince Noah is now Victoire’s last hope. He is our only remaining lifeline…”
“…Even so. That’s no reason to ignore Noah’s will.”
“When the revolution is safely complete, please meet with Prince Noah. Until then, stay hidden. That’s all I ask. So, please…”
“……”
I understood General McGregor’s words painfully well.
As a citizen of Victoire, as someone who loves this country, he is truly hoping for its future.
The continuation of the current royal line.
The removal of the temple.
Now that I, the leader of the conservative faction, have lost, Noah is the only one we can rely on.
…Of course, I understand how General McGregor feels.
I understand… but still.
“Please let me see Noah.”
“Lady Chalize…”
General McGregor looked devastated.
He must have thought I didn’t understand him.
Wanting to clear up the misunderstanding, I shook my head.
“Don’t get me wrong. It’s not that I want Noah to abandon this country. I also… No, even I deeply care about Victoire. That’s why I dedicated my life…”
I couldn’t finish that sentence.
No matter what I said, I was still the loser—defeated in the political struggle.
Swallowing my words, I said something else instead.
“If he truly wishes to change this country with his own hands… if that’s what he wants, then I will do my best to help him.”
“…And if Prince Noah says he wants to abandon the country?”
“…Then that’s that. At the very least, I can’t tell him to take up the sword and rise up. Not when I myself was defeated by the temple’s information control and sentenced to execution by the king.”
“…Lady Chalize…”
General McGregor looked at me with concerned eyes.
He regretted what he said earlier—
Like, “just like you, who lost the political struggle and fled.”
I could tell he regretted those words, so I shrugged my shoulders and said:
“It’s fine. Don’t worry about it. Like you said, I lost the power struggle and ran away. No matter what I say now, it’s just the whining of a loser. …You are right.”
I continued speaking plainly.
When the scandal between Noah and me came to light, and Noah was sent to the remote land of Utis…
The only one who boldly declared he would follow Noah without hesitation was General McGregor.
He must have known that saying he would side with Noah would get him glared at by Henry.
Even so, he firmly said it and went with Noah to Utis.
Because of him, the skirmishes with Arcana ended in Victoire’s favor and even reached a temporary ceasefire.
To both Noah and me, he is a benefactor.
General McGregor is calm and makes the right decisions.
In the future, his choices will surely be remembered as the right ones.
But if things go as he said—if Noah, upon learning I’m alive, lowers his guard and is struck down because of it…
Or if Noah, learning I’m alive, chooses to turn his back on the country—
That would be the end of Victoire’s history.
Even if Aidan becomes king, the outcome is obvious. And if Victoire becomes Arcana’s vassal, the royal family will still fall.
All of these are just ‘what ifs,’ mere possibilities, but none of them are unlikely.
I completely understand his desire to eliminate even the smallest concern.
“However—”
I continued speaking.
“Doing the right thing can sometimes hurt someone’s heart.”
What’s correct isn’t always the right answer.
Especially when it comes to people’s feelings.
“You… You chose to preserve Victoire’s history over worrying about how Noah would feel when he found out I was alive. That may be the right choice. But… Noah will be hurt. Not because of me, or anything like that. But because you didn’t believe in him. You’ll lose his trust.”
“……”
“Noah is not that weak. You know that well… General McGregor.”
General McGregor fell into deep silence.
Quietly, I spoke to him again.
“Let me meet Noah. …Please.”
He stayed silent for a while, but—eventually, he nodded.