The Regressed Tyrant Princess Rewrites Her Dark History - Chapter 1.12

(Lately, Princess Ariadne has changed.)

As Heino walked down the corridor, he muttered the thought in his mind. In his hands, he carried a stack of documents bearing Ariadne’s signature. He was on his way back to the office after collecting them.

The Ariadne he knew had been exceptional since childhood.

From the moment she became aware of the world around her, Aria had arranged for tutors to educate her. It began with basic arithmetic and literacy, but Ariadne quickly mastered them.

By the time she was six, she had tutors in various fields.

Even for royalty, the level of education she received was severe—too severe, in Heino’s opinion.

Any ordinary noble girl would have broken under the pressure.

But, whether by fortune or misfortune, Ariadne had been starved for her mother’s affection. Having grown up barely acknowledged, she had desperately strived to earn her mother’s attention.

As a result, Ariadne had achieved outstanding proficiency in every subject.

However—

(At the same time, she developed a low sense of self-worth and a tendency to be overly mindful of others’ emotions.)

It was likely because she had spent her life trying to gain her mother’s favor. No matter how talented she was, lacking self-confidence made her vulnerable to being manipulated by others.

Or rather—because she was talented, she was all the more susceptible to exploitation by those with ill intentions.

Ariadne’s position had always been precarious.

Despite her noble birth, she lacked the power to protect herself. If she ever harbored ambitions of her own, those around her would swiftly eliminate her.

Yet, because of her dependent nature, the truly competent individuals would not seek to kill her but to assimilate her into their ranks.

In that sense, her personality had been well-suited to survival in her environment.

However, the day Aria was poisoned and fell into a coma, Ariadne changed.

She had always been intelligent, but she had never known how to wield her abilities.

She had been clumsy in that regard.

And yet, that night, she repelled an assassin, identified the poison from the residue left in the vial, and administered the correct treatment to save her mother’s life.

It was an unthinkable level of decisiveness from the girl Heino had known.

Since then, she had continued to act unpredictably.

She had declared her intention to attend the former queen’s soirée. There, she had earned the former queen’s trust and used it to block the Second Prince’s faction from meddling in the princess’s palace.

That could have been dismissed as mere chance.

But she didn’t stop there.

She then expelled the maids who had been colluding with the Second Prince.

(That was when Princess Ariadne truly became terrifying.)

The investigation had confirmed that Delilah and Luise had been responsible for letting the assassins in.

If they were Siegbert’s spies, then the mastermind behind the assassination attempt was undoubtedly Siegbert himself.

Of course, their testimony alone was not enough to convict the Second Prince.

If anything, raising accusations would only have backfired, drawing suspicion onto House Restour instead.

And yet, Ariadne didn’t even attempt to pursue the matter.

She simply cast Delilah and Luise aside.

Fully aware that they would be eliminated by Siegbert.

Had something in her snapped?

Most people, even when dealing with criminals, hesitate before delivering punishment.

If a family member was harmed, they might act emotionally and seek revenge.

But Ariadne had done neither.

On the surface, she had granted Delilah and Luise a lenient exile.

Yet, in doing so, she had ensured that the Second Prince’s faction would be the ones to dispose of them.

Indeed, within days, both women had disappeared.

Normally, such timing would have raised suspicions against House Restour.

And yet, rather than investigate the matter, their families had chosen to cover it up.

Rumors suggested that they had claimed their daughters had been sent to a summer retreat for their health.

If the truth came to light, it would be exposed that they had been dismissed for embezzlement.

And if their deaths became public knowledge, people would suspect they had been involved in something far more sinister.

Their parents had wanted to avoid that disgrace.

Heino wasn’t sure how much of this Ariadne had calculated in advance.

But when he had informed her of their disappearance, she had merely responded with:

“That saves me the trouble. You don’t need to worry about what happens next.”

(She reminded me of the young Princess Aria.)

A princess from a fallen kingdom, whose homeland had been destroyed by war against the Granheim Kingdom.

By all rights, she should have been executed along with the rest of her royal family.

And yet, she had survived.

Not by luck—

But because she had leveraged the secret of the Jewel Eyes to strike a deal with the royal family.

Now, Ariadne reminded Heino of Aria in those days.

Despite standing on the precipice of danger, she was beginning to carve out a path for herself.

If she continued like this—

Perhaps she would not only survive but one day seize true freedom with her own hands.

However—

(Princess Ariadne is still young. Even if she has studied politics, she has no actual experience in governance.)

It was too soon to entrust her with administration.

Heino had planned to handle affairs himself while gradually teaching her.

Yet, upon returning to his office and reviewing the documents, he noticed something unexpected.

Among the stack of papers that had only required a signature, one had been marked: “For Investigation.”

“…Why is this here?”

The documents he had given her had all been personally reviewed and approved by him.

And yet, Ariadne had singled out one of them.

(Did she get overly eager and act recklessly?)

The document in question was a financial report—one that was nearly identical to the previous year’s.

(It’s the same as last year, so there shouldn’t be an issue… Wait. Last year, prices spiked due to a disaster. But this year’s numbers are exactly the same?)

It was a simple oversight—assuming that consistency meant correctness.

Upon checking current market rates, Heino realized the truth.

The financial report had been deliberately altered.

“…I see. Perhaps she truly is her mother’s daughter.”

“No, it would be premature to judge her based on a single instance. I should test her further.”

With that, he prepared another stack of documents.

Among them, he slipped in a falsified budget request.

It was based on a legitimate expenditure from a few months prior, but the amount had been increased by twenty percent.

(If she catches this, then her administrative skills are real. If so, it may be safe to entrust her with more responsibility.)

It was a final test.

Yet, a few days later—

The documents returned to Heino, all bearing Ariadne’s signature.

Including the forged budget request.

“…So, the last time was just a coincidence, then?”

“Of course, she is still exceptional. But it seems she is not yet ready to shoulder greater responsibilities.”

That said, Ariadne was still young.

She would have plenty of time to learn and grow.

Thinking this, Heino tore up the falsified budget request.

At that very moment—

“I’m relieved.”

Ariadne’s voice echoed from behind him.

“P-Princess Ariadne!? W-When did you get here…?”

“A little magic, nothing more. But let’s go over the results, shall we?”

Ariadne’s gaze fell on the shredded budget request.

“Go over the results? Wait… Princess Ariadne, did you already realize there was something wrong with that budget request?”

“It wasn’t just the amount that was suspicious, was it? That budget had already been approved.”

“—How do you know that!? You never saw the original request!”

Ariadne had only reviewed a limited number of documents.

The original budget request, the one Heino had used to forge the fake document, had been processed long before she started.

There was no way she should have known.

“You’re right—I never saw it. But the supplier in question is a commoner, isn’t he? Commoners struggle with cash flow, so there’s no reason for him to submit a budget request this late in the year.”

It was true that some arrogant nobles might delay processing payments.

However, all other financial documents had been handled efficiently.

Even with Aria bedridden, the backlog of work had only included recent matters.

This document was the sole exception.

And besides—

All the documents Ariadne received had already passed through Heino’s hands.

If such an obviously suspicious request had slipped in, then the most likely culprit was Heino himself.

“T-Then why did you approve it if you knew?”

“You don’t understand?”

Ariadne’s eyes were calm as she studied Heino.

“…What do you mean?”

“Simple. Just as you tested me, I tested you. If you were capable of forging a budget request, you were also capable of embezzling the approved funds. I wanted to see what you would do.”

Had she pointed out the forgery from the beginning, he could have brushed it off as a mere test of her abilities.

That was why she had deliberately approved the request—so she could observe his next move.

“That’s impossible. I have served House Restour for generations. I would never betray my lord.”

“Perhaps. But how were you planning to prove that to me?”

If this had been done under Aria’s orders, there would have been no issue.

But Heino had acted on his own authority.

For someone who was merely a proxy, that was overstepping his bounds.

And at present, Ariadne did not trust him enough to overlook that.

“I… I have made a terrible mistake.”

Heino fell to his knees.

“Princess Ariadne, I have no excuse. I take full responsibility for betraying your trust and will resign immediately.”

He was as earnest as ever.

Just as he had been in her past life.

Even then, he had tried to stop her from walking a path of corruption—until she had deemed him a nuisance and removed him.

That was why—

(There is no trust between us in this life, but I know the man he was before. I never truly needed to test his loyalty. But—)

She did need to prove herself to him.

And she needed to do so in a way that surpassed his expectations.

So—

“Don’t be ridiculous. Why would I let go of one of the few competent people who understand the intricacies of administration?”

“But I have lost your trust.”

“You regained it when you chose to destroy that request. Besides, if you care about the future of House Restour, then it was only natural that you assess my abilities. I’ll overlook it this time.”

Not only had she demonstrated her administrative skills, but she had also proven her ability to handle subordinates who made mistakes.

“Are… Are you certain?”

“Yes. And from now on, I expect you to continue doubting me. If I ever stray from the right path, you must be the one to stop me.”

“…As you command, Your Highness.”