The Regressed Tyrant Princess Rewrites Her Dark History - Chapter 1.26

“Your Majesty Queen Carla, Lord Khalid is requesting an audience.”

“There was no prior notice, was there?”

Carla frowned, displeased by Khalid’s lack of decorum.

“Shall I send him away?”

She considered it for a moment, then smirked.

“No, let him in. I’m curious to hear what excuses he’ll make. Bring him to my office.”

“Understood.”

A Futile Protest

Khalid was led to Carla’s office, where she remained seated behind her desk.

Meanwhile, he stood—a subtle power play that did not go unnoticed.

Khalid’s frustration was clear as he spoke.

“Your Majesty, why did you issue such a royal decree?!”

“What are you talking about? The decree was issued by His Majesty Raphael.”

“Do not play games with me!”

Carla sighed internally.

(He doesn’t even realize his own position. He has neither the wits nor the patience for politics—just an entitled fool throwing a tantrum.)

She tilted her head and cut to the chase.

“Khalid, get to the point. I don’t have time for this.”

“Tch… Very well! Then tell me—why was Lady Lynette declared the rightful heir to the Hoffman title?!”

The words were practically spat out.

Carla resisted rolling her eyes.

(Does he truly expect me to entertain such nonsense?)

Instead, she leaned forward slightly and smirked.

“Ah, I see… So, what you’re really asking is—’Why was I unable to seize the title for my bastard son and steal the family estate?'”

“W-What?! That is a vile accusation! You must retract—”

“Oh? So, you deny it?”

Carla rested her chin on her hand.

“Did you really think I wouldn’t notice the timeline discrepancy? The previous Countess of Hoffman died before your son was even conceived. The math doesn’t lie. Unless, of course… her death was part of your plan?”

Khalid blanched, visibly shaken.

(That was just an educated guess, but judging by his reaction… I may have struck gold.)

His voice came out in a shaky stammer.

“T-That is outrageous! I-I would never—!”

Carla hid a laugh behind her fan.

(Compared to Ariadne, he’s a third-rate fool.)

Her amusement quickly faded into boredom.

She snapped her fan shut with a crisp sound.

“Khalid, did you inform anyone before coming here?”

“Of course not! I am officially part of the First Prince’s faction—how could I risk being seen meeting with you? I came here in utmost secrecy!”

“Good.”

Carla’s smile turned cold.

She snapped her fan open again.

“Lord Khalid, you have unlawfully entered the palace. Arrest him.”

“—What?!”

Guards swiftly surrounded Khalid before he could even react.

From behind them, Carla spoke nonchalantly.

“Take him away. Process him as an unidentified intruder.”

As he was dragged out, a royal steward hesitated before asking,

“Your Majesty… was that truly necessary?”

Carla barely spared the steward a glance.

“There is no one left in the Hoffman estate who will defend him. His family in House Astor is far too preoccupied with their own downfall to intervene.”

The only person who might have cared was Wilfried.

But even he had no real reason to save Khalid.

With that matter settled, Carla turned her attention elsewhere.

“Summon Siegbert.”

A Mother’s Lessons

Siegbert stormed into Carla’s office the moment he arrived.

“Mother, what is the meaning of this?! Why was Khalid removed?!”

“Calm yourself, Siegbert. That’s precisely what I called you here to explain.”

Carla gestured toward the sofa.

She dismissed her attendants, leaving only her son in the room.

Pouring herself a cup of tea, she finally spoke.

“Now then… where should I begin?”

Siegbert’s expression twisted in frustration.

“From the very beginning. Weren’t you planning to absorb the Hoffman estate into our faction? That’s why I arranged for my aide’s daughter to marry into their family!”

Carla sighed.

“We had no choice.”

“What do you mean, ‘no choice’?!”

“Khalid is of House Astor. And Astor was nothing more than Wilfried’s pawn. He intended to infiltrate your inner circle and feed Wilfried our every move.”

Siegbert’s eyes widened in horror.

“That’s impossible… Is it true?!”

Carla nodded firmly.

His hands curled into fists, his entire frame trembling with rage.

But then, as if a realization struck him, his head snapped up.

“Then… does that mean my move against Astor…”

“Yes.”

Carla’s voice was calm, but firm.

“Your actions likely cost you Wilfried’s favor.”

Siegbert paled.

“—Damn it!”

He punched the armrest in anger.

“I was careless!”

Carla offered no immediate comfort.

She merely observed as he processed his mistake.

A Bitter Truth

After several tense moments, Carla finally spoke.

“It was an unfortunate misstep. But at that time, you had no way of knowing.”

She folded her hands neatly in her lap.

“Wilfried has always intended to use you as a puppet king. He never considered you an equal, let alone a leader.”

Siegbert bit his lip, his pride wounded.

But he didn’t deny it.

The Unavoidable Outcome

“In the end,” Carla continued, “I could not allow a spy to enter your closest circle. However, openly rejecting Khalid would have confirmed that we saw Wilfried as a threat. That was unacceptable.”

“So instead, you had him… disposed of.”

“Yes.”

Siegbert let out a long breath, leaning back against the sofa.

“Given the situation… I suppose that was the best course of action.”

He paused, then frowned.

“But how did you even uncover Khalid’s connection to Wilfried in the first place?”

Carla took a sip of tea before answering.

“Ariadne told me.”

Siegbert froze.

His breath caught in his throat.

“…What?”

“Ariadne approached me with a proposal regarding the Hoffman estate. She only needed to have the trade tariffs lowered… yet, she offered me information that spared you from catastrophe. You ought to be grateful.”

Siegbert’s face contorted.

He looked deeply conflicted, as if he had just swallowed something vile.

Carla, meanwhile, merely smirked.

(Ariadne only needed to secure the tariffs—yet she also ensured that Siegbert learned the truth about Wilfried. If that wasn’t deliberate, I would be shocked.)

Ariadne was an exceptional strategist.

She was dangerous, but brilliant.

Carla set down her teacup.

She regarded her son critically.

(Siegbert is skilled, but still too naive.)

Perhaps…

Perhaps it was time for her to teach him the rules of the real game.

Until she noticed that something was wrong with Siegbert.

“Siegbert, what’s wrong?”

“…It was… her…”

“Huh?”

“It was Ariadne who informed me about Count Astor’s wrongdoings!”

“What—!?”

Her eyes widened as she gasped in shock.

As she listened to the full story, she learned that Ariadne had innocently shared the information as a rumor she had heard at a soirée. The moment Carla heard that, all the pieces fell into place.

“…I see. So that’s how it is.”

Ariadne had orchestrated Astor’s downfall through Siegbert. Then, she had driven a wedge between Siegbert and Wilfried, only to extend a seemingly conciliatory hand before their relationship could deteriorate further.

And in return for these maneuvers, she had steadily continued to achieve her own ambitions.

On top of that, she had also eliminated the traitors who had been parasitizing the First Prince’s faction.

In other words—

(From beginning to end, everything played out exactly as Ariadne intended.)

“…Damn it. I was completely outmaneuvered by a mere girl younger than me…?”

Siegbert slammed his fist against the low table.

“Calm yourself. Losing your temper means losing the battle.”

“I know. I know, but…!”

(It’s no wonder Siegbert is struggling to keep his composure.)

The aristocracy was rife with political intrigue.

Since such maneuvering was part of daily life, suffering one or two defeats wasn’t shameful. However, being entirely manipulated from start to finish was unacceptable.

The fact that the mastermind was a fifteen-year-old girl sent a chill down Carla’s spine.

“Attempting to eliminate Aria was a mistake.”

“…That may be true. However…”

“Yes. She had no intention of siding with the Second Prince’s faction—she chose to align herself with His Majesty Raphael.”

That was why Siegbert had sought to eliminate Ariadne.

Raphael may have been a part of the Second Prince’s faction, but he hesitated when it came to ensuring Siegbert’s succession to the throne. If Ariadne had been left unchecked, it was even possible that the king’s decree would have led to Arnold and Ariadne’s engagement.

(But what’s done is done. There’s no point in dwelling on it now.)

“We need to shift our focus. We may have lost this battle, but the war isn’t over. She won’t be getting married until she comes of age. That gives us time to act.”

“…Yes, Mother.”

Of course, it wouldn’t be easy. Unlike before, the attention on the Restour royal family had skyrocketed. Removing her wouldn’t be a simple task. Even so, if Siegbert was to ascend to the throne, it was a necessary step.

(This time, we lost. But this isn’t the end. My son will be king!)

The rightful heir to the Hoffman County had been confirmed as Lynette.

As a result, Khalid was stripped of his position as acting count. His fate—and that of his second wife and son—was left in Lynette’s hands.

(Well, the fate of traitors is usually predictable.)

This, however, had nothing to do with Ariadne.

What mattered more was that the First Prince’s faction now had territory along the highway leading from the former imperial capital of Restour. With that, trade tariffs naturally returned to their previous state.

For the time being, there would be no more headaches on that front.

Having secured a brief moment of peace, Ariadne paid a visit to Aria.

“Mother, how are you feeling today?”

“…”

There was no clear response to Ariadne’s call. But there was a faint reaction. That alone gave her hope that her mother could hear her.

“Mother, I’ve learned so much over these past few months.”

Based on everything she had gathered, it was highly likely that Aria had known the secret of the Jewel Eyes. That was why she had kept Ariadne confined to the imperial palace.

Because there was a chance someone would uncover the truth.

“You must have struggled with so many conflicting emotions.”

Had Aria not arranged for a tutor, Ariadne would have been dead long ago. Despite everything that had happened, she could now confidently say that she loved her mother.

So—

“Please, get well soon.”

She gently took Aria’s hand and cast a feeble healing spell. Compared to the spells used by the court’s dedicated clerics, hers was nothing more than child’s play, but she couldn’t help herself.

As she prayed, Sybilla entered the room.

“Your Highness, it is time to prepare.”

“I see. Then, let us go. Mother, I’ll visit you again soon.”

With those words, Ariadne turned and left. She did not see the hand that Aria weakly stretched out toward her departing figure.

After leaving Aria’s chamber, Ariadne headed straight for the dressing room.

The maids were already assembled, and the gown she had chosen earlier was displayed against the wall.

Today was the day of her engagement ceremony with Arnold.

“Your Highness, we shall begin dressing you now.”

“Yes, I’ll leave it to you.”

She discarded her current garments and slipped into the pure white dress.

“What shall we do with your hair?”

“Make me look more mature than usual.”

“Understood.”

Sybilla arranged her hair, then secured the finishing touch—a rose hair ornament adorned with rubies, borrowed from Aria.

Satisfied with her reflection in the mirror, Ariadne smiled.

Just then, a maid entered.

“Prince Arnold has arrived.”

“I’ll be right there.”

Stepping out of the dressing room, she was greeted by Arnold in formal attire.

“…Princess Ariadne, you look beautiful.”

“Thank you. You look wonderful as well, Prince Arnold.”

(This is mere formality.)

This engagement was a contract, not a love match.

To Ariadne, Arnold was the man she had poisoned in her previous life—someone to whom she owed a debt.

She knew he had feelings for her. But she believed she had no right to love him in return.

So—

“Princess Ariadne, I want you to try to love me.”

The unexpected words left her stunned.

“…What?”

“That is the condition of our contract.”

“What are you saying? You agreed to protect me, and in return, I promised to make you king!”

“I heard that proposal, yes. But I never accepted it. In the first place, I have no intention of relying on you to make me king.”

His words forced her to replay their past conversation in her mind.

Indeed, Arnold had never explicitly agreed. She had merely assumed.

Arnold then presented a contract. It clearly outlined his condition:

Ariadne shall make an effort to love Arnold.

“I—I demand a renegotiation!”

“Now? With the ceremony about to begin? I don’t mind postponing it, but wouldn’t that be problematic for you, Princess Ariadne?”

“Th-that’s…”

It would indeed be a problem.

Ariadne had already turned the Second Prince’s faction into enemies. If she delayed the engagement now, they would seize the opportunity to eliminate her.

“You… You tricked me, didn’t you!?”

“I won’t deny it. But is it truly harder than making me king? All I’m asking is for you to try to love me.”

“That’s… true, but…”

Ariadne didn’t hate Arnold.

She had fought him as an enemy for years and knew that he was neither arrogant nor complacent—he was a man who worked tirelessly.

It was simply that she had believed she wasn’t worthy of loving him.

(And yet, he’s asking me to break that belief…)

“…Princess Ariadne, do you find it so unbearable?”

Arnold looked at her with the expression of an abandoned puppy.

Feeling her face heat up, Ariadne leaped back in panic. But Arnold, seeing her bright red ears, only smiled in relief.

“So, I’m not hated, after all.”

“Y-you’re insufferable!”

Arnold extended a hand with a playful smirk.

“So, what will it be? Will you accept the contract?”

“……Fine.”

At that moment, Arnold pulled her into his arms.

Before she could react, he lifted her up in a bridal carry.

That day, in front of the entire kingdom, their engagement became legendary.

But that was only the beginning of their story.