The Regressed Tyrant Princess Rewrites Her Dark History - Chapter 2.9

The towns surrounding Rosewood were sealed off, and the healers began treating the infected. At the same time, a request for reinforcements was sent to the capital, while Ariadne led the remaining knights toward Rosewood itself.

The next day, they arrived.

The town had changed drastically since Ariadne’s last visit.

The residents wore grim expressions as they silently worked to dispose of the monster corpses.

“I’ve spoken with the locals. It seems the town’s residents have been ordered by the soldiers to clean up the carcasses themselves. Are they truly so short on manpower?”

After hearing the report from the knights who had arrived ahead of them, Hans murmured with a doubtful expression.

What kind of face would he make if he learned that this was the result of corruption and embezzlement?

Ariadne briefly entertained the thought before averting her gaze.

But no matter how much she wished to look away, she could not ignore reality.

“Half of you, assist with clearing the corpses. As for the rest—Hans, considering that the plague is spreading to other towns, we must seal off this town immediately and isolate the infected.”

“Will the residents comply?”

“Make the mayor cooperate, in my name.”

“As you command, Your Highness.”

The knights promptly sprang into action.

Watching them disperse, Ariadne made her way toward Ashley, who was already issuing orders to the servants, preparing for food distribution.

“Princess Ariadne, what should we do with the items?”

“Store them somewhere out of sight.”

Ashley nodded in acknowledgment but hesitated slightly, clearly wondering just how long “for now” meant.

(I’d rather not burden her with too much… but if she doesn’t have enough information, she might act on her own at a critical moment.)

After weighing her options, Ariadne glanced around and lowered her voice slightly.

“Once word spreads about the plague in this town and our involvement in handling it, Marquis Wilfried’s forces will undoubtedly rush to provide aid.”

“Why? Isn’t this town under direct royal jurisdiction?”

“Yes, technically speaking.”

Rosewood was located near the capital and was indeed part of the royal family’s territory.

However, the appointed steward of the town was one of Wilfried’s relatives.

Rather than fulfilling his duties, he had been content to reap the benefits while leaving all actual governance to the mayor.

If word spread that a plague had broken out in this town—and worse, that Ariadne had been the one to contain it—Wilfried’s reputation would suffer a massive blow.

For a man like him, such humiliation was intolerable.

He would not stand idly by.

Once Ashley heard the explanation, she fell into deep thought.

(Of course, she’s thinking about it—the reason I had the purification potions prepared in advance.)

(Ashley has always been by my side. She might piece it all together.)

(But if she does, it will only add to her burdens.)

“Ashley, focus on what you need to do right now.”

“…Understood, Your Highness.”

Ashley brushed away her lingering thoughts and returned to organizing the food distribution.

With that, the knights under Ariadne’s command officially began their humanitarian aid efforts.

Calling it “humanitarian aid” was a convenient term.

In truth, it was an operation designed to maximize the survival rate of the largest number of people.

While food was distributed without discrimination, the isolation procedures were carried out just as indiscriminately.

Even if it meant separating a healthy parent from their infected child.

Criticism was inevitable.

No matter how logical the decisions were, the people suffering from the plague saw only their own pain.

Even as the knights worked tirelessly to prevent the disease from spreading, resentment toward them grew.

Three days passed.

The relationship between the knights and the townspeople had deteriorated beyond repair.

Had the food distribution not been maintained, the situation might have already escalated into outright violence.

Even Ariadne, who had anticipated some level of backlash, was growing impatient.

She sat in their temporary base—an abandoned house near the quarantine zone—having just finished lunch.

Biting her lip, she listened to the latest report.

They had already distributed what could be considered a “reasonable” amount of purification potions from their reserves.

To use any more would risk exposing Ariadne’s deception.

Every available vial had been used strategically, just enough to maintain plausibility.

And yet…

People were still dying.

It was inevitable.

And the anger of the townspeople toward the knights would only intensify as a result.

If left unchecked, it could spiral into an even greater crisis—one that Ariadne could not afford to allow.

“Princess Ariadne… are we still not going to use them?”

Ashley, clearly at her limit, pressed her.

The only one aware of their true stockpile, she must have been struggling not to demand they be used outright.

“Not yet. Hold on just a little longer.”

(Marquis Wilfried, you’re not that incompetent, are you?)

She calculated the time it would take for a message to reach him, for him to mobilize his forces, and for them to arrive.

They should already be here.

The only delay now would be in his decision-making.

So hurry up and come already.

She willed it silently.

And then—a knock.

A messenger entered the room.

For a brief moment, Ariadne felt a flicker of hope.

But the words that followed were not what she had wanted to hear.

“The townspeople have gathered outside the quarantine zone, demanding to see their loved ones.”

Ariadne’s fingers curled into a tight fist.

It was the worst possible news.

(If we turn them away, they will surely clash with the knights.)

(But if we let them through and the plague spreads further, even the purification potions I prepared won’t be enough to contain it.)

Accepting the townspeople’s demands would mean allowing the plague to spread unchecked.

At worst, it could lead to the entire town being burned down—along with its residents.

So, what was the right choice?

Ariadne pondered this for a moment, then suddenly chuckled.

(…To think there would come a day when I had to rely on Marquis Wilfried.)

“Set up a meeting with their representatives. However, do not agree to their demands outright—drag out the negotiations as long as possible.”

A stalling tactic.

Of course, it wouldn’t buy much time, but it only needed to last until Wilfried’s forces arrived.

In other words, Ariadne was betting on the competence of her enemy.

There was no doubt in her mind that Wilfried would send reinforcements within the next day or two.

And then—

“Reporting! The knights of Marquis Wilfried have arrived in town!”

A new messenger rushed into the room, delivering the exact news Ariadne had been waiting for.

Yet, the look on the messenger’s face was dark.

“It seems there’s more to the report.”

“Yes, actually—”

“—Well, well. Your Highness, Princess Ariadne, I hope you are in good health.”

A voice interrupted from behind the messenger.

An unfamiliar knight stepped into the room.

“Who goes there?!”

Ariadne’s guards immediately moved to block his approach.

But Ariadne raised a hand, signaling them to stand down.

“A knight of Marquis Wilfried, I presume? What business do you have with me?”

“Ah, nothing too troubling. I have simply come to express our gratitude for Your Highness’s efforts in containing the plague here—and to discuss the transfer of authority over the situation.”

Hans’s eyebrow twitched.

“Are you seriously suggesting we step aside now, after all this time? We were granted permission by King Raphael himself to lead this humanitarian effort!”

“That may be so, but the governance of this town has been entrusted to a relative of Marquis Wilfried. We appreciate your assistance, but from here on, we ask that you leave the matter in our hands.”

The knight of Wilfried did not back down an inch.

Hans, growing more frustrated, turned to Ariadne.

“Your Highness, there is no reason for us to accept such a request! If we withdraw now, we will have drawn the short straw in this entire ordeal!”

Hans’s anger was justified.

Ariadne’s knights had been the villains in this crisis, enforcing harsh quarantine measures to contain the plague.

If they handed over control now, Wilfried’s forces would be the ones to swoop in and claim the credit for resolving the situation.

But—

“Begin preparations for the handover.”

“Your Highness?!”

Hans raised his voice in disbelief.

Ariadne turned her back on Wilfried’s knight and instead faced her own men.

“We will leave the rest to Marquis Wilfried’s knights. If it means the people of this town will be saved, then does it not serve our purpose just the same?”

She smiled gently at her knights.

Under normal circumstances, they should have been outraged.

But instead, they all fell silent.

Because Ariadne was smiling far too wickedly.

Of course, Wilfried’s knight, standing behind her, could not see this expression.

“So, we have your approval for the transfer of command?”

“Yes, of course.”

Ariadne adjusted her expression into something more pleasant as she turned back toward Wilfried’s knight.

She then officially granted approval for the transition and issued instructions to Hans regarding the specifics of the handover.

Once the knight of Wilfried had left, Ariadne shifted her gaze toward Ashley.

“It’s time to use that.”

“Understood. But, Your Highness… if you are choosing this moment, then… it must mean exactly what I think it does, correct?”

“Yes. Let them have their moment as the ‘saviors of the people’—for now.”

Ariadne’s lips curled into a dark, knowing smile, already envisioning Wilfried’s inevitable downfall.