Chapter 45 Detached Palace Manipulation Strategy
"Are you ready? Rifine."
"Y-yes. I'm ready anytime."
The morning after wrapping up a covert meeting with the prince.
Naturally, I made my way to the Detached Palace early, helping Rifine get ready before we set out, fully prepared.
Gripping Rifine's nervous hand, we made our way down the hallway.
It wasn't long before we saw our target—three Maids from the Detached Palace heading our way.
"Excuse me!"
I raised my hand slightly and called out.
The Maids noticed us, stiffening for a moment when they saw Rifine with me, but then they quickly regained their composure and smiled, ready to do their job.
"Yes, how can we help you?"
One of the Maids asked, speaking for the group.
I nudged Rifine forward.
"Rifine... has something to say. Please, listen to her."
"...Yumie."
"If you do it like we practiced, you'll be fine. Now, muster your courage and do your best."
The Maids looked a little confused, seeing Rifine act shy.
After a brief hesitation, Rifine lowered her head slightly.
"I-I'm sorry for all the trouble I've caused until now. I-I will do my best from now on, so please take care of me."
The Maids seemed stunned, unable to believe the Royal Family—especially a princess known for her spoiled ways—was apologizing to them.
I could see their surprise, but if I let them take too long to process it, Rifine might break down from the silence.
So, I stepped in to keep things moving.
"Hehe, well done. Rifine is a good girl."
"D-Don't treat me like a child! Yumie is almost the same age as me!"
"That's fine. If you want, you can call me big sister, you know?"
"I refuse!! ...But, um..."
Her sharp words quickly shifted to a soft, quiet tone as Rifine grabbed onto my dress.
"If Yumie hadn't been by my side, I wouldn't have been able to say anything at all. So, um... thank you, I appreciate it."
She looked up at me with eyes that seemed too soft for the usually tough and aggressive princess she was, and I could feel the power in her gaze—piercing right through me.
Even I, someone who knew Rifine well, felt a pull from that moment.
The Maids, seeing this side of her for the first time, couldn't help but look at Rifine in a new light.
"You're welcome. Now, shall we go?"
"Yeah. ...Oh, you guys, um..."
Still holding my hand, Rifine paused and turned back to the Maids.
"...See you later."
With a small wave and a smile from Rifine, the Maids finally cracked.
Yeah, those three have "fallen." Just as planned.
"Yumie, was this okay?"
"Yes, you were really cute, Rifine."
When I complimented her like that, Rifine's face flushed with pride.
──I want the people working at the Detached Palace to be completely swayed by the two of us, me and Rifine.
When Sigurt first mentioned that, I wasn't sure what he meant, but once I pressed for details, it became clear.
First off, just because someone's part of the "Royal Family faction" or the "Nobility faction" doesn't mean they're all enemies or allies. Take Monica, for example.
Her Belmont family is supposedly part of the Nobility faction, but they're not out to overthrow the country, nor do they have a bad relationship with the Royal Family.
If that were the case, the rumor about Sigurt and Monica being engaged wouldn't have even existed. The Nobility faction isn't a single unified group. They're mostly united by the idea of "dispersing the concentrated power of the Royal Family," and only a portion of them is trying to use Rifine to further their own goals.
That's why Sigurt told me to sway everyone at the Detached Palace.
Rather than pulling Rifine into the Royal Family faction, I'll keep her as a symbol for the Nobility faction and use her charm to win over those in the Detached Palace who are aligned with them.
In doing so, the Detached Palace, currently without clear enemies or allies, will become Rifine's base, a place guarded by those we trust. And if anyone tries to make a move against her during the faction struggles, if we've made the right connections, they'll hesitate—more likely to give themselves away.
By securing my own safety with my influence, Sigurt can focus his energy on eliminating the real threats.
The real issue here, though, is my place in all this... or rather, isn't the Granbell family part of the Royal Family faction? Surprisingly, they seem to keep a neutral political stance.
Apparently, if the Granbell family, which holds the strongest military power in the country, gets too involved in politics, it could trigger a bloody civil war during the faction struggles. So, their role is to remain neutral to prevent that from happening.
The one exception is national defense agreements. That's why my father only weighs in on budget meetings.
Since I've already built a reputation for winning over the Granbell family to back me, and since being neutral makes it tough for the Nobility faction to target me for supporting Rifine—thanks to my position—Sigurt can finally work with Rifine without worrying about interference.
"Hehe... Sigurt has a good eye."
I might think my own cuteness is the strongest, but Rifine's not lacking in that department either. Together, we can take complete control of the Detached Palace.
"Alright, Rifine, next stop is the kitchen. Let's win over this entire place with our charm!"
"Oh, oh?"
As I gently stroked Rifine, who still seemed unsure about the idea of "dominating with cuteness," we continued our search for the next target.\
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