14.
—Things seem to have gotten too big. I’d like your advice on what to do.
Lancel already had an answer ready. He swiftly picked up a quill.
[—Advice? No, I’ll gladly lend my assistance.]
A crow hopped onto his shoulder. Lancel, without a glance, kept writing.
[—First, as the head of this secret organization, you should put up a figurehead. Remember Mary, the maid I mentioned before? I’ll make her your stand-in… that is, the fake Lemon Verbena.]
Caw!
At that point, the crow on his shoulder flinched and flapped its wings in alarm.
Marigold’s bewilderment at suddenly becoming a stand-in (or not) seemed palpable.
Caw! Caw!
“Quiet, quiet.”
Lancel ignored the crow sharply once more.
[—Listen carefully. From now on, Mary is Lemon Verbena. The information given to the royals will be about Mary. So don’t worry or fret—I’ll handle everything. That is all.]
Caw! Caw!
The crow flapped its wings once more.
Lancel quickly tucked the letter into its beak.
“Done.”
He grabbed the silenced crow’s wing and tossed it out the window.
“Go.”
The crow flew off—flap, flap—shaking its feathers. Its retreating figure looking a bit forlorn.
“Phew.”
Lancel smiled.
‘Marigold, this time, you’ll become an empress.’
“Mary, you heard the plan?”
“Yes… yes!”
Lancel brought a nervous-looking Marigold into the room.
“It shouldn’t be hard. From today, you’re Lemon Verbena. Just keep that in mind.”
“…Um, about that, Young Master Lancel.”
“Yes?”
“It’s not like it’ll really happen, but… what if, just what if, I really was Darkhood’s Lemon Verbena… what would happen then?”
‘Spilling it all, huh.’
Lancel, expecting the question, gave a silent thumbs-up.
“That’s no big deal then.”
“Huh? It’s fine?”
“Well, it’s not like you are, right?”
“Ah! Yes! That’s true, but… just what if…!”
“If…” Lancel paused, stroking his chin as if pondering.
He patted Marigold’s shoulder and spoke.
“Then, since you’re not deceiving anyone, wouldn’t that be even better?”
“…?”
His mission of persuasion was complete.
Soon after, the day arrived for the first hint about Lemon Verbena to be revealed.
A crow appeared in a quiet capital plaza, scattering dozens of papers in the air. Their content contained a singular piece of information.
Hint 1: Lemon Verbena is an outsider who recently arrived in the capital.
The nobles of the capital soon erupted into heated debate.
15.
“An outsider noble? That’s obviously Countess Bell!”
“Come on, she’s married! How could she propose? Her husband’s alive and well.”
“Got it! It’s Lady Clanes!”
“Lady Clanes is only six this year!”
“You lot are hopeless. Look at the name Lemon Verbena—clearly it’s a Rosvarta heiress.”
“Wasn’t she born in the capital?”
“Oh. Was she?”
The nobles raised their voices, as if they finally found a spark in their dull lives.
They swarmed every lady whose name had been mentioned, interrogating them, naturally.
“Let’s be honest, Lady Anis—you’re Lemon Verbena, right?”
“Hmm, well, I’m not sure. Maybe I am?”
“I knew it! You’re Lemon Verbena, aren’t you?”
“I’ll leave it to your imagination. Sigh, if only His Highness knew. Why not drop a hint about me…?”
“Oh. Never mind, my mistake.”
“Wait! I didn’t say I wasn’t!”
The ladies hesitated to deny it outright.
A chance for princes to make an approach wasn’t common, so they often acted as if they wanted to be mistaken for this Lemon Verbena.
It was at that point that Lancel made contact with a man.
“Lancel, was it? Sit comfortably.”
A friendly-faced man pointed to the seat across from him in the carriage.
It was the Second Prince.
Arwen Louis Frisia.
“I heard you know something about Lemon Verbena. Is it true?”
He was the prince Sir Lancel had chosen to marry Marigold.
He had the arrogance typical of royalty, but among the many rogue princes, he was a decent choice—perhaps the best, excluding the terminally ill Fourth Prince.
“Few know more about Lemon Verbena than I do, Your Highness.”
“I believe you. I can’t stand losing to my siblings, so I have to win.”
“…Speaking of which.”
Lancel voiced a lingering question.
“I recall that it was just you and another prince in the wager. How did everyone else get involved?”
“Don’t you know? The Imperial Ball is coming up. Everyone is frantic that I’ll outshine them. Plus, too many people are stirring things up.”
‘That’s it?’
Lancel fought to stifle a laugh. No wonder the empire was crumbling—distrust and obsession ran rampant among the royals.
Was this the true face of the empire he once served? He only hoped war wouldn’t break out within a decade.
“Anyway, tell me everything you know.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
Lancel lowered his voice and continued.
“Lemon Verbena might not be a noble.”
The Second Prince’s expression hardened.
“A commoner?”
“Yes, at least right now.”
“What do you mean? Explain yourself.”
“There are families that were once powerful nobles but have since fallen completely, right? Lemon Verbena comes from such a lineage.”
“…A fallen noble who lost everything… that alone points to too many people. Ruined families aren’t exactly rare.”
“It should be enough to narrow down the candidates.”
“Got it. That helps a lot, Lancel. If what you say is true, I will reward you handsomely later. Look forward to it.”
The Second Prince winked and left.
‘I practically spoon-fed him.’
Each month thereafter, hints continued to be released.
Hint 2: Lemon Verbena’s age is closer to twenty than thirty.
Hint 3: Lemon Verbena has very bright blonde hair.
Hint 4: Lemon Verbena recently donated a large sum to the Imperial Church.
Hint 5: Lemon Verbena has no home of her own and is staying at the mansion of a wealthy noble.
Hint 6: Lemon Verbena…
.
.
.
“Young Master Lancel.”
“What?”
Lancel looked down at Marigold, who had been using his leg as a pillow.
Outside the window, Baron Ibil Shen’s garden was visible, white snowflakes falling as proof of winter’s arrival.
“In my next life, I want to do better.”
Regressor Marigold seemed dissatisfied with this life, though it was unclear what she wanted to achieve.
“You talk as if you have multiple lives prepared.”
“If you really had multiple lives, what would you do?”
“Then that would surely be something.”
There was a brief silence.
“If, in my next life, I…”
Marigold mumbled something.
“…”
Lancel stayed silent for a moment before speaking.
“I’ll have to think about it.”
“Positively?”
“Yes, positively.”
“It’s a promise.”
Lancel made a guess.
If they realized Lemon Verbena was a commoner, countless people would flock to her today alone.
The hints about her were practically all out there. For a game of twenty questions, it wasn’t that hard to figure out.
Yet, people were still caught up in the assumption that Lemon Verbena was a noble.
That was why most nobles couldn’t even grasp the truth.
Candidates rose and fell daily, and soon, the Imperial Ball was upon them.
============
—Congratulations! Marigold’s “honorary baronet” title review has been successfully completed. A badge proving her status will soon be bestowed by the Imperial Court!
============
Marigold ceased to be a mere maid.
“How do I look, Young Master Lancel?”
She stood in a dazzling party dress, tailored after a day spent roaming dress shops.
Golden embroidery adorned the white hem, swaying with Marigold’s movements. Backlit by the sun, she sparkled dazzlingly.
“It suits you.”
“Hehe.”
Marigold was fully prepared for the Imperial Ball.
Of course, she wouldn’t propose to a prince. Unlike the capital’s ladies, princes barely existed in her mind. At the Imperial Ball, she’d likely cling to Lancel as usual.
But Lancel wouldn’t be there.
He had no intention of attending.
Unaware of this, Marigold would likely be left alone at the Imperial Ball, receiving the full attention of the royals.
With the stage set, something was bound to happen.
If luck was on her side, love might spark between her and a prince, just like in the game.
“The Marigold Count family…”
At last, the Second Prince reached the answer.
16.
Making Marigold an empress had become something of an obsession for Lancel.
He wasn’t certain it was the right answer, but whether it was worth trying didn’t require much debate.
‘I’ve got to make her an empress, don’t I?’ Lancel simply thought.
Wasn’t it obvious? This game, Fallen Noblewoman Simulation, was built around marrying Marigold off.
Marigold’s long journey for happiness always ended with being chosen by a partner.
Among countless endings, the pinnacle was always “Empress Marigold.”
Lancel knew this well. That’s why he was so determined to marry her to someone of high status, hoping happiness would finally come to Marigold, who lost everything at age ten.
“Mary.”
And today…
“…The Marigold Count family…”
The Second Prince’s words sent a shiver through Lancel.
It was the first time someone else had spoken her “true name.”
His subtle hints had paid off.
“But something doesn’t seem quite right.”
The Second Prince’s expression turned serious.
“If that honorary baronet Mary is really a Marigold heiress… the palace wouldn’t let her live.”
“What do you mean?”
Lancel doubted his ears.
The Second Prince spoke again.
“She’s from a traitor’s family.”
“…”
Lancel’s thoughts froze.
“The Marigold Count family is an old enemy of the Imperial Court.”
His lips stiffened.
His ears rang, and his vision blurred.
It felt like something had struck the back of his head.
‘Don’t get too curious about that family, Young Master.’
“Now that I think about it, this was supposed to be a secret. Oh well, I’ve said it now. Just don’t spread it around, Lancel.”
Marigold.
From the start, she could never become an empress.
Woahh
Ok that mean rebellion route is the true ending? Where mary become empress and lance became emperor
Now we’re getting somewhere