12.
Marigold’s fate was truly cursed.
Losing her family, her name, and her status at the age of ten was only the beginning. Something truly malevolent seemed to cling to her life.
Just when she thought she had finally achieved success, Marigold was inexplicably chosen by the Fifth Prince.
The Fifth Prince.
Erwin Cole Freesia.
A rare specimen among the handsome princes, he possessed a muscular physique and an insatiable thirst for war.
In the game, the Fifth Prince was the embodiment of “all or nothing.”
Either a war hero, or a usurper of imperial power.
A man who literally had an “all or nothing” personality.
Regardless of which path she took to conquer him, the outcome would always lead to the Empress ending. But now that it was clear that Marigold’s “happy ending” would never truly be happy for her, it no longer held any appeal.
Yes.
A happy ending.
That was all Lancel wanted.
Surely not every ending could be a bad or normal one… right?
.
.
.
“Manager Mary, don’t be too tense about being on the battlefield. I didn’t bring you here to put you in harm’s way.”
“Ah, yes, Your Highness!”
“If you don’t mind, wouldn’t it be better to ride in the carriage with us? Sitting in the saddle for so long must be uncomfortable.”
“Well, that’s—…”
“It’s fine, Your Highness.”
Fifth Prince Erwin Cole Freesia’s expression suddenly hardened.
“How could a commoner manager share a seat with royalty? Manager Mary would likely be more uncomfortable that way.”
The voice belonged to the man riding the horse with Marigold seated in front of him.
Beneath his gentle tone lay an unmistakable firmness.
“…Lancel Dante, were you and manager Mary close even before this?”
“Does it seem that way?”
A smile flickered across Lancel’s lips.
“I suppose it’s rather obvious.”
“……”
He raised his hand and gently stroked Marigold’s hair, as if deliberately showing off to the Fifth Prince.
Caught in this unexpected situation, Marigold’s face flushed crimson, radiating heat.
“Still, you should be more discreet. When nobles become too friendly with administrators, it’s easy for misunderstandings to arise.”
“This isn’t a new concern, Your Highness. You needn’t worry. Isn’t that right, manager Mary?”
“Y-yes? I’m not quite sure what you’re talking about…”
Lancel, oblivious to the awkward atmosphere, clapped Marigold forcefully on the shoulder.
“Cough, wheeze!”
“She seems to be okay with it,” Lancel remarked.
“……”
13.
============
—Favorability event! The Fifth Prince Erwin Cole Freesia’s affection has increased.
Current favorability level: Strong interest.============
By the time Lancel hastily caught up with the Imperial Support Army’s procession, the Fifth Prince’s affection for Marigold was already soaring uncontrollably.
It was almost more astonishing to think how this was even possible.
============
—Favorability event! The Fifth Prince Erwin Cole Freesia’s affection has increased.
Current favorability level: Deep interest.============
Lancel stared at the system notification, his disbelief bordering on despair. The Fifth Prince’s favor, which had been so elusive in previous playthroughs, was now skyrocketing even without Lancel doing anything to help Marigold obtain it.
‘Wasn’t the Fifth Prince’s type supposed to be burly warrior women like Marigold?’
In the game, the Fifth Prince had always been drawn to powerful women. Why, then, was he now showing affection for Marigold, who was on the path to becoming a high-ranking official?
Lancel finally learned the reason much later.
“Still, I think our connection goes back further. Manager Mary and I have known each other since our academy days.”
This was the first time Lancel had heard this story.
“We were together in four subjects: military history, tactics, geography, and simulated combat exercises. Isn’t that right?”
“Ah, yes…” Marigold replied in a barely audible voice, glancing nervously at Lancel.
“Indeed. It seems His Highness the Prince attended academy classes.”
“Not as a student, but as an instructor. I had particularly frequent interactions with manager Mary, who was the academy’s top student at the time.”
“I’ve always wondered where our connection originated. Now my curiosity is finally satisfied.”
“It feels like it was so long ago, I can barely remember. That’s how long manager Mary and I have known each other.”
“But it’s quite remarkable.”
“…?”
Lancel tilted his head, casting an innocent gaze at the Fifth Prince.
“Over the past few years, I’ve met with manager Mary every single day, without fail. Yet not once—not even once—did she ever mention His Highness the Prince.”
“Why… is that so strange?”
“Well, normally when people have known each other for a long time, their names inevitably come up in conversation, don’t they?”
“……”
“But during all the time that I’ve known manager Mary, I never even realized she had any connection to His Highness the Prince, let alone that they were old acquaintances.”
The Fifth Prince’s eyebrows twitched. The faint smile on Lancel’s lips deepened.
“The more I think about it, the more remarkable it seems.”
The air between Lancel and the Fifth Prince seemed to compress, crackling with tension like a sudden surge of electricity. Marigold, caught off guard by the sudden confrontation, fidgeted nervously.
“Lancel Dante.” The Fifth Prince’s eyes narrowed into a piercing glare.
“Enemies!”
The formation instantly dissolved into chaos.
“Regroup the ranks!”
“It’s an ambush!”
Armed soldiers swarmed from the surrounding terrain, converging on the support troops as it marched through the valley.
It was a textbook ambush.
* * *
‘Is this rebellion really already in full swing like this?’
The rebels of the Runter region were no longer ordinary insurgents. Lancel recognized this at a glance.
Rebels in this region were often dismissed as mere “bandits,” but they were actually fuelled by the “Revival Movement Group”—a hostile foreign power and external force.
These were border nations crushed by the Empire, at war with the Empire, and harboring deep resentment toward the Empire.
United, they formed a formidable revival force that had joined hands with the rebels, creating a massive military organization.
Naturally, their training was excellent, their morale high, and their numbers terrifyingly vast.
“Form ranks! Do not panic!” The Fifth Prince shouted.
He urgently turned his gaze to Marigold.
“Manager Mary, take shelter in the carriage for now…”
“Let’s go, Mary!”
“Aaaah!”
Lancel spurred his horse forward, holding only a shield before him as he gripped a spear tightly.
“What on earth are you doing, Lancel Dante?”
“I need to show manager Mary what war is like. Farewell, Your Highness.”
“What?”
Lancel rode off in one breath and vanished into the distance in an instant. Soon, he was charging through the ranks of the rebel forces, weaving through their lines with reckless abandon.
“Charge!”
Wherever Lancel rode, infantrymen were knocked aside by his horse’s hooves, falling helplessly to the ground.
The problem was that Marigold was riding ahead of him.
“This is my specialty, manager Mary! We’re going to climb the ladder together!”
“Hyaaaah!” Marigold’s high-pitched screams pierced through the chaos of spurting blood and snapping bones.
“What a pathetic excuse for a man,” the Fifth Prince muttered, his face hardening in disbelief.
With each swing of Lancel’s spear, infantry and cavalrymen fell like dominoes.
“The knight is using a woman as a shield!”
“Which one is the real target?”
Even amidst the battle, countless eyes were drawn to the spectacle.
“Hyaaah!”
“Eeek!”
In the end, the pair achieved the feat of defeating dozens of rebel soldiers.
Though Marigold had contributed nothing but her screams.
14.
From the moment the Imperial Support Army set out, a single question had occupied everyone’s minds: “Why on earth did the Fifth Prince mobilize manager Mary for this war?”
Even if she was a capable manager, she was ultimately still an administrator—a commoner with a sharp mind. Nothing about her suggested that she possessed the skills necessary for the unique environment of the battlefield.
Yet the Fifth Prince had singled her out as the first person he brought along, as if her presence were indispensable. Why?
“Alright, this is a rough map of the mountain range in this region. Manager Mary, take a look.”
The reason began to emerge shortly after they arrived at the encampment.
“The valley is deep and the path is narrow, giving an absolute advantage to whoever secures the position first. There are also plenty of ambush spots, making entry extremely difficult. That’s why Duke Mord’s forces, who arrived first, were utterly defeated before they even had a chance to fight properly.”
“Yes, that makes sense…”
“Ambush. The problem ultimately lies in ambushes. Manager Mary, where would you hide your troops?”
“Hmm.”
Marigold studied the map spread out by the Fifth Prince intently before marking several locations.
“Considering the path that follows the river, this valley must be the main approach. So, the fork in the road here… And given the recent heavy rains and the fact that the upstream current intensifies during summer…”
She cited various factors—weather, terrain, season—to narrow down three potential ambush sites.
“…That’s all!”
Lancel’s eyes lit up as he studied the location Marigold had pinpointed.
‘That’s quite impressive.’
Marigold had accurately calculated and selected the very region Lancel, a veteran of countless wars, had instinctively sensed.
‘She was the top student in the mock battles? She’s even more versed in wargame theory than I expected.
To possess such insight even without her memories of regression…’
As expected, she truly held the talent of a game’s protagonist.
Now Lancel understood why the Fifth Prince had chosen her. Not because she was the academy’s top student, nor because of some past connection.
The Fifth Prince had recognized her innate talent for war. Yes, Marigold clearly possessed the qualities of a strategist. Astonishingly so.
“Understood. We’ll trust manager Mary’s judgment for now. We’ll march out before sunrise.”
It was rare for someone of the Fifth Prince’s stature to trust the judgment of a mere administrative official.
Naturally, most of the knights were skeptical at first. Even with their shared history at the academy, entrusting battlefield strategy to her was another matter entirely.
But then came the first battle.
“Enemy ambush! Enemy ambush!”
“Retreat!”
They ambushed the ambushing enemy and secured a decisive victory.
The second and third battles followed.
“Crap—it’s the imperial forces!”
“How did they get here…!”
Another decisive victory.
The Imperial Support Army suffered virtually no casualties, making it almost embarrassing to calculate the exchange ratio. With each successive victory, the morale of their forces soared to the heavens.
So far, so good. After all, these were Marigold’s achievements, and they would undoubtedly bolster her record for future promotions to higher office.
The problem was…
It wasn’t just her reputation that was soaring.
============
—Favorability Event! The Fifth Prince Erwin Cole Freesia’s favorability has increased.
Current favorability level: Trust.============
‘Huh?’
============
—Favorability Event! Fifth Prince Erwin Cole Freesia’s favorability has increased.
Current favorability level: Affection.============
‘Damn it.’
Lancel pressed his forehead, staring at the Fifth Prince’s favorability, which had now jumped two levels again.
‘Why is it that the favorability events never triggered when I actually wanted to make her the Empress, but now they’re happening at the worst possible time?!’
Marigold’s rise to prominence was a good thing, but this was also a checkmate.
If things went wrong, the Fifth Prince’s favorability level could evolve into “Love.” The signs were already evident everywhere.
‘There’s no other choice.’
In the end, Lancel resolved to resort to an extreme measure—a radical and foolproof method to fundamentally prevent any further encounters with the Fifth Prince.
“Manager Mary.”
“Yes, Sir Lancel.”
It had been four months since the war began. Lancel gazed at the sunset beyond the ridge and quietly spoke, “After this war ends…”
“Yes?”
“Let us return to my hometown together.”
“…What?”
Marigold turned to look at him, her luminous eyes reflecting the crimson-stained sky.
‘I didn’t mean to go this far.’
Lancel lowered his voice, speaking softly enough for only her to hear.
“I want to introduce you to my parents.”
“Does… that mean…?”
“You will understand what I mean.”
Marigold fell silent for a moment, then gave a small nod.
‘Will this be enough?’
