How to Survive as a Princess in a Reverse Harem Game - Chapter 142

For a moment, Meliana’s lips were tightly sealed, and I could be certain. Finally, Evgenia had discovered evidence of Cirilla’s abuse.

“I don’t understand what you mean. What relationship does House Futurum have with Cirilla?”

“It has come to light that during the previous incident, House Futurum used Cirilla to spy on Nepheli. They made her use her familiar, I hear. And not just then, but frequently.”

“…….”

“You must have known that when a familiar is discovered, the caster suffers internal injuries in return….. How dare you make her do such a dangerous thing.”

As I listened, I recalled when Reno had torn apart Cirilla’s familiar.

Even though I knew I wasn’t the one being interrogated but Meliana, I still felt guilty somehow. This was separate from thinking it had been an appropriate response to being watched.

“……I didn’t know.”

“Is that so.”

Evgenia spoke while fidgeting with the ring on her right index finger.

―Do you swear by Lublin?

It was Evgenia’s usual voice, yet not her voice. The intense question that seemed to bore into my mind made my heart pound violently. This was beyond mere pressure.

An instinctive fear and terror, a crushing pressure rose up, making me feel so nauseous that I couldn’t possibly tell a lie.

‘Dragon speech…….’

Information I didn’t even know had surfaced in my mind. It must have been knowledge that Killis had transferred to me.

A language that only dragons could use, an absolute oath spoken to the heart.

And currently, it was also a magical language that only Evgenia, who possessed the ring containing the dragon’s heart, could use.

They said it had little effect on ordinary humans, yet here I was feeling my heart constricting painfully. For the first time, I truly felt what it meant that the royal family was descended from the First Dragon.

“Seeing as you cannot answer…….”

“…….”

“You lied to me.”

Meliana visibly trembled. Her usually haughty face had turned slightly pale.

From the looks of it, Meliana, like me, hadn’t expected that dragon speech would be used to uncover the lie.

After all, even with the ring’s power, it consumed a lot of mana and was quite taxing, so it wasn’t used often.

“House Futurum is insolent, but how could you just stand by and watch them do that to your young sister?”

“I didn’t just stand by. I tried to stop them at first.”

“And what are you trying to say? That you’re innocent?”

“That’s…….”

As the conversation continued, Evgenia’s face grew colder, and Meliana increasingly looked like she might cry.

“If you truly cared for Cirilla, you should have come to me instead of turning a blind eye to House Futurum. The fact that you didn’t means you couldn’t bring yourself to be harsh with House Futurum, right? Because they’re your support base.”

“…….”

“Don’t try to avoid it, just answer. Or feel free to refute.”

“Your Highness’s words…….”

“…….”

“Your words are correct. I was wrong.”

Meliana bowed her head deeply. It was unlike her to appear so subdued. Though she admitted it belatedly, Evgenia’s anger showed no signs of subsiding.

“You’ve always had a tendency to depend too heavily on House Futurum. I hope you’ll use this opportunity to reflect and change. With that in mind, after this dinner ends, you will be confined for two weeks.”

Two weeks—was that duration chosen because of my birthday banquet?

“Cirilla will be assigned separate maids and guards from my palace, and you are also forbidden from meeting Cirilla alone.”

“……I accept your command.”

“If something like this happens one more time, I will not let it pass so lightly. Do you understand?”

“Yes, Your Highness. And regarding the confinement…… may I start now?”

“You may.”

“I’m grateful for your mercy.”

Meliana bowed deeply and stood up first. Then she left with her maid. It was just my guess, but judging by her expression, she seemed quite ashamed to have been punished in front of us.

‘Isn’t that punishment rather light?’

It’s not that I wanted severe punishment. Still, compared to how angry she was, even using dragon speech, it felt relatively mild, you could say.

I glanced at Cirilla. Unlike me, the child seemed satisfied.

To think just being prevented from meeting alone would bring such relief—she really was just a child after all.

Perhaps because of Meliana’s empty seat, the subsequent dinner had a heavy atmosphere. Though Evgenia’s anger was a big part of it, even with several problems resolved, it felt unsettling rather than relieving.

In particular, I was bothered by the fact that all the maids working in my palace would be replaced.

Maybe it’s because I grew up as a commoner, slightly below average.

As I kept picking at my food, unable to eat properly due to my concerns, I finally spoke up.

“Your Highness, may I ask something?”