At first, I thought Alice was using the situation to intimidate Lady Rassel for the imperial family's benefit.
While she was still somewhat emotional, Alice had displayed more calculated and "princess-like" behavior since we returned from Belvur last year. It had become a regular part of her demeanor.
But even after the matter seemed resolved—with an apology from Lady Rassel and a pledge of loyalty to the imperial family—Alice continued glaring at her, sitting silently in the student council room.
Ordinarily, once an apology was given and accepted, the issue would be considered settled. Yet, it seemed that wasn’t enough to quench Alice's anger.
"I don’t think there’s any need to stay so upset after receiving an apology," I remarked.
"Doesn’t this bother you at all?"
Her question made me furrow my brow slightly, lost in thought.
Hmm...
If the person in question had been an adult, it might’ve been different. Knowing a grown person was badmouthing me behind my back would’ve left me annoyed, if not outright angry.
But Lady Rassel was just a fifteen-year-old girl.
I hadn’t been all that angry when Mia showed hostility toward me, either, because she was still young and unaware of the truth.
From a teenager’s perspective, the idea of someone having killed people might seem unnerving.
As I remained deep in thought, Alice ran a hand down her face, sighing, and then took a seat at one of the room’s guest tables.
"What if it had been me instead? If they’d been calling me a murderer instead of you?"
"..."
That would’ve made me angry, no doubt.
Not just for Alice. I would’ve felt the same if they’d been gossiping about Leo, Claire, Jake, or even Lottie. Mia and Lena too... though Sophia is still a little more complicated.
Alice seemed to understand what I was thinking from the look on my face, even though I hadn’t said anything.
"...Well, I guess you’re the type to think that’s just normal, so no matter what I say, it won’t bother you much."
"..."
She rolled her eyes briefly before speaking again.
"I think this situation needs to be handled carefully."
"I agree."
"Then why let nobles badmouth the imperial princess and just leave it at that?"
"Because in this situation, avoiding unnecessary enemies is the wiser move."
I could handle more enemies. If things got too difficult, I could always rewind time to undo the situation. Besides, I’d already used my original-world knowledge and time-rewinding ability to gather dirt on the most influential families, in case I couldn’t use my powers anymore after encountering the masked woman.
I hadn’t visited every single noble estate, so the information was limited, but it was enough to make me confident.
One reason I wasn’t particularly affected by this gossip was that Lady Rassel had already broken down in tears before me a few times, spilling plenty of her family’s secrets.
"..."
Perhaps picking up on something from my expression, Alice chose not to press the matter further.
"In any case," she continued, "it’ll be a problem if more nobles start disregarding the imperial family. Things have been kept in check so far, but you know what happened recently in the northern bombardment."
She must’ve been referring to Jayden’s monitor fleet sweeping the border clean.
"Since then, nearby nations and local lords have been wary of the imperial military. After all, they didn’t even notice the monitor ships flying over their territories until they reached the border."
"And local forces have no way of stopping those ships," I added.
If a monitor ship decided to bombard a lord’s castle, that would be the end of it. While civil wars might follow, the imperial military was strong enough to crush any rebellious factions decisively.
Ironically, that capability only made more lords want to rebel.
No matter how large or productive the capital was, the Empire couldn’t function on its own. Producing vast amounts of munitions required enormous quantities of gunpowder and lead. To make gunpowder, saltpeter was essential—and there were no saltpeter mines in the capital.
Even in the original game’s story, certain nobles were already openly boasting about "keeping the capital running" before the main events unfolded. It wasn’t until later that those nobles started acting collectively.
Even if the Emperor wasn’t aiming for world domination, the nobles wouldn’t change their mindset. After all, they didn’t know about my "abilities."
"But there won’t be an uprising," I said confidently.
"And what makes you so sure?"
"Because His Majesty has no intention of deploying military forces abroad."
In the original story, the rebellion had been opportunistic.
Even with the Empire’s overwhelming military advantage, waging war against the entire world required committing forces on a massive scale.
Warships guarding the capital were moved to the borders, and monitor ships were sent to the frontlines. Air forces shifted to support the ground army, leaving only minimal defenses. Loyalist forces like Winterfield were tied up in the north, while Lindbergh, another ally, was distracted by a colonial uprising.
With the Empire’s mightiest forces deployed elsewhere, it created the perfect chance for ambitious lords to act.
But the Emperor wasn’t a fool.
He’d anticipated this and had crushed several rebellious families with brutal efficiency to assert dominance. Dukes were assassinated, their heirs publicly burned alive in their territories. The message was clear.
Additionally, most of the borderlands were under the control of counts or dukes, not directly managed by the Empire.
During the war, if the imperial forces withdrew, enemy troops would invade, trampling those lands in retaliation. Those enemy soldiers wouldn’t care if the lords were "imperial loyalists" or not—they’d simply destroy everything.
Because of this, border lords had no choice but to align with the Emperor, even if it was against their will. This dynamic ultimately led to the downfall of the aristocratic faction.
But all of that hinged on the military’s deployment to the borders.
"Local lords fear the imperial military. A rebellion would leave them with nothing but burnt estates and dead heirs. If they’re lucky, they might keep their own heads."
"But the air among the lords is undeniably uneasy," Alice pointed out.
I nodded.
"That won’t last forever, though."
In the end, neither the aristocracy nor the absolute monarchy is eternal.
Eventually, it all crumbles.
A century from now, there will likely be a time when citizens govern themselves. That’s an inevitable progression. The aristocracy might persist in some form, but the shift toward republicanism cannot be stopped. The Empire already has a nominal parliament, after all.
Trying to stop that tide would only get heads chopped off.
"...Do you know something I don’t?"
"Honestly? Not really. Too much has already diverged from what I knew."
While I could make educated guesses based on the world I came from, this world—despite drawing from real history—wasn’t entirely predictable. Even the game developers hinted at such outcomes during interviews.
But those were long-term changes. When it came to the short term, I couldn’t be certain about anything.
My presence had already shifted the original story too much.
The Emperor was far more focused on internal affairs than in the original. The nobles’ unrest hadn’t fully surfaced yet. The Holy Nation was moving far more cautiously, and Bella was still alive.
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And then there were people like Lucas and the masked woman.
Sometimes, I wondered if things might’ve been better if I’d done nothing at all.
"Well, fine," Alice said, shrugging it off. She didn’t seem particularly troubled, but I knew her well enough to guess her thoughts were far from settled.
"In that case, let’s set aside the uncertain future and focus on the one just ahead."
She crossed her arms.
"What do you think of Charlotte’s idea?"
"You mean her proposal to use Lutetia as the training site?"
In the original story, going to Belvur wasn’t just for training.
It was to persuade Charlotte to join the fight against the Emperor, who sought to place the entire world beneath him.
Sneaking into the ruined Lutetia to find Charlotte had been part of the story’s core plot.
Well, at least this change was for the better.
Even so, I felt an overwhelming urge to pull at my hair.