Heidi’s good mood was instantly dragged down to rock bottom.
If the wine glass were still in her hand, she wouldn’t hesitate to smash it right into Roderick’s face.
Glancing down the corridor behind Roderick to make sure no one was around, Heidi let out a small but furious shout:
“What the hell is your group of adventurers even doing!? Can’t even handle one woman!? Or are those fools who can’t understand a word just reckless enough to act before Ein even left!?”
The already flustered Guild Master was even more at a loss, cold sweat pouring down like a waterfall.
“I—I don’t know either. None of them came back, no one knows exactly what happened!”
Heidi’s face turned dark.
Either that bunch of arrogant bastards couldn’t wait and attacked before Eze even left.
Or Eze discovered their trail, pretended to leave, then came back after they made their move.
Or… that woman named Vivian is unbelievably strong?
No, absolutely impossible.
Heidi shook her head.
The Empire valued strength even more than the Kingdom did; a female noble so powerful would never hold such a low status.
In any case, no matter which scenario was true, those people had fallen into Eze’s hands.
Things were bad.
You couldn’t expect these scumbags to keep secrets.
Once they said they were ordered by a red-haired woman, Eze would definitely think of her.
At that point, the situation would truly be grim.
But what could she do now?
Try probing Eze’s attitude?
She had just broken off the engagement at dusk and then ran back again—wouldn’t she become a complete joke in Eze’s eyes?
Where was the Princess of the Kingdom of Yarte’s dignity then?
Absolutely not!
But how to solve the problem?
The Princess racked her brains but couldn’t come up with a solution.
Seeing Heidi grow increasingly agitated in silence, Roderick’s heart was a mess.
He already had a handle on her; now with this massive failure, things were even worse.
He was so anxious he couldn’t hold back any longer:
“Your Highness, please… please think of a plan quickly! Otherwise… I’m really doomed!!!”
“Shut up!! You… hmm?”
Heidi glanced at Roderick, suddenly struck with an idea.
Right, what was the rush?
Wasn’t there still someone she could use?
Calming down, Heidi revealed a strange smile and fixed Roderick with a very unsettling gaze as she sized him up.
“You want to live, don’t you.”
Roderick was terrified.
Of course, he wanted to live, but his instincts told him saying yes here would lead to something bad.
However, Heidi’s patience was not infinite.
Seeing his hesitation, she suddenly raised her voice:
“Answer me, do you want to live or not!?”
“I… I do…”
With no other choice, Roderick nodded, and the Princess crossed her arms, a satisfied smile spreading across her face.
“If you want to live, you’ll do exactly as I say.”
“Do what?”
“Right now, go back and pretend nothing happened. From now on, if Viscount Edgar or anyone else asks about this, you say the kidnapping was ordered by me.”
“That…”
Roderick stared wide-eyed, as if looking at a monster, unable to understand what Heidi was planning.
But she calmly continued:
“Of course, no one will believe your claim—you’re accused of kidnapping a noble and framing a princess. They will torture and interrogate you. You have to endure for a while, then change your story.”
“Change my story?”
“Yes, say you were the mastermind, that the kidnapping was to silence Ein and pin the blame on me.”
In short, she wanted Roderick to shoulder all the blame alone.
Telling them outright it was him would be unbelievable, so first tell the truth, then lie later—that would seem more plausible.
And this was basically throwing Roderick into the fire.
His eyes immediately reddened and nearly burst.
“You—do you take me for a fool!? You’re just trying to make me the scapegoat! It was your plan all along!!”
Heidi sneered contemptuously.
“Yes, it was my plan, so what? Who’s going to believe you if you tell the truth?”
“This…”
“And even if they believe it, so what? I’m the Princess of the Kingdom of Yarte, leader of the royal family. No one in this country can touch me.”
Saying that, Heidi turned and paced into the room, picking up the wine glass on the table.
She swirled it, took a sip, then turned back with a beaming smile:
“And you? Guild Master Roderick? You’re nothing. Even if I ordered it, attacking a noble means you’ll die either way. Turning me in won’t save you.”
Roderick was speechless, utterly deflated.
Meanwhile, Heidi had gained absolute psychological advantage.
She strolled confidently up to the nearly hopeless Guild Master and whispered:
“But if you’re willing to take all the responsibility, I guarantee I’ll use my power and reputation as Princess to spare your life.”
“Not only that, when you get out of prison, I will have officially ascended to the throne. Then, I will reward you generously, ensuring you have no worries, even if you never serve as Guild Master again.”
“Heh, isn’t this a great deal? You lose nothing, pay nothing, save your life, and even get a big payout—why not take it?”
Looking at the red-haired girl before him, Roderick felt a genuine, deep fear.
He knew she was trapping him.
He hated her to his core.
But he couldn’t refuse her offer.
Before he knew it, he had agreed.
“Good, Mr. Roderick, you’re a smart man.”
Certain she had him where she wanted, Heidi sneered, raised her head, and drained her glass, then licked her lips.
“Oh, and one more thing.”
Having given up thinking, Roderick turned mechanically to face her.
“If anyone asks why you framed me, do you know what to say?”
Roderick shook his head.
“At that banquet, didn’t you insult that person named Ein?”
“You say that I was angry at you for offending Ein and came looking for trouble. So you held a grudge, wanted to get rid of both Ein and me, which is why you staged the kidnapping and framed me.”
This was another of Heidi’s little schemes.
If Eze found out Heidi was framed because she tried to help him, it would greatly improve her image in his heart.
She might even create a secret benefactor persona who helped without asking for anything in return.
Combined with the broken engagement earlier, it would deliver a heavy psychological blow to Eze’s defenses.
Tsk tsk tsk, with all these moves, not only had she defused a crisis, she’d turned it into a rare opportunity.
No wonder she was a genius!
Heidi was extremely satisfied thinking this.
She waved at the now completely collapsed Roderick at her door.
“Now that you know what to do, go back quickly.”
“I…”
“Remember, this is your only way to survive.”
“…I understand.”
Giving up resistance, Roderick said no more, pale-faced, and closed the door behind him.
Heidi’s mood returned to what it was before.
Pouring herself another glass of wine, she raised it toward the moon outside the window, striking the same toasting pose as before, continuing to enjoy this beautiful night.
***
(End of recommendation. Continuing with the promised extra chapters after the monthly votes; four more to come after this.
The recommendation results exceeded expectations, and the book will be published this week. Thank you all very much for your support! (o´ω`o)ノ)