Published: January 4, 2026
At night, in the living room, I linked the four—Leviathan, Luthier, Fuwawa, and Behemoth—to the armor rings and had them spar in a mock battle.
As expected, Leviathan was the strongest, with Luthier and Behemoth close behind, and Fuwawa a bit further off—that was the order of strength.
After several rounds, just as I thought it might be time to level up, the door was knocked, and Cecily, the maid in charge of reception, came in.
“Sorry to bother you so late, Master. There’s a woman who wishes to see you.”
“A woman? Name?”
“She calls herself Olivia Coil.”
“Olivia Coil.”
I rolled the name around on my tongue. It was unfamiliar—I had never met a woman by that name.
But the fact she came at such a late hour piqued my interest.
If she were inconsequential, Evelyn would have trained Cecily, and Cecily, whom I selected for reception duties, would have turned her away at the door.
That she asked to see me even at this hour suggested she must be someone of appropriate status.
“Alright, let her through.”
“Yes.”
Cecily left, and after a moment, a woman entered.
She looked to be in her mid-twenties, strikingly beautiful.
Olivia Coil stood before me and bowed according to proper female etiquette.
“Olivia, you said? What brings you here at such an hour?”
“It’s a tip-off.”
“...”
I kept my expression calm.
A tip-off.
The moment I heard those words, a terrible premonition and various worst-case scenarios ran through my head.
I masked my feelings and asked again.
“A tip-off about what?”
“The Crown Prince Albert is planning a coup tonight. He intends to force His Majesty to abdicate.”
“――!”
I couldn’t remain calm any longer.
So, it had come after all.
No, wait, it wasn’t confirmed yet.
I glared at Olivia and asked sharply.
“How do you know this?”
“I am a servant of Prince Gilbert, the daughter of Coil.”
“Coil, the butler!”
I remembered.
Coil had been the butler at Gilbert’s mansion for many years—I had met him every time I visited the mansion.
His daughter—
“You were born into the household?”
“Yes.”
Olivia nodded.
Born into the household. That meant she was the child of two servants of a prince—in other words, born into the princely staff.
It wasn’t uncommon for a lord to arrange marriages among servants to strengthen bonds. Children born to servants were themselves servants by birth, making them more inclined to absolute loyalty toward the royal family, having been raised in that environment.
“I’m aware. Your Highness the Thirteenth tried to keep Gilbert alive somehow. Yet Albert—”
Olivia stopped, biting her lower lip until it bled.
Though I hadn’t received a report, I could guess what had happened to Coil at that moment.
“I swore revenge. Luckily, the Crown Prince took a liking to me, so I got close through my body.”
“A woman’s weapon, huh.”
“Yes. He’s not tired of me yet, so recently it’s been more frequent, just with me. That’s how I overheard.”
Olivia took a deep breath and spoke with a serious expression.
“The disinheritance hasn’t been made official yet, but after it is, it’ll be too late. Even now, the Crown Prince can mobilize enough troops to seize the palace.”
“What does he intend to do with His Majesty?”
“To force abdication and have him become the retired emperor.”
“...Hmph.”
Damn Albert.
The fact that eunuchs were “secretly” dealt with should have made that clear.
His Majesty doesn't want things to escalate. He shows mercy by keeping you alive.
Yet you still plot a coup...
“Please!”
Olivia dropped to her knees and bowed deeply before me.
“I’ll do anything! If it’s within my power, anything! My body, my life! Use it however you like. Please! The Crown Prince—Albert’s head!”
“...Understood.”
I sighed and gently helped Olivia up.
“Not anything, though. What did you do at Gilbert’s?”
“I was apprenticing as a butler under my father.”
“Do the same here. I’ll pay you about the same.”
“W-why such generous treatment...?”