The royal palace was truly majestic, seen in person, both inside and out. I've lost count of all the times I marveled at the breathtaking views of this world.
"Now I understand how tourists feel... No, in my case I'm more like an illegal immigrant."
Unlike Subaru, I was able to convince Emilia to let me accompany her. This was possible because my record was supposedly clean, with no reckless acts in the half-elf's name or a worrying devotion to her.
I used all sorts of arguments, like needing to stay close to protect her and making sure there weren't any cult spies around. My avenger facade was quite persuasive, though it wasn't without its flaws. Eventually, I would have to tell the truth about my past, but there were only a handful of characters who would believe or accept that truth.
Roswaal didn't oppose my plan, which surprised me since he would normally be the first to contradict me just to annoy me.
So, we left Rem behind and headed off toward the castle. I didn't greet her as we left, as I was still embarrassed about what had happened between us.
As we entered the throne room, Emilia turned to me.
"Please be very careful. This place is very important and blah, blah, blah..."
I scratched my ear, utterly ignoring Emilia's concerned sermon as I focused my attention on studying the surroundings. There were the knights, the officials, the elders in the background, and most importantly, the other royal candidates!
"Crusch and Anastasia look so cute... Damn, I wish there was a tutorial for the Lust Route."
Pushing my intrusive thoughts aside, I walked to the line of knights and formed up with them. Aldebaran was there. I didn't look at him, but I felt a subtle pressure from him. I shuddered slightly at the thought that he might attack me from behind.
"This guy is going to be a problem... Why is he being so hostile? Priscilla is alive, so there shouldn't be any problems with him for now."
The worst part was that I couldn't get rid of Aldebaran. Killing him would be pointless given his skill, though the same applies to me. But none of this was within my current capabilities, as I was still too weak to do anything against someone of his level.
At that moment, something clicked inside me. If we were both at a standstill, then I had no reason to fear him. Aldebaran wouldn't be foolish enough to try anything, not without careful preparation. Besides, as long as Priscilla was alive, he'd think of nothing but protecting her.
RIGHT?
I just hoped he didn't consider me a threat to his princess. In the end, my annoyance at his threatening attitude was stronger than my fear of him. Turning around, I glared at him with contempt and spoke in a harsh tone.
"Try to hide your emotions a little, it makes me uncomfortable to be watched so intensely."
"You..."
I could almost hear the grinding of his teeth as he clenched them in suppressed fury. The killing intent grew a little more noticeable, and the knights around us looked at us curiously.
"What's wrong with you?" I turned completely toward him. "If you have something to say to me, spit it out."
Aldebaran froze for a moment, as if doubting himself. However, a second later he came up to me face to face (or helmet to face) and began to say something.
"I don't care who or what you are, but you better not go near the princess. If you do, I'll—"
"Enough." Said a voice that was both gentle and authoritative. "I don't know what kind of business you two have, but this is neither the time nor the place."
It was Julius, who stood between us, separating us with his hands. Although he interrupted us, the little Aldebaran said was enough to make my blood run cold.
"Does he know I'm an imposter? But how?"
"If you continue with this, both of you will be removed from this premises."
At Julius's warning, I put aside my tension with Aldebaran and bowed respectfully to the spirit knight, intending to get on his good side.
"I'm very sorry for my indiscretion." I said, straightening my suit, which was a little loose after I lost weight. "I didn't mean to cause any inconvenience."
Aldebaran said nothing, which earned him a disapproving look from Julius, who instead looked at me and nodded with satisfaction.
"That's fine, as long as you understand." He then spoke to both of us. "Just make sure you keep your animosity out of this meeting."
"Thank you for being so understanding, Sir Julius." I tried hard to be very polite and accommodating to reduce the chances of having a conflict with him and the other knights later.
He walked away to stand at the front of the line. Following him with my eyes, I found a familiar redhead. He had an awkward smile on his face, as if he couldn't find a way to greet me after the little show he'd just put on.
I decided to do the work for him.
"Hey, Reinhard!" I shook his hand cheerfully. "How's God's favorite son, the one Tappei hates the most?"
"It's been a while, Leandro. I see you've made progress on your mission." He said, eyeing my uniform with the Mathers family crest. "Who's Tappei, by the way?"
I opened my mouth to give him an evasive answer, but Felix entered the scene and cut off my dialogue.
"Leandro, I was looking forward to seeing you nya!"
"I can't say the same, tempting femboy." I gave him a hard look, determined not to sin.
"Huh? What does that mean?" His cat ears twitched as he raised his eyebrows.
Julius turned slightly, intrigued by my interactions with Reinhard and Felix. His small gesture didn't go unnoticed, as Felix called out to him.
"Julius! Have you met this guy before?"
"Ah, actually..."
Anastasia's knight wanted to explain what had happened a few moments before, but Captain Marcus's voice silenced him.
"The members of the Council of Elders and the candidates have been gathered. If I may, I, Captain Marcus of the Knights of the Royal Guard, will oversee these proceedings."
That said, the scene played out exactly as I remember it. Marcus told a bit of history, Anastasia interrupted him, asking him to get to the point, and Crusch agreed with her, only to be challenged by the elderly Miklotov.
To my amusement, Anastasia spoke with a very strong regional accent at this point. I heard everything in my own language, so it was strange to hear someone from this world speaking like that. I was also quite angry when Emilia was treated dismissively when she tried to give her opinion.
However, I refrained from commenting on this matter.
Marcus resumed his speech, discussing the prophecies of the dragon tablet and its significance. Finally, the Pact with Volcanica and the lack of a fifth candidate were mentioned. This gave Reinhard the opportunity to report his discovery.
"Esteemed members of the Council of Elders; I, Reinhard van Astrea of the Knights of the Royal Guard, am here to report that my mission is complete."
Reinhard turned around and declared the following:
"We have finally found the fifth candidate to become Dragon Priestess and Queen of Lugunica."
As he made his announcement, his eyes looked in my direction for a few seconds, as if he were saying something nonverbally.
The doors to the hall opened and Felt walked in. I gulped as I watched her approach with the tiny bridesmaids holding the train of her long dress.
Despite my obvious nervousness, she walked past me without noticing my presence. She stopped in front of Reinhard and looked at him silently.
"Reinhard..."
"Yes?"
Aaand there is the head kick. Reinhard easily blocks, as expected.
"I hate you! I hate your house, I hate this dress, and I hate this damn place full of classist assholes! I don't want to be here! What kind of knight are you, forcing yourself on an innocent girl like this?!"
Felt's rant hit me like a truck. She shouldn't have been so spiteful toward Reinhard... Not if I'd kept the story's original development.
In this version of events, Reinhard had to fight Rom and knock him down to win Felt over. Since Elsa never appeared, there was no gratitude from Felt to Reinhard for saving her life.
"Oh shit."
Reinhard looked dismayed. He bowed respectfully to her, trying to calm her down.
"I deeply regret that this situation is so unpleasant for you, Lady Felt. However, you must understand that this is a necessary procedure to ensure the prosperity of Lugunica."
"I don't give a shit about Lugunica! Everyone here is scum who only cares about their own asses!"
"Lady Felt, that is not-"
"Fuck the royal selection! Fuck all of you!"
Needless to say, Felt's exclamations caused the indignation of the officials, the contempt of the knights, and the disappointment of the elders.
Suddenly, someone clicked their tongue in displeasure.
"What a nuisance! I will not tolerate this insolent display in my presence."
Priscilla swung her fan at her, but Reinhard stepped in and the power of the attack faded like a candle flame being blown out.
"My apologies, Lady Priscilla."
"Someone ought to be in charge of silencing that infuriating child." Priscilla said, avoiding direct interaction with Reinhard.
Several men raised their voices with derogatory comments about the choice for the fifth candidate, verbally attacking Reinhard and Felt.
She insulted everyone she could, glancing furiously for the nearest ones to strike (something Reinhard wouldn't allow). Unfortunately for me, her eyes flicked over to my position and she recognized me.
"You! You're the one who got me into all this!"
Felt moved at superhuman speed by the standards of my world. Her figure blurred as she ran toward me, launching a kick that sliced through the air, aiming for my face.
For a split second, I felt like the world was moving slower, but it wasn't really that. I had an incredible ability to react and dodge Felt's leg.
Saved by the brilliant reflexes of my doppelganger, the hunter.
"That's not a nice way to greet an old acquaintance."
"Let me go, and fuck off!"
"I'm glad to see you too, you know." I let go of her leg.
She grunted in response to my irony, but said nothing more. Reinhard approached, concerned by the girl's attitude.
"Sir Reinhard, you'd better restrain your lady. Verbal or physical violence will not be accepted at this meeting."
Miklotov's warning served both to divert Felt's attention and to motivate Marcus to continue the procedure.
"Lady Felt, please come forward."
Felt sighed, but obediently walked until she was lined up with the other candidates. Reinhard quickly placed the insignia in the girl's hand, the touch of which triggered a reddish glow in the jewel-encrusted gem.
"As you can see, she has been recognized by the dragon stone, so the royal selection can now begin."
But then another voice was heard, this one from an older man standing among the officials.
"Even if she's proven herself a worthy contestant, I think everyone here has seen enough to draw conclusions. There's a big problem with this royal selection if one of its candidates is a foolish little girl who has ranted against all of us (who represent the kingdom) indiscriminately!"
Many of those present shuddered at the official's judgment, especially the knights, as those words spit upon their efforts in searching for the real candidates. Even Marcus hesitated, as Felt's attitude seemed more like that of a criminal than a lady.
This was entirely my fault for changing the course of history. Therefore, I felt it was my duty to try to make up for it. Taking advantage of the gap in silence, I cleared my throat to get attention.
"I apologize for prying into this matter, but I think we should get to know people and their backgrounds before deciding anything with incomplete information. Besides, this girl was chosen by the will of the Holy Dragon Volcanica, after all."
Several eyebrows were raised and others furrowed when I gave my opinion on the subject. The same man from before was quick to respond.
"How blind are you to ignore the obvious? That girl just tried to hit you, why are you defending her?"
"Because I'm not arrogant enough to ignore the dragon's will." I lied. "I mean, wouldn't that be tantamount to breaking the sacred Pact that keeps the kingdom stable?"
The whole room fell silent when I asked that question. Seeing myself in an advantageous position, I decided to keep pressing.
"But if we're not satisfied with the implications of this mandate, we might as well forget about the Pact." I said softly, looking at the official who had questioned me.
"That would be unacceptable!" One of the elders exploded, his eyes bloodshot. "Are you suggesting we get rid of the pillar that supports us and has historically protected us?!"
"What I'm saying is, there must be a reason why some people doubt what's written on the dragon tablet." I replied. "So either the dragon is mistaken, or those who doubt the candidates he himself chose are mistaken."
After my statements, which cornered the diplomats with their own arguments, all eyes focused on me, as if being intensely observed by Aldebaran wasn't enough.
I saw Crusch studying me closely, her face showing surprise and intrigue. Roswaal was covering his mouth, probably to hide a smile. Emilia's mouth was slightly open.
"This should stop them from talking badly about those two." I said to myself, thinking of Emilia and Felt.
Fortunately, Miklotov spoke at that moment.
"We shouldn't stray from the matter at hand. Mr. Reinhard, can you tell us under what circumstances you met Miss Felt and discovered she was a real candidate?"
"Of course."
Reinhard recapped his first encounter with Felt. Somehow, he avoided mentioning the stolen insignia, the identity of its original owner, and my intention to retrieve it.
When he mentioned that Felt came from the slums, the officials were again shocked. However, my earlier words had sunk deep, which greatly reduced the impact of this revelation.
Reinhard then recounted his encounter with me in the alley on Market Street, omitting the sexual tension that developed between us.
Nah; that was just in my head.
He also clarified that I had put him on the trail of Elsa Granhiert, who was about to wreak havoc in the slums. After that, he met me at the loot house, where we had agreed to meet. It was there that he met Felt and saw her touching an insignia, making its jewel shine.
Fortunately, the elders weren't in the mood to ask for details, so there were no setbacks. However, they had all begun to glance at me occasionally, given the unexpected importance I had acquired since the beginning of the conference.
The next act, all the candidates approached the throne and presented themselves along with their servants, knights or sponsors.
Each introduction felt considerably longer than it was in the anime. Crusch, meanwhile, proceeded with her rant against the Dragon Pact, the effect of which was unintentionally heightened by my recent actions. Priscilla gave her typical proud speech, with little to write home about, aside from Aldebaran's remarks, mentioning her past in Vollachia. I even had the pleasant opportunity to see Anastasia blush at Julius's compliments, which was interesting because I didn't recall them showing that side of her in any of her appearances.
Reinhard took advantage of the break to apologize to me.
"I'm sorry, I should have seen this coming. Lady Felt doesn't know you have good intentions."
"Don't stress about it. We all have things that are out of our control." I patted him on the back. "Nobody's perfect."
Then it was Emilia's turn. I already knew what to expect in this case, because Roswaal had explained to me what they would do. It was a performance done to give more impact to Emilia's introduction. Even Puck did his part, revealing himself as her guardian and threatening to freeze everyone. In the end, Emilia managed to reverse expectations with a great speech, moving the stubborn, bald old man, Bordeaux. I was wondering why none of this was included in the anime.
When Felt's turn came, she flatly refused to participate in the royal selection, which did not surprise the elders, given her previous statements.
But at that moment, Marcus received a report about an intruder who was captured while trying to enter the throne room.
Rom was dragged away by the guards. Fortunately, Felt ended up agreeing to join the royal candidacy so she could save him no matter what. Reinhard and I breathed a sigh of relief.
Finally, Miklotov announced the official start of the selection, which would be decided in three years. The rest was a discussion about how everything would be organized. Many people had already started to leave by that point.
Waiting for the conference to end, I unexpectedly found myself part of a conversation between Julius, Felix, and Reinhard.
"So you're affiliated with Lady Emilia's camp, that's quite a surprise."
Julius looked at me in a new light when he learned that I was supporting one of the two most infamous candidates in the royal selection.
"But you're not her knight, but a servant at Margrave Mathers's mansion. What's your purpose in coming here?"
Julius's real question was something like: why did they bring you to this place if you have an irrelevant position for an event of this nature?
"I wanted to witness this very important moment for Lady Emilia." I explained incompletely.
"I see, I assume she's very important to you..."
"Very much. I hope to be her knight someday." I said, smiling.
I wasn't really interested in becoming a knight for personal reasons, but because it would boost my reputation and keep everything relatively similar to the original story. I didn't want to stray so far from changing everything and end up embroiled in some really messed-up event.
My statement made Julius raise his eyebrows in interest.
"Really? Well, if you have the determination, I wouldn't mind testing you."