A Mastermind? No, I'm just the Live-In Son-in-Law-Chapter 16: Aftermath

He had every reason to be upset. In truth, Maier himself was one of the masterminds behind the catastrophe that was supposed to unfold during today’s engagement ceremony.

‘The preparations should’ve been flawless.’

He was the one who had subtly persuaded the white mages not to attend the event by exploiting his status as one of the Prince’s few trusted friends. He had also taken charge of selecting the maids and attendants, discreetly slipping black mages into their ranks.

‘This could seriously damage my standing with the Union...’

Even though he wasn’t a black mage himself, Maier had long held ties with the “Shadow Union,” a secret organization made up of black mages from across the continent. For him, this incident had been the perfect opportunity to elevate his influence within the group—so much so that he had been willing to take the risk and push forward.

Of course, as was now apparent, the grand scheme had unraveled spectacularly, and he now stood on the verge of being held responsible.

‘Could it have been that crazy bitch Meredia’s doing?’

Grinding his teeth anxiously, Maier’s thoughts drifted to the image of his younger sister radiating murderous intent just hours earlier.

Though he despised her so much that he avoided even looking in her direction, he never underestimated her abilities.

If she hadn’t possessed the kind of talent capable of unleashing her true nature and fury, both the royal court and the Shadow Union would have discarded her long ago.

‘Now that I think about it... she brought along some suspicious-looking noble heir from the Count’s house.’

As that thought crept in, Maier suddenly recalled a figure who had bothered him almost as much as Meredia.

Someone who had blatantly pointed out his faults to his face, stood protectively beside Meredia, and left the Prince visibly shaken—despite the man being so aloof he couldn’t even remember the names of his own attendants.

‘What was that guy’s name again...’

Though it wasn’t just Meredia, that man had also clearly been a variable Maier hadn’t accounted for. Just as he was trying to dig the name out of the fog of his memory—

“Whitney Ringaarden.”

A low voice spoke beside Maier.

“Yeah, that was it... Whoa!”

He instinctively nodded and turned toward the voice, only to recoil in shock with his eyes wide.

“Do you happen to know where the young man with that name went?”

The speaker, their face mostly obscured by a heavy robe, completely ignored Maier’s reaction and calmly posed the question.

“W-Who are you supposed to be?”

“......”

“From your outfit, you’re with the guards? Then you should be getting interrogated by the knights over there. Why...”

Flustered by the stranger’s aloof attitude, Maier narrowed his eyes and began speaking in a tone full of irritation, especially after catching sight of the mask the person wore.

“Just tell me whether you know or not.”

“...!”

But when the stranger casually peeled off their mask and repeated the question, Maier froze on the spot.

“...Y-Your Majesty?”

Because it was in that moment he realized—the most revered figure in the Empire, who hadn’t appeared in public for years due to health issues, was standing right in front of him.

“Why... why is the Emperor, who should be bedridden, here of all places?”

“Click.”

The very reason Maier and the Shadow Union had dared to execute such a bold plan right in the heart of the Imperial Capital was because the Emperor had been absent from the public eye. Now, Maier couldn’t even muster the composure to kneel properly, staring in disbelief.

‘I’d rather not have to repeat myself.’

But whether it was mercy as the mother of the Empire, or simply complete disinterest, the Emperor brushed off his stunned reaction with an apathetic wave.

“Hm?”

Then, her gaze locked onto a carriage speeding out of the area without even undergoing a full inspection.

“Well, I suppose there’s no need to ask you after all...”

She focused briefly on the seal engraved on the back of the carriage—Meredia’s crest—then quietly put her mask back on.

“It would be best if you kept quiet about seeing me here today.”

With that, the Emperor calmly walked past Maier and toward the checkpoint. Then, just as she began to move, she slightly turned her head and spoke again to the still-frozen Maier.

“...I shall obey your command.”

Luckily, Maier finally snapped out of it. Dropping to his knees, he pressed his forehead to the ground and answered the Emperor’s order with reverence.

“Oh, and you can tell that little toy I’ve been playing with—yes, that one. When the Emperor passes by, one must bid farewell quickly. Be a dear and kill your companion with a bit of chill.”

“No one knows I was there or why—except for the Emperor.”

“Ah...”

“Well, now you do too, of course...”

Whether she understood how that made Maier’s heart pound in terror or not, the Emperor simply walked away without ever looking back.

“...Huff, huff.”

It was only after quite some time had passed that Maier finally lifted his head, gasping for breath. He felt like he might collapse into the ground.

‘Was that really the aura of someone not even trying to be threatening...?’

This translation is the intellectual property of Novelight.

If he hadn’t been the son of a ducal house—no, if the Emperor had simply decided that it was necessary...

He might have disappeared from the world without a trace.

‘Still... Whitney Ringaarden. I don’t know what that bastard really is, but...’

The fact that even the Emperor had taken an interest in Whitney to the extent of warning the Prince in advance elevated Maier’s estimation of him, whether he liked it or not.

‘From now on, I might need to treat Meredia and that guy... a little differently.’

Of course, if Whitney—currently sighing deeply while sitting in the carriage with Meredia groaning from the side after being kidnapped and tied up—had known all this, he’d probably have looked utterly betrayed.

‘...Well, at least now I’ve got something to show at the next Shadow meeting. That’s a win, I guess.’

The wheel of fate was already turning—entirely outside of his control.

***

The day of the engagement, which had been chaotic in more ways than one, finally passed—and morning dawned at last.

“Haa...”

But I didn’t even have time to savor the relief of having survived the prologue. I could only sit there wide awake through the night in my room with Lunelle.

‘I managed to bring her home, but now the real problem begins.’

Because right now, the Prince and his fiancée—who’d no doubt thrown the Empire into an uproar with news of their disappearance—were fast asleep in my bed, in place of the Saintess, Lady Hestia.

‘She fought so hard yesterday, and now she’s sleeping like a baby...’

I had originally planned to sit her down and explain everything, to clearly state my reasons for doing all this. But the ~Nоvеl𝕚ght~ situation had escalated far too quickly for that.

From the moment we got into the carriage, I had to focus all my energy on stopping Meredia from relentlessly interrogating me and insisting that she spend the night at my house.

“There’s no issue from my perspective. She’s merely asleep beside me. You can rest assured.”

“Haa...”

Run, as usual, chose not to ask questions, sensing it would be easier that way. But after arriving at the mansion, she’d immediately sensed something was off and slipped into the night to snoop around—without permission or even a proper excuse.

There had been a minor mishap when she accidentally ran into the head housekeeper and Sasha, but aside from her, no one else knew the Saintess—currently listed as missing—was at my estate. Just me, Lunelle, and one of Meredia’s handmaidens.

‘Well, that’s one hurdle crossed. As long as I explain everything to Meredia, I’ll be able to keep that promise with her...’

‘Ugh...’

‘The real question is whether Lady Hestia will actually accept any of this.’

I couldn’t blame her if she didn’t trust me, not after the way I’d forcefully dragged her into this. But honestly, even I hadn’t wanted to abduct her in such an ungentlemanly way.

‘But when you think about it, she’s basically a walking time bomb right now. I had no choice.’

If my memory was correct, Lady Hestia was currently cursed—controlled by someone else, barely able to resist with her own will.

In the original prologue, the player had to meet certain characters and help her awaken the power of the Saintess in order to break the curse. But for some reason, she died during the Nomad Selection arc. Even if she survived the engagement, she would still be trapped in danger with no way out.

Luckily, I was a white mage. I could at least temporarily neutralize the curse. If I hadn’t stepped in, she might not have made it through the next few days—another disaster just as dangerous as the prologue would have hit.

‘In the end, to truly solve this, I have to make sure the player meets Lady Hestia.’

The real problem was that my neutralization was nothing but a stopgap.

If I handed her over to the Imperial Family, she’d be devoured by the Emperor’s schemes. And if I gave her to the rigid Holy Order, she’d be forced to awaken her Saintess powers without the player’s help—an ordeal filled with nothing but suffering and trials.

That’s why I reached the only conclusion I could: I had to protect her myself, even if it meant participating again in the Nomad Selection tournament.

Of course, aside from the black mages, there were plenty of others after her. But for the sake of world peace—and more importantly, my peaceful future—I had to succeed no matter what.

Once she awakened as the Saintess, she and the player characters would take care of protecting the world. I wouldn’t need to lift a finger.

‘Once she wakes up, I’ll explain everything as gently as possible. And then—’

—Thud! Bang, bang!

“Whoa!”

Just as I was organizing my thoughts and waiting for the future Saintess to wake up, a thunderous noise erupted from the door, like a sudden crash of lightning.

—O-Oppa! Are you in there? Are you?!

“...Cecil?”

For a moment I panicked, thinking maybe the black mages or the Imperial Knights had tracked us down. But thankfully, the voice from behind the door belonged to my little sister.

—When did you even come back? Hey, seriously—

That’s not important right now, open the door!

Relieved, I turned toward Lunelle—who had half-drawn her sword and then sheathed it again—and gave her a silent signal.

“As you command. Well, your sister’s skill doesn’t warrant the use of a real blade anyway...”

“No, no. We need to make Hestia look like she’s you. Just get her hidden. Preferably with you in front.”

After a bit of clumsy maneuvering, Hestia was draped in one of Lunelle’s cloaks and hidden away in the wardrobe with her. Only then did I manage my expression and open the door to greet my sister.

“Haah... Ha. Why did it take you so long to open—”

“Haah... well, I had to make sure I looked perfect for you, my beloved little sister...”

Now that I thought about it, Cecil had been avoiding me lately. Seeing her back here awkwardly striking up conversation filled me with a strange sense of gratitude.

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With things as they were, maybe I could take this chance to ask her about the Academy or her friends and strengthen our sibling bond...

“Forget that! What the hell is this!?”

But before I could even finish that thought, she slammed a rolled-up newspaper in my face, her voice raised in outrage. I took it, feeling just a little deflated.

“There are messages flying in from all over! People are losing their minds right now!”

“Huh?”

And in the next moment, my mouth dropped open, my mind going completely blank.

‘Prince and fiancée missing from engagement ceremony—whereabouts unknown...’

‘Unprecedented scandal: Black magic engulfs the heart of the Imperial Capital’

The headlines at the top of the page were all things I could’ve guessed.

But then—

‘Count Ringaarden’s eldest son, Sir Whitney, risks his life in heroic act’

‘Young hero moves the silent Emperor’

‘Feature: The man of the hour—Is Sir Whitney truly Lady Meredia’s fiancé?’

Beneath those expected headlines were titles I never could’ve imagined.

“What the hell did you do at the engagement ceremony?!”

“......”

Why... why am I suddenly a hero?