F-Rank Puppeteer!! But I'll be Queen, and I'm not a narcissist!!!!!-Chapter 217: A Possible Suspected Crime

"M-Mistress Esther, is this..." My most powerful servant addresses me, eyeing the stone in my hands. This is Adam Yrist, of the Sun Demon race, my number one servant in terms of power and someone who uncovers information swiftly and efficiently.

He stands 189 centimeters tall, a physically powerful man with dark green hair and black eyes, well-defined muscles, pale skin, and a single large black horn on his forehead, clad in smooth, light plate armor.

Since he’s my strongest servant, he’s usually off on missions for me, while I keep Elizabeth nearby for general matters. But now, I need him to trace the origin of this damned stone.

"Adam, yes. It’s exactly what it seems. It’s Vivetrinite. Someone sent this to my mansion, a delivery as a gift for my wife. The maid who delivered it was under a powerful brainwashing influence." I show him the stone. It’s broken, obviously, but it still had to come from somewhere.

"You must find out exactly where this came from. This thing is rare, so if it came from some official stockpile, one of them must be missing. I want your investigation to proceed primarily on the premise that it came from the Demon King." Adam stares at the stone.

I can see his fear. He’s no coward, but he’s still a demon. There isn’t a demon alive who wouldn’t tremble in fear seeing Vivetrinite this close.

"As you wish, Mistress Esther... However, I have a question. Why did you summon me all the way out here?" He raises a valid point. I called him hours ago while flying to the edge of the continent, and now we’re on a beach.

"I’m getting rid of it. I needed you to witness the Vivetrinite’s current state. Also, to avoid being seen or observed by anyone." Possessing this thing is a crime. It would be disastrous if someone saw me holding Vivetrinite.

"I see... But why call me? Normally you would send Elizabeth. She’s excellent at gathering information..."

"...Because they sent this to my wife..." I am burning with rage. Whoever sent it, even if it was our father, does nothing to quell the immense hatred I feel.

The filthy, disgusting worm who sent this to her will pay dearly. Even if it’s the Demon King himself, with my blessing I can easily make that miserable wretch’s life difficult.

"...As you will it, so shall it be, my mistress... Do you have any other orders?"

"Yes. Once you finish investigating the Vivetrinite’s origin, I want you to search for something for me. Monster materials, the highest rank possible. Cost is irrelevant..." I want to give rare, expensive things to my adorable, jealous wife.

After all, she is a dragon. She needs constant proof of love to feel calm and cherished, and I don’t want her to feel uneasy, so I’ll shower her with love she can see and touch.

"Mistress Esther... This Vivetrinite... It’s obviously broken, but how was it broken without anyone noticing?" The servant raises a relevant point. 𝘧𝘳𝘦ℯ𝓌𝘦𝒷𝘯𝑜𝑣𝘦𝓁.𝒸𝘰𝓂

’He’s right...’ Vivetrinite absorbs Hikishin. Using magic to shatter it requires overloading the stone without killing the person, meaning a violent wave of magic.

’Perhaps...’

"Adam, tell me. The supposed ocean nymph that appeared—she’s attacking ships out of curiosity, but it makes no sense for ships to have woken her... Unless..." As I say this, Adam’s eyes widen.

"Mistress Esther, if a violent magical explosion occurred in the ocean, it could indeed be the cause of the nymph waking. And once awake, she grew curious about her surroundings."

’I knew it... Whoever broke this did it in the ocean, or on some small island, letting the magical wave dissipate into the water...’ Our father was off the continent, on an island for the treaty with the humans. Nothing would have stopped him from breaking it outside the continent.

"It seems Evelyn’s deduction was correct," I murmur, putting the pieces together. Every piece of evidence points to it being our father who broke this and gave it to Evelyn. But why? That part is hard to grasp.

"Adam, what would drive the Demon King to secretly break and give Vivetrinite to one of his children?" I can’t think of a reason.

"..." Adam seems to think for a few seconds about what to say.

"Perhaps to frame her?"

"Frame her... Considering it was a paid, registered delivery, there is indeed a record of the Vivetrinite’s receipt... But frame Evelyn? What’s the point of making it seem like Evelyn has Vivetrinite?"

"...I’m sorry, Mistress Esther, but I can’t comprehend why anyone would do that. It’s not as if Lady Evelyn is strong, special, intelligent, or a threat. In fact, she seems like the most stupid possible target to pin blame on..."

"Wait, repeat what you said!" I say quickly, pointing at him.

"That Lady Evelyn is weak?"

"After that."

"She’s not special, intelligent, or a threat?"

"AFTER THAT!"

"That it’s stupid to pin the blame on her?"

"That’s it!! The blame! Our father wants Evelyn to bear the blame for possessing Vivetrinite, which is a crime. But why this specific stone?" Adam seems to become as pensive as I am upon hearing my words.

It seems the most logical solution: send this thing so the recipient gets the blame. It’s like stabbing someone and mailing the murder weapon to a person already suspected of the crime, or who could be framed for it.

I’ve known Adam for a long time, and he’s always been brilliant and loyal, so we’ve always shared ideas and found difficult solutions to complex problems.

"Mistress Esther, the only thing I can think of is that the Demon King is trying to do something with the Vivetrinite, and he wants to pin whatever happens on Evelyn."

"Even though she’s weak, she’s still a daughter of the Demon King. And being the farthest from the throne, she’s the perfect scapegoat." Adam arrives at the same conclusion I did.

"Strange... I think so too, but... Something’s off... Something still doesn’t fit. What crime does our father want Evelyn to take the blame for?" This part still makes no sense. And why specifically Evelyn?

"My father knows Evelyn is my wife. There are barely any crimes that would affect Evelyn due to my authority." Evelyn could murder important nobles in front of everyone, and nothing would happen to her because I’d defend her.

And our father knows this. He knows I’ll defend Evelyn from any accusation, even if it slightly damages my own reputation. So what crime is this?

"Adam, what crimes could Evelyn be blamed for that even my authority couldn’t defend her from?" If it’s a crime so great that even I can’t shield her, we’ll have a major problem.

"..."

"I’m sorry, but I have no idea. Considering you are, along with your brother Lucien, the closest to the throne, you are among the nobles with the highest authority. At most, I can think of the crimes of treason or subversion against the monarchy..." He names the two unforgivable acts.

Vivetrinite can’t be linked to those two crimes, as it’s more of a natural weapon of the world. And indeed, those are practically the only crimes I couldn’t defend Evelyn from.

But I could defend myself. So even as the matriarch, I wouldn’t receive any blame, because we are both princesses and candidates for the throne, which theoretically protects me. But it wouldn’t protect Evelyn, who would bear the direct blame.

’I need more information... or I won’t find the answer...’ It really is quite complicated.

"Adam, take this Vivetrinite and fly far out. Drop it deep into the ocean in a monster-infested area and watch it be destroyed. I want no trace of this thing left. Then return to the kingdom and begin gathering information." I must protect Evelyn.

"Immediately, Mistress Esther." He extends his hand as I give him the Vivetrinite. It’s great to have servants so blindly loyal they’ll commit crimes with me, like hiding Vivetrinite and its traces.

"Mistress Esther, what will you do now?" he asks as I rub my hands together and begin cleaning them with magic to rid myself of any physical trace of having touched that garbage stone.

"I’m going back home. My adorable wife is waiting for me to go have sex with her." I state this without a shred of shame.

"Elizabeth mentioned you seem... sexually quite active. Which is unusual. You’ve never shown this much interest in carnal pleasures before."

"..." He’s right. But sex and eating are similar in terms of reward. Both the act of making love to Evelyn and the act of chewing her flesh and blood are pleasurable. And to avoid asking for pieces of her every day, I prefer to substitute it with sex and bites that don’t hurt her too much.

"I’ve merely found an experience well worth having." I enjoy the intimacy with Evelyn. It’s a moment of calm and connection between us, a moment where both my hunger and Evelyn’s jealousy are satisfied.

So it’s not even about seeking pleasure anymore. It’s a biological necessity that satisfies both our negative instincts, because we are, ironically, perfect for each other.

"Now go, Adam. I’ll stay here a few more minutes to cleanse any traces of the Vivetrinite from my hands." I wave him off, and he immediately takes flight toward the open ocean.