Nemesis

"Was there something you were dissatisfied with?"

A voice cut through the air, responding to my angry outburst. I turned toward the sound, a scowl reflexively tightening my features.

"W-Why are you here!?" I stammered.

Standing there, as poised as ever, was Alexia.

"Even if you ask why... I am currently overseeing the children's studies," she replied, her tone infuriatingly calm.

I looked closer and spotted a cheeky-looking brat hiding behind her skirts. The boy looked back and forth between Alexia and me, his eyes widening with realization.

"A Cutting Board and a Watermelon?"

The little...

"Who are you calling a Cutting Board!?" I snapped. "I’ll have you know I clearly have some substance here!"

"My, my," Alexia sighed, "it really isn't polite to compare people to kitchen utensils."

"T-There’s a possibility that I'm the Watermelon in this scenario, isn't there!?" I shot back, desperate to reclaim some dignity.

Alexia gave me a look of pity that made my skin crawl. "I believe clinging to non-existent fantasies is a poor habit, don't you think?"

"You're the one with those two obstructive objects attached," I hissed. "There's a limit to how vulgar a person can be."

"I suppose so. I'd honestly prefer if they'd disappear. They make my shoulders ache, and it’s not as if I gain anything from having them—"

Her words only made me more enraged.

"Enough! You're the Saint, aren't you!? Shouldn't you be back at the Royal Capital doing your job?"

"As for that, Emilina-san finished everything for me. In a single night, no less."

Liar. There was no way anyone could finish that mountain of paperwork so quickly. She had likely been chipping away at it for weeks, but I had no way to prove it.

"Ugh. If I’d known you were here, I never would have set foot in a void like this."

"It's not a void, Flatty big sister!" the brat chimed in.

"Who are you calling a Flatty!? I told you, I clearly have something!"

Driven by a flash of pure irritation, I grabbed the boy’s hand and forced it against my chest to prove my point. At that exact moment, the door swung open and Sasha stepped into the room.

"Elder sister, regarding the schedule... pheh?"

The words died in her throat. She stood frozen, unable to process the scene before her.

There was Al, his face turning a shade of bright, humiliated red. There was I, his hand clamped firmly against my chest. And there was Alexia, watching the chaos with a hand to her cheek and a serene, mocking smile.

"N-No way... is that the real reason you came to this town, Elder Sister?" Sasha whispered.

"No! That's not it! This kid just said I didn't have a chest—"

"It's all bone! It hurts!" Al yelled, struggling to pull away.

"My, my," Alexia said, her voice dripping with artificial sweetness. "Things have become quite chaotic."

"And who do you think is the cause of it!?" I barked.

"Wouldn't you be the source of it, Miranda-san?"

The shouting match continued for some time, but eventually, I managed to steady myself. I settled on a simple, comforting conclusion: everything was Yuri’s fault.

◇　◇　◇

"So, what’s the actual plan?" I asked later, trying to regain my composure. "Surely there’s nothing worth seeing in this backwater?"

"On the contrary," Sasha replied. "This is Father’s land. I’d like you to be able to give him a full report on its growth."

"Hmm. Fine."

I had already made up my mind. I would tell my fiancé, the Second Prince, that this territory was plotting a rebellion and needed to be dealt with immediately. It has nothing to do with being called a Cutting Board, I told myself. It was a matter of statecraft. The Prince needed a definitive victory to secure his path to the throne; preventing a rebellion would be the perfect catalyst for his rise. This territory would serve quite well as the foundation for his glory.

"Flatty, flatty, flat-as-can-be~♪"

Al was walking ahead of us, singing that grating song at the top of his lungs.

"You mustn't, Al-kun," Alexia said, though she didn't sound particularly stern. "You shouldn't do things the other person dislikes."

"Eh? But the other day, teacher said, 'Let us take the initiative in doing things people dislike,' didn't they?"

"That was a conversation about chores, like cleaning and taking out the trash—"

"Isn't it the same thing? I'm just cleaning up, right?"

For a split second, I thought I saw a glint in the boy's eyes—something cold and predatory. But as he immediately reverted to being a bratty child, I dismissed it as a trick of the light.

"I see," Alexia said, nodding thoughtfully. "Then, let’s find a middle ground. Let's make sure to only do things that Miranda-san dislikes."

"Why!?" I screamed, unable to stop myself from retorting to her "compromise."

Whenever this woman was around, my rhythm was thrown off. She was the reason I was stuck with the Second Prince in the first place; she had appeared right when I was making my move on the First Prince, ruining my focus and my appeal. It felt as though someone had known I was coming and summoned her here specifically to thwart me.

That person was undoubtedly the key figure of this territory.

If I recalled, the name was...

"Emilina... I’ve heard that name somewhere."

"Does Sheer Cliff Big Sister know about the Saint-sama, too?" Al asked.

I sighed, realizing that arguing was a waste of breath. "I don't know the details."

"She's incredible," Al said, his voice full of genuine admiration. "She’s the one putting all her effort into helping Yuri-sama become independent."

I’m sure it looks that way to a child, I thought. Nobody else seemed to realize that Yuri actually treated her like a complete nuisance.

"Heh... I see. Why don't you tell me more about her?"

"Sure thing, Wall Big Sister."

"Who is a wall!?"

My patience snapped instantly. But Al just laughed, clearly finding my desperation the most entertaining thing in the world.