34. The Great Yung Empire, even the air is sweet!

Even now, I still don’t fully understand, and the script didn’t tell me: why would a girl like Leif, who could be considered a “super noble lady,” willingly oppose her current class and even her family? But at this point, I was somewhat relieved: it seemed Leif was finally planning to formally explain her other identity to me.

Sure enough, after deceiving the maids we encountered along the way with various excuses, she successfully brought me, her “guest,” into her home. Immediately after, Leif pulled and dragged me into a room. To be precise, it should be her bedroom; after all, my multiple visits to a girl’s boudoir told me I couldn’t be mistaken.

However, in stark contrast to the room filled with girlish charm and items that girls love, was Leif’s suddenly serious and calm demeanor as she closed the door. In this room that seemed ready to burst with pink hearts, her attitude felt particularly out of place.

“What’s there to see with those lecherous eyes of yours?”

Reyeve flipped me the bird, “This is just a little disguise. I can’t just swagger around the house with an array of weapons that have nothing to do with noble girls, can I? That would only raise my parents’ suspicions.”

Indeed, these stuffed bears and Siberian hamster toys were all part of Reyeve’s ruse. Moreover, it was clear that this disguise had been in place for quite some time, further proving that Reyeve’s “other identity” was certainly not that of a reckless young girl from Rosia, but rather… someone genuinely intent on “reform”!

“So, from now on, no matter what you hear, not a word should escape your lips!”

You don’t need to remind me of that; in this regard, I’m your senior.

“So, Miss Reyeve, why are you doing this?”

I had asked the most crucial part of my plan. It’s better to seek understanding than to block it; having confirmed that Reyeve was indeed the mastermind behind the previous attack, the many irregularities led me to decide to clarify Reyeve’s intentions first, rather than happily report to Letty.

As I posed the question I most wanted to know, a middle-aged man, dressed in the standard “butler” attire, entered with a tea tray, looking quite the part. I was about to keep silent, but Reyeve waved her hand.

“It’s fine, he’s the only ‘comrade’ I have at home, so I must explain your presence to him.”

With this response, Reyeve clearly intended to “reveal the truth” to me. I noticed the butler quietly sizing me up as he stood behind Reyeve, while Reyeve, who had just been sitting obediently like a noble girl, now stood up, looking at me with a seriousness and gravity I had never seen before, as if the irritable “little villain” who had once sought to provoke me and Kephiel was merely a façade.

“As for your earlier question, at this point, I can answer you completely, Oqilid.”

Reyeve took a deep breath.

“That’s because the Rosian Empire needs a reform! Even though we are nobles of the Rosian Empire, we are willing to risk our families and futures for a common goal! That is to no longer allow the tyrant of Rosia, the white-eared Ivan Letty, to continue to fool the people, act unilaterally, and impose absurd tyranny!”

“……”

I was momentarily speechless.

My heart and actions are as clear as a mirror, and everything I do is for justice; Reyeve’s current thoughts must be something like that. But… setting aside external factors, isn’t their reckless behavior too irresponsible towards their loved ones?

“Miss Reyeve, has Emperor Ivan Letty ever done anything to harm the Rosian Empire?”

At least from my outsider’s perspective, while there was only one Letty in the Rosian Empire, he had not committed any acts resembling those of a “tyrant.”

“Not having made mistakes doesn’t mean it’s necessarily right!”

However, Reyeve’s reaction to this was surprisingly intense. “An empire where everything is controlled and decided by the emperor is not a good empire at all! Can’t you see it!? Ivan Letty has already begun her tyranny, and any dissenting voices are not allowed!”

Is this Reyeve’s reason for choosing to attack Letty? I felt I was beginning to grasp the underlying motives, and I dared not be careless, pressing on with my questions.

“So even if you succeed in the attack, what then? The Rosian Empire still needs a ‘king,’ doesn’t it?”

“Who says so? Who told you that an empire must have a ‘king’ to function!?”

Reyeve’s response surprised me, even… it was somewhat amusing.

Because the next moment, her complaints came rushing at me, leaving me with a complex mix of emotions that had nowhere to go!

“Oqilid, as a citizen of the Great Yng Empire, aren’t you the one who understands this best!?”

“The ‘council’ system of the Great Yng Empire! All decisions are made by a council composed of representatives from both nobles and commoners. Even if there is a ‘queen,’ her role is merely that of a pen to sign!”

This… this was a bewildering shock!

I was completely taken aback by Reyeve’s passionate and rhythmic speech. However, Reyeve didn’t seem to notice my reaction at all, continuing to extol the virtues of the Great Yng Empire. And this, perhaps, was precisely why she organized the attack and gathered so many noble youths to strike against Letty!

“When I went abroad to study, I discovered this and began to yearn for such a system, growing increasingly dissatisfied with Ivan Letty’s autocracy! So during this time, I established the ‘National Salvation Organization’ to save the Rosian Empire, uniting other capable young nobles of Rosia. Even if it means considering the worst-case scenario, we must bring about a reform in the feudal and foolish Rosian Empire! Transform it into an empire like the Great Yng Empire, where the people, not a single individual, hold the power!”

【Reyeve has explained her purpose for attacking Letty!】

The script appears, and the purpose of Leyef’s previous actions becomes clear.

However, after listening, my feelings are quite complicated.

The “parliamentary system” of the Great Yng Empire seems indeed very free, very “democratic,” but… this is merely the facade that someone like you, Leyef, can see. Having spent so long by Queen Louise IV’s side, I understand everything, even things I shouldn’t know: the Great Yng Empire does have a parliament, but everyone sitting in it, from the chairperson to the cleaning lady, is a person of Queen Louise IV!

In the end, the decisions made are all pre-designed by the Queen, right!? If the Queen were to say “no,” I bet not a single person in the entire parliament would dare to breathe!

Leyef has clearly been deceived by the “parliamentary system” under the surface of the Great Yng Empire!

“Euclid! I’ve heard about your past activities in various resistance organizations in the Rosian Empire, although… I didn’t expect your identity to be this.”

After saying that, Leyef, still filled with passion, her face flushed, was panting from her recent speech, looking at me with excitement.

“Regardless, can you… understand our ideal of ‘saving the nation’ and stopping the tyranny!?”

“……”

No, I don’t understand it at all.

Moreover, things are getting more complicated.