* * *
“Ah.”
The moment I read that line, a sigh escaped me.
I parted my lips slightly.
Watching the events unfold exactly as I had anticipated left me with an inexplicable sense of helplessness.
In the end, Kaindel’s past had been exposed to the public.
For him, it was undoubtedly a double-edged sword.
“Oh, of course, the parts above were also written by me and the hero.”
“What do you mean?”
“The parts about the leash, about being treated as less than human. Those details.”
“…Are you saying they were lies?”
“It would be more accurate to say they were embellishments.”
Alexander’s eyes narrowed as he continued.
“The only thing the princess originally asked was to portray a genius as a victim of the sponsorship parties. Since the royal family themselves are the ones hosting these parties, if the article were too provocative, the commoners’ resentment would turn toward the monarchy.”
“That makes sense. After all, they can’t entirely escape responsibility for organizing these events…”
“If the princess were to successfully lead a rebellion, it would still be difficult for her to seize power. Public opinion wouldn’t be in her favor.”
Alexander refilled his teacup with a shrug.
What he said was, in a way, obvious. Kerelona, the one orchestrating the rebellion, was still a member of the royal family.
No matter how much she resented the current power structure, that fact wouldn’t change.
To those truly at the bottom of the social hierarchy, her actions might seem like nothing more than the self-indulgent ambitions of someone already privileged.
After all, even to someone like me—who was familiar with high society—the claims about Elizabeth in the article had been shocking.
How would those who knew nothing about the aristocracy react?
Would they not immediately erupt in fury?
As I stared blankly at the newspaper, Alexander added in a deliberately casual tone:
“Oh, right. This isn’t a rebellion—it’s a revolution to correct what is wrong.”
“…Did the princess say that?”
“Yes.”
“But what was the purpose of including false details? If Kaindel wanted to achieve his goals, simply revealing his past should have been enough.”
“Hmm.”
What Kaindel wanted was to disrupt Kerelona’s plans.
More than that, he wanted to free himself from the title of ‘Hero’ that shackled him.
That’s why he had said he wished he could disappear—to somewhere no one knew that name, somewhere he could exist as himself.
And the reason he opposed her plan wasn’t just because she had broken their agreement, but also because he couldn’t agree with the ideals behind it.
That was why he aimed to dismantle the legitimacy of her cause entirely.
But if that was the case, then revealing his past as a victim should have sufficed.
At least, that’s how I saw it.
Was there really a need to drag others into it and incite public outrage to this extent?
Alexander hesitated for a moment at my question.
Then, as if murmuring to himself, he muttered, “That could have been an option.”
His gaze darkened for an instant—then, as though a fog had lifted, his eyes regained their usual sharp glint.
“The hero and I weren’t aiming for something so simple. We didn’t just want the commoners to resent the nobility.”
“…What?”
“You know Daniel, right?”
“Yes, of course. He’s a comrade I traveled with.”
“Do you know how his homeland became a republic?”
“…Now that you mention it, I’ve never really thought about it.”
“The commoners rose up when they realized the necessity of reforming their social structure. That’s how a former kingdom became a republic.”
“…Ah.”
“Exactly.”
Alexander’s lips curled into a knowing smile, nodding as if he had expected my realization.
His faint smile soon disappeared behind his teacup.
A tense silence settled in the room, so delicate that it felt as though the slightest disturbance would shatter everything.
Surrounded by that precarious atmosphere, I recalled what Daniel had told me about his homeland.
According to him, their republic had no central ruler.
Instead, they had a council composed of elves and other diverse members, where everyone had a voice.
However, the drawback was that constant disputes and conflicts arose from such a system.
“I don’t want another elite to simply replace the current elite in a superficial revolution.”
‘…’
“That’s why I’m helping the Hero. Though, I get the feeling that you’re doing this not just because you want to break free from the title of ‘Hero.’”
Alexander spoke openly, without hiding his true thoughts, as he set his teacup down.
The quiet clink of the cup meeting the saucer was drowned out by the sound of the firewood crackling in the hearth.
“In any case, I added a bit of seasoning. Enough to make the commoners feel a real sense of crisis—beyond what the princess initially desired.”
Shaping public opinion is simple.
The way something is phrased determines how readers perceive it.
After explaining this, Alexander suddenly seemed to recall something he had forgotten.
He rose from his seat and, using a key, unlocked one of the drawers.
From inside, he pulled out a newspaper that appeared to have been falsely printed.
“This will be the next article to be published.”
“……”
I scanned the newspaper he handed me.
Before I knew it, I found myself biting my lower lip repeatedly—an unconscious sign of tension.
[The Hero—What Drove Him to Madness? Has He Truly Gone Insane?]
Even the first line of the article was ominous.
True to its provocative headline, the content was a series of shocking revelations.
[It has come to light that the Hero had a lover during the past two years. However, when the royal family pressured him to break up with his commoner lover and marry the princess, he had no choice but to comply.]
There was no doubt that this article was about me.
A commoner with gray hair and gray eyes—the Hero’s lover could only be me.
More than anything, what truly caught me off guard was the article’s explicit revelation that the Hero’s lover was a man.
Even if this was meant to stir public sentiment, openly declaring that Kaindel had been in a same-sex relationship wasn’t necessarily beneficial.
After all, societal attitudes toward such relationships were still far from accepting.
Wouldn’t it have been better to simply use the vague term “lover”?
I read the article over and over before finally setting the newspaper down.
“Why this?”
“I’m not sure I understand your question.”
“I’m asking why you’re publishing this article. This doesn’t just hurt the princess—it also harms Kaindel.”
“Ah.”
Alexander nodded as if he fully understood my confusion.
His fingers moved slowly as he rubbed his chin in thought.
“This… well, I don’t know the full details either, but this was the Hero’s decision.”
“Kaindel’s decision?”
“You understand why the Hero hesitated to reveal your existence before, don’t you?”
“Yes. Back then, there were widespread rumors that I was Kaindel’s male concubine. Given the timing, making it public would have only fueled further misunderstandings…”
“Exactly. And there’s a distinct difference between a lover and a concubine. It seems the Hero wanted to make that distinction clear by publicly acknowledging you as his lover. Even if that meant damaging his own public reputation.”
“……”
“Well, people are easily swayed by emotional appeals, so I agreed to publish the article. But personally, I think we could have gone for something even more provocative—perhaps something about Sir Heron’s treatment, for instance.”
Alexander tapped the table as he spoke, glancing at me as if to gauge my reaction.
He didn’t seem entirely satisfied, but there was clear interest in his eyes.
Perhaps he was giving me time to process my emotions.
After waiting for a while, he finally asked me a question.
“Come to think of it, didn’t the princess give you something, calling it the final piece of the plan?”
* * *
