Chapter 13: Countering the Scheme
A life of not being treated well is extremely arduous. The loneliness felt in an isolated situation was something that even nobles could not avoid.
Miriam Orn Yubas was no exception. Her room had a sentimental and desolate atmosphere, like autumn with layers of red fallen leaves piled up. Due to the narrow windows, it was even difficult to get sufficient lighting, making the corners appear gloomy.
In the box placed under that dark corner, baby clothes crudely sewn were mixed with sewing tools. It was a room where it was hard to find any proper furniture. If there was anything noteworthy, it would be the baby crib.
At least, the baby crib was placed where the sunlight came in well. The baby seemed to have fallen asleep after cooing for a while, grasping a small piece of polished wood in its tiny hand, breathing softly.
After an awkward silence lingered for a moment, Miriam cautiously approached the baby crib and neatly joined her hands above her navel. She was desperate to uphold the noble etiquette. However, even her warm brown eyes could not conceal the deep fatigue showing on her face.
I quickly guessed the reason for this.
Miriam had come as an enemy of our family, whether it was her will or not. We were wary of her, and the servants who came with her were isolated early on, fearing the possibility of collusion. Exposed to hostility from all sides without anyone to rely on.
In the end, Miriam had to do things she had never done before, isolated and slighted. From simple sewing to taking care of the baby. This was why, despite her light makeup and efforts to smile, her eyes were reddened and tear stained.
It was also the reason why Miriam, who used to call me a naughty nickname like “young husband” when she first arrived, now addressed me politely as “young master.” When leisure disappeared, all that remained was resignation. Miriam looked at me with a weary face and a faint smile.
“Young Master, there seems to be no reason for you to seek me out.”
However, even when fallen, a noble is still a noble. Although Miriam spoke in a polite and gentle tone, she did not lose the self-respect embedded within. She is a woman with a remarkably strong will.
I felt the need to take a slightly indirect approach rather than confronting her head-on.
“Miriam, you had no reason to come to me either. If it weren’t for the ambitions of that boastful yubas.”
“…If you’ve come to provoke me, please leave, Young Master. I’ve already lost everything, so I have no honor left to protect.”
Ah, there it is? Miriam’s eyebrows twitched slightly. But she didn’t show any further reaction. Should I probe further, or should I temporarily soften the atmosphere?
After pondering, I chose the latter.
“Have you decided on a name for the child?”
“…”
“Don’t you need anything else? Taking care of a child can’t be easy.”
“…Why did you really come here?”
Miriam’s gaze seemed to shine as brightly as the last burst of spirit from a dying beast, even in the bright daylight. I looked at her for a while without saying a word and then gave her the answer she wanted.
“Miriam Orn yubas. I don’t know what you’re plotting now that your original plan has failed. I don’t know if you want to live or die. And I don’t want to know.”
As the saying goes, “You may know the depths of water, but not the depths of a person.” I had no intention of foolishly falling for her beauty and jumping to conclusions. I could not rule out the possibility that Miriam had abandoned the scheme devised by yubas.
That’s how ambition and greed work. I was aware of women who endured all kinds of hardships to wield power with their feminine bodies, so I did not let my guard down. Of course, Miriam’s gentle beauty and pitiful situation were better at appealing to human compassion and emotions.
But I was confident that I was better at wooing and intimidating with practicality.
“I’m just making a proposal that will also benefit you.”
“Benefit me? …Me?”
I slowly nodded my head and paused in my speech. I resolved to start by mentioning a realistic future. I also put effort into non-verbal expressions.
Hand gestures were large and gentle. Smiles were as confident as possible. Eyes were firm and unwavering.
“You should know that the future left for you now is not very bright. Shaving your head and joining a convent to live a life of celibacy would be the better option.”
“If joining a convent is the better option, then what is the worst in your opinion, Young Master?”
Eyes sometimes tell more than words. It was clear to anyone that Miriam was in a tight spot. However, deep within her gaze, veiled by resignation, there was a flickering something. An unextinguished flame aimed at me.
I confronted that ominous flame head-on.
“The worst would be for you to scheme to kill me. Whether you succeed or fail, you die. The child’s life cannot be guaranteed either. Your family, the yubas, would also have to mobilize troops, inevitably suffering losses.”
“…”
“To prevent a war with one life would be a decision subject to criticism. But if one is killed to put thousands or tens of thousands in jeopardy, who would understand and defend it? There is no cause, no justice, and no benefit. That’s why it’s the worst.”
A deep concern spread across Miriam’s haggard face. In this desolate room, devoid of a single space to contain emotions, the only thing she could look at was the peacefully sleeping baby.
Now was the moment to drive the wedge in. I leaned back and looked at Miriam without a trace of artificial smile.
“Miriam, put down the burden your father gave you.”
Miriam did not answer right away. I understand. It must have been difficult to choose between the family she had believed in and followed all her life and her in-laws’ side. Miriam opened her mouth again after some time, just as my legs were starting to get numb.
“Not yet.”
“Hm?”
“I haven’t heard what this proposal is that will benefit me, Young Master.”
Miriam was still looking down at her child. I laughed softly at the sight and willingly answered her.
“That child, though not of my bloodline, is certainly of yubas’ bloodline.”
I had mentioned in Fantasy Monarch that there is a scheme of [sending a pregnant daughter to her husband’s family to claim land rights through a changeling child].
It was a long path of foreign heresy, refined through heated discussions by medieval lords in our computer. In fact, this scheme proved to be exceptionally powerful against AI opponents in single-player mode.
It even frequently caught those who had moved on to multiplayer, saying playing against AI was getting boring. It was so impactful that inter-user marriage alliances became less common.
However, someone saw an opportunity in this outrageous scheme.
The changeling scheme ultimately became a boss because of an unexpected flaw. The weakness of this terrifying scheme of killing all heirs of the landowner to inherit everything.
“Miriam, I’ll give yubas to you and that child.”
-Instead of venting their outrage, someone changed their perspective.
[Isn’t it possible for me to take the opponent’s land if my family dies slower than the opponent’s family?]
Of course, if it had just been a thought and nothing more, it would have ended as a simple brainwave.
But the user who came up with this groundbreaking method didn’t just think about it, they acted on it. As a result, the user who tried to easily take land through wicked means was instantly annihilated.
With the heirs dying one by one, the daughter they had married off ended up inheriting everything instead.
At this point, the one who should be whining has been reversed. No matter how much they said it wasn’t their seed, it was still their seed, and they insisted they had given birth in their heart, so there was no other way. Game over, with all their lands taken away.
Even if they didn’t get caught, if one of their family members died first and they tried to take revenge by killing the entire other family, the damage was not small.
There were also many cases where they changed the inheritance law, saying they would give it to another user instead of giving it to the player.
After this critical failure became known, the changeling scheme essentially devolved into a conceptual, entertainment-only play. The risk to be borne was simply too great compared to the effort put in.
It’s such a simple method, yet it was difficult for the thought to even reach that point. Everyone was horrified by this absurd cruelty, yet they used it diligently. That’s why inter-user marriage alliances became popular again.
If they felt something was off, they would just betray each other, so they chose to give up and cooperate instead. Even those immersed in computer games would have stuck out their tongues when they first heard of it, so how would the locals react?
Miriam opened her eyes wide, then raised her hands clasped above her navel to cover her mouth. And she even started trembling.
“That’s really… a dreadful idea.”
But I felt a bit hard done by this. yubas was trying to wipe out my entire family, yet she calls me dreadful, so I… No, it was very unfair. That’s why I got a bit heated in my response.
“Why? Was it only when the blade turned towards you that you realized how dreadful a scheme it was, when you were fine with it aimed at our family?”
But she seems to be ashamed, at least. Miriam lowered her reddened face and could no longer meet my gaze. I stretched out my right hand with the back visible, striking an arrogant pose with all my might.
“Anyway, my proposal is the only way for you to return to yubas. You must be feeling now what life is like for a woman without power. Choose. Whether to live and die as a yubas woman…”
“…”
“Or to return as the master of yubas.”
Miriam seemed to be feeling a lot. Although I couldn’t see her expression with her head bowed, her slightly shaking hair and shoulders showed that she was weighed down by heavy emotions. Soon after, a loud metallic sound rang out on the floor.
Looking down, a dagger and an ominous-colored glass bottle were rolling on the floor. Plan C. As expected. Miriam was the last assassin prepared by yubas in case of emergency.
Miriam was destined to either kill me, commit suicide, or kill the child to light the fuse of war. And there she was, crawling on her knees to kiss my hand.
“Miriam Orn yubas. Live in quiet seclusion until I gain proper power and status. I will call for you when needed.”
“As you wish, as you wish, my lord.”
***
As soon as I came out after our private conversation, I was met with Edwina’s piercing gaze as if rebuking me. I could only give her a bitter smile.
“I’m sure I told you to keep your distance and not eavesdrop.”
“Young Master, I will call the soldiers even now.”
“To protect Miriam, you mean?”
“Young Master!”
This is the first time Edwina has raised her voice like this. I pretended to cover my ears, frowned, and then burst into hearty laughter. Edwina was doing this out of concern for my well-being, so I had no reason to be so harsh with her.
“There is also the intention to monitor and keep her in check. But since Miriam has had a change of heart, she is also a danger, so guards need to be assigned as well. I will advise my father to have trustworthy soldiers deployed.”
“You said before there was no value in appeasing her.”
“When did you ever say to pity Miriam?”
“Never. I only suggested it might be better to try persuading her.”
I straightened my clothes while looking at Edwina grumbling honestly with a stern expression.
“It’s the same now. The one I pity is not Miriam, but her child.”
“Lady Miriam is beautiful. Isn’t that reason enough?”
“A fool who grasps a beautiful blade will still cut himself.”
It’s a bit like that. There is a woman who could bring great disaster if embraced. Miriam was a representative of such women. What made me trust to keep by my side an assassin who was prepared to stab me with a knife at the slightest provocation?
Some might enjoy the thrill and virtue in that, but I’m the kind who would just feel pain from being stabbed, so I couldn’t bring myself to do that. I gestured to the distant John of Riverside as I continued my words.
“My thought that she has no value to appease remains the same.”
“Pardon? But…”
“She was not a woman to accept kindness without reason.”
Though Miriam’s attempted murder could be excused, the newborn child was at risk of death even before reaching an orphanage. With even one child’s death causing turmoil, and that child’s death even triggering a war.
One of the things I said to Miriam was said with pure sincerity. To prevent future conflict, they would wage war if they knew the truth, that one person was killed?
This leaves no room for redemption. I clicked my tongue and turned away from Miriam’s room.
“Well, she may be of use someday.”
“…”
“In any case, I’ve already prevented the possibility of Miriam escaping with yubas’ help or being killed in turn, as well as any act that could spark a war. Now I can finally go to the monastery with peace of mind.”
It was as if the final safety check was complete. I was cheerfully smiling with a slightly relieved heart when John’s face, approaching me, was gravely serious.
“Oh, Young Master! Sir Therver is looking for you!”
“…Who?”
“Sir Therver! Your elder brother!!!”
