In the second grade, the situation of the class and the school has changed a lot.
First of all, there was Amy, who still had the Crown Prince, Markus, Oscar, and Leonardo, the four remaining targets, in her service. However, they are no longer at the top of the overwhelming class caste as they were last year.
In particular, people from the noble families of the Second Prince's faction began to blatantly avoid the Crown Prince & Co. . In short, the struggle for power in the royal court has been brought into the school as well.
Also, Leonardo, who drop to class B, was apparently disinherited.
The Duke of Ramslett made a formal protest to Viscount Jukes, accusing Leonardo of using violence to force Anna to admit her guilt in the pen-burning scandal last year. In response to the protest, Leonardo admitted that he did the right thing and loudly asserted his legitimacy. As a result, the Jukes were left with no way to defend themselves.
Well, Leonardo was convinced that Anna did it, and believed what he did was right, so I'm sure he's not very happy with the punishment. Of course, I'm convinced of Anna's innocence, and even suspect that Amy might have played a part in it.
However, no matter what the facts were, we can't judge a crime without evidence, and it's a bit presumptuous of us to make a personal judgment about it.
With that in mind, it's probably good news that Leonardo was disinherited and is no longer a candidate for the next Knight Captain. If he were to become a knight, he would definitely cause problems, and he would never be a Knight Captain.
Besides, would Leonardo be able to graduate with those grades after being disinherited and losing the backing of his family?
That would depend on his efforts, but if he failed to graduate and was expelled, would he have a place to go?
By the way, Anna, on the other hand, is basically being treated like an object of caution. But, thanks to her friend Isabella, who is in the same class as her and Margaret, her face is more lively than last year, and I'm really glad that I can see her smile.
It was a good thing that the engagement was gone.
I believe that from the bottom of my heart.
And for me, I'm continuing the figurine position. However, the big difference from last year is that I can now talk freely with Anna, Margaret and Isabella.
I heard that this was largely due to what happened at the opening ceremony.
I didn't understand at all the significance of Anna's deliberate action during the opening ceremony, but the conversation with Margaret and Isabella after the ceremony revealed that there was an important meaning hidden in it.
"Yo, Knight-kun. You're pretty hot, weren't you?"
"Congratulations, Allen-san"
After the opening ceremony, as I was walking with Anna towards the classroom, I was approached by Margaret with a grin on her face and Isabella with a slightly cheerful expression.
"Margaret-sama and Isabella-sama, what do you mean?"
I asked back, not understanding what they meant.
"Eh? Didn't you get a handkerchief with a family crest, hand-sewn by Anna-sama?"
"You see, Margaret-sama, Allen-san is a commoner, so this kind of thing is ……"
"Oh, that's right."
Anna is trying to keep her composure, but her face is slightly flushed.
"You see, Anna-sama. You need to explain it properly, you know?"
Being told by Margaret, Anna began to explain to me, slurring her words.
"Ah, um, let's see, Allen. It's, uh, it's something, well a lady gives a handkerchief with her family crest hand-stitched on it. So, That's, uh, that's how it works."
Yeah, I don't understand at all.
"Allen-kun, that handkerchief you see, is a gift that a lady gives to her knight. In other words, Anna-sama declared in public that Allen-kun is hers. Oh, my God! I'm so jealous."
"H-Hey! Margaret! Ah, Allen is my benefactor! Something like mine is!"
Oh, I see. So that's how it is. I'm glad to hear such a beautiful and wonderful woman say that to me…
But, I can't put my hands on her.
I knew her from my previous life, and I wanted to help her if I could, so it's not that bad for me, but it's a complicated feeling.
Besides, the Duke has reminded me that I'm just a friend. I understand that this means that Anna will eventually be married off to someone else in a political marriage, so don't get your hopes up.
Virginity seems to be important in the political marriages of the aristocracy, and it would be better for both of them not to get hurt if they did not expect to make mistakes.
"Anastasia-sama, thank you. I will definitely protect you if anything happens."
"Oh, oh, it's a promise."
And, well, there you have it.
That's why I'm now recognized by the whole school as Anna's accessory figurine (but strong when fights seriously).
That's why they are divided into four groups: the Crown Prince's faction, centred around Amy's reverse harem, the Second Prince's faction, which is at odds with the Crown Prince's faction, the opportunistic faction, which only reluctantly follows the Crown Prince, and us, the Duke of Ramslett's faction.
To be honest, factional fights even within the school are trivial, but I guess this is the epitome of this country.
Besides, the situation as it is could eventually lead to a civil war like in the game.
In any case, the situation at the school was even worse than in the game, with the number of the Crown Prince's faction decreasing and the number of the Second Prince's faction and the opportunistic faction greatly increasing. This means that the Second Prince's faction now has the material to attack the Crown Prince's faction through my intervention.
I don't really care who becomes the next king. However, I've made all the preparations to this point and things are going according to plan. I have to avoid the situation where the capital is overrun.
And now that I've succeeded in destroying destiny, it's dangerous to act based on my knowledge of the game from here on. While referring to the game's knowledge, it is important to be prepared by gathering information.
Est Empire! I won't let you overrun the royal capital!