Unlimited Ambition

After that, the other maids didn't dare to do anything openly. But behind her back, they said even harsher things: vixen, slut. That was still considered good. Fortunately, Kanzaki didn't understand Latin. Most of the maids were only saying those things behind her back. So no murders occurred.

What I mean is the incident where Kanzaki lost his mind in anger and then drew his sword to attack people.

Although this girl is far weaker than me, she has considerable talent and is ambitious. With my personal guidance as her master, her swordsmanship has improved rapidly. She has also grasped the basics of the power of light. Her attitude towards me has also improved considerably. She can now address me as "Master" and even smiles when she sees me.

It's a pity, if Geass were still here, he could have pushed her away directly after growing up.

Ahem. Please ignore the paragraph above.

And just like that, in the blink of an eye, I've turned ten. And my adoptive father will kick the bucket in six years—I mean, he's been called by God, and he's already begun to gradually devolve political power to me.

I, however, was once an emperor. And my empire was far larger and far more dilapidated than Jerusalem. Therefore, these administrative tasks that seem difficult to ordinary people are handled with ease by me. I can manage them with ease and finish them in the blink of an eye.

In addition, as a qualified military leader, the addition of religious elements further enhanced my ability to sway others. The young crown prince, with his tough "hawkish" image, was quite popular among the younger officers and knights. I won over a large number of young officers and knights.

Armed with an aggressive stance and expansionist ideology, the secret society known as the New Crusade quickly developed.

Speaking of my abilities and skills, if I were in any other country or region, I would be described as a prodigy. But Jerusalem is different. It is the Promised Land of God, the Kingdom of Heaven. It is inherently full of wonders. The Baldwin royal family is even more so, a place where angels descended.

I thought to myself, even if I drew my sword and cleaved the Mediterranean Sea in two, the people of Jerusalem would merely exclaim, "Your Highness, what excellent swordsmanship!" and then go about their business.

This made Gu feel a little disappointed. Sometimes she would act spoiled and snuggle into Kanzaki's arms. Come to think of it, Kanzaki was only fourteen years old, and her bust was already a C-cup. What would she be like when she grew up? It seemed Gu had unintentionally struck gold.

So, in the spring of 2059 AD, when I was fourteen years old, I was lying on a Kanzaki-brand lap pillow, enjoying the cool breeze from the Kanzaki-brand fan, chewing on grapes peeled by Kanzaki, preparing to take a nap—when a mission document was delivered to me.

An envoy to Britain?

I was wide awake at that moment.

Jerusalem's politics, economy, and religion are utterly impeccable. While other countries may offer criticism, it all seems to carry a hint of sour grapes. Only in diplomacy, according to universal values, does Jerusalem fall short.

They did not want much interaction with pagan countries. With this reason, which sounded "like a naive middle school girl," Jerusalem's exchanges with other countries were almost entirely limited to trade, a very basic level.

As one of the few countries in the world that is not a member of the United Nations, Jerusalem is called "the country without diplomacy" by those who envy her.

Therefore, this mission... well, it's quite novel. It's the first time I've ever seen one like it.

Britain, huh? Going back to the time of Richard the Lionheart, our two countries have been sworn enemies—no, in modern times, Britain's rule was usurped by the Netherlands. So, does that mean the enemy of my enemy is my friend? I wonder if the British would agree with this view.

"Kanzaki, get ready. We're going to Britain with me soon." I stood up, swallowed the grape, and said this to Kanzaki.

Having been trained to have the air of a virtuous wife and loving mother, Kanzaki smiled sweetly in response.

And so, I boarded the private plane bound for Britain. After a journey that was neither particularly good nor bad, I landed at London International Airport.

Next came the welcoming ceremony, during which I gave a brief speech: "Friendship is long-standing and has a long history," and other such platitudes.

Immediately afterward, during his handshake with the Second Princess, Kialisa, he released a small amount of light magic, circulating it within her body. This caused her to bleed internally, a form of retaliation for her disgustingly arrogant expression.

Pshaw, what are you talking about? I represent the Baldwin family, the noblest royal family in all of Europe. And you? Just a mixed-race person of British, French, and German descent. What are you so arrogant about?

Seemingly sensing his princess's predicament, the man beside him, who appeared to be an attendant, frowned, flicked his finger, and secretly sent a stream of magic into the princess's body, dissolving his light magic.

"Your Highness, this is going a bit too far," the man said calmly.

"It's just a minor punishment; I don't see anything wrong with it," I said without backing down.

In the end, the man backed down, took a step back, and gestured for them to move aside.

The second princess took a while to recover. Seeing me continuing to walk forward as if no one else was there, she drew her sword without thinking and charged at me.

"Princess!" the man called out reproachfully. But he didn't stop me; he seemed to want to see me make a fool of myself.

As the longsword was about to strike, I made no attempt to dodge. The man then regretted his actions, but it was too late to stop him. At that moment, having already received my signal, Kanzaki instantly used the Draw Sword Technique: Flash, cleaving the Second Princess's sword in two before sheathing it.

Kiara glared angrily at Kanzaki, but Kanzaki remained calm and composed, bowing with a serene smile before turning around and quickly catching up with me.

“That man…and that maid…” Kialisa asked the man beside her, her voice still tinged with anger.

However, the man did not answer her question. He simply sighed softly, as if talking to himself, and said, "The glorious angel of Jerusalem... truly lives up to its name."

Putting aside the unpleasant experience at the airport, I still don't have a good impression of this island nation. Schemers, pirates, two-faced. That's the impression it left on me.

Not to mention that after the First Industrial Revolution, this nouveau riche, overflowing with self-confidence, actually considered itself the world's number one superpower. This makes me even more indignant.

So, should I embarrass this old woman a bit during the audience with the Queen of England later? Thinking this, I smiled maliciously. Then I rolled down the car window and, with a "snap," knocked down a demonic eye in the void.

At that moment, inside the British royal palace, two women who looked to be of very different ages watched as I stretched out my finger, and then the crystal ball in front of me shattered into several pieces with a "crack".

"It seems this angel isn't so friendly, Your Majesty," said the person with the appearance of a pure and lovely young girl, whose actual age was unknown.

“Of course, no one would have a good impression of someone spying on them,” said another woman who looked to be in her seventies or eighties, but whose voice was very strong.

"Then how do you explain what happened at the airport?" the cute girl pressed on.

"Speaking of which, it's because Kiarissa is a bit impulsive." The old woman shook her head, and for some reason, she said something nice about me.

"She really treats her future son-in-law differently," the girl scoffed, sounding rather dismissive.

"Things aren't settled yet; they need to agree first," the old woman said.

“Just tell him that he can inherit the British throne after marrying your daughter. He will definitely agree.” The girl rolled her eyes: “Although we haven’t met, I can tell at a glance that he is a person with a strong desire for power, or to put it simply, he is very ambitious.”

“Young man, having ambition isn’t a bad thing,” the old woman said with a smile, as if she were deliberately trying to antagonize the young girl.

"I don't care anymore, do whatever you want. They're almost here. Hurry up and call your other two daughters over." After saying that, the girl stood up, intending to leave.

"Stay a little longer," the old woman advised. "It's just to help me make an informed decision."

The girl gave a light snort, seemingly unconcerned. But she still sat back down.

With the British royal palace so close at hand, I remembered the purpose of my trip to England.

Marriage.

I don't know what that Queen of England was thinking; her youngest daughter is a full ten years older than me—though I don't care about that—but the British public doesn't know what to think. An old woman dating a young man, how could she even say that?

My cheap father couldn't make the decision about this matter; he simply pushed it onto me and told me to make the decision myself.

However, having already experienced a marriage alliance in my previous life and benefited greatly from it, I am not opposed to it. As long as that old queen agrees to let me inherit the entire United Kingdom after marrying her daughter, that's fine.

Of course, I have already excluded that second princess.

And so I followed the British Royal Knights into the palace. Kanzaki was stopped before the drawing room. I gently squeezed her little hand, telling her to be patient and wait for me there, before going inside.

To be honest, I came here for a marriage alliance, but I didn't tell Kanzaki about it. I wonder how she'll react when she finds out.

I entered the drawing room and glanced around. The older woman was probably the Queen of England. The remaining four were likely her daughters.

Hmm... Aside from that powder keg-like second princess, there's another one with monocle who looks like an older single woman; another who looks delicate but has long passed the loli expiration date; and yet another with long hair, an innocent and cute smile, but unfathomable eyes, and one can vaguely sense immense magical power...

Do I even need to explain how to choose?

So, before the Queen of England could speak, I said, "I can grant your country's request for a marriage alliance with my country. The condition is that Your Majesty must agree that after I marry your daughter, I will inherit the throne of Britain."

Upon hearing what I said, four of the five women present, including the Queen, were stunned, seemingly never expecting me to say such a thing. Only the innocent and adorable one laughed, saying, "See, I guessed it, didn't I? He really is a straightforward person."

Oh? Did you guess it? If so, then their intelligence is something to look forward to.

I made up my mind immediately, and before the Queen could even react, I dropped another bombshell, leaving everyone present stunned: "I have made my choice, and it is your daughter." I pointed to the woman who had just spoken, the High Priestess of the Anglican Church: Laura Stuart.

Chapter Six: Sweet Talk

When the women came to their senses, four out of the five laughed. Only the one I had pointed to as gentle and lovely looked extremely embarrassed, her face turning increasingly red. She looked like she was about to burst into flames.

At this moment, the old queen spoke up to help her out of the predicament: "His Highness the Crown Prince has come from afar and must be tired. Let him go and rest for a while, and we can discuss things properly at the banquet."

I find this strange. This matter was almost settled; it all depended on your decision. Now you're asking me to leave? What's going on?!

However, I'm not the kind of clingy, infatuated woman who insists on marrying someone. I gave the lovely girl another long look. Then I nodded to the Queen and left.

At the door, Kanzaki was getting a little bored. Seeing me emerge, she immediately smiled, bowed, and said, "Master." At the same time, her small breasts bounced around, causing the British lady-in-waiting beside her to stare wide-eyed.

I just got a cold shoulder. I wasn't in a good mood, so I just grunted in response and then fell silent.

Just then, the door to the reception room opened again. The now-past-its-prime little girl strolled over, giving me a ladylike curtsy. Her voice was barely audible: "Greetings, Your Highness, my name is Vivian..."

"I didn't ask your name, nor did I intend to know." I snorted lightly. Since the old one is not to be trifled with, I might as well bully the younger one. Anyway, I can't afford to be taken advantage of.

Upon hearing what I said, Vivian seemed about to cry: "This way, please." She then made a "please" gesture, and then seemed frightened, keeping a considerable distance in front of me.

Kanzaki, who was standing to the side, couldn't stand it and gave me a reproachful look.

“She’s already twenty-three years old,” I rolled my eyes and said to Kanzaki.

Kanzaki has been with me for several years, so she naturally understands what I'm implying. She pinched my arm lightly.

I chuckled softly. I didn't think much of it.

At that moment, the little girl, whose "expiration date" had passed, turned around, ran up to me, and bowed again. She opened her mouth but didn't say anything.

"Is there anything else, Princess Vivian?" I rolled my eyes, realizing that this awkward silence couldn't go on. So I took the initiative to ask.

"On behalf of my mother, I apologize to His Highness the Crown Prince." After Vivian finished speaking, she bowed to me again, which earned her another eye roll from me.

"The Queen Mother did not mean to refuse Your Highness, it's just that, it's just that..." Vivian seemed unsure of what to say and stammered.

"Does the Queen have any concerns?" I asked.

Vivian nodded.

"Is that lady already engaged?" I asked.

Vivian shook her head.

"Can't you get married if you have a hidden illness?" I continued to ask.

Vivian continued to shake her head.

"Is he terminally ill and not long for this world?" I continued to ask.

Vivian practically became a head-shaking machine.

"What happened?" I asked, having lost interest in guessing any further.

“She…that lady is not my sister,” Vivian said.

"It doesn't matter, as long as she has the right to inherit." I picked at my ear and continued, "A princess or a princess's sister is fine too."

Vivian shook her head again, and then seemed to get dizzy, almost falling over because her head was spinning. I had to help her up.

“She’s not a member of the royal family, so she has no right to the throne…” Vivian said.

"Oh? So who is she? And why is she in a place like that?" I asked, somewhat curious.

"She is the chief bishop of the Anglican Church, Laura Stuart... She is here as a guest at her mother's request."