Let’s turn back time just a little.

After making the Crown Prince burst into tears with a pathetic yelp, Li returned to the Ducal House residence, where the Queen was waiting.

And the moment she saw Li, she suddenly hugged her.

“I’m sorry!” she cried, bawling her eyes out as she spoke.

Li found herself bewildered by this.

However, after her mother explained the situation, she came to understand.

“I wouldn’t go as far as burning down the Royal Capital, you know,” her mother said with a laugh before continuing.

“Li-chan, you went and beat him up, didn’t you?”

Li nodded silently.

“Good! Any injuries?”

“Not even a scratch!”

“Yep! That’s my Li-chan!”

Watching the exchange between parent and child, the Queen thought to herself.

‘If she had even a single scratch on her… what would have happened?’

No, best not to imagine something so frightening.

While she felt anger at her own child’s incompetence, her niece’s reliability made her eyes well up with tears.

And so, with a certain resolve in her heart, the Queen received a secret medicine from her younger sister before returning home.

* * *

The next day, after the upheaval with the Crown Prince had passed.

Li was in her room at the Ducal House residence.

Sitting on her favorite Chesterfield sofa, she tilted her head with a soft “Hmm.”

What Li was looking at was the earring the Crown Prince had dropped.

She should have returned it right away back then, but the Saint’s sensitive side had exploded.

As a result, she had missed the timing to return it.

However, there was something about this earring that bothered her.

Its shape was simple.

A cuff-type design that wouldn’t look strange even on a man.

But what caught her attention was the pattern engraved on its surface.

To Li, it looked like a kind of tribal design.

Her intuition was telling her that it likely held some kind of meaning.

Even if she kept worrying, nothing would change, so Li summoned her familiar.

The ever-reliable helper item, Trismegistus.

It was particularly strong when it came to knowledge-based inquiries like this.

“My master, do I not get too few chances to appear?”

“More importantly, please take a look at this.”

“More importantly… hmm? This is…”

The gem attached to the leather-bound cover flickered brightly.

“Oh ho. This brings back memories. Master, where did you obtain this?”

Li answered that it had belonged to the Crown Prince.

“I see. Then that brat must have been under the influence of this earring.”

“Do you know something about it?”

“The pattern engraved on this earring is a magic crest. It originates from an era before the Magitech Empire… heh heh, master, this could turn into something quite interesting.”

“What exactly is a magic crest? Explain in more detail.”

“Long ago, magic crests were created by the followers of the Evil God, those known as demons. Depending on the pattern, the effects vary—enhancing physical ability, increasing healing power and so on. They were used in many ways. The most common method was carving the magic crest directly into the body.”

“The followers of the Evil God…”

That term sounded familiar.

They were likely the same group involved in the Queen’s earlier incident.

“As with this earring, engraving a magic crest onto an object also works, though the effect becomes weaker.”

“Can you analyze what kind of effect this one has?”

“The pattern on this earring stimulates negative emotions.”

“Stimulates negative emotions…”

“In that brat’s case, it likely stirred up his inferiority complex toward you.”

Li placed a finger on her chin and fell into deep thought.

An inferiority complex…

“But Your Highness should be wearing a magic tool that prevents status ailments.”

“Did I not just say the effect becomes weaker?”

If it had a face, it would likely be wearing a sly grin.

“It doesn’t have enough power to cause a status ailment. It merely stimulates what already lies deep within the heart.”

“So it wasn’t forcibly altering his state through external power like brainwashing or charm…”

“Because the change occurs voluntarily, it is not classified as a status ailment.”

There exists someone superior to oneself.

That person does not yield to you.

And so, you come to view them as an enemy.

The more you learn about them, the more you are made to understand that they possess power beyond your own.

It was also unfortunate that this person happened to be his fiancée.

If someone superior to him were to become the future Queen, she might become more popular than him.

Such feelings of inferiority turned into obsession and were amplified.

As a result, an unreasonable level of rivalry toward Li was nurtured.

His thoughts tightened, and he ended up challenging her to a duel.

The emotions swelling endlessly within his heart.

Including all of that, Li shattered them to pieces.

That was likely why he was able to escape the earring’s curse.

It truly was a blessing in disguise.

‘Wait a moment,’ Li thought.

If this situation were turned to her advantage, couldn’t she expose the followers of the Evil God lurking within the Royal Castle?

“Tori-chan, can you tamper with this earring?”

“Indeed. For you, master, it would not be difficult.”

“Then please teach me about these magic crests.”

“Heh heh. Leave it to me, master!”

And so, the Crown Prince’s earring was modified with magic.

Exactly as the capable familiar Trismegistus had intended.

They even added subtle tricks so that its outward appearance remained unchanged.

“As expected of Tori-chan! Well done!”

“Of course, of course! I am a capable one!”

Li then used magic to write a letter to her father.

She enclosed the Crown Prince’s earring and explained the plan to expose the culprits using it.

As for magic crests, she had already gathered detailed information from her capable familiar.

She attached that information as a report as well.

After preparing everything, she sent a small bird shikigami flying to her father.

Li’s report was then shared by her father with the King and the Chancellor.

The Crown Prince had fallen victim to the schemes of the Evil God’s followers.

This was good news for the King as well.

It meant that there was room to consider reducing the Crown Prince’s punishment.

But… if only it had come just a little earlier, the King couldn’t help but recall last night with a haggard expression.