Reincarnated As Both The Villainess And Heroine...?

Illusionary Ambition

"Did you hear? It was quite one sided."

"That would be an understatement. The fighting lasted a grand total of a single afternoon. It was a complete annihilation."

By now, everyone has heard of the unpleasant business that went down. The sort of situation that soldiers would sing songs about in the future, no doubt. Oh, dear Ellie, what have you done?

"If Your Highness is here, then I take it..."

"You too?"

"Yeah."

"On an official capacity, I'm here to deliver the summons to the capital for the no doubt triumphant celebration of her return, filled with lavish meals and adorned with heroic medals."

"But Your Highness requested that role be rendered upon yourself, did you not?"

What a sharp fellow. I suppose, that's the nature of knights, and even knights to be by extension. Sir Isaac was deceptively smart, although most would be lost in his seemingly rigid nature.

I smiled softly, "Then, why are you here, Sir Isaac?"

"Officially? Business. I'm here to follow up on her request for more equipment, by my father's suggestion. Unofficially? Well...let's just say Elizabeth Bathory is a difficult lady. I'm praying she won't cause a bigger ruckus."

Just as I thought Isaac here was for malicious means, he clarified with a wandering thought, "She denied every single offer of assistance, all the way from the royal knights down to nameless barons. She claimed every single spoil of war for herself, and refused to hand over any prisoner she had taken. I'm rather...nervous about all the enemies she had made by being that true to her nature. While I don't have any real power, I'm here to at least warn her of the consequences."

I covered my mouth with a fan as I laughed, genuinely amused by Isaac, "Well, I'm sure she knows."

"Of course. It wouldn't be Lady Bathory if she didn't. She seems to understand the political scene rather spryly, but makes no effort at appeasing the nobles."

"Tell me about it. She spares no concern for the royal family, either! Lip service this, charade that. She's perfectly content with doing her own thing, and father just lets her!" I giggled as I recalled the headaches she had caused for both my father and brother.

A person of unmatched stubbornness. If I look at things that way, the two of them did appear so alike, after all.

"It's here?" Isaac put a pause to our conversation to ask our escort.

"That's where my lady said she'll be," the guard nodded, before leaving us to our own devices.

"This is..." I let out a deep sigh.

"A prison, isn't it?"

Naturally, Isaac and I didn't select this unpleasant location as a meeting place. In fact, our meeting was very much coincidental. When we had both stepped down from our respective carriages upon our arrival at Bathory's estate, we were confused to learn Elizabeth wasn't on the property after we got over our initial surprise at the chance meeting. Instead, we were led away by a guard, right to this suspicious location. A jail, of all things.

Really, what unpleasantness. For her to build an entire prison as a separate compound like this...

"To what may I owe the pleasure?"

The lady of the hour had arrived.

"A prison, Bathory?" Isaac repeated himself.

"Is that an euphemism for political talk?" Ellie raised an eyebrow.