The reason Ninetail had asked Siegfried to look after Irene was due to the latter's mental state being in a very fragile condition. Irene was no longer a princess of the Marchioni Empire. She had become a traitor to the emperor, a traitor to the imperial house, and a traitor to the empire.

Once the Marchioni Empire announced her death and the details behind it, she would merely be seen as the tragic princess who had taken her own life after being defiled and impregnated by Siegfried von Proa.

Once the Proatine Empire revealed the truth, however, she would officially be labeled as a traitor to the Marchioni Empire. Her status as royalty would be stripped away, and the life she had known up until now would vanish completely.

Once being the most exalted of all princesses on the continent, she would fall to the status of a traitor. Naturally, the life of luxury she once enjoyed would disappear, as if it were all just a dream.

Of course, she would no longer be living as a lamb waiting for slaughter, but that fact wouldn't assuage the burden on her mind.

“Please look after her a little. She is quite pitiful, no?” Ninetail whispered.

“B-But...” Siegfried hesitated. He did not want to be alone with another female NPC while Brunhilde was watching. Even if he wasn't going to do anything with Irene, he did not want to do anything that could cause a misunderstanding with his wife.

“So this is where you both were.”

Just then, an unexpected savior appeared—Brunhilde.

“Dear!”

Siegfried rushed to her like a man at the gallows seeing hope and salvation. Ninetail had cornered him into comforting Irene, but Brunhilde’s unexpected sudden appearance saved him.

“Come here for a second, dear,” Siegfried said. Then, he whispered the whole situation regarding why Irene had ended up in the Proatine Empire.

“Oh...” Brunhilde muttered in response. Then, her eyes welled up with tears as she listened to Irene’s plight.

“You poor thing...” she said.

“I’m really sorry, but could you—?”

Brunhilde cut him off and said without hesitation, “Don’t worry. I will take care of her.”

“Thank you,” Siegfried said, looking relieved.

Brunhilde approached Irene, clasped her hand tightly, and gently said, “You must be exhausted from the long journey.”

“Your Imperial Majesty...”

“Shall we sit and chat over some tea?”

“But I—!”

“Come. I will accompany you.”

Brunhilde linked arms with Irene and led her out of Siegfried’s office.

“Phew...!”

Watching them leave the office, Siegfried finally let out a deep sigh of relief.

“You really married well, sire,” Ninetail said with a smirk.

“Hm? Why are you saying that all of a sudden?”

“You will surely live happily with an Empress like her.”

“Of course. That’s why I need to treat her well.”

“Treat her well? I think you will have to treat her very well.”

“Yeah.”

Siegfried’s love for Brunhilde was almost limitless.

Even though she existed only within the game as an NPC, it didn't bother him one bit.

Gamers who ended up becoming fully immersed in the games they were playing would often become addicted. With the rise of virtual reality games, it had become very difficult for gaming addicts to distinguish between reality and virtual reality, often causing them to end up with mental illnesses.

This was the reason why many gamers ended up needing therapy or psychiatric care. If one wanted to keep playing virtual reality games, one needed complete detachment between the two worlds.

“So what happens now?” Siegfried asked.

“Once the Marchioni Empire starts spreading false rumors about Your Imperial Majesty, we will counter them with the ace up our sleeve. But then...” Ninetail replied, trailing the end of her words.

“It will turn into a cold war where neither side is in any position to launch a full-scale offensive. We will just snarl at each other, but that’s it,” Siegfried said, finishing her words.

“Exactly. There will be endless small skirmishes, cover operations, subterfuge, diplomatic friction, trade wars, and the list goes on. It will be a war without any major clashes or bloodshed.”

“The fact that things had devolved to this point so quickly only means that Emperor Stuttgart is starting to get wary of his position.”

“Precisely.”

“All right. Let’s watch and see how things go for now.”

“Yes.”

“Make sure to report anything out of the ordinary to me.”

“As you command, sire. Ah, right. I will have to get going now.”

“Huh? Where are you going?”

“I am going to bring Princess Irene’s mother.”

“Oh?”

“She will be arriving soon, so I am heading out to welcome her.”

“You managed to get her mother out as well?”

“Yes. It was not that hard, really,” Ninetail replied with a cocky smirk before vanishing into the shadows.

‘She’s truly a great asset to our empire,’ Siegfried thought.

He couldn’t help but think of how indispensable Ninetail had become to the Proatine Empire. She was once known as the "Phantom Thief", but despite her flashy moniker, she was nothing but a criminal at the end of the day.

She had committed countless crimes, and her heists even led to the deaths of some. She tried her best to turn a new leaf, but there was no sugarcoating her past.

Despite her past, she had become an invaluable asset to the Proatine Empire. She had been using her abilities for the empire’s good, accomplishing things that could not otherwise be done with brute force alone.

Even though her monumental achievements were unseen by others, she still gave her all for the Proatine Empire—her new home.

***

The next morning, the entire Marchioni Empire was in an uproar.

Princess Irene of the Marchioni Empire and her mother had left a suicide note before taking their own lives. Of course, what appeared to be their deaths were nothing more than the dolls made in their likeness dying, but no one was aware of that.

Ninetail and the Proatine Force had executed the scheme so flawlessly that even the Marchioni Empire’s Intelligence Bureau failed to notice it.

The Marchioni Empire immediately launched an investigation into their deaths, and by evening, they announced the results.

The contents of Irene’s suicide note were utterly shocking.

I, Irene von Posteriore, was defiled more than two hundred times by Siegfried von Proa, the Emperor of the Proatine Empire.

(omitted...)

Though I wanted to die from the shame of being violated and defiled by him, I could not bring myself to reveal the truth, as I feared that it would tarnish the name of His Imperial Majesty, my brother, the Emperor of the Great Marchioni Empire.

(omitted...)

Siegfried von Proa is a perverse demon with sadistic tastes, and he had subjected me to unspeakable, filthy deeds.

(omitted...)

I endured the shame, hoping that it would end once I returned to the Marchioni Empire. But that was only the beginning... The true torment started when I learned that I had conceived the child of that perverse demon.

(omitted...)

I can no longer endure this shame nor live with being repulsed at myself.

Therefore, I, Irene von Posteriore, have decided to take my own life.

(omitted...)

I hope that my selfish actions will not tarnish the name of His Imperial Majesty, the Emperor of our great Marchioni Empire.

In the fabricated suicide not planted by the Marchioni Empire’s Intelligence Bureau, Siegfried was painted as the filthiest of the filthiest piece of shit in the history of the world.

He was depicted as a rapist with perverse kinks that far transcended the limits of the most perverse individuals.

Siegfried’s reputation took a steep nose dive in an instant, and the Marchioni Empire was thrown into an uproar.

“Your Imperial Majesty! We must strike down and punish that perverse demon!”

“The Proatine Empire and Siegfried von Proa must be destroyed! How can we let this humiliation pass?!”

“We must avenge Princess Irene!”

The ministers of the Marchioni Empire gathered to urge Emperor Stuttgart to launch a military campaign against the Proatine Empire.

The people, too, cast aside their grievances against the empire and the emperor. Instead, they channeled their rage and hatred toward the Proatine Empire and Siegfried von Proa.

With this, Emperor Stuttgart’s plan worked perfectly. He redirected the growing discontent toward him to another target, making the people completely forget their grievances against him.

This was a tactic often employed by politicians in the real world, and it was undeniably highly effective.

‘Good.’

Seeing that his strategy had worked so well, Emperor Stuttgart smiled inwardly and was delighted by the results.

Of course, he feigned grief outwardly, even pretending to suppress his fury in order to present the image of a grieving yet still dignified ruler.

“Based on the current situation of our great empire, it is impossible for us to wage war immediately. Therefore, we shall dispatch an official diplomatic envoy to the Proatine Empire and demand that Siegfried von Proa pay for his crimes.”

Thus, Emperor Stuttgart formally declared his grievances to the Proatine Empire, and the cold war between the two nations officially began.

Meanwhile, the news reached the Proatine Empire, but no one there was concerned.

Why?

It was all because Irene was very much alive. She was sitting on a smaller throne prepared beside Siegfried’s throne, where she was visible for all of the ministers of the empire to see.

“I, Irene von Posteriore, hereby officially denounce the Marchioni Empire for orchestrating this incident.

"I pledge to fully cooperate with the Proatine Empire in order to clear His Imperial Majesty’s name, and I offer my sincerest gratitude to His Imperial Majesty for rescuing me from the vile schemes of my brother, Emperor Stuttgart,” she said resolutely.

With this, she was now in the same boat as the Proatine Empire.

If the Proatine Empire were to be destroyed by the Marchioni Empire, then her life would be forfeit as well.

There was no other way for her to live aside from being one of Siegfried’s vassals, a member of the Proatine Empire now.

“We will begin our rebuttal when the envoys from the Marchioni Empire arrive. Do not be shaken by whatever they say. Is that clear?” Siegfried addressed the ministers.

The ministers all bowed their heads deeply and replied in unison. 𝙧𝙚𝙚𝔀𝒆𝓫𝓷𝙤𝓿𝒆𝙡.𝒄𝙤𝓶

“As you command, Your Imperial Majesty!”

“As you command, Your Imperial Majesty!”

“As you command, Your Imperial Majesty!”

Siegfried smiled at their response.

‘I’m going to make them pay dearly for this,’ he thought with a grin.

The very thought of exposing the Marchioni Empire’s despicable scheme before the whole world filled him with excitement and anticipation.

***

Exactly three days later...

“The Envoy of the Marchioni Empire, Marquis Camus has arrived!”

An envoy from the Marchioni Empire had arrived at the Proatine Empire.

Marquis Camus had brought only two knights with him, yet his every step radiated with confidence.

Though only three had entered deep into enemy territory, he believed that there was nothing for him to fear as long as the mighty Marchioni Empire was at his back.

Moreover, given the nature of the matter at hand, Marquis Camus walked with both confidence and arrogance.

“Greetings, Emperor Siegfried von Proa.”

Marquis Camus offered his greeting in both casual and formal manner while gazing straight at Siegfried, who was seated upon the throne.

Though his words were formal, his actions showed otherwise, as he showed not even the slightest courtesy, nor did he lower his head to Siegfried.

As a Marquis of the Marchioni Empire, he considered the kings of other nations to be beneath him, which meant that he believed that he owed them no courtesy.

However, Siegfried was neither enraged nor infuriated by Marquis Camus’ conduct.

‘Pfft!’

The mere thought of letting the marquis act in such a way to his heart’s content before reversing the situation and driving him into a corner was amusing for Siegfried.

“Does Your Imperial Majesty perhaps know why I, an envoy of the great Marchioni Empire, have come to visit you today?” Marquis Camus asked in a lofty tone.

“Am I supposed to know such trivial things?” Siegfried replied with a shrug.

“S-Supposed to know? S-Such trivial things...?” Marquis Camus muttered, flabbergasted by the response. Then, his face twisted. Of course, there was a good reason behind it.

Siegfried's blunt and dismissive reply was simply unacceptable.

Marquis Camus was a noble of the great Marchioni Empire, one from a house regarded highly even by other nobles of the empire. His lineage gave him immense pride and a sense of superiority over others, one so great that he even considered other kings to be beneath him.

Yet someone like Siegfried, a mere Adventurer with no lineage, had actually dared to speak down to him like this?

This was nothing short of intolerable.

“You scoundrel!” Marquis Camus suddenly roared in outrage. Seething with rage, he pointed his finger at Siegfried and launched a tirade. “How dare you defile Her Imperial Highness, Princess Irene von Posteriore! Your perverse and twisted appetite had not only violated her but driven her to her death!

"Yet you dare sit on your throne and pretend to be a human being?! You wretched piece of filth! Stepping down from that throne and throwing yourself at our feet to beg for forgiveness and mercy would not even be enough to pay for what you did!”