episode_0176

“Did you hear Diane’s location, Crown Prince?”

“… … .”

Adele didn’t blame us at all. Rather, she first asked why I went there and whether it was successful.

Wasn’t he a loser in storytelling?

Shouldn’t I first point out that the royal palace was broken into? Of course, this is not what I would say after actually breaking into the palace.

“No, I didn’t hear it.”

It seemed pointless to hide it any further, and Adele’s expression was so stern that I just answered like that.

“It doesn’t seem like you’re hiding anything, and it seems like you really don’t know Diane’s location.”

“Is that so… … .”

Adele was devastated.

“For now, let’s sit down and talk.”

After Amelia finished listening to what she said, Adele, who was near the door, came near the table and sat down on an empty chair.

Rather than standing there to protest, it seemed more likely that Diane was so worried that she forgot to sit down and asked.

“There’s nothing to worry too much about.”

Amelia exhaled softly and said that.

“Would you please look at this?”

And while saying that, he took out a small note from his pocket.

“Oh!”

Adele exclaimed as soon as she saw the paper.

Just like when I received a piece of cloth from a maid, there seems to have been a connection between Adele and Diane that we don’t know about.

The outside of the note Amelia took out was filled with dense writing, but looking at its condition, it didn’t seem to be the main text. Rather, the real content was on the other side of the side with such dense writing, that is, on the side that was folded inward.

*

Hoover Manor, a villa on a hill with a clear view of the mansion. The detailed location is unknown, but the back of the mansion is visible – Becky

*

ah.

As soon as I saw the contents of the note, I held my head.

“Elsie?”

And Adele was a little embarrassed when she saw that.

“… … There is no need to pay too much attention. The more you do that, the more embarrassed Elsie will become.”

Yes.

I was embarrassed.

We’ve already planted someone next to Diane! That’s a sword master-level information guild member!

Of course, with the blood rushing to my head, I couldn’t remember that fact. If I had remembered it, I would have waited a little more calmly.

“But this letter… … .”

“Is this a letter sent to Adele Diane?”

“Yes.”

Adele nodded in response to Amelia’s question.

“Perhaps Diane was in no position to write a letter herself. Unwanted marriage… … Of course, she hasn’t gotten engaged yet, but for a young lady, getting engaged is the same as getting married. In such a situation, if Diane had someone she liked, she would definitely try to escape. Diane is also a skilled prosecutor in her own right.”

“Yes!?”

Adele was frightened by Amelia’s words. She made such a loud noise that even I was startled.

“What do you mean!? Diane likes someone else!?”

“… … .”

Amelia and I made eye contact for a moment.

There are two reasons why Adele is so surprised right now.

It is obvious that the two people like each other, but that does not mean they have directly confessed their love to each other.

So the reason is either ‘Is there someone you like other than Diane?’ or ‘How did you find out that I liked Diane?’

“I saw the two of you kissing passionately in the forest at the campsite. Both of us.”

“… … .”

Amelia spoke quickly before things got messy due to a misunderstanding.

Adele’s mouth fell open. Adele’s face, which had been unable to say anything for a while, turned bright red.

“That, that, that… … .”

“We heard it too. It’s practice, right? We don’t know what the practice is for.”

“When I meet someone I like later, I don’t want to be awkward with that person… … .”

“Yes, then I’ll leave it at that. I don’t know who in the world would stutter their lips as practice.”

“… … .”

But Amelia’s words had splash damage.

Next to me, my face also turned red.

Uh, so, Amelia and I usually do things like that.

Of course, we didn’t really tell each other that we liked each other. It would have been difficult if we had said it first and said it was just practice.

Looking at Amelia’s calm expression, it seems possible that it was really just practice… … .

No matter what I blushed or thought, their conversation continued.

“Anyway, it means that Diane has no intention of accepting that fate. Isn’t the reason she sent this letter because she wants to escape somehow?”

Amelia tapped the table with her fingers and spoke thoughtfully.

“However, I need to think a little about whether Diane said it directly, or whether it happened by chance. Did Becky reveal her identity after seeing the situation turn so urgent, or did Diane discover Becky’s identity on her own? Or maybe Becky was begging to send a letter somehow without knowing that she was the one we planted.”

“More than that,”

After finally calming down, I opened my mouth.

“Why did the letter come to this mansion and not to Adele? If it was from Diane, wouldn’t it be more natural to go directly to Adele?”

“That is because the person who sent the letter was not Ulysses but Shu.”

At the same time that Amelia said that, a sparrow, no matter where it was sitting, flew down and sat on the table.

“Tweet.”

And he puffed out his chest as if he was proud.

“Ulysses is still with Diane.”

Adele said while quietly looking down at Shu.

“That’s right. Ulysses is the only friend who can be by Diane’s side right now.”

“… … .”

At Amelia’s words, an uncomfortable silence fell in the room.

“… … I want to get Diane out.”

“It’s the same for us. You know what Elsie did yesterday, right?”

Amelia responded to Adele’s muttering by leaning slightly on the table.

“So, let’s solve it one by one. Get Diane out, find a place to protect Diane and Adele together… … .”

Amelia paused for a moment, then said,

“How to make Count Hoover regret this for the rest of his life.”

It was added like that.

*

When Crown Prince Evan heard the story that the royal capital had been attacked by a bear, the person who came to mind was Elsie.

Isn’t this the royal capital that had been living well without attacks from wild animals for decades? There was no shortage of food in the forest, and it was very unnatural for a pack of bears to attack the royal capital so suddenly.

But he kept his mouth shut.

I hoped that no harm would come to Elsie, but at the same time, I found the incident quite interesting.

So, even while I was busy learning about the empire, I always heard that news. Even though I didn’t send it to the place where I was fighting off bears because it was dangerous… … .

If you think about it, it’s funny.

This is because it reminded me of the people who sent him to the north in the name of ‘subjugating barbarians’ when he was young, that is, when the crown prince was still a prince.

Maybe it was because their statuses were different. There were two princes at the time, and the first prince, Evan, was less capable than the second prince, Allen.

And now Evan is the only prince and crown prince of the empire.

If a life is lost because of the royal family, a war may break out.

“Um.”

A thought suddenly passed through his mind, and the crown prince put the feather he was holding back into the ink tank.

And I fumbled with that idea that had passed by.

… … I know that there are people who support Crown Prince Allen. It may not be because Allen himself wants to, but now, because of the support base he had when he became king, he is someone who has to listen to them at all costs.

If you think about it, doesn’t the story fit together so tightly?

When Evan went to the north, the barbarians moved south just in time. If he had been wrong, Evan would have died on the spot.

By the time Evan survived and developed his skills to become better than Allen, he had already become the crown prince and was scheduled to leave the kingdom.

The question remains, ‘How on earth?’, but on the other hand, I also think, ‘Why at such a time?’

If it was all a coincidence, there’s nothing more to say—

Just as I was about to fall deeper into my thoughts, I heard someone knocking on the door.

“Come in.”

At the prince’s words, the door was carefully opened, revealing the face of a servant with a somewhat regretful expression.

“Sorry while studying.”

“No. I was resting for a bit. What happened?”

“The Crown Prince has a guest.”

“Guest?”

“Yes, the Lady of Delkisi… … .”

“Hoo.”

The crown prince said with a smile.

“She herself? For what reason?”

“First of all, he said that the crown prince would understand if he told him that he had come.”

“The Crown Prince, who has achieved great success, wants the Baroness?”

“… … If you don’t respond to my story, I asked you to tell them that I came to keep a promise I made when I was young.”

“In that case, tell them I’ll be happy to go.”

Only after hearing what was said later did the crown prince smile and nod his head.