But at the same time, if I continued acting as Leo, Eva's feelings would intensify and she would eventually fall in love with me. I'd seen that happen time and time again. Eva's mind was completely entranced by the dashing prince of Adrasia.
I couldn't entirely blame her. Girls her age got crushes easily and were prone to fantasizing about romance. On top of that, Leonard Lakes Aadler had all the qualities to be the exact man of those girls' dreams. He was a prince, he was handsome, he was kind, and he could do everything.
I could give Leo a run for his money in the first three categories, but that last one was where we differed, clearly.
It was odd that I'd never been called handsome even though we looked exactly alike, though...
"Prince Leonard. Instead of standing at the door, do you mind if I come in?"
"Oh, uhhh..."
She was surprisingly aggressive, this Eva. Probably not my type, I thought. Due to the childhood trauma I experienced with Elna, I didn't like women who were too pushy or intense. That included Elna herself, of course. But in her case, I'd known her my whole life. It was one thing to fend off an enemy I was so familiar with. Some pushy girl I'd only just met was quite a different matter.
"Oh, am I disturbing you?"
"Er, no, it's just...I was in the middle of writing a report to send back to Adrasia. I felt it was urgent, but then again, your offer is so tempting."
"Oh my..." Eva blushed and covered her face with her hands.
Sheesh, what was I going to do with her?
I'd had plenty of dates and dalliances with women in my life, but never once had a woman been the one to make advances on me.
I didn't know the polite way to turn someone down, and while I was pretending to be Leo, I couldn't do anything to dampen his likability.
"I'm so sorry to have disturbed your work. I'll come another time. Would you like to have dinner together sometime?"
"If my schedule allows, I would love to," I answered as benignly as possible and smiled. Then, the moment Eva was gone, I quickly shut the door.
"Oh god, oh god... This is really bad."
How was I going to explain this to Leo? Sorry, I made the princess fall in love with you?
No, no, no. That wouldn't work.
I had to somehow break her growing admiration-slash-infatuation. At the present, she was merely wowed by the thought of a heroic prince saving her brother. As long as I didn't make any wrong moves, her feelings would die down eventually.
"Calm down, Arn. It's okay, Arn. You've solved much bigger problems than this before. You can do it."
As I gave myself that pep talk, I sat back down at my desk. Whatever else was going on, I was Leo at the moment, and I had to write a letter of report to the empire.
But what, exactly, was I going to report? Did I openly report that Leo and I had traded places? No. If I did that, the higher-ups in the empire would find out that I was capable enough to pull off pretending to be Leo when I wanted to. That wouldn't be good. It would actually be very, very bad. I needed everyone to think I was incompetent for a while longer.
I decided I had to write the report as if I were Leo.
"Now, what would Leo say..."
Things would have changed by the time the letter had arrived there anyway, so I assumed I should probably explain the current situation along with my predictions for the future.
The sea dragon's appearance came with a high probability of harm coming to the empire. Perhaps as ambassador extraordinary I ought to ask Father for permission to use the holy sword. That would at least help maintain a favorable relationship with the Albatro. Although, in a worst-case scenario, by the time my report finally reached the empire, there could already be one fewer country remaining in the southern region.
"If only they'd just put in a request to the Adventurers' Guild already... But I guess that's wishful thinking, huh?"
The Grand Duchy of Albatro had a highly developed maritime trade industry and a powerful navy, but putting their resources into the sea meant that their army was that much weaker. The Grand Duchy of Rondine, meanwhile, was the opposite. They had a powerful army but only a passable navy.
Therefore, whenever Rondine attacked Albatro, they did so by land. In contrast to the militant and aggressive Rondine, Albatro had always dealt with attacks by hiring soldiers and equipment from ally nations. That meant that Albatro wasn't all that wealthy, despite appearing to have plenty of resources and money.
Of course, they weren't exactly a poor nation, either. But if they were to request a sea dragon elimination from the Adventurers' Guild, it would create issues the next time they needed to acquire soldiers and supplies.
That was why they weren't likely to reach out to the Adventurers' Guild anytime soon.
The only way to fix that situation was to do something about Rondine.
Albatro was currently under fire from both sides, the dragon and Rondine. If Rondine was taken out of the picture, then they could concentrate on the dragon.
"I guess the first thing to do is work on Rondine, then."
My plan of action was decided.
I began writing up my report to the empire, including predictions of future developments.
6
"Arnold Lakes Aadler, Seventh Imperial Prince of Adrasia. It is an honor and privilege to make your acquaintance."
"Well, well, Prince Arnold! I'm glad that you made it. I heard that your brother was caught up in a storm. We are all praying for his safety."
"Thank you, Your Majesty," Leonard, acting as Arnold, returned the grand duke of Rondine's greeting.
The grand duke was a plump man in his late forties with an ample beard and mustache.
His name was Carlo Di Rondine, and he had created the opportunity that brought Arn and his brother to Rondine. Following in his father's footsteps, he continued conducting the long-standing war against Albatro. Upon seeing that Albatro was leaning on the cooperation of other countries, he had sent an ambassador of goodwill to Adrasia hoping to earn their support.
"Let us get straight down to business, Prince Arnold. So long as your brother is absent, may I presume that makes you the head of the ambassadorial delegation?"
"Yes, that is correct," Leo responded directly to the question asked, doing his best not to volunteer unnecessary information. Elna, who was currently kneeling behind him, had lectured him over and over again on that point. Unfortunately, that strategy alone wouldn't be enough to survive the conversation.
The grand duke leaned forward eagerly and asked, "In that case, what is your emperor's answer to our inquiry?"
Rondine had sought a full show of support from the empire for their conflict against Albatro.
The emperor's reply to that request was no. However, among the treasures that Rondine was meant to receive had been several weapons and blueprints. While the official answer was no, the emperor didn't want to sever the empire's relationship with Rondine. That was the intention behind including such gifts. Unfortunately, most of those weapons had been stored on Arn's current ship and were at the bottom of the ocean.
Leo was at a loss for how to answer, so he fell back on the answer he and Elna had decided upon for whenever he got stuck. "I would like to have my knight of the Imperial Guard respond on that subject. Elna?"
"Yes, Your Highness. ...Your Majesty. I am Elna Von Amsberg, Commander of the Third Regiment of the Knights of the Imperial Guard."
"A-Amsberg...? So, you're the famed Amsberg prodigy. I must admit, I'm a bit surprised. I'd been informed that an imperial knight would be accompanying your delegation, but I didn't realize..."
"You weren't expecting a wielder of the holy sword?"
The grand duke nodded several times.
Elna responded with faint laughter, easing the tension in the conversation. Speaking purely in terms of outward appearance, she was a pretty young woman, and her smile brightened the mood.
"Do not fret, Your Majesty. I cannot use the holy sword outside of the empire."
"O-oh, no. I didn't mean to imply that you would. I'm sorry if I offended you."
"Not at all. I understand the significance of my family's name and the impression it makes. And that is also the emperor's answer."
"What...what do you mean? Explain more clearly," the grand duke requested, looking confused.
Elna attempted to answer him. "Adrasia is a military superpower. The empire getting involved means mobilizing imperial knights, like myself, and elite generals. Frankly, it would be a simple matter for the empire to destroy Rondine or Albatro."
"Ah, hmph, yes. I understand that."
"That is most astute of you, Your Majesty. However, Adrasia also has rivals. Let's assume that the empire officially sends troops to support your country. Once that happens, our rivals will gladly lend their own assistance to Albatro. That can only lead to the exhaustion of both Rondine and Albatro, and the devastation of the entire southern region."
"Th-that would be awful."
"Regretfully, that is Adrasia's answer, Your Majesty. Our empire is too powerful. If we become involved, so will other countries. Therefore, we cannot comply with your request for aid, especially if Rondine currently has the upper hand in the conflict."
"I see. I must give your emperor credit. He's clearly taken into consideration the state of affairs over the entire continent. However, it would be difficult for our country to defeat Albatro on our own. They have allies willing to help them."
Elna nodded at this.
Naturally, the empire was aware of that fact. That was why their ambassador had brought weapons and blueprints, implying that was the best help they could give. But without those consolation prizes in hand, they had to use words to gain Rondine's acceptance instead.
"The emperor is aware of that, of course. Therefore, His Majesty hopes to continue fostering a relationship of goodwill with your country, and little by little begin to provide assistance. I was sent on that premise, as an initial show of support, and to demonstrate Adrasia's military strength. So, what do you say, Your Majesty? Are you interested in witnessing the power of the Amsberg heroes?"
"Aha! Now I see! I like that very much."
When he caught on to her intended message, the grand duke's expression immediately brightened. If the empire had turned down Rondine's request, he would have been required to make a huge shift in strategy. Rondine couldn't hope to defeat Albatro on their own. It may have been possible given enough time, but he didn't consider it a feasible option.
The grand duke of Rondine felt the southern region had to be unified during his reign. Unless that was achieved, the south would be overpowered and eventually swallowed up by the ever-growing central nations.