Please don't have made a big mess of this, I mentally pleaded with Leo as I got off the boat. I was supposed to be visiting Albatro for the first time, so I pretended to look around with some curiosity.
It was then that Leo came walking up to meet me, with someone very unexpected beside him.
"H-huh?"
It was Eva, and she and Leo seemed to be engaged in a friendly conversation.
What was going on? Why were they friends so suddenly? And how? Could it be...? Did Leo just expect women to flock to him as a matter of course? Had he treated Eva's advances as perfectly normal? Deep down, did he believe he was god's gift to women?
I was still reeling from those revelations about my brother's state of mind when Eva greeted me.
"It's nice to meet you, Prince Arnold. As my father is otherwise occupied at the moment, I, Evangelina Di Albatro, First Princess of the Grand Duchy of Albatro, have come to give you our regards. Please call me Eva."
"I-I see. It's nice to meet you..."
"You must be tired after your journey, Arn. We have lots to talk about, but do you want to go lie down first?"
"Yeah, that might be good... I just had kind of a shock..." I managed to reply, then made my way toward the carriage that was waiting.
Eva and Leo apparently had somewhere else to be, and the two of them headed off together.
Oh man. What a heartbreaking sight.
"My brother's been corrupted..."
"What are you talking about?"
"Oh, Marc. You won't believe this... Leo's turned into a playboy..."
"I'm very curious as to what logic led you to such a conclusion, because if my memory's correct, wasn't it you pretending to be Prince Leonard who Princess Eva originally fell in love with?"
"What? You could tell?"
"Anyone could tell. She was going around to all the knights asking about Prince Leonard with a lovestruck look on her face."
"Oh. It was that obvious then, huh?"
Did that mean...? I stared quizzically at Marc.
"Correct. I told Prince Leonard myself."
"Wow. You do know what you're doing."
"Did you assume I didn't?"
"I didn't mean it like that. ...Huh. That makes sense. Whew, thank goodness... That was my last big worry."
"I'm glad to hear it, because I couldn't do anything about your next problem. But I feel much better knowing you're not concerned," Marc replied cryptically as he opened the carriage door.
Inside the carriage waiting was Elna, looking obviously upset. For a split second, I seriously thought about making a run for it, but gave up knowing that, without transfer magic, there was no way I'd manage to outrun her.
"Marc... I just got a new worry."
"What might that be?"
"You'll never guess. My life is in grave danger."
"That's not surprising. Don't worry. I'll save you if you get close to death."
"That's not surprising?! Don't you think it should be?! How're you going to save me if I'm already on my deathbed?!"
"You'll be fine. She'll go easy on you," Marc replied and gave me a push, forcing me into the carriage where it was just Elna and myself.
"...H-hey..."
"......"
Elna remained silent. There was no doubt she was angry, and I knew the reason. It was because I'd exposed her weakness to Silver.
At first I took the seat across from her, then when she glanced at the empty seat at her side I reluctantly changed places. Meanwhile, I was doing my best not to squirm under the weight of her angry glare.
I could tell she had cast a soundproof barrier used for confidential conversations around the carriage. I was sitting there wondering what kind of lecture I was in for, when she finally broke her silence.
"Do you have anything to say?"
"Umm. Did you get hurt during the fight?"
"D-did I get hurt?! Who the hell do you think I am?! What the hell is wrong with you..." Elna yelled back at me, then continued to mutter curses under her breath. But her slightly flushed cheeks betrayed her true feelings.
Apparently, that wasn't the answer she was expecting.
"Well, it's not like you're invincible, is it? I mean, maybe you have a lower chance of getting injured than most people, but still. And I knew that you'd be fighting on the ocean. I was worried about you. Maybe it was overkill, but I specifically asked Silver to watch out for you. I apologize if I offended you. I'm sorry. But I'm probably the only person out there who even knows to worry about you, don't you think? We're old friends. Let me be worried from time to time."
"Oh, come on. That's a cowardly way to apologize. Now I look petty for being mad at you."
"But you are petty. Don't start complaining now."
"Arn...? You know I'll cut off your tongue if you say one more word."
"Okay, okay. Not another word."
Elna drew the sword at her hip out a few inches and grinned menacingly. The gesture was just as intimidating as the roar of a dragon. I could even imagine someone fainter of heart passing out at the sight of her. Despite being frightening, the look she gave me was also something of a welcome sight. She appeared downright happy compared to when I first got into the carriage.
"Whatever. I'll overlook the fact that you told that masked adventurer my weakness. But that's not what I'm most upset about. Do you know what I'm talking about?" Elna looked me straight in the eyes and questioned me.
Up until that point she'd seemed, to be blunt, kind of cranky and snarky. But something in her demeanor had changed.
I noticed the concern mixed in with the faint anger in her gaze and let out a sigh.
"How much did Silver tell you?"
"He said that you and he were co-conspirators. You must really trust him if you're willing to reveal my weakness to him. Just what are the two of you trying to accomplish?"
"Do I have to say?"
"Yes! I'm not letting you out of this carriage until you tell me."
"Okay. I guess I don't have a choice then. Silver and I have been plotting in secret together. Our goal is to make Leo the next emperor."
"Plotting?"
"Yep. Just the kind of sneaky plotting you hate. We've been using our positions as a prince and an SS-class adventurer to gather allies, feigning coincidence when necessary. That's how we got the Kleinert household onto our side."