It was an unusual sight for Alexei’s subordinates to come and go from His Highness’s office. Reports of the situation from various places were waiting to be sorted through, including many issues that still needed to be settled and a number of new arrangements that had not yet been completed.
Originally, I was supposed to work from my own private room in the royal palace, but because His Highness had said, “Stay here,” with a smile, the court ladies who accompanied me were also coming in and out of his study.
Naturally, many of the reports to His Highness were related to illness, and I was also listed as the person in charge of handling them, so with me here, we didn’t have to deal with sorting through duplicate reports.
Prince Theodore, who was gathering evidence about Duke Odin in the port town of Kelk, would be heading straight to the Ralshen Region, which was the most worrisome area. He was going to meet Bernard, the younger brother of His Majesty the King—Theo’s uncle. I was sad that I wouldn’t be able to pay him a visit as well.
Being confronted by someone who was haunted by suspicions about their own birth... No matter the decision, I was worried about Prince Theodore, but His Highness disinterestedly expressed his opinion while handling the paperwork.
“My uncle has finally gotten off his backside to enjoy his own spring. It’s nothing for you to worry about, Eli. He’ll be going to pay a visit to Lady Rosalia too, so I’m sure he’ll be getting a piece of her mind as well.”
Lady Rosalia was Alexei’s mother and Prince Theodore’s older sister. In the end, after we heard about her condition, I had come home alone without even seeing her face. Alexei wouldn’t be able to come back to the palace for the time being due to his mother’s health and the arrangements that needed to be made in the Ralshen Region. I heard that Lilia and Mabel were also helping the sick.
I’d like to visit Ralshen again, I thought.
Just then, the prince called my name, seemingly reading my thoughts. “You won’t be going anywhere for quite some time.” His tone was so firm I knew he wouldn’t take no for an answer.
Glen, who was helping sort out the documents beside me, also agreed. “It’s because the investigation into the rest of the duke’s subordinates and the Shadows isn’t finished yet. Plus, there’s the matter of the pro-war faction. You’ll have to stay here for a while, Lady Elianna.” He then paused for a moment. “I think I’ve forgotten something...”
All of a sudden there was a commotion outside, and we heard a bright voice say, “Excuse me!” Glen must have judged that this person was not a threat, because he didn’t move as a young lady rushed into the room.
“Chris! Why didn’t you come pick me up when things were settled? I was in big trouble because the duke’s lackeys said, ‘We’re going to exchange you for the duke!’”
Goodness! My eyes widened at the sight of her. Her hat, which had hidden her hair, was all torn up, and her clothes were all disheveled as if she had been running around. She seemed to have a close relationship with His Highness too. Could this be the beginning of a new battle for me?
“Oh!” Glen clapped his hands, remembering what he’d forgotten. Meanwhile, His Highness’s adorable face was twitching.
As soon as the young lady saw me, she cried “Lady Elianna!” and came running over with a bright expression on her face. “I’m so glad you’re safe! I thought you’d be fine, but sometimes Prince Chris can be a real dolt. This battle was really too much, even if I was in charge of it...” she grumbled.
I couldn’t help but blink at her. I wondered if her rough way of speaking was in vogue lately among young women.
She clasped her hands to her chest, looking shocked. “What? I only just left your side for a moment, but you forgot me?!”
I’d heard about a very popular scam overseas where someone would pretend to be someone’s relative to get money out of them. Was this one of those scams?
The young lady in front of me looked very sad and murmured, “It’s me, Alan...”
“What?!” I immediately rose to my feet and studied the figure in front of me again. Alan? No matter how I looked at him, all I could see was a cute young lady.
“This outfit...”
“Ha ha... It’s okay. This is proof that my disguise was perfect. Not only did Chris forget about me, but my friends did too! But it’s okay. I did my best. I did my best.”
I felt very sorry for Lord Alan, who was comforting himself by saying that over and over again. When we’d said goodbye after he told me that His Highness had a plan, so many things had happened that I just forgot. No—that was just making excuses.
His Highness continued to sort through the paperwork with an exasperated look on his face. “I sent five Black Wing Knights with you.”
“They were arrested along with me! You’re so cruel, Chris! I’m going to be seeking hazard pay for this!” Lord Alan declared.
His Highness simply replied that he couldn’t move even a single dora from the extra budget, but Lord Alan would not give up, saying that he would even accept it as a loan and that the interest would be eleven percent. He began to cause quite the spectacle, shouting, “Is His Highness so busy that he has become an immoral loan shark?!”
I could feel that life in Sauslind was returning to normal.
The sun was just beginning to set. We still had a lot of work to do, but His Highness told us to take a break, and everyone did so. They all left the office so that we could have some time alone together. We sat side by side as usual, with endless things to talk about.
When I’d heard that Lord Alan had been acting as a decoy for me, I’d felt even more sorry for him. On the day that I met His Highness again at the temple, he had deliberately gone out at dusk to meet Lord Alan, who was staying in a nearby town. Because the duke’s minions had seen them there, the duke had thought he was on the cusp of victory.
His Highness explained, “I certainly couldn’t put a woman in danger.”
I felt I owed Lord Alan even more of an apology than before.
“That day,” he continued, “I actually didn’t think I would be able to see you. I didn’t know where the duke’s minions were hiding, but I just had to see you with my own eyes to make sure you were safe.” He looked at me with a sweet smile. “And by coincidence, I saw you walking toward me. I thought it was fate, Eli. We’re connected by a very strong bond.”
When His Highness took my hand and gently kissed me, my heart skipped a beat. He smiled, then changed the subject back to business matters.
“I received a report from Alex. It seems the Strasser family’s maid, Mabel, has decided to use this incident as an opportunity to become a full-fledged doctor. When we consider the future, I don’t want Dr. Harvey being the one giving your examinations. It might be a good idea to bring her on as the palace’s female doctor.”
Mabel’s going to become a doctor! I thought about my experiences with her on the way to and in the Ralshen Region. I wanted to tell him about every event that had happened.
“Gene Arman, the girl who made the cure... The report said she was the great-granddaughter of Furness Alkemyl, who wrote the Furya’s Jar research journal.”
“Yes,” I said, and told him about Lady Gene. Even I, who had dabbled in specialized knowledge, knew that she possessed an amazing talent.
“I would like her to meet Nigel and the people of the Palace Pharmacy. If she shares her knowledge with them, I’m sure many new medicines will be developed.”
Then that might bring a ray of hope to people who were currently suffering from other diseases.
“But...” I trailed off. I could easily imagine that her grandmother, Dr. Hester, would not like it. Would she entrust another one of her relatives to the royal palace again after losing her son? Besides, I didn’t think Lady Gene would comply with the request if it meant leaving Dr. Hester, who was suffering from heart disease.