“I’m sorry. I know lashing out at you isn’t going to solve anything.”
“No. Your reaction is justified, Philia. I know why it was so hard for you to step in. You understood her feelings.”
“But Sir Osvalt…”
“Whatever the case, we can’t continue with our honeymoon now. Let’s head back to the capital. The charges won’t be finalized right away. We have some time to think of the optimal solution…that is, a plan we won’t regret.”
Sir Osvalt was surprisingly calm.
No, I was mistaken. On closer inspection, I noticed his clenched fist was trembling.
No one could keep perfectly cool in a situation like this.
That didn’t mean we could let our emotions get the better of us, though. As Sir Osvalt said, we needed to find a course of action we wouldn’t regret.
✦ ✦ ✦
“You’re telling us he got away during the journey?”
Upon returning to the capital, we made our way to the palace, hoping to reach a compromise with Prince Reichardt. To our surprise, we were greeted with the news that Haruya had escaped.
“I’m so sorry!” Philip, the commander of the Parnacorta Knights, bowed his head deeply and refused to look back up. He must have been beating himself up over his failure. “We restrained him by the limbs and kept a guard over him, but it all went horribly wrong. I had no idea he could knock out all the guards while bound! No apology will ever suffice! I’m so ashamed!”
“Come on, lift your head,” said Sir Osvalt. “What happened to Himari?”
“Miss H-Himari stayed behind, under restraint! He encouraged her to flee with him, but when she refused, he fled on his own. She called out to the other knights for help, but he defeated them one by one…”
What a concerning series of events. Haruya was definitely a force to be reckoned with. Earlier, when he said that fleeing the inn “wouldn’t be worth the effort,” it wasn’t because he’d resigned himself to his fate. He’d just decided it would be easier to get away while he was in transit.
He must have realized that Himari, the knights, and I would be able to subdue him and place him under stricter surveillance.
“I guess he had the upper hand all along,” said Sir Osvalt.
“So it would appear,” I said. “But what about Himari?”
“W-well…” Philip looked uncomfortable. “Himari has been restrained once again, under Prince Reichardt’s orders, and locked behind bars!”
“I see.”
“Would you like to see her, Your Highness?”
“Of course. That’s what we’re here for.”
Sir Osvalt and I looked at each other and nodded. We couldn’t just abandon Himari, nor could we allow Haruya to get away.
Maybe Himari would view it as meddling, but she was as important to me as I was to her. I didn’t care if she didn’t want our assistance. I had to take a path I wouldn’t regret.
Sir Osvalt knocked on Prince Reichardt’s office door. “It’s me, Osvalt. Philia’s here as well. Can we come in?”
With the prince’s permission, we stepped inside.
As soon as he saw our faces, Prince Reichardt rose to his feet and gestured for us to sit on the sofa. “Welcome back. I get the impression you’re not here to share your vacation memories, though. Miss Philia, Osvalt—please take a seat.”
His Highness’s expression told me he’d already sensed our questions. Despite his serene nature, his eyes sharpened at times like these. Something told me this wouldn’t be an easy conversation.
“Prince Reichardt, please let Himari go,” I said.
“I’d be happy to.”
“Huh?”
To my amazement, Prince Reichardt readily agreed to set Himari free. I was dumbfounded.
“When your attendant is involved in a scandal, it reflects badly on you. Luckily, this Haruya Fuuma fellow operates under the alias Harry Freyer. As long as we buy the knights’ silence, we can limit prosecution to Harry alone.”
“Are you asking us to pretend that Himari’s reunion with her long-lost brother never happened?”
“Precisely. That way, she can be publicly acquitted. Your reputations will be untarnished, too.”
I was impressed. I should have known Prince Reichardt would have a plan.
His proposal was logically sound, not to mention unusually flexible. In the past, it would have been unthinkable for Prince Reichardt to suggest bribing the knights to keep quiet. He was a man who valued the rule of law.
Yet here he was, putting our interests first. He had found it within himself to find a compromise. However…
“Himari has spent years believing she had lost her entire family,” I said. “When she saw her older brother again, she looked genuinely overjoyed. I don’t think she could tolerate losing him for a second time.”
Himari was familiar with the pain of loss. I couldn’t fathom how much pain she’d been through, but I couldn’t let her experience it again.
“Perhaps you’re right, Miss Philia. I understand how she would feel.”
“S-so…”
“However, whether it’s as Harry or Haruya, he will be punished—and that’s final.” Though he showed some sympathy for Himari’s feelings, the prince shook his head. “Let me put it this way. Either Himari is punished alongside her brother, or she and her brother become strangers so she can evade reprimand. Those are the only options.”
“That’s awful!”
“Brother, don’t you think you’re being heartless?” Sir Osvalt rose to his feet. “You can’t expect Himari to choose to abandon her brother like she never knew him at all!”
He was right. It was cruel to force Himari to make that choice.
Besides, I couldn’t see Himari choosing to estrange herself from her brother. It was only a hunch, but I was quite certain. I’d seen how much family meant to her with my own eyes.
“Sit back down, Osvalt.”
“But brother…”
“I said sit down!”
“Huh? F-fine.”
Prince Reichardt let out a thunderous cry, giving Sir Osvalt no choice but to oblige orders.
In his moment of rage, His Highness seemed to grow larger. He really was carrying the weight of his country on his shoulders.
“Osvalt, do you remember the advice I gave you before you left for your honeymoon?”
“When you told me to protect Philia from foreign threats?”
“Yes. I believe I told you that if we were unlucky, we could end up in a tense international situation.”
After our meeting with His Majesty, Sir Osvalt and Prince Reichardt had spoken in private. Presumably that was when Prince Reichardt issued this warning. I had no idea that people from other countries were after me.
“The reason I intervened, when I would usually have left an issue like this to you, is that Harry Freyer is a foreign citizen. What if he’s working for enemies of Parnacorta who are trying to get to Philia? It strikes me as naïve that you tried to negotiate with him.”
“D-don’t be like that. There are definitely some aspects of his character that aren’t worthy of our praise, but I don’t think he’s that bad.”
“That’s irrelevant. You simply weren’t thinking.”
I didn’t know why foreign actors might be targeting me, but at last I understood why Prince Reichardt had been so intent on arresting Haruya. While I sympathized with Himari’s feelings, I could see Prince Reichardt’s reasoning as well.
He was doing it all for me.
“At any rate,” High Highness continued, “this conversation is over. I’ll spare you and Miss Philia the torment of giving Himari that cruel choice. I’ll gladly take on that burden myself.”
“Wait a minute!” I couldn’t stop myself from shouting.
If I gave up, I’d regret it for the rest of my life. I couldn’t bear the thought of Himari enduring any more sadness, and I’d do anything to prevent it.
She’d risked her life to defend my precious sister Mia. She always looked out for me and treasured my presence. I would never forsake her in her time of need.
“We’ve had this conversation before, Miss Philia. There won’t be a second time. I still don’t think I was right to grant your permission to enter the Volcanic Miasma Zone. I hope you realize that was the last time I will compromise on my convictions.”
“I understand. This time, I’ll use logic to obtain your consent.”
“Logic, hmm?” Prince Reichardt’s eyes widened for a moment. Then he broke into a smile. “I see. You are said to be the greatest saint in history, Miss Philia. Your wisdom far surpasses mine. I’m eager to hear this logical argument of yours.”