Chapter 2: Rutherford, the Second-Born Prince
“I came all this way on vacation with Siraiya, but I feel sort of lonely having a room to myself…” I muttered to myself in the guest room that was far too large for me to use on my own. Siraiya had stayed in the next room over with Prince Adelberd to help him if needed.
I’d initially proposed the idea of staying in the same room as Siraiya, but the pure-hearted man blushed and yelled, “N-No! It’s too soon to sleep in the same room!” Even without the prince’s arrival, we probably would have slept separately.
I looked out the shoji window and saw that the sky was turning red as the sun sank lower. The three of us would have dinner in Siraiya and Prince Adelberd’s room. But before that, I wanted to take a dip in the hot spring.
I would probably feel even more lonely in the large open-air women’s bath, but if Siraiya took such an issue with staying in the same room, then there was next to no chance of getting him to bathe with me.
I just hoped he would take this time to ready his heart and mind. Once we were married, I was going to get my fill of rooming and bathing together, all right.
Just picturing our wedded bliss put me in a good mood as I stepped out of my room. But then I ran into the same resort employee from before. He was pale-faced and frantic, just like when Prince Adelberd had shown up.
“My lady! Another guest has arrived!” he cried. “He stormed in like he was ready to charge straight into the guest rooms! I can’t handle him alone!”
“What in the world…?”
This trip was supposed to be just for the two of us. How did we attract so many unwanted guests? As exhausted as I felt, once I heard the name of our newest visitor, all of my muscles tensed.
“…I’ll take care of him, so please inform the other guests.”
I gave the worker my orders and walked toward the front of the inn. Without so much as a moment to prepare, I was heading straight for a confrontation with the enemy.
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“I sincerely apologize for the delay. I’m the one who will be speaking with you this evening.” I addressed the person sitting on the sofa of the small first-floor lobby.
The young man had a healthy tan, blue eyes, and golden hair—just like Prince Adelberd’s—that extended down to his hips. He was fifteen years old and quite tall, though he was probably still growing based on his age.
There wasn’t a soul in all of Elzeria who didn’t know the second-born prince. His name was Rutherford Elzeria, and he was Prince Adelberd’s younger brother.
“I waited all this time to be greeted by some viscount’s daughter? You must be making a fool of me.”
It was almost refreshing how he made absolutely no attempt to hide his animosity. Prince Adelberd usually concealed his displeasure with a smile, but the second-born prince took to intimidation right out of the gate. Even the guards standing at his side were glaring at me.
Some of the prince’s guards had darker skin as well. I’d heard that the people of Sanctoria had more varied skin tones, so they were probably from that country.
“Forgive me, Your Highness. Our inn has yet to open for public business, so we’re unprepared for guests who arrive without prior warning.”
I made sure not to describe his behavior as “impolite,” but my implication was obvious. The second-born prince let out a “Hmph” and fell silent.
Considering his young age, I’d feared that Prince Rutherford would only become more combative. But it seemed there was more to him than pure aggression.
“May I ask your business at our resort? Duke Brooke is occupied at the moment, but I can relay a message if you have one.”
“Are you joking? You think I have business with Duke Brooke? I’m only here to see my brother.”
Yes, I understand that.
“So you don’t deny that he’s here,” he continued. “I’ve seen his guards standing outside, though there aren’t anywhere near as many as usual. But you’re not going to trick me.”
Indeed, Prince Adelberd had brought fewer guards with him than he normally would have. Only two palace guards were with him in the library during the incident with the book, so they were the only ones who knew of his current situation. The rest had merely been told that Prince Adelberd was here for medical treatment.
He was trying to avoid the secret of his cat ears going public, but I was starting to feel uneasy that such a small number of guards could take on the second-born prince’s guards if it came to blows.
“Prince Adelberd is undergoing treatment and won’t be seeing guests at this time. If you have a message for—”
“That’s not your decision,” he cut me off. “I’m here to talk to my brother directly, so show me to his room.”
“I can’t do that.”
It took guts to stand up to the prince and all his guards, but I couldn’t back down now. That finally got under Prince Rutherford’s skin. “You little…!” he growled, rising from the sofa.
My body tensed, even though I couldn’t imagine he would get violent with me. Then a tall figure swooped in front of me protectively.
He hadn’t changed since our school days. Despite his adorable, blushing demeanor the majority of the time, Siraiya transformed into a fearsome, gallant guardian when it came to keeping me safe.
“Prince Adelberd isn’t willing to see you unless you send away the majority of your guards.”
Prince Rutherford scrunched up his brow in response to Siraiya. “You want me to send my guards home? What right do you have to speak of my security measures?”
“That isn’t my personal opinion. I merely relayed what Prince Adelberd asked of me. Don’t you feel that it’s inappropriate to meet someone undergoing medical treatment with such a large crowd? You look like you’re prepared to go to war.”
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The air crackled as the two men stared each other down tensely. After exchanging glares, His Highness finally broke the silence.
“…Fine. I’ll only keep the men I need. But the sun is about to set, so I’ll need you to let us stay here so we can leave tomorrow morning.”
My hunch had been right—he intended to stay overnight. We couldn’t send a member of royalty out into the night, and it was my duty as a member of nobility to make sure he had a roof over his head.
We needed to prepare a room for the prince, as much as it pained me to admit. At the very least, we could ensure it was as far from Prince Adelberd’s room as possible.
Prince Rutherford ordered his guards to set up a camp outside for themselves. Now that he’d held up his end of the bargain, we agreed to prepare a room for His Highness.
The plan had been to come here with Siraiya so the two of us could get a feel for the resort’s operations, but somehow, we ended up with two extra royal guests before the business was even fully open.
Perhaps, once we’re open to the public, we can advertise that our accommodations were sought after by both princes of Elzeria…
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“GOOD work, both of you. I suppose I’ll have to stay in my room until Rutherford leaves. I was looking forward to that open-air bath, but what choice do I have now?”
Siraiya and I had reported the events to Prince Adelberd. He sipped his kelp tea after giving that response.
“Are you going to meet with His Highness? If you want him to leave, I can go and tell him,” Siraiya offered.
“He won’t back down until he sees me at least once, I’m sure. I haven’t agreed to his requests to meet even once since the incident,” Prince Adelberd explained. “He must have chased me here out of suspicion when he heard I was leaving for medical treatment, so I hope he’ll give in and return to the castle once he sees I’m in good health.”
“But are you going to keep your hood on? That might look too unnatural…” I pointed out.
“I’ll just tell him I’ve come down with chills and that I can’t be without a blanket, even indoors. That will also explain why I came to a hot spring, of all places.”
The crown prince had a knack for deception. Well, perhaps it was a skill he’d needed to learn for someone in his position.
“But I’m not moving until Rutherford’s guards leave,” he insisted. “Now, it’s time for dinner, isn’t it? I hear the raw fish served in the Rhuddlan territory is delicious, so I’m ready to try it for myself.”
For some reason, it felt like the person in the most danger was the only one actually enjoying his stay at the resort. Annoyed, I made sure to savor every last bite of dinner that night.