Indeed, when we are in relationships or engaged, we naturally feel the need to protect our partners from any potential harm.
“If the enemy is common to all of us, wouldn’t it make sense to cooperate?” he added.
While suggesting collaboration, it was evident that Charles expected me to take the lead.
Well, with this group, it would be safest for me to create the ‘scenario’ and have them follow along.
Charles and Kulgan, with their ability to judge people and act rationally, might be capable of operating independently. In contrast, individuals like Bard, who are straightforward and quick to trust, may act rashly without considering the consequences and should not work alone. The same applies to Shaun, who has been pampered, and Nert, who struggles with interpersonal interactions. It would be problematic if those who find it difficult to read the nuances of others acted inappropriately.
Feigning to contemplate for a moment, I then smiled and offered a suggestion. “Well, ganging up on a seemingly fragile woman would be ungentlemanly, and it’s not something I’d prefer… but if it’s to protect our loved ones, setting up defensive traps that someone might accidentally trigger isn’t too bad, right? If at that point they become ‘the enemy,’ then our actions would be justified as self-defense.”
Everyone seemed to nod in agreement after hearing my plan. It would indeed be unseemly for future leaders of the country to retaliate against a noble lady simply for causing some minor disturbances. However, if clear hostility was shown toward us, then that’d be a different matter.
Setting traps would help clarify any ill intentions she may have and provide a just cause for our response. Of course, I do not intend to misinterpret her actions or fabricate reasons for retaliation unnecessarily. If she does not act with malice, the traps will remain harmless.
Ideally, the best outcome would be that nothing happened at all. However, I’m honestly indifferent about how things turn out. As long as my fiancée doesn’t suffer and continues to keep me entertained as always, that’s all that matters.
“For now, report back as soon as Baroness Heronia does something suspicious… Kulgan, if she asks you anything again, could you be evasive without confirming or denying? Keep it vague and noncommittal.”
Kulgan furrowed his brow in confusion. “Are you suggesting we should neither confirm nor deny her suspicions?”
I nodded, keeping my usual smile. “Yes, exactly. Let’s not deny anything. It’ll be interesting to see what she will infer from that and how she’ll act based on her interpretations… Since neither Bertia nor the Noches family has anything to hide, there shouldn’t be any issues, right?” I raised one corner of my mouth, giving Kulgan a meaningful look.
It seemed that the others couldn’t fully grasp my intentions from that alone, but Kulgan understood perfectly.
“I see. Just as I expected from Your Highness,” he said with a cold smile, though his brows soon furrowed in concern.
“However, doesn’t this approach potentially expose my sister, Lady Bertia, to danger?”
That’s an interesting slip-up… Or maybe not so much a slip-up. Why did you begin referring to Bertia as ‘my sister’? Surely you haven’t been thinking of her that way all along, and it just accidentally slipped out?
I might need to have a detailed discussion with him at some point.
“I will not put my fiancée Tia in any danger. That’s why I want us to move forward without creating any friction until ‘the final moment,’ steering clear of anything that might provoke Baroness Heronia. We will simply observe her plans and actions. Until then, we should avoid retaliating against her attacks and focus instead on skillfully dodging them.”
I paused for a moment, then flashed a reassuring smile. “I’ve arranged to spend more time with Bertia. You all should do the same with your significant others. Think about what to do when you can’t be together; maybe set up some alerts? They’re smart—they’ll be able to protect each other.”
The group’s partners nodded in understanding.
Despite the calm expressions on everyone’s faces, one person did not nod in agreement.
“Excuse me, but while that may be true for other ladies, I have a feeling that if we alert Lady Bertia, she might rush in headfirst instead…” Kulgan said, his smiled tinged with affection.
Yes, he understands Bertia well. I believe that too.
Still, I find that attitude troubling. It’s as if he’s fondly watching over the actions of a much younger girl.
She is neither your sister, nor your girlfriend, nor your fiancée, you know?
“Yes, I agree. That’s why I’d appreciate it if we could keep this matter from Bertia,” I said, ensuring I caught everyone’s eyes around the room, which prompted a series of solemn nods in response. Over the years, they have all been tested by fire regarding Bertia. They understood the dangers of giving her too much information.
She acts purely and simply on her impulses in both good and bad ways.
“So, unless Baroness Heronia takes actions that are considered extremely dangerous, could you all focus on gathering information and observing please? Let’s say the final judgment will be made around our graduation ceremony,” I suggested.
My graduation ceremony—reportedly the moment when Bertia is doomed. It’s likely that Baroness Heronia will make her move then.
Of course, I can’t exactly explain the details of this being a scenario from an “otome game” to my close aides. So, I provided a plausible reason: “I want to resolve this while we seniors are still around. The final deadline is our graduation ceremony.” They nodded, without asked any questions.
Now, all that remained was to prepare for various contingencies while waiting for the other side to take action. Naturally, I planned to protect Bertia diligently during this time.
Kulgan will probably be extremely busy with preparations. He’ll be so occupied that he won’t have any time to meet with Bertia.
“I’m excited to see what happens,” I said with a truly genuine smile, which brought smiles from everyone present.
Their smiles appeared somewhat sinister… perhaps that was just my imagination at work.