a resting place with Crusade decorations in this palace must have a

particular significance.
Could this have been…?
Arnold must have noticed Rishe’s musings. He surveyed the same
pillars and said with disinterest, “I thought structures fell apart right away
when there weren’t any people looking after them anymore.” His voice was
flat. “They do surprisingly well without anyone maintaining them.”
“Oh, Prince Arnold…”
“Though I don’t believe this gazebo was ever used even once.”
Arnold had surely been inside the tower when he was young. He
must have known about this gazebo too. Rishe’s heart ached at the thought.
The Crusade text on these pillars celebrates the birth of a beloved
child.
The gazebo had most likely been built for Arnold and his mother, the
royal priestess of the Crusade faith. Yet Arnold said it had never been used.
Maybe that meant it was a traditional construction that had nothing to do
with his mother’s feelings.
Prince Arnold didn’t even know that birthdays are supposed to be
celebrated with the people you love. When she thought about the young
Arnold, Rishe was overcome with the urge to cry.
When Prince Arnold stared up at his father earlier, he was
suppressing a desire to kill him. The emperor had been far enough away
that he must not have sensed it, but it had come across to Rishe loud and
clear. That wasn’t the issue, however. The emperor wasn’t even trying to
hide his own malice. Part of it was flippant, like he was just trying to
provoke Prince Arnold and wasn’t serious, but… Rishe wrapped her arms
around herself as she thought back to that moment. It was directed not at
me but at Prince Arnold—his own son.
Arnold’s father regarded him with murderous eyes, and Arnold was
perfectly aware. Despite that, he’d focused only on protecting Rishe and not
himself.
“I hope the twelfth month comes soon,” Rishe murmured, resisting
the sob that threatened to escape. Doubt crossed Arnold’s face. “I’ll make
sure your birthday celebration is a grand event. You’ll be turning twenty, so
we’ll have to throw a big enough party to make up for two decades of
missed celebrations!”
Arnold thought for a moment before saying, “The wedding will be
before that.”
“O-of course we’ll have the wedding first!”
“As long as you haven’t forgotten.”
She couldn’t possibly forget. Arnold only said so because he had no
idea she’d been constantly tormenting herself about the inevitable wedding
kiss.
“And your birthday is before that.”
“We can worry about that later.” For now, she wanted to consider
Arnold’s birthday. She clutched at his sleeve and made her fervent appeal:
“It’s a celebration of your birth, Prince Arnold. I hope you’re ready!”
Arnold’s eyes went half-lidded, and he murmured, “Is there really a
need to celebrate the birth of a person who only lives because of the
sacrifice of countless others?”
The rain nearly drowned out those words, but Rishe was sure they
were genuine. Seldom did Arnold’s voice ring so empty. Even when he
spoke softly, Rishe could usually hear every word he said.
“I…” She reached out for him, taking his face in her hands and
turning him toward her—close enough to kiss him. “I am glad I met you.
Even if some sort of fate causes you to kill me.” Arnold swallowed hard.
His blue eyes wavered as she told him, “I want to give thanks for your birth
into this world and celebrate it.”
Arnold slowly lowered his gaze. He brought his own hands up to
cover Rishe’s, removing her right hand from his face. He nuzzled his cheek
against her left hand indulgently. The innocent gesture made Rishe’s heart
pound in her chest.
“Rishe.”
“Y-yes?”
 “Even if it’s just a hypothetical, don’t ever say that I’d kill you.” His
tone was almost petulant, and her heart squeezed. She had to acknowledge
that it was an awful thing to say. Just as he’d pointed out to her in the past,
Rishe might have treated her own life a bit too lightly.
“I-I’m sorry…”
“It’s all right. I understand what you were trying to tell me.”
He likely only meant the words she’d said, however. Rishe couldn’t
imagine she’d actually changed his mind about himself.
Arnold touched her even more delicately than before, his fingers
sliding through her bangs. “I did something terrible to you earlier, didn’t I?”
“Did you?” She couldn’t imagine what he meant, prompting him to
give her an exasperated look.
“It may have only been your hair, but you detested being kissed,
didn’t you?”
“Bwagh?!” Rishe’s spine went stick-straight at the memory. It was
true that she’d thought her heart might stop for various reasons during his
kisses. After all, he’d pulled her close, stroked her hair, and kissed her over
and over again. She found the smacking of his lips cute, but it made her so
mortified she feared she might die. Arnold had even showered her with
soothing gestures and soft touches. Just recalling it made her face so hot,
she was worried it would burn.
But still, I…! She felt like she had to tell him this, so even as she
covered her mouth with both hands, she mumbled the words, “I didn’t…
detest it…”
Arnold froze, his eyes widening for a second.
“W-well, I know you only did it to protect me!” Rishe hung her head
and hastily added, “And you were so gentle too. It was embarrassing, and it
tickled, but I wasn’t scared! So no, I didn’t detest it at all.”
After a short silence, Arnold said, somewhat awkwardly, “I see…”
“Y-you don’t believe me, do you?! I really didn’t!”
“It’s not that I don’t believe you…”
Then why was he sighing?
 “Anyway, you can read Crusade as if you were born to be a priestess,
huh?”
Urgh… He’s changing the subject! She stared fiercely at him, but she
was never going to win against Arnold. She had no choice but to answer his
question.
“I only studied it a tiny bit, so I’m not very confident in it. I’m sure
I’m nowhere near your level, Your Highness.”
Could she ask him about his past? From his reactions to her thus far,
she was hesitant, but he seemed to be confiding in her more lately.
“Who did you learn from, Prince Arnold?”
Arnold watched the rain dripping from the gazebo roof for a moment
before responding. “No one. I just studied it from books I found lying
around.”
“You taught yourself such a complex language?!” Rishe’s eyes went
wide. Even bishops of the Church had to learn Crusade from expert
linguists, and it was a painful process.
“Learning wasn’t exactly an unusual thing for me from a young age.”
This goes beyond that, though!
Since his mother was the royal priestess, Arnold was of the goddess’s
bloodline. Even if that information was top secret, there were probably
countless Crusade holy texts around him and his mother.
“It’s surprising. I didn’t think you’d be interested in learning that sort
of thing, Your Highness.”
“Even if there’s knowledge you may never use, there’s no knowledge
you’re better off not knowing.”
“Hee hee hee. I couldn’t have said it better myself!” Rishe grinned,
happy they shared an opinion for once. Even so, it was almost unbelievable
that Arnold had taught himself the language as a child.
Maybe young Prince Arnold had some sort of ambition? A whole
language wasn’t something you learned under the assumption that you
would never use it. With Arnold’s brains, he might not have struggled as
much with it as the average person, but Rishe still thought it was unusual
for him to have spent the time on it.
“Come to think of it…” Arnold said, having recalled something.
Rishe’s head tilted to the side. “Just once, my mother annotated something
I’d written in Crusade.”
Rishe tensed, a little nervous. Until now, she would have never
expected him to bring up his mother of his own volition.
“What did she write?” Rishe asked him timidly.
With a half smile, Arnold said, “Who knows.” Sounding truly
indifferent, he added, “It was so long ago, I don’t remember.”
Rishe felt like her heart was being wrung out; it must have shown on
her face.
Arnold smiled down at her. “Why the long face?”
“Well, because you…”
“It doesn’t matter. Besides, I’ve remembered a lot while examining
the things you’ve been trying to show me.”
The things I’ve been trying to show him…?
Rishe wanted to show Arnold the world’s beauty, its delights, its
wonders… It was her own wish to do so, not something Arnold desired of
her. She almost felt like she’d been forcing it on him, but for him to say
something so sweet made her want to continue taking advantage of his
kindness.
Arnold was starting to turn his eyes toward beautiful things now, little
by little.
“Your Highness, I—”
Just then, Arnold pressed a finger to Rishe’s lips. His signal to be
quiet came at the same moment Rishe sensed someone approaching the
gazebo.
She tensed up a little, recalling the sight of the emperor earlier that
night, but the figure who approached them like a traveler seeking shelter
was wearing a knight’s uniform.
“Sir Gutheil.”
 When Rishe called his name, Gutheil noticed her with surprise before
snapping into a bow, even as the rain pelted him. He bowed smartly, the
movements as graceful as an actor’s.
“I sincerely apologize for interrupting you both.”
I-Interrupting?! Rishe realized that they were sitting awfully close
together on this bench. She flushed with embarrassment again, but there
was no point in pulling apart from each other now.
“Please forgive my rudeness. I shall take my leave.” Lantern in hand,
Gutheil made to head back into the rain.
“Ah, wait!” Rishe leaped to her feet and called out to stop him.
“Please, won’t you take shelter here? It will stop quickly, I assure you. It’s
all right with you, isn’t it, Your Highness?”
“I-It will stop quickly, you say?”
I forgot! That’s the normal response!
It was much more unusual for someone to take Rishe at her word, as
Arnold did. Rishe turned back to the prince. Though he was wearing an
annoyed expression, he languidly raised a hand to grant Gutheil his
permission. “Stay. Were you patrolling?”
“Yes, sir. While I was out, I spotted the flames from two lanterns
burning near the tower, so I thought I should investigate.”
He means our lanterns…
The pair had carried them to the tower, but when Arnold had abruptly
protected her from the emperor’s gaze, they’d both dropped the lanterns and
left them there.
Gutheil pressed his large frame to one side of the gazebo, awkwardly
brushing back his wet bangs.
“Rishe. Come here.”
“Y-yes…”
She was still standing, so Arnold called her back to the seat next to
him. An awkward silence stretched between them, the falling rain the only
sound. Arnold alone was unbothered by it.
 No one normally comes near this tower, right? That’s why the wall is
in disrepair and the trees aren’t trimmed. Even though they’d dropped their
lanterns, the light shouldn’t have reached very far. That would mean
Gutheil was already close enough to the tower to notice the lanterns’ tiny
flames.
Prince Arnold is worried there’s an intelligence operative inside the
palace, isn’t he? Sir Gutheil’s behavior at a time like this is just too
suspicious…
There was no way Arnold hadn’t arrived at the same conclusions as
Rishe.
Visibly uncomfortable, Gutheil faced Arnold and said, “Your
Highness, I realize it’s rude of me to bring this up now, but…”
What’s this about?
“Have you given any thought to my petition for—”
Arnold’s frown deepened into a glare. “Is this really the time?”
He knew what Gutheil wanted to bring up, then.
The knight spun toward Rishe and dipped his head. “Please forgive
my unseemly behavior, Lady Rishe. I cannot apologize enough.”
“Oh, don’t mind me. I can leave if—eep!” Rishe jumped when
Arnold wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her closer.
“You don’t need to trouble yourself.”
“B-but…”
“He’s the one who brought it up, knowing you were here. So?”
Gutheil knelt at Arnold’s feet with no hesitation. “My resolve has
only strengthened since the last time I made this request.”
Is he about to…?
His voice was clear even with his head lowered. “If you would name
me one of your Imperial Guard, I would give my life for this country and
serve you until death.”
Rishe frowned. I knew it. Just like in my previous lives, Sir Gutheil
will become one of Prince Arnold’s direct retainers and support him in the
war.
Arnold’s next words, however, took her completely aback: “You must
be joking.”
Huh?! Rishe’s head shot up in disbelief as Arnold rested his elbow on
the back of the bench.
“I’ve told you once already that I don’t intend to make you one of my
Imperial Guard.”
No way…
Gutheil didn’t budge. He likely expected Arnold’s answer and dared
to ask anyway.
Prince Arnold doesn’t intend to make Sir Gutheil his retainer? That
didn’t match the future Rishe knew. Is the future already changing?
Rishe was desperately trying to avoid the war in the future. Little by
little, she’d noticed her actions having an effect on things, but could that
really extend to this?
No, I don’t know! There’s a possibility they had this exact same
exchange in all six of my other lives as well! Rishe had no way of knowing
the truth. She almost gripped her dress, but she stopped herself before
Arnold noticed. I don’t know if this is a change or a repetition. Or if it is a
change, whether it’s a good or bad one.
Without raising his head, Gutheil said, “May I ask why?” His voice
was trembling. “Is it my father? My father, who betrayed this country and
the royal family?!”
The knights are a bed of thorns for Sir Gutheil right now. No matter
how diligently he works, people are still mistrustful of him. And it’s because
of something his father did, not his own sin. Rishe had seen it for herself
when she’d been among the knights in her disguise. Prince Arnold’s
Imperial Guard would be the only place where his abilities were evaluated
without prejudice, the only place where he could really belong. But…
Arnold’s eyes were coldly rejecting. “The problem is more
fundamental than that.”
“More fundamental, sir…?”
 Rishe’s shoulders twitched at the tension in the air.
“Give your life for this country? I don’t need anyone who sees such a
thing as a virtue.”
Prince Arnold…
“No matter how skilled they may be, do you really think I can trust
men who go into battle under the assumption that they’ll die with my
strategies? Men like you, who expect death before the fight even begins,
and not because they’ve determined it to be the best strategy?”
“I…”
The philosophy behind Arnold’s Imperial Guard was that they fought
to survive no matter what it took.
With a grunt, Gutheil clenched his fists and raised his head to gaze at
Rishe and Arnold once more. “I apologize for behaving so wretchedly.
Please excuse me.” With one last bow, he disappeared into the rain.
“Sir Gutheil, wait!”
Rishe would have stood, but Arnold held her back. “You don’t need
to go after him.”
“But I…” She faltered, knowing full well that Arnold wouldn’t
change his mind.
“If your arm is torn off, keep swinging your sword. If your leg is
smashed, keep moving forward. If you lose both eyes, find a way to cut into
your enemy for as long as you have left. That’s what all this is for,” Arnold
had said to her once when they’d sparred. “Training in these circumstances
helps us stay alive out there.”
Prince Arnold doesn’t want soldiers who will sacrifice themselves for
their country.
Still, something nagged at Rishe. Her thoughts turned first to
something that had happened in her fifth life. Rishe—a hunter then—had
been scrutinizing Arnold through a monocular. He’d spotted her and
indicated his heart with his thumb, as if to say, Aim here.
And what about the Arnold she’d exchanged blows with in the final
moments of her sixth life? His Highness was all alone in that castle the
whole time. He had powerful knights serving him, yet he was there cutting
through the front lines all on his own, not coordinating with his allies one
bit. Sure, Arnold was strong enough not to need help from his other knights,
but that wasn’t the reason he acted the way he did.
The Prince Arnold in the future… Rishe peered up at him through her
bangs, almost wanting to cry. He displays none of that will to stay alive
himself.
The thought horrified Rishe. She felt herself reaching out and tugging
Arnold’s sleeve. “You are so…”
Maybe he could sense the pain in her chest.
“What is it?” He knit his brows and anxiously touched her cheek. He
likely had no idea that Rishe’s heart was bursting with concern for him.
I can’t put it into words. Still clutching Arnold’s sleeve, Rishe shook
her head. She dropped her gaze and said, “Prince Arnold, I beg you to
reconsider Sir Gutheil’s words. Do you not believe it to be a loss for this
country for a knight with such abilities and sincerity to be treated coldly by
his fellows for a sin that is not his own?”
Arnold took a quiet breath and said soothingly, “I want to fix the
fundamental problem. Even if I extricated Gutheil from his circumstances,
it would not prevent others from going through the same thing he has.”
“What?!” Rishe’s head snapped up. She was not expecting to hear
that.
“I will prioritize creating an environment where people are evaluated
fairly based on their efforts. And not just in my Imperial Guard—the knight
order as a whole should change to reflect this.”
Rishe’s heart warmed at the thought.
Arnold smiled down at her wryly. “It’s the sort of thing you would
come up with, usually.”
“Th-that’s not—I mean, yes, I agree that the whole evaluation system
should be restructured, but still!”
Rishe had indeed been thinking the same thing, but she’d assumed it
would be something she’d have to convince Arnold of, like she had in the
past.
 Does that mean the things I’ve said to him are slowly starting to
change the way he thinks? Is Sir Gutheil being refused a place in Prince
Arnold’s Imperial Guard really a change from my past lives? Rishe felt
equal parts happiness and apprehension at the thought.
Next to her, Arnold muttered in irritation, “That said, the knight order
is under the emperor’s dominion. The only unit I can directly affect is my
Imperial Guard.”
“Your father.”
“It won’t happen right away, but just wait.” Arnold studied Rishe
with a smile. The expression was dark, enchanting, and terrifying. “I’ll
make it happen.”
His bloodlust sent a chill crawling up Rishe’s spine. It was almost the
same as the indescribable terror she’d felt when his father had spotted them.
“The rain’s stopped just as you said it would.”
“Prince Arnold…”
“Let’s get back. If we’re out too late, you won’t get any sleep, will
you?”
Arnold stood and offered his hand to Rishe. She hesitated for a
second before taking it, hoping he hadn’t noticed.
The fundamental course of events hasn’t changed. Prince Arnold still
plans to go through with it. Rishe drew this devastating conclusion, careful
not to show her emotions on her face. He plans to kill his father and usurp
the throne.

***

Just after sunset that day, a young man walked through Galkhein’s
capital. He wore a robe with a low hood that covered his face, yet he
couldn’t help the way his eyes darted about, wary of anyone who might
recognize him.
I can’t believe I’m being forced to sneak around like this, the young
man thought, descending a staircase into an underground bar. What else can
I do, though? I can’t have my plans found out.
His footsteps reverberated against the stone. Arriving at a door, he
pulled the hood even lower to hide any trace of his blond hair.
The young man, Dietrich, slowly pushed the door open.
Chapter 5

“T HANK YOU, RISHE! If we use this, it will take so much less time to
clean up after a show! Preparing will be a lot easier too.”
Sylvia’s eyes shimmered as she stood on the theater stage. With no
audience, her voice boomed through the big, empty space. Meanwhile, her
troupe was hard at work preparing for the performances that had been
delayed by her sudden illness. The entire group was present as they
rehearsed and considered how they could improve the delayed show even
more. Rishe, who had been invited to the theater, stood atop the stage—
where the troupe was having their strategy meeting—and unveiled her
concoction to everyone there.
The diva scooped up the alchemically created petals in both hands.
When Rishe had explained that they could also be used to represent snow
and that the substance would disappear naturally over time, the opera troupe
had been thrilled.
“L-Lady Rishe, um, may I ask a question?”
“Go right ahead!”
“Th-thank you. Then, uh, is it possible to color these petals?”
“Yes! The colorant will change the chemical makeup of the
substance, however, so you’d need to experiment to get the quantities right.
The more pressing issue is that the colorant won’t evaporate with the rest of
the substance, so—”
“Lady Rishe, how would you make a lot of this at once?”
“It becomes heavy when you’re mixing it, so you’d want to make
sure it isn’t uneven in places. It requires more strength than you’d think!”
Everyone had questions and suggestions, and Rishe answered each
one. It was an enjoyable, stimulating conversation for Rishe; the troupe
brought up a number of things that she wouldn’t have considered from her
perspective as an alchemist.
 The members of the troupe, however, were having a difficult time
interacting with her.
“L-Lady Rishe. Er, may I ask another question?”
Though they were interested in the artificial petals, they were having
a hard time asking their questions. But it wasn’t due to Rishe…
It is a bit hard to ignore, isn’t it? Rishe scanned the front-row seats,
eyes lingering on the man in the middle. He sat there in a relaxed pose, chin
resting in his hand. Even just glancing down at him from the stage, Rishe
found him breathtakingly beautiful. So much so that just about anyone
would believe that he was one of the theater’s star actors.
Of course, he wasn’t an actor. Why is the crown prince sitting in on a
production meeting for an opera, anyway?! Arnold was watching Rishe’s
discussion with the opera troupe without the slightest bit of interest in it. I
didn’t think he’d really come with me.
They’d discussed this arrangement after leaving the gazebo the day
before, on their way back to the detached palace after retrieving their fallen
lanterns.
“Prince Arnold, I’d like to present Sylvia and her opera troupe with
those artificial petals I was developing earlier.”
“…Right.”
“They’ll be restarting their performances soon, and it would be
difficult to summon Sylvia alone to the castle and have her pass along all
the information herself. But we can’t very well invite the whole troupe here,
what with—”
What Rishe hesitated to say was related to Arnold’s father. Since
they’d just run into him, it was possible that he was paying close attention
to them now. And if Arnold was concerned about a spy infiltrating the
palace, his father surely suspected the same thing. It wouldn’t surprise her if
they both drew the same conclusions from the information available to
them. As such, Rishe felt it was better for her not to invite too many people
to the palace.
Arnold picked up on what she left unsaid right away. “You want to go
to the theater yourself.”
 “If you wouldn’t mind, Your Highness. I’d like to visit in an unofficial
capacity.”
“I told you I would grant as many of your requests as I’m able.”
Rishe had smiled warmly and thanked him.
“Sooner would be better than later, right? I’ll set it up for tomorrow
morning. Be ready.”
“Hmm?”
What does he mean by “set it up”? she’d wondered.
“Er, I’ll be fine. I’ll just slip out and come back right away, so there’s
no need to arrange for any sort of guard…”
“I won’t be sending guards with you. You’d stand out with a group of
people.”
“R-right. Then when you say ‘set it up’…?”
“I mean I’ll be accompanying you.”
Rishe had balked in response.
“We can just take your former fiancé out with us on my afternoon
work. Your business won’t take longer than one day, right? It’s fine.”
“W-wait a second! I can’t allow you to accompany me when you’re
so incredibly busy, Your Highness!”
“What are you talking about?” Arnold had held both of their
extinguished lanterns in one hand and extended the other to escort Rishe.
Without looking at her, he’d said, “I told you I’d come with you whenever
you went into town, didn’t I?”
You certainly did, but still!
She’d never thought Arnold would go so far as to rearrange his work
schedule just to accompany her on some business that he had no interest in
whatsoever. Yet Arnold had donned his incognito garments and
accompanied Rishe, who was similarly disguised, to the theater the next
day. To the opera troupe’s utter shock, of course.
It’s only natural they’d be nervous. Rishe snuck a glance at the
troupe. There was actually one more reason she wanted to come to this
theater aside from the petal concoction. Even so, she wasn’t sure she would
be able to investigate that matter anymore at this point. Rishe sighed.
“Prince Arnold.” Having finished her explanation of her alchemical
creation for the time being, Rishe hopped down from the stage. At this
height, she could land soundlessly, but ordinary noblewomen didn’t have
that skill, so she made sure there was a noise upon impact. “I apologize for
taking up your time. I’d like to give them a practical demonstration, so if
you could wait just a bit longer.”
“It’s fine. You don’t need to hurry, so just do whatever will satisfy
you.”
Right then, Oliver arrived. He’d come along so that Arnold could
transition immediately to his afternoon work once they left the theater. “I’ve
finished adjusting your schedule, Your Highness. We can rendezvous here.”
“Understood.”
Rendezvous? Does he mean with Prince Dietrich?
“I have one other matter to discuss with you, if you don’t mind.
Could we move somewhere more private for a moment?”
Arnold stood, very obviously annoyed.
“See you, Prince Arnold.”
When Rishe waved at him, Arnold stared at her for a few seconds
before wrapping an arm around her back for some reason. He brought his
lips up to her ear like he was about to kiss it and whispered, “Rishe…”
“Bwagh!” Rishe made a strange noise at the ticklish sensation,
prompting a low chuckle from Arnold.
Wh-wh-wh-wh-what?!
The words he whispered into her ear were yet another shock: “I’m
summoning Gutheil. He’ll be accompanying us in the afternoon, just so
you’re aware.”
“Huh?”
Had Arnold not rejected Gutheil? Rishe gulped as Arnold pulled
away, smiling fondly at her.
“I’ll be right back.”
 “Yes… See you…” Rishe watched Arnold leave the audience seating,
feeling discombobulated.
Why? Does Prince Arnold intend to make Sir Gutheil his retainer like
in all my past lives? She had no idea why he would have such a sudden
change of heart.
An impact to her back interrupted her musings. “I can’t believe you,
Rishe!”
“Ack! Th-that scared me!”
Sylvia had completely taken Rishe by surprise with a hug from
behind.
 “Oh my gosh, what was that?! Did the crown prince just kiss your
ear?! Do you two kiss to say goodbye to each other?!”
“Wha—?! O-of course not! That is not what he was doing!”
Suddenly, Rishe became very aware of the fact that not just Oliver
and Sylvia but the entire troupe onstage may well have seen the exchange
with Arnold.
No, it was because we’re in public that he played it off like it was a
lovers’ exchange, since he didn’t want anyone else to hear, right?! Th-that’s
it, I’m sure of it!
“Hee hee hee. You are adorable, you know that? Your face is red as a
beet! I can’t believe you were so nervous about the kiss at your wedding
when you’re smooching His Highness like that every day!”
“I-I am not! Really, I’m…!” Rishe tried to protest as Sylvia poked
her bright-red cheeks. The embarrassment was becoming so intense, she
was afraid her jellied legs would fail her.
The rest of the opera troupe watched with amusement as Sylvia toyed
with Rishe. Sylvia kept her voice quiet so they wouldn’t hear as she studied
Rishe with her bewitching purple eyes.
“You’re not kissing him? Really?”
“I-I’m not…”
“You haven’t kissed once?”
Rishe started, the scene in the chapel flashing through her mind, and
Sylvia’s sharp eyes didn’t miss her agitation. Rishe hung her head as the
diva poked her cheeks once more. “J-just once…”
“I knew it!”
Sylvia embraced her jubilantly, and Rishe covered her face with her
hands, completely overwhelmed. Her thoughts were spinning as she hid her
reddening cheeks.
I-It was just once, right?! Prince Arnold gave me an antidote mouth-
to-mouth once, so that’s two… No, it’s not! That was saving my life! The
more she thought, the more possibilities ran through her mind. When he
gave me the ring, he kissed the back of my hand. Does that count? I’ve
kissed the back of his hand too… And last night, he kissed my hair and ear
so many times!
“Oho?” Sylvia grinned as Rishe’s face heated up even more. She
raised her hand high in the air. “Chief! Mind if I take a break? Seems like
Rishe needs one too!”
“Of course! I apologize for being so inconsiderate, Lady Rishe.”
“Don’t be silly!”
Rishe and Sylvia sat in the last row of the audience, far from the
stage.
“Ah ha ha! Sorry, sorry! You were so cute. I teased you too much,
didn’t I?”
“L-Let’s not talk about me!” Though she was eager to change the
subject, she was also genuinely curious, so she said, “I want to hear about
you, Sylvia. Like with Sir Gutheil.” Rishe recalled the conversation she’d
been privy to the night before. “Have you made any progress since we last
spoke?”
“Hee hee, me? I sure have, thanks to you.”
“You have?!”
It had only been a few days since then, so what sort of progress was
she making?
Sylvia put her arms on the seat in front of her and rested her head
there. She peered at Rishe from beneath her lashes. “Not in that way… Oh,
but I should report on that as well, shouldn’t I? On our date the day before
yesterday, I tried to kiss him.”
On their first date?! The day before yesterday would have been the
day Sylvia visited the palace. In other words, the day Sylvia reunited with
Gutheil and the knight escorted her home thanks to Theodore’s meddling.
Sylvia didn’t appear to deem this real progress, but it was miles away from
what Rishe considered typical.
The diva laughed softly as Rishe gawked at her. “He really is the
sincere type. He told me we couldn’t yet.”
“Huh? Then…”
 “Hee hee hee. The progress is on my singing. After all, that’s what
love is for—for me, anyway.” Sylvia closed her eyes. “I was born to sing. If
the goddess hadn’t given me my singing voice, I don’t think I would have
survived this long… The reason I love so much is to put it all into my
singing.”
“Your love for Sir Gutheil is for your singing too?”
“Yup! That’s why it’s going well. Sir Gutheil’s sincerity is new to me.
I think this love will nourish my singing more than any love I’ve
experienced before.”
Rishe noticed something then. It sounds like she’s trying to convince
herself of that.
Sylvia’s singing voice was beautiful. It was soft, but clear and
powerful. No matter where you sat in the audience, you could make out the
lyrics clearly. But she didn’t speak like that now. Her voice was delicate,
ephemeral, like the artificial snow that would melt away. Rishe felt she
would miss what Sylvia said if she didn’t listen closely.
“Sylvia.” Rishe leaned forward to rest on the seat before her, just as
Sylvia had. She lay her head down and faced the diva, who blinked her
wide, purple eyes in surprise. “What kind of love nourishes your singing?”
“Well…”
“Tell me? I want to know.”
Sylvia hesitated for a moment, then began, “It’s not just about your
heart pounding and feeling happy. It’s the kind of love where, when you
think of the person, your chest aches and you want to cry…”
Rishe smiled and nodded, urging her to continue.
“You don’t want the conversation to end, so you start saying all sorts
of stupid stuff just to keep it going. It makes you happy just to be able to
talk to them, but it’s also scary. Weird, isn’t it?”
Rishe shook her head. “It’s not weird at all, Sylvia.”
“Thanks.” Sylvia smiled, the expression both relieved and pained. “I
was surprised when he stopped me from kissing him since that’s never
happened before. I mean, even if he didn’t want to go out with me, what’s
the harm in a little kiss?”
 “Hmm… I think that sort of thing varies from person to person…”
“Discovering things like that is another reason why love’s so fun.
You experience so many firsts.” The soft smile faded from Sylvia’s face.
“Have you ever had someone pick you up and tell you you’ll be okay when
you were feeling low?”
Rishe blinked at the question.
“I’ve been alone for as long as I can remember, singing like my life
depended on it for various opera troupes. Every time I was too sick or hurt
to get back up as a kid, I would pray, ‘Please don’t leave me behind here.’”
“Oh, Sylvia…”
“Sir Gutheil picked me up and carried me the other day, right? That
marked a real first for me.” Sylvia closed her eyes once more, like she was
savoring a precious memory. “Sir Gutheil spoke to me the whole time until
we arrived at the doctor. He encouraged me, telling me I’d be fine, that he
was there with me…” She pressed her forehead to her arms. “It was the first
time in my life I ever truly felt like I wasn’t alone.”
The songstress hid her face, and Rishe slowly sat up.
“I’m a performer, and I’m famous for having countless lovers, right?
People assume I’d be with anyone, so they’re quick to whisper words of
love to me. And I’ve always been fine with that. But Sir Gutheil… When
you arranged for the two of us to reunite, the very first thing he did was
inquire about my health.”
“That really made you happy, didn’t it?”
Sylvia thought for a moment before nodding. “It did.”
Her voice shook as she buried her face against the chair in front of
her. “He held his hand out in concern for my condition, not in an eagerness
to touch me, and it was so warm… I laughed and told him I was used to
being out alone at night, but he wouldn’t budge on taking me all the way to
my door.”
She spoke reverently, like each and every memory was a precious
treasure she was storing safely in a box.
“What do I do, Rishe?” When she raised her head, tears like
gemstones spilled from her eyes. “It hurts so much, but the feeling is so
important. I’ve never felt a love like this before…”
“Sylvia, you…”
“No. That’s not it at all.” As though she was only talking to herself,
she muttered, “This is the first time I’ve ever loved someone in my life…”
After she said that, her face crumpled under the weight of her
emotions. Rishe wrapped her arms around the songstress as she broke down
crying.
“H-he said we couldn’t be together! It’s not that he doesn’t like me,
but we can’t…”
Rishe could say nothing in response.
“I understand that better than anyone. I’m not the sort of person who
could be with a knight, so it’s only natural that we can’t be together.”
“That’s not true and you know it.” Rishe spoke soothingly to her,
stroking her back. “Sir Gutheil isn’t the sort of person who would reject
someone for a reason like that.”
“Of course he isn’t. I’m the one who can’t accept being at his side! I
was born to sing. All this time I thought I only lived for that, but my heart
hurts so much now that I don’t even know if I can do it anymore!” Sylvia
trembled like a small child. “Is being in love supposed to be this painful?”
Rishe pressed her lips into a thin line. Why…?
She almost felt like she could understand the pain that Sylvia
described. It came with the pounding of her heart and a sadness that nearly
brought her to tears.

***

“There’s no way… There’s just no way!”

Rishe spun around at the groaning of her ex-fiancé that afternoon as
they accompanied Arnold during his work. They were visiting a guardroom
built into the city wall.
 Paging through a document, Rishe called out to the man grumbling in
the corner of the room. “Is something the matter, Prince Dietrich?”
“Everything’s the matter!” Dietrich shouted, pointing at Rishe with
one hand and mussing up his hair with the other. “Lord Arnold is strange, of
course, but you’re just as strange yourself, Rishe! Ever since meeting up
with me first thing in the afternoon, it’s been nothing but work, work, and
more work! I was hoping he would take more breaks today since you were
accompanying us!”
“Hm?”
“Don’t look at me like you have no idea what I’m talking about! Do
you two ever rest?! Or will you keel over if you aren’t working around the
clock?!”
“N-no!” Rishe blurted awkwardly as Dietrich panted, shoulders
heaving.
“At the sewage plant and the Merchants’ Guild and now this guard
station too! Not only do you constantly make suggestions, but Lord Arnold
carries them out immediately as well! It almost feels as though he’s doing
more work today with you here than he did yesterday!”
I have nothing to say in my defense…
Rishe glanced at Arnold, who was discussing something with the
officer in charge of the station a short distance away. They were considering
the document organization method Rishe had suggested for the station a
moment ago. It was a lengthy process finding records of those who had
passed through the station when entering or exiting the capital, so Rishe had
suggested a method she’d learned about in a large library she’d visited in
one of her past lives.
It has been five hours since we started working this afternoon. Prince
Dietrich has reached his limit, I’m sure.
After leaving the theater, Arnold and Rishe had enjoyed lunch in
town before meeting up with Gutheil and a haggard-looking Dietrich. Rishe
had intended to casually observe Arnold’s work as she analyzed Gutheil’s
behavior. But as she’d observed, she’d inadvertently gotten caught up in the
work herself.
 “Sorry… It’s just that every time I ask a question or make a
suggestion, Prince Arnold improves on it and implements practical
solutions on the spot. It’s so much fun!”
“I can tell you’re having fun by watching you! That’s what’s scary!”
“Ha ha ha. Prince Arnold and Lady Rishe are of a similar mind when
it comes to work.”
“Oh, Oliver!”
Oliver passed by the corner of the office where Rishe and Dietrich
were talking. He was smiling, but his cheeks appeared slightly sunken.
“I’m sorry, Oliver. Without thinking, I made an impertinent
suggestion and overcomplicated matters.”
“No, if anything, I’m grateful. The lengthy document retrieval
process was a problem we were planning to solve at some point, so the
sooner we’re able to test out this new method, the sooner we’ll see results.
Prince Arnold dislikes taking work home with him, so we always take care
of whatever needs doing on-site, as we are now. I’m used to it, so it’s no
problem at all.”
“I-I can’t believe this… He dislikes taking work home with him?
What better time is there than later to do work that doesn’t need to be done
today?!”
As Dietrich trembled, Oliver smiled wryly and told him, “The most
efficient way of doing something differs from person to person. If you’re
able to learn something from seeing the way my lord does things, Prince
Dietrich, I couldn’t ask for more.”
Arnold glanced at them and called for his attendant. “Oliver.”
“I’ll be right there. Please excuse me.” Oliver selected a few
documents from the desk and went to Arnold’s side.
Dietrich watched him go, sighing. “The master’s ridiculous, but the
servant’s just as abnormal…”
“Prince Dietrich, please refrain from such remarks,” Rishe chided her
former fiancé, turning her attention to the individual standing by the door.
 Just as Prince Arnold said, Sir Gutheil is accompanying us today for
some reason.
The tall knight stood on guard by the door, though he did appear a
little uncomfortable.
Sir Gutheil told Sylvia that he liked her, right? She thought back to
how Sylvia had cried over her love for Gutheil. The knight had told her that
they couldn’t be together. Did he say that because of his father’s crime? Or
because his own future is closed off for that reason?
Rishe couldn’t help being curious about the night before. There must
have been a reason for his “patrol” to take him to an area no one ever
visited. Something about it rubs me the wrong way. Prince Arnold is
worried about someone scheming against Galkhein and any spies that may
be in their employ. Is Sir Gutheil involved?
Right then, Rishe arrived at a conclusion. Could it be…? She didn’t
want to let her thoughts show on her face, so she pretended to go over the
documents in her hands. As she did, she caught sight of Dietrich, who was
sitting in front of her.
“What is it, Prince Dietrich?”
Dietrich’s deep-emerald eyes, framed by gold lashes, were fixed
firmly on Arnold.
“Lord Arnold is effectively faultless as a crown prince. He shows no
indication of his own wants and needs, he slaves away unemotionally at his
work, and he’s brilliant too. He’s an accomplished swordsman as well, is he
not? I hear he inspires incredible morale in his knights, almost like a god of
war.”
I can’t believe Prince Dietrich is complimenting someone!
Rishe was floored. She’d never heard him deliver such genuine praise
for someone other than his beloved Mary in her life.
“Oh…?”
“But he’s too perfect.”
Rishe blinked.
 “I’ve always thought that the things I do don’t even scratch the
surface of my potential. And why shouldn’t I? Everything I accomplish is
magnificent, as surely anyone can see! But even geniuses have their off
days. It was painful and hard whenever things didn’t go my way…”
Dietrich’s tone was as genuine as it could possibly get. “But I suppose it’s a
different sort of suffering to be born entirely too perfect a person, as Lord
Arnold was.”
Rishe started. She never expected him to say something like that.
“Though I’m sure my suffering is worse! I, however, am a true future
king. Only by experiencing trials and tribulations will I become a king
worthy of—”
“May I ask what it is about Prince Arnold that gave you the
impression that he’s suffering?”
“Let me finish, would you?! Well, in short…” Dietrich cleared his
throat, nervous to have Rishe’s attention on him. “We were not born royalty
because we wanted to be.”
Dietrich had cried about how he hadn’t been born crown prince
because he wanted to be a few days earlier, but there seemed to be a
different intent behind the words now.
“Selfless devotion is expected of royalty, and crown princes in
particular. True, those in our position will never suffer any sort of financial
discomfort, but in exchange, if we do not give everything we have to our
nations, we are not so much as allowed to exist.”
Rishe had no right to say anything in response. She might have lived
her life until the age of fifteen for the sake of nothing but becoming crown
princess, but her position could never be compared to true royalty. She
could only imagine how it must feel to inherit an entire country you would
have to one day rule over.
“Still, each of us tries to find some small happiness as an individual,
like Mary is for me.”
Rishe thought of all the royals she had met in the past. She’d known
rulers who enjoyed collecting precious gems and royals who had fun
drinking and making merry with their subjects. She knew a prince who
delighted in seeing his country develop, a princess who loved to read, and a
prince who adored his little sister.
“But, hmm… How to say this? I can’t see any of that sort of
humanity in Lord Arnold. No, there is some amount, but…it’s strange, isn’t
it? He can’t even be bothered to eat when he’s working, and he makes no
time to enjoy the scenery when he’s in town. It’s like he has no interest in
anything other than performing the duty laid before him. It was terribly
frightening seeing it up close.”
“Why, Prince Dietrich…”
What he said next sounded more like his own idle musings than a
statement meant for Rishe. “Arnold Hein lives his life without a single
thought spared for any sort of human happiness.”
Rishe’s heart stopped for a moment.
“That’s what it looks like to me, at least.”
“I…”
To Dietrich, it was likely no more than pure curiosity. After all, they
were both crown princes. His position afforded him a unique perspective on
Arnold’s unemotional nature. But to Rishe, Dietrich’s candid musings
seemed an unexpectedly straightforward explanation of Arnold’s villainous
pretenses.
“You really tend to get to the heart of things without meaning to
sometimes, Prince Dietrich. Come to think of it, you once—”
“All right! Let’s ask him directly, shall we? If his way of life is as
miserable as it appears, that is.”
“Huh?” Rishe was speechless as Dietrich righted his posture and
puffed out his chest.
“Yes, I think I will! I must reach out even to those who are said to be
cold and heartless. That overwhelming sense of righteousness only befits
the future ruler of Hermity, after all!”
“Ack! Um, wait, Prince Dietrich!” Rishe grabbed Dietrich’s arm to
stop him. Arnold shot them a dubious look from the other side of the room,
so Rishe mouthed an apology at him. He was working right now, so they
couldn’t bother him.
 “What?! Why did you stop me, Rishe?!”
Arnold regarded them with a slight frown, but he swiftly resumed
giving directions to Oliver. As she thought, they’d distracted him—which
Rishe felt guilty about.
“You can speak with him later. This really isn’t the place to get into
it.”
“Hmm. Well, I see your point.” Dietrich agreed with her—quicker
than was normal for him—and turned his attention back to Arnold. “The
similarities really are astounding.”
“Y-you don’t mean between you and Prince Arnold, do you?”
“I mean between him and you, Rishe! You’ve lived for nothing other
than becoming crown princess since you were little, haven’t you? Always
had this look on your face like that was the whole reason you were alive.”
Rishe was taken aback by his observations yet again.
“You discarded any joy of your own and strove to be the perfect
public figure. You never played or demanded sweets as a reward for
studying or held so much as a birthday party! I could never understand it!
Isn’t it normal to want to play instead of study?!”
“Well…”
“You never made a peep about any of that! It scared me! If you had to
hold yourself back so much, and all that awaited you at the end of it was
becoming crown princess, I thought…you’d be happier being something
else.” There was an uncharacteristic furrow to his brow. “Do you think you
can be happy as Arnold Hein’s empress?”
“About that…”
Dietrich was Rishe’s former fiancé and someone she could still call a
childhood friend. Ever since they were little, Rishe had always been
worried about Dietrich, so this was the first time he’d ever regarded her
with such worry. The thought tickled Rishe, and she smiled wryly at him.
“I’ve had several people worry about whether I’ll be happy in this
marriage, but happiness isn’t something that’s given to you—it’s something
you achieve yourself.” She turned to look at the knights standing on either
side of the door. “No matter what fate may befall me due to becoming
Prince Arnold’s wife, I’m confident that when I’m on my deathbed, I’ll be
able to say I lived a happy life.” She turned back to Dietrich and smiled.
“Didn’t I tell you I’d prove to you how wonderful Prince Arnold is as a
husband?”
“You certainly did.”
Beaming, Rishe told Dietrich, “I can’t imagine a bride who expects
she’ll be unhappy would say something like that, now would she?”
“Huh.” Dietrich lapsed into thought for a while until he finally spoke
up again. “Hmm? No, wait a moment, Rishe! It’s true that over the last few
days I’ve come to understand well just how exceptional Lord Arnold is as a
crown prince! But I haven’t seen a shred of evidence that he is, as you claim
him to be, a wonderful husband!”
“Wha…? W-wait…”
“Ha ha ha ha ha ha! What an oversight, Rishe! You know what this
means, don’t you? You haven’t yet proven a thing to me! These last few
days, all I’ve done is watch him work without rest and quiver in fear of his
glowering at a party!”
“Seriously, what did you even come to this country for?!”
Dietrich cleared his throat officiously. “That said, he did find the time
to bring his fiancée to the opera amid that hellish workload of his. That’s
shocking enough, I suppose… When you’ve done all this work in a day,
you just want to go home and do nothing afterward, right? Where did he
even find the time with how much work he has to do?”
Now that she thought about it, they had run into Dietrich at the opera
house back when Sylvia had collapsed. Had Oliver told him what they were
doing there?
Hmm? Something occurred to Rishe then. Come to think of it, what
was His Highness doing there?
“Say, uh, Rishe.” Dietrich hung his head, hemming and hawing. “I
came to this country…”
“Yes?”
“No, it’s nothing! Say, do you think I should go help, as a fellow
crown prince? I bet I could shock Lord Arnold with my illustrious Hermity
education!”
“D-don’t shock him too much!” Rishe was a bit worried about the
princes, but she decided to hang back. She gave Arnold a little wave and a
signal with her eyes. When he noticed Dietrich striding toward him, he
grimaced.
I’m sorry, Prince Arnold. Please handle him for me, would you?
After apologizing to Arnold in her heart, Rishe turned to the door the
two knights were guarding. She scrutinized the towering Gutheil and softly
called, “Sir Gutheil?”
“Lady Rishe…I sincerely apologize for last night.”
“Please, think nothing of it. I should apologize myself for interrupting
a discussion about your work.”
When they’d rendezvoused with Gutheil and the other knight that
afternoon, Arnold had this to say:
“My Imperial Guard are spread thin currently, what with my
suspicions about intelligence operatives. I’m only making use of Gutheil
temporarily when I’m out working in town since I don’t otherwise have the
personnel to spare.”
Of course, these words were only a pretense, and Arnold must have
been aware that Rishe had realized that.
Did Prince Arnold figure I’d want to speak with Sir Gutheil about
Sylvia’s broken heart? No, that couldn’t possibly be…
Arnold was kind, but he didn’t mix public and private matters. He
wasn’t just indulging Rishe; there was some other reason for the way he
was making use of his personnel. Rishe wasn’t the type to pester Gutheil
about his personal affairs when he was on the clock anyway, no matter how
much she wanted to for Sylvia’s sake.
I can’t imagine Sir Gutheil would open up about it in a place like this.
And it’s not as if it’s only the two of us present, she thought, eyeing the other
knight.
Ironically, Gutheil himself was the one to interrupt her musings. “If I
may…how is Lady Sylvia doing?”
 Rishe stared at him in surprise for a moment before considering her
response. “She was…acting well enough.”
Gutheil knit his brows, picking up on the obvious implication of
Rishe’s words.
Before she could stop herself, Rishe continued, “Sir Gutheil, is there
anything I could do to help? As long as it’s not too presumptuous to ask, of
course.”
“I appreciate the offer.”
Up to this point, it wouldn’t have been obvious to anyone listening in
that they were talking about romance, but Gutheil made that clear with his
next words.
“I love Lady Sylvia.”
Rishe was shocked that such words left his mouth with no hesitation.
The knight on the other side of the door turned toward Gutheil as well, his
scarlet eyes seeming to question if he’d really heard what he thought he’d
heard.
Gutheil went right on, “I find her so lovely and sweet. I could never
allow anyone to darken her smile, myself included.”
“Oh, Sir Gutheil…”
“I told Lady Sylvia about my father’s crime immediately. His
espionage was a betrayal of Galkhein, and it could have led to the deaths of
so many in the war. His sin was so great that not only must I bear that
weight as his son, but whomever I might marry and even our children
would bear it as well.”
Gutheil smiled sadly. He suffered more than anyone for his father’s
crimes. He knew the pain he’d be inflicting on his chosen partner, the cold
treatment they would receive. It gave his words a heavy weight.
“The pain on Lady Sylvia’s face when I told her that… I suspect she
might be a war orphan herself.”
“Goodness…”
“I know Lady Sylvia is not the type to reject me for such a reason.
But having me by her side may open the wounds in her heart. I may cause
her even more suffering in the future. I simply cannot allow myself to cause
her any pain.”
Rishe’s mouth tightened. She didn’t know what to say in a situation
like this, and she was aware that she would be overstepping, whatever she
did say.
Still, she told Gutheil, “Sylvia told me ‘You never know which day
might be your last.’”
That alone caused Gutheil to grimace. Each tiny change in his
expression showed just how much he truly cared for Sylvia.
So Rishe continued, “I think she’s exactly right. One’s future
happiness is important, surely, but…” She recalled the way Sylvia had
trembled as the tears rolled down her cheeks. “Is happiness you can grant at
this very moment not just as important?”
“I…” Gutheil started before falling silent.
“I’m sorry. I know this is just as hard for you.”
“No, not at all…”
Any further meddling would just cause trouble. When someone made
a decision about their own life, it was hardly an outsider’s place to interfere.
Hence, Rishe moved on to her next objective.
“I think I’ll go get some fresh air atop the wall. Could I ask you to
accompany me, Sir Knight?”
“Certainly, my lady.”
Gutheil hung his head, deep in consideration. Rishe said nothing
more to him, leaving the room with the other knight.
The guard station was on the inside of the wall. A staircase led up to
the top of the ramparts surrounding the city.
Rishe sighed, enjoying the warm summer breeze as the sun set in the
distance. From where she stood, she could relish the view over the streets of
Galkhein’s capital. She’d come here once with Arnold, but the location was
off-limits to the normal citizenry.
“I have a question,” she said to the knight accompanying her.
He stood at attention. “Anything for you, Lady Rishe.”
 “We’re alone up here, so you can drop the knight act,” she told the
red-eyed knight, with more than a little exasperation. “I know it’s you,
Raul.”
“Ha ha!” Raul laughed, his voice snapping back into its normal
register. “You’re really something! I completely changed my face today and
acted like a totally different person, and you could still tell?”
“You were too calm around Prince Arnold for a knight filling a
temporary position. You should have acted more afraid of him. Put that
together with those red eyes of yours and, well…it was easy enough.”
“I see, I see. Both good points. I’ll remember that next time!”
Why was he so happy about his disguise being seen through? Slightly
fed up with the man, Rishe asked him, “Hypothetically speaking, if you
were an enemy of Galkhein and you needed to investigate it for some
reason, how would you sneak in?”
“Trade secrets, my dear…is what I would like to say, but I suppose I
can’t keep my savior in the dark, now can I? At the very least, I can tell you
that I wouldn’t do what I’m doing now and pretend I was one of Galkhein’s
knights all along.”
From what Rishe knew, Raul was here disguising himself as a knight
simply because his interests aligned with Arnold’s. The prince wanted him
to investigate whether an intelligence operative had infiltrated Galkhein’s
palace. Raul was likely mingling with the knights with Arnold’s permission.
The walls of the palace were sturdy and should have prevented the intrusion
of anything heavier than a kitten.
“The realistic plan would be to devote several years to actually
joining the knight corps.”
“Not to pretend to be a knight but to enter as one officially?”
“Indeed. After all, Galkhein’s policy is that anyone with some
amount of skill can become a knight, regardless of background. This is one
of Galkhein’s few vulnerabilities as an otherwise nigh-invincible major
power.” Raul stuck his index finger in the air, waving it about playfully as
he continued. “Though I’m sure His Majesty is well aware of that little flaw
in their defenses. For all Galkhein claims to value skill above all else, the
upper echelons of the knight corps are all still nobles, who have a very low
chance of being spies from other countries.”
Sir Gutheil’s father broke that rule. That’s why he was punished so
harshly—to set an example.
“That’s why infiltrating as a knight isn’t really worth it. The only
exception would be joining your Prince Arnold’s Imperial Guard, since
even a commoner can do that. So if I were a spy attempting to pose as a
knight, I would do whatever I could to become one of your dear husband’s
Imperial Guards.”
“…”
“Still, you’d need to know a fair amount about His Highness to use
the fact that he’ll let those of any background serve in his Guard. As such,
me being a foreign spy intent on infiltrating Galkhein in this scenario, I
would not choose this method. There are other ways to obtain information
from high-ranking officials and knights.”
Up to this point, Raul’s thinking matched Rishe’s knowledge of him
from her fifth life.
“And what other methods are those?”
“Hmm? Well…” Raul had been rather forthcoming until now, but he
grimaced at this question. “I shudder at the thought of your husband’s quiet
fury were I to discuss such a thing with you.”
Rishe cocked her head. “Has Prince Arnold forbidden you to speak
on the matter?”
“No, no, no. It’s nothing like that.”
Rishe just tilted her head further. She did have a vague idea of what
he might mean by “other ways.” In her fifth life, there were secrets Raul
never spoke of with her. Given how he was acting now, she concluded he
was likely alluding to the same methods he’d kept from her in her fifth life.
In that case…
Rishe took a breath and asked him something else she’d been
wondering about. “Say, Raul, are there any situations in which you don’t
notice a passerby approaching?”
 “Hmm. Maybe when there’s a lovely lady nearby I’d really like to get
close to? You, for instance.”
“Raul…”
“Ha ha ha, only kidding! It’s not just ladies. If there are a lot of
individuals I’m not particularly interested in around me, I might be late in
noticing if one of them approaches. I wouldn’t fail to notice completely,
though, so maybe that doesn’t answer your question.”
I figured he might say something like that.
She thought back to when Kyle and Michel had been visiting
Galkhein. Rishe had gotten help from Theodore in infiltrating the knight
cadets’ training disguised as a man. She’d kept it a secret from Arnold, but
he’d discovered her immediately anyway. After that, Theodore had snuck
up on her in one of the castle hallways. She’d been thinking about
something at the time, and people were always passing through the halls, so
she hadn’t had her guard up at all. But it wasn’t as if she’d overlooked
Theodore’s presence entirely. It was the fact that he’d grabbed her arm that
caught her by surprise.
Raul taught me how to sense other people’s presences and conceal
my own. I learned enough that I was able to put the knowledge to good use
in my sixth life; I should be able to pick up on anyone without that kind of
training if they’re nearby.
But that meant it was possible to surprise her if someone did have
that kind of training. Particularly when she had her guard down. On her first
night in Galkhein, it had taken her a moment to notice Arnold standing
behind her when she was enjoying the view from her balcony.
I only noticed him then because he was giving off a threatening air to
see if I’d sense him or not. If he’d kept his presence concealed, he might
have been able to get close enough to touch me without my sensing him.
Her two questions for Raul only solidified the theory forming in her
mind.
The more I consider the matter, the more evidence I find to back up
my hunch. The strange feeling she’d gotten speaking to Dietrich earlier was
the clincher.
 “Whoops, your guardian is here.”
Rishe started when she heard a door open. An individual appeared on
the twilit rampart. Rishe turned to face him and called his name. “Prince
Arnold…”
His jacket flapped in the breeze. Rishe’s coral-colored hair danced in
the wind as well. She paid it no mind as she asked him, “You had your
suspicions about who the spy might be from the very beginning, didn’t
you?”
“…”
“No… Rather, it was only because of your suspicions that we
interacted with the individual as much as we did.”
Arnold squinted into the receding daylight. “You don’t need to
know.”
Rishe’s heart ached at the distance those words put between them.
Not because of rejection but because Arnold had only said them out of
consideration for her.
“Your Highness, I—”
“However.” Arnold lowered his gaze and took a short breath. “I
won’t stop you from taking action or making a request that’s in my power to
grant.”
Joy and relief bloomed in Rishe’s heart. Arnold had told her there
were things she didn’t need to know in the past as well, but this situation
was clearly different.
Rishe made her heartfelt plea: “Please allow me to help you, Prince
Arnold. There are things I would like to do to bring this incident to a close.”
“What are you talking about?” Arnold sighed in exasperation. “It will
be me helping you do whatever it is you want to do, won’t it?”
Raul laughed as Rishe jumped in surprise. “Ha ha! Incredible! To
have Crown Prince Arnold Hein of all people wrapped around your little
finger!”
“Ugh… I apologize for my selfishness. Really, I do!”
 Raul shrugged under Arnold’s quiet glare as Rishe apologized
sincerely. When she was finished, she told Raul and Arnold everything she
wanted to say.

***

That night, an individual was summoned to a room in the detached

palace. In the room, five chairs were placed in a circle. At the head of the
arrangement sat Arnold, with Rishe beside him. They glanced at the
individual seated in front of them.
“I’m aware how disrespectful it may seem to question royalty, but I
simply must ask…” Their guest appeared extremely uncomfortable as he
asked them, “Why exactly have you invited someone like me to your
detached palace, Your Highnesses?”
Arnold sat, chin in hand, ignoring the knight’s question. Instead, he
signaled Rishe with his sidelong glance. She nodded and spoke in his place.
“I apologize for the abrupt invitation, Sir Gutheil. We have something
very important to discuss with you, so we thought we’d do it here due to the
late hour.”
“Yes, I understand you wish to avoid prying eyes. But is there truly
some way I can be of assistance to you?”
He must have been confused, but his chivalrous spirit still amply
infused his words. Rishe went on, appreciative of Gutheil’s consideration.
“What I’m about to tell you may cause you pain, Sir Gutheil.”
“What is it? No, no matter what it may be, I wish only to serve you.”
Rishe held Gutheil’s gaze and told him, “There’s a possibility a spy
has infiltrated Galkhein.”
Gutheil gasped and clenched his fists.
“Prince Arnold realized this sooner than anyone else, so he’s been
gathering information for some time now. His conclusion is—”
“Do you suspect me of being a spy, Your Highness?” Gutheil’s voice
was steady, but his face had gone deathly pale. Confusion, panic, and
resignation were all plain on his face. “I am aware that I have done nothing
to earn your trust, but I swear it on my pride… Even if no one believes it to
be so, I have not betrayed my country!”
“Prince Arnold knows you’re innocent,” Rishe told him after a pause.
What she could not say, however, was for him to be at ease. “The person we
suspect is—”
A knock came at the door. Raul, who was disguised as the knight
standing guard outside, had been informed that there was no need to wait
for a response. He opened the door, and their other guest stepped inside.
Gutheil gasped when he saw who it was. She met his gaze and smiled
somewhat sadly. Then she met Arnold and Rishe’s gazes with clear eyes
and named herself.
“Sylvia Hollingworth. I’m delighted that you invited me here
tonight.”
Chapter 6

G UTHEIL SHOT TO HIS FEET like he was spring-loaded. All eyes—

which had a moment ago been on Sylvia—swiveled to him instead. Gutheil
stared at the diva, opened his mouth to say something, and then shook his
head in great irritation and rounded on Rishe and Arnold instead.
“Your Highness, Lady Rishe—is it at all possible that I might be
excused?” Gutheil’s tone was filled with obvious concern for Sylvia.
“Anything that you may ask of me, I swear to answer truthfully. But I beg
of you, for Lady Sylvia’s sake, please…”
“Sir Gutheil,” Sylvia said clearly. “I requested your presence myself
when I was summoned.”
“Lady Sylvia…” Gutheil clenched his fists once more and slowly sat
back down.
Raul directed Sylvia to the chair closest to the door, next to Gutheil.
Rishe waited for her to sit before turning to Arnold.
“Go ahead and say whatever it is you want to say for now,” Arnold
told her. “I’m sure we have plenty of time until he arrives.”
“Right.” She nodded, though it took some courage for her to begin.
Yet she knew Sylvia was prepared for what she had to say.
The songstress turned her alluring purple eyes on Rishe, her
determination clear. “Please begin, Lady Rishe.”
Her heart stung from Sylvia’s courteous tone, but she had to say her
piece. Rishe, at least, spoke as she always had with Sylvia. “I first had my
suspicions when you visited the palace, Sylvia.” Her words emerged slowly
and deliberately as she thought back to the day. “The night before, you were
ill enough to collapse on stage, yet you’d recovered completely by
morning.”
“Thanks to your first aid and Sir Gutheil taking me to the doctor. I
felt much better after a good night’s sleep.”
 “I didn’t think much of it then, since I’m aware that such things can
indeed happen… But illness is not often the cause of such a fainting spell.
At least not one that it’s possible to recover from so quickly.”
Gutheil was watching Sylvia with concern through this entire
exchange. Sylvia, on the other hand, had not looked his way once since
addressing him earlier.
“Such things are usually caused not by an illness originating within
the body but by something external entering it. A poison or sleeping drug,
for instance. Once the substance has been purged by the body, recovery
comes fairly quickly. I can attest to that myself.”
Arnold’s eyebrows scrunched together. Rishe had been referencing
her poisoning in the Holy Kingdom of Domana. Perhaps the same incident
had crossed his mind.
“At that point, I tucked the possibility that you had been drugged in
the corner of my mind.”
“A reasonable enough conclusion. I’ve almost been drugged by
overly passionate fans or rival performers on occasion.”
“A fan would likely avoid the sort of timing that would lead to the
show getting canceled. And a rival would know that if the prima donna
collapsed just before or during the show, it would only be called off for the
night.” Someone aiming for her role would have enacted their scheme
earlier. “And, though I don’t wish to even consider such a thing…they
would likely choose a poison with a longer recovery time.”
In truth, the opera planned to resume after only a few days off, with
Sylvia still playing the lead. If the culprit was after her role, they had
achieved nothing from their crime.
“I was still suspicious, so I observed the members of your troupe
when I went to the theater to tell you about my artificial petals. I couldn’t
determine at the time whether anyone there had drugged you, but…I
learned something else.”
Rishe stared Sylvia in the eye and said, “You can conceal your
presence, can’t you, Sylvia?”
Sylvia lowered her head, saying nothing in response.
 Instead, Gutheil spoke up. “I apologize for interrupting, but what do
you mean by that?”
“You yourself noticed Rishe’s capabilities, did you not?” Arnold said
to the knight. “When you approached the gazebo last night, I wasn’t the
only one to sense your presence. Rishe did as well, even though we couldn’t
possibly have heard your footsteps amid the rainfall.”
Gutheil swallowed, then murmured, “It wasn’t just my imagination,
then. I did feel two pairs of eyes on me in the darkness.”
He’s quite skilled as well. It’s hard to pick up on things like that when
it’s raining.
Arnold leaned back in his chair, continuing unhurriedly in Rishe’s
place, “Even dozing in a carriage, she’ll wake up if I so much as reach for
her. So long as you’re not trying to hide from Rishe, she will most likely
notice you. Hence her suspicion.”
Rishe had told Arnold everything beforehand. She nodded and
explained to Gutheil, “There was a moment at the theater today when I was
unaware of Sylvia’s presence. I couldn’t sense her until she embraced me
from behind.” Because Sylvia was hiding her presence, Rishe could only
assume.
The diva probably hadn’t meant anything by it. She may have even
done it unconsciously, out of a simple desire to surprise Rishe. But when
combined with the other things Rishe was already considering, even
Sylvia’s harmless prank became unavoidably suspicious.
Her head still bowed, Sylvia said, “It’s exactly as you say, Lady
Rishe.”
Gutheil spoke up to defend her. “B-but…surely that’s not enough to
suspect Lady Sylvia!”
“Sir Gutheil, it’s…” Rishe hesitated to continue in front of the knight.
Seeing right through her hesitation, Sylvia smiled sadly. “Please
continue, Lady Rishe…or would you prefer if I said the rest?”
“It’s all right, Sylvia.” Rishe wanted to avoid making the songstress
say it herself above all else, so she pressed on. “There are several different
ways to obtain intelligence. For instance, infiltrating the target location and
obtaining it yourself.”
Raul’s disguises were a great example. In Galkhein, however, only
members of the nobility could become high-ranking government officials
and knights. Just as Raul had explained up on the town ramparts, it would
be difficult to make use of this method in Galkhein.
“There’s also the option of obtaining the intelligence from someone
who already has it. Even if you can’t become a noble of Galkhein, you can
befriend one. This method—”
“Often employs female operatives,” Arnold finished for her. He was
probably being considerate in his roundabout way, not wanting Rishe to
have to utter it herself. Raul had avoided discussing the same thing up on
the town walls. She recalled the matter being kept from her in her fifth life
as well.
Gutheil furrowed his brow and closed his mouth, considering this.
Sylvia’s head was bowed, her expression unreadable. But Rishe knew that
she’d wanted Gutheil to be here for this part of the conversation.
“Plenty of people have heard the rumors of the songstress Sylvia and
her many lovers.” She had laughed those rumors off, saying it was all for
the sake of her singing, but what if there was another reason? For instance,
what if she used her reputation as a free-spirited beauty to get close to
important figures in various countries to obtain intelligence? “You
suspected her from the start, right, Prince Arnold? That’s why you made
time in your busy schedule to take me to the opera that night.”
As always, the motivations behind Arnold’s actions were surprisingly
complex. The day Rishe and Arnold met, he had been present in Hermity
not for simple diplomatic relations but because he was investigating the
possibility of a malicious entity targeting Galkhein. Since he had long
suspected espionage, he was naturally wary of the opera troupe coming to
Galkhein. He likely had his eye on Sylvia herself at that point.
Rishe thought back to the discussion they’d had immediately after
taking their seats at the theater.
“I didn’t know Sylvia was the star of tonight’s show. It’s been so long
since I’ve heard her sing! I’m really looking forward to this.”
 “You’ve seen the leading lady perform before?”
Arnold had paused thoughtfully after Rishe mentioned Sylvia’s name.
Perhaps he was reacting to Rishe’s ignorant praise of the very individual he
suspected of espionage.
“I heard what happened the next day from Oliver, who was informed
by Theodore.” Arnold was talking about the day Sylvia had come to thank
Rishe. “There aren’t many people who would visit a foreign country’s
palace without even making an appointment. It’s particularly strange for a
member of a renowned opera troupe to be unaware of such etiquette. It’s
hard to imagine she had any motivation other than using the pretext of her
rescue to get close to an important individual in this country.”
Gutheil pressed a hand to his forehead and took a deep breath. “There
was something I found strange when I was escorting Lady Sylvia home
under Prince Theodore’s orders. I could sense someone observing her from
afar.”
“Huh?” Sylvia raised her head and peeked up at Gutheil.
Their eyes finally having met, Gutheil said apologetically, “It wasn’t
an unknown entity but a Galkhein knight watching you. I couldn’t decide
whether to tell you or not, since I didn’t want to scare you, so I merely
protected you without speaking up. I still feel terrible about it.”
“That’s why you took me all the way back to my room?”
“Of course,” Gutheil said firmly. “At the time, it was my duty to see
you home safely without causing you any undue stress.”
Tears welled up in Sylvia’s eyes. She hurriedly hung her head to hide
them. “It…it surprised me to hear you say something like that…but I’m
sorry.” Sylvia was trying to smile, but it was obvious to anyone that her
voice was trembling. “You understand now, don’t you? I’m a spy who was
ordered to infiltrate Galkhein! That’s the only reason I—”
“Sylvia.” Rishe called her name to prevent her from saying
something she didn’t mean. “I’m sure Sir Gutheil understands that that’s not
the reason you got close to him.”
“What…?”
 Rishe glanced at Gutheil, who nodded, a serious expression on his
face. “It’s just as she says, Lady Sylvia. I confided in you about my father
on the second day we were able to meet. Do you remember?”
“I haven’t forgotten. Not a single thing about that day.”
“It should have been amply clear to you, then, that the people of this
country do not trust me. That I possess no intelligence worth stealing. And
still, you had eyes only for me…”
Sylvia quivered, her expression like that of a lost child. Even Rishe,
who was “naive in the ways of love” according to Theodore, could easily
tell that Sylvia’s feelings were real. It was Sylvia herself who had requested
Gutheil be present at this gathering, even though she knew her crimes were
likely to come to light. Moreover, that was why Gutheil had asked that he
be allowed to leave.
“Please tell us, Sylvia,” Rishe said softly. “You might have been a
spy, yes, but that’s not the full story anymore, is it?”
“I beg your pardon…?”
“You’re not working for the entity ordering you to gather intelligence
anymore. You’re trying to quit being a spy and run away, aren’t you?”
Sylvia gasped.
“Otherwise, I can’t understand the reason you collapsed on stage.
Although that’s with the assumption that your illness was caused by a drug
or poison.” As long as that assumption was correct, it paved the way for
several other conclusions. “It’s very dangerous for a spy to try to leave their
organization, is it not? I’ve heard the organization is basically forced to kill
them to prevent any of their secrets from getting out. My guess is that you
showed some indication of wanting to leave the business, and you were
drugged as a warning.”
“I-I…!” Sylvia was starting to panic. It was such a stark difference
from her stage persona that the sight was almost painful.
“It was also convenient for your organization that you collapsed
there. The knights performing security were bound to come to your aid.
And they knew that if they scared you, you might change your mind and
pursue a relationship with the knight who helped you, which would benefit
them.”
“…”
“Even better, the knights providing security that day were not just
any ordinary knights—they were Prince Arnold’s Imperial Guard, there to
escort the two of us for our visit.”
Their visit to the theater hadn’t been concealed at all. The people
Sylvia worked for would have been able to find out that they were in
attendance.
If she was drugged that day, and the show was canceled, Sylvia
would have realized that was a warning.
Arnold’s Imperial Guard would have come to her aid. If Rishe hadn’t
involved herself and given instruction to those on the scene, one of the
Imperial Guards would have attended to Sylvia, providing her with a
connection to that individual. It was a great opportunity for her employers
to obtain information on the crown prince and Galkhein’s knight corps.
Prince Arnold anticipated even that. The situation that day had in fact
been slightly unusual. It wasn’t just Prince Arnold’s Imperial Guard
providing security at the theater. There were knights from other units there
too.
Arnold had treated it as an initial step toward expanding his Imperial
Guard. Rishe had taken that to mean that he wanted more fighting power to
go up against a powerful foe in the future, but that wasn’t the only reason
for the extensive forces present at the theater that night.
Prince Arnold predicted that if he made a show of attending the
theater, the spy would try to contact him or one of his Imperial Guards.
That’s why he had additional knights on security. And all of them fit his
criteria of “skilled individuals who, for whatever reason, were not given an
equal chance”—that is, people who had no significant intelligence.
One of those individuals was none other than Gutheil.
When I finished with my first aid, Prince Arnold arrived with Sir
Gutheil—not one of his Imperial Guards. I was shocked that he had his
future retainer with him. Now she could understand Arnold’s reasoning. He
had to make sure whoever escorted Sylvia and became her “savior” was
not one of his Imperial Guard. That’s why he brought Sir Gutheil, someone
who was never given any important work to do as a knight.
All this happened because the theater and the troupe were informed
that Rishe and Arnold would be in attendance. Prince Arnold has never
liked bringing attention to himself in public venues. I should have
questioned why we didn’t attend the show incognito that night. Not only did
we attract the attention of every noble in attendance, but he also had to
mobilize his Imperial Guard to provide security. It would have been more
like him to attend in secret.
Rishe glanced over at Arnold, only now considering all these things.
He seemed as uninterested in these proceedings as always, and just as
beautiful.
I still don’t understand him nearly well enough.
In the first place, Rishe’s hushed admission that she wanted to go to
the opera had been in response to Oliver bringing the subject up in small
talk. It was possible he’d let it slip inadvertently since he was investigating
the opera troupe with Arnold.
Lamenting her inability to pick up on any of this sooner, Rishe
continued, “As Sir Gutheil said, Prince Arnold’s Imperial Guard were
watching you, Sylvia. They were also protecting you.”
“They were?”
“From what I’ve heard, you were approached by people who
intended you harm four times over these last few days. In the second
incident—yesterday—the knights even engaged the individuals in
question.”
Sylvia went pale when she heard that, and Gutheil scowled.
This afternoon, when Rishe and Dietrich had accompanied Arnold on
his work, the knights escorting them had been Gutheil and Raul in disguise.
Rishe had been told that Arnold didn’t have enough personnel due to his
espionage investigation, but it wasn’t because he had his men spread thin
searching a wide area. Arnold and Oliver had already narrowed their
suspects down to Sylvia alone, so Arnold’s knights were busy observing
and guarding her.
 I was surprised that he wanted to accompany me to the theater today,
but it was because he was worried about dangerous individuals and maybe
another spy in Sylvia’s troupe.
“Tell me, Sylvia,” Rishe said softly.
The diva only trembled in response.
“If you didn’t seek out Galkhein’s secrets, you’d be killed. But you
were resisting those orders even before you met me and Sir Gutheil, weren’t
you?”
Hence Sylvia’s poisoning.
“No!” Sylvia frantically forced the words out. “I have no such
conviction! That should be obvious from how I shamelessly visited the
palace the very next day and attempted to get close to you, the future crown
princess.”
“You’d just been through something frightening and had your
performances canceled. You must have been terrified. It doesn’t surprise me
that you gave up on escaping and went along with your orders instead.”
“I even lied about falling in love with Sir Gutheil, a knight…”
“It was immediately obvious to you that Sir Gutheil had no strategic
purpose you could make use of, wasn’t it? You had no reason to lie about
such a thing.”
It wasn’t Gutheil whom Sylvia had opened up to about her feelings.
She’d told Rishe about them. If she were lying for her mission, she could
have told Rishe she was searching for a new love and asked to be
introduced to a different knight. There was no need for her to cry and cling
to Rishe about some false love she felt for Gutheil.
Arnold spoke up then. “Rishe. That’s enough.”
“Prince Arnold, I…”
Sylvia and Gutheil tensed at the crown prince’s harsh tone.
“Any more is just a waste of time. Your concern won’t change the
facts.”
Rishe took a breath and said to Sylvia and Gutheil, “Prince Arnold
made a promise to me. You haven’t actually engaged in any espionage in
Galkhein or stolen any intelligence. As far as Galkhein is concerned, you’ve
committed no crime.”
Sylvia’s eyes were wide with disbelief. Rishe had posed this request
to Arnold, and though Arnold had been somewhat disgusted by Rishe’s
naivete, ultimately, he’d relented.
“But, Sylvia,” Rishe said, prompting a flinch from the songstress,
“this isn’t the end.”
Sensing the ominous air in the room, Gutheil spoke up on Sylvia’s
behalf. “If I may ask, Lady Rishe, what do you mean by that?”
“By attempting to leave her organization, Sylvia has betrayed their
trust. I believe it’s likely they’ve made their final decision about her. Prince
Arnold?”
Arnold dispassionately explained to Gutheil, “My Imperial Guard
reported two skirmishes to me. The individuals in question did not seem to
be there to issue a warning or abduct the target—but to kill her.”
“I had no idea…”
Arnold’s expression was as cold as ever. “She’s lost the trust of her
organization. Even if she returns with valuable intelligence from this
country, they’ll simply take the information and dispose of her.”
“You could put it a little more delicately!” Rishe spluttered. She
knew Arnold was kind at heart, but that kindness extended only to a few
individuals.
Prince Arnold’s Imperial Guard are the very reason Sylvia has been
able to stay safe these last few days. But from now on…
The moment Rishe opened her mouth, someone else spoke up
instead.
“I will protect Lady Sylvia.”
“Sir Gutheil!” Sylvia likely hadn’t meant to call Gutheil’s name. Her
hand flew to her mouth, like she couldn’t believe what she’d just said.
From the other side of the table, Arnold scoffed. “You’ll protect her?”
His blue eyes narrowed as he challenged the man’s foolhardiness. “You
alone?”
 Arnold’s voice seemed to chill the air.
“Don’t act like feelings and ideals will win the day. No matter how
skilled you may be, do you really think you can protect her from an
organization that could strike at any time?”
“…”
“It seems as though your desire to die a meaningless death hasn’t
waned in the slightest. You’ll just get yourself and your charge killed
immediately.”
The air in the room grew so thick with tension that even Rishe found
herself going rigid.
But Gutheil, who was bearing the brunt of Arnold’s scorn, said
calmly, “I finally understand what you were trying to tell me last night,
Your Highness.”
Arnold frowned ever so slightly.
“As you say, there is a part of me that wishes to protect Lady Sylvia
even at the cost of my own life. However, if I lose my life, I will no longer
be able to protect her.” Gutheil turned eyes blazing with sincerity on Sylvia.
“I want to protect you through anything and everything. I want you to be
happy, Lady Sylvia.”
“My…”
“That is why I promise not to throw my life away protecting you. I
know you’re kind enough to grieve even for the death of a selfish man like
me.” Gutheil made his pledge to Sylvia reverently, like he was swearing a
knight’s oath. “I know I’ve hurt you, but could you find it in your heart to
permit me to protect you?”
“Ngh! Sir Gutheil, I-I…” Sylvia spoke his name, tears in her voice.
But then she shook her head, quashing her desires. “No…no, I won’t!”
Her words were intended to reject him, but there were countless
emotions swirling in her voice, threatening to spill out.
“What would I do if something happened to you?!”
“Lady Sylvia, please…”
 “I’ll never be able to get away.” Her shoulders shook, but she
managed to speak without breaking down in tears. “I was always getting in
trouble for not doing a good enough job ever since I was little… Each time
I failed at something, I thought they would get rid of me for good…”
Rishe remembered what the songstress had confessed to her about
being scared that she would be abandoned every time she was ill or hurt as
a child. She was probably talking about the spy organization and not the
opera troupe. “How awful…”
“I couldn’t possibly be with you!” Sylvia sobbed, head still bowed.
Rishe recalled the words she’d said through her tears.
“I understand that better than anyone. I’m not the sort of person who
could be with a knight, so it’s only natural that we can’t be together.”
“I’m the one who can’t accept being at his side!!”
Rishe’s heart ached for Sylvia until the voice of one who’d been
silent this whole time cut through the tension-choked air.
“There is no need to despair, Lady Songstress.”
Raul, disguised as a knight, had spoken up with a smile. Sylvia gaped
at him as he stood by the door.
“After all, the people who do the legwork for an organization like this
are valuable assets. No matter how skilled an operative may be, their public
face—their identity—cannot be so easily revealed.”
“Um…?”
Raul told Sylvia the same thing he’d told Rishe and Arnold up on the
ramparts.
“Only a few key figures of your organization should know your
identity, Lady Sylvia. It’s a necessary precaution to preserve your value as
an asset. If it got out that the famous diva was a spy obtaining intelligence
from key figures all over the world, they would never be able to make use
of your talents again.”
“That may be true, but…who are you?”
Raul smiled in lieu of an answer. He then turned to Arnold and said,
“Well, Your Highness. If you would allow me to make my report, the
organization using Lady Sylvia’s talents is of a mercenary nature.” With
that devilish curl to his lips, Raul reported this as if it were new
information. “They serve no one master, instead lending their abilities to
whoever makes the highest offer in their travels. Such organizations are
relatively small in number and keep their operatives’ identities particularly
concealed.”
“You mean to say that no matter how well known the public face of
the operative is, their private identity as a spy is known only to a very small
number, correct, Sir Knight?” Rishe asked to hammer the point home, and
Raul nodded.
Arnold spoke up disinterestedly, making no attempt to engage with
Raul. “When disposing of a low-ranking operative, they’ll likely throw
every available pawn they have at the problem. If those pawns are all dealt
with, there will be no one left who knows the operative’s public face.”
“In short, Sylvia.” Rishe summed up what Raul and Arnold were
trying to say: “We believe that if we catch all the people who are after your
life, you’ll no longer be in any danger. You’ll be able to live freely.”
Sylvia gaped at Rishe. “What do you…?”
“Just as the knight said, the spies’ public identities are a valuable
secret. Only the organization employing you should know that the diva
Sylvia is a spy.”
Raul was very knowledgeable about organizations like these. Rishe
felt confident trusting any conclusion he’d drawn about them.
“According to our investigation, the organization employing you is
like a band of mercenaries. They don’t answer to anyone outside the group,
and they would be very careful not to let any information about their
members leave the group’s bounds. You should know at least a little about
that yourself. Isn’t that right, Sylvia?”
“I-I suppose…”
“We believe they’ll put everything they have on the line to silence
you. Every single member of the organization will try to kill you—even if
it’s the last thing they do.”
 Rishe and the rest had done a little scheming of their own to make
that outcome even likelier. After all, though this situation was terrifying, it
could be an opportunity for Sylvia as well.
“As such, Sir Gutheil, there’s no need for you to protect Sylvia all by
yourself.”
“Pardon, Lady Rishe?”
“Prince Arnold has given me his word that he’ll help too.” Rishe sat
up straight and said plainly, “We will now carry out our plan to protect
Sylvia so that she may live a happy life in the future.”
“Wha…?”
Rishe rose from her chair, took out a piece of paper she’d secretly
prepared beforehand, and spread it over the large table between them all.
“The plan is rather simple, really.” The paper listed the general
outline of the scheme she’d concocted when speaking to Arnold and Raul
that evening. “You won’t be able to protect Sylvia or run from the
organization forever, so the best thing to do is to round them all up at once
and eliminate the danger in one fell swoop.”
“But, Lady Rishe, it can’t be that simple…!”
“This plan will only work with your cooperation, Sylvia. And the
help of your opera troupe as well,” Rishe said, pointing to a word in the
middle of the piece of paper. “You’ll be the bait in this operation.” She
looked Sylvia in the eye and said, “The songstress on the stage and the
armed operatives hunting her… This plan only works if we can paint that
picture.”
Sylvia gulped, but her expression relayed that she finally found a
speck of light in the darkness.
“What do you think? Will you help us out?” Rishe went around to
Sylvia’s side of the table, smiling at her. “It’ll take a lot of courage, but it
won’t work without you.”
“Of…of course!” Sylvia stood and wrapped her arms around Rishe.
“I’ll do anything I can! I’ll be the bait or whatever else you ask of me!”
“Thank you. I know this will work with you helping us, Sylvia.”
 “I’m sorry…” Sylvia’s voice was trembling. “I’m so sorry, Rishe!”
I should be the one apologizing, Sylvia, Rishe thought, returning
Sylvia’s hug. You always blamed yourself, didn’t you? For spying and for
keeping it a secret from me and Sir Gutheil. Telling you I want to save you
would’ve made you feel too guilty to agree. That’s why I told you you’ll be
the bait in our plan. Rishe patted Sylvia’s back like she was comforting a
small child. I’m sorry… Please let me get away with lying in order to save
you.
She glanced at Arnold, who leveled a brooding gaze at her with his
chin in his hand. This time, he would be her accomplice. Truly relieved that
he was a logical person, she turned to Gutheil next.
“Sir Gutheil, this plan will be dangerous for Sylvia. I would like for
you to protect her more than anyone else.”
“I would ask the same. I swear I will protect you, Lady Sylvia.”
“My, Sir Gutheil…” After calling her beloved’s name, Sylvia clung
tightly to Rishe once more. It almost seemed as if she was rejecting him,
but Rishe could tell that she was only hiding how bashful she felt.
She chuckled, her heart warmed by the sight. “You’re so cute,
Sylvia.”
“Ugh, Rishe!” Sylvia sulked, the polite tone she’d been using earlier
now gone.
Rishe was happy she was treating her as a friend today, and so she
squeezed the songstress, who protested, “That tickles!” with a laugh. She
was relieved Sylvia had gotten back a bit of her pep.
“Listen, Sylvia. We’ll have to ask the opera troupe for their
cooperation as well.”
“They don’t know anything about my secret…”
“I thought that might be the case.”
Rishe had had her eye on the members of Sylvia’s troupe when she
visited the theater, and Arnold had been observing them as well. Rishe had
been surprised when Arnold said he’d accompany her to the theater, but he
had already known that Sylvia was the spy at that point. He’d wanted to see
with his own eyes if Sylvia made a move or if anyone in her troupe
appeared to be involved as well. Rishe hadn’t found anything suspicious
about the rest of the troupe, and she’d been relieved to find that Arnold had
felt the same way.
“There’s no need to tell them anything. It’s just that the plan I’m
about to share with you will involve them too.” Rishe pulled away from
Sylvia, who regarded her curiously, and told her, “As the knight over there
said, if we can catch all the people who know your identity, you’ll be able
to live a safe life from now on. We’ll have to do a little work to make that
happen, though.”
Though hesitant, Sylvia nodded.
“We’ll keep the Imperial Guard on you for a bit longer. But if the
situation goes on too long, it’ll become a battle of attrition, which isn’t a
good situation to be in.”
“I can’t keep relying on you all like this.”
“Don’t worry! The plan is simple, and we’ll be drawing the enemies
to us.”
“You mean to give the enemy the perfect opportunity to attack,”
Gutheil surmised.
“Exactly. We must prevent them from realizing that we’re luring
them to us and give them a perfect moment to attack—at which point, we’ll
round them all up at once.”
It wouldn’t be as simple as Rishe made it sound, of course. The
enemy would no doubt be on guard for this type of trap. Gutheil seemed
worried about that very thing.
“It will have to be quite the plan to actually lure them out, won’t it?”
“Yes. That’s why we need the help of the troupe.”
Sylvia and Gutheil gave her identical dubious stares.
“Isn’t that right, Prince Arnold?”
On the other side of the table, Arnold sighed in response to Rishe’s
smile. “We’ll tighten our security until we must strip it away at the right
moment. If they have no other chance to strike, they’ll be sure to act then.”
 “B-but, Your Highness, won’t the enemy be wary of the knights’
sudden absence? If they didn’t have some reason they couldn’t remain near
her…”
“Oh!”
Sylvia and Gutheil came to the realization together.
“That’s right. The one moment the diva’s tight security must wane.
The only time the knights would not be able to be at her side.”
“You mean…during a performance?” Sylvia murmured.
Rishe beamed. “I do indeed. What’s more, everything around her will
be dark, the only light on the performer onstage.”
“Y-you can’t bring weapons into the theater…”
“It’ll be more convincing if there’s a simple inspection at the door
instead of forgoing one altogether. We’ll want to give the impression that
it’s done on paper but is really just a formality in practice. Either way, spies
will have the skill to sneak their weapons inside.”
Rishe had Sylvia sit back down before she returned to her own chair.
Next to her, Arnold was scowling as usual.
“The small team of Prince Arnold, Sir Gutheil, and myself will
protect Sylvia and apprehend the intelligence agents. Once again, thank you
for agreeing to my plan, Your Highness!”
Arnold sighed and eyed Rishe indifferently.
I’m so glad His Highness went along with my selfishness…but it
should benefit his investigation to apprehend all the spies as well.
What Arnold was ultimately after was the entity trying to do harm to
Galkhein. He was of the belief that this entity was involved in both his
invitation to the party where Dietrich broke off his engagement with Rishe
and Fabrannia’s counterfeiting scheme. Sylvia’s organization was likely
involved with this entity as well.
Rishe met his gaze, and he offered a disgruntled reply. “Do as you
like.”
It was a bit strange to think that he trusted her so much, but it made
Rishe happy nonetheless.
 She faced the table once more and told everyone assembled, “The
performance will be five days from today, on the twenty-ninth of the
seventh month at seven in the evening.”
Gutheil and Sylvia watched her nervously.
“Now, let’s commence preparations for the operation!”

***

After their strategy meeting, Gutheil escorted Sylvia back to her

lodgings. Arnold’s Imperial Guard continued to covertly watch over her as
well. Even Raul’s hunters were on the job, so her defenses were
impeccable.
Feeling relieved, Rishe walked through the halls of the palace with
Arnold.
“You know…” As the summer insects chirped around them and
Rishe’s dress flapped in the breeze, she said, “Sir Gutheil’s mindset has
really changed a lot.”
“His current mindset is only obvious. I would never trust a knight
with lofty ideals and no desires,” Arnold said flatly. “People with strong
desires are the most likely to survive in battle and thus make the best
soldiers.”
If strong fighters have strong desires, then… Rishe studied him and
wondered, Where are yours, since you say you don’t desire anything?
She kept the question to herself, however.
“Ah, right. Allow me to thank you again, Prince Arnold.”
“For what?”
“For believing that Sylvia wanted to quit her spying.”
Arnold’s expression was as cold as ever. “I believe nothing. I just put
together the information available and determined it was a likely
possibility.”
“All the same.”
 If Sylvia had been an enemy of Galkhein, Arnold would’ve had to
eliminate her, yet he was going along with Rishe’s selfish desire to save her
instead. Rishe’s plan wasn’t without its dangers, though.
“I was only able to create such a plan because of your help, Prince
Arnold. I plan to fight as well, but I know that you’ll never lose to anyone
with your skills,” she said, her eyes positively sparkling.
Arnold loosed a quiet breath. “Are you sure you don’t put too much
trust in me?”
“Hmm? What reason would I possibly have to doubt your skill?”
The prince only frowned in response.
“But you have faith in me as well, don’t you, Your Highness?” The
thought brought a grin to Rishe’s face.
Arnold likely hadn’t anticipated Rishe and Sylvia growing close. In
the two months or so that Rishe had been in Galkhein, she’d come to know
many of the country’s secrets—even a few that would spell the end of
Galkhein if leaked to another country. Regardless, when Sylvia collapsed at
the theater, Arnold had allowed Rishe to go to her aid immediately. He’d
also said nothing to her about her striking up a friendship with the
songstress.
He may have even kept his suspicions about Sylvia from Rishe to
avoid hurting her. In addition to considering her feelings, he’d trusted her
not to reveal any national secrets to Sylvia. Arnold had merely watched
over the two of them without interfering. The thought warmed Rishe’s
heart.
“Oh, but…” Rishe stopped, remembering something. “I’m sorry,
Prince Arnold. I did open up about one secret to Sylvia.”
“You did?” Arnold stopped as well, turning back to cast a
disbelieving glance at Rishe. “What did you tell her?”
“Ugh… Well, er…” A lamp affixed to a pillar in the hall illuminated
Rishe’s hot cheeks. “I told her that you and I…”
“Yes?”
Her face was flushed with embarrassment, but she had to apologize
for betraying his confidence. Even as the shame overwhelmed her, Rishe
confessed her crime. “That we kissed…just once…”
She could only assume that Arnold was staring at her in exasperation.
She didn’t know for sure because her eyes were squeezed shut, not brave
enough to meet his gaze. After several seconds of silence, when her shame
became nearly unbearable, Arnold finally spoke up.
“I…” However, as soon as he started, he immediately fell silent. He
didn’t seem to be angry. Was the awkward air between them just in Rishe’s
imagination?
Does he feel bad about it?
Rishe raised her head and blinked. Their kiss in the chapel had taken
her completely by surprise. She’d been shocked and confused, having no
idea why Arnold would do such a thing. She had also felt that he seemed
oddly practiced at the act, which had weighed on her mind afterward as
well.
Had there been some deeper meaning behind even that event?
“Hee hee hee.”
“What’s so funny?” Arnold asked awkwardly when Rishe covered
her mouth to stifle the giggle. It was rare for him to be bothered by
something like this.
“I just found your expression kind of cute, Prince Arnold,” Rishe said
with a grin.
Arnold simply scowled, as though she were utterly incomprehensible.
It probably bothered him, but Rishe smiled all the same.
“…Come on. Let’s go.”
“Ah! Wait, Prince Arnold!”
Arnold strode off, and Rishe hurried to return to her place at his side.
They were headed from the detached palace to a room in the main palace
that was reserved for important guests.
“Was it all right to leave this to Oliver?”
“This is the sort of thing he’s good at. And the time it’s taking is
expected.”
 There had been five chairs in the room they’d used for their strategy
meeting. The people present were Arnold, Rishe, Gutheil, Sylvia, and Raul.
But the final chair hadn’t been for the disguised Raul to use.
I feel bad for requesting this when Prince Arnold is already so
exhausted, Rishe thought as they arrived at the main palace. Some Imperial
Guards stood by the door to the room they’d be entering.
“Greetings, Your Highness. Lady Rishe.”
“What’s the situation inside?”
“No one has left. I imagine they’re still talking.”
The prince huffed in annoyance. Rishe smiled wryly, tugging on
Arnold’s sleeve. “Shall we?”
Arnold gave a nod to one of the knights, who opened the door. At
which point…
“That is precisely why! If now is not the time for justice’s loyal
servant—Hermity’s crown prince—to act, then when is?!”
An overenthusiastic voice boomed into the hallway. On the receiving
end was Arnold’s attendant, Oliver.
“Ha ha ha. You have just as much energy as always even at this late
hour, Prince Dietrich.”
Rishe narrowed her eyes at her childhood friend and former fiancé.
“Please do not tell me you’re causing trouble for Oliver, Prince Dietrich.”
“Rishe?! What are you doing here?! Lord Arnold as well…” Dietrich
stood from his plush chair. His hand shot to his forehead, and he shook his
head in exasperation. “I see. You wish to borrow my strength as well.”
“Oliver, we can get the story from you. Get rid of this man already.”
“Wait, wait, wait! You can’t just do this without me!” Dietrich
frantically appealed to Arnold, who did not spare him so much as a glance.
Instead, he asked his attendant, “So?”
“Yes, my lord.” Oliver gathered up several documents and tapped
their edges on the table with a smile. “As you suspected, Prince Dietrich is
also here regarding the espionage organization.”
 “Ugh!” Dietrich covered his face with his hands, sobbing
dramatically.
Rishe found the sight downright bizarre. She gently asked Dietrich,
“What happened with Oliver?”
“Nothing happened! This man simply started paying me compliments
with a bright smile on his face, and I thought, ‘Why, he certainly has just
the discerning eye I would expect from the attendant of Galkhein’s crown
prince!’—and then all of a sudden I was confessing everything! Just what
exactly happened?!”
As Dietrich sobbed and wailed, Arnold peered down his nose at the
man like he truly couldn’t care less.
“Urgh, this wasn’t supposed to happen! I was planning to reveal the
weighty secret in a cooler way…”
“Oh, that’s quite unnecessary. Please don’t worry about such a thing.”
“I had my suspicions from the start. Pompous act or no, we were
obviously going to question you.”
Dietrich deflated, sniffling, after Rishe and Arnold’s one-two punch.
With a sardonic grin, Oliver comforted the foreign prince.
“Now, now, you two. We just had a very fruitful conversation. After
all, the prince’s actual circumstances did differ a bit from our external
suppositions.”
“O-Oliver! You really are a good guy!”
“Hey. Keep your hands off my attendant,” Arnold barked.
Rishe sighed as she watched Dietrich cling to Oliver.
At the guard station today, Dietrich had been about to reveal
something to Rishe. He had likely wanted to discuss this but had rethought
the moment to get the “cooler reveal” he desired.
Prince Arnold always suspected he might be involved.
It wasn’t just the party where Dietrich had called off his and Rishe’s
engagement. Before summoning Sylvia to the detached palace, Rishe and
Arnold had had a conversation about Dietrich as well.