***

The next day, Rishe headed out to her garden, despairing over how best to begin her investigation into her business plan. Just then, voices rang out behind her, catching her off guard.

“M-my lady! Please, you must return to your chambers at once.”

“His Highness will be so angry! Please, I beg you!”

Rishe surveyed the knights as they tripped over each other in concern.What in the world?

A boy lay sprawled in the freshly tilled dirt, apparently napping. Rishe did not recognize him from any of her many lives. He had hair as black as Arnold’s, and even asleep, he radiated an androgynous beauty.

Bewildered, she muttered, “And I just finished tilling this soil too.”

“My lady!” a knight yelped. “That’s not the issue!”

He was right. Black hair was unusual on this continent, so it was obvious who this boy was.

“That’s His Royal Highness, Prince Theodore!”

I thought so.The beautiful boy snoozing away in the dirt was indeed Arnold’s little brother.I can’t believe I have to deal with him literally the day after Arnold warned me not to.

She’d never known of Theodore’s existence before this life. Coming from abroad, she had no reason to study the makeup of the Galkhein imperial family. All she knew about the boy was what she had heard since her arrival.

If I remember correctly, he’s four years younger than Prince Arnold. Which means he’s fifteen, like me.There were six children in the Galkhein imperial family. Arnold and Theodore were the only male heirs, which meant the other four were all princesses.

“Mm.” Theodore began to stir, sending the knights back into a fuss.

“Lady Rishe, please! You must leave at once!”

The boy murmured, “Mmngh, did someone say ‘Rishe’?”

“Oops!” The knight slapped a hand over his mouth as his partner smacked him from behind.

Theodore’s eyelids fluttered open in response to hearing Rishe’s name. They were the same blue as Arnold’s, reflecting the sky. He put up an arm to ward off the sun, looking up at her. “You’re my brother’s…?”

It seemed he did know about her.

“It is an honor to make your acquaintance, Prince Theodore. I’m so sorry I haven’t greeted you before now.” Rishe smiled warmly, despite choosing her words with all appropriate caution. “My name is Rishe Irmgard Weitzner. As fate would have it, I shall soon join the imperial household. Flawed as I am, I will do my utmost to be a valuable member of your family.”

More like a lazy member of the family. But I digress.

Theodore blinked at her sleepily. She prayed the knights wouldn’t overreact again.

I don’t expect a warm welcome.Rishe was a hostage, after all. From Galkhein’s point of view, she was nothing more than a duke’s daughter from a minor nation.

As she awaited what move he’d make, Theodore sat up and smiled. “It’s nice to meet you, my radiant sister-in-law!”

Rishe’s eyes fluttered in surprise.

His grinning face was unbelievably pretty, almost feminine. “What a stroke of luck, us meeting like this. I sent my brother so many notes, but he never replied. Although now that I see you, I understand why he’d want to keep such a lovely lady all to himself.”

“You flatter me, Your Highness.”

He laughed, delighted. “Please, no formalities. Be at ease.” His smile was frank and friendly.

These two brothers are like night and day.They were both exceptionally handsome, but Theodore’s bearing was utterly in contrast. She might not have guessed they were related if she hadn’t already known.Their features are the same in color, but their eyes and lips are just so different. Their manners certainly don’t match either.

“Whoopsie. Can’t shake your hand if I’ve got all this dirt on me.” Theodore rose to his feet, brushing the soil off himself. He was a bit taller than Rishe, but much shorter than Arnold. “I’m Theodore Auguste Hein, Arnold’s little brother and second in line for the throne.”

Theodore held out his hand. Rishe returned his friendly grin as she shook it. “A pleasure, Your Highness.”

From the corner of her eye, Rishe marked the knights’ nerves. They’d likely been ordered to keep Rishe and Theodore apart, yet they couldn’t openly force Rishe away from him.

“What brings you to this corner of the grounds? I myself was on a walk when I was overcome with drowsiness,” Theodore said.

“Ah! Actually, this is my field.”

“It is?” Theodore’s eyes widened. “That’s incredible! The soil around here is usually so hard! This spot gets the perfect amount of sun, and you can hear the birds too! The plants will no doubt love it as much as I do.”

“How gracious of you to say. I was planning to begin seeding today, Your Highness.”

“Then I can’t sleep here again, huh?” His grin turned cheeky. “Oh, I want to ask you something.” Theodore crouched down and pointed. “Would you mind taking a look at this?”

“Is something wrong?”

“Come here and look. That’s strange, isn’t it?” He was pointing at what appeared to be a completely ordinary patch of dirt.

Rishe crouched down to get a closer look, and that was when Theodore whispered to her: “I want to save you, Rishe Irmgard Weitzner.”

She didn’t reply at first, and Theodore looked at her with reverent sincerity. “I pity you. Dragged all the way here, not as a bride but a captive. As far as I know, no empress has ever led a happy life in Galkhein.” With his back turned to the knights, his pleasant expression melted off his face like ice. “I want to speak to you somewhere away from prying eyes.”

Rishe sighed. “Your Highness.”

A strange zeal filled Theodore’s captivating eyes. “I’ll tell you how you can run away from him.”

Rishe knew very little about the Galkhein imperial family. Perhaps this was one of the inciting incidents that would land Arnold in a war. Or specifically, Theodore was. In which case, itwouldbe in her interest to accept his offer to meet in secret.However…

Rishe smiled. “Prince Arnold warned me not to subject myself to unnecessary dangers.”

“What?”

“As it so happens, he scolded me about it just last night,” Rishe explained modestly. “I can’t allow myself to be alone with another man. It would be imprudent—just imagine the rumors.”

Theodore gaped at her, then quickly hid it behind a scowl. “You don’t know who my brother really is. How he acts when he has a sword in his hand. How ruthless he is on the battlefield.”

“Believe me, I am quite aware of who he is.”

“And not just that, but you never know, he might try to kill y—”

“Yes, I know.” Rishe knew it so well, she relived it in her dreams. She stood back up with an indulgent smile. “There’s nothing wrong here, Your Highness. I would ask you to leave the field as you found it.”

She said it loudly for the benefit of the knights so as to make it seem their whole chat had been one about the soil. Theodore was still crouched, but the ugly expression had vanished from his pretty face.

Just now he reminded me of his brother.Well,Arnold possessed a degree more subtlety; he wouldn’t have lured her over in such an obvious way.He doesn’t seem hostile toward me, but every mention of his brother sets him on edge. And calling himself second in line for the throne—that’s no way to introduce yourself to your older brother’s fiancée.

Theodore had emphasized Arnold’s ruthlessness. He wanted Rishe to fear him.

I know what Arnold Hein is like on the battlefield, but to speak that way of your own brother? Wait.A thought struck her.Why am I so angry about this?

It shouldn’t have mattered to her what Arnold’s little brother said about him. She curtsied to Theodore with all due ceremony as she contemplated this curiosity. “I must fetch my hoe to loosen the soil, now that it’s been flattened. By your leave, Your Highness.”

After waiting for a response she didn’t receive, Rishe started to walk away, leaving the prince to stare at the ground. The knights bowed as well before following her.

Hopefully this was enough to set something into motion.

After this conversation, she was certain—Arnold himself was the reason she hadn’t yet been introduced to the royal family.

Let’s see…Prince Theodore, four sisters, the empress, and the current emperor. I want to speak to him the most.But without even a basic introduction, that seemed like it’d be a long way off. She turned this over in her mind and remembered Arnold’s orders from last night:Don’t talk to my brother.Clearly, neither of them thought favorably of the other. But that wasn’t rare for siblings, was it?

Why would Arnold warn me? He might have been afraid Prince Theodore would harm me. Or perhaps he fears Prince Theodore and I will join forces and conspire against him. No, maybe it really is to keep Theodore from doing something nefarious to me.

Why would Arnold prioritize Rishe over his own brother, though? She looked back thoughtfully at the knights as they followed her down the cloister between her wing and the main palace.

“Tell me, do the princes get along well?”

The answer was obvious, but the knights looked shaken all the same. “M-my lady, I’m afraid it is not our place to judge such matters.”

“I suppose not,” Rishe hummed. “Then were you ordered to make sure I stay away from Prince Theodore?”

“It is not our place to say,” he repeated.

Their evasion was answer enough, and Rishe felt a little guilty manipulating them. “My apologies, I know it’s an odd question. I’ll arrange for a ration of spirits to be sent to the barracks this evening.”

“You’re too kind, my lady!” one said eagerly.

“We’re all grateful for your refreshments,” said another. “Everyone always talks about how remarkably well you seem to understand us.”

She laughed. Of course she understood them—she had firsthand experience with the knightly mind.

Regardless, I do need information. If they won’t speak openly with me, I’ll be forced to use another method.

A familiar voice drifted over from around the corner: “Arrange for the troops. I’ll contact you shortly about the organization of the platoon.”

Oh.Rishe rounded a bend and found herself at the training grounds. There, she spotted Arnold. He was speaking with a man on the verge of old age. Rishe remembered him—he was a count who worked in military affairs. She’d met him at the banquet.

The count stood with two knights, facing Arnold with an air of discontent. “With all due respect, Your Highness, this large allocation of troops hardly seems necessary. Expending so much of the treasury to protect the common population will displease the nobility.”

“The nobility have their own private armies,” Arnold said. “And we already provide them the financial means to maintain those armies. If they still think that’s not enough, let them complain.”

“Your Highness, I beg you to reconsider. Your father will surely disapprove.”

Arnold’s glare was chilly. “Enough. You’ve made your opinion known. Just follow my orders.”

“Urk!”

Rishe could feel the force of Arnold’s enmity from here; it madehergasp even though she was nowhere near.Such a palpable tension in the air. Almost numbing.The knights accompanying her grew noticeably nervous.

Arnold looked over. Across the distance, their eyes locked.

He’s practically challenging me to see if I have anything to add. A bit unpleasant, if you ask me.

Rishe had nothing. From where she stood, Arnold’s judgment was sound. She just wanted to show her support. She took a moment to decide how best to convey that, before raising her fist and clenching it, twisting her features into a slightly overblown scowl.Give them hell, Your Highness! I hope he catches my drift.

Despite how deadly serious Rishe had been, Arnold frowned.Oh no, he didn’t get it? Darn. Hmm, what’s another way to show I support him?She racked her brain trying to come up with another idea, but all it did was elicit a sigh from the prince. Then he cracked a smile.

So gentle was his expression that it instantly put Rishe on guard. If she had been wearing her sword, she would have reflexively drawn it. In her defense, it was probably the emotional whiplash. He had seemed so toweringly angry with the count, and now he looked like he didn’t have a care in the world.

Why in the world is he looking at me like that?!

The suffocating tension had drained from the training grounds. Arnold’s expression was smooth as he said to the count, “I shall send out a missive if and when the nobility cause trouble.”

“Amissive?”

“We need to persuade them that protecting the common citizens of this nation is to their benefit, yes? By offering them military strength, and sending those knights out on patrol to keep the people safe, that should bring about a difference in their final tax yields.”

“Er, will it?” The count looked confused.

“If the people can focus on their work, tend to their families, and raise their children in an environment with ample public security, then the nobles will be thrilled when they receive more in taxes,” Arnold explained patiently.

The count opened his mouth to object, then hung his head in dejection. “By that logic, you may be able to quell the voices of dissatisfaction.”

“Then I’ll go ahead and calculate how much it will take to persuade them. Dismissed.” Arnold turned on his heel and walked away.

Rishe heaved a great sigh when he was out of sight. Her shoulders ached from the tension.

I’m not sure what happened just now, but I’m glad it seems to be defensive instead of warmongering. God, it’s incredible how much destruction beautiful people can cause with a single look.

Glancing at the knights, she saw they were smiling for some reason. They were odd smiles, rather fond, and directed her way. She cocked her head in bemusement.

At any rate, I need to look into Theodore and Arnold’s relationship. I hoped to work on my business proposal today, but that will have to wait.

With that, Rishe went off to gather intelligence.