Chapter 2

Chapter 2

 

THE LEADER OF RISHE’S HUNTING TROOP in her fifth life always had an ambiguous smile on his face. At around twenty years old—though no one knew if that was his real age—he was good-looking and tall, yet not tall enough to stand out. His choppy hair was a common chestnut brown, made so by a specially concocted dye that damaged his true orange-blond hair (although he passed it off as “natural frizz”). He often stared at people with his almond-shaped eyes, yet he knew just when to break it, ever skirting the line between friendly and overfamiliar. All these traits made him popular with women, but he had too many secrets and there was no sincerity in any of his relationships.

“Me? Oh, I don’t love any of them. You’re cute as always, though, Rishe.”

He often made flippant comments like that with a completely insincere smile. But the flippancy wasn’t just reserved for hitting on Rishe; he issued ridiculous orders to his men with the same tone—the same unknowable, casual cheer.

“The prey has noticed we’re circling it? Well, no matter. It’s an easy hunt at this point. Just finish it off before it escapes, and we win.”

In contrast to his frivolous attitude, he was unbelievably passionate about his work. He used many names, never his real one. Among Rishe and his troop, he called himself “Raul.”

Upon returning to their small hut and spotting Raul sitting up in bed, Rishe cried, “Raul! You’re not planning on hunting in that state, are you?”

Her companions were all at a loss.

Raul shrugged, his tone put-upon. “What was that, Rishe? We’re practically family, so I expect you to say ‘I’m home!’ when you come in, all right?”

“Don’t change the subject! You have a cracked rib! You’re in no condition to move!”

“It’s fine, it’s fine. That painkiller you gave me is working. I feel like I can do anything right now.” Raul smiled, shrugging on his usual hunting jacket. “That’s our goddess of luck! Always getting better with a bow, at home in the woods like you were born here, and you can make medicine too! Picking you up five years ago was the correct decision.”

“Raul. Painkillers are for getting restful sleep, not for pushing yourself when you shouldn’t be.”

“I’ll get better if you give me a little pep talk.”

“You’ll get a little back talk instead if you don’t get in that bed.”

For some reason, it tickled Raul to have Rishe glaring at him.

“Listen here, Raul—”

“But it’s such good game! I can’t just wait here when prey like that is easy pickings.” His smile was as flippant as ever, but his eyes held sincerity for once. “I know I don’t look it, but I’m very loyal to the Siguel royal family.”

Those eyes of his burned bright red.

 

---

 

Rishe ran a loving hand down the spines of a book stack and exclaimed, “I didn’t think Prince Curtis would bring so many books!”

She and Arnold were seated on a couch in the newly prepared southern room on the fourth floor. They had both already bathed and donned their bedclothes. Even Arnold, who went around with his neck covered most of the time, sported a light, buttonless shirt that exposed his collarbones. They were having a cup of bedtime tea and inspecting the gifts Curtis had presented them.

“Look, Your Highness! Even the small details on the cover are so neatly printed!” Rishe gushed, smiling brightly.

“Yeah.” Arnold’s reply was indifferent. At a glance, he seemed uninterested in the gifts, but he had a book in hand as well. If he truly had no interest in them, he wouldn’t have picked one up.

I’m figuring him out little by little, Rishe thought confidently.

Flipping the pages of the book in his hands, Arnold said, “They’re in pristine condition despite being transported by ship.”

“The paper is specially made for easy storage. It’s so intriguing—you can tell how advanced Siguel’s bookmaking technology is just by holding one!”

Rishe’s focus left the volumes, drifting to the young man they’d met earlier. The Prince Curtis visiting us is a fake, though.

She thought back to the quick meeting they’d held in a reception room about an hour earlier. Since he’d arrived late at night, they’d kept it to a simple greeting and presentation of gifts. But no matter how short their interaction was, it was plenty of time to confirm Rishe’s suspicions.

“I am Siguel’s eldest prince, Curtis Samuel O’Fallon.”

He’d been a little meek, but the man’s greeting was without error, and his reserved smile was spot-on. Even the prince’s ­smallest gestures had been recreated to resemble the Curtis Rishe knew, down to the shortest eyelash.

He looks just like Prince Curtis, and his voice is a perfect match too. This is Prince Arnold’s first time meeting him, so there’s no way for Galkhein to catch on to the deception…at least, there shouldn’t be.

Rishe could tell, however. It wasn’t in his portrait, but the real Curtis’s eyes were a light olive green.

That man is Raul. I’m sure of it.

When he saw Rishe in the reception room, Raul made no show of recognizing her. Even so, she was certain he’d made the connection between Arnold’s fiancée and Harriet’s “guard,” whom he’d exchanged blows with in that alley.

Why is Raul pretending to be Prince Curtis? Does Lady Harriet know about this? Did something happen to the real prince?

“Your Highness, where in town did you go today?” she asked Arnold. One of the things she was still trying to figure out was Arnold’s motive for coming here.

Turning a page, Arnold responded, “I visited a few currency exchanges.”

Coastal countries often had currency exchanges in the port towns. There, travelers and merchants could trade money from their homeland for the local currency.

“Most trading vessels from the western continent exchange currency in this town. If you ask around at the exchanges, you can find out which western countries are trading the most money.”

“And thus, which countries to pursue diplomatic relations with,” Rishe noted.

“Fabrannia’s still winning over Siguel at this point.”

Although Arnold was being a little mean-spirited about it, Rishe was interested in what he had to say. Evidently, there wasn’t much difference between the mind of a merchant and that of a politician.

“Reports of this nature are easy to falsify. It’s worth going in person to get direct reports every so often.”

That was obvious enough to Rishe, so she fell into thought for a moment. There’s no way that’s the only reason he’s here. Until I know the full extent of Prince Arnold’s aims, I can’t share anything about Siguel so freely. I’m sure Raul’s not out to harm Galkhein, but still.

This was the perfect opportunity for Siguel to get on friendly terms with the powerful Galkhein. It was hard to imagine that Raul would hinder such relations from forming, since he was loyal to Siguel’s royal family.

If that’s the case, then does it have something to do with Lady Harriet? Or perhaps something really did happen to Prince Curtis?

As her mind spun, Arnold raised his head from his book and stared at her. Rishe’s thoughts ground to a halt when she noticed his gaze. His blue eyes seemed to read her very soul.

“I-Is something the matter, Your Highness?”

The prince lifted his hand from the page and stroked Rishe’s hair. “You’ve got your hair tied even though you’re about to go to sleep.”

Indeed, Rishe had bound her coral hair in a loose braid. It went over her shoulder rather than down her back. Rishe had often braided her hair in her fifth loop. When wielding a bow and donning a hood on a hunting trip, she found this to be the most convenient hairstyle.

“I was just thinking about the past.”

“Oh?” He ran his hand down her braid like he was playing with a cat’s tail. When his fingers reached the chiffon ribbon at the end, he gave it a gentle tug.

“Hey!” Rishe fumbled to keep the braid from coming undone, but Arnold grabbed her hand first and her hair unfurled in waves. It was fine, since she was just going to bed, but it still felt awkward for Arnold to play with her hair so shamelessly.

Rishe pouted at him. “You’re like a little boy playing a prank.”

Arnold smiled back down at her. “You might be right,” he said with a chuckle. Then his fingers began to comb her hair.

She found herself genuinely floored by his tenderness. The more his fingers brushed her hair, the more flustered she grew. “Um, Your Highness, I…”

“Yes?”

“I-I’m going to bed!” Rishe sprang to her feet and gripped Arnold’s hand. “Y-you should get to bed too, Your Highness! We’ve got a lot to do tomorrow, and you must be tired from traveling here!”

She thought Arnold would have a response ready, but he just shut his book and stood from the couch. Rishe made for her bed, relieved.

The two beds were about fifty centimeters apart, with a side table wedged in between. Arnold had naturally gravitated to the bed by the window because Rishe said the crashing of the waves would scare her at night. She appreciated his consideration.

“I’m putting out the lamp,” he told her.

“All right. Good night.”

Arnold paused, as if unaccustomed to the phrase. A moment later, he returned her words in a soft voice. “Good night.”

The moon was very bright that night. Even after the lamp went out and the curtains were closed, Rishe could still see Arnold’s faint outline in the darkness.

Wearing a little frown, she turned onto her side and murmured, “I apologize for making you join me, Your Highness.”

Arnold faced her. “It’s fine. Better than forcing you to sleep by yourself when you’re so afraid.”

Rishe’s heart did a little somersault in her chest.

“Should I send more maids your way?” he asked, and the question caught her off guard. She blinked in Arnold’s direction as he continued, “Oliver offered me some advice when I was picking your potential maids. He said it would be better for you if I hired older women from noble houses rather than young commoners.”

It was Rishe who had decided to hire Elsie and her other maids, but Arnold was the one who had created the original list of candidates.

“Why did you put together the list you did, Prince Arnold?”

The prince turned back to the ceiling and closed his eyes—perhaps in deliberation. “I didn’t want you to be alone in that palace.”

Rishe’s lashes fluttered as she blinked again, and he went on, “Normally, the crown princess should have maids of a fitting status. But if I chose the wrong noble ladies, I thought they might be condescending to you because of the size of your country.”

Compared to Galkhein, Rishe’s home country was minuscule. Moreover, she had come to Galkhein as a hostage. At that first party she attended, there were quite a few noble ladies who had been condescending to her indeed.

“I thought it would be safer to employ commoners with no social status. Thankfully, we already had some daughters of fallen nobility in our employ. It wasn’t hard to hire commoners who have a reputation for diligence.”

He must be talking about Diana. It was her hard work that allowed Arnold to hire Elsie and the rest.

“I also didn’t think you were the type to care about the status of those around you. So I thought I’d surround you with inexperienced girls about your age, ladies you wouldn’t feel reserved around.” Arnold’s eyes opened, and he looked at Rishe again. “Apparently, you feel the need to protect girls like that.”

“Urk!” He was no doubt referring to her brave facade against ghosts for her maids. “So you thought you should hire more maids for me?”

“That’s right. I should have given you at least a few older ­servants.” He sounded almost apologetic.

Wrapping her arms around the second pillow on her bed, Rishe told him, “I think you still would have ended up sleeping in this room even if I had some older maids, Your Highness.”

“Why’s that?”

Rishe pressed her mouth into the pillow in her arms and mumbled, “Because I can’t seem to show this side of myself to anyone but you lately, Prince Arnold…”

Even in the dark, Arnold looked surprised. Rishe sat bolt upright in bed when she realized what she’d said.

“Oh! Uh, I’m not saying I can’t trust anyone other than you! I find all my maids and the knights and Oliver very encouraging! And Prince Theodore helps me out all the time too! It’s just that…” As she spoke, she sank back down onto the bed. “For some reason, you’re the only one I want to ask for these sorts of favors.”

Try as she might, Rishe couldn’t explain it. Surely all those other people would help her if she asked, but most mysteriously, she couldn’t bring herself to confide in them.

“I think… I think it’s because you’re better with a sword than anyone else in the world.”

Arnold loosed an amused laugh. “I guess I should give your knights more training before I hire additional maids, then.”

“W-well, now that you say that, I can’t say that has anything to do with it either, so—” Rishe stopped short, gasping. “Wait, did you really order your knights to guard me?”

There were always two guards with Rishe out of a six-person rotation. They had once belonged to Arnold’s Imperial Guards, so they must have had different duties before Rishe arrived. Arnold had also recently sent some of his knights to Coyolles. He was supposed to have some fifty Imperial Guards, a rather small number for the crown prince of such a large nation. Rishe found it strange that so many of them were assigned to her when there were fewer and fewer of them available lately.

Arnold’s expression was merry. “What, you think they’re there to keep an eye on you?”

“I escape their sight far too often for that to be the case.”

Normally, it wouldn’t have made sense to assign exclusive guards to someone who stayed inside the palace all day, so Rishe always thought that her “guards” were really there to report her movements to Arnold. Only now did she realize that wasn’t the case. Arnold had told her that he didn’t want her to be alone in the palace, where Theodore said his brother had enemies aplenty…

“Prince Arnold, you don’t need to go so far for my sake.”

“I know that you can protect yourself,” Arnold said. “They’re there to show anyone who sees you that I’m protecting you with my own Imperial Guards.”

His voice was quiet but clear. What he left unsaid was that he considered the palace to be enemy territory.

“Come to think of it, you ordered the knights to step up security, didn’t you?” Arnold changed the subject and Rishe gulped. “What was it? ‘Put strings with bells up in the hallways’? If there are any intruders, they’ll trip on the strings and ring the bells. Despite how scared you were, you’re still taking rational action, I see.”

It was just as Arnold said. Rishe wasn’t enduring her fear in silence—she was enduring her fear while asking the knights for assistance. If she thought rationally about the ghost situation, the maids had most likely seen a living person.

“Look, just…don’t tell me what comes of them!”

“You don’t want to know?”

“Well, if we set traps and the bells don’t ring, then that means there’s a good chance it’s a ghost after all, right?!”

Arnold narrowed his eyes. “I’d think you’d want to know if we caught someone with it.”

“In that case, until I receive such a report, I’ll be worrying that it really was a ghost.”

She preferred to know that, no matter what happened, she wouldn’t be notified of the results.

Besides, if what they saw wasn’t a ghost or a normal person, the bells aren’t going to ring anyway!

The prince looked skeptical, but at length he sighed and said, “Well, so be it. In the event of an emergency, I will respond to it myself.”

Prince Arnold doesn’t even believe in ghosts, but he doesn’t ­dismiss my fear… He still takes me seriously.

That reassured Rishe more than anything else.

“Thank you, Your Highness. I only hope I’m able to be of use myself.”

It was then that Harriet’s words echoed in her mind: “If I’m not of some use to my country, there’s no reason for me to be alive, let alone having ever been born!”

Arnold’s response was soft and sweet. “There’s no need for that. Hurry and sleep before the clouds hide the moon and it gets even darker.”

“Yes.”

“Is the crashing of the waves scary?”

A gentle drowsiness came over her as she answered, “Not with you here…”

The Prince Arnold with me right now is nothing like the Emperor Arnold Hein of the future… The Princess Harriet of this loop is the same…

Rishe’s thoughts quieted as she fell asleep at last.

 

---

 

The next day, Rishe and Arnold got ready and went to meet with “Curtis” once more. After breakfast, Arnold escorted Rishe to the guest lounge, where she came face-to-face with him again.

“Thank you for your warm greeting last night despite the late hour of my arrival.”

“We’re just glad you made it here safe and sound. It’s a small castle, but we’ll do everything we can to ensure your stay is comfortable.”

“I appreciate your consideration. From the bottom of my heart, truly—thank you, Prince Arnold.”

Curtis made a perfect show of conversing with Arnold. His short blond hair was smoothed down with minimal product, and he conducted himself with decorum and geniality. Even his smile had the troubled edge of the real Prince Curtis. Yet he couldn’t disguise the color of his eyes.

Lady Harriet must have noticed as well. Rishe glanced at the other woman, but she was hanging her head just as deeply as always.

“By the way, I happened to hear that we’ve burdened Her Future Highness quite terribly.” Raul-disguised-as-Curtis ­regarded Rishe with a wry smile. “I brought female knights over from Siguel, so you needn’t serve as my sister’s guard any longer. Thank you so much for protecting my sister yesterday, Lady Rishe.”

“Think nothing of it. I very much appreciated the opportunity to spend time with Lady Harriet.”

“Still, it must be said that we put you in a dangerous position. I do hope you weren’t in any danger yourself yesterday.”

As a matter of fact, she had been in danger. And the one who had put her in that danger was Raul, who sat before her right now. Rishe put on her brightest smile and told him, “There was no danger whatsoever, Prince Curtis.”

He responded with a look of piqued interest. He still wore the same gentle smile, but Rishe could sense the curiosity in his gaze. Even that look made him resemble the real Curtis so much, it awed Rishe.

“I was surprised to hear a duke’s daughter like yourself has some sword training.”

“Oh, I’m just a novice, really. I have plenty more training ahead of me.”

“I’m sure you’re just being humble. Would you permit me to kneel before you and give you a proper display of my gratitude?”

Rishe guessed Raul’s aim. The “display” he meant was to kiss the back of Rishe’s hand. Kyle had done the same to her when they’d met in this life, as was custom in Coyolles, but there was no such custom in Siguel.

He wants to touch my hand to determine my proficiency with a sword.

Perhaps he suspected her of being a body double for the crown princess as well. She didn’t want to reveal too much to Raul, but she couldn’t turn down such a gesture from a “prince.” Having no other choice, Rishe began to nod, when…

Eep!

A hand snaked around her waist, and Rishe almost squeaked aloud. She clapped a hand over her mouth and looked up to see Arnold standing next to her. “Goodness, Prince Arnold…”

Arnold’s eyes were cold as ice as he pulled Rishe toward him. He stared Raul down frigidly and said, “You’re an honored guest. It may just be a formal greeting, but there’s no need for you to kneel.”

“My, my.” Raul narrowed his eyes, smile widening. “I see you’re quite the devoted husband, Prince Arnold.”

Where in the world did that come from?!

The comment had to be sarcastic, but Arnold did not flinch. He just gazed at Raul, his actions unprovoked but clearly deliberate.

“It’s only natural for a husband to mind his wife.”

“I’d heard it was a political union, but I see you care a great deal for your fiancée. That’s wonderful.”

“Um, excuse me?” Rishe’s head swung between the two of them, trying to parse their conversation. Then Arnold broke eye contact as if he’d lost interest.

“I’m sure you’re tired from the long journey, Prince Curtis. I plan to guide you around town tomorrow, so please retire for today.”

Hmm, looks like Prince Arnold and Raul will be parting ways for now.

She still had no idea as to either of their motives, but Rishe was on Galkhein’s side at the moment. Even if she wasn’t going to tell Arnold that Curtis was a fake, she still planned on being cautious around him.

When she looked up, she was met with Arnold’s blue eyes. Her breath caught a little at the proximity of his handsome face.

Arnold bent down, face neutral, and whispered, “Sorry, but please entertain the princess.”

His husky voice and breath tickled her ear, making her jump. Rishe nodded, trying to hide her jitters.

“Since Prince Curtis is staying behind, I’ll tighten security inside the castle. I want you to let me know if there are any problems.”

This was likely his way of telling her that he would be watching Raul too. He had caught on to what she wanted to tell him without her having to voice it. Rishe decided to focus on the ­mission she’d been given in the meantime.

“Lady Harriet.” She smiled as she addressed the woman hiding behind Raul. “It seems I won’t be your escort any longer, but I was still hoping we could talk today. Do you mind if I join you?”

“Huh?! B-but—” Harriet scuttled backward, her voice cracking. “I-I couldn’t possibly, I mean, you couldn’t possibly, with someone like me! I’ll just sit still someplace where I won’t get in anyone’s way, so, um, please don’t feel the need to take pity on me! I—”

“I was hoping we could talk about books, Lady Harriet…”

“R-really?!” Harriet’s head whipped up, then drooped just as quickly. “I-If it wouldn’t be a bother, then, um, I…”

“Wonderful! If you don’t mind, then allow me.”

As Rishe moved things along, Harriet seemed to shrink ever deeper into herself.

 

---

 

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Princess Harriet. I am Kaine Tully, head of the Aria Trading Company.”

“Er, right…”

Tully introduced himself with a brilliant smile in the ­reception room. He liked to grow out his facial hair, but he was clean-shaven today. He’d also garbed himself in black robes that complemented his dark skin and matched his image as a first-rate merchant. Rishe was surprised by the sight of her former employer.

There was a rich spread of first-class goods in the room, but they weren’t all luxury products. Among them were mature pieces of jewelry and cute lace accessories, alluring semi-transparent shawls, and brightly colored shoes that boosted one’s spirits.

Such variety was impressive. Rishe had requested Tully’s ­presence on short notice, soon after it was decided she would accompany Arnold on this trip. Tully would’ve had only a small window of time to prepare and transport goods befitting the occasion.

“Your Highness, please feel free to browse our wares! Let us introduce what we have in store today.”

“Eep!”

One of the company salesmen gave Harriet a rundown of the products on display while paying no heed to her shriek. Harriet’s head maid nodded approvingly from behind her.

Watching them out of the corner of his eye, Tully made a great show of bowing to Rishe. “Now then, Lady Rishe. Let us commence with our usual business.”

“Mr. Tully, why do I always find myself asking you to be less formal with me?”

Tully laughed good-naturedly and took out several documents. “Bah, don’t be that way. I’m in grand spirits as of late. I have interesting business deals, and my sister’s health is much better.”

“I’m happy to hear it. Aria’s doing well, then?”

“Yep, and it’s all thanks to you. So, my lady, it hardly suffices to show my appreciation, but please accept the information you requested of me.”

He handed over the documents with a theatrical reverence, and Rishe smirked as she accepted them. When she saw the contents, her hand flew to her mouth in surprise. “Wow. I can’t believe you obtained all this so precisely!”

“Does it please you?”

“This column on the right is how recently these were all acquired, yes? The oldest is from half a year ago, and the most recent is from last month?”

“That’s right. You can see the differences in the numbers. Do you see how intel from the west comes in slower?”

“Yes. Does this third sheet contain your information sources?”

“For the official data, yes. There is also some unofficial data I could share with you.”

The conversation flowed without the real need for details. Once Rishe had finished checking over the third sheet, Tully chuckled.

“What is it, Mr. Tully?”

“Nothing, just…you catch on quick. It feels like I’m talking to somebody who works for me.”

That’s because I used to do just that!

Rishe’s quick analytical eye had been honed by Tully himself in her first life. The information Tully put together was always partially coded to help prevent leaks, but it was easy to parse if one knew the code.

“This information will be very useful indeed. I swear I won’t misuse it.”

“See that you don’t. I trust you, though.”

Rishe nodded, and Tully grinned at her in satisfaction. Then he glanced at the other side of the room. “I suppose we should do something about that now.”

Tully gestured with his chin at Harriet, who was busy fretting over the goods, and the head maid fiendishly watching over her.

“This simply won’t do, Your Highness! Need I remind you that His Majesty bade you spend your money as you pleased in Galkhein? Being frugal will only embarrass him! You were given Galkhein currency, so you must spend it while you are here!”

“I-I’m sorry!” Harriet minimized herself as she bore the head maid’s furious tirade.

“Man, what a waste,” Tully grumbled. “That maid would be the picture of dignity if she just kept her mouth shut.”

“Watch it, Mr. Tully.”

“Hey, don’t give me that look! That princess is covering her face with her hair too. Her dress might be good quality, but it’s also old and out of season.” Tully narrowed his eyes, stroking his smooth chin. “Hey, isn’t that fabric no longer exported from the country that produces it?”

“You noticed it too, did you?”

“You’re keen yourself. Old things aren’t necessarily bad, but…”

Rishe eyed Harriet. “Do you suppose she hides her face to protect herself?”

Tully cracked his neck. “Looks more like a cage to me.”

So it’s meant to trap her from within rather than shield her from without?

“Apologies, Mr. Tully, but could you handle the head maid?”

“Very well! My lady, could I interest you in any of these items?”

“Huh?! Oh, no, not me.” The head maid soundly rejected Tully, but he was unperturbed.

“It seems the items I brought with me today weren’t to Her Highness’s liking. I’ll be back tomorrow, so I thought maybe you could give me an idea of what she’d prefer.”

“Well, erm, I suppose I could…”

Tully shot a knowing glance at Rishe, and she silently offered her thanks. Then she approached Harriet.

“Was there nothing that caught your eye, Lady Harriet?”

Harriet hesitated a moment before her head shot up. “N-no! It’s not that I didn’t like everything, it’s just…”

Rishe’s eyes widened when she heard the quiver in Harriet’s voice. What’s she so afraid of? The princess was only being scolded by the head maid, so maybe that was why, but that didn’t seem right to Rishe. Is she afraid of spending money? No, that can’t be it.

“I’m sure the dresses and jewelry would think they could do better than me.” Harriet’s head sank lower and lower as Rishe racked her brain for an explanation. “I may be human, but I’m absolutely not in a position to choose dresses myself…”

“What are you saying, Lady Harriet?”

“I don’t choose the dresses, they choose me… I may have been born human, but I’m in no position to turn something down. I-I’m so sorry…” She curled in on herself as much as possible before murmuring, “I wish I could just be a real doll…”

“A doll, Your Highness?”

Harriet flinched. She must have said the words without intending for Rishe to hear. “My mother told me…as a princess, my job is to enter into a political marriage and give my husband an heir…and to do that, I must become an adorable girl just like a doll that my husband will love…”

Rishe frowned at those words, a memory picking at her mind.

“B-but as you can see, I’m human. I can’t do anything right, and people get annoyed just looking at me. Even my face makes people hate me because of the way my eyes look.” Harriet bowed her head, her face in her hands. “I do everything wrong! The best I can do is just stay out of people’s way…”

“Oh, Lady Harriet.”

“I can’t make people uncomfortable with my face. I can’t show it. I can’t speak,” she said as if in chant, a melancholy mantra meant only for herself.

Watching her, Rishe gently asked, “Is that why you hide your face?”

“Ah! If I show him my face, His Majesty might break off our engagement. That’s the one thing I must avoid. This political marriage is the whole reason I was born.” Harriet sounded like she was about to cry, but she still managed to speak coherently. “I must fulfill my role as a doll in this marriage…”

It seemed those words were all she had to cling to. And something about them was familiar to Rishe.

“I must finish this all before tomorrow…”

When Rishe was young, her “education” was everything. Her parents had been strict, ensuring she knew that there was no way out of her lessons. All sorts of tutors visited her home and taught her from morning to night, and when she was alone, she had additional work to complete. Since every day of her life was like that, she couldn’t recall spending a single evening with her parents. She spent time alone in her room, slept alone in her bed, and when she woke up, a full day of education for a future queen began.

There was an ever-growing mountain of things to learn, and Rishe was always desperately telling herself, “I need to be able to do this… I need to study properly!”

It was no different on her sixth birthday, the thirtieth day of the seventh month. The lights in the main house were out. Everyone was already sleeping, and Rishe was alone—again. It was nearly midnight, and no one had celebrated her birthday with her, but that was only natural because she was behind in her studies. She wanted to cry when she thought about it, but she also felt that crying was shameful, so instead, she chanted to herself again and again:

“I couldn’t be born a boy…so I at least must become the queen. If I don’t, there was no…” She remembered her pen stilling as she rubbed at her eyes. “There was no point in me being born…”

Back in the present, Rishe closed her eyes. She took a deep breath and then slapped her hands together with a loud crack!

“Ack!”

“I’m sorry, Lady Harriet.” Ignoring Harriet’s yelp, she smiled and asked, “Would you mind accompanying me for a little while?”

“Huh?”

 

Things moved at a frantic pace after that. Rishe asked Elsie to take care of things, requested Tully to visit again tomorrow, changed her dress, and headed outside. Dodging the head maid and her suggestions, Rishe took Harriet’s hand with a big smile on her face, then brought her to just the place she’d planned on.

The back of a horse.

“Eeeek!”

Seated behind Harriet in the saddle, Rishe held the reins with her arms around the princess and took the horse over a grassy hill.

Siting sidesaddle, Harriet gripped the pommel. Her body shook as she spluttered, “I-I’m riding on…a horse!”

“Women don’t ride horses on the western continent, do they?” Rishe asked sunnily as the horse plodded along. “I wanted to take you to the cape, but it rained this morning, you see. A carriage would get its wheels stuck in the muck, and it’s too high up, so I thought we’d take a horse.”

“W-women ride horses together on this continent?!”

“Oh, no! Even here, women don’t usually hold the reins. You’d normally ride with a man in a similar fashion as you are now, Lady Harriet. It’s hard to ride in a dress, after all,” Rishe said with a bright smile on her face.

Harriet’s mouth flapped open and closed like a fish, her ears flushed scarlet. The princess kept her grip on the saddle, but strangely, she also ceased to tremble. She sat tall in front of Rishe, her eyes darting around at the scenery.

Is Lady Harriet enjoying this too?

Rishe continued her explanation with a confident grin. She took one hand from the reins and lifted her skirt to show Harriet. “The dress I’m wearing right now has a slit in it, so I can straddle a horse. I have enough on underneath it that I don’t need to worry about it flipping open.”

“L-Lady Rishe, Princess Harriet!” The head maid was trailing behind them on foot. She clapped a hand to her forehead and exclaimed, “I thought perhaps I should let it go as a matter of diplomacy, but I’ve decided I must speak up! It’s not too late! This is far too unladylike, you two! We can ready a carriage for you, so get down from that horse immediately!”

Harriet flinched, and Rishe turned around. The rest of Harriet’s maids seemed to be of the same opinion. Even the lady knights from Siguel were eyeing Rishe warily.

The way Harriet hung her head seemed regretful to Rishe. She bent over and put one of her hands on Harriet’s where it held the saddle. “Lady Harriet.”

“Yes?!”

She wrapped Harriet’s arm around her waist and whispered into her bright-red ear, “I’m going to shake them off… Hold tight.”

“Huh?!”

She grasped the reins once more and, in time with the chestnut horse’s breathing, urged the steed onward.

“Aiiieeeee!”

Scream though Harriet did, the dutiful horse made sure she was holding on before racing up the hill before them.

“I apologize, Miss Head Maid!” Rishe called back. “I’ll take your scolding later—me and only me, if you would!”

The head maid shouted something in response, but her words were stolen by the breeze.

Harriet remained hunched at the start, but she gradually lifted her head. “W-wow! We’re already all the way up here…”

The cape that had been far in the distance just a moment ago was already right before their eyes.

“There was a horseback-riding scene in the Claudiette Saga as well, wasn’t there? It had the most wonderful illustration. The moment I turned the page, I was transfixed. It’s Siguel’s special bookmaking technology that allows the printing of such fine lines, isn’t it?”

Hearing praise of her homeland made Harriet bashful. Timidity in every move, she ventured a peek behind them. “Everyone’s so far away…”

A grove of trees up on the cape cast a pleasant, dappled shade. Rishe brought the horse into the trees before dismounting and offering her hand to Harriet. After helping the princess down, she patted the horse’s neck and tied its reins to a tree to let it rest.

“The sea breeze is so nice and cool, isn’t it?”

Harriet nodded, letting out a captivated sigh as she gazed at the scenery. From the cape, the seaside town looked vibrant, bathed in sunlight. The deep blue sea spread out before them. Above, white sea birds flew about.

“You can go anywhere you want, can’t you, Lady Rishe?”

Rishe watched Harriet, holding down her hair as it fluttered in the wind.

“How I wish I could be like you…” Harriet trailed off, then gasped and shook her head violently. “I-I-I’m sorry! I, er, shouldn’t presume! How disrespectful of me!”

“You can’t become me, Lady Harriet,” Rishe said with a bittersweet smile. “I’m sure the places I go aren’t the places you want to go.”

“I, um…”

“Where is it that you want to go, Lady Harriet?”

Harriet sucked in a breath like she’d never heard those words before.

Gazing down at the ocean, Rishe continued, “For instance, I want to go to places with beautiful things. A field full of sunflowers, or a forest with a carpet of autumn leaves. A beach where shards of ice wash up on the shore and sparkle in the morning sun like gemstones.” Rishe’s eyes crinkled as she remembered things she’d seen in her travels. “There’s a certain someone I want to show those things to.”

How would Arnold react to sights like that? Would he take interest in them, or would he feel nothing at all? Once she found that out, she’d set out on another journey to see something ­beautiful with him. She hoped to be able to take a trip like that one day.

“I think you and I wish for different things, Lady Harriet.”

“I-I… I…”

“I’d love it if you told me. Not about being someone else but about what you’d like to be. About your dreams.”

Harriet murmured dreamily, “What I’d like to be…” After that, she pressed her lips into a hard line. She looked down and fidgeted with her hands before gathering all her courage to shout, “I-I…! This, um, I… I’m going back to my maids!”

She ran off, and Rishe didn’t follow her. The lady knights were halfway up the cape. Aside from one particular individual, there was no one suspicious around them, so the princess shouldn’t be in any danger. Rishe watched her go, worried that she’d trip.

Then a voice sounded from up a nearby tree.

“Your face gets prettier and prettier the more I look at it.”

Rishe sighed, and an amused laugh spilled from the branches.

“That fluffy coral-pink hair and your big emerald eyes… You’re just adorable. No wonder your fiancé was so insistent that I keep my hands off you.”

“It makes me uncomfortable when you compliment me insincerely, so please stop.”

In her past life, Raul had been a friend—and somewhat of a bad influence. Even though he didn’t know that, this flirtation really rubbed her the wrong way.

“I thought you’d show yourself somewhere with fewer people,” Rishe said, looking directly up into the tree.

The man there was not dressed as Prince Curtis. He wore a black cloak and crouched atop a branch, chin in his hands. His hair was a burnt brown, but it must have been some time since he dyed it; his natural orange color peeked from the roots. Narrowing his red, almond-shaped eyes, he appraised Rishe. He was, without a doubt, the hunter Raul whom Rishe knew.

“Yet you’re not surprised at all. Pity, I was looking forward to hearing you scream.”

“How barbaric,” Rishe said with disgust.

Raul’s grin was a happy one. “You were the one who set up that noisy little trap in the castle, right?” he asked, tilting his head like a curious cat. “I thought you might be someone in my business, just dressed as a noble lady, but it doesn’t seem that way. The prince cautioned me a little too genuinely for you to be a fake… That’s my least favorite kind of trap, you know?”

Erasing one’s presence was the most important task for a hunter on the prowl. Naturally, they had to avoid making any loud noises. Raul was on the mark when he pegged her as someone in the same business as him.

“It was one of your men sneaking into the castle yesterday, wasn’t it?” she asked him.

Raul shrugged. “No idea. Somebody snuck in?”

“My maids witnessed a suspicious figure. He came in through the window and didn’t make a sound.”

“Then maybe it was us, and maybe it has nothing to do with us. I wonder which it is.”

Rishe scowled at his teasing response, and Raul laughed.

“You’re so cute!”

He slid from the branch and landed close to Rishe without so much as a sound. Harriet and her maids, who were descending the cape, wouldn’t be able to see him from their position.

Raul studied Rishe with his ruby-red eyes. “In fact, I want to make you my wife instead of the crown prince’s.”

“Enough joking around. Get to the point of this little ‘visit’ already.”

“There’s no point. I just wanted to see you.” The man spat out a blatantly ingenuine pickup line. “My name is Raul. In my country’s mother tongue, it means ‘the wolf who shows you the way.’”

I know you’re lying about that name and the country you’re from, though.

Nevertheless, it was a nostalgic introduction, and she found herself remembering the first time she’d heard it.

 

Rishe met the group who called themselves hunters in a forest in Siguel in her fifth life. She’d run across a wounded Raul and used her apothecary skills to treat his injuries.

“You saved my life. If you’ve got nowhere to go, please spend some time here.”

Some dozen hunters lived together in that hut, and they were all pleasant folk. In their company, Rishe learned how to use a bow while she treated Raul. Once she learned enough, Raul took her into the forest.

“Mm. You’ve got the knack for this. I can teach you how to hunt if you want to try your hand at it for a while.”

That was how Rishe’s fifth loop began. It was fun living in the forest, and she liked learning about the animals they shared it with. She learned to predict the weather from the way bugs and birds flew, how to anticipate a prey’s next moves from their tracks, and how to catch them with traps.

Sometimes, she’d aim her bow at her prey and wait in the forest for hours without budging. Other times, she’d hunker down in the cold snow of winter until she couldn’t feel her fingers anymore. In those cases, she had to grit her teeth to keep them from chattering because then her prey would perceive her.

As she polished her skills as an archer and made her living, she realized that Raul and his men were no ordinary hunters. They told her the truth when they went to one particular location on orders from the Siguel royal family.

“So basically, we’re intelligence operatives disguised as hunters,” Raul told her from his perch on a tree branch. “It’s the perfect cover for our activities. While we ‘scout out our hunting grounds,’ we can travel all over the country and investigate nobles’ territories, you see.”

Rishe had put that all together on her own. “You can probe incidents of misgovernment and find evidence of tax fraud without worrying about people catching on.”

“That’s right. And every so often, we can ‘accidentally’ enter other countries when we get lost in the forest.” He looked down at their hunting grounds as he spoke. “My old man, the previous chief, said that in his country in the east, people like us were called falconers.”

“I wonder if that’s different from ‘ninjas.’”

“They’re similar. Ninjas are usually disguised as farmers or merchants. We usually act like real hunters and live in peace in the forest, as you know.” Raul rattled off the facts like a song.

Rishe turned to face him. Their chosen perches were narrow branches, yet she navigated them with ease thanks to Raul’s training. She would never lose her balance in such a precarious place. “But when you’re needed, you go on missions like this.”

“Well, it is still technically hunting prey.” Raul smiled, narrowing his red eyes as he looked down at a man below them. “Wait just a second, Rishe. I was told not to kill this one, so we’ll track him carefully.”

There was no anxiety in his skill. Raul was able to nock an ­arrow and aim at his target without so much as shifting the branch he was crouched on.

 

I learned how to hide myself and observe other people from Raul. I’m a capable hunter because of that life, but Raul is something else.

Rishe thought about “Curtis” from this morning as she stared at Raul in front of her.

He was the only one who could disguise himself as someone else down to his voice.

How did Raul interpret her gaze?

“Why are you disguising yourself as Prince Curtis?”

“Hmm…” Raul peered at Rishe’s face, feigning contemplation. He acted friendly with people, but the truth was that no one interested him. Rishe was astounded by the way he scrutinized her.

He was almost like everyone’s big brother among the hunters. I can’t believe he’s this frivolous with a complete stranger.

This was why he made so many women cry. Raul had a pretty face, and he acted kind and friendly on the surface, which only made things worse.

“Your expression doesn’t change at all, not even when I get this close. Yet you turned red in a flash when the crown prince touched you!”

“Ahem! Well, I understand that you have no intent to answer my questions, at least.”

“If I answer them, do I get something in return?”

“Nope. You don’t,” Rishe answered, feeling like she was in her fifth loop.

Raul chuckled. “Maybe I creep you out, but hey—you didn’t say anything when you realized Prince Curtis was actually me. Forgive my saying so, but you creep me out just as much! No need to worry, though. I’ll behave this afternoon. Seems like it’s ­going to rain, anyway.”

He looked down at Harriet, encircled by her maids at the bottom of the hill. “Can I ask you to make friends with Harriet?”

Rishe peeled her eyes away from the princess to look back at Raul, but he was already gone, leaving behind nothing but the swaying trees at the top of the cape. Under the strong light of the summer sun, cicadas buzzed all around her, yet she didn’t sense any animal presence.

It does look like it’ll rain. I should tell the maids to bring the laundry inside.

With a sigh, she untied the reins from the branch and brought her horse back to the castle.

 

---

 

The rain came down about an hour later. It looked to be a passing shower, and it would be over quickly if they just waited a bit. Still, the downpour was heavy, kicking up a white mist as it splashed on the ground. While it fell, the maids had to bustle through their many tasks.

Summer showers had a harsh vitality to them. As Rishe listened to the pleasant plink of droplets hitting the windows, she received word that Arnold had returned from the town.

“Welcome ba—oh!” Her eyes flew wide when she met Arnold in the entry hall. He stood there sulky and soaking wet. “Are you okay?!”

Rishe sprinted toward Arnold, hastily instructing a maid to bring some towels as she passed. Liquid beads dripped from his black hair, evincing the force of the rain.

Oliver appeared behind him, equally drenched and clearly exasperated at his lord. “Goodness, there was no need to rush, was there? I suggested we wait out the rain, but you just had to insist on soldiering through it, didn’t you?”

“Hold your tongue! You didn’t need to come with me.”

“Oh, but I did! Of course, I understand your desire to return to the castle so quickly.”

“I told you to shut up!” Arnold growled, running a hand through his sopping bangs. The casual movement exposed his typically hidden forehead.

Rishe’s breath caught as she gazed at Arnold. He was a portrait of contrasts: matured by the slicked-back bangs but almost fragile due to dripping everywhere. She had no idea how to look at him.

Arnold was puzzled over Rishe’s scrutiny. “What is it?”

She felt compelled to respond. “It’s just…even your forehead is as beautiful as a work of art, Your Highness…”

“What?”

“Oh, look, the towels are here!” Rishe thanked the arriving maids and picked up one of the towels. After spreading it out, she stood on her tiptoes and draped it over his head, commencing with drying his hair.

Everyone present—Oliver included—watched her with mouths agape. Even the guards, who’d been reaching for towels of their own, were frozen in shock. Rishe wondered what everyone was gaping at as she dried Arnold’s hair with vigor.

A moment later, Arnold’s flat, muffled voice came from beneath the towel. “Rishe.”

“Yes?”

“I can dry myself.”

Rishe blinked once, then twice, and then understood at last.

“Gah!” She dropped the towel like a hot potato, her arms shooting into the air like white flags. With her arms raised in ­total surrender, she took two shaky steps back. Although the guards and maids didn’t dare move a muscle, Oliver alone ­appeared to be holding back laughter.

“I-I’m so sorry! That was completely out of line!”

“It’s fine.”

Oliver swooped in just then. “Hee hee hee, thank you, Lady Rishe. I apologize for the imposition, but could you take care of His Highness?”

Arnold glared at Oliver, but the latter remained unperturbed.

“I’m just as soaked, as you can see. Do you think you could take care of him for me?”

“Er, y-yes! Certainly! Prince Arnold, please come this way!”

At this point, Rishe just wanted the floor to swallow her whole. Propelled by that feeling, she grabbed Arnold’s arm and led him upstairs. After stuffing him into a fourth-floor room, she wiped the puddles the prince had left in the hallway in a frenzy.

Just be normal, Rishe! For goodness’ sake!

To regain some semblance of dignity, she checked on the bell traps. When she judged herself to be sufficiently calm, her maid handed her the tea she’d asked for and she knocked on the door of the room she’d all but tossed Arnold in.

“Um, Your Highness? Have you finished changing?”

“Yeah.”

Opening the door frazzled her nerves once again. When she did, she found Arnold sitting on the couch, having changed out of his wet clothes into a white shirt. His hair was still wet, but it wasn’t dripping anymore.

“H-here, have some tea. You should get something warm into you since you’re probably cold from being outside.”

“Mm,” Arnold grunted as he read over a document. He patted the space next to him with one hand, signaling for her to sit. The gesture mirrored his summons the night before. She hadn’t thought anything of it then, but now she wondered if they should have sat across from each another. Still, she didn’t have to go out of her way to refuse his offer and sit on another couch.

Rishe meekly took her place beside Arnold and looked up at him. “Are you done with your inspection of the currency exchanges?”

“For today, at least. I’ll check a few more places tomorrow and that’ll be all of them. Any issues on your end?”

“There’s something eating at Lady Harriet that worries me.”

Arnold didn’t care a whit about that, though. He could at least feign interest, she thought, but he showed no indication of doing so. Prince Arnold didn’t even move when Lady Harriet fell flat on her face yesterday.

He didn’t care about her at all, even when he saw her crying. Rishe thought about it as she watched Arnold flip through his document.

“Does your scar hurt?”

Arnold glanced at Rishe in surprise for a moment but turned away again with a huff. “Sometimes,” he said after a pause. “When it rains.”

Rishe frowned. He conducted himself the same as ever, but on a closer inspection, she could tell that Arnold was favoring his left side. She didn’t think she would be able to tell if she didn’t know about the scar on his neck.

“How could you tell?”

“I can sort of sense whenever you’re in pain now, even if it’s only a little bit.”

It wasn’t as if Rishe was monitoring Arnold’s health every second or anything, but she had heard from patients in her life as an apothecary about old wounds aching when it rained. A definitive treatment for such symptoms didn’t exist, though.

“Shall I prepare some hot water? If you warm the area up with a towel, it might alleviate the pain somewhat.”

“You don’t need to worry about it.”

“But—”

“It’s a little better now,” Arnold said softly. “So I don’t need anything else.”

She hadn’t done anything, so she didn’t know what he meant by “anything else.” But if she made too big a deal of it, the fact of the scar might become known to his enemies. The old wound was the only weak point in Arnold’s godlike swordsmanship.

Come to think of it, Raul noticed it in my life as a hunter, didn’t he?

 

Five years from now, Siguel entered the war against Galkhein. After Harriet emptied Fabrannia’s coffers and was executed, Siguel had to fight as part of their reparations to Fabrannia. Rishe’s hunting troop was sent to battle as part of the royal family’s forces. The hunters weren’t on the front lines; their duty was to hide out in the forest ahead of the main force, gather intelligence, and diminish the enemy’s forces as much as possible.

On one such mission, Raul whispered to her while peering from behind a rock with a monocular, “Arnold Hein may be injured.”

The hunters, Rishe included, were surprised—they had only come upon the man recently, with no chances to observe him before then. They were also very cautious about the positioning of the sun for fear that Arnold would notice the light reflected off of the monocular.

“Injured, Raul? Really?”

“Yeah. On his left side, I think. Upper body? There’s a chance someone landed a hit on him.”

 

Now that she thought back on that moment, the wound Raul had sensed must have been the scar on Arnold’s neck. Rishe hadn’t known about it at the time, and she hadn’t figured it out in her life as a knight either. She only understood her two life experiences in this one.

 

Raul had been sure of himself at the time, though. “If we aim for his left side, we might be able to take down the Arnold Hein. I want everyone to nock a poison arrow. He deflected all our shots in battle, but I’m sure even he has his guard down right now.”

All of Rishe’s companions aimed their bows on Raul’s command. They’d shot poison arrows at Arnold Hein several days ago as well, but his sword had knocked every attack aside. Raul issued the order to try again now to take advantage of Arnold’s injury.

We’re downwind. There’s no way Arnold Hein can hear our voices right now…so why do I have such a bad feeling about this?

Rishe felt a premonition stirring in her heart and looked through the monocular once more. Then she gasped.

Arnold Hein’s blue eyes were staring right at her. She shuddered, immediately realizing that she wasn’t just imagining it. Arnold Hein had been looking at her.

“Everyone, stop! Arnold Hein’s noticed us! We won’t hit him if we shoot!”

A buzz went through the group at Rishe’s words. Depending on what Arnold Hein did, they could soon be surrounded by enemy knights. Rishe held her breath and looked through the lens at the man. He smiled, the expression not reaching his dark eyes, and pressed his thumb to the left of his chest as if to say, “My heart is right here.”

He was goading Rishe into attacking him.

 

Because Arnold Hein hadn’t pursued them aggressively for whatever reason, they survived that day. As she sat beside Arnold now, Rishe studied him, wondering, If I had shot him in the heart back then, I wonder where I would be now.

Rishe might not have died in her fifth life. She could be celebrating her twenty-first birthday instead. She couldn’t imagine it.

There’s no point in thinking about futures that never came. I should be investigating whether the figure Elsie and the other maids saw yesterday was one of the hunters instead.

Her face taut and grim, Rishe organized what she knew of the incident.

They came in through the window, made no sound, and left without a trace. It’s not something a “normal person” could do, but they’re not what you’d call normal.

Considering her interactions with Raul in the alleyway yesterday and upon the cape just a few hours ago, it seemed most likely that the infiltrators were his hunters.

But if it’s the hunters sneaking in, my traps are meaningless. They would be able to notice them like Raul did.

Rishe still couldn’t dismiss the possibility it was a ghost, however, because the maids had seen it.

Those hunters wouldn’t let someone hear a rusty, creaking hinge. Hmm…

The more she thought about it—which she couldn’t stop ­doing—the more she gave weight to the possibility of a ghost.

Arnold touched her hand then.

“What is it, Your Highness?”

The prince didn’t say anything. He simply traced the edge of her sapphire ring.

He touched my ring like this yesterday too.

She didn’t think he was doing it to make her feel awkward, but she couldn’t think of a reason for this intimate interaction. While she didn’t hate it or anything, it fired up her nerves all over again.

Restless, Rishe remembered what Arnold had said to her the day before: “So the metalwork was wrought by an artisan from Coyolles, eh? You take care of it well for how detailed the craftsmanship is.”

By any chance, is Prince Arnold—

“Rishe, the rain’s stopped.”

“Oh! You’re right!”

The sky through the window was a clear, cloudless blue, as though the downpour from mere minutes ago had been an illusion. The air was clearer than it had been that morning, and the white sunlight was incredibly bright.

“Will you do some work this afternoon? Or spend some time with Prince Curtis and Princess Harriet?”

“No. If I can, I’d like to take you somewhere.” Arnold stood and extended a hand to Rishe. “Do you have the time?”

She was surprised by the proposal, but Rishe nodded and took Arnold’s hand.

 

---

 

“Wow!” Rishe cried. She wore a light summer dress with a hat to shade her from the sun, and she had a basket of drinks in one hand.

“Hey, don’t run in the sand. You’ll fall.”

“I’m sorry, but…” Rishe couldn’t quell her excitement despite Arnold’s warning. “It’s the beach!”

Her eyes positively sparkled at the great expanse of water before them. She marveled at the white sand, completely free of footprints, and the water that shifted from light blue in the shallows to pale emerald and then deep azure. This small inlet was only accessible through the castle; no one but the imperial family and their guests could visit it.

After running out onto the sand, Rishe swiveled to face Arnold. He wasn’t wearing his jacket, clad instead in a white shirt and black slacks. Rishe wondered if he was hot in his outfit, but he seemed unaffected, being used to such attire.

“Prince Arnold! Forgive my immodesty, but do you mind if I remove my shoes?”

“Do what you want. Just don’t hurt yourself.”

Rishe set her basket down next to a rock and laid her hat over top. Then she kicked off her shoes and felt the silky sand beneath her feet. She wore sunblock she’d made herself, so she wasn’t too worried about getting burned. Thanks to the earlier rain, the sand was pleasantly warm rather than scalding in the sunlight. The sea breeze wasn’t humid in the least, instead carrying a note of brine on its cool, refreshing gusts.

The wind is a bit chilly, so it’s both hot and cool out here! What a strange feeling!

Rishe’s calf-length dress was made up of layers of chiffon. Its soft skirt danced in the wind.

“Summer’s in full swing now, huh?” Rishe had come to Galkhein in spring, in the middle of the fifth month. Enjoying the lush season around her as Arnold approached, she said, “If I’d known the water would be this clean, I would have brought my bathing suit.”

“…”

“I have a cute one! It’s a two-piece. The top is a pretty blue while the bottom is like a frilly white skirt.” As she cursed her poor choices, Arnold frowned. “What’s the matter?”

After a long pause, Arnold said, “It’s still a little early for swimming, isn’t it?”

“I suppose so. There are a lot of rip currents around here in this season too.”

She ambled toward the shore, where the gentle waves lapped at her toes. The water rose around her ankles, then immediately pulled back, the sand tickling the bottom of her feet as it shifted under her.

Rishe held up the edges of her dress and waded in a little deeper. “Hee hee, the water’s surface is so bright!”

Still standing on the beach, Arnold asked, “Is it that much fun?”

“Of course it is!” In response to Arnold’s bewilderment, Rishe pointed to the sea and told him, “Look over there. See how the surrounding water is calm, but there are whitecaps in just that one spot? That means there’s something large and heavy below the water. And you can tell how large it is from the size of the waves.”

A sailor had taught her that when she was traveling in her life as a merchant.

“The seafloor might just be raised up in that spot, or something big could have sunk there. Isn’t it fun just imagining what might be at the bottom of the deep sea?” Rishe whirled toward Arnold, splashing at the surface of the water. “Maybe there’s sunken treasure there that some pirates dropped!”

“That would be a pain in the neck. We’d have to figure out who the treasure belongs to and gather up all the potential claimants.”

“Ugh, you and your realism!”

Even so, Arnold went along with Rishe’s odd little fantasy. That made her happy.

“When I was a girl studying in my room, I desperately ate up any fragment of knowledge about the rest of the world from my textbooks.” Rishe’s eyes were hooded as she recalled the memories. “I would read the word ‘ocean’ and wonder what it was like. When I had to embroider flowers, I wondered what the real ones smelled like. Imagining those things kept me going. That’s why I was so happy every time I finally experienced something I previously could only imagine.”

She had been to the ocean many times in all of her previous lives, but the sight of it was still fresh. She’d always found it beautiful, so much more stunning than what she’d envisioned while stuck in her room all by herself. Really, she couldn’t get enough of it.

“Did you bring me to the beach because I said I wanted to go to the ocean?”

“That’s part of it.”

Rishe surmised that there was another reason, but Arnold didn’t seem forthcoming at the moment, so she didn’t bother with further questions. She was just happy that he’d remembered what she’d said before they departed the castle.

Yet Prince Arnold is only watching. How does the ocean look in his eyes?

Arnold wore his usual neutral expression; he didn’t seem moved by the gorgeous scenery in any way. Did the sight of the ocean inspire no emotion in him?

That’s not all…

The way Arnold watched Rishe as she stood in the sea, it was as if she had nothing to do with him. Like he had drawn a line between them, or he had decided that there was nothing between them at all. That made Rishe feel like she had come to the seaside all by herself. She wanted to ask him about this—and if he really didn’t care, she could drop it—but he looked like he was keeping his distance even from such a question.

“Prince Arnold!” she shouted, reaching out to him.

Arnold grimaced, dubious. “What’s with the hand?”

“Come here, Your Highness.”

His frown deepened, but Rishe guessed it wasn’t because the invitation displeased him. If anything, the source of the displeasure came from the invitation being so unexpected. Making up her mind, Rishe declared, “I’m making a request, so you must listen to it.”

When they got engaged, Arnold had said that he would grant any of her requests. Knowing she was referencing this, Arnold sighed. “All right.”

Giving in, he bent over to remove his shoes. He neatly rolled up his pant legs and, still scowling, entered the sea. He sloshed through the water to get to Rishe, all the while looking down at his feet with a complicated expression on his face—as if walking directly on sand felt strange to him.

“What do you think?”

“No comment.”

“Well then, Your Highness…” Standing next to Arnold, Rishe dropped the edges of her skirt. She decided not to worry about it getting wet. Instead, she grasped Arnold by each wrist. “You can scold me all you want later, all right?”

“Hey, wait, you’re not going to—” The question he shot in her direction melted into realization.

“Hmph!” Rishe hurled them both backward into the water.

“Argh! Damn you!”

Surely Arnold would have been able to maintain his balance had he just been concerned for himself. Yet he tried to support Rishe as well, so they both ended up tumbling into the ocean.

Splash!

There was a great spray of water. Rishe squeezed her eyes shut and held her breath as she endured the impact before Arnold pulled her back up.

“Aah!”

Rishe sat in the ocean, which reached up to her navel in this shallow area. Her dress floated all around her as though she were a jellyfish. Arnold was drenched for the second time that day. There’d been no point in him drying his hair and changing clothes after getting caught out in the rain earlier.

“…Rishe.”

“If it’s still too early to swim, why not amuse ourselves this way?” She grinned at the novelty of trapping Arnold.

With his arms ringed around Rishe’s waist, Arnold squinted at her. “You look awfully pleased with yourself.”

“I am. I’m quite satisfied at having pranked you, Your Highness.”

“I see.” Arnold sighed and reached for Rishe’s cheek. “Very well… I’ll take you up on the offer.”

Rishe couldn’t believe her ears. “Huh?!” Yes, she’d started this little prank war, but she didn’t think he’d take it seriously.

Ignoring Rishe’s flustered reaction, Arnold went in for the kill.

“Ah, hey, Your Highness! Wait a second, that’s not fair… Eeeep!”

Splash!

The splash marked the beginning of a fierce melee. Arnold was merciless. Rishe did her best to fight back, but he was unbeatable. She was certain that if anyone else saw this scene, they would be rendered speechless.

After a steady exchange of attacks and counterattacks in the shallows, they realized much time had passed.

“Whew! We really went all out messing around, huh?”

“I suppose we did.”

The two of them sat on the beach for a breather, clothes drenched. Rishe’s stamina was completely expended, but Arnold appeared ready for a few more rounds. There was a different sort of fatigue in his features, though—perhaps from doing something new.

Rishe reached for the basket she’d left beside a rock and took out one of the bottles. “Have some tea, Your Highness. It’s gotten pretty warm, though.”

The bottle had been chilled in the castle’s ice house, but it was close to room temperature now. Nevertheless, Arnold drank.

“Have your feelings on the ocean changed at all?”

“…I don’t know.”

She laughed, and his head swiveled in her direction. “It’s just, you really thought about it, didn’t you? I mean, you didn’t say no, just that you don’t know.”

Arnold’s gaze softened. He tucked Rishe’s hair behind her ear, plucked Rishe’s hat from its spot beside the basket, and covered her head.

Since he was still being gentle with her, Rishe said, “I will accept your scolding now, Your Highness.”

While she was prepared to be chastised for tripping her fiancé into the ocean, Arnold said, “I won’t punish you.”

“Huh?”

“I retaliated plenty. We’re even.”

Rishe blinked, stumped. “You go too easy on me.”

“Get used to it.” He made something not at all natural seem natural, but Rishe wasn’t having it.

“You need to scold me or I’ll just get worse. If you’re too nice to me, well…” She frowned and covered her mouth, murmuring, “I’ll get greedy.”

Arnold chuckled. The soft expression he wore made him look his age for once. Gazing at Rishe, he said, “I’d like that.”

He sounded so gentle when he said it that Rishe’s ears felt inexplicably hot.

“Everything that you do is so strange, I can never predict what’s coming next.”

“Augh! You’re teasing me again!” Rishe wrinkled her nose in frustration, and Arnold lowered his gaze to the sand.

“Besides, there isn’t all that much I can do for you. It should be fine to spoil you a little.”

Rishe tilted her head to the side. “Hm? You’ve already granted so many of my requests.”

“That’s because the things you ask for are so trivial.”

She found that strange. I feel like I’ve been making some ­extreme requests by my standards.

Arnold had readied a whole detached palace for his “hostage” fiancée and even allowed her to use a corner of the garden as a field. Rishe had hired all her own maids, and she was allowed to freely trade with merchants. All of this was selfish enough, was it not?

The question must have been written on her face. Arnold said, “There’s something I must prioritize above all else.” He looked out at the ocean. “If your requests go against that, then I can’t grant them.”

Rishe had only accepted Arnold’s proposal after asking if he would grant her anything she desired. At the time, Arnold had agreed to it so long as it was within his power. In other words, he had implied from the beginning that there were some requests he could not grant.

“Due to my position, there will probably be times when my duty to work and country interferes as well…but that’s not all.” Arnold fixed his blue eyes on Rishe. “Even if you tire of this ­engagement, I won’t let you leave my side.”

A dull pain wreathed her heart. “Because of the reason you proposed to me?”

He studied her. “That’s right.”

Rishe’s hand crept to her chest, just over her heart. She hoped he wouldn’t notice. It was wrong of her to feel despondent about this.

It’s not like I’ve told him my top priority either. Rishe looked down, grateful for the cover her hat afforded her face. She clung to it, tracing lines in the soft sand with her finger.

I haven’t told him “I don’t want you to kill your father” or “I don’t want you to start that war.” I’m hiding my greatest desires from him, so I can’t fault him for hiding things from me.

She couldn’t just come out and tell him those things, though.

I can’t say it. I mean, the only reason Prince Arnold is allowing me such freedom is because he doesn’t know that my objective is to stop the war.

Everything Rishe did in this life, she did to interfere with Arnold’s plans. Her motivation for every move was to avoid the war.

I’m sure that Prince Arnold’s strong will is the catalyst for the conflict. If he didn’t feel so strongly about it, there’s no way such a kind person would start such a bloody war.

The “something” Arnold had to prioritize was the war in the future. And if he found out about Rishe’s interference, she would become his enemy in this life too.

It won’t be easy thwarting Prince Arnold’s plans. If I have one advantage over him, it’s that I know the future.

To hold that advantage, she had to keep her loop-given foresight to herself.

Yes, I have secrets too. I have no right to know what Prince Arnold might be hiding from me.

And yet, her heart ached. Rishe had asked Arnold about the reason he chose her as his fiancée several times now, but she could no longer voice the question. Instead, she regarded Arnold from under her hat.

“What do you want me to do once I’m your wife, Prince Arnold?”

The question startled him. He smiled at Rishe like he found her the most captivating thing in all the world. “You’ve changed the question, I see.”

“I know you won’t answer the normal one.” It was the truth, but it felt like a lie.

Arnold’s answer came easily. “What I want you to do? That’s simple. It’s ‘idle around the castle’ and ‘be utterly useless,’ isn’t it?” He was referring to what Rishe said after he proposed to her.

“Th-that’s not what you want, it’s what I want!”

“Still, it hardly seems possible for you.”

“Huh? What do you mean it’s not possible?! I absolutely plan to win my life of indolence after this, you hear me?!”

“Why must you win it? You’re not suited to indolence anyway.”

What does he mean by that? Rishe thought, indignant.

Then Arnold added, “Why do you ask in the first place?”

“Lady Harriet appears to be pushing herself too hard to prepare for her own marriage. I was curious what a man might be thinking at a time like this.” This wasn’t a lie, per se. She seized upon the opportunity to ask Arnold about this as well. “What sort of country does Fabrannia seem like to you, Your Highness?” She asked the question as if she hadn’t been there herself in a past life.

“In my view, it’s the country on the western continent that’s most proactive in its diplomatic relations with Galkhein.”

“That displeases you?”

“There aren’t many advantages for us right now. They might be advantageous allies in the future, but we have many other things to prioritize right now.”

“So they’re annoying.”

Rishe recalled Harriet’s head maid saying that the Fabrannian king wished that this visit would foster good relations between their countries.

“The western continent is full of small countries, though. If Galkhein must get along with just one of them, Fabrannia is the most likely, as it leads the alliance in that region.”

To Arnold, other western countries like Siguel were worth less than Fabrannia.

“Though small, Galkhein can’t ignore Fabrannia due to its position in the west.”

“More or less.”

There was one thing Rishe still didn’t understand. I don’t know why Prince Arnold proposed to me when I’m just a duke’s daughter from a minor country. In the same way…

She remembered the future in her fifth loop.

I don’t see how Fabrannia benefits in a political marriage with Siguel. It’s only natural for Lady Harriet to accept her obligation in a political marriage. I thought I had to serve the same purpose until Prince Dietrich broke off our engagement.

It didn’t sit right with her. She frowned. Only when she’d chosen to live her life as a merchant did she start to enjoy her own life and experiences. That was why she hadn’t even wanted to think about marrying anyone in all her lives up until now.

But it’s different in this life.

Rishe looked up, and her eyes met Arnold’s as he gazed down at her. This man was going to be her husband. The moment she thought that, his words played back in her head: “You don’t need to be resolute to become my wife.”

She sighed, willing it to conceal her heartache.

“May I make another request so soon after the last?”

“Go ahead. What is it?”

“There’s a record I’d like to check with the currency exchanges.”

Arnold shot an odd look her way, so Rishe pulled the basket over and took out the document tube inside.

“It’s not quite a trade, but I also have a report for you, Your Highness.”

The prince squinted at it from beside her. “Market prices for gold and silver in various countries?”

She nodded. “I asked Mr. Tully of the Aria Trading Company to investigate this out of personal interest.”

Rishe had received the report from Tully that morning. She’d given it a thorough read-through, mentally stowing away the information she needed. Now she handed the document to Arnold. “They’re all from different points in time, but the oldest one is from six months ago. Will this help your plan at all, Your Highness?”

“Hah!” Arnold flashed a bemused smile. “How did you know I was considering reminting our currency?”

I knew he’d figure out my intentions, but after a single glance at the list?

Surprised, Rishe answered, “I felt like you weren’t visiting this town merely to inspect the currency exchanges. I also noticed you touching my hand and running your fingers over my ring a few times.” She caressed the ring herself, feeling a little bashful. “You mentioned Coyolles when you touched it yesterday, didn’t you?”

“You worked out my plans just from that?”

“Well, it did take a bit of time.”

Rishe and Arnold were both aware of the problems ­besieging Coyolles. It lacked military strength, leading its neighboring countries to throw their weight around. This problem was sure to worsen as the yield of gems and precious metals from its mines decreased. However, its prospects were somewhat brighter now that Arnold and Kyle had entered their agreement. Their remaining problem was that the fundamental reason for Coyolles’s less than advantageous position hadn’t been solved. In other words, no matter what happened, Coyolles’s production of gems and precious metals would trickle to nothing.

“Obviously, the gold and silver coins used in various countries are made with real gold and silver,” Rishe said.

The value of these coins was determined by the amount of precious metals within. Much of the gold and silver in the world had come from Coyolles.

“At this rate, there will be less and less gold and silver circulating in other countries, won’t there?”

“That’s right. That means there will be a shortage of the metals necessary to create gold and silver coins.”

What would happen then? Rishe had witnessed that very thing in the future herself. That was why she’d asked Tully to gather this information, so that she could do something about it.

“Currency must be minted periodically in order to keep the economy running,” Arnold said. “If a country can’t get the ­material to mint that currency, their economy collapses.”

“As far as I’m aware, Galkhein has gold and silver mines of its own, does it not?”

Since coming to this country, Rishe had been looking into Galkhein’s internal affairs with whatever free time she could spare. According to what she’d found, many of the nation’s mines were in countries that had been conquered by Galkhein during the emperor’s war.

“Galkhein should have ample resources of gold and silver in store, correct?” she asked.

“Indeed. We won’t suffer many ill effects from Coyolles’s ­reduction in exports.”

“Then may I ask why you’re so concerned about the coming shortage of gold and silver, Your Highness?”

“I find your question peculiar. I thought you were aware of my reasons, which is precisely why you came up with the idea of reminting and handed me this information.”

Arnold smiled teasingly; he’d hit the nail on the head. Rishe had her theories, but she needed a little more information to confirm them. Since he bade her to talk, she did.

“Even if exports from Coyolles stop, Galkhein has its own plentiful sources of gold and silver. However, demand is up in other countries, and prices are rising.” Scarcity led to higher prices, while abundance led to lower ones. That was a fundamental principle of trade. “If the same amount of gold could create fifty thousand coins in Galkhein and one hundred thousand coins in other countries, then people will want Galkhein coins. Not as foreign currency but for the precious metal contained within.”

“Yes. Unlike other exports, it’s hard for a country to regulate foreign currency. After all, it’s a normal thing to carry even between countries.”

There were sure to be people who would bring Galkhein currency to other countries and sell it simply as gold. Those people would obtain foreign currency, then bring it to a currency exchange in Galkhein. Their foreign currency would then be converted into Galkhein coins, and they would end up with more money than they left the country with.

“If their currency is constantly being exported to other countries, even Galkhein will soon end up with a gold and silver shortage of their own.”

Precisely because Galkhein’s gold and silver output was stable, it was impossible to avoid a difference in their value between countries—though it was difficult to affect the value of gold and silver coins.

It’s very dangerous for a country to have stable production of gold and silver without prices spiking through the roof.

Rishe had seen a country with gold mines wind up in that situation in a past life. At the time, Coyolles had closed their mines with the excuse that they’d had to send all their men off to war with Galkhein. The reality was that their mines had dried up. In a case like this, even if they could avoid war with other countries, the price of gold would still spike in those places.

“Even Galkhein remints their currency every once in a while, does it not?”

“It’s a necessary preventive measure against counterfeiting. And with the information we have about Coyolles now, this is probably a good time to do it.”

“Do you plan to reduce the gold and silver content in Galkhein currency?”

Arnold returned his gaze to the sea. After a pause, he said, “I suppose so.” It was an uncharacteristically vague response. “If we do, we can manufacture coins without using as many resources as we used to. If we export the excess material to other countries, we can avoid drastic jumps in prices.”

“So aiding other countries is necessary to Galkhein, then.”

“Well, in order for this country to thrive, so too must its ­trading partners.”

Arnold’s politics really did resemble the commerce theories that Rishe subscribed to. Merchants also knew it was foolish to hoard wealth all to yourself. There was no point in having resources if no one else had them, since that meant there was no way for you to gain anything.

“Were you inspecting the currency exchanges in this town to investigate the prices of gold and silver in other countries, Prince Arnold?”

“If I said I was?” Arnold smiled and flicked the back of the papers Rishe had handed him. “I’m impressed that you knew just the information I wanted. I didn’t even give you any hints that I know of.”

Well, I do know the future.

Even if she had to hide the real reason from him, they were both aware of the state of Coyolles’s exports and what effect it would have on other countries’ economies. The conclusion was easy enough to draw when she put together Arnold’s movements in this town with what she knew of the future. In fact, it was surprising that Arnold could move with such certainty with what little information he had.

No. There’s a future Prince Arnold knows about as well.

The economic chaos a few years down the line had one other, more significant cause, and that was Arnold’s war. The worldwide fighting exhausted smaller countries and caused larger ones to invest heavily in war funds.

Prince Arnold might base all his actions on the war he himself will start in the future.

Rishe looked down. She’d taken all sorts of actions at this point, but she was starting to feel like she’d changed nothing thus far.

Did he really come to this town just to see about reminting currency?

A sense of urgency smoldered inside her, and when she took a deep breath to steady herself…the sea breeze snatched her hat away.

“Oh!”

Rishe leaped up after it. At that same moment, someone happened to be coming down the castle stairs.

“Hey. The rain’s let up, hasn’t it?”

“…Prince Curtis.”

Raul smiled, his red eyes crinkling at the corners. He picked up Rishe’s hat and approached her. “I expressed my desire to take a seaside stroll and was directed to this beach. I didn’t know the two of you were here. I apologize for intruding.”

You liar!

There was no way Raul hadn’t known Rishe and Arnold were at the beach.

He chuckled, taking note of how wet her dress and hair were, and held out her hat. Even the laugh sounded just like the real Curtis’s. “Here you are.”

“Thank you,” she said, though she hesitated to take the hat. She recognized Raul’s scrutinizing look. Although she’d trusted Raul in her fifth loop, she didn’t know his goal this time around. She had to be careful under his watchful eye.

While all this went through her head, a hand shot out from her side.

“Ack! Prince Arnold!”

Arnold stood next to her and took the hat instead. “Let me express my thanks to you on my wife’s part. Here, Rishe.”

The hat landed on her head, and Rishe tugged it down so that it would stay on. She looked between Arnold and Raul. “Thank you both.”

Neither man was looking at Rishe, however.

Raul-pretending-to-be-Curtis kept his smile painted on, ­staring at Arnold. “Thank you for calling a merchant to entertain Harriet this morning. It seems she was very interested in all the products they had on offer from Galkhein.”

Arnold was as expressionless as ever. “I’m happy to hear it. If you have any other requests, make them without restraint.”

“Well then, if I may be so bold, I would relish the chance to speak with Lady Rishe.” Raul grinned at Rishe and added, “I heard from my sister that you’re an avid reader. Perhaps we could chat, say, after dinner.”

He’s definitely got something else up his sleeve!

Raul’s gaze fell on Arnold once more. She realized with a start that he was observing Arnold carefully. His words from her fifth loop came back to her: “Arnold Hein may be injured.” The prince was dressed lighter than usual, with just his usual shirt between the two of them. It would be much easier for Raul to study the way he moved in this sort of garb.

If Raul notices Prince Arnold’s scar…

Rishe was sure Arnold didn’t want anyone to find out about his one weakness. She made up her mind to distract Raul.

“Of course, Prince Curtis!” she said brightly, stepping forward with a big smile on her face. If she could hide the prince behind her, she would, but there was no way to conceal the much taller Arnold. She wanted to protect him as much as she could, anyway. “May I ask what sort of books you read?”

“If it can be called a book, I’ll read it no matter the subject. I enjoy reading anything written.”

Rishe nodded with faux delight, thinking that was just the sort of thing Curtis would say. “I understand just what you mean!”

“I’m thrilled to hear you feel the same, Lady Rishe. On summer days like this, I love to lie in the shade of a tree and read. With some sweets at my side, there’d be nothing better.”

Raul actually hated sweets, but since Curtis had a sweet tooth, he was playing the part. Rishe knew what Raul was really like, so the conversation rang that much hollower.

Even if it’s just a superficial exchange, I must keep his attention off Prince Arnold!

But Rishe’s efforts were in vain as Raul once again smiled at Arnold. “You have a truly wonderful fiancée. I envy you, Prince Arnold.”

How did that conversation lead to you provoking Prince Arnold?! Rishe protested internally, the smile still pasted on her face. She had no idea how Arnold was reacting to that statement.

Before she could turn around to check, Raul continued, “I was quite surprised when I heard the news. Not only had the crown prince of Galkhein announced his engagement to a foreign lady, but their wedding ceremony would be in a mere three months.” His red eyes slid up to Arnold behind her. “It’s very sudden, don’t you think? Is that just how smitten you are with the lady?”

Rishe felt like the air around her had frozen solid. Arnold was no doubt subjecting Raul to a markedly neutral stare. She couldn’t bear to listen any longer, so she tried to change the subject. “Um, Prince Curtis? I apologize for the abrupt shift in the conversation, but might Lady Harriet—”

“Yes, that’s right.” The interruption came not from Raul but from Arnold behind her. He pulled Rishe toward him, removed her hat, and brought his lips right to Rishe’s ear. Still looking at Raul, he said, “I’ve been hopelessly in love with Rishe since I first laid eyes on her.”

At that, Rishe’s heart throbbed painfully. Arnold must have noticed that she’d gone rigid in his grasp, but he paid no mind, continuing in a low growl that etched itself into Rishe’s eardrum. “I desired from the bottom of my heart to have her as my own, proposed to her with whatever I could offer in exchange, and obtained her hand. The reason our marriage is so rushed is because I want to make her my wife as soon as possible.”

“Y-Your Highness, please!” Rishe tried to slip out of his hand, but he held her with the other instead. His fingers snaked down and wrapped around hers.

“I’m concerned she’ll be snatched up like the wind by another man if I don’t do this.”

A third party might’ve mistaken his overprotective lines for impassioned whispers, but Rishe knew them to be lies. Of course, it wasn’t that Arnold couldn’t hide his emotions; he was going out of his way not to hide them. She knew his words were intended for the man in front of them and no one else.

It’s all right. Rishe swallowed hard. I know what your intentions are, Your Highness.

Rishe herself had been curious about the shortness of their engagement. He’d proposed to her in the fifth month, and their ceremony was set for the middle of the eighth month. Rishe’s wedding to her original fiancé, Dietrich, was supposed to be in the ninth month of the same year. As it stood, there was already some progress on her wedding dress, but she doubted the same was true for anything on the Galkhein side of things.

Wedding preparations were one thing, but the invitations to foreign guests had been even bolder. Since Galkhein was such a powerful country, foreign royalty and nobility were under pressure to attend the ceremony. The practical Arnold would never do something like this for no reason—and especially not for love. Rishe understood that well.

“I’m sure you’ll be a very happy bride, Lady Rishe,” Raul said with a smile only Rishe could tell was strained. It was the first crack she’d ever seen in his veneer, including her life as a hunter. Arnold must have given him quite the glare.

Raul quickly recovered, however, and his expression softened. “Harriet has been set to marry into Fabrannia’s royal family since she was young. I worry about her, though it’s selfish of me to do so when I’m the one forcing her into the position.” He shrugged. “Few political marriages work out to be happy ones.”

“You’re right about that.” There was a small but unmistakable sneer in Arnold’s voice. “Pressuring a weaker country into a ­political marriage is nothing less than detestable.”

Before Rishe could wheel to face Arnold, he plopped the hat back on her head. “Would you like to talk to Prince Curtis about books, Rishe?”

“Yes,” she said with a nod. A lie, but she wanted to keep Raul’s attention off of him.

His gaze was tender. “Then go right ahead.” No matter how gently he spoke to her or looked upon her, he’d once again drawn a line between them. “I’m going to get back to work. If you need anything, I’ll be in my office.”

“Wait!” Rishe reached out and grabbed Arnold’s hand before he could walk away.

Arnold turned around, eyes wide. Rishe clutched his hand, courageously lacing their fingers together.

It doesn’t matter what Prince Arnold meant by what he said. For now, she just had do what she must. And she would reach for what she wanted to do too—taking Arnold’s hand now being one of them.

“I’d like for you to join us,” she declared.

Arnold’s brow furrowed. Her free hand joined the other, thus holding his hand between hers in protest of his reaction. Yet Arnold said nothing.

She worried he was going to turn her down like it was the obvious thing to do, but Arnold sighed at last and said, “If I can find the time.”

Relieved and overjoyed, Rishe beamed at Arnold. “For the time being, shall we head back inside and change? We’re sopping wet.”

“Yeah.”

Rishe turned back to Raul with a grin, still holding hands with Arnold. “Well then, Prince Curtis. We’ll excuse ourselves, if you don’t mind.” Then she wiped the smile from her face and shot him a cautioning look. “Good day.”

“Yes, Lady Rishe.” The corners of Raul’s eyes crinkled again. It was a look only Rishe knew contained hidden meaning.

Although she still wasn’t sure what his aim was, she opted to walk away with Arnold for now. Naturally, she never heard what he muttered to himself once he was left alone on the beach.

“What a handsome couple. Anyone would think that the two of them are made for each other.”

The smile on Raul’s face was the same one usually reserved for prey.

“So why do they seem so fragile?”