Chapter 4

Chapter 4

 

THE NEXT DAY, new knights scrambled around the training grounds, picking up after a lesson.

“Sven, can you hand me that cloth?”

“Yeah. That wooden sword might be splintering, so be careful with it.”

“Thanks! I’ll sand it down.”

Accustomed to the work after many long days of training, the two knights performed some maintenance on the weapons before putting them away.

One of them, a recent recruit named Sven, sighed while rolling his eyes at the other. “Sheesh. I didn’t think you’d be the one helping out since we’re shorthanded with Fritz gone.”

“Me?” Rishe looked up from her work.

“Haven’t seen you since our special training, but you’re just as handy as ever, Lucius.”

“Heh heh heh.” Rishe, in her male guise as “Lucius,” smiled at Sven. The two had become fast friends during their morning practice sessions together. “I’m glad to see you seem to be doing well too, Sven. Did you bulk up a bit since the last time I saw you?”

“Of course I did. I’ve kept up morning training sessions even without you and Fritz around,” he muttered. For all his grumbling, it was clear that he was truly putting in the effort. “I really wanted to see Fritz too…”

Thinking of the friend she hadn’t seen once since that special training, Rishe smiled sadly. She’d snuck into the cadet training, but she hadn’t been able to keep up with it at all due to her lack of stamina—but Fritz had always been a source of encouragement to her. They’d gotten close while Rishe had been disguised as a boy, and they’d parted without him learning the truth about her. She felt guilty for lying to him all that time, but she still wished she could see his smiling face again.

“He accompanied Lord Lawvine back to Ceutena, didn’t he?” she asked Sven.

“It’s his hometown, so…Lord Lawvine said he’d be able to hold his head up high if he went back with the area’s regent to let everyone know he’d made it as a knight.”

Just like I thought, Lord Lawvine’s passionate when it comes to nurturing young talent.

Lawvine was a count who governed the northern region of Galkhein. He’d served as the knight cadets’ instructor during their special training. Rishe heard that the man had lost his child in the war. That may have been one reason he approached their training with such kind consideration.

Lord Lawvine tries to stop Prince Arnold’s war in the future, and he’s executed for it. I still don’t know the reason for that tragedy.

She wanted to meet with Lawvine again as well. He would visit the capital for her wedding, though. For now, she had to focus on what was right in front of her.

As she continued to clean up the training grounds, she snuck a glance at another area. Many knights gathered in the training grounds each morning. They were divided into units and followed the orders of their unit commanders, so while they were working, they didn’t often interact with members of other units. The few chances they got were when they were in the barracks and when they were doing morning training. Arnold and his Imperial Guard were a separate entity, so they seldom showed their faces here.

Rishe had her eye on one knight among them who had just finished training: Gutheil. The man wiped away his sweat and turned toward a wooden sword lying on the ground. He picked it up without hesitation and patted the dirt from it.

Cleaning up the training grounds is a job for the new recruits. Yet Sir Gutheil is helping as if it’s completely natural for him to do. There were plenty of knights who never spared the training grounds so much as a glance after they were finished with their workout, so Gutheil’s behavior was rather unusual. He really is the diligent type. He was taking his training seriously too.

There was one other thing she was curious about as well. “Hey, Sven…that big guy with the brown hair who’s helping out with the cleaning…”

“Sir Gutheil?”

“He seems really nice, so why does it look like people are giving him the cold shoulder?” she asked him.

Sven made a sour face in response. “You can’t really blame them. It’s probably awkward for them too. You might not know this, but…” He glanced around, making sure no one was listening to them before whispering to Rishe, “His father betrayed Galkhein.”

It was the same thing Theodore revealed in the garden the day before. Still, Rishe pretended as if she were hearing it for the first time and asked, “Betrayed Galkhein? What do you mean?”

“The previous head of the family, Sir Gutheil’s father, was a noble and a knight of Galkhein too. He was important enough to lead his own unit, but he took the information his position gave him access to and leaked it to an enemy nation.”

Again, it lined up with Theodore’s intel.

“So he was a spy for another country?”

“I dunno what kinda damage the leak actually did. I think it was like ten years ago? Back when we were kids, there was this big thing about Sir Gutheil the knight captain being a turncoat. Maybe you were too little to remember.”

She smiled like he’d hit upon the answer—but in reality, she didn’t know because she wasn’t from Galkhein.

Sven didn’t suspect a thing. “Leaking intelligence is a capital crime. Sir Gutheil’s father was executed and stripped of his peerage. It’s been however many years now and his son’s still getting the cold shoulder.”

Everything so far matched up with what she’d heard from Theodore.

“Sir Gutheil’s super strong, isn’t he? He beat everyone he was up against in his matches.”

“Lord Lawvine praised his skill too. He trained Sir Gutheil when he was a rookie.”

“And everyone still treats him coldly?”

“From what I can tell, all the work he gets is patrolling in town. And not in the slums, or anywhere else there’s likely to be trouble, but in residential areas where half the time the work is just giving someone directions.”

Which meant Gutheil fit the bill for one of Arnold’s retainers: He was a talented individual who wasn’t given a fair shake due to circumstances beyond his control.

“Well, espionage is a serious crime, but that was his father. Sir Gutheil hasn’t committed any crimes.”

“And he hasn’t been executed. He wasn’t punished at all aside from losing his home and peerage. But there’s nothing you can do about the way people look at you when your family member’s a traitor.”

Maybe it was only natural for the people close to an accused spy to suffer a loss of trust as well, but it just didn’t sit right with Rishe. “It’s not like crime is contagious. They might be family, but they’re different people…”

Rishe found herself picturing Arnold. Prince Arnold is the same. He feels he bears responsibility for the sins his father committed… That’s why he feigns similarity to his father.

She took a short breath. If she wanted to learn more about Gutheil himself, she’d have to investigate further. She picked up the wooden swords nearby and told Sven, “I don’t think we have any more time for maintenance today. I’ll put away all the ones that need sanding yet. Is there anything you want me to grab from storage?”

“Get me a broom, then?”

“Sure thing!”

Rishe snuck another glance at Gutheil as she headed to the back of the training grounds. The knights kept their distance from him, and he worked in silence as he picked up after them.

What should I do? Sir Gutheil knows the face of Prince Arnold’s fiancée. I may be dressed as a boy, but I can’t get too close to him.

Though she’d gotten information from Theodore and gossip from Sven, rumors were just that—rumors. She’d need another perspective if she wanted to know the truth about him.

Arriving at the storage shed, she put away the swords that couldn’t be used again without some maintenance. I could come up with a different disguise…but I’m not confident about disguising my face. He’s probably the only person who could—

“Whatcha doin’?”

Rishe jumped. The voice had come from right next to her ear. She hadn’t sensed anyone nearby, but someone had managed to get just behind her. Almost close enough to touch her.

The person behind Rishe trapped her in place by lodging their hand against the wall next to her, whispering, “And what’s with the outfit? Though it looks pretty good on you, ‘Lucius.’”

Rishe closed her eyes and sighed without turning around. “I’m a little flattered to hear you compliment my disguise…Raul.”

There was a snicker behind her. Rishe put away the rest of the swords, asking, “What are you doing here? Don’t you need to be guarding Princess Harriet?”

“Well, the real Curtis should be arriving in Vinrhys soon. I left my men to guard her, so I’m doing some sightseeing in the capital.”

“There’s certainly plenty to see in the palace.” Rishe finished her work and turned around at last. She was startled to see Raul standing there without a disguise.

“I see. You’ve used makeup to give yourself a more masculine look.” Raul put a hand to his chin as he looked Rishe up and down. “You’re too delicate to pass yourself off as a man, though. You’ve bound your chest, sure, but that training uniform looks like it’s wearing you.”

“Ugh… I can’t fill it out with anything if I’m going to be moving around in it.”

“Eh, the way you carry yourself isn’t bad. And I see you’ve tucked that long hair of yours under a short wig. If I didn’t know your real identity, I really would think you were just a delicate boy with a feminine face.”

“Really? Thank you!” She couldn’t help thanking him sincerely for the compliment, but she hadn’t forgotten her original question. “…So?”

“Ha ha, you don’t have to glare at me like that! I’m just doing some reconnaissance! And don’t worry, I have permission from your husband. I told him I wanted to see how Galkhein trains its knights so we could better protect our printing technologies, and he told me, ‘Do what you want.’ Apparently, he couldn’t possibly care less!” Raul made peace signs with both hands, but Rishe found this a bit suspicious.

“Prince Arnold really gave you permission to observe the knights?”

“Well, not his knights.”

I guess that’s a little more reasonable?

The future army of knights under Arnold’s command was said to be the best in the world, largely due to Arnold’s training methods. Currently, only his Imperial Guard were receiving his special method of instruction. Maybe Arnold didn’t care what other countries learned as long as it had nothing to do with his training plans.

Still, Rishe narrowed her eyes and said, “Unfortunately, I’m not confident in my ability to see through your lies or Prince Arnold’s.”

“Hmm?”

“That said, I have the utmost faith in you. Neither you nor His Highness would do anything dangerous if you didn’t stand to gain anything from it.”

The suspicious smile on Raul’s face faltered, replaced with a different sort of grin. “I’ll never be able to compete with you, will I?”

“Raul…”

“I get it already. Can you promise me one thing, though? Keep what I’m about to tell you a secret from your Prince Arnold, will you?” Raul put a finger to his lips, a touch more serious than usual.

“I promise.”

“Good girl.” He paused. “What your prince is worried about is foreign spies.”

Rishe’s eyes nearly popped out. “He suspects the palace has been breached by intelligence operatives?”

“Well, I’m not sure. But that’s part of what I’m investigating here.”

“Under Prince Arnold’s orders.”

“It’s a favor. I owe quite a lot to you and your lovely husband, you know?” His tone was as flippant as ever, but Raul was likely being genuine. And if Arnold was really worried about spies, there was no one better to investigate than Raul, who was a talented spy himself. “Besides, if there really was someone who proposed the counterfeiting scheme to Fabrannia and put Harriet through all that, then I have plenty of reason to investigate myself.”

So their interests aligned.

It made sense to Rishe. At the same time, she recalled what had happened the night before. This must be why Prince Arnold was so cautious of the kitten we saw on the way to the party… He had to have known it was only an animal in the bushes as soon as he sensed it, yet Arnold had still hid Rishe behind him.

“If a beast was able to infiltrate the palace in the first place, that just means we need to improve on our current security.”

That wasn’t just a hypothetical. Arnold had his guard up because he already suspected flaws in the palace’s security.

He didn’t react to that tiny noise out of pure reflex. It was because he thinks there may be spies in the palace. Rishe grimaced, disappointed in herself for not picking up on Arnold’s suspicion. Not only had she failed to pick up on his misgivings and thus failed to help him, but she’d also thoughtlessly allowed him to protect her. She would never stop Arnold’s war if she carried on like this.

If Prince Arnold suspects spies in the palace, there’s something else I have to consider.

What crossed her mind now was Gutheil.

Sir Gutheil’s father was executed for espionage. Is it just a coincidence that Prince Arnold is considering expanding his Imperial Guard, with Sir Gutheil as a candidate, while this spy business is underway?

She could come up with as many theories as she wanted, but they would remain just that: theories.

“You seem to be giving this a lot of thought, Lucius.”

“Raul…” Rishe scrutinized him from a mere hair’s breadth away. “Could you give me an entirely different face?”

“What? Why? Your face is so cute! I don’t want to change it,” Raul said with a hollow smile.

“You don’t really believe that, and it’s written all over your face,” Rishe told him. The women Raul courted all fit a single type: mature, with enchanting features. The type Rishe was not.

“Ha ha, only joking. Honestly, I need certain tools to change someone’s face. They must be made with the structure of the wearer’s face in mind, so I can’t make any for you right away.”

Doesn’t seem like he’ll do it for me. He never taught this to us in my fifth life…

He probably couldn’t teach it to anyone else. Raul was the leader of his hunters, and there were plenty of things the previous leader had taught only him. It stood to reason that he’d keep some teachings secret from the rest.

“Then if you find any evidence of spying, may I ask you to report your results to me as well?”

“If you’ll keep it a secret from your prince.”

“Of course. I’d also prefer if Prince Arnold didn’t find out.”

Raul gave her his usual light smile, holding out his pinky. “It’s a promise, then.”

“A custom from the eastern country, eh? Indeed it is.” Rishe tapped her own pinky finger to Raul’s.

Raul sucked in a breath, then stepped back. “Oh yes, do be careful. I’m making my report to your prince right here in the training grounds, you see.”

“Huh?! You mean Prince Arnold is coming here?!”

“Ha ha ha! If you want to get away, you’d better run!”

Rishe’s face went pale. She’d gone to Theodore for help in sneaking into today’s knight training, but it was a secret from Arnold. “I-I have to go! I’m sorry, Raul! Let’s talk later!”

“Sure, sure. See you then.”

She parted with the carefree, waving Raul and burst out of the storage shed. While she hadn’t managed to get close to Gutheil, she’d obtained useful enough information.

I need to get to my next appointment!

 

---

 

Well, that should do it. Raul stretched as he watched Rishe make her escape from the training grounds. The trick to lying is to mix in some truth…and to stack two lies, one on top of the other. If someone with good instincts sees through you, you can say you’ll tell them the truth and only reveal the first lie.

It was just like wearing a second disguise underneath your first. When your cover was blown, you merely showed them your second disguise. Of course, there weren’t many people Raul had to use this double lie technique on.

Still, I can’t believe I was instructed to give her a double lie under the assumption that she’d see through the first. Brimming with mirth but not letting it show, Raul closed his eyes. It’s not like I really lied to her, I just didn’t tell her the whole truth. What a cruel husband you are, Prince Arnold.

Raul had no choice but to obey his commands. He felt no guilt over lying to Rishe. Living this way was his role as the head of his band of hunters. It is true that I want to help, though, Princess Rishe.

Not that she was officially crown princess yet. Raul stretched again, then headed off to make his report.

 

---

 

That night, Rishe let out a quiet cry in the kitchen of the detached palace, attempting a particular endeavor on her own.

“Whoa!”

This kitchen was mostly used for boiling water or reheating food, so it was typically deserted. Late at night, there were no maids present, so there should have been no one to discover her doings. Yet only a few moments later, Rishe heard footsteps, and her panic spiked.

“What’s wrong?”

“Oh, Prince Arnold!” Rishe whirled around to find a rare sight: Arnold staring wide-eyed at the mess she’d made of the kitchen.

“This is…”

“I-I’m sorry!”

Something white and fluffy had spilled from a large pot, blanketing the floor all around Rishe. And it wasn’t just the floor—the table the pot sat on, the chair next to that table, and even Rishe’s dress and hair were covered in the stuff.

Arnold pinched a bit of the substance floating in the air between his fingers and squinted at it. “White petals… No, snow?”

“Um, I made it hoping it might look like both, really.” She tried to cover the top of the pot with her arms, but it was futile; the substance continued to leak through the gaps.

Arnold stared at Rishe—who was now covered in the fluffy substance—before saying, “If it’s edible, I’ll do what I can to help.”

“No! Th-this wasn’t me messing up at cooking!”

Rishe flushed red at Arnold’s staid suggestion. Cooking was not among her many skills, and Arnold was the only person who ever finished any meals she made, so she leapt to defend herself. Or maybe Arnold was only saying that because he knew she didn’t like to waste even pepper-spiked wine.

“It’s not food. It’s a theater prop I was thinking I might be able to create with alchemy.”

“A prop?”

Slightly embarrassed, Rishe nodded and explained herself to Arnold. She’d discussed all sorts of things with Sylvia when the songstress visited the palace the day before. It had taken Rishe some time to bring up the matter of the kiss after they’d moved to the gardens. One topic Sylvia had raised was this:

“The opera you saw had a scene where there was a shower of petals at the end, right? Yes, the confetti! It’s a beautiful sight, but the effect takes a lot of work.”

“It does seem like an incredible amount of labor to make all that scrap paper. How do you do it?”

“Hee hee hee. Simple elbow grease, that’s all! One time, they even had us performers hold scissors and cut them up while we practiced our lines. It’s a lot of work to clean up too. It’s not like they melt over time. Sometimes they’ll get stuck on the ceiling and fall down at the worst moment during a performance the next day!”

Upon hearing that, Rishe told Sylvia, “I could make something like that, I think. Something that’s pretty, that you can make a lot of at once, and that will vanish over time like snow.”

“You could?!”

She had everything she needed in stock already, in fact. She’d ordered it from the Aria Trading Company for something else.

“So, you see, if you mix elements extracted from several medicinal plants, you can dry the mixture into a powder that expands into this snow-like substance when you add water to it.” From across the table, Rishe showed Arnold a small dish with a semi-translucent powder in it. Arnold studied the mixture carefully.

“Then if you take this snow-like substance and put pressure on it…” Rishe scooped up some of the fluff and balled it up like she was making a snowball. When she opened her hands, she was holding something resembling a handful of confetti. “It breaks up into scraps like this. See? They’re like petals.”

“I see.” Arnold pinched the “petal” Rishe held out to him. He held it up to a wall-mounted lamp and let the light shine through it. “This is another application of alchemy, then.”

“Yes! Mysterious, isn’t it? Just by mixing elements found in the natural world, you can create something brand-new.”

“And this is the result of trying to mass-produce the substance in this kitchen.”

“Look, I’m really sorry about that…” She hadn’t thought she’d produce so much.

I didn’t expect this result! I did this experiment in the castle in Coyolles in a past life using the same quantities of plant matter and water, so why did it expand so much? The amount of water? The composition of the water? The temperature, the humidity…? Ugh, there are too many possible factors!

In her third life, she’d studied frantically under the genius Michel Hévin, forgoing sleep to experiment on the forefront of alchemical research. She felt all too keenly now that even that hadn’t been enough to sate her thirst for knowledge—but while it was frustrating, it was also exciting to still have so much to learn.

I’ll have to write another letter to Professor Michel. Oh, I know! I’ll enclose a sample…

“…”

“Oh!”

Sensing Arnold’s gaze, Rishe snapped out of her thoughts.

“Please don’t worry. All this fluff will melt in time!”

“It’ll melt? So it’ll leave behind water?”

“Yes. But there’s really only a small amount of water in it, so the rest will evaporate. The components that make it up are transparent and nontoxic, so there’s very little work needed to clean it up.”

All they really had to worry about was making sure they brushed the substance off any expensive costumes. Sylvia’s troupe should have no trouble adopting and adapting.

The original plan was to develop something with water in it that could be buried in desert regions to help plants grow. This prototype was eventually discarded, since it melts over time…but if it can be used for something like this, then maybe all that experimentation wasn’t a complete waste.

She smiled, fondly remembering those days. Arnold reached over and touched her coral-colored hair. Rishe jumped, but he was merely plucking a flake of artificial snow from her locks. She did her best to stay still so he could remove it.

“You were already growing the plants used in this substance?”

She jumped again at the question. “Er…there was just something I wanted to try for my own curiosity…”

“Oh?”

As he pulled his fingers away from Rishe’s hair, Arnold gazed kindly at her. Rishe interpreted it to mean she would have to elaborate. She knew she had a lot of secrets, so she wanted to be upfront about the things she didn’t have to hide. If only she didn’t have to feel so embarrassed about it.

“There are flowers all over Galkhein’s capital, aren’t there? The day I arrived here, petals were falling from windowsills on every house, and it was so beautiful…”

“…”

“So, I was talking with a few people, like Oliver, about how it would be wonderful if we could have petals fluttering in the air…”

“Fluttering where?”

“Hrk!” Feeling her cheeks heat up, Rishe blurted, “At our wedding!”

Arnold inhaled, surprised, and then simply said, “Oh.”

“Yeah…” Rishe clutched at her dress. The kitchen was silent, and the foam swayed around them.

Is he going to call me frivolous? After all, to Arnold, this was nothing more than a marriage of convenience. He might have incredibly serious reasons for it that Rishe couldn’t even begin to imagine. She’d also heard that she was little more than a hostage for Galkhein’s political leadership.

She couldn’t bear not knowing what he thought anymore and peeked up at him, her head still lowered. Arnold met her eye, his face expressionless as always but somehow soft as well.

“Do you not dread the wedding?”

Rishe was shocked by the question. “Why do you say that?”

“It’s a stifling event that you have to spend many long hours preparing for. Not only are there countless arrangements to be made, but you must also entertain each and every one of the guests. It’s a great burden for you, isn’t it?”

“Well, yes, there’s a lot to prepare, but…” Those preparations were convenient for Rishe’s purposes. The guests she had to entertain were important figures who would have a significant effect on the future—like King Zahad, who would oppose Arnold’s war. It behooved her to be ready to meet with them for more than just the wedding ceremony.

But even without all that… With full confidence, she told Arnold, “I’m eagerly looking forward to the wedding.”

“Really now?”

“Yes! After all, I’ve never experienced my own wedding before.”

Arnold quietly returned her gaze. The “in any of my six past lives” was implied, but the prince could only assume she meant in the fifteen years since she’d been born.

“Doing anything for the first time is exciting, and I can’t wait to wear my wedding dress. It must feel different to experience a wedding as a bride than just as a guest too!”

“…”

“I’m so looking forward to your outfit as well, Prince Arnold! And your jewelry and hairstyle… Oh, and the Crusade psalms that will be read during the ceremony!”

Just enumerating the things she anticipated got her heart racing. She held up a finger with each one and ran out almost immediately.

“My artificial snow and flower petal experiment went well. I didn’t plan to fill up the kitchen, but that just means I can make more than I expected with a small amount of materials—which is even better!”

While Rishe rambled on with sparkles in her eyes, Arnold propped his elbows on the table and watched her with deep affection.

“Oh! And then there’s—”

Ack! The kiss!

Arnold narrowed his eyes. “What is it?”

“N-no! Nothing!” Rishe clapped her hands over her mouth, suddenly feeling very awkward. Arnold must have found it strange that her face was reddening. She glanced at him and found him chuckling to himself.

“Well, if you have enough to look forward to that it lessens the dread somewhat, that’s good.”

“Mm…” Rishe pursed her lips. “It doesn’t lessen anything, Your Highness.”

“It doesn’t?”

“Why would it? There’s nothing I dread about the ceremony.”

Arnold frowned, and Rishe cocked her head. Before she could probe further, however, he changed the subject.

“Anyway, just don’t push yourself. You act like it’s easy, but there’s a lot to do. You might think it’s not that much work because you’ve been training to be a crown princess from a young age.”

“M-maybe so…” Rishe hedged. Her hesitance was due to knowing there was something to what Arnold was saying. “But aren’t you the one pushing yourself when you’re already busy, Prince Arnold? Oliver tells me that even when you finish your work early, you simply fill the time you’ve gained with other work.”

“He really runs his mouth…”

“You’re even babysitting Prince Dietrich.” She felt particularly bad about that.

“I told you, there’s no reason for you to feel responsible for him.”

“I-I know that! I know that, but…” Rishe hung her head and muttered, “Just as you and Prince Dietrich were raised to be crown prince, I was raised to become crown princess.”

“Hm. I figured.”

“I was freed from that burden when Prince Dietrich broke off our engagement. I live a carefree life as your fiancée now, Prince Arnold. Or at least, that’s my intent. That’s why, when I see Prince Dietrich, I feel like I need to do something about him, I guess.” The emotions inside her were beginning to take shape. “Maybe it’s guilt… As if I’ve abandoned my homeland.”

“…”

That feeling wasn’t limited to this life either. In her past lives, Rishe had never once returned to her homeland. Not even after Dietrich’s failed coup and the rescinding of her exile.

Maybe I was avoiding it unconsciously, but this is my own problem. Her emotions stemmed from the feeling that she’d abandoned her duty. Or maybe it was the same reason she didn’t like thinking about her own birthday: her memories of childhood, when she’d wanted to cry each and every day.

While she considered this, Arnold told her, “You haven’t abandoned anything.”

“…Pardon?”

His tone was matter-of-fact but firm. “From the day you were born to the day you left your country, you made every effort you possibly could, right? That much is obvious just from watching you now.”

“…”

“In the end, Hermity even exiled you—and you still care for it. Whatever your feelings for it may be, the one thing you can’t say is that you abandoned it.”

Arnold’s words enveloped her in a comforting warmth. He spoke as bluntly as always, but that almost made what he was saying feel even warmer.

Glowering, he continued, “And even if you had abandoned that country, I personally wouldn’t fault you for it.”

After a second, Rishe laughed. His expression was just so sour, she couldn’t help herself.

“Even if you never return there again, simply leaving your country is in no way abandoning it. As long as you’re not selling your nation’s secrets, I don’t think you have anything to feel guilty for.”

“…Right. Thank you.” Rishe appreciated his consideration. Belatedly, she realized something else. “Prince Arnold, it’s not necessarily to show my gratitude, but I think there’s something I may be able to help you with. Let me clean up here for just a moment. Do you have a little more time after that?”

“Sure. Are we going somewhere?”

Having recovered some of her energy thanks to Arnold, Rishe gave him an impish smile. “I thought you might like to play a little game with me.”

“A game?”

“Yes.” Rishe put a finger to her lips, still wearing her devilish grin. “A spy game.”

 

---

 

After cleaning up the kitchen, Rishe left the detached palace with Arnold, and they walked alongside the palace ramparts. They had since strayed from the paths and were strolling through the trees, the grass rustling at their feet. It was a half-moon that night, its light not quite reliable enough for their purposes, so Rishe and Arnold each held up a lantern.

“Someone once told me that if you want to make sure your defenses are secure, you have to take on the perspective of an intruder.” That someone had been Raul, her troop leader in her fifth life. “The palace is constructed to hold back an invading army, right?”

“That’s right. Palaces are also fortresses, after all.” Arnold was holding his lantern not to illuminate his own footing but Rishe’s. His casual, gentlemanly behavior had once again flustered her.

He’s also walking at a much slower pace than usual.

Rishe did her best to remain unruffled under all his consideration. “Ahem… On the one hand, the palace’s construction obviously prioritizes keeping out more heavily armed enemy combatants. Intelligence operatives, on the other hand, will be lightly equipped for infiltrating whatever gaps they can find. I noticed you were concerned about the route that kitten used to sneak into the palace yesterday.”

Leaving Arnold to illuminate her path, Rishe held her own lantern up. To their left were the palace’s sturdy walls. When she shifted her lantern, the shadows of the trees around them stretched with the movement.

“I thought we could go around the walls with an eye for what a spy might look for. I went around earlier in the day myself.”

“You did?”

“I read a guide to castle fortification once, you see,” Rishe lied with a smile. She’d gained that knowledge as a hunter, but Arnold didn’t press her for details.

Instead, he gave her an amused smile and told her, “You’re always so full of trivia.”

Prince Arnold’s finally getting used to me!

Or maybe he was just leaving her alone to see what she would do. Either way, he was probably aware by now that Rishe wouldn’t divulge the source of her information.

“I’m sure my surface-level knowledge doesn’t mean much, so I would advise confirming anything we notice with Raul later.”

“Right. You ran into him, I take it?”

Rishe pursed her lips. “Yes. He snuck up behind me and gave me quite a fright.”

Arnold gazed down at her, a smile playing at the corners of his lips. “If he can sneak up on even you, then I guess the guy’s pretty good.”

“Y-you have an awfully inflated opinion of me, Your Highness…” It was Raul who’d taught her how to sense presences and hide her own in the first place. Rishe kept that to herself, telling Arnold, “From what I’ve seen, the imperial palace seems well protected against incursions from spies. When I snuck out into town, I used a part of the wall that lay lower than everywhere else. But that was only because I was sneaking out from inside and was able to leave a route for myself to get back in.”

At the time, Rishe had left a rope tied to a branch close to the ramparts. She’d then used the same rope to get back inside. Even with the skills from her fifth life, it would have been difficult to sneak in from outside otherwise.

“Castle walls are made from earth and stone. The more solid the walls are, the easier it is to climb them with the help of metal tools. These walls have rat guards on the outside, however.”

“Yeah. The walls should have a double structure also. Thick stone to guard against strong blows and then covered in brittle clay.”

“Mm-hmm. It’s the worst kind of construction for a spy…” Rishe’s expression had hardened at some point as she seriously considered how to break into this palace. In her fifth life, Raul had chosen not to even attempt it himself. “But if you pull your attention away from the walls, the palace has more weak points than you might expect.”

Rishe smiled mischievously, and Arnold agreed with her. “You would know, with how you dart around all over the place day after day.”

“Hrk! Y-you’re absolutely right. Take the barracks, for instance. You can shimmy up the drainpipe all the way to the top floor of the palace there.” Rishe illuminated the building to their right as they walked. “Look at that, Your Highness. If you climb to the top of the storage shed in the third training ground, you can lower yourself onto the walls around the grounds. If you walk along those walls…”

“I see. You could make it to the commander’s office on the second floor of the barracks with a little effort.”

“Exactly right! I knew you’d notice that!” Rishe looked at Arnold, her eyes sparkling with admiration. He’d likely never thought of things the way a thief would in his entire life, but he caught on after only a small suggestion from Rishe.

“The palace grounds are always very clean, but the fallen leaves could be doing more work for you. Their crunching is a natural alarm, so just allowing more of them to remain on the ground is a good way to catch intruders.”

“From an intruder’s perspective, then, what would you do if there were leaves on the ground?”

“You’d pick a day when the leaves were wet from recent rain or use the rainfall itself to mask your noise. Morning dew will achieve the same effect.”

Rishe walked next to Arnold as they talked. It was a peaceful night, with insects chirping and a pleasant breeze. The cool air was much more comfortable than the earlier oppressive heat.

“As for the supposedly sturdy palace walls…”

Arnold scowled at the area they’d finally arrived at. “This is…”

“The trees seem to receive a little less care here compared to everywhere else.”

This was the northernmost point of the palace. From the imperial residence in the northwest area, there were walkways on the highest level of the building, stretching out in all four cardinal directions. One of them led to this northern tower.

Rishe pointed to a tree behind it. “The branches of that tree are fairly long, aren’t they? The trees outside of the palace are the same way.”

“So they are.” Arnold sighed when he saw what she was pointing out. “They’re too thin for a human to use, but a cat could easily leap between them.”

“Yes. I imagine the kitten we saw yesterday got in this way.”

Judging from the type of tree, branches of that size might support less than a single kilogram of weight. Even a human child would be too heavy, but the kitten was light enough to traverse them.

“This was the only intrusion point I came up with. But there are spots on the walls around here where the clay is starting to come off—”

“Rishe.” Arnold cut her off, grimacing. “We shouldn’t be here.”

She blinked, wide-eyed. Arnold didn’t usually say things like that. It was a warning, but an atypically vague one for him.

That’s odd. The peculiarity of it only convinced Rishe faster. “Very well. We should take our leave quickly, then?”

“No, we’ll leave slowly, naturally. We don’t want to seem suspicious.”

“Suspicious? Suspicious to…?”

Arnold hesitated, then eventually opened his mouth to name someone. At that very moment, a dreadful chill shot down Rishe’s spine. It was a horribly contradictory feeling, like she was frozen solid but wanted to escape as quickly as she could at the same time. Her fingertips were like ice, but all the blood in her body felt like it was boiling. The presence she sensed was on the walkway between the imperial residence and the tower.

Is someone there?

Arnold clicked his tongue. “Damn it… Of all places, why here?”

No! The feeling overwhelming Rishe was a very specific fear. Prince Arnold’s going to be killed! She reflexively reached out toward him.

“Rishe!”

She’d been reaching for his sword, but Arnold took her hand in his and pressed it to the tree behind her.

Rishe gasped, sensing Arnold’s anxiety as he pinned her wrist to the tree. Oh no! I never should have done that! It was pure reflex, but I tried to draw a sword against him…

She pressed her lips into a thin line. Her conditioning from her lives as a hunter and a knight had backfired. Much as she wanted to apologize to Arnold, she couldn’t make any moves without his lead right now.

What incredible malice… He’s just watching us from somewhere far away, yet his intensity is palpable…

The half-moon was just behind the figure where he stood on the walkway, but Rishe’s instincts were screaming at her not to look up at him.

It’s him… That’s Prince Arnold’s father!

Indeed, it was Galkhein’s current emperor, the man Arnold hated more than anyone in the world. His distinct presence was familiar to Rishe. It was exactly what she’d felt in her life as a knight when she’d faced off against the future Emperor Arnold Hein.

“Breathe, Rishe.”

“Ngh…”

Arnold’s words made Rishe realize she’d been holding her breath. Still pushing Rishe up against the tree, Arnold whispered to her, his back to his father. The flames from the lanterns they’d both dropped swayed around their feet.

“I’m sorry for putting you in this position, but I don’t want him suspecting anything.”

This is all because I tried to draw Prince Arnold’s sword…

If she’d actually done it, it could very well have been taken as a hostile action against the emperor. More than enough reason to have her executed, crown princess or not—especially now, while her position was merely that of a fiancée. Arnold was protecting her from that possibility.

“I’m going to act like we’re only here because we wanted to avoid prying eyes. Is that all right with you?”

“Y-yes…” Rishe’s voice trembled, which brought a pained look to Arnold’s face.

“Forgive me… I’m going to touch you in a way you won’t want.”

He released Rishe’s wrist and entwined his fingers in hers, cradling her hand like it was the most precious thing in the world. His other hand stroked Rishe’s hair. Then he bent and kissed her forehead.

Rishe let out a strange yelp. It originated from her nerves and the ticklish sensation of his lips against her bangs. Arnold stroked her hair soothingly, kissing her forehead again and again.

“Prince Arnold, I-I…”

His lips smacked gently against her hair. Arnold’s touch was soft, indulgent.

Rishe was overheating. She knew that this was not the time, but her embarrassment was starting to win over her fear. She returned Arnold’s grip on her hand as if clinging to a lifeline. With her other hand, she clutched Arnold’s lapel.

Arnold pulled her head against him like he was trying to calm a fearful child. He kissed the top of her head this time.

“Are you afraid?” he asked softly, arms around her. “Don’t be. It’s all right,” he murmured into her hair.

He’s shielding me…

Arnold was wrapped protectively around Rishe, but she couldn’t just let him baby her. No matter how frightened she was, no matter how much the pressure of that man’s gaze knocked the wind out of her, Rishe wanted to do something for Arnold even now.

So, she reached for him, arms circling the back he’d turned at his father. Then she squeezed, looking every bit the lady hankering for affection from her dear sweetheart. She felt Arnold’s surprise as she buried her face in his chest.

Uuugh… Rishe’s heart threatened to leap out of her chest. Her face went red up to her ears. She wasn’t getting in his way hugging him like this, was she? Even if she was, she had to admit it felt reassuring to cling to his frame, which she always had to remind herself was larger than it appeared.

“…Rishe.”

“Eep!”

Arnold brought his lips to her ear. He didn’t actually touch it, but his presence there still made her jump. He embraced her once more and, shockingly, turned to face his father. Rishe couldn’t see, but she imagined Arnold was examining him in silence.

She tensed, holding her breath again as the air prickled around her. She pressed her lips together as cold sweat dripped down her nape.

The look lasted less than a second, but it felt like an eternity. The pounding of her own heart was unbearably loud to her. Somehow, the first one to drop his malice was Arnold’s father.

It’s gone…

The curtain fell on their little act all too abruptly. The intense pressure from Arnold’s father vanished, as though he’d had enough entertainment for one night. Rishe sensed that the emperor had left the walkway, yet she found herself unable to move.

“Rishe, are you all right?”

She sucked in a breath when Arnold called her name. Her forehead still pressed to his chest, Rishe slowly told him, “I’m…so sorry, Prince Arnold…” Her voice was terribly hoarse. “I reached for your sword on reflex…”

If she hadn’t done that, then Arnold wouldn’t have had to take those unwanted measures. Rishe’s heart was pounding loudly even now; it was ridiculous. She inhaled deeply, then apologized once more.

“I caused you trouble with my thoughtlessness.”

“You’ve caused me no trouble. It was just a matter of poor timing. I should apologize for not explaining things earlier.”

Rishe shook her head, still quivering as she held tight to Arnold. When he stroked her hair to soothe her, she really did feel like a child in his arms. She was gradually regaining control of her frozen limbs, though.

Arnold looked down at her and asked, “What were you going to do after drawing my sword?”

She met his eyes, confused by the question.

“You weren’t moving like you were just going to hold it up. That’s why I was a moment late stopping you.”

A moment late, he says… From where I’m standing, he not only stopped me in a split second, but he prevented me from touching the sword at all.

Arnold’s fingers combed through Rishe’s bangs.

“I…”

“Mm.” Arnold prompted her to continue. His voice was gentler than usual—to calm her down, she was sure. And it worked. His caressing her hair and speaking to her so tenderly allowed Rishe to breathe properly again.

He asked what I was going to do when I reached for his sword.

This time, she felt a different kind of anxiety growing in her. Frowning, Rishe forced the words out from her place in Arnold’s arms.

“I wanted to…protect you, Prince Arnold.”

Arnold’s eyes widened.

“I know, the disrespect to even think I could… Especially not when you’re so much stronger than me, Your Highness.”

“…Rishe.”

“I should know that, I just…lost control, I suppose.” Rishe pressed her forehead to Arnold’s chest again. She tightened her grip on him and murmured, “Thank goodness nothing happened to you…”

All the strength left her. She was about to fall to the ground, but Arnold held her up, his arms tighter around her than before.

“I’m sorry. My actions only caused you trouble instead.”

“I said it doesn’t matter.” Bent down, Arnold spoke directly into Rishe’s ear. “I could search the whole world and not find anyone other than you who would try to protect me from him.”

“Your Highness…”

“But.” Arnold’s voice was hardly more than a breath. “I’m begging you. Please don’t put yourself in danger for my sake ever again.”

It was unheard of for Arnold to plead with anyone. If she could, Rishe wanted to grant his wishes, but this was one promise she didn’t think she could keep. She pressed her lips together, sure he had noticed that she wasn’t agreeing. As proof, he sighed heavily.

After a pause, he said, “You can’t walk, can you? I’ll carry you.”

“Huh? Whoa!”

Arnold picked Rishe up, so casually that it proved he was growing used to having to do this every now and then. Rishe frantically clung to him as her body left the ground.

H-he’s carrying me like a bride again!

It was embarrassing for her to be held this way—especially since it involved a lot of contact between them.

Rishe peered up at Arnold’s beautiful face, so close to her own. “Prince Arnold, please!”

“I’ll put you down right away, so just bear with it. There’s a small gazebo this way.”

They cut around the tower to a garden behind it. Rishe was surprised by their sojourn here, and by the aforementioned gazebo. In the center was a finely crafted table and some chairs. Arnold strolled toward them and set Rishe down on a bench.

“We’ll kill some time here for now.”

“O-okay… You don’t think we should leave right away?”

“It would be better to stay since he saw us.” Arnold observed Rishe with his piercing blue eyes. “After all, we’re supposed to be out here on a tryst.”

Everything that had just happened came crashing back into Rishe’s mind. She recalled all the times Arnold kissed her hair, and the sound it made, and she reddened like a tomato.

St-stop it, Rishe! Prince Arnold only kissed your hair to protect you! He had no ulterior motives, so you mustn’t dwell on it!

“Um…Prince Arnold?”

Arnold sat down beside her without a word.

Rishe took a deep breath and asked, “This tower… Does it have something to do with Her Majesty?”

Arnold narrowed his eyes in response—an alternative to a nod. “His legal wife and all his concubines used to live in this tower.”

The way he said it implied that this was no longer the case. Galkhein’s current emperor had demanded brides from various countries to use as hostages, but according to Theodore, every single one of those numerous women were dead now—with the exception of the current empress.

Arnold leaned back against the bench and folded his arms, muttering, “I didn’t think he still visited this tower.”

He probably hadn’t even intended to say the words aloud. This was as rare as it was for him to plead.

“Where does the current empress reside?”

“In the imperial residence. No one lives in this tower right now. It’s been practically forgotten.”

“So that’s why the trees aren’t as well tended in this area…”

The emperor should have had no reason to visit a deserted tower, so what was he doing up on that walkway? Rishe nearly locked up again at the recollection of his fearsome presence, but she had to stay strong.

I don’t have time to fear the emperor. Prince Arnold doesn’t let the man’s malice keep him from functioning normally.

Arnold was silent now, lost in thought with his eyes downcast. Rishe had recently noticed that he got like this whenever he was thinking.

Even at a time like this, Prince Arnold is thinking… I must endeavor to do the same. If I don’t, I’ll never be able to face the emperor or stop Prince Arnold.

She steadied her breath and gripped Arnold’s sleeve.

“What is it?”

His voice is always so soft when he speaks to me…

Rishe was certain there was a plot to kill his father lurking somewhere in Arnold’s heart. She had to hide the fact that she knew the future and Arnold’s goals. While doing so, she also had to figure out exactly what Arnold was thinking.

“I’m sure you have to be up early tomorrow. I’m sorry for keeping you here.”

“None of this is your fault, so just smile like you always do, won’t you?”

The words lanced Rishe’s heart. Arnold really was kind, just like she thought. He should have been capable of finding paths to his goals that didn’t involve killing people.

“You’ll be bringing Prince Dietrich along for your work tomorrow, right?”

“There’s no need for you to feel responsible for him.”

“I know. I just can’t help worrying.” Rishe chose her next words carefully. “I sensed something strange right before I left Hermity—before Prince Dietrich broke off his engagement with me. Maybe that’s why I still worry about him.”

“What’s that?”

She’d never intended to reveal this to Arnold. But I need to do this. And if she was going to do it, she had to make full use of her knowledge of the future. How will Prince Arnold react? she thought as she steeled herself to speak.

“Prince Dietrich may be plotting a rebellion against his father.”

“…”

Dietrich’s coup took place much later in the future. There was no way Rishe could have known about it at this point. But there had been signs.

Knowing Arnold had the same goal, Rishe looked straight into his blue eyes and continued, “That party was strange even before he broke off his engagement with me.”

She thought back to the first day of the fifth month, just over two months ago. Rishe had turned that night over and over again in her mind, finding it strange even in her first life, when she’d heard about Dietrich’s coup.

That party should have been a typical event for mingling between nobles.

Rishe and Dietrich had graduated from the academy at the end of the third month. Afterward, Rishe had begun training more seriously for her role as crown princess, and she hadn’t so much as seen Dietrich until the night of that party.

Dietrich had come to her out of nowhere and told her he was throwing a party, so she’d had to prepare for it rather hastily. She was used to attending events without his escort, but due to the last-minute nature of the party, she hadn’t realized that she’d never been informed when she usually always was.

“I was never told who would be attending the event.”

Arnold narrowed his eyes. “Isn’t that just because that man planned to break things off with you there? As much as it disgusts me to even discuss it…”

“It’s still strange. The king of Hermity was always kind to me. No matter Prince Dietrich’s intentions, if His Majesty was sponsoring the event, then it makes no sense for me to be left in the dark.”

That vague unease had only made sense to Rishe when she heard about Dietrich’s coup in her first life.

“I believe Prince Dietrich held that party on his own, without informing His Majesty. And maybe it was so he could break off his engagement with me, but…” Something didn’t add up. “It would have been unusual for him to denounce me for my supposed crimes without his father present.”

The whole basis for Dietrich’s annulment of their engagement lay in Rishe’s supposed villainy. He could condemn her for her “crimes” all he wanted, but it was his father who had the actual power to judge her for them.

Arnold’s brow was still furrowed in displeasure. “But they were all false accusations, right? The idiot’s plan was to denounce you in a public place before his father could pursue any sort of investigation of your crimes and hope momentum would finish things for him.”

“It wasn’t just His Majesty, though. My parents weren’t in attendance that night either. That’s why I thought it was nothing more than a gathering of the sons and daughters of the nobility. Yet several key vassals and retainers to the throne were present.”

“…”

“My parents should also have attended if he was planning to break things off with me officially. Yet His and Her Majesty, as well as my own parents, weren’t there while every other influential figure in the country was.”

As she spoke, the misgivings she’d had in her first life began to waver. I must allude to Prince Dietrich’s coup to suss out Prince Arnold’s intentions. But the more she thought back to the event, the more wrong it all seemed. It’s natural to find it odd, isn’t it? After all, Prince Dietrich’s coup fails. Obviously, his preparation for the event should be full of holes as well, so…

So why did none of it sit right with her?

“What if Prince Dietrich’s true aim was to gather the country’s most influential nobles, excluding our fathers?” Up to here, these were things she’d puzzled out in her first life.

“I can’t imagine the man’s that cunning, personally.”

“D-diplomatically speaking! Prince Dietrich certainly isn’t one to scheme and plot… If he was planning something nefarious, I can only imagine those around him put him up to it.”

In truth, it had been a few of Dietrich’s vassals who had instigated the coup.

It’s all still so odd, though… Rishe’s misgivings were only becoming more pronounced. Arnold smiled as if seeing right through her.

“Is there any reason for someone to risk so much for your homeland’s throne?”

It’s exactly as Prince Arnold says… Hermity had mostly escaped great conflicts in the past. Even in the war a few years ago, they had emerged unscathed simply by virtue of being a minor power not worth invading. What reason could there be to usurp the throne in a peaceful, postwar era? Not only that, but to head the plan with someone as unsuited to it as Prince Dietrich, and then for the whole plan to fail…

Rishe frowned at herself for never digging deeper into things than this solely because she knew the plan would fail in the future. In reality, there was an attempted coup. Just as Arnold said, Dietrich made a hasty play for the throne for reasons that were completely unknown to her. Yet he had made the attempt. If Rishe thought of things from that angle, where did her thoughts lead her?

“The one who incited Prince Dietrich to action…”

Finally, she arrived at a conclusion that had nothing to do with the future she knew of.

“…wasn’t someone who wanted to obtain something or improve Hermity. It was an outside party who wanted to throw Hermity into chaos…?”

The first thing that came to mind was Fabrannia and their counterfeiting scheme. They had counterfeited Galkhein’s currency and tried to make use of Siguel’s Princess Harriet to distribute the false currency in Galkhein. But Arnold and Rishe had theorized that it was an outsider’s plot to weaken Galkhein rather than a ploy originating in Fabrannia.

Why did I never see it before? Rishe gulped. The strangest person in attendance at that party… She felt her whole body tensing again. The most important individual there, whose presence I hadn’t been informed of…

She turned toward him. “Prince Arnold…”

The crown prince of the major power Galkhein, who had no reason to appear at a party hosted by a minor nation, laughed darkly.

“Were you only there in the first place to investigate that matter?”

Arnold’s eyes crinkled in amusement. “Who knows?”

“Come now, Your Highness!”

“It’s true that I let myself be provoked. An invitation to a random party from a country we don’t even have a diplomatic relationship with is practically a threat.”

Why had Rishe never found it strange before? There was no way Arnold would ever attend such a minor event. And even if he deigned to, Rishe had observed her fiancé enough to see a pattern in his actions.

When we went to buy my ring, it was to get eyes on Prince Kyle. He accompanied me to the church for work and to give them a warning. Our little trip to Vinrhys wasn’t to greet Prince Curtis and Princess Harriet; it was to investigate Galkhein’s currency minting…

Arnold’s actions always had multiple purposes.

He wasn’t at that party simply for diplomatic relations. Ever since, he’s been on the trail of foreign entities looking to influence Galkhein…

Whatever was behind Dietrich’s planned revolution linked up here with something unexpected.

Whoever is behind his actions in Hermity is almost certainly connected to the entity scheming against Galkhein. And Prince Arnold has known that since before he met me, when he received the invitation to that party…

Arnold was the only foreign entity attending the party. Needless to say, they’d never even sent an invitation to Galkhein before that. Arnold had been invited to an event Dietrich held without asking his father, with every other key figure in the nation also in attendance. Rishe was becoming convinced that whoever was planning the future coup had to have been involved.

Rishe narrowed her eyes and blew out a breath. “I feel like I’ll never catch up to you, Prince Arnold…”

“Really?” Arnold reached out and caressed Rishe’s hair. “No one else is able to figure out what I’m thinking like you are, you know.”

He was as expressionless as ever, but his eyes were somehow soft. His hands were equally gentle as he combed through her hair.

Rishe sulked a bit as she asked, “You’re coddling me, aren’t you?”

He chuckled. “See? You figured it out right away.”

“Honestly…” Rishe protested, though there was a part of her that felt a thrill over the exchange. After all, when they’d run into the emperor, and now as well, Arnold showed her great care. Still, she couldn’t bask in his affections forever.

Rishe locked gazes with Arnold as he once again brushed his fingers through her coral-colored locks. “Supposing the individual manipulating Fabrannia also made contact with my homeland of Hermity…”

Hermity was a small country. One also had to pass through undeveloped forest and mountains to get there from Galkhein, so there wasn’t much travel between the two nations. The roads were narrow and unsuited to marching armies, which was one of the reasons Galkhein hadn’t bothered to invade Hermity in the war. But the two nations weren’t separated by much physical distance. As long as you ignored the fact that moving a sizable army between them was difficult, Hermity was very much a sitting duck if Galkhein ever instigated conflict.

“Would that person have encouraged Prince Dietrich to break off his engagement with me to better manipulate him without His Majesty noticing? That would be a reason for Prince Dietrich to keep it a secret from his father, because if His Majesty was aware of what he planned to do, he would certainly reprimand His Highness…”

“The whole thing was strange from the start.” Arnold’s brow creased, the way it always did when Dietrich came up in conversation. “A one-sided dissolution of an engagement in a public venue isn’t something that should happen in the first place.”

“I’m sure everyone present accepted it, if only because it seemed like something Prince Dietrich was liable to do…”

While Rishe had been surprised by the dissolution of their engagement, she hadn’t found it strange in the least that Dietrich would choose to declare such a thing in the middle of a soirée. That was another reason she’d simply dismissed the strangeness of the occurrence.

Maybe a foreign visitor like Prince Arnold was the only person who noticed how strange Prince Dietrich’s behavior was… Rishe thought with some chagrin. If the “mastermind” was behind that party, then they’re also behind the coup d’état that occurs a year later.

She sighed. “Were you not in the party hall that night because you were hunting for the mastermind, Your Highness?”

“If they were trying to start something with me, I figured I’d be able to smoke them out better if I was alone.”

He’s once again putting himself on the front line like it’s nothing!

Normally, one who was threatened wasn’t supposed to go after the culprit themselves in these situations. Arnold was stronger than anyone else, but Rishe still worried about him.

“Did you achieve anything that night?” she asked him.

His eyes went wide. Rishe was curious about what had surprised him, but his expression softened and he quirked his lips in a smirk. “Yeah. I found something very valuable.”

“You did?! What was it?”

Rishe looked up at him, full of expectation, and Arnold returned her gaze, his blue eyes uncharacteristically warm. “I found you.”

Now Rishe’s eyes were bulging. “Ack! Er, that’s not what I—”

“Only a few moments later, though, you jumped out a window and fled from me.”

“Would you please forget about that already?!”

Rishe had assumed she’d never see Arnold again, so she’d hardly been concerned about appearances. She could never have guessed that he would propose to her soon after and that she’d be by his side ever since.

Arnold chuckled. He must have found the sight of Rishe’s face flushing red amusing. Scowling, Rishe focused on her musings.

I’ve already experienced so many things in this life. I’ve discovered the truth about incidents I only heard rumors about in previous lives…

Arnold wasn’t the cruel man everyone made him out to be, and she’d never known about Coyolles’s mines drying up either. The previous royal priestess hadn’t passed away when it was publicly announced that she had, and there was a mastermind behind the execution of the supposed villain Harriet. As with all those events, there might be some truth Rishe was unaware of lurking behind Dietrich’s coup attempt.

“Could it be that the reason you’re taking Prince Dietrich along on your work is to investigate the mastermind, Your Highness?”

Arnold flat-out scowled. “Obviously. Do you think I would ever associate with that man without a political reason to do so?”

“Well, you’re kind, Prince Arnold, and you’re surprisingly nurturing, so…” Rishe was being completely genuine, yet Arnold’s scowl only deepened. The two princes must have been thoroughly incompatible if Arnold disliked Dietrich that much.

“In any case, you don’t need to worry about any coups that man is plotting. No matter what sort of mastermind may be behind him, he won’t succeed.”

Yes. It’s exactly as you predict, Prince Arnold… It would end in such a spectacular failure that even Arnold, who didn’t know the future like Rishe did, could predict it. As such, a successful coup was likely not the mastermind’s actual goal.

“Still, I don’t want Hermity suffering any confusion due to a failed revolt. Even if Prince Dietrich disagrees with how his father does things, a coup d’état shouldn’t have been his first plan. I’d like to think even Prince Dietrich would have considered other solutions first…”

“Rishe.” She raised her head when Arnold called her name. “You’re looking at it all wrong.”

Rishe gasped. Arnold’s tone had been absolutely frigid. There was an eerie glow to his blue eyes, like the moon reflected on the surface of a midwinter sea.

“The king is the ultimate authority in a nation.” His eyes contained none of the gentle warmth they’d shown her earlier. “His citizens may scream so loud their throats split, and his vassals may give up their lives to give him counsel, but the king can make decisions without taking any of it into account.”

When he said that, there was one person who came to mind. It wasn’t the emperor standing above them in the light of the half-moon. Her thoughts automatically went to Emperor Arnold Hein, whom she’d faced off against in the future she knew.

“If the king stands in your way, you have no recourse other than killing him.”

A shiver went down Rishe’s spine. “Prince Arnold…” Rishe spoke carefully to keep her voice from trembling. “You mustn’t say such things inside palace grounds.”

“Why not? We’re discussing the crown prince of Hermity right now. Of course, I suppose some people would chide me for such irreverence.” Arnold narrowed his eyes, smiling darkly. “After all, regicide is the gravest sin there is.”

His self-deriding smile was enchanting—hauntingly beautiful, yet so fragile she found it hard to look at. At the same time, it had an irresistible quality that could draw anyone in. That same magnetism was present in every facet of Arnold’s unfathomable nature. If Rishe hadn’t been so tense, she might have been bewitched.

Arnold cast his gaze to the floor, doubtless unaware of his effect on Rishe. “I’ll keep my eye on your former fiancé for a little longer. But you don’t need to concern yourself with the trifling matter of his activities.”

“I can’t simply ignore this.” Rishe took a breath and said, “May I accompany you on your next outing for work as well? I’ll be sure not to cause you any trouble.”

Arnold furrowed his brow for the umpteenth time that evening and said, “Fine. I did promise to grant as many of your requests as I could.”

“Thank you!”

Rishe gave him a brilliant smile, and Arnold sighed. He broke eye contact when rain began beating down on the roof of the gazebo.

“It’s just a passing shower,” Rishe said. “I believe it will end quickly.”

“It probably will if you say so.”

“Do you need to get back? We’ll have to stay here for a little longer…”

Rishe studied the ceiling. That was when she noticed the four pillars holding up the roof. They were decorated with images of a girl announcing each season. It was a familiar motif to most of the people living in this world.

There are Crusade decorations on the pillars and handrails of this gazebo.

Most countries in the world followed the faith of the Crusade religion. Many royals and nobles were especially devout. But for there to be a resting place with Crusade decorations in this palace must have a particular significance.

Could this have been…?

Arnold must have noticed Rishe’s musings. He surveyed the same pillars and said with disinterest, “I thought structures fell apart right away when there weren’t any people looking after them anymore.” His voice was flat. “They do surprisingly well without anyone maintaining them.”

“Oh, Prince Arnold…”

“Though I don’t believe this gazebo was ever used even once.”

Arnold had surely been inside the tower when he was young. He must have known about this gazebo too. Rishe’s heart ached at the thought.

The Crusade text on these pillars celebrates the birth of a beloved child.

The gazebo had most likely been built for Arnold and his mother, the royal priestess of the Crusade faith. Yet Arnold said it had never been used. Maybe that meant it was a traditional construction that had nothing to do with his mother’s feelings.

Prince Arnold didn’t even know that birthdays are supposed to be celebrated with the people you love. When she thought about the young Arnold, Rishe was overcome with the urge to cry.

When Prince Arnold stared up at his father earlier, he was suppressing a desire to kill him. The emperor had been far enough away that he must not have sensed it, but it had come across to Rishe loud and clear. That wasn’t the issue, however. The emperor wasn’t even trying to hide his own malice. Part of it was flippant, like he was just trying to provoke Prince Arnold and wasn’t serious, but… Rishe wrapped her arms around herself as she thought back to that moment. It was directed not at me but at Prince Arnold—his own son.

Arnold’s father regarded him with murderous eyes, and Arnold was perfectly aware. Despite that, he’d focused only on protecting Rishe and not himself.

“I hope the twelfth month comes soon,” Rishe murmured, resisting the sob that threatened to escape. Doubt crossed Arnold’s face. “I’ll make sure your birthday celebration is a grand event. You’ll be turning twenty, so we’ll have to throw a big enough party to make up for two decades of missed celebrations!”

Arnold thought for a moment before saying, “The wedding will be before that.”

“O-of course we’ll have the wedding first!”

“As long as you haven’t forgotten.”

She couldn’t possibly forget. Arnold only said so because he had no idea she’d been constantly tormenting herself about the inevitable wedding kiss.

“And your birthday is before that.”

“We can worry about that later.” For now, she wanted to consider Arnold’s birthday. She clutched at his sleeve and made her fervent appeal: “It’s a celebration of your birth, Prince Arnold. I hope you’re ready!”

Arnold’s eyes went half-lidded, and he murmured, “Is there really a need to celebrate the birth of a person who only lives because of the sacrifice of countless others?”

The rain nearly drowned out those words, but Rishe was sure they were genuine. Seldom did Arnold’s voice ring so empty. Even when he spoke softly, Rishe could usually hear every word he said.

“I…” She reached out for him, taking his face in her hands and turning him toward her—close enough to kiss him. “I am glad I met you. Even if some sort of fate causes you to kill me.” Arnold swallowed hard. His blue eyes wavered as she told him, “I want to give thanks for your birth into this world and celebrate it.”

Arnold slowly lowered his gaze. He brought his own hands up to cover Rishe’s, removing her right hand from his face. He nuzzled his cheek against her left hand indulgently. The innocent gesture made Rishe’s heart pound in her chest.

“Rishe.”

“Y-yes?”

“Even if it’s just a hypothetical, don’t ever say that I’d kill you.” His tone was almost petulant, and her heart squeezed. She had to acknowledge that it was an awful thing to say. Just as he’d pointed out to her in the past, Rishe might have treated her own life a bit too lightly.

“I-I’m sorry…”

“It’s all right. I understand what you were trying to tell me.”

He likely only meant the words she’d said, however. Rishe couldn’t imagine she’d actually changed his mind about himself.

Arnold touched her even more delicately than before, his fingers sliding through her bangs. “I did something terrible to you earlier, didn’t I?”

“Did you?” She couldn’t imagine what he meant, prompting him to give her an exasperated look.

“It may have only been your hair, but you detested being kissed, didn’t you?”

“Bwagh?!” Rishe’s spine went stick-straight at the memory. It was true that she’d thought her heart might stop for various reasons during his kisses. After all, he’d pulled her close, stroked her hair, and kissed her over and over again. She found the smacking of his lips cute, but it made her so mortified she feared she might die. Arnold had even showered her with soothing gestures and soft touches. Just recalling it made her face so hot, she was worried it would burn.

But still, I…! She felt like she had to tell him this, so even as she covered her mouth with both hands, she mumbled the words, “I didn’t…detest it…”

Arnold froze, his eyes widening for a second.

“W-well, I know you only did it to protect me!” Rishe hung her head and hastily added, “And you were so gentle too. It was embarrassing, and it tickled, but I wasn’t scared! So no, I didn’t detest it at all.”

After a short silence, Arnold said, somewhat awkwardly, “I see…”

“Y-you don’t believe me, do you?! I really didn’t!”

“It’s not that I don’t believe you…”

Then why was he sighing?

“Anyway, you can read Crusade as if you were born to be a priestess, huh?”

Urgh… He’s changing the subject! She stared fiercely at him, but she was never going to win against Arnold. She had no choice but to answer his question.

“I only studied it a tiny bit, so I’m not very confident in it. I’m sure I’m nowhere near your level, Your Highness.”

Could she ask him about his past? From his reactions to her thus far, she was hesitant, but he seemed to be confiding in her more lately.

“Who did you learn from, Prince Arnold?”

Arnold watched the rain dripping from the gazebo roof for a moment before responding. “No one. I just studied it from books I found lying around.”

“You taught yourself such a complex language?!” Rishe’s eyes went wide. Even bishops of the Church had to learn Crusade from expert linguists, and it was a painful process.

“Learning wasn’t exactly an unusual thing for me from a young age.”

This goes beyond that, though!

Since his mother was the royal priestess, Arnold was of the goddess’s bloodline. Even if that information was top secret, there were probably countless Crusade holy texts around him and his mother.

“It’s surprising. I didn’t think you’d be interested in learning that sort of thing, Your Highness.”

“Even if there’s knowledge you may never use, there’s no knowledge you’re better off not knowing.”

“Hee hee hee. I couldn’t have said it better myself!” Rishe grinned, happy they shared an opinion for once. Even so, it was almost unbelievable that Arnold had taught himself the language as a child.

Maybe young Prince Arnold had some sort of ambition? A whole language wasn’t something you learned under the assumption that you would never use it. With Arnold’s brains, he might not have struggled as much with it as the average person, but Rishe still thought it was unusual for him to have spent the time on it.

“Come to think of it…” Arnold said, having recalled something. Rishe’s head tilted to the side. “Just once, my mother annotated something I’d written in Crusade.”

Rishe tensed, a little nervous. Until now, she would have never expected him to bring up his mother of his own volition.

“What did she write?” Rishe asked him timidly.

With a half smile, Arnold said, “Who knows.” Sounding truly indifferent, he added, “It was so long ago, I don’t remember.”

Rishe felt like her heart was being wrung out; it must have shown on her face.

Arnold smiled down at her. “Why the long face?”

“Well, because you…”

“It doesn’t matter. Besides, I’ve remembered a lot while examining the things you’ve been trying to show me.”

The things I’ve been trying to show him…?

Rishe wanted to show Arnold the world’s beauty, its delights, its wonders… It was her own wish to do so, not something Arnold desired of her. She almost felt like she’d been forcing it on him, but for him to say something so sweet made her want to continue taking advantage of his kindness.

Arnold was starting to turn his eyes toward beautiful things now, little by little.

“Your Highness, I—”

Just then, Arnold pressed a finger to Rishe’s lips. His signal to be quiet came at the same moment Rishe sensed someone approaching the gazebo.

She tensed up a little, recalling the sight of the emperor earlier that night, but the figure who approached them like a traveler seeking shelter was wearing a knight’s uniform.

“Sir Gutheil.”

When Rishe called his name, Gutheil noticed her with surprise before snapping into a bow, even as the rain pelted him. He bowed smartly, the movements as graceful as an actor’s.

“I sincerely apologize for interrupting you both.”

I-Interrupting?! Rishe realized that they were sitting awfully close together on this bench. She flushed with embarrassment again, but there was no point in pulling apart from each other now.

“Please forgive my rudeness. I shall take my leave.” Lantern in hand, Gutheil made to head back into the rain.

“Ah, wait!” Rishe leaped to her feet and called out to stop him. “Please, won’t you take shelter here? It will stop quickly, I assure you. It’s all right with you, isn’t it, Your Highness?”

“I-It will stop quickly, you say?”

I forgot! That’s the normal response!

It was much more unusual for someone to take Rishe at her word, as Arnold did. Rishe turned back to the prince. Though he was wearing an annoyed expression, he languidly raised a hand to grant Gutheil his permission. “Stay. Were you patrolling?”

“Yes, sir. While I was out, I spotted the flames from two lanterns burning near the tower, so I thought I should investigate.”

He means our lanterns…

The pair had carried them to the tower, but when Arnold had abruptly protected her from the emperor’s gaze, they’d both dropped the lanterns and left them there.

Gutheil pressed his large frame to one side of the gazebo, awkwardly brushing back his wet bangs.

“Rishe. Come here.”

“Y-yes…”

She was still standing, so Arnold called her back to the seat next to him. An awkward silence stretched between them, the falling rain the only sound. Arnold alone was unbothered by it.

No one normally comes near this tower, right? That’s why the wall is in disrepair and the trees aren’t trimmed. Even though they’d dropped their lanterns, the light shouldn’t have reached very far. That would mean Gutheil was already close enough to the tower to notice the lanterns’ tiny flames.

Prince Arnold is worried there’s an intelligence operative inside the palace, isn’t he? Sir Gutheil’s behavior at a time like this is just too suspicious…

There was no way Arnold hadn’t arrived at the same conclusions as Rishe.

Visibly uncomfortable, Gutheil faced Arnold and said, “Your Highness, I realize it’s rude of me to bring this up now, but…”

What’s this about?

“Have you given any thought to my petition for—”

Arnold’s frown deepened into a glare. “Is this really the time?”

He knew what Gutheil wanted to bring up, then.

The knight spun toward Rishe and dipped his head. “Please forgive my unseemly behavior, Lady Rishe. I cannot apologize enough.”

“Oh, don’t mind me. I can leave if—eep!” Rishe jumped when Arnold wrapped his arm around her waist and pulled her closer.

“You don’t need to trouble yourself.”

“B-but…”

“He’s the one who brought it up, knowing you were here. So?”

Gutheil knelt at Arnold’s feet with no hesitation. “My resolve has only strengthened since the last time I made this request.”

Is he about to…?

His voice was clear even with his head lowered. “If you would name me one of your Imperial Guard, I would give my life for this country and serve you until death.”

Rishe frowned. I knew it. Just like in my previous lives, Sir Gutheil will become one of Prince Arnold’s direct retainers and support him in the war.

Arnold’s next words, however, took her completely aback: “You must be joking.”

Huh?! Rishe’s head shot up in disbelief as Arnold rested his elbow on the back of the bench.

“I’ve told you once already that I don’t intend to make you one of my Imperial Guard.”

No way…

Gutheil didn’t budge. He likely expected Arnold’s answer and dared to ask anyway.

Prince Arnold doesn’t intend to make Sir Gutheil his retainer? That didn’t match the future Rishe knew. Is the future already changing?

Rishe was desperately trying to avoid the war in the future. Little by little, she’d noticed her actions having an effect on things, but could that really extend to this?

No, I don’t know! There’s a possibility they had this exact same exchange in all six of my other lives as well! Rishe had no way of knowing the truth. She almost gripped her dress, but she stopped herself before Arnold noticed. I don’t know if this is a change or a repetition. Or if it is a change, whether it’s a good or bad one.

Without raising his head, Gutheil said, “May I ask why?” His voice was trembling. “Is it my father? My father, who betrayed this country and the royal family?!”

The knights are a bed of thorns for Sir Gutheil right now. No matter how diligently he works, people are still mistrustful of him. And it’s because of something his father did, not his own sin. Rishe had seen it for herself when she’d been among the knights in her disguise. Prince Arnold’s Imperial Guard would be the only place where his abilities were evaluated without prejudice, the only place where he could really belong. But…

Arnold’s eyes were coldly rejecting. “The problem is more fundamental than that.”

“More fundamental, sir…?”

Rishe’s shoulders twitched at the tension in the air.

“Give your life for this country? I don’t need anyone who sees such a thing as a virtue.”

Prince Arnold…

“No matter how skilled they may be, do you really think I can trust men who go into battle under the assumption that they’ll die with my strategies? Men like you, who expect death before the fight even begins, and not because they’ve determined it to be the best strategy?”

“I…”

The philosophy behind Arnold’s Imperial Guard was that they fought to survive no matter what it took.

With a grunt, Gutheil clenched his fists and raised his head to gaze at Rishe and Arnold once more. “I apologize for behaving so wretchedly. Please excuse me.” With one last bow, he disappeared into the rain.

“Sir Gutheil, wait!”

Rishe would have stood, but Arnold held her back. “You don’t need to go after him.”

“But I…” She faltered, knowing full well that Arnold wouldn’t change his mind.

“If your arm is torn off, keep swinging your sword. If your leg is smashed, keep moving forward. If you lose both eyes, find a way to cut into your enemy for as long as you have left. That’s what all this is for,” Arnold had said to her once when they’d sparred. “Training in these circumstances helps us stay alive out there.”

Prince Arnold doesn’t want soldiers who will sacrifice themselves for their country.

Still, something nagged at Rishe. Her thoughts turned first to something that had happened in her fifth life. Rishe—a hunter then—had been scrutinizing Arnold through a monocular. He’d spotted her and indicated his heart with his thumb, as if to say, Aim here.

And what about the Arnold she’d exchanged blows with in the final moments of her sixth life? His Highness was all alone in that castle the whole time. He had powerful knights serving him, yet he was there cutting through the front lines all on his own, not coordinating with his allies one bit. Sure, Arnold was strong enough not to need help from his other knights, but that wasn’t the reason he acted the way he did.

The Prince Arnold in the future… Rishe peered up at him through her bangs, almost wanting to cry. He displays none of that will to stay alive himself.

The thought horrified Rishe. She felt herself reaching out and tugging Arnold’s sleeve. “You are so…”

Maybe he could sense the pain in her chest.

“What is it?” He knit his brows and anxiously touched her cheek. He likely had no idea that Rishe’s heart was bursting with concern for him.

I can’t put it into words. Still clutching Arnold’s sleeve, Rishe shook her head. She dropped her gaze and said, “Prince Arnold, I beg you to reconsider Sir Gutheil’s words. Do you not believe it to be a loss for this country for a knight with such abilities and sincerity to be treated coldly by his fellows for a sin that is not his own?”

Arnold took a quiet breath and said soothingly, “I want to fix the fundamental problem. Even if I extricated Gutheil from his circumstances, it would not prevent others from going through the same thing he has.”

“What?!” Rishe’s head snapped up. She was not expecting to hear that.

“I will prioritize creating an environment where people are evaluated fairly based on their efforts. And not just in my Imperial Guard—the knight order as a whole should change to reflect this.”

Rishe’s heart warmed at the thought.

Arnold smiled down at her wryly. “It’s the sort of thing you would come up with, usually.”

“Th-that’s not—I mean, yes, I agree that the whole evaluation system should be restructured, but still!”

Rishe had indeed been thinking the same thing, but she’d assumed it would be something she’d have to convince Arnold of, like she had in the past.

Does that mean the things I’ve said to him are slowly starting to change the way he thinks? Is Sir Gutheil being refused a place in Prince Arnold’s Imperial Guard really a change from my past lives? Rishe felt equal parts happiness and apprehension at the thought.

Next to her, Arnold muttered in irritation, “That said, the knight order is under the emperor’s dominion. The only unit I can directly affect is my Imperial Guard.”

“Your father.”

“It won’t happen right away, but just wait.” Arnold studied Rishe with a smile. The expression was dark, enchanting, and terrifying. “I’ll make it happen.”

His bloodlust sent a chill crawling up Rishe’s spine. It was almost the same as the indescribable terror she’d felt when his father had spotted them.

“The rain’s stopped just as you said it would.”

“Prince Arnold…”

“Let’s get back. If we’re out too late, you won’t get any sleep, will you?”

Arnold stood and offered his hand to Rishe. She hesitated for a second before taking it, hoping he hadn’t noticed.

The fundamental course of events hasn’t changed. Prince Arnold still plans to go through with it. Rishe drew this devastating conclusion, careful not to show her emotions on her face. He plans to kill his father and usurp the throne.

 

---

 

Just after sunset that day, a young man walked through Galkhein’s capital. He wore a robe with a low hood that covered his face, yet he couldn’t help the way his eyes darted about, wary of anyone who might recognize him.

I can’t believe I’m being forced to sneak around like this, the young man thought, descending a staircase into an underground bar. What else can I do, though? I can’t have my plans found out.

His footsteps reverberated against the stone. Arriving at a door, he pulled the hood even lower to hide any trace of his blond hair.

The young man, Dietrich, slowly pushed the door open.