Chapter 5

Chapter 5

 

“THANK YOU, RISHE! If we use this, it will take so much less time to clean up after a show! Preparing will be a lot easier too.”

Sylvia’s eyes shimmered as she stood on the theater stage. With no audience, her voice boomed through the big, empty space. Meanwhile, her troupe was hard at work preparing for the performances that had been delayed by her sudden illness. The entire group was present as they rehearsed and considered how they could improve the delayed show even more. Rishe, who had been invited to the theater, stood atop the stage—where the troupe was having their strategy meeting—and unveiled her concoction to everyone there.

The diva scooped up the alchemically created petals in both hands. When Rishe had explained that they could also be used to represent snow and that the substance would disappear naturally over time, the opera troupe had been thrilled.

“L-Lady Rishe, um, may I ask a question?”

“Go right ahead!”

“Th-thank you. Then, uh, is it possible to color these petals?”

“Yes! The colorant will change the chemical makeup of the substance, however, so you’d need to experiment to get the quantities right. The more pressing issue is that the colorant won’t evaporate with the rest of the substance, so—”

“Lady Rishe, how would you make a lot of this at once?”

“It becomes heavy when you’re mixing it, so you’d want to make sure it isn’t uneven in places. It requires more strength than you’d think!”

Everyone had questions and suggestions, and Rishe answered each one. It was an enjoyable, stimulating conversation for Rishe; the troupe brought up a number of things that she wouldn’t have considered from her perspective as an alchemist.

The members of the troupe, however, were having a difficult time interacting with her.

“L-Lady Rishe. Er, may I ask another question?”

Though they were interested in the artificial petals, they were having a hard time asking their questions. But it wasn’t due to Rishe…

It is a bit hard to ignore, isn’t it? Rishe scanned the front-row seats, eyes lingering on the man in the middle. He sat there in a relaxed pose, chin resting in his hand. Even just glancing down at him from the stage, Rishe found him breathtakingly beautiful. So much so that just about anyone would believe that he was one of the theater’s star actors.

Of course, he wasn’t an actor. Why is the crown prince sitting in on a production meeting for an opera, anyway?! Arnold was watching Rishe’s discussion with the opera troupe without the slightest bit of interest in it. I didn’t think he’d really come with me.

They’d discussed this arrangement after leaving the gazebo the day before, on their way back to the detached palace after retrieving their fallen lanterns.

“Prince Arnold, I’d like to present Sylvia and her opera troupe with those artificial petals I was developing earlier.”

“…Right.”

“They’ll be restarting their performances soon, and it would be difficult to summon Sylvia alone to the castle and have her pass along all the information herself. But we can’t very well invite the whole troupe here, what with—”

What Rishe hesitated to say was related to Arnold’s father. Since they’d just run into him, it was possible that he was paying close attention to them now. And if Arnold was concerned about a spy infiltrating the palace, his father surely suspected the same thing. It wouldn’t surprise her if they both drew the same conclusions from the information available to them. As such, Rishe felt it was better for her not to invite too many people to the palace.

Arnold picked up on what she left unsaid right away. “You want to go to the theater yourself.”

“If you wouldn’t mind, Your Highness. I’d like to visit in an unofficial capacity.”

“I told you I would grant as many of your requests as I’m able.”

Rishe had smiled warmly and thanked him.

“Sooner would be better than later, right? I’ll set it up for tomorrow morning. Be ready.”

“Hmm?”

What does he mean by “set it up”? she’d wondered.

“Er, I’ll be fine. I’ll just slip out and come back right away, so there’s no need to arrange for any sort of guard…”

“I won’t be sending guards with you. You’d stand out with a group of people.”

“R-right. Then when you say ‘set it up’…?”

“I mean I’ll be accompanying you.”

Rishe had balked in response.

“We can just take your former fiancé out with us on my afternoon work. Your business won’t take longer than one day, right? It’s fine.”

“W-wait a second! I can’t allow you to accompany me when you’re so incredibly busy, Your Highness!”

“What are you talking about?” Arnold had held both of their extinguished lanterns in one hand and extended the other to escort Rishe. Without looking at her, he’d said, “I told you I’d come with you whenever you went into town, didn’t I?”

You certainly did, but still!

She’d never thought Arnold would go so far as to rearrange his work schedule just to accompany her on some business that he had no interest in whatsoever. Yet Arnold had donned his incognito garments and accompanied Rishe, who was similarly disguised, to the theater the next day. To the opera troupe’s utter shock, of course.

It’s only natural they’d be nervous. Rishe snuck a glance at the troupe. There was actually one more reason she wanted to come to this theater aside from the petal concoction. Even so, she wasn’t sure she would be able to investigate that matter anymore at this point. Rishe sighed.

“Prince Arnold.” Having finished her explanation of her alchemical creation for the time being, Rishe hopped down from the stage. At this height, she could land soundlessly, but ordinary noblewomen didn’t have that skill, so she made sure there was a noise upon impact. “I apologize for taking up your time. I’d like to give them a practical demonstration, so if you could wait just a bit longer.”

“It’s fine. You don’t need to hurry, so just do whatever will satisfy you.”

Right then, Oliver arrived. He’d come along so that Arnold could transition immediately to his afternoon work once they left the theater. “I’ve finished adjusting your schedule, Your Highness. We can rendezvous here.”

“Understood.”

Rendezvous? Does he mean with Prince Dietrich?

“I have one other matter to discuss with you, if you don’t mind. Could we move somewhere more private for a moment?”

Arnold stood, very obviously annoyed.

“See you, Prince Arnold.”

When Rishe waved at him, Arnold stared at her for a few seconds before wrapping an arm around her back for some reason. He brought his lips up to her ear like he was about to kiss it and whispered, “Rishe…”

“Bwagh!” Rishe made a strange noise at the ticklish sensation, prompting a low chuckle from Arnold.

Wh-wh-wh-wh-what?!

The words he whispered into her ear were yet another shock: “I’m summoning Gutheil. He’ll be accompanying us in the afternoon, just so you’re aware.”

“Huh?”

Had Arnold not rejected Gutheil? Rishe gulped as Arnold pulled away, smiling fondly at her.

“I’ll be right back.”

“Yes… See you…” Rishe watched Arnold leave the audience seating, feeling discombobulated.

Why? Does Prince Arnold intend to make Sir Gutheil his retainer like in all my past lives? She had no idea why he would have such a sudden change of heart.

An impact to her back interrupted her musings. “I can’t believe you, Rishe!”

“Ack! Th-that scared me!”

Sylvia had completely taken Rishe by surprise with a hug from behind.

“Oh my gosh, what was that?! Did the crown prince just kiss your ear?! Do you two kiss to say goodbye to each other?!”

“Wha—?! O-of course not! That is not what he was doing!”

Suddenly, Rishe became very aware of the fact that not just Oliver and Sylvia but the entire troupe onstage may well have seen the exchange with Arnold.

No, it was because we’re in public that he played it off like it was a lovers’ exchange, since he didn’t want anyone else to hear, right?! Th-that’s it, I’m sure of it!

“Hee hee hee. You are adorable, you know that? Your face is red as a beet! I can’t believe you were so nervous about the kiss at your wedding when you’re smooching His Highness like that every day!”

“I-I am not! Really, I’m…!” Rishe tried to protest as Sylvia poked her bright-red cheeks. The embarrassment was becoming so intense, she was afraid her jellied legs would fail her.

The rest of the opera troupe watched with amusement as Sylvia toyed with Rishe. Sylvia kept her voice quiet so they wouldn’t hear as she studied Rishe with her bewitching purple eyes.

“You’re not kissing him? Really?”

“I-I’m not…”

“You haven’t kissed once?”

Rishe started, the scene in the chapel flashing through her mind, and Sylvia’s sharp eyes didn’t miss her agitation. Rishe hung her head as the diva poked her cheeks once more. “J-just once…”

“I knew it!”

Sylvia embraced her jubilantly, and Rishe covered her face with her hands, completely overwhelmed. Her thoughts were spinning as she hid her reddening cheeks.

I-It was just once, right?! Prince Arnold gave me an antidote mouth-to-mouth once, so that’s two… No, it’s not! That was saving my life! The more she thought, the more possibilities ran through her mind. When he gave me the ring, he kissed the back of my hand. Does that count? I’ve kissed the back of his hand too… And last night, he kissed my hair and ear so many times!

“Oho?” Sylvia grinned as Rishe’s face heated up even more. She raised her hand high in the air. “Chief! Mind if I take a break? Seems like Rishe needs one too!”

“Of course! I apologize for being so inconsiderate, Lady Rishe.”

“Don’t be silly!”

Rishe and Sylvia sat in the last row of the audience, far from the stage.

“Ah ha ha! Sorry, sorry! You were so cute. I teased you too much, didn’t I?”

“L-Let’s not talk about me!” Though she was eager to change the subject, she was also genuinely curious, so she said, “I want to hear about you, Sylvia. Like with Sir Gutheil.” Rishe recalled the conversation she’d been privy to the night before. “Have you made any progress since we last spoke?”

“Hee hee, me? I sure have, thanks to you.”

“You have?!”

It had only been a few days since then, so what sort of progress was she making?

Sylvia put her arms on the seat in front of her and rested her head there. She peered at Rishe from beneath her lashes. “Not in that way… Oh, but I should report on that as well, shouldn’t I? On our date the day before yesterday, I tried to kiss him.”

On their first date?! The day before yesterday would have been the day Sylvia visited the palace. In other words, the day Sylvia reunited with Gutheil and the knight escorted her home thanks to Theodore’s meddling. Sylvia didn’t appear to deem this real progress, but it was miles away from what Rishe considered typical.

The diva laughed softly as Rishe gawked at her. “He really is the sincere type. He told me we couldn’t yet.”

“Huh? Then…”

“Hee hee hee. The progress is on my singing. After all, that’s what love is for—for me, anyway.” Sylvia closed her eyes. “I was born to sing. If the goddess hadn’t given me my singing voice, I don’t think I would have survived this long… The reason I love so much is to put it all into my singing.”

“Your love for Sir Gutheil is for your singing too?”

“Yup! That’s why it’s going well. Sir Gutheil’s sincerity is new to me. I think this love will nourish my singing more than any love I’ve experienced before.”

Rishe noticed something then. It sounds like she’s trying to convince herself of that.

Sylvia’s singing voice was beautiful. It was soft, but clear and powerful. No matter where you sat in the audience, you could make out the lyrics clearly. But she didn’t speak like that now. Her voice was delicate, ephemeral, like the artificial snow that would melt away. Rishe felt she would miss what Sylvia said if she didn’t listen closely.

“Sylvia.” Rishe leaned forward to rest on the seat before her, just as Sylvia had. She lay her head down and faced the diva, who blinked her wide, purple eyes in surprise. “What kind of love nourishes your singing?”

“Well…”

“Tell me? I want to know.”

Sylvia hesitated for a moment, then began, “It’s not just about your heart pounding and feeling happy. It’s the kind of love where, when you think of the person, your chest aches and you want to cry…”

Rishe smiled and nodded, urging her to continue.

“You don’t want the conversation to end, so you start saying all sorts of stupid stuff just to keep it going. It makes you happy just to be able to talk to them, but it’s also scary. Weird, isn’t it?”

Rishe shook her head. “It’s not weird at all, Sylvia.”

“Thanks.” Sylvia smiled, the expression both relieved and pained. “I was surprised when he stopped me from kissing him since that’s never happened before. I mean, even if he didn’t want to go out with me, what’s the harm in a little kiss?”

“Hmm… I think that sort of thing varies from person to person…”

“Discovering things like that is another reason why love’s so fun. You experience so many firsts.” The soft smile faded from Sylvia’s face. “Have you ever had someone pick you up and tell you you’ll be okay when you were feeling low?”

Rishe blinked at the question.

“I’ve been alone for as long as I can remember, singing like my life depended on it for various opera troupes. Every time I was too sick or hurt to get back up as a kid, I would pray, ‘Please don’t leave me behind here.’”

“Oh, Sylvia…”

“Sir Gutheil picked me up and carried me the other day, right? That marked a real first for me.” Sylvia closed her eyes once more, like she was savoring a precious memory. “Sir Gutheil spoke to me the whole time until we arrived at the doctor. He encouraged me, telling me I’d be fine, that he was there with me…” She pressed her forehead to her arms. “It was the first time in my life I ever truly felt like I wasn’t alone.”

The songstress hid her face, and Rishe slowly sat up.

“I’m a performer, and I’m famous for having countless lovers, right? People assume I’d be with anyone, so they’re quick to whisper words of love to me. And I’ve always been fine with that. But Sir Gutheil… When you arranged for the two of us to reunite, the very first thing he did was inquire about my health.”

“That really made you happy, didn’t it?”

Sylvia thought for a moment before nodding. “It did.”

Her voice shook as she buried her face against the chair in front of her. “He held his hand out in concern for my condition, not in an eagerness to touch me, and it was so warm… I laughed and told him I was used to being out alone at night, but he wouldn’t budge on taking me all the way to my door.”

She spoke reverently, like each and every memory was a precious treasure she was storing safely in a box.

“What do I do, Rishe?” When she raised her head, tears like gemstones spilled from her eyes. “It hurts so much, but the feeling is so important. I’ve never felt a love like this before…”

“Sylvia, you…”

“No. That’s not it at all.” As though she was only talking to herself, she muttered, “This is the first time I’ve ever loved someone in my life…”

After she said that, her face crumpled under the weight of her emotions. Rishe wrapped her arms around the songstress as she broke down crying.

“H-he said we couldn’t be together! It’s not that he doesn’t like me, but we can’t…”

Rishe could say nothing in response.

“I understand that better than anyone. I’m not the sort of person who could be with a knight, so it’s only natural that we can’t be together.”

“That’s not true and you know it.” Rishe spoke soothingly to her, stroking her back. “Sir Gutheil isn’t the sort of person who would reject someone for a reason like that.”

“Of course he isn’t. I’m the one who can’t accept being at his side! I was born to sing. All this time I thought I only lived for that, but my heart hurts so much now that I don’t even know if I can do it anymore!” Sylvia trembled like a small child. “Is being in love supposed to be this painful?”

Rishe pressed her lips into a thin line. Why…?

She almost felt like she could understand the pain that Sylvia described. It came with the pounding of her heart and a sadness that nearly brought her to tears.

 

---

 

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

Rishe spun around at the groaning of her ex-fiancé that afternoon as they accompanied Arnold during his work. They were visiting a guardroom built into the city wall.

Paging through a document, Rishe called out to the man grumbling in the corner of the room. “Is something the matter, Prince Dietrich?”

“Everything’s the matter!” Dietrich shouted, pointing at Rishe with one hand and mussing up his hair with the other. “Lord Arnold is strange, of course, but you’re just as strange yourself, Rishe! Ever since meeting up with me first thing in the afternoon, it’s been nothing but work, work, and more work! I was hoping he would take more breaks today since you were accompanying us!”

“Hm?”

“Don’t look at me like you have no idea what I’m talking about! Do you two ever rest?! Or will you keel over if you aren’t working around the clock?!”

“N-no!” Rishe blurted awkwardly as Dietrich panted, shoulders heaving.

“At the sewage plant and the Merchants’ Guild and now this guard station too! Not only do you constantly make suggestions, but Lord Arnold carries them out immediately as well! It almost feels as though he’s doing more work today with you here than he did yesterday!”

I have nothing to say in my defense…

Rishe glanced at Arnold, who was discussing something with the officer in charge of the station a short distance away. They were considering the document organization method Rishe had suggested for the station a moment ago. It was a lengthy process finding records of those who had passed through the station when entering or exiting the capital, so Rishe had suggested a method she’d learned about in a large library she’d visited in one of her past lives.

It has been five hours since we started working this afternoon. Prince Dietrich has reached his limit, I’m sure.

After leaving the theater, Arnold and Rishe had enjoyed lunch in town before meeting up with Gutheil and a haggard-looking Dietrich. Rishe had intended to casually observe Arnold’s work as she analyzed Gutheil’s behavior. But as she’d observed, she’d inadvertently gotten caught up in the work herself.

“Sorry… It’s just that every time I ask a question or make a suggestion, Prince Arnold improves on it and implements practical solutions on the spot. It’s so much fun!”

“I can tell you’re having fun by watching you! That’s what’s scary!”

“Ha ha ha. Prince Arnold and Lady Rishe are of a similar mind when it comes to work.”

“Oh, Oliver!”

Oliver passed by the corner of the office where Rishe and Dietrich were talking. He was smiling, but his cheeks appeared slightly sunken.

“I’m sorry, Oliver. Without thinking, I made an impertinent suggestion and overcomplicated matters.”

“No, if anything, I’m grateful. The lengthy document retrieval process was a problem we were planning to solve at some point, so the sooner we’re able to test out this new method, the sooner we’ll see results. Prince Arnold dislikes taking work home with him, so we always take care of whatever needs doing on-site, as we are now. I’m used to it, so it’s no problem at all.”

“I-I can’t believe this… He dislikes taking work home with him? What better time is there than later to do work that doesn’t need to be done today?!”

As Dietrich trembled, Oliver smiled wryly and told him, “The most efficient way of doing something differs from person to person. If you’re able to learn something from seeing the way my lord does things, Prince Dietrich, I couldn’t ask for more.”

Arnold glanced at them and called for his attendant. “Oliver.”

“I’ll be right there. Please excuse me.” Oliver selected a few documents from the desk and went to Arnold’s side.

Dietrich watched him go, sighing. “The master’s ridiculous, but the servant’s just as abnormal…”

“Prince Dietrich, please refrain from such remarks,” Rishe chided her former fiancé, turning her attention to the individual standing by the door.

Just as Prince Arnold said, Sir Gutheil is accompanying us today for some reason.

The tall knight stood on guard by the door, though he did appear a little uncomfortable.

Sir Gutheil told Sylvia that he liked her, right? She thought back to how Sylvia had cried over her love for Gutheil. The knight had told her that they couldn’t be together. Did he say that because of his father’s crime? Or because his own future is closed off for that reason?

Rishe couldn’t help being curious about the night before. There must have been a reason for his “patrol” to take him to an area no one ever visited. Something about it rubs me the wrong way. Prince Arnold is worried about someone scheming against Galkhein and any spies that may be in their employ. Is Sir Gutheil involved?

Right then, Rishe arrived at a conclusion. Could it be…? She didn’t want to let her thoughts show on her face, so she pretended to go over the documents in her hands. As she did, she caught sight of Dietrich, who was sitting in front of her.

“What is it, Prince Dietrich?”

Dietrich’s deep-emerald eyes, framed by gold lashes, were fixed firmly on Arnold.

“Lord Arnold is effectively faultless as a crown prince. He shows no indication of his own wants and needs, he slaves away unemotionally at his work, and he’s brilliant too. He’s an accomplished swordsman as well, is he not? I hear he inspires incredible morale in his knights, almost like a god of war.”

I can’t believe Prince Dietrich is complimenting someone!

Rishe was floored. She’d never heard him deliver such genuine praise for someone other than his beloved Mary in her life.

“Oh…?”

“But he’s too perfect.”

Rishe blinked.

“I’ve always thought that the things I do don’t even scratch the surface of my potential. And why shouldn’t I? Everything I accomplish is magnificent, as surely anyone can see! But even geniuses have their off days. It was painful and hard whenever things didn’t go my way…” Dietrich’s tone was as genuine as it could possibly get. “But I suppose it’s a different sort of suffering to be born entirely too perfect a person, as Lord Arnold was.”

Rishe started. She never expected him to say something like that.

“Though I’m sure my suffering is worse! I, however, am a true future king. Only by experiencing trials and tribulations will I become a king worthy of—”

“May I ask what it is about Prince Arnold that gave you the impression that he’s suffering?”

“Let me finish, would you?! Well, in short…” Dietrich cleared his throat, nervous to have Rishe’s attention on him. “We were not born royalty because we wanted to be.”

Dietrich had cried about how he hadn’t been born crown prince because he wanted to be a few days earlier, but there seemed to be a different intent behind the words now.

“Selfless devotion is expected of royalty, and crown princes in particular. True, those in our position will never suffer any sort of financial discomfort, but in exchange, if we do not give everything we have to our nations, we are not so much as allowed to exist.”

Rishe had no right to say anything in response. She might have lived her life until the age of fifteen for the sake of nothing but becoming crown princess, but her position could never be compared to true royalty. She could only imagine how it must feel to inherit an entire country you would have to one day rule over.

“Still, each of us tries to find some small happiness as an individual, like Mary is for me.”

Rishe thought of all the royals she had met in the past. She’d known rulers who enjoyed collecting precious gems and royals who had fun drinking and making merry with their subjects. She knew a prince who delighted in seeing his country develop, a princess who loved to read, and a prince who adored his little sister.

“But, hmm… How to say this? I can’t see any of that sort of humanity in Lord Arnold. No, there is some amount, but…it’s strange, isn’t it? He can’t even be bothered to eat when he’s working, and he makes no time to enjoy the scenery when he’s in town. It’s like he has no interest in anything other than performing the duty laid before him. It was terribly frightening seeing it up close.”

“Why, Prince Dietrich…”

What he said next sounded more like his own idle musings than a statement meant for Rishe. “Arnold Hein lives his life without a single thought spared for any sort of human happiness.”

Rishe’s heart stopped for a moment.

“That’s what it looks like to me, at least.”

“I…”

To Dietrich, it was likely no more than pure curiosity. After all, they were both crown princes. His position afforded him a unique perspective on Arnold’s unemotional nature. But to Rishe, Dietrich’s candid musings seemed an unexpectedly straightforward explanation of Arnold’s villainous pretenses.

“You really tend to get to the heart of things without meaning to sometimes, Prince Dietrich. Come to think of it, you once—”

“All right! Let’s ask him directly, shall we? If his way of life is as miserable as it appears, that is.”

“Huh?” Rishe was speechless as Dietrich righted his posture and puffed out his chest.

“Yes, I think I will! I must reach out even to those who are said to be cold and heartless. That overwhelming sense of righteousness only befits the future ruler of Hermity, after all!”

“Ack! Um, wait, Prince Dietrich!” Rishe grabbed Dietrich’s arm to stop him. Arnold shot them a dubious look from the other side of the room, so Rishe mouthed an apology at him. He was working right now, so they couldn’t bother him.

“What?! Why did you stop me, Rishe?!”

Arnold regarded them with a slight frown, but he swiftly resumed giving directions to Oliver. As she thought, they’d distracted him—which Rishe felt guilty about.

“You can speak with him later. This really isn’t the place to get into it.”

“Hmm. Well, I see your point.” Dietrich agreed with her—quicker than was normal for him—and turned his attention back to Arnold. “The similarities really are astounding.”

“Y-you don’t mean between you and Prince Arnold, do you?”

“I mean between him and you, Rishe! You’ve lived for nothing other than becoming crown princess since you were little, haven’t you? Always had this look on your face like that was the whole reason you were alive.”

Rishe was taken aback by his observations yet again.

“You discarded any joy of your own and strove to be the perfect public figure. You never played or demanded sweets as a reward for studying or held so much as a birthday party! I could never understand it! Isn’t it normal to want to play instead of study?!”

“Well…”

“You never made a peep about any of that! It scared me! If you had to hold yourself back so much, and all that awaited you at the end of it was becoming crown princess, I thought…you’d be happier being something else.” There was an uncharacteristic furrow to his brow. “Do you think you can be happy as Arnold Hein’s empress?”

“About that…”

Dietrich was Rishe’s former fiancé and someone she could still call a childhood friend. Ever since they were little, Rishe had always been worried about Dietrich, so this was the first time he’d ever regarded her with such worry. The thought tickled Rishe, and she smiled wryly at him.

“I’ve had several people worry about whether I’ll be happy in this marriage, but happiness isn’t something that’s given to you—it’s something you achieve yourself.” She turned to look at the knights standing on either side of the door. “No matter what fate may befall me due to becoming Prince Arnold’s wife, I’m confident that when I’m on my deathbed, I’ll be able to say I lived a happy life.” She turned back to Dietrich and smiled. “Didn’t I tell you I’d prove to you how wonderful Prince Arnold is as a husband?”

“You certainly did.”

Beaming, Rishe told Dietrich, “I can’t imagine a bride who expects she’ll be unhappy would say something like that, now would she?”

“Huh.” Dietrich lapsed into thought for a while until he finally spoke up again. “Hmm? No, wait a moment, Rishe! It’s true that over the last few days I’ve come to understand well just how exceptional Lord Arnold is as a crown prince! But I haven’t seen a shred of evidence that he is, as you claim him to be, a wonderful husband!”

“Wha…? W-wait…”

“Ha ha ha ha ha ha! What an oversight, Rishe! You know what this means, don’t you? You haven’t yet proven a thing to me! These last few days, all I’ve done is watch him work without rest and quiver in fear of his glowering at a party!”

“Seriously, what did you even come to this country for?!”

Dietrich cleared his throat officiously. “That said, he did find the time to bring his fiancée to the opera amid that hellish workload of his. That’s shocking enough, I suppose… When you’ve done all this work in a day, you just want to go home and do nothing afterward, right? Where did he even find the time with how much work he has to do?”

Now that she thought about it, they had run into Dietrich at the opera house back when Sylvia had collapsed. Had Oliver told him what they were doing there?

Hmm? Something occurred to Rishe then. Come to think of it, what was His Highness doing there?

“Say, uh, Rishe.” Dietrich hung his head, hemming and hawing. “I came to this country…”

“Yes?”

“No, it’s nothing! Say, do you think I should go help, as a fellow crown prince? I bet I could shock Lord Arnold with my illustrious Hermity education!”

“D-don’t shock him too much!” Rishe was a bit worried about the princes, but she decided to hang back. She gave Arnold a little wave and a signal with her eyes. When he noticed Dietrich striding toward him, he grimaced.

I’m sorry, Prince Arnold. Please handle him for me, would you?

After apologizing to Arnold in her heart, Rishe turned to the door the two knights were guarding. She scrutinized the towering Gutheil and softly called, “Sir Gutheil?”

“Lady Rishe…I sincerely apologize for last night.”

“Please, think nothing of it. I should apologize myself for interrupting a discussion about your work.”

When they’d rendezvoused with Gutheil and the other knight that afternoon, Arnold had this to say:

“My Imperial Guard are spread thin currently, what with my suspicions about intelligence operatives. I’m only making use of Gutheil temporarily when I’m out working in town since I don’t otherwise have the personnel to spare.”

Of course, these words were only a pretense, and Arnold must have been aware that Rishe had realized that.

Did Prince Arnold figure I’d want to speak with Sir Gutheil about Sylvia’s broken heart? No, that couldn’t possibly be…

Arnold was kind, but he didn’t mix public and private matters. He wasn’t just indulging Rishe; there was some other reason for the way he was making use of his personnel. Rishe wasn’t the type to pester Gutheil about his personal affairs when he was on the clock anyway, no matter how much she wanted to for Sylvia’s sake.

I can’t imagine Sir Gutheil would open up about it in a place like this. And it’s not as if it’s only the two of us present, she thought, eyeing the other knight.

Ironically, Gutheil himself was the one to interrupt her musings. “If I may…how is Lady Sylvia doing?”

Rishe stared at him in surprise for a moment before considering her response. “She was…acting well enough.”

Gutheil knit his brows, picking up on the obvious implication of Rishe’s words.

Before she could stop herself, Rishe continued, “Sir Gutheil, is there anything I could do to help? As long as it’s not too presumptuous to ask, of course.”

“I appreciate the offer.”

Up to this point, it wouldn’t have been obvious to anyone listening in that they were talking about romance, but Gutheil made that clear with his next words.

“I love Lady Sylvia.”

Rishe was shocked that such words left his mouth with no hesitation. The knight on the other side of the door turned toward Gutheil as well, his scarlet eyes seeming to question if he’d really heard what he thought he’d heard.

Gutheil went right on, “I find her so lovely and sweet. I could never allow anyone to darken her smile, myself included.”

“Oh, Sir Gutheil…”

“I told Lady Sylvia about my father’s crime immediately. His espionage was a betrayal of Galkhein, and it could have led to the deaths of so many in the war. His sin was so great that not only must I bear that weight as his son, but whomever I might marry and even our children would bear it as well.”

Gutheil smiled sadly. He suffered more than anyone for his father’s crimes. He knew the pain he’d be inflicting on his chosen partner, the cold treatment they would receive. It gave his words a heavy weight.

“The pain on Lady Sylvia’s face when I told her that… I suspect she might be a war orphan herself.”

“Goodness…”

“I know Lady Sylvia is not the type to reject me for such a reason. But having me by her side may open the wounds in her heart. I may cause her even more suffering in the future. I simply cannot allow myself to cause her any pain.”

Rishe’s mouth tightened. She didn’t know what to say in a situation like this, and she was aware that she would be overstepping, whatever she did say.

Still, she told Gutheil, “Sylvia told me ‘You never know which day might be your last.’”

That alone caused Gutheil to grimace. Each tiny change in his expression showed just how much he truly cared for Sylvia.

So Rishe continued, “I think she’s exactly right. One’s future happiness is important, surely, but…” She recalled the way Sylvia had trembled as the tears rolled down her cheeks. “Is happiness you can grant at this very moment not just as important?”

“I…” Gutheil started before falling silent.

“I’m sorry. I know this is just as hard for you.”

“No, not at all…”

Any further meddling would just cause trouble. When someone made a decision about their own life, it was hardly an outsider’s place to interfere. Hence, Rishe moved on to her next objective.

“I think I’ll go get some fresh air atop the wall. Could I ask you to accompany me, Sir Knight?”

“Certainly, my lady.”

Gutheil hung his head, deep in consideration. Rishe said nothing more to him, leaving the room with the other knight.

The guard station was on the inside of the wall. A staircase led up to the top of the ramparts surrounding the city.

Rishe sighed, enjoying the warm summer breeze as the sun set in the distance. From where she stood, she could relish the view over the streets of Galkhein’s capital. She’d come here once with Arnold, but the location was off-limits to the normal citizenry.

“I have a question,” she said to the knight accompanying her.

He stood at attention. “Anything for you, Lady Rishe.”

“We’re alone up here, so you can drop the knight act,” she told the red-eyed knight, with more than a little exasperation. “I know it’s you, Raul.”

“Ha ha!” Raul laughed, his voice snapping back into its normal register. “You’re really something! I completely changed my face today and acted like a totally different person, and you could still tell?”

“You were too calm around Prince Arnold for a knight filling a temporary position. You should have acted more afraid of him. Put that together with those red eyes of yours and, well…it was easy enough.”

“I see, I see. Both good points. I’ll remember that next time!”

Why was he so happy about his disguise being seen through? Slightly fed up with the man, Rishe asked him, “Hypothetically speaking, if you were an enemy of Galkhein and you needed to investigate it for some reason, how would you sneak in?”

“Trade secrets, my dear…is what I would like to say, but I suppose I can’t keep my savior in the dark, now can I? At the very least, I can tell you that I wouldn’t do what I’m doing now and pretend I was one of Galkhein’s knights all along.”

From what Rishe knew, Raul was here disguising himself as a knight simply because his interests aligned with Arnold’s. The prince wanted him to investigate whether an intelligence operative had infiltrated Galkhein’s palace. Raul was likely mingling with the knights with Arnold’s permission. The walls of the palace were sturdy and should have prevented the intrusion of anything heavier than a kitten.

“The realistic plan would be to devote several years to actually joining the knight corps.”

“Not to pretend to be a knight but to enter as one officially?”

“Indeed. After all, Galkhein’s policy is that anyone with some amount of skill can become a knight, regardless of background. This is one of Galkhein’s few vulnerabilities as an otherwise nigh-invincible major power.” Raul stuck his index finger in the air, waving it about playfully as he continued. “Though I’m sure His Majesty is well aware of that little flaw in their defenses. For all Galkhein claims to value skill above all else, the upper echelons of the knight corps are all still nobles, who have a very low chance of being spies from other countries.”

Sir Gutheil’s father broke that rule. That’s why he was punished so harshly—to set an example.

“That’s why infiltrating as a knight isn’t really worth it. The only exception would be joining your Prince Arnold’s Imperial Guard, since even a commoner can do that. So if I were a spy attempting to pose as a knight, I would do whatever I could to become one of your dear husband’s Imperial Guards.”

“…”

“Still, you’d need to know a fair amount about His Highness to use the fact that he’ll let those of any background serve in his Guard. As such, me being a foreign spy intent on infiltrating Galkhein in this scenario, I would not choose this method. There are other ways to obtain information from high-ranking officials and knights.”

Up to this point, Raul’s thinking matched Rishe’s knowledge of him from her fifth life.

“And what other methods are those?”

“Hmm? Well…” Raul had been rather forthcoming until now, but he grimaced at this question. “I shudder at the thought of your husband’s quiet fury were I to discuss such a thing with you.”

Rishe cocked her head. “Has Prince Arnold forbidden you to speak on the matter?”

“No, no, no. It’s nothing like that.”

Rishe just tilted her head further. She did have a vague idea of what he might mean by “other ways.” In her fifth life, there were secrets Raul never spoke of with her. Given how he was acting now, she concluded he was likely alluding to the same methods he’d kept from her in her fifth life.

In that case…

Rishe took a breath and asked him something else she’d been wondering about. “Say, Raul, are there any situations in which you don’t notice a passerby approaching?”

“Hmm. Maybe when there’s a lovely lady nearby I’d really like to get close to? You, for instance.”

“Raul…”

“Ha ha ha, only kidding! It’s not just ladies. If there are a lot of individuals I’m not particularly interested in around me, I might be late in noticing if one of them approaches. I wouldn’t fail to notice completely, though, so maybe that doesn’t answer your question.”

I figured he might say something like that.

She thought back to when Kyle and Michel had been visiting Galkhein. Rishe had gotten help from Theodore in infiltrating the knight cadets’ training disguised as a man. She’d kept it a secret from Arnold, but he’d discovered her immediately anyway. After that, Theodore had snuck up on her in one of the castle hallways. She’d been thinking about something at the time, and people were always passing through the halls, so she hadn’t had her guard up at all. But it wasn’t as if she’d overlooked Theodore’s presence entirely. It was the fact that he’d grabbed her arm that caught her by surprise.

Raul taught me how to sense other people’s presences and conceal my own. I learned enough that I was able to put the knowledge to good use in my sixth life; I should be able to pick up on anyone without that kind of training if they’re nearby.

But that meant it was possible to surprise her if someone did have that kind of training. Particularly when she had her guard down. On her first night in Galkhein, it had taken her a moment to notice Arnold standing behind her when she was enjoying the view from her balcony.

I only noticed him then because he was giving off a threatening air to see if I’d sense him or not. If he’d kept his presence concealed, he might have been able to get close enough to touch me without my sensing him.

Her two questions for Raul only solidified the theory forming in her mind.

The more I consider the matter, the more evidence I find to back up my hunch. The strange feeling she’d gotten speaking to Dietrich earlier was the clincher.

“Whoops, your guardian is here.”

Rishe started when she heard a door open. An individual appeared on the twilit rampart. Rishe turned to face him and called his name. “Prince Arnold…”

His jacket flapped in the breeze. Rishe’s coral-colored hair danced in the wind as well. She paid it no mind as she asked him, “You had your suspicions about who the spy might be from the very beginning, didn’t you?”

“…”

“No… Rather, it was only because of your suspicions that we interacted with the individual as much as we did.”

Arnold squinted into the receding daylight. “You don’t need to know.”

Rishe’s heart ached at the distance those words put between them. Not because of rejection but because Arnold had only said them out of consideration for her.

“Your Highness, I—”

“However.” Arnold lowered his gaze and took a short breath. “I won’t stop you from taking action or making a request that’s in my power to grant.”

Joy and relief bloomed in Rishe’s heart. Arnold had told her there were things she didn’t need to know in the past as well, but this situation was clearly different.

Rishe made her heartfelt plea: “Please allow me to help you, Prince Arnold. There are things I would like to do to bring this incident to a close.”

“What are you talking about?” Arnold sighed in exasperation. “It will be me helping you do whatever it is you want to do, won’t it?”

Raul laughed as Rishe jumped in surprise. “Ha ha! Incredible! To have Crown Prince Arnold Hein of all people wrapped around your little finger!”

“Ugh… I apologize for my selfishness. Really, I do!”

Raul shrugged under Arnold’s quiet glare as Rishe apologized sincerely. When she was finished, she told Raul and Arnold everything she wanted to say.

 

---

 

That night, an individual was summoned to a room in the detached palace. In the room, five chairs were placed in a circle. At the head of the arrangement sat Arnold, with Rishe beside him. They glanced at the individual seated in front of them.

“I’m aware how disrespectful it may seem to question royalty, but I simply must ask…” Their guest appeared extremely uncomfortable as he asked them, “Why exactly have you invited someone like me to your detached palace, Your Highnesses?”

Arnold sat, chin in hand, ignoring the knight’s question. Instead, he signaled Rishe with his sidelong glance. She nodded and spoke in his place.

“I apologize for the abrupt invitation, Sir Gutheil. We have something very important to discuss with you, so we thought we’d do it here due to the late hour.”

“Yes, I understand you wish to avoid prying eyes. But is there truly some way I can be of assistance to you?”

He must have been confused, but his chivalrous spirit still amply infused his words. Rishe went on, appreciative of Gutheil’s consideration.

“What I’m about to tell you may cause you pain, Sir Gutheil.”

“What is it? No, no matter what it may be, I wish only to serve you.”

Rishe held Gutheil’s gaze and told him, “There’s a possibility a spy has infiltrated Galkhein.”

Gutheil gasped and clenched his fists.

“Prince Arnold realized this sooner than anyone else, so he’s been gathering information for some time now. His conclusion is—”

“Do you suspect me of being a spy, Your Highness?” Gutheil’s voice was steady, but his face had gone deathly pale. Confusion, panic, and resignation were all plain on his face. “I am aware that I have done nothing to earn your trust, but I swear it on my pride… Even if no one believes it to be so, I have not betrayed my country!”

“Prince Arnold knows you’re innocent,” Rishe told him after a pause. What she could not say, however, was for him to be at ease. “The person we suspect is—”

A knock came at the door. Raul, who was disguised as the knight standing guard outside, had been informed that there was no need to wait for a response. He opened the door, and their other guest stepped inside.

Gutheil gasped when he saw who it was. She met his gaze and smiled somewhat sadly. Then she met Arnold and Rishe’s gazes with clear eyes and named herself.

“Sylvia Hollingworth. I’m delighted that you invited me here tonight.”