"Report! It seems that the Earl of Helmer is being approached for persuasion!"
"Send someone to persuade him! Absolutely do not let him be swayed by other forces!"
"Report! Captain Reimer of the Imperial Guard has been recruited by Princess Zandra!"
"What!? Damn! No more defectors! Use everyone you can to maintain our supporters! I'm going out too!"
At night, a battle of persuasion was being waged in the capital.
Ever since Zandra had taken over the plan, she had been retaliating by steadily taking away Leo's supporters.
Leo was extremely busy dealing with this.
"That's tough."
"Bro, help out too! After all, you were the one who started this fight, right!?"
"Well, it's true that I suggested helping the pitiful Duke Belts, but you agreed to it too, didn't you? I apologize that it ended up as a fight, but even if we hadn't, they would have attacked us eventually. It's just perfect, isn't it?"
"If that's the case, help out..."
"Physical fights are not my thing, so I'll leave it to you. I can't do anything anyway."
"If you can't do anything, I can't do anything either."
"Hey, too much modesty is annoying. If you go, many supporters will reconsider. Those who stay will be your true supporters. Good luck."
"You're so detached. Absolutely, I'll make you help with the ambassador's work."
With that, Leo put on his coat and left the room.
Watching him go, I sighed deeply.
Zandra was on the offensive, but the core figures of our faction had not been swayed yet. Those being approached now were relatively new supporters. Even if they were swayed, it wouldn't be a significant blow.
The problem was how to retain the core figures of our faction, but that was Leo's job.
What I needed to think about was the true intentions behind the enemy's actions.
"Sebastian."
"Yes, sir?"
"If you were Zandra, what would you do? Who would you target?"
"I wouldn't launch an attack. If I did, it would be obvious that someone would interfere. If I had to, I would wait for a better time. For now, I would focus on maintaining my supporters."
"I know that, but Zandra, with her head in a rage, has launched an attack. What do you think in that case?"
After thinking for a moment, Sebastian looked at the bag of sweets on the desk and exclaimed.
You noticed, huh. Yeah, anyone would think of that with a little thought.
"Princess Fiene, of course. I would target Princess Fiene."
"Right. Fiene is the only one who can become a rallying point after we're gone. So, if you're going to target anyone, it would be Fiene."
"Yes, but if Fiene is attacked, it will cause problems."
"True, Father wouldn't stay silent. But what if Fiene was running around to maintain supporters and was attacked by thugs in the process? Father's anger would be directed at us."
"Then should Princess Fiene stay in the castle? She's not visible, is she?"
"No, I sent her to a safe place. It's not entirely safe here, and I don't want her to be taken out by someone from the castle."
The security of the Imperial Sword Castle is perfect, but only against external threats. If someone inside were to help, it wouldn't be the same. The upper floors, where the Emperor is, are perfectly secure, but I can't send Fiene to Father just because there's a danger.
"The safest place? From what I know, the safest place would be by Duke Arnold's side, wouldn't it?"
"No, it's probably known that I contacted Duke Belts, so Zandra probably wants to kill me the most right now. I can't keep her close."
"I see. Perhaps it was a mistake to recruit Duke Belts? I think Princess Zandra has noticed that you were hiding your claws. I don't think she's worth it."
"Eventually, I couldn't stay incompetent forever. I probably had a good idea when I sent Elna to Father. A little investigation would reveal that you were originally a skilled assassin. For now, they'll probably think it's thanks to you."
"Don't underestimate your siblings. Optimism is forbidden. The same blood of Father flows in those three as well."
"I know. I'm not underestimating them. I think I value those three more than anyone else."
I kept her away from me because I was on maximum alert.
This offensive by Zandra is undoubtedly to draw out Fiene. If Fiene can't be drawn out, a few defectors will have to do. It's a painful loss for our faction, but it's better than losing Fiene.
"You don't seem to be underestimating them. You seem unusually serious. Is it because Princess Fiene is involved?"
"Exactly. Fiene is the daughter of Duke Kleinert. If we lose her here, we can't recover."
"Is that all? Usually, you would counter when you know the enemy's target. This time, you've switched to a thorough defense. Is it because you don't want Princess Fiene to be in danger?"
"What are you trying to say?"
"Nothing, I think it's a good thing. Mitsuba would be pleased, I think."
I was about to complain to Sebastian, who was speaking with a knowing look, but I closed my mouth immediately.
I knew that no matter what I said to this butler, he would always have a clever comeback.
So I started preparing to go out without saying anything.
"Are you going out?"
"Yeah, some butler told me not to underestimate them. I'm going to check the safety."
"That's good. If you say you were worried after visiting, it's perfect."
"Who said that?"
"That's a shame. So, where did you hide Princess Fiene?"
"A place you know well. The safest place in the capital, where the strongest person in the capital lives."
"I see. The residence of the Amsberg Brave Duke, right? Indeed, she would be untouchable there."
That's right.
Satisfied, I headed to the Amsberg Brave Duke's residence with Sebastian.
■■■
The Amsberg Brave Duke's residence is near the castle.
I was immediately shown in when I visited the huge mansion. I'm probably the only prince who can be so easily admitted.
Elna and I and Leo are childhood friends, but the one who actively interacted with her as a child was overwhelmingly me.
I can't count how many times I was dragged to this mansion, crying, by Elna.
After a while, the knights at the gate started saying "welcome back" to me. At that moment, I realized how terrifying familiarity can be.
Even though it had been a few years, the gatekeeper said "welcome back" this time too. To the people of this house, I am the cute lady's friend.
"Thinking about it, it's kind of weird to say 'welcome back' to a crying child, isn't it?"
"Perhaps it looked like we were good friends to the adults."
"How did it look to you?"
"I knew you didn't like it, of course."
"..."
Then you should have stopped, I thought, but I swallowed the words. He would just say something vague and brush it off. Besides, it's in the past, and thanks to that past, I could easily send Fiene here, so it wasn't a waste.
While thinking about this, we reached the entrance. There was a woman with the same hair color as Elna. Her eyes were blue. She was youthful and beautiful. If no one said anything, everyone would think she was Elna's older sister...
"It's been a while, Al."
"It's been a while, Anna."
"Sebastian hasn't changed either?"
"Yes, Lady Amsberg."
This is Anna von Amsberg, the wife of the Amsberg Brave Duke and Elna's mother.
My mother is quite something, but this woman's youth is completely magical. She seems to be ageless. Because of her appearance, she has always been called "Lady" out of respect.
Smiling, Anna led me inside.
"Unfortunately, my husband is away. Oh, you're such a grown-up prince now. Is it impolite to talk like this?"
"No, please keep it casual. I would be uncomfortable if you used formal language."
"Well, in that case, I'll take you up on that. Elna and Fiene are in the bath now. Would you like to join them?"
"I'd rather not, I don't want to die."
"Such a dangerous thing to say. You used to join them, didn't you?"
"That was when we were kids. I almost drowned in this house's bath because of Elna. Don't you remember?"
"Oh, that happened. Speaking of which, we both cried a lot. Do you remember? You cried because Elna was training you to beat up bullies, and Elna cried because you weren't improving."
"Even now, it sounds unreasonable."
Indeed, she is my nemesis.
It's a wonder I don't have any serious trauma.
A weaker person would have committed suicide.
The fact that she can talk about it with a smile shows how messed up she is.
"Can you wait in the farthest guest room for a while?"
"Sure."
"Sebastian, can you help serve tea?"
"Of course."
Since I came here often, Sebastian must have come here often too.
He followed like Anna's butler.
I headed to the farthest guest room as instructed and reached for the doorknob without thinking.
However, I sensed someone inside when I opened the door slightly. I also heard a woman's voice.
I thought a maid might be making the bed, so I opened the door without hesitation.
That was a mistake.
"..."
"Elna-sama, this dress suits you so well! Next, let's try this white one."
"Fi, Fiene... please stop treating me like a doll..."
Inside the room were the two of them in their underwear. Fiene was in pure white, and Elna was in pink. Surprisingly, Elna was wearing a frilly, cute one.
They were exposing their usually unseen white skin without any hesitation. Perhaps because they thought only women were present, neither of them tried to cover up. Fiene, who usually wears loose clothing, was more curvaceous than I expected. Elna hadn't grown much since the last time I checked, but that made her slender, which many people would find attractive.
As I was thinking this, they noticed me.
For a moment, they looked confused, but then both of their faces turned bright red.
Elna quickly picked up a pillow nearby and got into a throwing stance.
I just regretted it, knowing resistance was futile.
I had forgotten. The most troublesome one was Anna. I never thought she would let me peek at her unmarried daughter's changing. She's a pervert.
"Al!? You!"
"Al-sama!?"
Thinking I had been set up, I was hit in the face with the pillow thrown at an incredible speed.
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