"Yes. I believe that's the best course of action."
"Well, given his personality, a letter wouldn't move him, would it?"
"Yes, even if he can't come all the way to the capital, he might come to the duke's territory."
At my words, Father nodded several times.
Franz is by my side, and there's no trace of the former timidity.
"Your Highness, this is a personal request. Is it alright?"
"Of course. Chancellor."
"Thank you. Duke Reinfeldt has never sent a letter directly to Your Highness since he fell in love with you when you were young. Whenever you were in the capital, he always went through me. The capital and the duke's territory are not close enough to visit casually. Still, the duke always sent letters through me. Do you understand why?"
"Because he thought it would be a bother to send them directly to my sister?"
"Yes, exactly. If it wasn't a bother, he wanted me to choose the right time to deliver them. If you made a displeased face, he said it was fine to tear them up. Duke Reinfeldt was the only one who showed such consideration. That's why Princess Lieselotte always read his letters and never missed accepting his gifts. Even after she started flying around the battlefield as a general, I heard the same from her aides."
That's an unexpected fact.
It's not surprising that Duke Reinfeldt would show such consideration.
What was surprising was that my sister always read those letters.
Could it be... could it be?
"For nobles in distant territories, letters and gifts are a means to keep the other person tied to them. They might only meet once a year, if at all. Many nobles show excessive affection to avoid being forgotten. In that sense, Duke Reinfeldt could be called a gentleman. That's why Princess Lieselotte, though she refused marriage proposals, never refused his letters or gifts."
"I see. So she doesn't personally dislike him?"
"Yes, there must be a reason. Perhaps she has decided not to marry, or there's another reason. If it's the former, there's nothing we can do, but if there's another reason, I want you to persuade her. If she clearly dislikes him, Duke Reinfeldt would give up, but I don't think Princess Lieselotte dislikes him. That's why it's pitiful."
Since he always went through letters, Franz must have seen them.
He must have known the contents of the gifts and my sister's reactions to receiving them.
Given Franz's caring nature, he must have given advice.
For Franz, this love should come to fruition.
"Twenty years... some might call it persistent. I was one of them. I told him to give up many times, for his own good. No matter how hard he tried, it was meaningless. But Duke Reinfeldt always replied, 'If Princess Lieselotte finds it bothersome, I will give up.' Lieselotte is his life. Whether things go well or not, he wants to make this a turning point."
Father, after all, is human.
He seems to feel guilty for keeping someone tied down for twenty years.
From a certain perspective, it might look like my sister is keeping him around for convenience.
But knowing my sister, she probably doesn't have that intention. By not clearly telling me to stay away, she's still keeping him tied down.
"If... my sister says she has no intention of marrying anyone, should we give up?"
"......If that's the case, there's nothing we can do."
I want to see her in a wedding dress.
It's Father's wish, but it's also a selfish desire.
Father, looking disappointed, murmured.
Given Father's nature, he might think that if she marries, she won't be involved in the imperial succession struggle.
If Gordon or Zandra becomes emperor, my sister will be targeted and excluded.
But if she marries, she's no longer royalty. It might reduce the danger. The empire won't lose an excellent general.
Even as emperor, not everything can be done as one wishes.
"Then I will proceed accordingly. I can't promise good news, but I will do my best. Please wait a while."
"Understood. I leave it to you."
With that, I left the throne room.
ā ā ā
After leaving the throne room, I headed to Mother's quarters.
I won't be leaving the capital as much as Leo, who is going to the border, but I will be leaving the capital.
I've entrusted the faction's affairs to Fina, and the power struggle within the capital is in a lull, so there's no need to worry. Gordon and Zandra are exhausting themselves by fighting while we're abroad, and Eirik, who is unscathed, won't move in this situation and risk upsetting Father.
Father is sensitive to the refugee issue. If someone targets Leo's absence while he's dealing with it, Father will surely be enraged. Eirik won't make such a foolish move. So, for now, there won't be any overt power struggles in the capital.
Of course, various things are happening behind the scenes. One of them is the conflict between merchant guilds. That's why I can't take Fina. She's the ace of the demi-human merchant guild.
"Looking at it this way, the shortage of personnel is serious."
I can't leave Sebastian, who is Fina's bodyguard.
My surroundings will be thin, but it's better than thinning Fina's. In my case, the only worry is my identity being exposed, but there's no danger to my life. I just need to be more cautious than usual.
Linfia is with Leo, and Sebastian is with Fina. If I had one more free bodyguard, it would be easier, but that's wishful thinking.
Unfortunately, Erna has another mission this time, so I can't count on her.
"It's not just about being strong. If I can't trust them, they can't be bodyguards. Ah... Excuse me. It's Al."
"Al!? Come in immediately!"
After announcing myself at the door to Mother's quarters in the harem, a sharp voice came from inside.
I immediately sensed something was wrong and quietly entered the room.
Inside, Mother was hugging a trembling Krista.
"Krista!?"
"Sniff... sniff..."
"I thought she suddenly started crying and wouldn't speak. She must have seen something again."
Mother, who raised Krista, naturally knows about her innate magic.
Mother usually pretends not to care, saying, "Is that so?" But this time, she can't just brush it off.
I knelt beside Krista and met her eyes.
"Krista, are you okay? Al is here."
"...Brother Al... Brother Al!"
Krista, who was hugging Mother, clung to me.
Her body was trembling.
She must have seen something very frightening.
I continued to stroke her head until she calmed down.
Krista finally seemed to calm down but wouldn't speak.
"...Krista, what did you see? Was it that terrifying?"
"Krista, tell Al. Maybe there's something we can do."
"...Sniff... sniff..."
"Krista?"
"...A small cottage... many children..."
Then Krista began to speak, bit by bit.
Her words were fragmented and hard to follow, but she said something decisive at the end.
"L, Lita..."
"Lita?"
"Is going to die...! Lita is going to die right in front of me...!"
"What!?"
"That can't be..."
It was a shocking statement.
In the past, the futures Krista saw sometimes came true and sometimes didn't.
But the futures where she was directly involved were more likely to come true.
Her eldest brother's death was a family member's death, and the attack on the town of Keel was where she was.
In that sense, an event happening right in front of her is a highly probable future.
But of all times, now?
"Brother Al... please save Lita...!"
"Al..."
"...I just greeted Father a while ago. About the departure..."
"Huh...? No! Brother Al! Don't go!"
Krista clung to me desperately. Her small hands gripped my clothes tightly.
What should I do?
Should I tell Father I'm not going?
No, he won't accept it. I need a reason. And I'll have to explain about Krista. If her ability becomes known, it could be beneficial to the country, but it would be the worst-case scenario. Krista would be in danger and forced to see things she doesn't want to see.
But we don't have any more people to spare.
"Al, I'll try to talk to the Emperor. Then..."
"...Even if I stay, I can't stay in the harem indefinitely."
Only female royalty and princes under twelve can stay in the harem, except for consorts, bodyguards, and ladies-in-waiting.
Even as a prince, once you reach a certain age, you can't stay in the harem all day.
If something happens here, I won't be able to respond in time.
If Linfia were here, Mother could request her to be assigned as a bodyguard in the harem, but I can't do that.
Even if I turned into Silver and suddenly appeared in the harem, I would be punished.
"Given the situation, Krista will be involved in something. She needs a bodyguard who can stay close by. Preferably a skilled female bodyguard..."
"...There's only one person who comes to mind."
"Right."
In this situation, we have no choice but to ask Erna.
We'll have to ask her to somehow get out of her mission and stay with Krista.
If that doesn't work, we'll have to think of another plan.
"But Erna has been given a mission. In terms of risk, it's the same as me, or even more so."
As a prince given a mission and a royal guard knight given a mission, it's obvious which one should fulfill their duty, even to a child.
Depending on the reason for refusal, she might be dismissed from the royal guard.
But we have no choice but to rely on Erna.
The peaceful moments won't last forever, huh (Ā“ć»Ļć»`)
Sad, but this is a story about the imperial succession struggle.