My Own Way
They say even a word without legs can travel a thousand miles. And just like that, the rumors spread at an absurdly fast pace.
Exactly two days after I started openly seeking out Tina.
“...”
“...”
Of course, Lucy and Clue's faces were filled with worry too.
“You're really not interested at all, are you, Master?”
“Sometimes you just... um, look so sincere...”
Clue gazed at me with a face full of concern, and Lucy did the same.
“I told you, nothing's going on.”
“But sometimes your expression looks so genuine...!”
Clue muttered in bewilderment, and Lucy nodded along.
“Don't worry.”
I truly had no feelings for Tina whatsoever.
“...The princess sometimes looks at you in a way that feels a bit dangerous...”
“We agreed from the start that there'd be no feelings involved.”
It was Tina who brought it up first, not me. There was no way she'd develop any real emotions.
Sure, she had those occasional baffling moments of behavior, but... that was just that.
I chalked it up to over-immersion on her part.
No one falls in love in just two days, right?
This was certain.
With that thought, I looked at the two of them.
“...”
“...”
Clue and Lucy exchanged glances and let out deep sighs.
“Anyway, I'm going to talk to Tina again.”
“...Please be careful, Your Highness.”
“Seriously. If anything happens, call for me right away.”
“I got it, so stop worrying.”
So much worry.
Thinking that, I headed to Tina's room to meet her.
The moment I opened the door and stepped in, Tina looked up at me with a bright smile.
“Ah, Theo.”
“Hey, Tina.”
We'd decided to drop the formalities between us.
Apparently, casual speech helped share our feelings better—or at least, that's what she said.
It was also perfect for showing everyone else how close we were.
Tina smiled softly and gently placed her hand on the back of mine.
“You came to see me again.”
“Of course.”
These touches felt a bit awkward at times, but if I thought of it as acting, I could accept it.
With that in mind, I turned my hand to meet hers.
“Any, uh, new developments?”
I asked to check first and foremost.
The most important thing was that Duke Mayer was showing strong interest in me.
“...Dad still seems keen on pairing me and you together.”
“That's not really his true intention, right?”
“Definitely not.”
Good.
If King Cassius of all people was genuinely trying to marry me off to Tina, that would've been a problem.
I'd probably end up storming off to tell Mom in a fit of rage.
Looking at Tina with that thought, she scratched her cheek.
“Anyway, Duke Mayer's been talking to me sometimes...”
“Yeah.”
“His words are getting ruder by the day.”
She's putting it so politely—he's being a total jerk.
“And you're putting up with it for now?”
“I'd love to smash his face in, but...”
Tina trailed off.
Tina had more fire in her than I expected.
Word was, she was pretty handy with her fists.
“If you did that, it'd just cause trouble...”
“I know. Come closer for now.”
“Okay.”
Tina leaned in close, and I pressed our foreheads together, closing my eyes and channeling my mana.
I drew mana up from my solar plexus, and soon a white light flowed from our foreheads.
“Looks fine.”
“Really? Thank goodness.”
Tina let out a sigh of relief.
This was a mental check spell I'd hastily learned from Lily sis.
If there was even the slightest issue with Tina's mind, I'd know right away—or so she said.
When I asked how, she just smiled and said I'd know when I tried it.
For now, at least...
“It'd be great if I could use this on her father too...”
“That's not gonna be easy.”
No matter what, you can't just casually press your forehead against a king's.
Especially not as a guy.
Looking at Tina with that thought, our eyes met as she tapped the back of my hand thoughtfully.
“Yeah, what is it?”
“I was just pondering how to handle this.”
We didn't have much time left.
Before then, Mayer would try to turn things into a done deal through Tina.
I could always just leave her behind, but now that we were entangled, backing out wouldn't be simple.
Not that I was helping her purely out of humanitarian concern, of course.
An inspection tour was, in a way, a test of diplomatic skill.
If I just went with the flow and failed to produce good results, my diplomatic abilities would come under scrutiny.
Honestly, I didn't care about the scrutiny.
Worst case, even if I botched it completely, Mom wouldn't scold me harshly, and my sisters wouldn't badmouth me no matter what.
But the real issue was...
I wouldn't get to go on inspections anymore.
Regardless of how much my mom and sis adored me, that didn't mean they'd let me run around causing chaos.
They'd probably block or discourage me from going out.
That would mean fewer legitimate chances for me to roam outside...
I couldn't let that happen.
Even if I couldn't achieve perfection, I needed at least decent results.
As I mulled that over,
“...You're making that grown-up face again.”
Tina muttered, looking at me.
“I was thinking we have to do this right.”
“I see.”
Tina narrowed her eyes at my response but nodded.
“I'm glad you're here, Theo.”
“Huh?”
“Because if you weren't, I probably would've just... sat here powerless, my throat tightening day by day until I either snapped and caused a scene... or ended up in some twisted conclusion without even getting that far.”
“...”
“So yeah, I'm really grateful to you.”
She smiled at me.
“Thank you.”
“...”
This isn't easy.
With that thought, we wrapped up another few hours of conversation.
The moment I entered my room, I activated the communication magic tool, and Lily sis's face appeared as if she'd been waiting.
“Did it go well, Theo?”
“Yeah, thanks to you.”
“...Your face doesn't look good.”
Lily sis rested her chin on her hand and smiled softly.
“Anything... um, bothering you?”
“Kinda... how do I wrap this up properly...”
“Should I come?”
“If you show up, Mom will know.”
“True...?”
“Can't have that.”
“Yeah, I figure Mom showing up would mean the end of Cassius Kingdom.”
Sis smiled softly, then looked back at me.
“Anyway, I'm doing my best to help you, Theo.”
“Ah, yeah.”
She said she was doing her utmost to help me, but...
She never explained how.
“They'll probably make contact from Duke Mayer's side soon.”
“Contact?”
“He thinks his honey trap worked perfectly.”
“...Yeah.”
Makes sense.
“If he's a complete idiot, he'll approach you himself. If he's moderately stupid, he'll go through King Cassius.”
“And if he's smart?”
“If he were smart, he wouldn't pull this stunt to begin with.”
“True enough.”
I nodded in agreement, and just then, Lily sis spoke up again.
“When that happens, just reel him in properly, Theo.”
“Reel him in?”
“Yeah.”
“How?”
“That depends on the person, I guess?”
“...”
“If it were me, I'd seal the doors with magic, freeze everyone following him, and threaten to kill him unless he spills everything.”
“...Sis, that's just you.”
“Rabir would've chopped off his limbs.”
“Rabir sis wouldn't do that.”
“Oh, our innocent little Theo.”
Lily sis covered her mouth and laughed before looking at me.
“Anyway, everyone has their own way of handling things.”
“Yeah.”
“Think about your own method, Theo.”
“...”
Tough.
I nodded, and just as Lily sis opened her mouth again,
“Then you'll do grea—”
A knock sounded, followed by a voice.
[Are you in there?]
I looked up at the distant voice.
“Theo, believe in yourself.”
With those words, the magic tool went dark, and the voice came again.
[Prince Theodor, do you have a moment?]
The voice rang out, and the magic tool fully shut off.
“Yes, come in.”
At my words, the door slowly opened, and an elderly man stepped inside.
His face carried a subtle arrogance, his steps haughty.
And a sour expression to top it off.
“...Greetings, Your Highness.”
The moment he saw me, he gave a perfect imperial bow.
“I am Duke Mayer.”
He smiled and continued.
“...”
I looked back at him.
My method to handle this...
“Ah, Duke Mayer. I've heard so much about you.”
His eyebrow twitched briefly at my words.
“I've been meaning to call on you myself.”
I smiled, sat in the chair, crossed my legs, and Clue stood demurely by my side as if on cue.
If Lily sis and Rabir sis had their own ways, then I just needed to respond with my own.