The Princess's Surprise Visit
The mournful silence that settled over the bedroom was finally broken by Pitora, the very person who had summoned it in the first place.
"Haaah... So, what do you plan to do now?"
At her rather listless question, Urtega's gaze and mine briefly collided.
"Are you speaking of the war against Greenjack?"
Pitora nodded, her eyes fraught with conflicting emotions as she looked my way.
"Yes. If negotiation is entirely out of the question, wouldn't it be far wiser to strike first rather than simply sit back on the defensive? That seems like the only way to resolve this with minimal casualties."
"An offensive... Well, that would certainly be an option if we actually knew where Greenjack's headquarters was. What do you think, Father?"
"Hmph..."
Urtega let out a low groan, his brow furrowing in clear displeasure.
"Even I cannot guarantee wiping them all out in a single stroke. Furthermore, the hideout I discovered has surely been completely abandoned by now. And beyond that..."
He hesitated, visibly wrestling with his thoughts for a moment before shaking his head.
"If we pursue them that far, making an enemy of the Third Princess becomes utterly unavoidable."
"The time to worry about that has long since passed," I replied flatly. "The very moment you uncovered Greenjack and dragged them into the light, we became potential enemies of the Third Princess. Whether we win or lose this war against Greenjack changes nothing."
"Be that as it may with the princess, I simply despise having to take a purely defensive stance," Pitora interjected, her voice sharp with equal parts complaint and anxiety. Urtega cast a cautious glance toward her, subtly gauging her mood.
...So the fierce northern duke was secretly henpecked, was he?
He had never shown anything resembling that kind of timid look to his own children. His devotion to his wife bordered on absurd. No, perhaps calling it excessively lopsided would be far more accurate.
"There's no helping it," I said. "The situation is what it is. The best we can do right now is shore up our defenses."
I shifted my gaze toward Urtega, lacing my words with blatant reproof.
"Under ordinary circumstances, Father alone would have been more than enough... but I find myself unable to trust you now. Never in my wildest dreams did I imagine you would prioritize romance with your wife over your own son's life."
"......"
"Ahem, koff... Y-your father simply has a bit of a doting streak, that's all. Try to understand, Alzen."
While Urtega sat as stiff and silent as a block of wood, Pitora pinched his side, her face flushing crimson.
"It would be truly wonderful if he showed even a fraction of that doting side to his children, you know..."
"...Worry not," she said soothingly. "Starting today, I will personally dedicate myself to fortifying the castle."
"Does that mean you'll mobilize the Mage Division?"
"Naturally."
"That provides some relief, then. To tell the truth, I asked Father to deploy the mages, the knighthood, and even the Shadow Knights a while ago, but he wouldn't listen to a single word."
"What? This man did what...?"
Pitora shot him a venomous glare. Urtega merely closed his eyes with stoic resignation, as if accepting whatever punishment awaited him.
Watching this miniature domestic comedy play out, I let out a soft chuckle and stood from my seat.
"Well, I will take your word for it and take my leave. Ah, and regarding the assassin I subdued earlier—I assume I should just hand him over to you, Mother?"
"Please do. I am sorry, Alzen."
"There is no need for you to apologize. It was entirely Father's fault, after all."
"...Still, you shouldn't speak about him like that, Alzen."
"Haha, aigoo, don't mind me. My mouth just gets the better of me sometimes."
Flashing an easy grin, I stepped out of the room. Pitora's persistent gaze lingered on my back until the very moment the door clicked shut.
"Phew..."
Only after the door had closed completely did I let my guard down, exhaling a long, weary sigh as my steps dragged across the stone floor. Why on earth did dealing with Pitora feel so much more exhausting than facing Urtega?
Following that first failed assassination, Greenjack made no further overt moves.
Berick, too, showed no sign of attempting to approach me. Judging by how he carried himself, he hadn't heard anything from Pitora, and seemed entirely unaware that an assassin had slipped into my chambers in the first place. What in the world was the Third Princess scheming?
All I wanted was for things to stay quiet, but knowing my luck, a massive headache was bound to strike.
"Sigh..."
"Is something the matter, my lord? Are you feeling uncomfortable in any way?"
"No, it's nothing."
Replying absently to Wendy as she sat beside me pouring my drink, I sank deeper into the plush sofa cushions.
"Yes! I acquired a new trading guild! Both of you, hand over two thousand gold right now!"
"Ugh... Your luck is ridiculous, Cecilia!"
"Fufufu! This is all the grace of the Goddess, you know!"
"When do I get off this deserted island...? How many turns do I have left?"
Lured by the noisy bickering, I glanced toward the low table where three girls had naturally staked out their territory, thoroughly engrossed in a board game.
What they were currently playing was a medieval fantasy version of the Game of Life, something I had designed myself and commissioned the castle's craftsmen to build. They had barged into my room since early morning, whining about being tired of card games, so I had whipped it up quickly just to shut them up. Though it was thrown together in barely two hours from concept to finished board, the three of them were playing it with manic intensity.
"...Is it really that fun?"
"Yes, Brother! It's amazingly fun! A game where you can indirectly experience completely different lives—how did you ever come up with such a brilliant concept?!"
"Lord Alzen, you truly are a genius! First the card games, and now this Game of Life! These are ideas an ordinary person could never fathom!"
Vivian spoke first, followed immediately by Leona. Cecilia, meanwhile, was glaring at the board so fiercely that she hadn't even registered my voice.
In any case, while Vivian seemed to be praising it out of pure, genuine amusement...
"Leona. There's no need to force yourself to flatter me."
"Y-yes?!"
Hit squarely where it hurt, she flinched, her small shoulders trembling as she nervously scanned my expression.
"I-it wasn't flattery at all! That was my completely honest impression, really!"
"Keep lying and see what happens."
"I-I am so sorry! How dare I displease Lord Alzen! Please, forgive me..."
"......"
This felt painfully reminiscent of how Rebecca acted when we first met. Watching Leona bow her head almost to the floor, my face twisted into a complicated grimace. No matter how much of a delinquent bastard I pretended to be, seeing a terrified kid bow and scrape like that never sat well with me.
"Haaah... Leona."
"Y-yes?!"
"Come here for a second."
"Ah, yes..."
I beckoned her over. As she fidgeted with anxiety, I picked up a slice of fruit from the snack tray beside my drink and popped it directly into her mouth.
"Mmph?"
"Chew."
"Mmph, nom..."
Keeping a wary eye on me, she hurriedly chewed and swallowed.
"Is it good?"
"Yes. It's very delicious."
"Is that so? Then have another."
"Mmrph?"
I shoved a different fruit between her lips.
"Nom, gulp..."
Once she finished that, I offered another kind, and then another after that. In this manner, I fed her one piece of every single fruit laid out on the platter.
"You eat well."
"T-thank you...?"
"Brother! What are you doing?! It's Leona's turn right now, so give her back!"
"Anyone listening would think I kidnapped her. Leona, go play. And stop walking on eggshells around me."
"Ah, understood. Excuse me, then..."
Despite my telling her to relax, Leona crept cautiously back to the table, stealing nervous glances over her shoulder every few seconds. Perhaps I had just made things more awkward.
"Pfft..."
A sudden snicker drew my attention. I turned to find Wendy with her hand clamped over her mouth, her head tilted down.
"Are you laughing at me?"
"Khhk... Pardon me. Ahem! It was simply rather amusing to see you look so awkward. You do not seem particularly accustomed to dealing with children, my lord."
"...I suppose not."
That held true even in my previous life. Part of it was my naturally mischievous streak, but more than that, I never knew how to calibrate my words or actions to a child's wavelength. I used to reduce my younger cousin to tears on a regular basis.
"......"
Would I ever be able to see them again? If I managed to slay the Demon God... and if I used the wish promised by the Goddess... perhaps.
"What thoughts are troubling you so deeply?"
"Nothing important."
"Hmm... By the way, are they still undergoing their trials?"
"Presumably."
I pulled the Invitation of the Forgotten from inside my coat. Going by the future I had foreseen, they should have conquered the trials and returned by now. Yet Muriel, Rebecca, and Cacciola were nowhere to be seen. Had something truly gone wrong? Having no way of checking their progress inside the artifact was endlessly frustrating.
"Worry not," Wendy said gently. "Those three will surely overcome their trials and return safely. Besides, the Goddess never bestows a trial that is impossible to endure."
"...I certainly hope so."
Gulp.
Draining my glass in one pull, I grabbed another snack, chewed it down, and casually leaned back to rest my head right onto Wendy's lap.
"...Hehe."
Letting out a soft laugh, she began to stroke my hair with practiced familiarity. It felt a little too much like being treated like a pet, but then again, Muriel tended to do the exact same thing.
"Aah! Not again! Sir Alzen! Who gave you permission to lay your head on Wendy's lap?!"
"Since when do I need permission for that?"
"Of course you do!"
"From whom?"
"From me!"
"Do these thighs belong to you now? You're quite the little pervert, aren't you, Saintess? Wendy, you really have it rough serving her."
"W-w-what on earth are you talking about?! Stop spouting nonsense!"
Cecilia shrieked, huffing and puffing with indignation before her eyes flickered toward me with obvious hesitation.
"Ahem. Um, Sir Alzen."
"What?"
"May I... have some fruit as well?"
"Go ahead. Eat as much as you want."
"...U-um. Can I just... eat it? Truly?"
"...? I just told you to eat it. Why, is there a specific kind you're craving?"
"No, it's not that..."
She fidgeted, clearly wanting to say something more, but her face suddenly flushed bright red and her features twisted into an irritated scowl.
"Never mind, it's nothing!"
Barking the words like an angry puppy throwing a tantrum, she grabbed the entire fruit platter and marched straight back to Vivian and Leona.
"...Wendy. What's gotten into her? Is she hitting puberty or something?"
"No, I doubt that is the case... Well, actually, perhaps you could call it that in a sense. It is a rather delightful development."
"Do you have any idea what that was about?"
"I suspect the Saintess was hoping you would feed her the fruit by hand, Lord Alzen."
"...Me? Why on earth would she want that?"
"......"
Wendy stared at me in absolute silence for a beat before letting out a soft, defeated sigh.
"It is nothing. You truly are a difficult man to fathom."
"I have no idea what you're rambling about... Whatever. Just pour another drink."
"As you command."
Lying with my head in her lap, I sipped the fresh liquor she poured and gazed blankly up at the ceiling. It felt like the calm before an impending storm, but taking full advantage of this fleeting peace wasn't the worst way to spend an afternoon.
Regardless of the heightened defenses around the Duke's Castle or the personal anxieties gnawing at the back of my mind, preparations for the grand banquet celebrating Berick's return progressed smoothly.
Even though there was still plenty of time before the announced date, maids and butlers bustled constantly through the corridors, entirely consumed with decorating the Great Hall and rearranging heavy furniture. Naturally, none of that had anything to do with me.
"......"
Or at least, that was what I had believed until just a day ago.
"Fufu, you truly do indulge in alcohol and cigarettes, don't you? And right in front of me, no less... Seeing you match the rumors so perfectly brings me such joy."
The Third Imperial Princess, Galante von Kerkion Arpe, chuckled, her voice as exquisite as rolling jade beads. Her boundless, uncanny platinum-white eyes locked onto mine, radiating a bizarre, feverish warmth.