Chapter 45
Isaac. She didn't find out about you, did she?
At six o'clock, the appointed time, Marie returned to the dorm, leaving just the two of us, and Nicole asked me that question. When I shifted my gaze to her, I saw worry and concern on her face.
Apparently, seeing how close Marie and I were had made her worry that my secret might have been exposed. But contrary to her concerns, aside from a few mistakes, she hadn't found out.
"Don't worry. She hasn't found out. We're just friends for now, friends."
"...Really?"
Nicole questioned it, then gave me a deeply suspicious look. Seeing that, I was slightly dumbfounded.
Had she really thought I had no friends and was just a loner? I knew my social life wasn't great, but that look still hurt a little.
"What's with that look? You clearly don't believe me."
"Well... never mind. Anyway, she doesn't know anything about your secret, right?"
It definitely wasn't my imagination that she seemed to be changing the subject in a hurry. I set aside the suspicions rising in my mind and answered.
"There have been a few mistakes, but it should be all right."
"Mistakes... You mean showing her the drawing last time? Don't tell me she was that girl?"
When she widened her eyes and sought confirmation, I nodded silently.
Nicole knew that I'd accidentally shown a drawing to someone else, but she had no idea that Marie was the person involved. If I told her, she'd only worry needlessly.
But now that I'd become acquainted with Marie, I thought it might be all right to tell her this much, which was why I did.
"Phew..."
Her reaction was slightly different from what I'd expected. Nicole stared at my face, then let out a deep sigh. It was a response that couldn't help but make me tense.
Then she seemed to think for a moment before speaking to me in a low, subdued voice.
"...Isaac. You got a letter from Father too, didn't you?"
"About our trail being picked up?"
Nicole nodded affirmatively at my question. She too had apparently received a letter from our parents.
Unlike me, she seemed to be taking the current situation quite seriously. When I looked closely at her expression, it was rigid with tension.
Maybe a different letter had been sent to Nicole, and perhaps this was related to it. I tilted my head, but unease soon began creeping up on me, so I opened my mouth cautiously.
"Didn't Mother say we didn't need to worry about it?"
Mother's letter to me had said not to worry: our trail had literally been picked up, but it shouldn't cause any major problems. Aside from that, it was no different from the letters she usually sent.
Of course, that didn't mean I was acting as usual; I was being cautious to a certain extent. Marie's surprise question today had almost caused a major incident, but I had safely gotten through it.
Nicole looked even more troubled at my response. She looked like a parent who'd sent a child into harm's way.
"...Isaac. Do you know what it means for our trail to have been picked up?"
Her voice was weaker than before. I sensed instinctively that something was wrong and nodded silently.
Nicole stared at me for a while, then shook her head from side to side. Her mind seemed to be in turmoil.
"...No. I'll tell you later. Let's just eat for now."
"...Okay. By the way, where's Adel?"
"She said something came up today, so she couldn't come. When I asked why, she said it was the day a letter from home arrived. Apparently, it's the first letter she's received in nearly a year."
"Really?"
It was a little disappointing, but I understood how she felt. She hadn't heard anything about home for an entire year, so of course she'd missed receiving a letter from there.
My home was quite close to Halo Academy, so letters took at most a week to arrive, but not everyone was so lucky. A week was usually the minimum, and if their home was far away, delivery could take more than a month.
Commoners especially had it worse because one of the Empire's laws prioritized the nobles' mail. Nobles often handled state affairs, so each letter they received could be important.
But mail couldn't be sent by magic, so they had no choice but to use carriages. As a result, a great deal of time could pass between sending a letter and the recipient receiving it.
"What kind of place does Adel live in that she only gets letters once a year?"
"I don't know. I asked her once, and she said she lived rather far away. One thing's certain: it's not in the Minerva Empire."
"Hmm. Could she be a noble hiding her status or something?"
"That girl certainly looks like a noble. I thought so myself at first. But she isn't. She's definitely a commoner."
Nicole said it so definitively that I couldn't ask anything else. I pictured Adelia's beauty, almost too striking for a commoner, then quickly pushed the thought away.
For now, dinner with Nicole took precedence over Adelia. Since I was dining with Nicole of all people, I thought I could enjoy my dinner in peace...
"Hmm?"
"...Lord Leort?"
...There was a time when I thought that, too. That was before I ran into Leort in front of the restaurant we'd chosen for dinner.
"Hello. What a coincidence."
"...Indeed."
To make matters worse, Rina was beside Leort. When she greeted me with a pleased smile and waved, I returned her greeting awkwardly.
I had no idea what was going on, but it seemed Leort and Rina had also planned to eat together as siblings. Since they were wearing uniforms rather than casual clothes, they must have made plans in advance.
Yet who could have imagined that we'd run into them at the same restaurant, right in front of the entrance, at the exact same time? What were the odds?
I instinctively realized that the situation had become complicated. As I looked at the two of them, I checked Nicole's face. She clearly hadn't imagined meeting them either and looked thoroughly flustered.
"Have you two come to have dinner as well?"
Once the awkward tension settled, Leort asked us in a pleasant, mid-low voice. Nicole came to her senses and hurriedly answered.
"Ah, yes. That's right. I came to have dinner with Isaac."
"Hmm..."
"... ..."
After Nicole's answer, Leort looked from me to Nicole and back, then curled up the corners of his lips. Seeing that smile, I couldn't help but feel a sense of foreboding.
I prayed silently that my foreboding wouldn't come true, but unfortunately, ominous premonitions always hit the mark.
Leort held out a hand and made a suggestion in a smooth voice.
"Since we're here, why don't we have dinner together? I'll pay for everything. As it happens, there's something important I'd like to discuss with you."
"...All right."
It was phrased as a suggestion, but it was effectively half a command. Who could refuse a proposal from the crown prince, the most likely candidate to become the next emperor?
Nicole knew that all too well, so she seemed to accept reluctantly. Even if she refused, Leort wasn't the sort of person to hold a grudge, but there was nothing to gain from making him uncomfortable.
More than anything, one thing in Leort's proposal bothered me: the fact that he said he had something important to discuss with us.
If he'd gone out of his way to say that, it might concern something important to us, for better or worse. Nicole had no real grounds to refuse, and her curiosity about what Leort would say had probably made her accept as well.
"Good. And you, Isaac?"
"I don't mind either."
"Very well. Then let's go in. As I said, I'll pay for everything, so order whatever you like without worrying about the cost."
"Really?"
"Isaac."
When I asked whether it was really all right, Nicole scolded me sternly from beside me. Only then did I realize that I'd misspoken, so I hurriedly shut my mouth.
But perhaps Leort liked that side of me, because he answered with a faint chuckle.
"Hahaha. Of course. Order anything you want, whether it's steak or wine."
"Isaac. Surely you haven't forgotten who we are?"
"... ..."
After Leort's reply, Rina smiled lightly and asked in a teasing tone. Hearing her tease me, I blinked, then felt my face grow hot with embarrassment.
Who were the siblings in front of me? They were royals who ruled the Minerva Empire. When it came to wealth, they must have had more than they could spend.
So asking such a question was simply foolish. Nicole knew that too, which was why she'd called my name.
I normally thought twice before speaking, but given the circumstances, the words had simply spilled out.
"Sigh..."
"... ..."
Even when Nicole let out an embarrassed sigh beside me, I had nothing to say.
Perhaps she found our reaction amusing, because Rina covered her mouth and laughed demurely. It only made me more ashamed.
"Do you have a four-person room with good soundproofing? Don't worry about the cost."
"Certainly. Please follow me."
After that minor incident, Leort asked the waiter to arrange a room. But the feature he wanted was a little strange.
Not just an ordinary four-person room, but a soundproof one. Unless the matter was important, there was no reason to choose a soundproof room.
Was that when it began? Anxiety and unease began writhing deep within me. Sensing something ominous, I looked at Nicole.
Nicole too seemed to realize that the situation was taking a strange turn, and she kept her lips tightly shut. Her expression had stiffened slightly as well.
"If you need a member of staff, just ring the bell here."
"Thank you."
"Then I hope you have a pleasant time."
Soon, we entered the four-person room Leort had asked the waiter to prepare—a soundproof one at that.
Once the waiter closed the door, I looked around inside. It was quite spacious for a room meant for dining.
The overall design was no different from that of an ordinary restaurant. The only difference was the square table placed in the middle of the large room.
Since it was supposed to be soundproof, I'd expected it to have a secretive atmosphere, but it looked entirely different from what I'd imagined.
"Now, now. Go ahead and sit down. Rina, sit beside me."
"All right. Isaac, you sit down too."
"...Yes."
I obediently followed Rina's direction and took a seat. Naturally, Nicole sat down beside me.
For the record, Leort and Rina had already been seated before we sat down. Thus, Rina faced me, while Nicole faced Leort.
"...I didn't have a chance to greet you earlier. I'm Isaac's older sister and the eldest daughter of House Maishal, Nicole Ducer Maishal. It is an honor to meet the First Princess, the future sun of the Empire."
Just before the awkward air settled in, Nicole introduced herself first and broke the ice. Come to think of it, although Nicole had met Leort before, this was her first time meeting Rina.
Rina turned to face Nicole, who had introduced herself in a stiff, formal tone. Then she gave her a gentle smile, placed a hand over the center of her chest, and greeted her according to the Empire's etiquette.
"It's a pleasure to meet you, Nicole. As you know, I am the First Princess of the Minerva Empire, Rina Urmi Christine. Please feel free to call me Rina instead of 'Your Highness.'"
"Understood. But..."
Once the introductions were over, Nicole looked back and forth between Rina and Leort. No wonder they were siblings; even their smiles were similar.
The problem was that those smiles strongly suggested they were hiding something. Even I felt that way, so Nicole surely did as well.
Nicole opened her mouth in a cautious, wary voice.
"...May I ask what the important matter you mentioned earlier is?"
"We should order first. I'll tell you after we've finished the meal."
"...Understood."
Apparently, he intended to wait until we'd finished eating. Nicole readily accepted Leort's request.
"Come to think of it, Isaac, you liked wine, didn't you? You drank a lot at the last gathering."
"...Pardon?"
Then Rina, sitting across from me, helpfully brought up my embarrassing past. It was such a sudden topic that I was momentarily flustered, but Nicole was the bigger problem.
The moment Rina brought it up, Nicole whipped her head around and stared at me.
Her gaze demanded an explanation: What on earth had I done at the gathering to make the princess say something like that?
Under her frightening gaze, I hurriedly waved both hands and spoke. Whatever misunderstanding she'd gotten, I really hadn't done anything.
"I-I just drank wine! Nothing happened! I swear!"
"...Really?"
"Heehee. Really. Though he did drink too much wine and sleep in his chair."
"Isaac?"
Why did she have to bring that up? Even when I looked at Rina with a reproachful gaze, she merely wore an amused smile.
Could she be holding a grudge because I'd refused her offer then? Unlike other people, I wasn't close to Rina, so I didn't even know whether that was possible.
"Then we can order wine too. Since you drank it at the gathering, Alcyone?"
"...Yes."
"Very well. What would you two like to eat?"
"I..."
Surprisingly, the meal itself went off without incident. Although the family dinner I'd imagined had gone out the window, we'd have to save that for another time.
Besides, Leort made the atmosphere comfortable, so conversation came easily. Rina also brought up interesting stories from time to time, putting everyone at ease.
In fact, simply dining with royals was extraordinary from my perspective.
Having dinner with the crown prince most likely to become the next emperor meant that I was on friendly terms with him, and by extension that I had firmly established a political position from the outset.
If someone in our family entered politics, this would give us an excellent connection, but as you know, my family was far removed from politics. I wasn't keen on throwing myself into the complicated political world either.
Thus, dinner ended in less than an hour. It was a restaurant we often visited, but perhaps because the steak was expensive, it tasted far better than before.
"It seems we've more or less finished eating, so I'll bring up what I wanted to discuss with you."
Just as I was enjoying the satisfying fullness in my stomach, Leort wiped the area around his mouth with a napkin and spoke. I felt the comfortable atmosphere vanish and focused on his words.
Nicole, who had been tidying up, flinched as soon as Leort spoke and looked at him.
As both our gazes turned toward Leort, he gently placed the napkin on the table and opened his mouth.
His tone and voice were gentle and soft, yet his words sank clearly into my ears.
"Let me say this first: Even if I hadn't met you today, I intended to call you both in separately at some point. Meeting today was merely a coincidence."
"... ..."
"Do you know who the author of The Chronicle of Xenon is?"
It was an ominous question from the start. At the same time, Father's letter saying 'They've picked up our trail' vividly returned to mind.
The atmosphere, his remark that he had intended to call us in separately later, and the fact that he had asked such a question...
I'd expected this to some extent, but hearing it from none other than Leort made the implications far greater than I'd imagined. The blood throughout my body turned cold, and my heart began pounding violently.
"...I don't know."
Unlike me, who could barely get a word out, Nicole responded as calmly as possible. But the situation was clearly tense for her too, because her voice trembled slightly.
Hearing Nicole's answer, Leort smirked and spoke in his characteristic mid-low voice.
"But when a tail grows long, it eventually gets stepped on. Even if that tail belongs to the author of The Chronicle of Xenon."
"... ..."
"The person who submitted the manuscript to the publisher was merely a go-between. Since he was like a lizard's tail, investigating him yielded nothing. So I tossed out some bait, and someone bit. I don't know who they are, but they'll realize only later that it was all futile. That was about ten days ago."
I received the letter exactly two days ago, counting from today. The timing roughly matched the time it took Father to hear that our trail had been picked up and send me the letter.
While I was thinking that, Leort continued, the corners of his lips curling into a smile brimming with composure.
"In the end, I had no choice but to pressure the publisher and ask to see the contract, but that didn't mean much either. Anyone can simply use a pseudonym when signing a contract. So I was going to stop pressuring the publisher—until I happened to check their tax records."
"By taxes... you mean tax payments?"
Nicole asked in puzzlement, and Leort nodded.
"Yes. Taxes. As you know, taxes are more complicated than they seem. The amount one must pay under the law varies enormously depending on the tax rate. The publisher paid taxes according to its rate as well. Up to that point, there was no problem. The contract stated that the publisher would pay the taxes in advance. But the problem is that another tax payment was made here as well."
"... ..."
"If you don't understand, a commoner who earns an income pays a tax to the lord once, according to the rate, but a lord is different. The lord must pay part of the taxes received from commoners to the Empire, and pay taxes himself according to a certain rate. It's meant to prevent wealth from being accumulated too easily."
Regardless of time or place, 'wealth' is directly tied to power. With enough money, one could build up military strength or increase welfare and improve the lives of one's subjects.
Moreover, currency was well developed in this world. A well-developed currency meant that the economy had advanced considerably, which in turn meant that the nation's power was stronger.
But unlike its economic power, the Minerva Empire's science had failed to keep pace. Even the tax rates Leort mentioned had to be calculated by hand, causing all sorts of complications.
Yet who could have guessed that problem would be what caused our trail to be picked up?
I swallowed hard and looked quietly at Leort. My fists clenched, and I felt cold sweat trickling down my cheeks.
"Paying taxes twice means the person isn't a commoner—in other words, they're a noble. We figured this out because the tax rates were subtly different. On top of that, since the payments had been combined into one instead of being paid separately, it took a long time to notice. But the manual tax calculations had left traces."
"... ..."
"In any case, the taxes were split in two and sent to different places. One went to the lord of the territory where the publisher was located. The other went directly to our Empire without passing through the lord. But it didn't come straight to us. There was an intermediary along the way. We traced it backward and identified who it passed through."
Leort trailed off and stared intently at us. My heart pounded as if it were about to burst, and sweat soaked my clenched fists.
Nicole was no different. Her golden eyes trembled violently, and like me, she had clenched her fists.
Finally, Leort spoke the name neither of us had ever wanted to hear.
"Hawk Ducer Maishal."
"... ..."
"The knight commander of the Navy Knights, a knight who once made a name for himself as the Red Lion."
Honestly, the moment Father's name came from Leort's mouth, I thought it was over. I squeezed my eyes shut.
"And the person suspected of being the author of The Chronicle of Xenon."
"...?"
Until Leort mistook my father, not me, for the author.