Chapter 40
Chapter 40
Father furrowed his brow deeply.
Beside him, my brother asked in a slightly flustered tone.
"Not just anyone, but Lady Elysia of Rosenberg? Disguised? In a café? She got caught spying on you?"
"Yeah."
A complete collapse of common sense.
My brother's reaction was perfectly normal.
This was the kind of material even a third-rate tabloid would refuse to run.
"Have you ever seen me tell a lie in front of you that I couldn't clean up afterward? Even if I get caught and my head gets smashed in, I won't lie to Father. That way I can live freely and shamelessly with a clear conscience."
"You're bragging about that?"
"Come on, I'm pretty well-behaved. Other families with an eldest son as smart as you—do you know how wild the second son turns out?"
"Sigh."
"Heehee."
As expected, my brother was weak against me.
I then continued, addressing Father.
"If you send the Intelligence Division to check, it'll turn up right away. How we got acquainted was a coincidence, and meeting today was a coincidence too. That's all there is to it. Why would I make a point of hanging around with someone who's going to become the future lady of the imperial household? You know I can't stand living a tiring life."
My brother was so stunned he couldn't close his mouth.
I clicked my tongue.
'My brother still has a long way to go. Look at Father. He doesn't even blink after hearing this bullshit.'
As expected, being the head of the family wasn't something just anyone could do.
You need more heir training, Brother.
Father asked with an unwavering gaze.
"So?"
"Well, she was apparently stressed out, so she disguised herself and wandered around the busy district to blow off steam, then happened to run into me. Said I was interesting and wanted to take a look."
"And then?"
"She said she wanted to go for a walk and wanted to follow where I was headed, so I told her to go ahead. We're not complete strangers, so if I refused, I'd be the bad guy."
"……."
"So today we picked out cosmetics together for Aunt Marie. The brown-bottle kind."
"……Hah."
Harun let out a sharp breath of disbelief.
Father was silent for a moment, then fired off a sharp question.
"You just said it yourself, but you do know the lady has a fiancé, right?"
"Father."
I nodded, dead serious.
"When have I ever said I didn't want to work and study for a living? When have I ever said I wanted to live without any sense? I didn't cross the line. You know that."
"……."
Though, to be fair, I had slightly crossed the line with some presumptuous advice right before we parted.
No need to confess that much, right?
Still, it was a necessary measure.
Especially now that I was responsible for Lily.
If I pieced together my hazy memories of the original story's Elysia with what I'd seen and felt over the past few days and made an educated guess.
That woman wasn't spewing venom just because she was nasty by nature.
'It was like keeping the vent sealed and stoking the fire nonstop until it finally exploded like a pressure cooker.'
She had nowhere to let her emotions out.
That's how it goes.
If you're going to go off the rails, it should be someone who knows how to do it.
That lady clearly gives off the impression she's never once gone overboard in her life.
The novel's crazy plot turn was clearly the work of someone who didn't even know how to overdo things, running wild with a broken sense of judgment.
Which meant stress relief was essential.
Otherwise, who knew where she'd end up bouncing off to.
For example.
She might suddenly develop interest in some barbarian who looked like a complete thug and the exact opposite of the crown prince.
And then that barbarian guy gets a case of axe syndrome.
Stuff like that.
I had done everything I could today to head off a chaotic development like that.
Father looked at me in silence.
As if trying to read the true intent hidden deep in my eyes.
A moment later.
"…I see."
Father waved a hand.
"You may leave."
"Huh? That's it?"
"Do you want to hear more nagging?"
"No! None at all! I'll take my leave now!"
I bowed quickly as if I'd been waiting for it, and fled the office without looking back.
* * *
Bang.
The door shut, and Cassian's footsteps faded away.
Heavy silence settled back over the office.
A long while later.
Harun swallowed dryly before speaking.
"…That's a huge relief."
"What is it that's a relief?"
"Listening to Cassian's explanation, all the parts that made no sense are suddenly explained."
What Cassian wasn't told.
The reason Harun del Farne had rushed home.
It was because of a secret letter requesting cooperation from the Imperial Guard.
[Request for an investigation into the cause of Lady Elysia's sudden change in mood]
An order issued directly by His Highness the Crown Prince.
Harun gave a bitter smile.
"So the culprit was in our house."
Corinth didn't even pick up the report; he just stared out the window.
The moon in the night sky shone dimly behind a veil of clouds.
"How should we report this?"
The crown prince and the lady. And Cassian caught in between.
The weight of the power tangled in this was far too great to dismiss as merely a love-triangle issue.
Corinth propped his chin on his hand and fell into thought for a moment, then opened his mouth as if having made up his mind.
"Write this down."
"Yes, Father."
Harun familiarly took out a notebook and pen.
"The principle is simple. Be faithful to the Intelligence Division's duties. Do not report lies."
That was the iron rule that allowed House Farne to rule as the emperor's shadow. Because trust comes from information without lies.
But Harun knew.
His father was not the kind of man who would turn his back on or cast aside his son over that principle.
"First: Lady Elysia of Rosenberg's mental state."
Corinth murmured softly.
"Cause unknown. Appears troubled. Showing drastic mood swings over the past few days."
"Noted."
"Second: special notes."
Corinth's gaze sharpened.
"Immediately after meeting His Highness the Crown Prince, she got out of the carriage, disguised herself with a recognition-scrambling artifact, and wandered the streets."
"…!"
Harun's pen tip paused for a moment.
Blatantly political chatter.
By emphasizing that it happened immediately after meeting the crown prince, it subtly suggested that her detour was due to the stress caused by that meeting.
In other words, the silent pressure said: it's your fault.
"And third: the request."
Corinth drove the point home.
"If further investigation is needed, permission is requested to investigate not only Lady Elysia of Rosenberg, but also His Highness the Crown Prince's schedule, as a possible source of the issue."
"…Father."
"And now for the most important part: the remarks field."
"Please speak."
"A point of contact with Cassian del Farne was confirmed, but there are no particular irregularities."
Corinth paused briefly, then added in a very clear voice.
"If further investigation is requested, a report on Cassian del Farne himself, rather than Lady Elysia of Rosenberg, will be prepared. This house is willing to disclose everything without hiding even a speck of dust."
Harun lifted his head.
No matter how you look at it, that's a no-retreat move.
If you're going to poke at us, then go ahead. We'll shake my son down and lay everything bare, so let's see whether any dust comes out of him or not.
But if you're going to dig into it, then you need to give us full authority so we can identify the cause properly and a chance to prove his innocence.
If the Imperial Family were to dig any deeper here, it would amount to officially formalizing distrust in House Farne.
"…You trust him."
Harun asked quietly.
"Cassian?"
"This isn't a matter of trust."
Corinth picked up his pen again.
"As he himself said, that guy isn't some fool who'd go around doing stupid nonsense haphazardly."
He remembered Cassian's eyes.
Eyes that only pretended to be frightened and wronged under threats, yet never once truly wavered.
Even that sly refusal to join the army, using the family's welfare as an excuse over his own safety.
"Besides."
Corinth let out a low sigh, as if his head hurt, and said.
"That guy, he's the sort who grits his teeth and insists he's a confirmed bachelor."
"…Ah."
"Do you think your younger brother would give up his resolve to live alone, carefree, and die of old age just because he got caught up in some woman's face?"
"No."
Because his father was right there, Harun couldn't bring himself to say his usual thought—that Cassian's laziness was full of soul and philosophy.
"Understood. I'll report it as is."
* * *
That dawn, outside the crown prince's bedchamber.
Hector was on night watch with the soldiers.
A little later.
Swish.
A shadow rose silently out of the darkness.
It was a masked Intelligence Division agent.
Without saying a word, he took a document envelope sealed with red wax from his breast pocket and handed it to Hector.
And just as he had appeared, he vanished like a shadow.
"……."
Hector tightened his grip on the envelope.
Inside this was the reason the lady had changed her mind.
He wanted to open it, but...
"Not today."
Hector held himself back.
Without hesitation, he turned and knocked on the crown prince's bedroom door.
Knock, knock.
Normally, he would have reported it at wake-up the next morning.
Because, in principle, the crown prince's sleep was a major matter directly tied to national strength.
But this time was an exception.
'Bring it immediately as soon as the reply comes in.'
Because that was the order Louis had left before retiring to his bedchamber.
"Come in."
The answer came at once.
Louis was awake.
Perhaps he had intended to wait up all night.
Creak.
When Hector opened the door and stepped inside, Louis, who had been leaning against the headboard, closed the book he had been reading.
Even in his sleepwear, he looked impeccably composed.
But fatigue was deeply etched beneath his eyes.
"You're here."
"Yes, Your Highness. The Intelligence Division has sent a reply."
Hector respectfully offered the envelope with both hands.
"You could have read it first and summarized it like you always do."
"…This time, I didn't."
Hector lowered his head.
He could tell.
Up until now, Louis had always treated his engagement to Lady Elysia as nothing more than part of state affairs.
He saw it as a marriage alliance purely for the bond and unity between the imperial family and the ducal house, with no emotions attached.
As with any other task, Hector would normally have had the authority to read and review it first.
But this case couldn't be dismissed as mere work.
It was no longer just work.
Because he was certain emotions were now involved in this private matter.
He gave a bitter smile and hooked a finger under the wax seal on the envelope.
"Good. Well done."
Crack.
The sound of red wax breaking split the silent bedroom.
*
Rustle.
The sound of pages turning seemed especially loud.
Louis moved to the sofa and read through the report.
A little over ten minutes later.
Louis's gaze stopped at the very last line, in the remarks section.
"…Ha."
What burst out, breaking the silence, was a hollow laugh.
Should he call it unbelievable, or admirable?
Louis tossed the report onto the table and looked at Hector.
"Read it."
"…Excuse me."
Hector carefully picked up the document.
And before he had even read a few lines, his eyes filled with shock.
"This is…"
"As expected of the court count. You old fox."
Louis sank back into the sofa.
"They included my son in the investigation. And even though it wasn't intentional—he just happened to end up on the list by chance."