Secret Sharer

Fiene was holding a tray piled with sweets. She had probably come to bring them as a treat and entered when I didn't answer.

I'd told them I didn't need a meal, so I hadn't expected anyone to come to my room. I never imagined I'd make such a miscalculation.

"Ah, Prince Arnold...? You just teleported here—and that outfit... Isn't it Lord Silver's...?"

"..."

Could I explain it away by saying I just liked dressing this way? No, that wouldn't work, surely.

Then should I kill her? That wouldn't work either. Fiene was the Emperor's favorite. If anything happened, the Emperor would undoubtedly investigate personally. I would certainly be suspected, and the moment I was, Leo's struggle for the throne would be over.

There was no way to explain it away. No way to silence her.

Was I completely cornered?

"Why did you enter my room?"

"Ah, um... I baked some sweets, so I thought you might like some... And when you didn't answer, I mistakenly thought something might have happened..."

"Sigh..."

Seeing Fiene shrink into herself, looking apologetic and crestfallen, drained the hostility from me as well.

I no longer had any desire to resort to force.

Still, I couldn't leave things like this.

"You now know my secret. Under the circumstances, I can't simply let you go."

"I-I won't tell anyone! I would never tell them that Lord Silver is a prince!"

"You're saying it rather loudly, though."

"Ah..."

"Relax. I've put up a soundproof barrier. No matter what you say, nothing will get outside."

"I-I see... Thank you..."

Fiene blushed, looking embarrassed.

Apparently, she hadn't realized she was in a dangerous situation. If nothing could be heard outside, that meant Fiene couldn't call for help no matter what happened to her...

"Aren't you worried I might do something to you?"

"Something?"

"I might attack you to keep you quiet."

"You? That's impossible. Even if you did, wouldn't it be something you had to do? Then I would accept it."

"...I don't recall doing anything to deserve that much trust."

"If you're Silver, then you've already gone out and defeated the monsters, haven't you? That makes you the hero who saved my duchy. And you came here as a prince and put on all those elaborate performances, but you did that for your little brother, didn't you? That's why I can trust you. Anyone who can act for someone else's sake must surely be a kind person."

With that, Fiene gave me a smile full of kindness.

She really was a good person. To be able to trust someone that much...

Once she knew I was Silver, she should have realized that everything I'd done up to now was meant to bring the ducal family low and make them feel indebted to us. Even so, Fiene still trusted me.

I couldn't betray that trust.

"Only Sebas knows my secret, and Sebas will never tell. If it gets out, I will never forgive you. So don't tell anyone."

"Yes! Understood!"

I sighed at Fiene's spirited reply.

I thought about using illusion magic to make her believe she'd only dreamed it all, but that kind of trickery would inevitably leave cracks.

And those cracks would become a fatal opening later on. In that case, it was better to trust Fiene.

I had gotten a fairly good sense of Fiene's character through our exchanges. Even if the secret did leak, it would probably only reach Fiene and those connected to her; I could resort to force then without it being too late.

"To think a secret I'd guarded all this time would be exposed over something like this..."

"Cheer up. Have some sweets. Oh, I'll brew some tea."

As I watched Fiene cheerfully arrange the sweets on the table and begin preparing the tea, I silently retorted,

It's all your fault... I thought.

■■■

"That concludes my report on this request."

Abel, who had returned to the ducal capital, knelt before the duke and gave his full report.

After hearing everything, the duke nodded several times before offering Abel words of appreciation.

"You have truly done well. I am deeply sorry that this turned into such a difficult request. This is separate from your reward—a token of my appreciation. Please take it."

Saying that, he set a small pouch for each person in front of Abel.

Each pouch held a respectable sum.

However, Abel shook his head and declined the offer.

"The payment for the request is more than enough. As I said earlier, it was Silver who brought this request to a resolution, not us. We have our pride as adventurers. Please allow us to refuse."

"I see... Very well. If anything else comes up, I may have to call on you again. When that time comes, I hope I can count on you."

"Yes, sir. When it does, we'll complete the request with our own hands."

With that, Abel took his leave.

Only the duke and I remained.

"So that's settled for now."

"Indeed. No matter how much I thank you, it will never be enough. Thank you, Prince."

"Save your thanks for Leo. I came here, and Silver took action, all for Leo's sake."

"Yes... Prince Arnold. Our House Kleinert will fully support Prince Leonart and stand behind him. We will repay the debt we owe you."

At last, after hearing those words, I let out a deep sigh of relief and held out my right hand to the duke.

Seeing that, the duke clasped my hand.

"I'm counting on you."

"We will see Prince Leonart seated on the imperial throne."

"Yeah."

With that, Leo secured his position as a fourth faction, following his three older siblings in the race for the throne.

If the prestigious House Kleinert joined our side, those who had continued sitting on the fence would begin cooperating with Leo as well.

Our father would also recognize Leo as one of the heirs contending for the throne, which meant we'd finally made it to the starting line.

Although I still couldn't relax, I felt as if we'd finished one task. Just then, the duke broached a somewhat uneasy subject.

"Prince... Do you have enough people at your disposal?"

"People...? I'd like to say we have enough, but we absolutely don't. There are still nobles choosing to remain on the sidelines, and I need a few more trustworthy people to negotiate with them."

"I see. That is reassuring."

"Could you lend me someone?"

"Yes. I would like to entrust my daughter to you."

"W-what...?"

I couldn't help asking him to repeat himself.

The duke merely answered my reaction with a wry smile.

"I don't blame you for being surprised. I was surprised myself when Fiene told me yesterday. She says she absolutely wants to thank both of you princes for saving our territory... To think that a girl who never asserts herself would say something like this... I find it deeply moving, as her father."

"No, wait... That puts me in a difficult spot..."

"Please don't say that, Prince. She is well known in the imperial capital, and the Emperor looks favorably upon her. She will surely be of use to you."

"I admit that, but... Are you sure this is all right, Duke?"

Honestly, I could name benefits all day. That's how useful Fiene was.

However, the reason she'd suddenly said she wanted to go to the imperial capital could only be that she'd learned my identity yesterday. To be honest, I'd feel safer if she simply stayed quietly in the territory.

She would meet a great many people in the capital, and there was no telling where the information might leak.

So I tried to take advantage of the duke's paternal feelings, but...

"It is what she wants. Please make use of her."

"..."

I thought he would hold her back because she was his beloved daughter, but instead he was encouraging her. What an accomplished father this man was.

I had finally run out of reasons to refuse.

In the end, I had no choice but to allow Fiene to come with us.

And then.

"I'm off, Father, Brother."

"Yes. Go and make yourself useful."

"Take care of yourself!"

With her father and brother seeing her off, Fiene climbed into the carriage.

Fiene waved from the carriage window for a while, but once the two of them disappeared from view, she fixed her gaze firmly on me, seated across from her.

"Prince Arnold. I may be of little talent, but I look forward to working with you from here on."

"Sigh..."

"Are you... angry?"

"I'm exasperated. What we're about to do is a struggle for the imperial throne—a covert war in which blood will be shed time and again. If you want to turn back, now is the time."

"I understand. Even so, I want to be of use. Besides, wouldn't it reassure you to have me at your side, where you can keep a closer eye on me?"

"No, I'd have felt safer if you'd stayed quietly in the territory."

"Whaaaat?!"

Watching Fiene flap both hands in astonishment, I sighed again.

Was I really going to be all right, having let someone like her learn my secret...?