Chapter 19

Since there didn't seem to be time to change into a regular dress, I at least put on a cloak to protect against the dirt.

And my destination is the castle gate.

Of course, I can't say I'm going to see Alek off!

Today is set aside for preparations for tomorrow's pre-ball, so if I tell Matilda that I want to walk around the castle grounds a bit in this formal attire, it should be fine on the surface.

On the way, if I get a craving for fresh air and accidentally end up near the castle gate, and happen to run into Alek who is about to set off, it's because of the walk!

If by any chance my father finds out later, it's okay.

It was just a coincidence, a coincidence.

We met by chance, so even my father can't blame me. Neither me nor Alek.

The castle gate, however, is not the main gate of the royal palace, but the side gate, as Alek was instructed by Guy. I really want to rush out alone for the side gate, but that's impossible, so I have to go with the knight, Clifford, and Guy as well, walking briskly in silence.

Finally, the side gate is in sight!

This gate is quite far from the main gate. The main gate is truly a gate, tall, wide, and large, with arrow slits for shooting arrows through the gaps, and gate guards monitoring people's entry and exit all day long.

On the other hand, the side gate is usually closed to pedestrians. Since no one can pass through, there are no gate guards. The side gate is paired with a drawbridge, and even when the bridge is lowered to cross the gate, it remains closed with an iron fence. The mechanism can only be operated from the gear room inside the castle. Even if you get close to the side gate, you can't move the bridge.

Was there an instruction in the secret order to use the side gate? The advantage of using the side gate is that there are almost no people around...

I squinted.

The drawbridge of the side gate was lowered, and the fence was half-raised. A group of people on horseback were waiting for the fence to fully rise.

"Alek!"

I made it!

Unable to hold back any longer, I lifted my dress a little and started running.

Yeah, this dress, though formal, is surprisingly easy to run in!

"Sister!"

Alek, who noticed me in the group, dismounted from his horse. He was in a light disguise. He came running over to me.

I have to see Alek at least once a day!

I always see him at dinner, but from now on, that won't be possible...

It's painful.

The other members of the group setting off with Alek are—my father's guard knight. One of them. He has dark eyes and black hair, and his appearance suggests he must have been quite popular in his youth. He is around the same age as my father, with some gray hair mixed in. He is a person who turned down the position of captain of the knights and remained a guard knight. But I don't often see him around the castle. Is he part of the entourage my father prepared? To assign his own guard to Alek...

Uh. The other members of the group are looking at me with stern faces! They don't seem to welcome me! But I can't just slink away here.

I quickly opened the fan I was holding.

Then, I smiled at Alek and started speaking in a casual manner.

"What a coincidence. Are you going somewhere?"

"Yes, I'm going on a long journey. What about you, Sister?"

"I was just walking around the castle for a change of pace. Then I ran into Alek."

I'm emphasizing that it's a coincidence!

"Prince Alexis"

The guard knight, my father's, called out to Alek from his horse, sounding impatient.

"The fence is up. You can pass."

It's a prompt to leave quickly. Indeed, when I called out to Alek, the iron fence was only half-raised, but now it's completely gone.

"Are you telling me to ignore my sister?"

Alek turned around and said provocatively.

"I want to talk to my sister for a bit."

"But... Princess Octavia—"

"What are you going to do?"

I exclaimed.

I'm sorry! I won't hold Alek back! I want to, though!

The guard knight's face twisted as if he had bitten into a bitter bug.

"Since Alek has said this, why don't you go ahead? After all, it's the prince's long journey. It's your duty as a subject to go ahead and ensure Prince Alexis's safety."

"That's a good idea, Sister. Let's do that. —Randall, you stay with me."

"As you wish."

Among the group on horseback, one man responded to Alek's words. Ah, this is the rising star that Alek noticed and made a knight from a common soldier! He has been a soldier since he was a young man, and he has a wife. He followed a late-blooming path to success and is now one of Alek's close aides.

"Everyone else, go ahead. I'll catch up later."

Alek gave the order in a way that left no room for argument. ...This is it! This is what I lack. The dignity and aura that seep out of a royal!

The guard knight squinted his eyes. Then he looked at me.

"—The two of you seem to have a good relationship."

"Yes, it's wonderful, isn't it?"

I smiled, shielding my eyes with the fan.

"I can't tell. —Prince Alexis, I will follow your orders. We will go ahead. Please come as soon as possible, or your journey will be delayed. Excuse me."

He bowed from his horse, took the reins, and galloped away. One, two... the others followed in an orderly manner, except for Randall.

Left were me and Alek, with Randall on horseback right next to the side gate, and Clifford, my guard, and Guy, standing a little away.

Hmm? Clifford and Guy seem to be talking in low voices. And it looks like Clifford initiated the conversation? Surprising. I wonder what they're talking about?

Alek, who had been watching the group leave with a stern look, exhaled, and I brought my attention back to him.

Alek, who turned to face me again, blinked his blue eyes.

"Sister, that dress... it has a different atmosphere from usual."

"Does it not suit me?"

"Of course not. I'm captivated by you. It suits you."

Alek, who can naturally and easily say such compliments, is definitely going to be a great man!

"I'm glad. Actually, it's for tomorrow's pre-ball. I was wearing it when I received the message from Alek, so I just kept it on."

"Is that so... I'm sorry, Sister. It was sudden."

Alek's shoulders drooped.

"But I thought you would come if it was you, Sister."

He said, smiling.

"I also thought you would wait for me if it was Alek."

We are such good siblings!

Even if Alek was leaving the castle on a secret order, there was no need to tell me in a hurry. But he did. So I assumed it included the meaning of wanting to meet before setting off to make sure I would be there in time.

Of course, I'm supposed to not know that Alek is leaving on a secret order, so it had to be a coincidence that I ran into him while taking a walk.

"Peutz! I also want to thank you. Well done."

Alek praised Guy.

"What a waste of words!"

Guy, who had been talking to Clifford, hurried over to Alek. I wonder if it's just my imagination, but he seems relieved to be away from Clifford. He mentioned being targeted with hostility, so maybe even as a battlefield comrade, he has become uncomfortable with Clifford.

"But, Alek, you're asking too much of a new soldier."

I think Guy was lucky to make it to the training room. There were no soldiers stationed at the door to the training room, but on the way there, the doors dividing the corridors had soldiers stationed at each section. He must have been stopped several times.

"I thought you would understand my intentions, Sister. Was there a problem? Peutz."

"Ah, no..."

Guy hesitated for a moment.

"There was no problem. I only delivered the message to Princess Octavia."

"I'm relieved to hear that. Thank you for your hard work."

"Thank you, Sir!"

"Sister, about the content of the message—"

He paused, glancing at Clifford. The only one who doesn't know about the secret order in this place is Clifford. Randall is part of the group going on the journey, and Guy, who was my messenger, of course, knows. Alek is the one who received the secret order from my father.

"Could you ask that person to step back?"

The person Alek is referring to is Clifford. I would usually agree with Alek on other matters... But we had planned to talk about this, including Alek's dislike of Clifford, and now it's off the table.

"Clifford, what you see and hear here must not be spoken of to anyone else."

"I understand."

Clifford bowed without changing his expression.

"Is this good enough? There's no need for him to step back."

"...It's not good, but I trust you, Sister."

Alek sighed deeply and said in a sullen tone.

"Thank you, Alek."

I couldn't help but reach out to touch Alek's hair, but I was gently stopped.

"Sister, please. Don't treat me like a child."

"...I'm sorry. —How long will you be away from the castle, Alek?"

"About ten days. It might be extended depending on the situation."

This seems to have been a sudden announcement to Alek as well. The selection of people to accompany him and the preparation of necessary items were all decided in advance by my father. That's why a quick departure was possible...

The content of the secret order requires Alek's involvement, and his absence must be kept secret in the castle...

It smells. It reeks of something suspicious!

My father has definitely entrusted Alek with an important task. Given his past attitude towards Alek, it's a cause for celebration, but...

"Where you're going, I can't tell you, Sister. After all, revealing the content of the secret order is..."

"I see..."

"—If you think it's necessary for you to know..."

"The content doesn't matter to me."

Telling me about the secret order is indeed against my father's wishes, a small act of defiance. However, revealing the content of the secret order would be more than just a small act. I wouldn't force Alek to tell me. What I'm more concerned about is...

"What I want to know is whether Alek will be in danger or not."

"Sister..."

Alek laughed softly.

"I'm more worried about you. I can't protect you from a distance."

"Your concern is enough."

"Concern alone is not enough..."

"Then, please return safely and fulfill the secret order. I'll be lonely without Alek."

"Ten days, right?"

"Yes. Exactly ten days. No extensions."

"Understood, Sister. Shall we pinky swear?"

"Here? Now?"

"Yes."

Nodding, Alek showed me his right pinky finger. Pinky swear. This custom doesn't exist in Esphia. It's from my past life, a Japanese custom. "Pinky swear, if you lie, you'll swallow a thousand needles." We touch pinkies and recite the spell to seal the promise. It's only meaningful between Alek and me. Probably incomprehensible to others. The spell is also scary. But Alek really likes this.

I made a pinky. We intertwined our pinkies, bent them, and recited the spell.

"Pinky swear."

Alek looked satisfied as he released his pinky.

"I'll definitely be back in ten days. After all, the day to introduce my sister's lover is the 13th."

"That's right..."

The fake lover introduction. Alek already knows! And it's only two weeks away from the day I declared to my father!

"Before that, I also want to talk to you alone. You must want to as well, right?"

"Yes. If it weren't for the secret order, I planned to talk to you today, which is unfortunate."

It feels like my father deliberately interfered at the perfect moment.

"Is there anything you can talk about now?"

On my side, it's about the fake lover and Clifford, so it's a bit difficult. How about Alek?

"—One thing."

Oh, there is?

After a moment of hesitation, Alek spoke.

"...Have you ever met the late Duke Kilgren?"

Kilgren?

It was a completely unexpected question.

"I might have met him when I was a baby, but it's the same as not meeting him."

Duke Kilgren is deceased. My father's uncle. To me and Alek, he is our great-uncle, the younger brother of our grandfather. Duke Kilgren Rufas. Rufas is more famous as Duke Kilgren. This is a special title for one generation, and Duke Kilgren was also the Duke of Knightfellow from the previous generation.

"I heard that Duke Kilgren died on the day I was born."

"I heard it was from illness."

There are no suspicious stories about his death... I think. He was over eighty, so it was probably a good death. It was due to old age.

"Is it possible that I resemble Duke Kilgren?"

"I don't know."

The portrait of my grandfather is displayed in the castle, but there is no portrait of his brother, Duke Kilgren. If there is one, it might be at the Duke of Knightfellow's residence? Even if it's not a formal portrait, a sketch might be buried somewhere if we look for it.

"Alek, why are you asking this?"

"Father called me Kilgren. At that time—"

Called? Alek? When he received the secret order today? But even if I resemble him, it's impossible for my father to mistake the young Alek for the old Duke Kilgren, who died of old age, right?

Alek shook his head, a wry smile on his face.

"Probably overthinking. When it comes to Father, even small things seem to bother me."

"Alek..."

"Rather, I need to focus on fulfilling the secret order. You came to see me off, Sister. —It's time to go."

I'll miss you...

"By the way, just in case, if Peutz is reprimanded for this while I'm away, can I leave it to you, Sister?"

"You need to protect him?"

After all, he's a soldier Alek picked out! If anything happens, I'll use my princess power to the fullest!

"Yes. Please."

There was a moment of silence, then Alek broke it.

"Then, Sister, can I have your final blessing?"

"Of course."

It's a bit embarrassing for me, with my Japanese sensibilities.

This is a custom in Esphia. Regardless of the duration, when someone is about to embark on a journey, they exchange kisses on the cheeks to wish for a safe journey and return home.

The order is for the person seeing them off to go first, on the right cheek of the person leaving. The person leaving then kisses the left cheek of the person seeing them off.

I leaned in to kiss Alek's right cheek.

In return, Alek's lips touched my left cheek.

"!"

Instantly, a static-like sensation ran through the spot where our lips touched. It's not even winter... Looking at Alek's face as he pulled away, it seems he didn't feel anything.

Huh?

"...Sister?"

Is something wrong? His eyes asked.

There's no need to deliberately say something that might make Alek anxious or mischievous as he sets off.

I swallowed my words.

"Safe travels, Alek."

That's all I said.

"I'll be back, Sister."