Chapter 91

From the start of this morning's inspection to the attack at the Karlam Avenue.

Compared to now, didn't my relationship with my brother used to be really good? I almost start to think so.

...We entered a cold war.

No, we do talk about matters that need to be communicated, right?

When asked, "Where do you intend to inspect last?" I replied, "Such and such a place."

My brother made a strange face when he heard my destination, but after that, the conversation didn't continue.

During the carriage ride, we had been talking sporadically, but then we both fell silent. The air was tense.

The remaining inspection was, in a sense, free time.

The schedule was to inspect places I liked, but because of the captured attackers, my brother had to allocate time to deal with that as well while continuing the inspection. Partial separate actions? It seems we will only travel together to the destination.

---And the carriage arrived at the final destination.

Is Hugh at the castle yet? No, that's probably impossible? My brother gave the order, and Hugh immediately set off on horseback. If he takes the route through the Esfera Bridge and rides fast, can he make it?

...Even if, by some chance, Nathan was the culprit, there's no way Nathan would harm Sir Sil---that's just my wishful thinking.

No matter how tense I get, all I can do is continue the inspection as if nothing happened.

I snapped shut the 'Black Fan'.

I got off the carriage.

The place I chose to inspect was a general store in the South Street that Shishi told me about.

"Go ahead."

My brother, who had started talking to a soldier who had run up, said this in the middle of the conversation.

"Since His Highness said so, let's go. Sir Derek."

I called out to Derek, who was already on horseback and in a waiting position. Even if it's just for show, I need to supervise Derek, at least on the surface.

Then there's Clifford, Guy, and Erel.

"Guy?"

Clifford has already returned to his usual role as my guard knight. The way he guards me? His positioning? It's back to normal.

However, Guy's complexion has been extremely bad since Clifford's return. Erel hasn't changed much...

"Yes! D-Do you need me for something?"

"...Just a little more, please try your best."

It seems he's doing a good job, but the burden is heavy. I had also recruited him. Don't worry! I'll definitely make it up to you later!

"Yes!"

Guy saluted sharply.

I returned a smile and entered the store.

It was a two-story shop, and the interior exuded a simple warmth and good taste, with many reasonably priced items on display. There were many books that Shishi would like... in other words, books that I like.

However, in principle, there is prior notice to the destination---since the visit during free time is decided on the day, it inevitably happens at the last minute---but when a royal suddenly enters, most people run away...

It was the same with this store. In the North Street, it's different because people are used to nobles. In the South Street, when nobles visit, they tend to stand out and be avoided. Therefore, nobles who dislike this usually visit the South Street incognito.

"Thank you, Lady Octavia."

Derek suddenly said to me, who was looking around.

"Thank you for covering for me."

Ah...

I could feel his sincere gratitude. His smile was unguarded.

"...Are you angry with my brother?"

Derek chuckled this time.

"No. I think I should be. I couldn't clear my suspicions on the spot."

Phew. You see, if my brother were to be abandoned by Derek, he would lose a friend, right? Derek doesn't appear in the original story, but I think he is a very special existence to my brother, almost like a best friend. I wish the current relationship between Derek and my brother wouldn't be destroyed.

"How confident are you in clearing your suspicions---how can you clear them?"

"By revealing the true mastermind, perhaps?"

There was a sense of unease. Derek, who had given me a light smile, looked sad. ...The same expression my brother showed when he chose Hugh at Karlam Avenue. I thought it was because he wasn't believed by my brother. Of course, that's part of it.

But, is there something else...?

It's as if he knows who the mastermind is, and that knowledge is making him sad...

"When that happens, I will ask for your cooperation, Lady Octavia, so please assist me."

"...Of course."

I answered seriously, despite Derek's light tone. Derek smiled and changed the subject.

"By the way, this store doesn't openly display any connection to the royal family. Did you choose it as an inspection site because it's the birthplace of Sir Edgar?"

! It was a shocking statement. Was my brother's strange reaction due to this?

Sir Edgar is a former merchant. He received significant backing after marrying my father. Although Sir Edgar doesn't actively engage in business, he has close ties to a merchant guild and owns 'Paradise in the Sky,' with multiple stores in the capital. I've been to the main store, where portraits of Sir Edgar and my father, like deities of commerce, are displayed. It's a way to promote the connection to the royal family.

Here, Sir Edgar's birthplace?

It doesn't look like it at all. There's not a hint of using the connection to the royal family for business.

"No. It's not for that reason. It has nothing to do with Sir Edgar---"

My eyes caught a corner of the store.

...It's a Reishuran flower.

On a small table by the stairs, a single Reishuran flower was in a vase. When I got closer, I saw a painting hanging just above it.

...It was a family portrait.

A father, a mother, and probably their children, a boy and a girl, standing side by side, smiling happily. The children, both in their teens, looked very similar. Siblings, perhaps.

The boy...

"The atmosphere is different, but---it's Sir Edgar, isn't it?"

Derek murmured.

Yes. The Sir Edgar in the painting exuded a mischievous air, far from the calm Sir Edgar I know. The girl, on the other hand, had a quality that reminded me of the current Sir Edgar.

"But... there are no other siblings..."

Derek put a hand to his chin, pondering.

According to the public knowledge I have, Sir Edgar is an only child. The records of Sir Edgar's family as a royal prince also only mention his parents.

But...

"Maybe. ...I've been asked the same thing before."

---The question I asked Sir Edgar. Whether the number of flowers in one's hair correlates with luck.

The person who asked Sir Edgar before me, judging by the words, must have been a woman.

And---

Unconsciously, I reached out to touch the displayed painting.

Just before I touched it,

"Welcome."

I heard a greeting. But for some reason, it felt like I was being told not to touch.

"Royals and high-ranking nobles are not suited to a store like this in the South Street."

The voice came from a man.

He resembled Sir Edgar. The man in the painting on the wall, too.

A man in his fifties or sixties, probably... Sir Edgar's father, whom I had never met directly.

However, I hesitated to ask.

I know about Sir Edgar himself and the merchant guilds he is connected to, and I have some connections with them. Yet, Sir Edgar's parents---the other set of grandparents---had no contact with me or the royal family. The Esfera royal family's origins are unique, and the relationship between my father and Sir Edgar is far from ordinary. So, I had accepted this as normal...

But it was just that I hadn't tried to know.

As a result, I was facing the owner of the inspection site, not as a grandson and grandfather, but as the First Princess and an associate.

"Are you the owner of this store?"

"The owner rarely comes. ---I'm just in charge of the store."

The man's tone conveyed a sense of rejection. ...So, I hesitated. But when the painting came back into my view, I decided to speak again.

Not to back down, but to learn what I should.

"I... I want to know about this painting. The girl..."

"...Why?"

The man's barely polite demeanor vanished. The rejection turned into hostility. Clifford moved to intervene, but I shook my head.

"Didn't you promise Edgar that you wouldn't involve yourself here anymore? That no one from the royal family would set foot here again? Was that only about the king?"

The man, who had been trying to suppress his agitation, bowed his head.

---Did Father make a promise to Sir Edgar?

At least, regarding what I was told just now, I had never been instructed by Father.

...No. In the first place, the reason I came here today was because Shishi told me. It was a mere coincidence. Moreover, it wasn't included in the pre-planned inspection schedule.

If it hadn't been, the promise Father supposedly made wouldn't have been broken. I didn't know about Sir Edgar's parents or the location of his birthplace.

But if Father knew I would visit Sir Edgar's birthplace today, would he have stopped me?

"I..."

I opened my mouth but didn't know what to say.

The man raised his head and sneered darkly.

"---If you want to know, I'll tell you."

The man's gaze lingered on the painting of the family.

"...Aileen. Her name is Aileen."

The man's voice, when he said the name Aileen, was filled with affection.

He opened his mouth again but closed it. The next words he spoke were probably not what he intended.

"Arrest me for lese majeste if you will, but I won't."

"...I won't do that."

Because this man is Sir Edgar's father.

"...Please don't touch the painting."

He bowed and moved away, heading towards the entrance as if trying to put as much distance between us as possible.

A new customer entered the store, looking confused at the entrance. He didn't leave but moved forward, quickly passing by Derek.

Ah...? The hair color is different, but isn't that customer Stein...?

My guess might be correct.

Derek, who had quickly checked something in his hand, closed his eyes as if in thought.

He looked at me and spoke.

"Lady Octavia. To avoid the worst-case scenario, can you cooperate with me? ---In secret."

The last part was a whisper.

In secret, huh.

"...Is it something serious?"

"Yes. Very."