Chapter 55

Kishutaria slowly but surely made progress.

It was the turn of Kishutaria and the others.

"......Did she say anything?"

"No, nothing of note. I heard she's from a minor noble family, so she probably has nothing to do with this."

"But since she's been with the Latitche family for over ten years, there's a chance she knows something."

"But she looks uncannily like the Duke. Her hair color and eye color, and that unreadable smile, give me the creeps."

"Well, isn't that so? She listens to our questions calmly, so she's a good one.

Some of them even said things like, 'How dare a commoner speak so insolently?'"

"That's either a fool who doesn't understand their position or someone with considerable confidence."

"Ah... There are people who go crazy from the shock of imprisonment or confinement."

"Indeed. The poison woman we mentioned earlier had a terrible habit of lying. She claimed to be the next queen and a saint, and said that the duke's daughter was secretly manufacturing dangerous potions, trafficking slaves, and assassinating people who got in her way."

"Did she really say that?"

"No, she didn't. Some of the confiscated items from the slave trafficking, like water pipes and scrolls of enslavement magic, are not recognized in our country. Since they were kept in the heavily guarded Latitche mansion, it's not easy to move them without permission and careful handling."

"More importantly, it seems there were rare plants, herbs, and medicinal herbs in the greenhouse, and the damage is quite severe. It seems they were grown in the mansion for the late lady and the frail young lady."

"I've heard that the Duke of Latitche dotes on his daughter. He wouldn't care about the cost, and that greenhouse must be worth a lifetime's salary for us... The Duke would ignore any important meeting if it was the princess's birthday or if he had a promise to keep."

"The Duke's work during the months before and after the princess's birthday is superhuman."

"The King, the Prime Minister, and the ministers have given up on scheduling anything during those times in recent years..."

"......No matter how bad the Duke's mood is, it always improves when he returns home, so they can't do anything rash. He's unpredictable, but that's a given."

"Um... Isn't the young lady currently in the castle... I mean, is the Duke okay with that?"

"Don't say that. We can't understand the King's thoughts."

"Right, right. We, the underlings, should understand why we're assigned to interrogate the Duke's son."

"......A sacrificial lamb?"

Silence fell. But a moment later, the air trembled.

"Ah!!!"

"No! I don't want to die!"

"Your Majesty! Please have mercy!"

"The Duke is in a terrible mood right now! He's on a rampage, and there's a rumor that some fool did something!"

The commotion of the soldiers in a nearby room could be heard.

Kishutaria's arm was restrained with a magic-sealing handcuff. However, it was a standard model and insufficient to contain Kishutaria's extraordinary magical power.

Even if the magic-sealing handcuffs were fully functional, he could still use low-level magic. If he wanted, he could break them by sending a large amount of magic power.

However, Kishutaria did not point this out and wore them to gather information.

Albertina's royal family eyes had been exposed, and she had been taken away. Kishutaria hurried to follow, but was asked to come along voluntarily because the Latitche family had been keeping Albertina, who possessed the royal family eyes, in secret.

From the fact that he was not immediately arrested and thrown into a cell, Kishutaria deduced that no clear charges had been filed yet.

Grail, for better or worse, had dictatorial tendencies and managed things personally that he was interested in.

As the head of the family, Kishutaria had to comply, but the situation was different for the main perpetrator and the subordinate.

What he needed now was information. "One cannot catch a tiger cub without entering the tiger's den" — he was willing to take some risks to get the information.

In the end, the soldiers could not strongly interrogate this cloud-like existence and only questioned him verbally.

If he were a pampered young master, he might have been intimidated, but Kishutaria, who had been repeatedly disciplined by the Demon King, found it insignificant.

He evaded the questioning with a humble attitude and gathered information through eavesdropping magic. Although it was not a very polite magic, he would use anything that was useful.

Julius probably had a good grasp of the surface information within the castle.

The common soldiers were generally kind and tried their best despite the intimidation from the class difference. However, after facing the rock-muscled Duke of Latitche, it was nothing to them. Some even mixed in threatening words, but when Kishutaria smiled like his father, they turned pale and fled.

Occasionally, Cliftoff would suggest a meeting, but Kishutaria declined.

He shouldn't use his trump card yet.

Kishutaria quietly assessed the situation.

In the end, no one could extract any useful information from Kishutaria, and the detention period ended.

"As long as Lady Albertina has the royal family eyes, she should be treated with the respect due to a royal.

We are taking full responsibility to ensure that the young lady can live without any problems.

Wouldn't you be pleased, Kishutaria, if Lady Albertina were to take a prestigious position in the royal family?"

"What a strange thing to say. The sister I saw was forcibly taken from her home and was crying in fear.

I'm worried that she is now in the castle, with only one maid she knows, feeling very lonely.

As a family member and a member of the Latitche family, I would like to check on her well-being."

"What a strange thing to say! Are you suggesting that we would harm Lady Albertina?

She is a new and noble princess we have just met. We are only keeping her in a suitable place."

"Then, what's so strange about me, her brother, coming to see her? Or is there a reason you can't let me see her?"

The conversation flowed superficially.

They appeared to be slightly troubled but were clearly underestimating Kishutaria as a young man.

No matter what they said, they had no intention of returning Kishutaria's beloved from the start.

The fact that they repeatedly rejected his requests for a meeting was a clear sign.

It was easy to imagine that Albertina was in no condition to see anyone. For such a delicate girl, even the luxurious castle would be an uncomfortable place.

He wanted to see her as soon as possible.

Was she crying? Was she suffering from mental stress? Had she been hurt by someone heartless?

The image of Albertina that came to mind was always with a gentle, flower-like smile. She had been raised in a place protected by the Demon King, isolated from all harm and pain. She was sensitive to others' pain and therefore a kind and important person.

Her social skills as a young lady were terrible, and she was naive and clueless about love. Sometimes, she seemed like a mysterious creature, neither a devil nor an angel. But all of that made her precious to Kishutaria.

He requested to see her every day, but so far, he had received no proper response.

They were evading him, implying that only the Duke of Latitche could handle such a situation.

"Maybe I should just break in..."

"Please don't, Kishutaria. That would be exactly what they want.

The Duke of Latitche, one of the four great dukes, is already in a difficult position for hiding a royal family member."

"You saw their attitude, right? They definitely look down on us."

"They probably don't want the truth to be known either."

"The truth?"

Julius's handsome face twisted into a cruel smile. The corners of his mouth, which had risen involuntarily, were vicious.

Kishutaria thought, "He's in a really bad mood," but didn't show it on his face.

Julius was usually calm and collected, never showing his true feelings. As a servant, he knew the ins and outs of the noble world and was a sharp and capable person.

"Not even a knight or a maid can get close to Lady Albert. They say they can't even see her because of a powerful barrier.

It seems that once, Duke Fortuna managed to break through and barely reached her room."

"......What does that mean!? Using a barrier to refuse... No, more importantly, there's no way Albert can eat, change clothes, or prepare things by herself!"

That was not strange. Upper-class young ladies always had maids and servants. The more noble the woman, the more attendants she had.

Considering Albertina's status, having only one maid, Anna, was already too few.

"I think Anna is an exception. She is the only one who can reach Lady Albert without any problems. But with only Anna, the situation is at a stalemate.

Anna is a staunch supporter of Lady Albert. She would never do anything to harm her.

Even if they offered her money, marriage proposals, or titles, she would never agree."

"But even Anna has her limits, right?"

"Yes, no matter how much Lady Albert intimidates and sets up barriers, there are limits.

If she continues to barricade herself, there will eventually be a limit."

Albertina had always lived in a place protected by the Demon King, isolated from all enemies and threats. Her crisis management skills were notoriously poor, and her caution was clumsy.

Even if she managed to activate a barrier spell by chance and obtained a physical barrier, it was still an amateur's approach.

If the barrier disappeared for some reason, it would be over. If she couldn't maintain it, it might mean that Albertina herself was very weak.

"It would be easiest if the outsiders were beaten up by Father."

"It seems they are afraid of that. Communication with the Duke of Latitche is heavily restricted.

However, no matter how much the royal family and their retainers try, they can't control the Duke's direct subordinates..."

"Are there such people?"

"Yes. They know everything we do to Lady Albert."

"Too much. When I touch Albert too much, Father's temper gets worse because of that..."

"You're really taking advantage of your position as a younger brother. If you overdo it, you'll be killed eventually."

"Father is the one who's not a joke."

"It's not a joke. Rather, what is King Lauses thinking?

To provoke the Duke of Latitche's wrath is not a sane act.

Until now, he was the only one who could get along well with the Duke of Latitche among the royal family."

"Who knows. I thought he was the most normal one in the royal family. Is the royal family eye that important?"

"Important enough to completely change the line of succession."

"There are three direct heirs, and two with green eyes."

Amidst the scandal, one was under house arrest, and the other was under strict surveillance for correction.

Ironically, this has led to more factions wanting to elevate Albertina.

"The selection of the heir is decided by the Council of Elders, composed of upper nobles.

The Council of Elders is particularly obsessed with the royal family eyes, barrier magic, and the royal seal.

Especially the eyes, which visibly demonstrate the royal family's uniqueness, have extremely strict regulations.

Prince Lucas's eyes are too light, and Prince Leold's are too blue. The Council of Elders probably considers such green eyes insufficient to be called 'royal family eyes.'"

"Ugh, that's so unfair."

"Kishutaria, you're really letting your true feelings show."

"It's fine. Albert isn't here, and neither is Anna."

Kishutaria smiled sarcastically and shrugged. Even his sarcastic smile was alluring, enhancing his sweet and handsome appearance.

Julius, as a long-time servant, knew that this duke's son was quite a tricky character. Albertina thought he was a kind and proud younger brother, but he was someone who had navigated the social world with a smile, using cunning and strategy. Only the young lady herself was unaware of the genuine kindness he showed her.

"......You really put on a big act in front of Lady Albert, don't you?"

"I'm not putting on an act. I just don't feel like being kind to anyone else except Albert."

"You're a full-blown obsessive brother."

"I don't want to hear that from someone who aimed for Albert to gain a title in one generation."

"Even if you accumulate wealth, you're still just a viscount. To marry a daughter of one of the four great dukes, you need at least a count."

At least the title 'von' would have given him a chance.

But that title was only given to nobles who had been specially favored by the royal family.

The four great dukes were the nobility of nobility, the foremost of the hereditary vassals. The Dmitrius family, which rose from a knight to a count for saving a royal life, was a suitable match.

But Julius was just a noble, a new and lower-ranking one.

"What about the princess?"

"At least a count. Preferably with the title 'von', or a baron, marquis, duke, or a member of the royal family or a grand duke."

"......I knew that, but you're really persistent, aren't you?"

"If you can win Lady Albert's heart, anything is possible.

The Duke of Latitche is also the Count of Fendel, Marquis of Coral, Baron of Bene, and Viscount of Medici. There are many other titles he manages on behalf of the country. If you can get one of them, anything is possible."

"Are you not proud? Asking your beloved to do something for you?"

"Are you saying that? She's so spacey, yet stubbornly rejects all romantic advances. And she comes with a terrifying father-in-law, the Demon King of this country. You know how difficult it is to win her over."

"......Yeah."

Silence confirmed the truth.

Kishutaria, who had been in love with Albertina for over ten years, was aware that his infatuation with his step-sister had only worsened over time.

Even if he inherited the dukedom and married from another family, he would inevitably compare them to Albertina. Her lineage, personality, grace, beauty, and education were all top-notch. Her lack of social skills was not a big concern; it gave him an excuse to keep her at home and cherish her. Kishutaria's ideal woman was always in the form of his step-sister.

He would continue to be persistent and never give up.

"Also, I'm worried about Grail. He usually comes to see Albert as soon as he finishes his tasks, but this prolonged campaign is unusual."

"They say the increase in monsters shows no signs of stopping."

"Going on a rampage is not unusual, but this prolonged campaign is..."

"Actually, the monster issue is just a surface reason. Some fool tried to stand out by riding on Father's campaign and used a strange magical device, which backfired and caused more trouble."

"Sounds like an inexperienced young noble."

"The trouble from the fool is more problematic than the rampage. It's a case of human error?"

"Whether it's humans or monsters, Grail probably sees everyone except Albert as trash. I don't think he would hesitate now..."

"I'm worried, but Father can handle it. More importantly, it's about Albert.

Is she eating properly... Is she sleeping well...

Ah... I'll probably get scolded... Maybe I should just break in and take her back with magic."

"Please don't. That should be the last resort."

Kishutaria, a magic prodigy at the academy, rivaled the magic prodigy Cain Druitt in magical power. Moreover, he had been trained in various ways by Grail von Latitche, known as a monster in the Sandis Kingdom. While the delicate young lady was enjoying new pastries, Kishutaria had been thrown into dungeons and monster lairs more than once. Like Mikaelis, he faced sudden pop quizzes at the Duke's whim. And more than once, Julius was dragged into it, thrown into a situation where he might as well die, with no preparation or equipment.

Kishutaria, despite his noble appearance, had practical combat skills.

If things went well, a forced entry might be possible.

"Still, the royal family and the four great dukes have been applying pressure in unison..."

"The royal family is apologizing for the misdeeds of Prince Lucas and the others, and the four great dukes are trying to take advantage of the absence of the Demon King to shake up the Latitche family.

Among the four great dukes, the Latitche family's influence is overwhelming. The balance is severely skewed."

"Especially the Fortuna family was persistent. They might have come alone if I refused... Well, both the Duke and the Count have caused trouble.

Still, there were many intruders. Why did so many people cooperate with that foolish woman?

I can't imagine they would follow a criminal just to avoid the wrath of the Latitche family."

"The constabulary was also puzzled. It's not a normal way of thinking."

Kish