Chapter 38

Now that I've answered Ignaz's question, I want him to answer mine.

"Ignaz, do you know Princess Einhorn?"

"Yes, I met her at the first tea party."

Oh, so you do recognize her.

"Have you ever talked to her?"

"Only greetings when we pass each other in the castle."

Hmm, this is difficult to judge.

"Has Princess Einhorn ever visited the Prince's Palace?"

"No, she hasn't."

"You do see her in the castle, right? And you greet her when you pass by. Do you talk about anything else besides greetings?"

"No, I don't. I'm not good at talking to girls..."

Duke Einhorn, Auto! What do you mean by being close? That's not even the case.

"Okay, I understand. Sorry for asking such a strange question."

"No, my mother asked me the same thing. Is something going on?"

There is something, but I can't say it specifically.

"Just a misunderstanding, maybe? If you find it hard to use formal language, you can relax a bit."

"Really, but..."

"It's fine. We're brothers, after all."

I've been wondering about this for a while.

Because I'm the older brother, you thought it was wrong to use a casual tone. You seemed to have trouble speaking, and it was pitiful. I should have said something earlier.

"I see, so Ignaz isn't good with girls. You sit next to Hilda, but that's okay, right?"

In response to my question, Ignaz looks at Hilda and then back at me.

"I'm not good with girls who talk a lot. Württemberg doesn't do that, so it's fine."

"I see. Ignaz isn't good with girls who are pushy. I guess older, talkative women wouldn't be good either, right?"

Ignaz nods vigorously in response to my words.

"But with Princess Einhorn, it's just greetings, right?"

At my question, Ignaz looks uncomfortable.

"Well, maybe I'm just being conceited, but she seems to want to talk to me, and that makes me..."

"Uncomfortable?"

"Not exactly uncomfortable, but I feel like she's up to something..."

"You can't read Princess Einhorn's intentions, so you're on guard, right?"

"Right."

I see.

Indeed, it's hard to understand what Princess Einhorn is thinking just from this. But I think she definitely wants to get closer to Ignaz.

"Hey, Hilda."

"Yes?"

"Do you have any relationship with Princess Einhorn?"

Hilda shakes her head.

"I am also from a marquis family, so I have invited her to tea parties I've hosted, but our relationship is limited to exchanging greetings. It's not a faction, but we belong to different groups, if you understand what I mean."

Ah, I see, you have different supporters.

Hilda is like a male role in a certain opera troupe, popular among girls of her generation as an ideal man. On the other hand, Princess Einhorn is like a model lady, popular as an ideal lady.

And they are both high-ranking nobles. They are naturally divided into different groups. It seems they don't have any personal relationship either.

"Prince Albert."

Hilda suggests with determination.

"Should I get closer to the princess and talk to her?"

"I'd rather you didn't."

While it's true that women's matters should be left to women, my gut tells me it's not a good idea.

"Why not?"

"She will definitely be on guard."

I don't think it's a full-blown scheme, but Princess Einhorn has some intention and is trying to get closer to Ignaz. I'm sure of that.

If Hilda takes action, Princess Einhorn will be on guard.

However, even though Ignaz himself isn't interested, in my opinion, Princess Einhorn is the best match for him.

Because the Empress is from a neighboring country, Ignaz's partner must be from the Kingdom of Laave.

The most suitable candidate was Hilda.

If I hadn't stepped down, Ignaz would have joined the military as he said, and in that case, a marriage with Württemberg would have been perfect for solidifying his position.

But because of recent events, a marriage with Württemberg, which has strong military ties, would be bad for the power balance. Moreover, the head of the Württemberg family, even though a deal was made, probably doesn't want to be an enemy of Marquess, so he wouldn't want his granddaughter to marry into the royal family.

In that case, the next best candidate is Princess Einhorn, who has impeccable bloodlines. While it's not good to have blood that's too close, the Empress is from a neighboring country, so the bloodline should be quite diluted. As a partner for Ignaz, Princess Einhorn is a viable option.

Well, this kind of thing is in the hands of adults, so I'll leave it to them.

I'm very sorry, but I won't be responding to comments, so please refrain from leaving questions.

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