Chapter 63

That night, after returning to the harem, Zenjiro, with a serious expression, reported to Aura without holding back about the events of his meeting with Princess Bonna.

Zenjiro felt that this was not the kind of conversation to have while lounging in the bedroom with the air conditioning blowing, so he suggested they move to the living room sofa, a place they hadn't used in a while.

"Hmm. The unexpected side of Princess Bonna and the information about the secret of Prince Francesco's birth—indeed, I think you've made quite a bit of progress, but what are you so worried about? If the dual kingdom were to put that water lens into practical use, would it really be such a big problem?"

After listening to Zenjiro's report, which was almost like a confession, Aura crossed her legs on the sofa and tilted her head, clearly not convinced.

This was a reaction Zenjiro had somewhat anticipated.

Indeed, a single convex lens could only be used for magnifying glasses and the like, and it didn't seem to pose a significant threat. At most, it would be "convenient" for someone like Princess Bonna who made intricate crafts.

In fact, Princess Bonna, while greatly impressed, didn't become suspicious. This meant that even if she were to share the information freely, it wouldn't seem too strange.

However, the potential of lenses was far from being such a trivial matter. Zenjiro knew this.

Knowing this, he had carelessly leaked the information to someone from the most dangerous faction, and this was his reflection.

Zenjiro took out a five-yen coin and began his explanation again.

"Look closely. This is the convex lens I showed Princess Bonna. It's thicker in the middle and thinner at the edges."

"Hmm, I see. Indeed, the other side appears magnified. This could be quite useful."

Aura, who had peered through the five-yen coin lens Zenjiro offered, nodded in admiration but still didn't feel a significant sense of crisis.

Continuing, Zenjiro shook the coin to fling off the water droplets and then dripped a smaller amount of water on it.

"And this is the concave lens. It's the opposite of the convex lens, being thinner in the middle and thicker at the edges. It makes things appear smaller, right?"

"Indeed. But what use is this?"

Ignoring Aura's question, Zenjiro said, "Wait a moment," and stood up from the sofa, heading to the corner of the living room.

There, in a box, were items Zenjiro had brought from Earth but rarely used.

"Let's see, it should be around here... Ah, there it is. This is it."

Opening the box, Zenjiro rummaged around for a while and then took out something wrapped in a long, colorful cloth with blue, white, and red stripes.

"Memories, university days supporter goods. I got rid of the replica uniform and mobile strap when I became an adult, but I kept the towel scarf and the opera glasses."

Technically, the supporter goods were just the towel scarf, and the opera glasses were only used for watching games, not official supporter items, but that wasn't worth mentioning now.

The folding opera glasses had a colorful landscape painting on the surface, and to someone unfamiliar with their purpose, they might look like mere decorations.

Zenjiro put the towel scarf, which read "YOKOHAMA" in English, back in the box and returned to the sofa with just the folding opera glasses.

"Zenjiro?"

"Look at this. By combining a concave lens and a convex lens, you can create something like this. Although it doesn't show things correctly and everything is inverted, I think you can grasp the significance."

With that, Zenjiro opened the folding opera glasses, adjusted the focus, and handed them to Aura.

It was night, so they couldn't look outside, but the living room was spacious, and the opera glasses had a magnification of about three times. This was enough to experience their effect indoors.

"What!? What is this!?"

As Zenjiro had expected, Aura, peering through the opera glasses, let out a surprised exclamation.

"This has a magnification of three times, but with the right lenses, you can achieve higher magnifications.

Currently, Princess Bonna only knows about the convex lens, and it's unlikely she would immediately think of combining convex and concave lenses, but technically, it could be done right away."

In Earth's history, there was a significant gap between the invention of lenses and the creation of telescopes and microscopes by combining lenses.

While it might not be necessary to panic, optimistic assumptions were dangerous.

Aura peered through the opera glasses several times, then fell silent, deep in thought.

A device that could magnify distant objects, with lenses as its core components, would be a monopoly of the dual kingdom if only magic could make them practical.

Eventually, as if reaching a conclusion, Aura turned to Zenjiro with a stern expression she rarely showed.

"Indeed, this is a 'blunder.'"

"Yeah... I'm sorry."

To his penitent husband, the queen shook her head slightly, her long red hair swaying, and sighed.

"Well, what's done is done, but this could become a significant issue.

In reality, the best course of action is to negotiate and prioritize obtaining the water lens magic item. The ideal solution would be to produce a 'bestowal magic' user from your lineage and establish a similar production system in the Carpia royal family."

While Zenjiro had anticipated this, he still tried to suggest an alternative.

"Another option is to focus more on glass manufacturing. The opera glasses are made of reinforced plastic, but in my world, lenses are primarily made of glass.

By establishing glass manufacturing technology and training craftsmen to polish the glass into lenses, we can downgrade lenses from 'magic items' to just 'expensive tools.'"

Zenjiro, who had been thinking about countermeasures since the incident, presented his suggestions confidently.

"Indeed, that's worth considering. However, first and foremost, we need to address you.

This incident has confirmed that you are unusually lax in your vigilance around Princess Bonna. Are you aware of this?"

Faced with his wife's sharp observation, Zenjiro was speechless.

Being told by his wife that he was too lenient with a specific woman was a deeply guilt-inducing statement, especially because he was aware it was true.

Stammering, Zenjiro managed to answer without averting his gaze.

"Yes, I... I do have that awareness, I guess. It's just... she's really easy to talk to. It's like we have a strange wavelength match, or we just get along well..."

"Hmm..."

The queen, chin in hand, considered her husband's explanation. It was fortunate that Zenjiro was aware of his own behavior. If he were, she could be more direct without him misinterpreting it as jealousy.

Realizing she was afraid of being disliked by Zenjiro, Aura inwardly chuckled.

However, the queen did not show such thoughts on her face.

"If you are aware, then it's easier to address. I'm sorry, Zenjiro, but from now on, you are forbidden to meet Princess Bonna alone.

Even if you have no ill intentions and neither does she, there's a risk of something like this happening unintentionally. Understand?"

She said this with a stern expression.

For Zenjiro, this was a given.

While talking with Princess Bonna was enjoyable, it wasn't worth compromising national interests.

"Yeah, I understand. From now on, my interactions with Princess Bonna will be limited to my role as the 'supervisor of Prince Francesco.'"

"Thank you. I appreciate that. I'm sorry, but this incident, which ultimately stems from me sending you to Princess Bonna, has led to this change."

"It's okay, don't worry about it. The result is what it is, but at the time, your decision wasn't unreasonable. The biggest problem was my lack of caution.

I should be the one apologizing, not the other way around."

"Alright, I see."

The queen, relieved by her husband's calm response, let out a small, unnoticed sigh of relief.

◇◆◇◆◇◆◇◆

Late at night, after confirming that her husband was sound asleep in the same bed, Queen Aura quietly slipped out of the bedroom and made her way to the adjacent living room.

In the dark living room, she found the LED stand light by feel and turned it on.

"!"

The white light of the LED was intense to her eyes, which had adjusted to the darkness. As she blinked to adjust, the living room door was knocked three times.

"You're here. Come in."

"Yes, my lady."

The one who entered, with the queen's permission, was a maid with striking blonde hair, a rarity in the Carpia Kingdom.

Officially, she was just one of the young harem maids, but in reality, she was a key figure with a wide and deep network of information among the harem and palace maids, one of the queen's closest confidants alongside Secretary Fabio and Chief Court Magician Espiridion.

Still in her thin nightgown, Aura sat on the black leather sofa and said casually,

"Let's hear your report."

"Yes. According to the reports from the maids we've placed with Princess Bonna, there were no particular signs of her trying to seduce Lord Zenjiro."

"I see. So, does this mean Princess Bonna has no hidden agenda?"

Upon hearing the report, Aura, chin in hand, pondered.

The Shalowa royal family targeting Zenjiro's lineage was something they were prepared for.

Even if the main event was when Zenjiro learned the 'teleportation' magic and visited the dual kingdom's palace, they had been cautious about Princess Bonna making moves while he was there.

This time, Zenjiro going alone to the temporary residence of the Shalowa royal family was a perfect opportunity. Aura had been slightly anxious about some action being taken, but the result was as she had just heard.

"However, the groom is unusually relaxed around Princess Bonna. Is this just a coincidence? But, the dual kingdom, far in the central southern continent, shouldn't know the groom's preferences for women..."

Even the nobles of the Carpia Kingdom who tried to push their concubines on Zenjiro hadn't figured out his preferences. The only known fact was that he was extremely close to Queen Aura, but there were no significant similarities between Queen Aura and Princess Bonna.

Thinking about it, no conclusion came to mind. While she didn't want to resort to irrational 'women's intuition,' she was concerned about the distance between Zenjiro and Princess Bonna.

Even the renowned Octavia, the confident Fatima Gijen, and the harem maids she interacted with daily, didn't have Zenjiro's trust to that extent.

Admitting it, the underlying emotion was a woman's possessive feelings, which Aura was fully aware of.

However, from her position as queen, it was justifiable to be wary of the relationship between a foreign princess and her partner.

Even if Zenjiro would eventually have concubines, the first one being a foreign princess was something to be avoided at all costs.

"Understood. Continue to have the maids assigned to Princess Bonna report any significant changes. However, it's most important that they don't arouse suspicion. Regular updates are unnecessary.

In general, have them act as loyal maids who follow Princess Bonna's orders."

While aware that her actions were driven by emotion, she justified them to herself.

Noticing the queen's rare, womanly reaction, the blonde maid standing before her briefly smiled.

"...Understood, my lady."

But before the queen noticed, the maid composed herself, smoothed her long blonde hair, and bowed, saying, "Understood," before quietly leaving the room.