Chapter 89

It ended up being a bit long.

"Prince Jinclet. Well said."

After a good cry that left her feeling refreshed, Maria, who had been silent until then, finally spoke.

Her smile deepened, but her voice was as cold as a blizzard, staring intently at Jinc.

"Hallucination. I heard the sound of a whip cracking!"

"I understand Miss Rana's situation. ...However, why didn't you tell Princess Sheena that Prince Rolfe was one of her potential fiancés? Because of Prince Jinclet's concealment, Princess Sheena became even more anxious, you know?"

Jinc's face turned serious. What's with that face? Are you still hiding something?

"I also said that it would be better to talk about it. I told you that it would be better to talk to Princess Sheena before she misunderstood and things got worse, didn't I?"

Barry pouted and grumbled. You didn't even listen to Barry's advice. Why not?

"...That's because..."

Jinc hesitated for a moment, then whispered weakly, barely audible.

"I thought that if Sheena knew Rolfe was a potential fiancé, she might take an interest in him, and I didn't want that..."

"Huh?"

"Rolfe has always been popular! He's good-looking, has a mysterious aura, and exudes charm! He's smart and has good taste! There's never been a shortage of women, and the maids always squeal with excitement whenever Rolfe comes. I didn't want Sheena to take an interest in such a popular guy, so I couldn't bring myself to tell her..."

Hey.

What kind of girly reason is that? You sound like a heroine from a shoujo manga. Despite being so muscular.

Just a moment ago, you looked so cool. I even felt relieved and moved.

"...What a lame reason."

Barry muttered under his breath.

That's it! You definitely spoke for everyone's feelings right now.

Kiri must have said the same thing back then. Oh, so Kiri's deduction was correct?

When I looked at Kiri, he had a blank expression. Ah, so it was correct. As expected of a great detective. But he doesn't seem happy even though it's resolved.

"Give me back my previous feeling of relief! Give me back my pure feelings for you! With such a lame reason, you're putting Princess Sheena at risk of running away! Are you brain-dead? Huh?"

Barry started hitting Jinc's head with his knuckles. He's ruthless at times like this. Barry, you're so reliable.

So, I was anxious because of such a lame reason, to the point of even considering leaving the country.

What should I do with this muscular guy?

"Jinc..."

I let out a big sigh, and Jinc looked scared. If you're that scared, you should have done better. Come on.

I squished Jinc's cheeks with both hands. Hmm, the dignified face of Prince Jinclet is ruined.

"Ow, ow..."

I looked into Jinc's eyes, which were darting around nervously, and he finally lowered his gaze in resignation.

"I'm sorry..."

"Okay, as long as you understand."

I smiled and delivered the final blow.

"You know, I only like Jinc. So, don't hide anything strange from me again. ...I'll get anxious, you know?"

Maria's plan should be complete now. Did you manage to tell her not to lie? Oh, was it "I see through everything"?

When I looked back, Maria looked satisfied, and Vanessa was trying to hold back her laughter.

"It's different from what I expected, but it's cute and manipulative, so it's fine."

"Ha, ha, ha, Prince Jinclet's face..."

What's with the face? I looked at Jinc again, and he was blushing. His eyes were even moist.

"S-Sheena, you said you like me. I won't hide anything from you anymore, I'm sorry, I'm so happy."

Jinc clung to my waist and melted. Ugh, it's still creepy, but if this means he won't hide anything, maybe it's all good?

◇◇◇

"What is this...?"

Jinc, with a sloppy smile, clinging to my waist.

Barry, overwhelmed by various emotions, in a state of exhaustion.

Kiri, emitting a merciless aura.

Maria, smiling brightly, and Vanessa with a serious face.

And me, enjoying delicious tea and snacks while still clinging to Jinc.

If you were invited to such a chaotic scene, you'd be confused, wouldn't you, Prince Rolfe? You burst in uninvited last night, but you're still energetic and exuding charm, which is annoying.

Ignoring the confused Prince Rolfe, I answered with a wicked smile.

"Ha. I called you here to ask for your cooperation in capturing Miss Rana."

The atmosphere around Prince Rolfe suddenly became tense.

"Cooperation? No, I'm responsible for capturing them..."

"Handing over everything to someone who deliberately brought dangerous people to Marita Kingdom is terrifying. I can't sleep at night."

I said it sarcastically, though the reason I couldn't sleep was because of the fiancé candidate issue. Prince Rolfe's beautiful cheek twitched.

"Because I couldn't sleep, I came up with a capture plan. It's called 'Operation Capture Miss Rana and Her Merry Gang with a Decoy.'"

I named it in a daze after staying up all night, so please overlook the randomness.

"Decoy?"

Prince Rolfe's frown deepened at the ominous word.

"Actually, recently, Miss Rana's attendants and guards have been frequently approaching Kiri. It seems to be for trivial matters like asking for tea or new bedding. They deliberately approach Kiri when he's working with the maids."

I looked at Kiri, who nodded quietly. Maria and Vanessa also nodded. The maids were all aware and subtly on guard. Compared to a certain uninvited intruder, they are so reliable.

"I found their overly familiar attitude and frequent visits suspicious. Therefore, I asked all the maids to direct any requests from Samuel to me. The purpose of approaching a noble's dedicated maid is clearly to poison their food, assist in kidnapping, or other nefarious plans."

"Kiri had already reported suspicious movements from Samuel and his group. I was about to consult with Jinc when this incident happened."

I glanced coldly at Prince Rolfe and Jinc, who both paled.

"So, Kiri, how is Samuel doing now?"

"He confessed his love to me."

Kiri reported it with a blank expression. Maria and Vanessa didn't react much, but Barry looked furious. I understand his feelings, but Barry, who isn't even his lover, doesn't have the right to be angry.

"Really? He's moving fast, isn't he?"

"He confessed after meeting for three days, confident that he would be accepted. His overconfidence is annoying. He seems to be experienced in using his good looks."

Kiri, calmly criticizing. He must really dislike him; his nose is wrinkled. Kiri is cute no matter what face he makes.

"There are many people who think that maids will easily fall for them just because they are good-looking and noble. They don't know how much Kiri has been dealing with such fools, so they make such obvious advances."

"Kiri, you rejected the Deputy Captain of the First Knight Regiment and the Assistant Chancellor, who are among the top men in Marita Kingdom. But, Kiri, they are not only good-looking but also honest and excellent. Maybe you should reconsider?"

Maria sneered, and Vanessa casually dropped some impressive information. Barry looked panicked, as if he was hearing it for the first time. I didn't know such interesting things either. Why didn't you tell me?

"It was when Princess Sheena was bedridden with a fever. Kiri scolded those two for talking unnecessarily at such a time."

Vanessa chuckled, and Kiri looked uncomfortable. Kiri, I think you were trying to help Kiri, who was probably feeling down, by confessing. You wanted to be a support for the suffering noble lady. You're a good person. You should apologize for yelling at them later.

"Still, considering what Jinc said about the bad drugs and everything, it seems they intend to drug either me or Jinc?"

Jinc, who eats meals with me, might be the target. But since Kiri is my dedicated maid and guard, I could also be a target.

"By the way, what kind of drug is it? Poison?"

"Ah... it's a very powerful aphrodisiac. It can make you a wreck."

Barry reported reluctantly. An aphrodisiac, and a wrecking one at that.

"Would they really drug a royal? If not, then the target is me?"

A wrecking aphrodisiac. That's pretty extreme.

"...There are two types of drugs."

Prince Rolfe spoke, staring at me intently.

"One is as Barry said, a powerful one. The other is a mild aphrodisiac. It's tasteless and odorless, temporarily heightening excitement without any lasting effects."

"Are you a user?"

"I'm not! What kind of evaluation do you have of me!"

"Ah? Narcissistic uninvited intruder and pervert."

I thought, are you adding an aphrodisiac user to the mix? You seem to know a lot. No, that makes you even more of a pervert. No, that's disgusting.

"I also investigated the Colts family! That woman uses attendants and guards to eliminate those she dislikes with such drugs. At a ball, she drugged a debutante who received more attention than her and had the attendants toy with her, spreading rumors. There are also rumors that she drugged a maid who was about to get married, just for fun."

Wow, that's terrible. Terrible! What is this, it should be stopped!

"The debutante, fearing a scandal, had to accept it. As for the maid, she couldn't do anything against the power of the Colts family. There's no evidence left either."

Prince Rolfe looked bitter.

"I don't like it. The Colts family misusing their power, and me being unable to do anything because there's no evidence. I might just assassinate the entire family."

"No, no, let's take the proper approach. Assassination would be a big problem if it were discovered."

In my opinion, it's a capital offense, but you can't execute people on your own. Prince Rolfe, you must be really frustrated to say such things.

"Hmm. Maybe we should leak more information to Samuel. Kiri, tell him about the recent incident. Then, I'll pretend to confide in Marita Kingdom and Jinc about my anxiety. Maybe that will prompt some action."

"Understood."

"Sheena, it's dangerous."

"It's fine. They plan to drug me and Jinc, and Kiri will try to seduce me. We know when, where, and how they'll do it, so no one will fall for it."

I cut off Jinc's overprotectiveness and addressed Barry.

"Barry, are you keeping an eye on their movements? Are you gathering evidence?"

"Yes! We have evidence of the drug's acquisition and smuggling into our country. Only for the powerful one, though..."

"The other one isn't illegal, so it's not strong evidence since it's generally available."

Prince Rolfe consoled Barry. Barry glared at Prince Rolfe, probably frustrated that he couldn't get evidence for the other drug. But it can't be helped. It's not an illegal drug.

"Well, it's the kind of drug that Prince Rolfe also has, right?"

"I absolutely did not bring it in! Really, your evaluation of me is terrible!"

Prince Rolfe looked suspiciously at me. No, it's because of what you've done. Outrage! I'll give you a suspicious look back!

"Sheena."

While glaring suspiciously at Prince Rolfe, I was called by Jinc in an unusually calm voice.

His eyes were glaring intensely. Oh, oh? What's wrong?

"Are you calling Rolfe a pervert? You call him an uninvited intruder, but what does pervert mean? And what's an uninvited intruder?"

I remembered that I hadn't told Jinc about Prince Rolfe's uninvited entry.

"Also, you two seem to be... unusually close, don't you?"

"I absolutely deny that!"

We are not close at all! But I don't want to explain the uninvited entry. He'll definitely get angry.

"Prince Rolfe entered Princess Sheena's bedroom last night by climbing the outer wall."

I thought, why did you say it, Kiri? And you emphasized the bedroom. It sounds so suspicious.

"...I see."

Jinc smoothly drew his sword. Huh? He drew his sword?

"Prince Jinclet, I will assist you."

Kiri, drawing his flaming sword, smiled.

Kiri, why did you draw your sword?

Jinc shook his head expressionlessly.

"Kiri, I appreciate your offer. But the scoundrel who entered Sheena's bedroom will be dealt with by my hand."

"...I overstepped. Please do as you see fit."

He said it! Kiri, why are you provoking him?

Ah, oh no. Is Kiri really angry at Prince Rolfe? Not just for the intrusion, but for making me anxious and sleepless.

Last night, Kiri stayed by my side, and I was crying and couldn't sleep, so I came up with the capture plan in a strange mood. Kiri didn't say anything but quietly watched over me. Was he quietly angry?

"Jinclet?"

"At least show some mercy. ...Draw your sword."

Jinc faced Prince Rolfe directly, pointing his sword at him. The upward curve of his lips made my back shiver.

This is different from the usual Jinc; there's no warmth in his smile.

Is this the rumored 'Prince of Ice'? Wow, a serious Jinc is so cool. Ah, no. I can't be mesmerized; I need to stop him.

Jinc stepped forward, and Prince Rolfe hastily drew his sword to defend.

"...! You've improved, Jinclet!"

"Shut up."

Prince Rolfe's face changed from surprise to amusement, and the two men quickly engaged in a duel. I was carried to safety by Kiri.

"Tsk. That's men for you..."

Maria's tongue-clicking was more frightening than the two men in a serious duel, which I'll keep to myself.