Chapter 10

"I don't need any extra people around."

I returned to the room and grumbled.

I had already changed out of my formal attire, and I wanted to do some alchemy, but that wasn't possible.

I just wanted to use the equipment that was all set up.

There were methods like the water displacement method that I could use with my scientific knowledge, but the question was what to displace.

I would need to conduct various trials and errors on my own.

I wanted time, but it seemed that wasn't going to happen.

Because when I heard Iktu explaining, Harty started crying.

Wearrel had a very stern face, and the hard-to-read Helcof was baring his fangs and growling.

"Iktu, can I join the training for palace security or something?"

"Unfortunately, no. I remember your face, so I will do it."

He's up to something again.

I thought the security was just watching.

Or maybe he ignored me when I was arguing at the door.

"Asha-sama is the son of His Majesty! Yet, why must he be prevented from meeting his father, who is the king!? What more must he endure!"

Harty clutched her handkerchief and cried in frustration.

If it were a normal six-year-old, losing their mother and rarely seeing their busy father would be a pitiful situation.

I understand that Harty, as my aunt, cares for me.

However, I feel no regret. Due to my previous life as an adult with a not-so-good family relationship, I have no complaints about my current situation.

Of course, as a six-year-old, I do want to interact more with my father, but not to the point of causing trouble and hindering him.

"I'm fine, Harty. Besides, I gained something from this."

The attendants looked confused, but only Iktu smiled wryly.

"His Majesty said he will create guidelines for emergency communication with me."

"That's great. Asha-sama's quick thinking is truly remarkable. I couldn't do that."

Wearrel laughed after being surprised.

Taking off my clothes was something I could do as a child, but if I were a thirty-year-old adult, I would have thought of other options.

"Because of that, I might have caught the attention of the Marquis Strategos."

"Wasn't it about increasing the number of guards? Then there shouldn't be a problem, right?"

Helcof retracted his fangs and said.

We are in the Golden Room, the largest waiting room.

It's rarely used, but it's close to the entrance and has a door leading to the stairs, which Helcof pointed to with his clawed fingers.

"There are four staircases connecting to the outside and three inside. There are two doors facing the outside staircase. If four or five people are sent, we can just have them stand around the stairs."

The interior is divided into four sections: the Golden Room, the Blue Room, the Red Room, and the Emerald Room.

Each of these sections had its own family, and each had its own staircase leading outside.

Well, with so many staircases, it's really malicious to have only one outside staircase for meeting my father.

It's fine, though, because the room is spacious and there's no problem storing alchemy equipment.

"I'd rather not go into the Emerald Room. It's full of beakers."

And flasks.

There are some spherical flasks larger than my head, which I've never seen even in my previous life.

I want to use them once I learn alchemy.

These are all stored in the Emerald Room, and if armed people move them and break them, it would be a disaster.

When I helped check for cracks in test tubes after experiments in school, I learned that even small cracks can cause them to burst.

"Probably, four people won't be sent. The palace guards are from noble families, and they all want to do their jobs in prominent positions."

Iktu said with a serious face.

In other words, they don't want to waste their careers dealing with someone like me, who has a low succession right and is disliked by the head of palace security, the Marquis Strategos.

Well, that's a reasonable assumption.

"………But it might be the opposite."

"Wearrel?"

"Perhaps we should consider the possibility that the Marquis Strategos will send his trusted men."

Wearrel looked wary, but I tilted my head.

"Do I have that much value?"

"His Majesty does indeed love Asha-sama."

Harty gripped my hand firmly and said strongly.

Tears still lingered in her eyes, but her gaze was honest and straightforward.

"Yeah, I know. But if that's the case, the same would apply to my younger brothers."

That's right, I now have three younger brothers.

My succession right is lower than theirs.

So, for someone who wants to get closer to the throne, I should be a less attractive prince.

"The only thing the Marquis Strategos might have heard about is last year's incident with my younger brother."

Iktu said, looking a bit uncomfortable.

It was the incident where a palace guard tried to attack me with a sword.

I heard that my father was angry and removed them from Terry's security detail, and some even left the palace due to their misconduct.

"Isn't that a matter for the guards, not me?"

"Probably, they are concerned about the rumors that arose at that time."

Harty warned me with a stern face, countering my optimism.

Rumors like I harmed Terry or that the emperor dotes on his neglected eldest son.

But the most likely rumor is that I am aiming for the throne.

Even though I was doing alchemy and staying in my room, it's a terrible case of suspicion.

Even if I wasn't aiming for the throne, the adults' suspicion that I might be would only deepen.

So, the Marquis Strategos might send his trusted men?

"In that case, will the Marquis Strategos see me as ambitious or try to use me?"

"I'm not well-versed in politics, but if he wants to maintain his current power and strengthen the emperor's reign, he probably wouldn't be happy with a prince with weak backing stepping forward."

Helcof stroked his chin as if answering his own question.

After all this talk, I have no direct connection with the Marquis Strategos.

Considering this, he might be making unfounded assumptions.

And the Marquis Strategos himself wouldn't know the truth.

Therefore, the possibility of sending his men to gather reliable information is high.

"So, if I just stay quiet, will they leave me alone eventually?"

"If they are his men, it would be a waste to have them stand here where there's almost no work to do."

According to Iktu, there will be a brief period of interference, but I just need to endure it.

One day, I was thinking this way.

"Is the Marquis Strategos calling me?"

"It seems there's a document that requires personal verification. Oh, Totus-san moved here before his shift, so I searched for you."

I could hear a palace guard speaking to Iktu in a light tone.

The door was left open because the guard was speaking before Iktu could close it.

I could see a young face in his early twenties, and when I thought I saw blonde hair, his black eyes, which were looking around the room rudely, were particularly noticeable.

In this world, the rules for skin color based on pigmentation are different from Earth's.

"Then I'll go. You also………"

"Ah, I'm supposed to replace Totus-san, who is the only guard, and protect the prince, so please go ahead."

Iktu, who was about to leave, closed the door, and a young man slipped in.

"Hello. I'm Reuvan Daphne Yani Mildoradis, and I'll be your guard. Nice to meet you."

Reuvan introduced himself in a light tone, seemingly without any ill intent.

However, I hadn't given him permission to enter or speak, which is a complete breach of etiquette.

Moreover, he was clearly treating me as his inferior.

If the Marquis Strategos deliberately sent Reuvan, he must have made a worse choice than I expected.

This is a challenge, and he's underestimating me.

I thought about enduring it, but such people only become more arrogant when you do.

Observing him would only make him act more freely.

Well, how should I get rid of him quickly?

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Next: The Marquis's Hand 5