Chapter 16

"Your Highness, it's been a while since you last ate at a commoner's restaurant."

"When I used to go to Johann's dojo, we came here often."

The Crown Prince, His Highness, began eating normally right in front of me. The waiter, who never dreamed that the future king, Eric, was dining incognito, took the order as usual.

"Is it really safe for you to come out here? There might be assassins lurking."

"It's fine, it's fine. The party venue is much more crowded."

While eating a cheap steak, Eric answered with a nonchalant expression. I thought it would be safe unless something extraordinary happened, as he was accompanied by Johann and Linsha, who were on guard.

"So, what's the issue with the Countess of Westeria? She was so furious. I can tell it was something you couldn't agree to."

"You're quite perceptive. Even if we don't talk here, it will eventually come to light. Your Highness, can you promise not to speak of our conversation here to anyone else?"

"Of course. I'm here as a commoner. I won't do anything to ruin your reputation."

I resigned myself. Eric would likely figure out most of it even if I didn't speak, and it would be discovered if he investigated a little. I thought it would be more constructive to have him hear my concerns.

"Actually, it's about my sister, Jill—"

I then recounted the story I had heard from my stepmother, Ekaterina, about Jill sneaking out at night to meet someone. The person she was meeting was the young Duke, Jade Belcrane.

Hearing about a friend's fiancé's infidelity, the justice-minded Eric couldn't possibly stay silent, but I hoped he could hold back for now.

"---Hmm. Is this really a story about infidelity?"

"Huh...?"

I was surprised by Eric's first words after listening to me in silence. Not an infidelity story? If she was sneaking out at night to meet a man, what else could it be?

"If it's Duke Belcrane, I've met him a few times and spoken with him. He had a fierce, ambitious look in his eyes. He's not the type to risk a conflict with the Gilbert Dukedom just to have an affair with your sister. Rather, he's the type who would use Jill Westeria for some scheme."

"U-Use Jill...?"

Eric, having profiled Duke Belcrane, stated that he wasn't the type to get involved with someone like Jill without any ulterior motives. He speculated that Duke Belcrane had something he wanted to prioritize over the conflict with the Gilbert family and was using Jill to achieve it.

Is there such a scary story? I've spoken with Duke Belcrane. He seemed like a pleasant person and didn't appear to be an ambitious type. He gave the impression of being a cheerful and humorous person who enjoys jokes.

"…It's a very hard story to believe. What could he possibly be trying to achieve by using Jill?"

I managed to squeeze out the words. Eric's speculation sounded like it carried some terrible malice.

A sense of dread, as if something terrible was about to descend, filled me.

"I can't say for sure. Duke Belcrane is quite a troublesome character. A couple of officials I denounced for corruption were part of the Belcrane faction—. They committed suicide the day after I denounced them. Both at the same time…"

"That… that means…"

"Yeah, I suspect they were taken care of. Officially, it was said they took responsibility and committed suicide… But even I can't blame them further if they died and apologized. Without evidence that they were killed, they have to be treated as suicides, and that's frustrating."

Hearing the story about Duke Belcrane, I immediately understood what Prince Eric was trying to say. The coldness of someone who can use and discard people without a second thought—what it meant was…

"If Jill is being used for something… will she be discarded once she's no longer useful?"

"The possibility is very high. If her romantic feelings are being used, she'll likely become a hindrance—"

Eric slowly and in a low voice affirmed that if Jill was being used by Duke Belcrane, her life would be in danger. The atmosphere became even heavier on my back than when I first heard the Countess's concerns. I had a headache thinking about the potentially serious situation.

We must find out Duke Belcrane's true intentions. The more I thought about it, the more complicated the situation seemed to be.