Chapter 18

The affair of Duke Velkra and Jill meeting secretly, brought to us by Ekaterina, has become something we must investigate to uncover the truth.

I never thought that what I initially believed to be just a simple infidelity scandal could be connected to the truth of whether Velkra was the mastermind behind repeatedly sending assassins to Eric...

After returning to the palace, I was ordered by Eric to retrieve certain documents. It was a day off, but I asked him for work because I couldn't settle down without something to do.

"Oh, we meet again, Reia."

"Prince Dale...? That's unusual. You coming to the archive room..."

While searching for the requested items in the archive room, the second prince, Dale, approached me. It seems he was also looking for some documents.

"Hehe, yes. Although not as much as my brother, I have been entrusted with some duties by my father."

Seeing Dale smile, I thought his face resembled Eric's—especially when he spoke about the purpose of his visit with a smile.

Now, I must find the documents... Hmm, where are they...?

Perhaps they're around here... Ah, there they are. This is it...

"Ah...!?"

Dale and I reached for the same document at the same time. Could it be that he was also looking for the same thing...? After all, this document...

"Excuse me. I didn't expect that you, Prince Dale, would also be interested in this document."

"No, not at all. However, I didn't think my brother would be investigating this case again. The incident with the Belkra faction official's suicide. I thought it was settled as a suicide."

That's right. The documents Eric asked me to retrieve were about the two officials who were accused of misconduct and were said to have committed suicide. Eric suspected that they were purged by Duke Velkra, but without evidence, it was treated as a suicide.

Eric wanted to investigate this case again in connection with the Jill incident and ordered me to bring these documents.

But for Dale to try to retrieve this document...

"Prince Dale, you were looking for this too?"

"...Yes, that's right. But I don't mind waiting after my brother. I'm not in a hurry, and I have other work to do. I'll finish that first."

"But... that would be inconvenient for you, Prince Dale."

"Don't worry about it. I have plenty of time. It's a bit disappointing that I can't do more for my brother, but..."

Dale let me have the documents about the two officials who committed suicide. I hesitated but accepted them. I'm not sure if he really has the time or is just being considerate, so I should return as quickly as possible.

"Thank you for letting me go first. I'll let His Highness know."

I bowed to Dale and headed out of the archive room. If I'm keeping him waiting, I should hurry...

"Reia!"

"Ah!?"

Just then, Dale called out to me loudly. When I turned around, he looked a bit sad.

"No, it's important to protect your brother, but please take care of yourself as well."

"Yes, thank you."

He told me to take care of myself. I bowed to Dale again and headed to Eric's office.

"Prince Dale was looking for these documents? Hm. So, he let you go first."

When I told Eric about meeting Dale in the archive room, he stroked his chin thoughtfully. It's still concerning, even if it was just a coincidence.

"...I understand. Thank you."

After a few seconds of silence, Eric thanked me and began to review the documents. He occasionally took notes and nodded, saying, "I see," and continued working for about an hour before suddenly standing up.

"Alright, let's tail Jill Westria."

"Eh...? His Highness will do it himself...?"

With a determined look, Eric said he would tail his sister, Jill. No, for the Crown Prince to do such a thing...

If that's the case, I should follow Eric and tail Jill—.