“There are things that cannot be undone.”
When was it that I heard such words?
It’s been so long that I can’t even remember the time, but the voice still echoes vividly in my mind.
As I looked at the object in Yuria’s hand, I insisted that it wasn’t me.
Why would I do that? That couldn’t be true.
But the cold reply that came back was too chilling.
All I could do was be dragged along to ‘receive punishment.’
Dragging my feet along the ground, my heels were already scraped, yet I continued to trudge along.
“You have lost trust, Robert.”
I believe it was shortly after Mother’s passing that this incident occurred.
I denied the absurd crime of trying to sell off my mother’s belongings, but no one was there to support me.
Back then, Yuria was already the Lady of the House, and I was just a boy who had lost his mother.
Nobody told me I was speaking the truth.
Nobody at all.
Still, I tried to believe in people.
Mother always said that if I approached first, they would change too.
Didn’t her last words say something similar?
Never give up on family, people, those around you.
Though there were a few more phrases, it was clear that those words had a significant impact on me.
Trust, hearing that word made me let out a strange laugh.
Did Yuria truly trust me?
She should have known that I wouldn’t treat my mother’s belongings so carelessly.
Looking back now, I realized I had exerted quite a bit of effort, unbeknownst to me.
But why had I put in so much effort to exclude my younger sibling?
I only realized later that Yuria never considered me as a sibling in the first place.
Just like Taylor’s family motto, until one becomes the Head of the Family, everyone is a competitor.
So I was waiting for Yuria’s reaction after the last incident.
How would she respond when I said I wanted to become the Head of the Family?
This led me to my brief thoughts about the situation.
…There are things that cannot be undone.
If I were to describe the relationship between Yuria and me, that surely would be an apt expression.
As I blankly stared into space for a moment, my gaze was obscured.
I brushed my hand across my face for a moment, then exhaled heavily and rubbed my eyes.
Perhaps it’s because I’ve been overthinking lately, but suddenly the weight of various concerns has increased.
Before autumn, rescuing Arwen was all that mattered, but now I had to keep in mind the Crown Prince and also Yuria.
And then there’s the Dead Dragon; I didn’t have the luxury to worry about merely Yuria’s guess, yet I couldn’t help but feel concerned.
I had never once considered the relationship between the Dead Dragon and the Crown Prince.
Naturally, I dismissed it as too absurd to even think about.
However, if the murals are related to the Temple of the Moon… now it was necessary to consider it more seriously.
It was fortunate that it had already been decided to go south.
Had I not gone with the Saint, even if I went south, I wouldn’t have been able to enter the Temple of the Moon at all.
Putting that thought aside for a moment, I was slightly delayed in getting in touch with the Princess who was waiting.
It has been about a week since I met Arwen.
Other than thoroughly researching the attendants of the Ducal Residence while alone at home, I hadn’t really accomplished much.
I did receive some more information about the Crown Prince through Arwen, but honestly, I already knew it all.
“I thought you would come soon.”
Even checking the letter through Renold didn’t reveal anything special. So, I just fiddled with the artifact pressed against my chest, but it remained quiet, which only drained my energy further.
The Crown Prince couldn’t possibly not respond to that map.
I thought the moment Miragen made the announcement, the Crown Prince would be intrigued.
Could it be that I was wrong in my thinking? Just as I pondered an alternative, I felt a strong vibration from the artifact in my hand.
Zing! Connecting the magic power flowing through my hand to the artifact, I then heard a voice coming from the elongated artifact.
They say when you talk about a tiger, it shows up; indeed, it was Miragen’s voice.
“Are you doing well? I was planning to contact you a bit sooner, but I was delayed due to dealings with His Excellency.”
“Are you talking about my father?”
“Yes, luckily it seems that Lord Robert’s wishes are going to be fulfilled. And there’s one more thing to tell you, though I’m not sure if it’s good news… You might want to hear it and judge for yourself.”
Since Miragen had seemed a little uncomfortable around the Crown Prince, what she had to say would probably be about him.
After a moment of hesitation, she continued speaking. What came out of her mouth was exactly as I had predicted.
“The Crown Prince wishes to meet you, um… Could you come to the Imperial Palace quickly?”
“If it’s the Imperial Palace, it sounds like he wants to see me directly.”
“If it’s uncomfortable, you don’t have to come. Sometimes he calls and then forgets.”
“No, I will go right now.”
“…Are you planning to come right away just because I told you to?”
“Isn’t it a command? If not, I might have to think it over. As you know, I’ve been a bit busy lately.”
The Princess grumbled a bit about the unfairness, but there was something far more important at stake here.
The fact that the Crown Prince called for me. Was this the first time in this life? But it was just the beginning.
My goal was to become the Crown Prince’s most loyal servant!
#
It was nearing dinner time, yet my father didn’t say a word about me heading to the Imperial Palace.
Perhaps he decided not to interfere with actions related to the Imperial Family.
That was good for me.
As I had to be active, any restrictions could lead to complications in various ways.
Even as I passed through several gateways toward the Imperial Palace, no one stood in my way.
As soon as the guards heard Taylor’s name, they opened the door immediately.
It seemed the fact that the Crown Prince called for me was indeed true.
Despite my cautiousness for any unexpected situations, I stole a glance at the sword placed in one corner of the carriage before quickly averting my gaze.
As for sensing the magic power around me, there was nothing unusual.
At this point, Miragen wouldn’t play some weird trick on me, but isn’t it wiser to stay on guard just in case?
Well, wouldn’t it be better to be cautious about unexpected situations anyway?
As I got off the carriage, I straightened my clothes.
It was my first meeting with the Crown Prince, a personal encounter rather than an official one, but I wanted to leave a good impression on him.
“We will guide you.”
As I walked towards the Imperial Palace, following the approaching knights, I suddenly spotted a woman off in the distance.
It was easy to recognize her since she was dressed the same as before.
Miragen, has she been waiting for me?
When she caught my eye, she quickly approached, brushed the knights aside, and looked at me sideways.
“It seems you’ve put quite an effort into your appearance.”
“Is that so? I just came out as usual.”
With that, she gave her hair a toss, and the fragrance from her hair began to waft through the air.
It was clear she had made a special effort today.
I wasn’t sure what part of me she liked during our last conversation, but it became evident that her attention was focused on me because of this action.
This wasn’t the first time something like this had happened, so I simply watched Miragen quietly without feeling flustered.
Though she’d gone through what she thought was a lot of effort, to me, it was closer to the usual sight I was accustomed to.
That meant I really didn’t care much.
Perhaps not liking my indifferent reaction, Miragen shook her head a few times, crossed her arms, and stared at me intently.
After a moment of thought, I let out a small sigh and opened my mouth.
“…It suits you well. It’s a lavender scent, isn’t it?”
“Right? Heh, you seem to have some sense after all. I was wondering what you would say if I got no response.”
“Is that so?”
As she looked at me, Miragen’s eyes widened slightly, then narrowed, and she gave me a strange expression.
After gazing at my face for a while, as if examining something of mine, she chuckled softly and stepped back.
“It seems there’s someone around here who’s similar to me? Usually, everyone I talk to is flustered, but you’re not surprised at all.”
“If there’s someone similar…”
It seemed my calm demeanor was the problem.
Miragen’s character was a bit light for a princess, and most people close to her often found her unexpected.
However, I had been watching her for a very long time.
Perhaps there were things she didn’t know that I did.
So, I wasn’t surprised.
After pondering what to reply, I simply smiled and answered.
“There was.”
“…Oh, um, sorry.”
I had a former lover named Miragen a long time ago, but she wasn’t around anymore.
Yet, for some reason, Miragen seemed to have misunderstood my answer, biting her lip and gently patting my shoulder.
She seemed to be confused and had misinterpreted things in a different direction.
Should I correct her thinking? But watching her feel sorry was not bad, so I decided to let it be.
Let’s say I felt a bit upset for not keeping in touch.
After all, I was quite anxious that I might not hear from her at all, so she should taste at least a fragment of that feeling.
As if to guide me, Miragen, who was now by my side, kept a moment of silence before speaking.
Her mood seemed much better than when she was feeling sorry before.
It was a markedly better mood.
“It seems the map you gave me wasn’t ordinary? The Crown Prince’s eyes widened the moment he saw it. Knowing the location of the Non-Human Race won’t change much, right?”
“Well, you see, I’m on my way to talk about what the Crown Prince saw. Doesn’t Her Highness the Princess know?”
“I’m not really good at this sort of thing. Well, as you know, I’m not that famous.”
A playful smile was tinged with a hint of distress.
For someone like Miragen at this time, the power that wasn’t significantly distributed to her would surely be a concern.
Even if the one becoming the emperor was her older brother, being of royal blood meant there would be no room for her to shine in the era that followed.
Though she hadn’t met the princess in the last chapter, she had previously offered various kinds of help to Miragen.
She judged that her growing influence would benefit me.
What about this life? If I help grow Miragen’s power… would it benefit me?
I didn’t know how she would think of me after the Crown Prince died, but it was certain that the next emperor had to be Miragen.
Since she carried the bloodline of the moon, any legitimate claim other than hers would only bring confusion.
Lost in thought, I called out to Miragen, who was rushing ahead on her own, and she tilted her head when she looked at me.
“Do you have something to say?”
“It would be wise to keep an eye on the Northwest. You’re currently undertaking a development project there, right?”
“Uh, how did you know? I am, but I’ll probably stop soon. I guess Taylor was interested in that area.”
“I recommend you not give that up. It will definitely be of help.”
The Northwest was full of mines where Teranite, used for crafting artifacts, was extracted.
Currently, development was temporarily halted due to a lack of results, but come next year, Teranite would burst forth like crazy.
This advice stemmed from knowledge of the future, but I wasn’t sure how seriously she would take it.
If she took it to heart, it could lead to her gaining power, or else she might fall into complete decline.
While Miragen listened to me absentmindedly for a moment, she then stared at me intently and muttered.
“Right now, you’re actually worried about me, aren’t you?”
“I’m not worried. Since we’re doing this together, I just offered a bit of advice—”
Suddenly, Miragen grabbed my hand and gently intertwined her fingers with mine.
Her eyes sparkled as if she were touched, which was quite burdensome.
I should have expected such a reaction, but it felt like a blunder. With a wry smile, Miragen continued.
“Next time, make sure to come see me. Got it?”
“Coincidentally, I mentioned I’ve been quite busy lately.”
“It’s a command, so just come. If that Northwest project goes really well, I’ll reward you. Understood?”
“…Understood. Would it be alright if I come just one more time?”
Seeing her nod eagerly, I couldn’t help but sigh.
Should I have said that? I didn’t want to attract too much of her attention.
As I turned my back to head back to where the Crown Prince was, Miragen added once more.
“Make sure to come, okay? Don’t forget that it was a command.”
It was still bothersome dealing with her.
Well, if she changed, that would actually be more strange.
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