It seems like she heard from Christa where I am.
“Right. What did you talk about when you met? Did you tell her not to come home, just as Christa wanted?”
“Actually, I was planning to do that….”
Richard narrowed his eyes as if thinking of Vania, then soon laughed in disbelief.
"He was crying and making a huge fuss, saying he wanted to come back first."
"what?"
I thought you were doing well, so I don't know why you cried so much. You wouldn't say anything even when I asked.
“…….”
Richard might not know, but the reason Vania cried was probably because of the royal marriage.
If it was a matter that proceeded through the agreement of the Crown Prince and Ryan regardless of my will, then it was understandable.
However, I still couldn't understand why it had to go that far.
"I did wonder if Vania herself was the goal, but..."
If that were the case, they would have kept a close watch on Vania.
There is no way I would let her go visit her half-brother of the Basenberg family alone and secretly.
Then what on earth was that royal marriage for…
'ah.'
At that moment, Edgar was surprised.
Because he had unwittingly assumed that everything Richard said was the truth.
You've gotten old.
To think I made such a mistake.
"Should I persuade them to come along?"
Richard, tilting his head as he watched the silent Edgar, said.
You were planning to bring the kids for a reason, weren't you?
That is correct. It is a plan that fell through now that the Crown Prince has defended it with the card of a royal marriage, though.
I have arranged a way to contact Vania, so if Father wants, I will meet with him and talk.
Edgar looked at his son's face without saying a word.
To find out what you are missing, it would not be a bad choice to move Richard and approach Vania.
But that shouldn't have happened.
This is because he could not catch any clue to his son's intentions at this place.
Because it is uncertain whether the son is a chess piece that can be moved freely, or an internal rebel harboring hostility.
When sending it to Vania, it is impossible to know whether it will be the right approach or give room for unnecessary collusion.
Unable to do anything
A perfect checkmate.
“…Leave it for now.”
Edgar stood up from his seat.
I will think about it a little more.
Yes, as you prefer.
Click.
The door that Edgar stepped through closed.
Richard familiarly took a case out of his pocket, lit a cigar, and leaned back on the sofa.
“Kick.”
His mouth was smiling as he looked back at the door his father had gone out through.
How could even a father read me?
I have been living my life brainwashing myself to the point where even I am confused about whether I am Basenberg or not.
* * *
Vania Valenciété.
I received a beautiful surname and became a member of the royal family and a married woman. Today is day 2.
Who would have imagined that I would be getting my seal stamped just a week after coming to pay my respects at the Imperial Palace?
It was the result of the Crown Prince pushing ahead while the iron was hot, without expecting to gain the Emperor's support.
My romantic man willingly endured a slap on the back to gift me the title of Imperial Consort.
Oh, and unfortunately, we couldn't hold the ceremony right now.
Currently, we have only established legal validity on paper because we are worried that my father might snatch me away.
If we push ahead with the wedding right away, there will be a lot of talk about where the Crown Princess suddenly came from.
He said that the process of prior public announcement should be taken slowly to avoid controversy.
So I am still free.
Packing my bags.
I have to leave the guest room now.
"Is it good?"
Ryan looked at me disapprovingly as I hummed a tune.
"Sure, then."
"Just stay here, right?"
“Hmph! The Crown Princess has such dignity; how long will she be indebted to the guest room, Count!”
“Oh my goodness?”
“His Imperial Majesty ordered me to move my residence. I am merely obeying the Imperial command.”
Nike, who is of high status, even has her own private villa within the imperial palace.
So, if you go there, there is my room and Nike's room.
There is also a master bedroom… … .
"hey."
For some reason, Ryan swallowed hard and stopped me as I was packing.
I'm begging you, don't behave improperly until the ceremony.
“Why are you acting so dishonestly?”
“Do you know how sly your expression was just now? You didn't say a word, but I could see exactly what you were thinking.”
“…….”
“You haven’t forgotten the huge fuss caused by one wrong gag, have you? Seriously, just in case, please. There must not be a situation where three of us enter the wedding hall.”
“What! What do you think of me! Dad’s thoughts are even more negative!”
“No! I’m worried about realistic things!”
“Eeeeek!”
I lunged at Ryan, and he ran away and said.
“Oh, right. I’m going home tonight!”
Huh.
“Today, I’m going to the Academy with His Imperial Majesty and His Royal Highness the Crown Prince to show them Rivan’s secret warehouse, and then I’m heading straight to Belzer.”
Riban's secret warehouse contains modern weapons designed to fight monsters. Yes, it is the same weapon that wiped out the Basenberg soldiers in an instant before the regression.
“I have to go and announce to the villagers that my daughter is married. And I have to be back soon. There is a campaign to subdue the West in the third week of June.”
Ryan, who was checking his tasks one by one on his fingers, suddenly swallowed hard and became nervous.
“…Then, it will be over once the northern campaign in July is finished.”
It means the knife is completely sharpened.
Thump thump.
Ready to go slit my father's throat.
Of course, before that.
Ryan grinned and took a piece of paper out of his back pocket.
“Hahaha! Which one should I choose? Guess!”
Phew. That is a list of townhouses for sale in the system.
The royal marriage documents also include numerous benefits granted to the Crown Princess's family to maintain the dignity of the imperial family.
One of them is the provision of luxury residences within the system.
Ryan, who had been singing about buying a private residence in the island, fulfilled his wish without spending a single penny of his own money.
“Hehe. I guess I should pick one on the street with the highest prices? Ah! No, maybe a bigger one on the outskirts would be better? Huh? No. Maybe a brand-new one would be better after all?”
I was terrified to see the glint in Ryan's eyes, which were gleaming with greed.
You take after your father. Blood is thicker than water.
"what?!"
Ryan flared up.
Take that statement back immediately!
* * *
The tail end of May.
The gate of the 'Imperial Palace,' located on the east side of the Imperial Palace, opened.
It was three days after the Emperor's seal was stamped on the royal marriage documents.
This imperial palace was a separate palace built by the Crown Prince as a gift for the third prince, Nike Valencier, in the year of his coming-of-age ceremony.
Originally, the principle was that members of the royal family who underwent a state marriage were granted the title of Grand Duke and a territory, and then became monks.
However, a residence was arranged in the imperial palace so that they could stay at any time even after marriage, which was unprecedented in the history of the imperial family.
All members of the royal family who have the right of succession to the throne.
The reason why members of the imperial family, excluding the heir, leave home to become monks when the time comes is to expand their influence within the palace and to guard against potential succession struggles.
Nevertheless, the fact that the Crown Prince personally built the Third Prince's private palace was an expression of his infinite trust in his younger brother.
It was long, but the conclusion is… … .
The fact that the gates of the Imperial Palace, which had been empty for four years since it was built, have opened.
therefore.
It means that a woman entered the Crown Prince's palace before a royal marriage had even taken place.
"really?!"
“It’s true. Didn’t you pass by the Crown Prince’s Palace on your way? The gates were open, and the attendants were swarming all over the place.”
“That makes no sense. Why?”
Imperial Palace Training Ground
The imperial knights who had gathered from dawn for the western expedition in June were in an uproar.
“Why are you people so late with the news? Don’t you know His Royal Highness the Crown Prince is meeting with nobles every day these days regarding the Director’s royal marriage?”
Wolf Luhmann, the commander of the 1st Knight Division, spoke with arrogance. As the second son of the Marquis Luhmann, he was well-versed in the rumors circulating in aristocratic society.
“Look, Sir Wolf. Our Commander is of royal blood, so of course a royal marriage will happen someday. I mean, he isn't married yet, so why are the gates of the Crown Prince's Palace open!”
The commander of the 2nd Knight Division, Torben Max, frowned as if he could not understand.
“If you were in the process of a royal marriage, I assume you have already completed the paperwork?”
3rd Knight Division Commander Oliver Shuville said.
“Does that make sense? What royal family conducts a royal marriage like this?”
Everyone agreed with Torben's doubts.
“Is a royal marriage a joke? It is an official imperial event that requires announcing it well in advance, receiving audiences with nobles, holding balls, visiting ancestral tombs, and even conducting ceremonies.”
“But what’s the point of us talking about this amongst ourselves? If you’re really curious, let’s ask the Director. He’ll be here soon.”
Torben and Oliver are exchanging words.
“No!”
The commander of the 4th Knight Division, Emil Dieteri, suddenly interrupted.
“Do you really not know why the gates of the Crown Prince’s Palace were opened quietly without anyone knowing? Let’s not pry into your story and put the Commander in a difficult position!”
“What’s the reason?”
It appears they skipped the entire process and just stamped the documents; what other reason could there possibly be to proceed so urgently?
Emil added, fuming.
“It must be the same situation where you avoided me for a whole month without even speaking to me, calling me a man without chivalry! It’s so obvious!”
Everyone was shocked by those words.
The commander of the 4th Knight Division, Emil Dieteri, is a married man who tied the knot half a year ago.
He is a man who got married in a flash, as if roasting beans over a lightning fire, because he had no plans but caused an accident where his lover's belly started to get pregnant.
The commanders of the 1st, 2nd, and 3rd Knight Divisions covered their mouths in surprise at the unimaginable speculation.
The reason they never imagined it was that their superior, the Commander of the Imperial Knights, Nike Valencier, the Crown Prince of this Empire, whom they had known until now, was never the kind of person to cause such an accident.
The reason for my surprise was that, upon hearing it, I could not think of any other circumstances that would justify proceeding with a royal marriage quietly in this manner.
at that time.
“He’s coming. Let’s stop talking nonsense!”
The Empire's third prince, the commander of the Imperial Knights, Nike Valencier, was coming with his aide.
“You’ve arrived, Commander!”
“Victory! For the glory of the Valenciétian Empire!”
Nike stood before the knights who were lined up in formation with a resounding greeting, just as usual.
“Good morning. Today is the June Western Expedition…….”
And, Nike, who had been starting with the schedule announcement as usual to the assembled knights, suddenly stopped speaking.
For some reason, the atmosphere felt strange, unlike usual.
Nike glanced slightly toward the right column.
The gazes of the 1st and 2nd Knight Division commanders are aimlessly scanning the empty air.
This time, the left column.
The commanders of the 3rd and 4th Knight Divisions were also acting similarly, avoiding my gaze and feigning indifference.
'what?'
A warning sent by instinct, having tiresomely navigated countless obstacles of misunderstanding!
Haa, I have a bad feeling about this…
Nike swallowed a sigh.
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