Chapter 39: Secret Meeting
“I never thought Lily would be this nervous.”
“You being so calm is the real abnormality, you know? Even though you’re from House Puridi, how often do you get the chance to meet royalty? Of course, I’m going to be nervous!”
“But you see Rouge every day, don’t you?”
“That girl is different. She’s royalty, but she’s been a friend since childhood. I’ve hardly ever seen her act like a proper royal.”
“That’s true.”
The reason I can still treat Rouge normally, even after discovering her true identity, is undoubtedly because she doesn’t carry herself like a royal.
Seeing her sprawled out with stuffed animals in her arms, she looks like an ordinary girl. …No, seriously, she should at least pretend to be a boy.
“…Prince Lucas has been trying to maintain his royal status despite being born with a handicap. I’ve heard that he’s been taking a break due to his declining health over the past few years, but recently he’s been actively handling state affairs and quickly building his camp for the succession war.”
“So he’s a proper royal, then.”
“…Sometimes I think that Prince Lucas might actually possess the most royal qualities. If he had been born with sight, there probably wouldn’t have been a succession war at all.”
“Sight…”
Prince Lucas regained his sight through a skill. It seems that as a side effect, he now sees too much, so he must wear a blindfold, but the obstacles to his becoming king have already been removed.
The question now is when he will reveal this. For now, Lily still doesn’t know. He must have kept it thoroughly hidden.
Prince Lucas is likely planning to play that card at the most effective moment. However, with Lily’s engagement to Duke Lecherie, the succession war is on the verge of being settled.
If Prince Lucas is going to make a move, it will be at the ball three nights from now. There’s no better timing than when Lily’s engagement to Duke Lecherie is announced. That’s precisely why he summoned us.
The carriage begins to slow down. Looking out the window, I see a quiet, deserted street. Hmm, I’m too unfamiliar with the geography of the Royal Capital to know where we are. The carriage stops in a dimly lit alley with hardly any streetlights, and Alissa opens the door for us.
“Here, wear this.”
What she handed me was a white cloak with blue lines. Is this the Knights Order’s cloak? That means we’ll be using the Knights’ headquarters for the secret meeting.
Following Alissa’s instructions, I put on the cloak and stepped out of the carriage. I pulled the hood low to hide my face and entered a nearby building.
Inside, several knights were on standby, and the security was tight. Using the «Ninja» Skill, I sensed that knights were lurking outside the building as well. Prince Lucas has probably already arrived.
Alissa knocked on the door to the back room in an irregular rhythm. A voice from inside responded, “Come in.” Alissa opened the door and gestured for Lily and me to enter.
Inside, standing against the wall was Roan, and seated comfortably with a smile, waving at us was Prince Lucas.
“Hey. I’ve been waiting for you, Hugh. And the young lady from House Puridi as well.”
“It’s been a while, Your Highness.”
Despite saying she was nervous, Lily performed a perfect bow. Then, glancing at me, her eyes widened in surprise, and she forcefully pushed her head down as if to hide.
“I-I apologize! He’s, um, from a rural backwater, so he lacks proper manners! Please forgive him!”
…So she really was nervous after all. It’s rare to see Lily in such a flustered state…
“Calm down, Lily.”
“You’re the one who’s too calm…! I’m so sorry, Your Highness! This fool really is an uncouth country bumpkin! So please forgive this rudeness!”
“Haha! You two really get along well, don’t you? …Yeah, I can understand why Hugh would want to help her so much.”
It seems she finally realized what I had said.
“Wait, have you two already met…?”
“I was called to the Royal Castle the day after the entrance ceremony due to some circumstances. We spoke a little then.”
“Y-You should have said something sooner…! Ugh, seriously!”
Lily’s face turned bright red as she began to poke me playfully. Watching this, Prince Lucas chuckled in amusement.
“You really do get along. Please, both of you, make yourselves comfortable.”
At Prince Lucas’s invitation, Lily looked puzzled. “Is it really okay…?” she whispered, so I pulled out a chair for her to sit.
“…Ah, thank you.”
“You’re welcome.”
Once I sat next to Lily, Prince Lucas took a sip of water from the table before speaking.
“This isn’t a public place, so you don’t need to be so formal with me. Lady Puridi, you should relax like Hugh.”
“Even if you say that…”
Lily glanced at me, silently asking, “What should we do?”
“I think a little tension is necessary. I’m not as relaxed as the prince makes it sound.”
“Oh, is that so?”
“I can’t let my guard down around you.”
I can’t count how many times I’ve been caught off guard since we first met. I feel like I ended up saying more than I should have because of that. There’s no way I can relax in front of someone like him.
“You’re quite cautious. But I find that quality admirable. I’m glad to have you as an ally.”
…Just how serious is he about that?