Chapter 65: Rouge “Ugh, I can’t take it anymore!!!!”
“My roommate is just too cute, it’s painful.”
“What am I supposed to say to that?”
Inside the carriage heading towards Prince Lucas, I was sharing my earlier exchange with Rouge with Lily. I couldn’t quite process Rouge’s cuteness on my own, and I felt the urge to talk about it with someone.
“Well, as the second wife, it’s certainly a joy to see my husband and the first wife getting along so well.”
“Are you really going to stick with that stance…?”
“Stance or not, I’m serious! You didn’t think I was joking, did you, dear husband?”
Lily, sitting next to me, closed the distance between us and placed her hand on my thigh. Her slender fingers glided teasingly from my knee to the base of my thigh, sending a shiver through me.
Since the incident at Duke Lecherie’s Mansion, I hadn’t had many opportunities to be alone with Lily like this. I thought she might just be caught up in a fleeting moment of emotion, but it seemed that Lily was genuinely intent on making me a polygamist.
“Just so you know, I’m not planning on dating anyone at the moment, okay?”
“Hehe, I know that. Until the Succession War settles down and we graduate from the academy, I’ll hold back too. But if you ever find yourself unable to resist, just call for me anytime, alright?”
With that, Lily leaned against me, pressing her ample bosom against my right arm in a rather conspicuous manner.
“Don’t try to steer this in an immoral direction at every opportunity… Besides, you don’t have to force yourself to do that.”
I pulled my right arm away from her grasp, hesitating for a moment… then I grabbed her shoulder and pulled her closer.
“Kyah!? W-What are you doing…?”
“If you want to be spoiled, just be more honest about it… at least when we’re alone together.”
I wasn’t quite ready to fully accept Lily’s affections, but I wanted to respond to her feelings within the limits of what I could manage. Well, this was about as much as I could muster without feeling embarrassed.
“Please forgive me for now.”
“…Geez.”
Lily sighed in exasperation, but she seemed somewhat relieved as she relaxed and leaned into me.
I could sense her tension through the enhanced senses granted by the «Ninja» Skill. Was I making her anxious, or was she just unsure how to close the distance between us?
In any case, I was glad she was relaxing.
Although Lily hadn’t suffered any real harm from the engagement debacle with Duke Lecherie, she had witnessed the ugliness of male desire firsthand… If I had taken her temptations seriously, I would have surely hurt her.
“Ahh, youth is such a thing… I wish I could have experienced a school life like this, Master.”
I heard Alissa’s muttering from the driver’s seat, but… yeah, let’s pretend I didn’t hear that.
Before long, the carriage came to a stop in front of a certain house near the entertainment district of the Royal Capital. This area, tucked away from the main street, was shrouded in darkness with no streetlights in sight. However, thanks to the «Ninja» Skill, my vision was as clear as day.
It seemed that Prince Lucas had arrived ahead of us once again. Over ten members of the Knights Order were stealthily keeping watch around the area.
After disembarking, we were ushered inside the house by Alissa. The exterior and interior were that of an ordinary home. I wondered if it was just a facade, but there were signs of life in the details. Someone definitely lived here. It didn’t seem like a place where royalty would come and go…
“Actually, this is a safe house secretly managed by the Knights Order. They live here under false identities and gather information from the nearby residents.”
“The Knights Order is involved in espionage too?”
“Of course! The Knights Order is the shield of the Kingdom of Reese. They can’t call themselves a shield if they can’t protect both the front and the back.”
…I had thought they were just a bunch of muscle-bound berserkers, but it seemed I needed to revise that impression. If Roan was the deputy commander on the front lines, then there might be a deputy commander for the shadows as well. That was kind of exciting…
Alissa knocked on the door to the inner room in a peculiar rhythm, and a voice from inside called out, “Come in.” Alissa opened the door and gestured for me and Lily to enter.
Inside, waiting for us were Roan, standing against the wall, and Prince Lucas, who was seated comfortably, smiling and waving at us.
And then,
“Lucretia!?”
Lily exclaimed in surprise upon seeing the person next to the prince. Sitting beside him was a girl with long golden hair and deep blue eyes, looking somewhat uncomfortable.
“Why is Lucretia here…? Hugh, did you know about this?”
“Nope, I wasn’t told anything.”
I shook my head in response to Lily’s question. I hadn’t even been informed about the purpose of today’s summons.
It would be quickest to ask directly why she was sitting next to Prince Lucas.
“Prince Lucas, who is this girl sitting next to you—Lucretia’s lookalike?”
“Huh!? A lookalike!?”
At my question, Lily’s eyes widened, and Prince Lucas couldn’t hold back his laughter.
“Pwahaha! I knew you wouldn’t be fooled! I put a lot of effort into making her resemble my sister with magic tools and makeup. You’re definitely my future brother-in-law!”
With that, Prince Lucas readily admitted that the girl sitting next to him was an impersonator of Lucretia.