Chapter 82 - 82 王太子視点
"Your Highness, your hands have stopped again."
Cyril's voice snapped my head up. I was supposed to be checking the documents piled on my desk one by one, but my consciousness had drifted elsewhere again. Work wasn't progressing as intended today. I knew this was bad, but I couldn't help being absent-minded.
"You've been letting out deep sighs repeatedly. Isn't it about time you stopped moping?"
"It can't be helped today. ...Just thinking that Rachel has likely left the Marquis's estate by now makes me worry."
"You're tracking her with the mana stone, aren't you? Then it's fine."
It wasn't my imagination that there was a thorn in Cyril's words. The mana stone... he was referring to the necklace I gave Rachel the other day. But that was strictly not for tracking people.
"That is to notify me when danger approaches. Don't make it sound so sinister as 'tracking'."
"Is that so? Lord Theodore mentioned it, though. He said Your Highness consulted him about whether he could make a magic tool that could tell where a specific person was."
That damn Theodore, of all people to tell, he chose Cyril. Now that this guy knew, he'd surely keep pestering me about it for years to come. I'd have to give him a piece of my mind next time we met. However, it was true that I had consulted Theodore. I did want a magic tool that could tell me where Rachel was. That was a fact.
"...He said it's still difficult. Theodore was enthusiastic, saying it sounded interesting, but he said it would take time. It didn't make it in time for Rachel's departure."
"I knew it. If it had been ready, you fully intended to track her every move, didn't you?"
"There's a big difference between intending to do something and actually doing it."
"...Your Highness, being defiant like that isn't very graceful."
Cyril gave me a cold look as he poured tea.
"Should I have warned Lady Rachel?"
"Are you saying you'd betray me?"
A lovely scent of roses wafted from the cup placed before me. This was a tea Rachel particularly liked. I always kept it in stock in my office and private room so I could serve it whenever she visited. Before I knew it, I had come to prefer this tea myself when I wanted to calm down. Cyril understood this and prepared it according to my mood.
Strictly speaking, brewing tea wasn't Cyril's job. But for my sake—since I hated losing focus due to people constantly entering and leaving during work—he had mastered it without my knowing. He really was an excellent aide. That same Cyril now looked at me with a weary gaze, likely thinking, Good grief.
"Just so you know, Lord Theodore is more likely to tell Lady Rachel than I am."
"Ah, that's true. I can easily imagine him gleefully telling her."
"Right? Don't blame me if Lady Rachel ends up hating you. It'll be entirely your own fault."
"...You're harsh."
I understood I was overdoing it, and if Rachel found out, she might indeed hate me, just as Cyril said. But one couldn't be too careful. Rachel's safety was my top priority. Of course, I didn't want to be hated. ...No, I wouldn't be able to recover if she hated me; I didn't even want to imagine it. Still, that was a small price to pay for her safety.
In truth, I didn't want to leave it to someone else; I wanted to protect Rachel myself. I wanted to be right by her side as she worked hard, watching her closer than anyone. If only I were in a position to do so. But as the Crown Prince of this country, I couldn't. While protecting her, I also had to protect the people of this nation. That was why all I could do was believe in her and wait here.
"It's a long time," I whispered, my voice so weak I could hardly believe it was mine. Even as Cyril grumbled, I could tell from his expression that he was worried about me.
"The journey was scheduled for about a month, wasn't it?"
"Yes, that's right."
I had acted cool when I told Rachel I'd wait. But she had only just left today, and I missed her terribly. I wanted to look into her cat-like eyes. I wanted her to smile at me. I wanted to stroke that soft, wavy, smooth hair. And I wanted to pull her into my arms and lock her away right now. Just thinking about it made me restless.
But the reason she was working so hard was also for my sake. Her words, 'I want to stand by Your Highness's side,' would surely encourage me many times over the next month. That was why I had to finish what I needed to do as well.
With that thought, I took a sip of tea, reached for the piled documents, and straightened my posture. Seeing this, Cyril nodded with satisfaction and returned to his seat. As I checked the documents and signed the last one, I suddenly remembered I had requested an audience with His Majesty. I reached for the storage box on the table and placed the checked documents in the 'confirmed' drawer. Then, I turned to Cyril.
"Cyril."
"Yes, what is it?"
"The audience. Any word from His Majesty?"
"Yes. He said he can spare about fifteen minutes today."
"So be it. I'm not sure if we even have fifteen minutes' worth of things to talk about, but fine."
We had never built the kind of parent-child relationship where conversation flowed easily. I couldn't even imagine His Majesty speaking to me casually.
"Are you sure about this?"
"About what?"
"You're going to see His Majesty to declare war, aren't you?"
"A declaration of war, huh? That depends on His Majesty. I fail to understand why he's so obsessed with the Saint."
"True. Miss Carroll has quieted down, and she said she'd fulfill her role as the Saint. Is there really a need to force a marriage with the royal family?"
His Majesty seemed to be steadily moving forward with the marriage between Miss Carroll and me behind the scenes. That was why I had to speak with him now, or he might forcibly settle the matter while Rachel was away.
Certainly, a Saint was a valuable existence for the country. And most past Saints had married into the royal family. Records stated that the country flourished after a royal married a Saint. That said, the most recent records were from three hundred years ago. The truth was unknown; it might just be a fabrication of the Saint legends popular in our country. Or perhaps the blessing from the Spirit King really did affect the royal family.
"A Saint blessed by the Spirit King of Light. His Majesty likely thinks she could be a very useful pawn."
"In that case, persuading him will be quite difficult."
"I have to do it. This is a wall I must face."
Now then, I shall fight my own battle.
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