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alpindale

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light-novels

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“Is something wrong?”

“Come here and look. That’s strange, isn’t it?” He was pointing at what appeared to be a completely ordinary patch of dirt.

Rishe crouched down to get a closer look, and that was when Theodore whispered to her: “I want to save you, Rishe Irmgard Weitzner.”

She didn’t reply at first, and Theodore looked at her with reverent sincerity. “I pity you. Dragged all the way here, not as a bride but a captive. As far as I know, no empress has ever led a happy life in Galkhein.” With his back turned to the knights, his pleasant expression melted off his face like ice. “I want to speak to you somewhere away from prying eyes.”

Rishe sighed. “Your Highness.”

A strange zeal filled Theodore’s captivating eyes. “I’ll tell you how you can run away from him.”

Rishe knew very little about the Galkhein imperial family. Perhaps this was one of the inciting incidents that would land Arnold in a war. Or specifically, Theodore was. In which case, it would be in her interest to accept his offer to meet in secret. However…

Rishe smiled. “Prince Arnold warned me not to subject myself to unnecessary dangers.”

“What?”

“As it so happens, he scolded me about it just last night,” Rishe explained modestly. “I can’t allow myself to be alone with another man. It would be imprudent—just imagine the rumors.”

Theodore gaped at her, then quickly hid it behind a scowl. “You don’t know who my brother really is. How he acts when he has a sword in his hand. How ruthless he is on the battlefield.”

“Believe me, I am quite aware of who he is.”

“And not just that, but you never know, he might try to kill y—”

“Yes, I know.” Rishe knew it so well, she relived it in her dreams. She stood back up with an indulgent smile. “There’s nothing wrong here, Your Highness. I would ask you to leave the field as you found it.”

She said it loudly for the benefit of the knights so as to make it seem their whole chat had been one about the soil. Theodore was still crouched, but the ugly expression had vanished from his pretty face.

Just now he reminded me of his brother. Well, Arnold possessed a degree more subtlety; he wouldn’t have lured her over in such an obvious way. He doesn’t seem hostile toward me, but every mention of his brother sets him on edge. And calling himself second in line for the throne—that’s no way to introduce yourself to your older brother’s fiancée.

Theodore had emphasized Arnold’s ruthlessness. He wanted Rishe to fear him.

I know what Arnold Hein is like on the battlefield, but to speak that way of your own brother? Wait. A thought struck her. Why am I so angry about this?

It shouldn’t have mattered to her what Arnold’s little brother said about him. She curtsied to Theodore with all due ceremony as she contemplated this curiosity. “I must fetch my hoe to loosen the soil, now that it’s been flattened. By your leave, Your Highness.”

After waiting for a response she didn’t receive, Rishe started to walk away, leaving the prince to stare at the ground. The knights bowed as well before following her.

Hopefully this was enough to set something into motion.

After this conversation, she was certain—Arnold himself was the reason she hadn’t yet been introduced to the royal family.

Let’s see…Prince Theodore, four sisters, the empress, and the current emperor. I want to speak to him the most. But without even a basic introduction, that seemed like it’d be a long way off. She turned this over in her mind and remembered Arnold’s orders from last night: Don’t talk to my brother. Clearly, neither of them thought favorably of the other. But that wasn’t rare for siblings, was it?

Why would Arnold warn me? He might have been afraid Prince Theodore would harm me. Or perhaps he fears Prince Theodore and I will join forces and conspire against him. No, maybe it really is to keep Theodore from doing something nefarious to me.

Why would Arnold prioritize Rishe over his own brother, though? She looked back thoughtfully at the knights as they followed her down the cloister between her wing and the main palace.

“Tell me, do the princes get along well?”

The answer was obvious, but the knights looked shaken all the same. “M-my lady, I’m afraid it is not our place to judge such matters.”

“I suppose not,” Rishe hummed. “Then were you ordered to make sure I stay away from Prince Theodore?”

“It is not our place to say,” he repeated.

Their evasion was answer enough, and Rishe felt a little guilty manipulating them. “My apologies, I know it’s an odd question. I’ll arrange for a ration of spirits to be sent to the barracks this evening.”

“You’re too kind, my lady!” one said eagerly.

“We’re all grateful for your refreshments,” said another. “Everyone always talks about how remarkably well you seem to understand us.”

She laughed. Of course she understood them—she had firsthand experience with the knightly mind.

Regardless, I do need information. If they won’t speak openly with me, I’ll be forced to use another method.

A familiar voice drifted over from around the corner: “Arrange for the troops. I’ll contact you shortly about the organization of the platoon.”

Oh. Rishe rounded a bend and found herself at the training grounds. There, she spotted Arnold. He was speaking with a man on the verge of old age. Rishe remembered him—he was a count who worked in military affairs. She’d met him at the banquet.

The count stood with two knights, facing Arnold with an air of discontent. “With all due respect, Your Highness, this large allocation of troops hardly seems necessary. Expending so much of the treasury to protect the common population will displease the nobility.”

“The nobility have their own private armies,” Arnold said. “And we already provide them the financial means to maintain those armies. If they still think that’s not enough, let them complain.”

“Your Highness, I beg you to reconsider. Your father will surely disapprove.”

Arnold’s glare was chilly. “Enough. You’ve made your opinion known. Just follow my orders.”

“Urk!”

Rishe could feel the force of Arnold’s enmity from here; it made her gasp even though she was nowhere near. Such a palpable tension in the air. Almost numbing. The knights accompanying her grew noticeably nervous.

Arnold looked over. Across the distance, their eyes locked.

He’s practically challenging me to see if I have anything to add. A bit unpleasant, if you ask me.

Rishe had nothing. From where she stood, Arnold’s judgment was sound. She just wanted to show her support. She took a moment to decide how best to convey that, before raising her fist and clenching it, twisting her features into a slightly overblown scowl. Give them hell, Your Highness! I hope he catches my drift.

Despite how deadly serious Rishe had been, Arnold frowned. Oh no, he didn’t get it? Darn. Hmm, what’s another way to show I support him? She racked her brain trying to come up with another idea, but all it did was elicit a sigh from the prince. Then he cracked a smile.

So gentle was his expression that it instantly put Rishe on guard. If she had been wearing her sword, she would have reflexively drawn it. In her defense, it was probably the emotional whiplash. He had seemed so toweringly angry with the count, and now he looked like he didn’t have a care in the world.

Why in the world is he looking at me like that?!

The suffocating tension had drained from the training grounds. Arnold’s expression was smooth as he said to the count, “I shall send out a missive if and when the nobility cause trouble.”

“A missive?”

“We need to persuade them that protecting the common citizens of this nation is to their benefit, yes? By offering them military strength, and sending those knights out on patrol to keep the people safe, that should bring about a difference in their final tax yields.”

“Er, will it?” The count looked confused.

“If the people can focus on their work, tend to their families, and raise their children in an environment with ample public security, then the nobles will be thrilled when they receive more in taxes,” Arnold explained patiently.

The count opened his mouth to object, then hung his head in dejection. “By that logic, you may be able to quell the voices of dissatisfaction.”

“Then I’ll go ahead and calculate how much it will take to persuade them. Dismissed.” Arnold turned on his heel and walked away.

Rishe heaved a great sigh when he was out of sight. Her shoulders ached from the tension.

I’m not sure what happened just now, but I’m glad it seems to be defensive instead of warmongering. God, it’s incredible how much destruction beautiful people can cause with a single look.

Glancing at the knights, she saw they were smiling for some reason. They were odd smiles, rather fond, and directed her way. She cocked her head in bemusement.

At any rate, I need to look into Theodore and Arnold’s relationship. I hoped to work on my business proposal today, but that will have to wait.

With that, Rishe went off to gather intelligence.

***

“Those two? Why, I hear they’ve barely spent time together, even when they were small!” a veteran maid told Rishe.

Rishe was at the washhouse, doing laundry in her maid disguise. Now that she’d donned a pair of spectacles and a brisk manner, no one was any wiser.

“Really?” she responded casually, sorting the laundry. “Even though they live in the same palace?”

A gaggle of maids around Rishe’s mother’s age chimed in.

“That’s right. According to the footmen who serve during meals, the family never eats together. It’s got to be true based on how much they complain about getting the dining hall ready.”

“I heard that the princes won’t even greet each other in the halls!”

“That’s just a rumor, though,” another added. “They’re both so handsome, surely they’d be a picture stood together.”

The women giggled among themselves, the confidence of a decade’s service putting them at ease.

“Why are they so distant if they’re family?” Rishe asked, feigning idle curiosity.

The women cocked their own heads in puzzlement.

“That’s a good question. Prince Theodore does seem to have some fondness for his older brother.”

“Oh?”

“Just between you and me, I’ve heard he covets Prince Arnold’s Imperial Guards as his own.”

Rishe paused.

“Little brothers always want to copy their big brothers, down to studying the same things, even. Prince Theodore does seem to love the crown prince.”

Is that why he wanted to talk to me? To copy Arnold? That doesn’t make sense.

“As for the four princesses—they don’t even live in the imperial capital. The next time they’ll see each other will be at Prince Arnold’s wedding.”

“Speaking of,” a maid said. “That fiancée of his sure is something. Right, new girl?”

Rishe looked up. “Huh? Whatever do you mean?”

“I haven’t seen you before, so you must be a maid from her palace. I was worried when I heard she’d only taken on new girls, but all seems to be well. I think it’s great that those newbies are learning the ropes so quickly.”

“I agree!” Rishe was always happy to hear her maids praised. “Miss Diana and the others are great teachers. We’ve been learning so much. It’s quite amazing how they have devised a system that could only work in that style of detached wing.”

Rishe had only overseen things for the first few days. The inexperienced maids were focused and dedicated, thriving in their new positions, and Diana’s squad was performing well in their roles as teachers. Instead of mocking mistakes, they took it as a challenge to figure out a better teaching method for the future. When the girls were done with their work for the day, they focused on studying.

Each maid-turned-teacher was figuring out her own individual style to be proud of. One excelled at detailed explanation, while another had a talent for drawings and diagrams. The inventive ones—good at scolding or praising—came up with new methods to encourage their students to follow in their footsteps.

Rishe instructed the maids on their work for about two hours a day now, but soon she’d be able to hand the reins over to Diana completely. And once the cleaning up of the detached palace was finished, Arnold would be joining her. Rishe didn’t know how she felt about that.

“Speaking of the detached palace, have you heard?” one of the maids asked Rishe.

“Heard what?”

“Prince Arnold went to call on Lady Rishe just last night.”

Rishe jumped with such a start that she nearly dropped her laundry. The maids’ intelligence network was unparalleled, which was why she had come here for information in the first place, but she hadn’t expected this.

“You work at the detached palace right, new girl? Do you know about that?”

“L-Lady Rishe went to bed early, she wasn’t feeling well,” Rishe stammered. “I d-don’t think the prince would have gone to see her if she was ill.”

“Oh, how boring.”

“Well, let us know if you hear anything. My daughters badger me every night for the latest gossip.”

“To think Prince Arnold will finally be wed. All the young girls in the city are talking about it.”

“But it’s not just the young girls either, is it? We’re talking about them too!” All the maids laughed at that.

Rishe focused on keeping her face marble-smooth as she washed, determined not to let the chatty maids discover who she really was.

***