Chapter 15: [Encounter with the Prince], Take 2
“…Adelheid von Vanderwaals. Your ‘methods’ truly lack any semblance of grace.”
“My sincerest apologies, Konrad von Eustasia. Perhaps if I had received more graceful words from the First Prince, things would have been different.”
Trading barbs, Prince Konrad awkwardly averted his gaze.
Unfortunately for him, I had more experience in these matters.
He was being groomed as the next king and had received appropriate education. Well… I suppose I could acknowledge his competence, but I was already the head of a family.
The weight of our responsibilities was different.
…However, I wondered if it would have been better to scold Leticia and rely on the prince’s intervention…
What was my sister’s impression of the prince… and the prince’s impression of my sister…?
Since he had followed us all the way to the waiting room to retrieve our wraps, he must have something he wanted to discuss. He started with a barbed remark, almost as a greeting, so I responded in kind, but perhaps I should refrain from my usual behavior when my sister is present.
Then, Leticia spoke.
“…I’m sorry, Elder Sister. For making such a… unsightly scene.”
“Indeed.”
I nodded.
My sister was visibly dejected, but it was true.
I hadn’t expected her to trip.
“However, you are a daughter of the Vanderwaals. The only one with the right to laugh at you in that setting is His Majesty… unless they are prepared to make an enemy of our family.”
I smiled faintly.
I also had His Majesty’s trust.
This ‘prince’ seemed to dislike that as well.
Well, perhaps in another… twenty years, he would understand his father’s greatness… and his burdens.
That’s what it meant to be a ruler.
A nation existed to protect things that couldn’t be protected with mere ideals.
“Elder Sister…”
Leticia looked at me with sparkling eyes.
Her pure, adoring gaze was so dazzling that I averted my eyes.
…As a noble, was averting one’s gaze a sign of defeat?
“…So? Your Highness, what business do you have with someone as untrustworthy as myself?”
“Can you not speak without being sarcastic?”
“Look in the mirror, Your Highness.”
The prince cleared his throat.
I was probably the only woman who knew that this charming prince was actually a stubborn, scheming individual.
He seemed to be showing his true colors in front of Leticia, influenced by me.
“It wasn’t you I had business with. It was Lady Leticia.”
“My sister?”
This man… was interested in a woman?
Well, it was a basic principle for a prince not to favor any particular woman.
If he were to be captivated by someone, it would complicate the line of succession.
If a child were to be born… while it was easy enough to say, “We do not recognize this child as royalty,” the royal bloodline was too valuable.
There was no guarantee that another country or noble wouldn’t use the child for their own purposes.
And this prince… was interested.
Perhaps there was a chance.
Since the scenario had deviated from the encounter onwards, I had thought it was hopeless and, due to personal preference, had almost removed him from my sister’s list of potential suitors.
The other two [Capture Targets] weren’t necessarily better than him.
Besides, it was Leticia’s choice to make.
She would choose… one of the three.
“…I came to apologize.”
“Apologize?”
My sister tilted her head, looking puzzled.
Her expression was so cute that I slightly raised my opinion of the prince, thinking he might be useful after all.
“…I spoke ill of your sister. I apologize.”
He bowed his head.
It was significant for a prince to bow his head, but this was a private setting.
My sister smiled faintly.
“…Ah. You already apologized for that.”
“Thank you.”
The prince raised his head—his expression serious.
“However, I believe a family known as the ‘Coldhearted Vanderwaals’ shouldn’t exist.”
“Oh…”
My sister looked indifferent towards the prince’s solemn declaration.
“It’s a betrayal of the people’s trust.”
How noble of him.
If those were words for public consumption, I might give him a passing grade.
“Your Highness, do you… trust the people?”
“Yes.”
He nodded without hesitation.
“Truly?”
“Of course. I am royalty of this country.”
Leticia laughed.
It was the first time I had seen my sister… smile without smiling.
“…Even us, the residents of the ‘back alley’?”
“Yes.”
He nodded firmly again.
“…Then I still can’t trust Your Highness.”
Prince Konrad looked taken aback.
My sister continued in a cold voice.
“It’s the ironclad rule for us ‘back alley’ residents: ‘Don’t trust strangers.’ …Because I don’t understand how someone can trust someone they don’t even know…”
His gaze shifted to me.
Don’t look at me, you idiot prince.
Even I… didn’t know much about how my sister lived in the “back alley.”
I knew her last job: a maid in a bakery.
She seemed to have done other day labor jobs, but the details were unknown.
No record of any major crimes.
I didn’t even know what her mother did, or when she died…
This was already more than I knew before.
Throughout [Moonlight Liberium], my sister’s past was never revealed.
It wasn’t necessary, I suppose.
It was enough that she ‘struggled in the slums.’ That was all that mattered.
The unseen playwright probably never imagined that a real girl would bear that fate.
“…Lady Leticia. If you don’t mind, could you tell me more about yourself?”
“Huh?”
“I want to learn about the people… through your eyes and your words.”
Was he being serious or not?
He was stubborn, but he had a sense of responsibility towards the country.
He would be a good king… if he had someone to support him.
Especially if that someone was a consort with a commoner’s perspective… someone familiar with the struggles of the lowest classes.
He would be a good king.
“…Elder Sister.”
She looked at me, seeking guidance.
…Well, it wasn’t a bad proposition.
He was one of the three potential love interests… [Capture Targets].
“Do as you wish. Speaking with people from various walks of life, broadening your horizons, deepening your knowledge, and building connections are also important skills for a noble.”
“Broadening my horizons, deepening my knowledge, and building connections…”
Leticia repeated my words and nodded.
“Understood. Your Highness, if we meet again at the castle, please allow me to tell you more.”
“Certainly, with pleasure, Lady Leticia.”
It ended on a better note than I expected.
…Was this also the power of fate?
Well, my Leticia was charming.
And even someone as ‘problematic’ as myself—
“…Actually, Lady Adelheid and I were once considered for betrothal.”
“Eh!?”
“…………”
Why… would you say that?
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