By Zephyria 
Marquis Anton Murray returned nearly an hour later.
He offered his greetings with excessive formality, casting a glance at his attendant. The attendant merely nodded once with a faint smile. The Marquis seemed to trust this attendant implicitly, as a sense of relief washed over him, which felt rather anticlimactic.
The prince and princess announced in boastful tones that they would now be close friends with Your Highness, as brother and sister. Marquis Murray, his face beaming, invited us to dinner. We politely declined, citing the need for the young prince and princess to return to the Royal Castle.
On the carriage ride back, a sudden curiosity struck me, and I opened my mouth.
“Will you really write?”
“Well…”
This referred to my agreeing to the children’s pleas to write them once we returned to the capital.
While the children were right before my eyes, I hadn’t given it much thought. However, it was not uncommon for royal families from other nations to be brought in as partners for political marriages, which bothered me enough that I couldn’t help but ask.
Ruben let his words trail off, and I looked at him, wondering what he meant. His smile was bright, filled with a liveliness I hadn’t seen before. Ruben rested his chin on my shoulder and acted affectionately.
“Should I not?”
“…Pardon?”
“If Mika dislikes it, I won’t.”
“…You don’t have to do that. They are just children, and they will surely wait a long time…”
“…Is that so?”
He stopped his affectionate gestures and hugged my arm tightly. As my right arm was warmed entirely, I lost my place to look, feeling embarrassed. Ivan, sitting opposite me, let out a silent laugh, while Sienna, seated beside him, stared blankly at a corner of the ceiling.
I quickly searched for a topic and asked,
“About that youngest prince.”
“Yes.”
“What is it about his hair color?”
Ruben immediately explained in a gentle voice.
“The further south you go, the lighter people’s hair color tends to be, and the further north, the darker. Yulan is a country where most people have light hair. In the lineage of Yulan’s current king, there hasn’t been anyone with purple hair for many generations. At least, not that I know of.”
“But purple… it’s a common color within the Empire, isn’t it…? Duke Withrow himself has silver hair.”
“The Sierran Empire’s nobles intermarry so much within the Empire… the regional characteristics are less pronounced. Commoners are mostly similar. The south is light, the north is dark.”
“…So that means…”
“It seems the current king met another man besides the Queen Consort… but this is a matter of suspicion without proof, and it’s useless. Even if Yulan’s king committed adultery, the child was born bearing the king’s lineage, so they are indeed royal blood, and the Queen Consort seems to treat the youngest as his own child.”
…It was a troubling matter, one way or another. Ruben adjusted his posture. My arm, having lost the child’s warmth, felt a brief pang of regret as it cooled. The child let out a short sigh and continued.
“But I’ve never heard of Divine Blood rejecting a Divine object. If that youngest one were possessed by Black Magic, a Wizard would be needed to at least take a look… but that’s difficult now.”
“…Mm.”
“We’ll have to see if they are not using the Divine object despite having it, or if they are making excuses about the youngest because they lost it. The first and second princes should be meeting soon, so I’ll try to divine their fate then.”
“…Yes?”
How would those two be able to meet?
The biological father of the first princess and second prince had died long ago. Even if they contacted their relatives, the current Queen Consort would never allow the previous in-laws to frequent the palace, making it difficult to contact them easily.
It was the same even if the two children we met today had no ambition to become king. Having discerned the ambition Marquis Murray harbored for his grandchildren, he seemed rather troublesome.
Ivan, seeing my lack of immediate understanding, spoke up.
“They will find their way to us. They will likely contact us through me… As soon as a telegram arrives at the merchant guild, I will deliver it to you immediately.”
“Yes? …How?”
“Didn’t you say the Third Princess and Fourth Prince have close relationships with my maternal cousins? The clever nursemaid’s son is likely acting as a spy. As soon as the children boast about meeting Your Highness, the word will spread, and if they think they’re the only ones with connections, they’ll become greedy.”
“…Ah.”
“Of course, dealing with them won’t be as easy as handling the little ones we saw today. Publicly revealing the residences of the informants from the Nobility Yearbook is out of the question, naturally. I’ll arrange for a suitable ship. We can moor it at the harbor and hold a banquet on board.”
“…Mm.”
I felt as if I had been bewitched by a fox.
Until we disembarked from the carriage, Ivan sought Ruben’s advice on the scale and format of the banquet. Ruben entrusted Ivan with full authority, asking him to secure a ship of an appropriate size that wouldn’t attract attention, within a budget of 20 gold.
❖ ❖ ❖
Upon returning to the mansion after changing carriages, three Ranunculuses had arrived.
One came from Withrow, and two from the capital.
After entering my and the child’s bedroom, Ruben used a sound-blocking Artifact to prepare further before checking the newly acquired news. His demeanor was different from when he handled the Ranunculuses from the Sanctuary of the Sun and Felix, so I felt a sense of shared tension.
Through the Ranunculus’s small mouth, we first heard the Emperor’s voice.
“You’ve gone quite far.”
“…”
“Hearing the voice of a god on this continent is not at all special. Do not trust gods completely. Think and act no matter what. The Sierran Empire is a nation built by humans. No matter what god you face, be aware of your position and do not grovel.”
The scolding poured down like a torrent, replacing greetings. The Emperor did not waste time on trivialities. The next words went straight to the point.
“As I said before, Wesley Kiadris cannot be apprehended based on suspicion alone, without proof. Public opinion in the capital is also an issue, and the Knights of the Duke Kiadris family have greatly influenced the recovery of the Duchy of Grimesbane. However, the one in my hand is different.”
“…”
“The First Prince is currently confined to the Prince’s Palace. All his attendants and maids have been replaced. If Wesley Kiadris is truly colluding with him and plotting something strange, he will inevitably react. I do not trust you either, Rubel Anti Sieron. I hope you are not slandering your brother with malicious intent.”
His sharp words pierced me, not Rubel. Rubel, as if accustomed to it, calmly faced the Ranunculus and listened. I unconsciously reached out and took Rubel’s hand. Rubel’s lips curved slightly.
“I have also investigated the magic used by the Black magicians during their escape. Spatial transfer magic is said to be a dream magic whose theory has not even been systematized. As it is a magic that has never been recorded in the continent’s history, it is appropriate to consider it imbued with Divine Power.”
How could someone have such a cold demeanor towards such a cute son? I had assumed Rubel had lived his entire life being doted upon, acting so delicately. It was nothing of the sort.
If the speaker was agitated, these cute things would tremble and flap their wings, but if the speaker was calm and expressionless, the Ranunculuses would also behave like inanimate dolls.
The Ranunculus sent by the Emperor spoke continuously without moving. What kind of expression, what kind of attitude did the Emperor have while saying these words? Did he even know what expression Rubel was listening to his message with?
“Generally, any magic requires more Mana the further the distance of use. With the mq you recorded, it is highly probable that it fell upon the capital cities of the three countries near the Indus Canyon: Felix, Biban, and Yulan. We have decided to dispatch people to the Indus Canyon for further investigation. Research funds have been allocated, so they will do something.”
“…”
“So do not think of wandering; return appropriately. Do not think you are special, and cease the foolish thought that only you can accomplish this. I have no intention of tolerating your arrogance indefinitely.”
The Ranunculus fell silent without a final farewell. Rubel lowered his gaze for a moment, lost in deep thought. Not wanting to disturb him, I held my breath and slowly observed the child’s forlorn face.
Sending Rubel to the capital… was something I also desired.
But was it right to send the child back to a den where that Emperor behaved like this? The thought that the child might come to resent me if I said something similar to the Emperor also troubled me greatly.
The harsh words, which felt like a father’s protective love for an angry son, yet also like the nonsensical ramblings of a stubborn fool, grated on my ears, leaving me distressed for a long time.
Rubel immediately tapped the next Ranunculus with his index finger. Sensing its turn had come, the Ranunculus let out a chirping sound and flapped its wings widely. Lucilla Anti Sierran. Rubel’s twin sister.
“Hey, is it true? Did you really hear a Divine Revelation? You stormed into the Black magicians’ den? You witnessed spatial transfer magic? The Magic Tower is in an uproar! You really live an exciting life. Wow, I’m jealous, Rubel! You’re amazing!”
The greeting, which started with “Mom and I are doing well,” was boisterous and cheerful.
Lucilla mentioned that Rubel’s friends, whom we had met before in Dunmel Canyon, had safely returned to the capital and had a drinking session together. She heard very interesting stories from them and expressed her eagerness to see Rubel and me soon.
Given their close relationship, her direct and unreserved manner of speaking, spitting out whatever came to mind without ceremony, reminded me of her unrefined throwing knife technique.
The recent news from the capital followed afterward, as if tacked on.
“I don’t know if Dad told you. Richard has been placed under house arrest. Whether it’s a retaliatory measure or something that needed to be done, I don’t know… Did you order it? I disliked Richard’s presence, but I don’t think he deserved to be treated like this.”
“…”
“The person who was roaming freely in the capital suddenly got locked up in the First Prince’s Palace without any reason, and all the attendants and maids around him were transferred to an empty palace and placed on leave, only receiving their salaries. The few people around Richard now are all Dad’s people. It’s no joke.”
“…”
“The Duke Kiadris’s daughter, who was in the capital targeting Richard, returned to her ducal family. Princess Yeldidus is still in the capital… Seeing this, gossips are spreading that the First Prince and Princess Kiadris are truly in love, and the Emperor is trying to prevent their union by confining the First Prince, as he wants to pair him with Princess Yeldidus.”
“…”
“My father is not someone who would be unaware of such rumors… He must have been extremely provoked. Whether it was you, Richard, or me. Or perhaps those mutated beings.”