Translator: Elisia
Editor/Proofreader: TempWane
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Naturally, Amelia and I aren’t the only ones living in the mansion.
There are resident staff members, and a maid who has been with Amelia since her childhood comes in the morning and leaves late at night.
There were also private soldiers dispatched from the Grand Duchy guarding the front of the mansion.
This meant that I wasn’t the only member of Amelia’s escort.
And, as one might expect, such a significant issue wasn’t something Amelia and I could resolve alone through discussion.
While my brother was present, he wasn’t someone who would stay here permanently.
As a result, a meeting was convened to decide the fate of the woman—the ninja—who had been pursuing me.
Surrounded by people, the woman sat primly on the sofa in the guest room, her hands and feet bound.
Among those present were a knight who acted as the mansion’s chief of security, a senior maid who oversaw the mansion’s management, myself, Amelia, and Harvey-Hyung. Soldiers stood stationed at the door and windows of the room.
None of those present could be called a Swordmaster. While the soldiers boasted excellent skills, as did the knight leading them, Swordmasters were not exactly commonplace.
Typically, someone of Swordmaster caliber would remain by the side of the most important individual. In the novel, that was Harvey-Hyung.
Even though he couldn’t use Aura, wasn’t he someone capable of defeating a Swordmaster in battle? The proof of that was sitting right before us.
“…I’m sorry for failing to notice. We should have found and addressed the issue before it came to your attention,” the knight said apologetically.
“No, it’s perfectly understandable. The opponent was a Swordmaster. It’s rare for anyone to deploy a Swordmaster just to gather some information,” Amelia responded smoothly.
“Well then, shall we decide how to deal with this person?” Amelia said, crossing her arms as she gazed at the ninja.
“Come to think of it, I haven’t asked your name yet. What is it?” she continued.
“…Call me Becky,” the woman replied.
“Whether that’s your real name or not, as long as you don’t escape, it’s not of great importance,” Amelia said, nodding.
“You mentioned that you didn’t pass much information to the other side, correct?”
“…Yes. My apologies to Lady Delkis, but outwardly, I couldn’t discern why His Highness the Crown Prince values you so highly.”
“And what did you report?”
“I reported that perhaps the bond came from overcoming hardships together in the past, leaving lasting memories.”
That made sense.
Even I didn’t understand why the Crown Prince was so attached to me.
We’d met as children, but that was a very long time ago, and after that, we’d only met once more.
By age alone, it might have been reasonable to call us childhood friends. But to call us ‘friends’ would be stretching it, as our shared memories were far too faint.
“Well, that’s good. It’s a relief that no significant information was leaked.”
Amelia’s expression as she spoke was one of genuine relief.
The imperial nobles likely didn’t get the information they wanted. After all, if they were operating on the assumption that “the Crown Prince likes me,” there wouldn’t have been any need to infiltrate the mansion. They could have simply observed each time the Crown Prince and I met.
If they had gone further, hiding in our rooms to gather more information—even though I would have eventually noticed—they could have eavesdropped on our private conversations, which would have created considerable trouble for us.
Of course, even then, we wouldn’t have said anything as absurd as “we’re from another world.” At most, they would’ve dismissed us as being mentally insane.
Rumors of the Grand Duke’s daughter and her escort being mentally unstable would be problematic. While I hoped Amelia would delay her marriage, I had absolutely no desire to see her reputation tarnished to the point where she’d be forced to marry someone undesirable.
Then again, perhaps letting Adele and Amelia marry wouldn’t be such a bad idea.
If the two of them eloped, I could follow them as an accomplice and stay by their side for life.
…Though, honestly, I might end up feeling quite hollow inside.
“Then, regarding this person’s fate—”
-Knock, knock.
As Amelia was about to continue, someone knocked on the door.
The maid, who had been quietly listening from a short distance away, walked over and slightly opened the door.
After a brief, hushed exchange, the maid returned with a letter in her hand.
“A letter for Lady Amelia.”
“For me?”
Amelia took the letter from the maid.
The stiff paper, rolled like a scroll, was sealed with wax.
The wax bore the royal family’s insignia: a two-headed eagle.
“…”
Amelia tore the seal open and began to read, her expression shifting from curiosity to understanding, and finally to a suppressed smile.
After finishing the letter, Amelia looked at Becky with a slight smirk.
“Who do you think sent this letter?”
“…Considering the royal insignia on the seal, it must be from the royal family.”
Seeing Amelia read a letter sent from the royal family and then direct her question at her, tension washed over Becky’s face.
“This letter is from the Crown Prince… or rather, the future Crown Prince.”
Amelia held the letter between her fingers and waved it lightly as she spoke.
“We call him the Crown Prince, but he hasn’t fully ascended to that position yet. Officially, he is still a prince of this country. Not that his status as a prince disappears once he takes on the title of Crown Prince.”
Titles don’t replace one another; they merely accumulate.
When a noble is granted the title of Count, it doesn’t overshadow their previous title of Baron. Instead, they become both a Count and a Baron, holding both the county and the barony. The only difference is that the title they present publicly is almost always the highest one they possess.
Thus, if the Crown Prince becomes Emperor, he would be “Emperor and Prince.”
While in this kingdom, Prince Evan is both the Crown Prince and Prince Evan. If he wished, he could leverage the latter title. Of course, misusing it would draw criticism from the kingdom’s nobles.
“And it says here,” Amelia resumed, elegantly holding the letter with both hands.
“‘If anyone has threatened my dear friend, I would like to take them into our custody,’ it says.”
“…”
Becky’s face turned pale.
“It seems the Crown Prince is highly displeased with the empire’s nobles prying into Elsie’s affairs. He appears to want to hear the reasons behind their actions directly. What shall we do?”
“…”
Becky opened and closed her mouth several times, unable to respond.
“Let me offer you some choices.”
Amelia spoke with a faint smile on her lips.
“The Information Guild’s base is in the forest, correct? I don’t know the exact location, but we know it’s there.”
Becky’s face turned a shade of blue. Was she about to faint?
“Recently, large wolves have started roaming the forest. Has anyone been tracked after going out in black clothes?”
“…”
“Those wolves? We released them. Thanks to Elsie’s remarkable abilities, of course. If necessary, we could increase the variety of animals. How about little birds or mice and squirrels that are hard to spot?”
Huh… I hadn’t thought of that.
Well, since I’m a druid, if I keep increasing the variety of forest creatures… eventually, we could pinpoint the guild’s base.
“In truth, we’ve been searching for your base as well. There’s some information we’re curious about.”
Amelia’s eyes narrowed, and her smile grew more pronounced.
Hmm… I felt a bit guilty saying this to an Amelia who was genuinely enjoying herself, but her expression really did resemble a villainess right now.
“If you decide to join us, we won’t hand you over to the Crown Prince but will offer you protection instead. What do you think?”
Amelia’s eyes remained fixed on Becky, her smile unwavering.
“I don’t think adding one more maid to our household would be much of an issue.”
“…”
Becky stared at Amelia’s face, terror-stricken, before nodding vigorously.
“I-I’ll do it. I will.”
“Good. Don’t even think about running away. Though this place is somewhat distant from the Grattanmount Grand Ducal House where our influence isn’t absolute… let’s not make us use even that limited influence to its fullest, shall we?”
With that, Amelia handed the letter back to the maid.
…Frightening, indeed.