The Crown Prince had a gentle expression as he smiled with those words.
Aah, at a glance I could understand it"s an expression that says he"s truly in love with Princess; once again I became convinced that I can leave my master to him.

"Because Princess is like that, I want to do everything I can. Well, the reason I decided to go is you. I don"t need to worry in the slightest if Princess is at your side, right?"
"Naturally"

The Crown Prince immediately nodded. The reliable voice made me unintentionally smile.

"That"s why. Since Princess"s safety is guaranteed, I wonder if you could perhaps turn a blind eye to me going there in search for evidence. Actually, if I go to that country, I"ll probably obtain information other than the doc.u.ments. The information your spies could never get"
"I can"t deny that. There"s lots of lies in information coming from that country. Only the pa.s.sage of time makes the truth clear"
"Right?"

This is something only I can do.
When I looked the Crown Prince in the eyes with that confidence, he again strongly nodded.

"Please"
"I have no memories of letting you order me. I only move for Princess"
"Yeah, indeed, of course that"s fine. If you obtain doc.u.ments or information, please consult with Lidi first of all. She"ll be able to make the right decision, besides your master is Lidi”

I also nodded to the Crown Prince"s words.
This man properly understand Hiyumas. It"s good the talk went quickly and smoothly thanks to that.
As expected of the man Princess has chosen. I can trust this man.

"Then I"m going"
"Aah, if you don"t mind, want to use a transfer gate? I"ll give you the permission"

He surely wants to accommodate me the best he can. While grateful for that thought, I shook my head.

"At least one person is on a lookout at each transfer gate. And I"m particularly famous. My face will be exposed the moment I use it"
"Famous? Is Red s.h.i.+nigami that famous after all?"
"I guess… My red eyes are famous…"

Come to think of it. I realized I didn"t tell Princess nor this man one crucial thing. I wasn"t particularly concerned about it until now, but it wouldn"t be bad to give the information to this man. Thinking so, I informed the Crown Prince.

"There are two organization called Sahaja"s top guilds, Red and Black, however Red is no more. I crushed them. That"s why it"s unmistakably Black moving, where Apostate belongs to. There are other guilds, but they"re insignificant. They don"t have decent a.s.sa.s.sins, you don"t have to worry about them much"

Hearing the word crushed, the Crown Prince slightly widened his eyes.
After all it seems he still hasn"t obtained information about Red having been crushed. The Crown Prince made a face like he was recalling something and nodded.

"Come to think of it, you received a curse. Was it at the time you crushed the guild"
"Yeah, from our guild master. But thanks to Princess I"m safe"
"I see, you crushed Red alone, huh. As expected of a person with the name Red s.h.i.+nigami"

I"m saved that I can learn about the side of Sahaja I cannot see, told that by the Crown Prince with a serious face, for some reason I said.

"I"m here after slaughtering the members of my guild. I didn"t hesitate. Aren"t you worried that somebody like me is on Princess"s side?"

Although I showed a gloomy smile, the Crown Prince only shrugged his shoulders.

"If you bring that up, I seem to be called the nightmarish Crown Prince in Sahaja, having mowed down ten thousand men alone. In the first place, I can only cut down those I am sure are my enemies. You"re like that too, right? What"s there to worry about when you"ve decided on Lidi as your master"

Seeing his att.i.tude that seemed to say how foolish, I abandoned my act and wryly smiled.

"Yeah, that"s right. No mistaking it"

While feeling a little satisfied by the Crown Prince"s declaration that he doesn"t need to worry if I"m not an enemy, I nodded. Yeah, after all it"s fine to entrust Princess to this man.
Convinced from the bottom of my heart, I turned my back to the Crown Prince. A voice came from behind.

"Lidi would mourn. Return safely"

I glanced back. The Crown Prince was there, making a serious face.
I lightly raised my hand.

"It"s not for you to say. I swore that to my master. Hiyumas won"t betray their master"s expectations"
"I see"
"Exactly. That"s right, Apostate"s modus operandi? That guy makes heads fly off with a thin silvery steel string. Be careful"
"He"s one-hit-kill type, huh. I am grateful for the information"

Just in case I taught the Crown Prince Scheat"s method of attack I had seen once. His method of attack is peculiar.
It won"t hurt him to know.
Having taught him what I could, I told the Crown Prince.

"See you, I entrust Princess to you"

I didn"t hear the reply. There was no need to hear it.
Surely that man will protect Princess even at the cost of his life.
That"s why I"ll do what only I can do.
Invoking my secret art, I left the Fafnir Castle of the Wilhelm Kingdom.

―――― My office in the Rebellion Royal Palace.
At least here I go against Father"s intention and do as I like. With every useless decoration removed, the inside of the room has a uniform calm feel to it. I slowly recrossed my legs.

"Your Highness, I followed the orders, but was it truly good?"

I waved my hand that there"s no problem to the man who asked me in a slightly anxious voice.

"Yeah, Esteemed Father is doing his best, so I must not stand out, right? We can just wait and see"
"However…"

My escort knight was unusually hesitant to speak. Fabius seemed worried in some way.
There"s no one here now except me and Fabius. Everybody withdrew before.

"Your Highness, won"t it be difficult to make Princess Lidiana your princess consort. Her wedding will take place shortly and…"
"No matter"
"However… His Highness Friedrich"s infatuation with his fiancée is abnormal. In the worst case, wouldn"t making a move be like playing with fire. If something happens to Your Highness, we…"

Fabius spoke in a timid tone. Being in Prince Friedrich"s presence must"ve frightened him, but if that continues, he will be unfit to be my close aide.
I stated only the truth.

"I"ve decided. Do you have any complaints"
"No… Excuse me"
"Never again say that. I will make Princess Lidiana my princess consort. I won"t change that decision. Move with that in mind"
"Yes…"
"The next time you say something similar, I will remove you from being my escort knight. Got it"

I don"t need anyone who doesn"t follow my will.
Strongly rebuked, Fabius deeply hung his head as if shrinking in fear.

"I apologize, Your Highness. I will never again say anything like this. I will do everything per Your Highness"s wishes"
"My words before weren"t a joke. Be careful about your remarks"
"Yes"

Glared at, Fabius further bowed his head.
Honestly, I understand Prince Friedrich is horrifying, but as long as he continues being feared, Sahaja won"t achieve hegemony over the continent.
Don"t they understand that.

"Fabius, what do you think is the probability Esteemed Father"s plan will succeed?"

I breathed out, and changing the topic asked capriciously. Fabius began thinking with a serious face. After a pause, he answered.

"Ha… The current operation. I believe His Majesty has been thinking lot about it… However, Your Highness hopes he will fail, right?"

The deployment I had made is all based on the case where Father fails. But despite thinking that, I said no and shook my head.

"I think it"d be good if it went well, okay? If that happens, things will get settled quickly. If possible, I don"t mind cooperating with Esteemed Father. Esteemed Father irritatingly stands in my way, but Prince Friedrich is more bothersome than that"

But we"re talking about Father. He"ll never accept my help.
I too am almost finished with preparations. What"s left is to determine the timing of executing the plan.

"Now then, what will I obtain this time…"

Crossing my arms, I let out a stifled laughter.
What I obtain depends on the success of Father"s operation.
Either way is fine. I"ll obtain both anyway.
The order will be different, that"s all.
That"s why I won"t be impatient.
I"ll wait for the time.

"Show me what you"ve got"

With my index finger I smoothly traced the wound on my cheek.
The wound I received from Prince Friedrich.
Seeing my face upon my return to Sahaja, Father and Side Consorts exaggeratedly clamored.
They lost their calm since it"s the face of the successor prince, but there"s no evidence Prince Friedrich did it. Besides, I tried taking his fiancée with me. We"re even.
The surroundings have many times recommended I erase that wound, but I don"t feel like it.
It"s fitting to erase it after I fulfill my wish. It"s because I think so.
Erasing it means erasing his presence from inside of me.
At that time, I will have my princess consort next to me.
And similarly, I will erase the blue rose tattoo from my princess consort.

"Esteemed Father, Prince Friedrich… Everything is in the palm of my hand"
"Your Highness?"

Ignoring Fabius who showed doubt, I leaned against the back of my chair.
My office connects directly to my private room.
For some reason I directed my gaze there.
There"s n.o.body there now. I haven"t put anybody there. But.

"Princess Lidiana, I"ll put you there"

Further in the back is my bedroom. There I"ll pour my seed inside you any number of times until you become pregnant with my child.
This is the duty of a princess consort.

"Ku ku ku… I must welcome you quickly"

Before Prince Friedrich plants his seed. I have no problem stealing her even if they marry, but I couldn"t stand her being pregnant with his child.
Nevertheless, I believe I have no need for hurry, that country is famous for not producing many children.
Still, I want Princess Lidiana in my hands as soon as possible.

It"s finally starting. The curtain rises.
―――― I am a person who obtains what he truly wants. I am Maximilian Druk da Sahaja.