After walking for a while, we arrived at the central part of the castle. In the corridor before Prince Yuma's office, I witnessed three n whispering about sothing.
"No way. Even His Highness Lenanino took three days for these docunts. How could anyone possibly finish them in a single day?"
"We've already done the calculations, too. We were supposed to take them back and divide the work amongst ourselves."
"The work we left sitting there is finished before we knew it. I wonder where he got his hands on these docunts?"
I can't help but smile. Prince Yuma probably snapped from being so busy. He's ended up unleashing the talent he usually keeps so well-hidden in a situation like this.
I led the two young ladies to a guest room next to Prince Yuma's office. As I headed for the door to enter the office, it seed to be slightly ajar, and I could hear voices from inside.
I, along with the two young ladies, froze in our tracks. The voices from inside were Prince Yuma's and Quantor Neville, the aide to His Highness Lenanino.
It seems Prince Yuma is scolding Neville about sothing.
"Why is it that none of the departnts can do proper ‘hourensou'?"
"Hourensou?"
"Reporting (houkoku), contacting (renraku), consulting (soudan). It should be a matter of course for any worker. What do you intend to do if sothing happens, just pretending you're the only one who understands? Don't tell you all think my capable older brother will just handle everything."
"That is possible."
"Not ‘That is possible'! You're the one who handles each docunt before my royal brother, are you not? Even if just to sort out what's urgent and what isn't. Then you should have realized. That almost everything depends on my royal brother's judgnt."
"Because that is what Lord Renanino wishes."
"It's not about what he ‘wishes'! If sothing were to happen to my royal brother, like this ti, what do you intend to do then?"
"In that case, we have the most capable person, Your Highness here."
"That's far too suspicious. Besides, weren't you trying to kill at one point?"
I could hear the two young ladies gasp.
It seems Prince Yuma is furious about the current state of affairs, where the entire workload rests on His Highness Lenanino's shoulders alone.
However, that aide, a man nad Quantor Neville, is completely infatuated with His Highness Lenanino and is a troubleso fellow who only acts according to Highness Lenanino's wishes. During the succession struggle, he even made a serious attempt to assassinate Prince Yumanova, who was his opponent.
I agonized over whether I should let the two of them hear this conversation, but they had already heard this much. It was too late to usher them away now, and when I thought about what might happen if Neville were to turn his blade on Prince Yuma in this situation, I found myself unable to leave.
"To have all your attempts so easily thwarted, and yet you say such a thing at this late date…"
"Hey, don't you dare try and casually brush this aside. I'll hold a grudge against you for all eternity."
"Yes, yes. Now, if we continue this back-and-forth, the docunts will only continue to pile up. Could you please get serious about this soon? If today's work is left over for tomorrow, it will beco an extra burden for His Highness Lenanino, and I would hate to cause him any trouble."
"Look who's talking. Besides, is there any guarantee that my royal brother will be functional by tomorrow? I'm sure all this will just co back to for the next few days anyway."
"Then, perhaps you could work hard so as not to burden your future self?"
"I'm done with you for now. Take these to the various departnts. And bring the work details and personnel files of every departnt. I'm going to review them and reassign their roles."
I peek into the room through the crack in the door. It looks like more than half the docunts are already finished. Neville's sullen profile catches my eye.
"…You are truly excellent, Your Highness Yumanova. If it weren't for your words that you would ‘abandon your right to the throne at any ti,' I would have seen to it that you were buried in darkness, even at the cost of my own life."
"Can't you hide your killing intent a little? What kind of situation is this, where you complain if I don't do sothing, and then threaten to kill when I do? More importantly, hurry up and finish your work. My lovely fiancée will be here soon, and I don't want her to see your miserable face."
"How rude. However, while His Highness Lenanino is troubled by matters of love, I have no desire to see a fiancée so easily obtained by the likes of you. I will take these docunts and return to His Highness Renanino's office."
"It's a good thing you didn't direct your killing intent at the Saintess. I'm tired. Get out."
"If I were to do sothing to the one His Highness Renanino holds affection for, he would co to hate , would he not? I will not do such a pointless thing. Now, if you'll excuse ."
With that, Neville gathered the processed docunts and started to leave Prince Yuma's desk. But, as if having rembered sothing, he turned to face Prince Yuma once again.
"Ah, that's right. It seems the pregnancy of your forr fiancée, Lady Delia Soupley, has beco public knowledge."
"Huh?"
"Apparently, the woman who was her lady's maid was forced to take the bla and was fired, but she wasn't given any severance pay or a letter of reference. Well, that's to be expected. A lady's misdeeds are also the responsibility of her attending maid, after all. But it seems she held a grudge over it, and in the end, she leaked the story of the lady's pregnancy. You went to the trouble of taking the mud yourself, saying the broken engagent was your own fault, but now it was all for nothing."
A tense silence fell.
For Prince Yuma to have gone so far as to bear a stain on his na to protect that secret, only for it to be exposed in such a pathetic way. I wonder what the Duke of Soupley will do.
Lord Yuma was also leaning back in his chair, as if exhausted.
"…What a fool. What does she hope to gain by doing sothing like that?"
"It ans that not everyone is a good person like you, Your Highness. To sacrifice yourself for the sake of others is the height of foolishness. A man like that is not fit to be king of this country."
"You're noisy. Who's a good person? I'm not like that. Besides, I've told you countless tis that my brother is the one who will be king. What about that dissatisfies you?"
"No, I have no dissatisfaction. If you would just continue to be a fine pawn for His Highness Lenanino, then I would have nothing more to say."
"That flippant mouth of yours will be the death of you soday."
"For the sake of His Highness Lenanino, I would do so with pleasure."
With that, Neville gave a bow to Prince Yuma and left through the door on the opposite side.
Perhaps he knew we were here. If he knew and still said all this… was he trying to frighten Lady Alteria and drive a wedge between her and Prince Yuma?
I turned my gaze to Lady Alteria.
I wondered what I would do if Lady Alteria was frightened, but when our eyes t, she simply nodded. Then, she asked in a small voice, "May we co in?"
"Y-yes. Forgive the wait. This way, please."
I knocked as I opened the door and announced Lady Alteria's visit to Prince Yuma.
Prince Yuma, whom I had thought to be dejected, smiled brightly the mont he saw Lady Alteria's face.
"Welco, Allie. You must be tired. Were you able to release your power well?"
"Yes, I feel much better. Thank you."
Prince Yuma, leading the boyishly-dressed Lady Alteria, sat on the sofa. He then rang a bell, and a servant appeared from the sa door Neville had exited.
After requesting tea, he turned to and Lady Chiffon, who were waiting, and said, "When the tea is ready, you two should sit down too. It makes uneasy when you're just standing there."
Prince Yuma has always said that he dislikes it when I stand near him, as it makes him feel like he's being watched.
I wish he would get used to it, considering he's royalty, but I once again thought that this is just one of those things about Prince Yuma.
"This is sowhat surprising. I thought you would be surrounded by a flock of ladies-in-waiting, Prince Yuma, but it seems a servant handles your personal affairs."
After the two servants prepared the tea and left, Lady Alteria spoke these words, confirming that we had all sat down.
With an indescribable expression, Prince Yuma sighed, "I see. So you really do think I'm a womanizer, Allie."
It can't be helped. Prince Yuma's reputation is in tatters, and just the other day, the crown prince and his fiancée directly whispered similar words into Lady Alteria's ears.
At Prince Yuma's dejected deanor, Lady Alteria tilted her head in confusion.
"Well, I thought that since you're so cool and kind, Prince Yuma, the ladies-in-waiting would want to be close to you. Was I wrong?"
There wasn't a hint of teasing in her voice; she stated it with pure innocence, and as for Prince Yuma… his face turned bright red, and he was at a loss for words.
Whoa, I've never seen that expression on Prince Yuma's face before.
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