Rishe’s eyes widened at the unexpected response.
“Go to bed early for another hour. And most importantly, be careful not to let another person discover your gender. Cool?”
“Are you sure you want me to continue?”
She didn’t expect to be exonerated.
But Arnold looked at Rishe, reminiscent of someone asking a child.
“Can you protect yourself?”
“… Yes! Thank you, Your Highness!”
Poof, the world suddenly became brighter.
Arnold sighed again and then asked Rishe.
“From a cadet’s point of view, what does this Order look like?”
Rishe answered the question enthusiastically. She could provide such information as much as he wanted.
“Very impressive. All of the trainees have perfect qualities and His Excellency Rovine’s guidance is also very precise. The knights have been assisting us well, and also pay attention to each of the cadets.”
“… Is that so?”
“Your knights are very important to you, aren’t they?”
When she uttered that, Arnold replied with an unreadable blank expression.
“Human resources are a national asset. They should be respected.”
But…
She muttered secretly deep inside.
In a few years, you will execute Count of Rovine and drag many knights into a war of conquest.
Why was that?
After taking one deep breath, Rishe broached.
“I overheard Prince Kyle’s intentions.”
Then Arnold chuckled with amusement.
“I knew you were nearby last night.”
“You noticed? I thought I was completely and carefully discrete.”
“It’s a start. Not many people could elude my senses.”
If there was a next time, she’d have to be more careful. With that in mind, Rishe asked, “How much grace do you have in Koyor?”
“… Of course, you’re not talking about the amount of gems mined, are you?”
“Of course. What I want to know is your father’s … the reprieve from His Majesty the Emperor of Garkhain.”
After saying that, she looked up at Arnold.
“Both he and Your Highness Arnold were wary of Prince Kyle’s reasons for coming here, and you sought out the truth. It should be the same for your father.”
Rishe knew little about the current Emperor. She didn’t even have a clue about what kind of person he was or what his thoughts were.
But he was Arnold and Theodore’s father. She should keep that in mind and make a move.
Besides, Arnold said last night.
It suited his nature to invade and bring a country under his control than to join hands with other countries.
Even if that wasn’t the case, she was the princess of Arnold, the son of the father who required “someone from outside the country who was worthy of a hostage”.
“… Unfortunately, knowing how far my father has grasped the situation is beyond me. But if he gets to know what’s going on in Koyor, he’ll try to move before Koyor loses its national power to another country. That country itself isn’t worth a damn, but we need a route to the north.”
As expected, things still weren’t looking good.
It would be too late to change the relationship between the Koyor Kingdom and Garkhain once the Emperor got wind of it. If that were to happen, they couldn’t plan for something that would take years to accomplish.
“I can roughly guess what you have in mind, but…”
Arnold took a step closer to Rishe.
Then a dazzling yet dim smile spread on his face.
“… I think you’d rather have me invade that country instead of your father-in-law.”
“…”
A shudder crept up her spine.
“What….”
“You are trying to convince me to make peace with Koyor, aren’t you? But there is no such material in that country. If you stop me from moving, and in the meantime my father becomes aware of Koyor’s plight, it would be far more troublesome than me making a move.”
Arnold peered in as if getting a kick out of Rishe’s reaction.
“It’s just a matter of who’s going to put an end to that country that’s just waiting to perish. If they had quietly stayed at home, they could have fooled us for several years. Their folly of asking help from another country ended up laying their cards bare to be taken advantage of.”
“Your Highness Arnold…”
“If the Father Emperor finds out, I can’t do anything. If you’re willing to show mercy to Koyor, I’d love for you to help me invade that country.”
A serious tone bled through his jest.
If she had just met him, she might have felt terribly frightened. But now Rishe knew exactly what he was doing.
“… Your Highness is sometimes a superb liar.”
“Huh?”
She felt a bit saddened as she replied, “If you really think it’s more fitting to run roughshod over someone than to build a friendly relationship, then you should have forced me to marry you without making any troublesome promises at that time.”
Arnold raised an eyebrow at her remarks.
“I don’t know what purpose you had in marrying me, but as the daughter of a Duke of a lowly country, you could have done what you wanted. In spite of this, you did otherwise. Ever since I came here, you respected me as you’ve always done.”
Even earlier.
Everything he listed as “conditions to continue training” was more like words of advice for Rishe.
How could that kind of Arnold choose such a future?
She didn’t know, so she looked up into his eyes in front of her.
His eyes were the color of the sea with a dark shade dwelling in them. But that shade faded somewhat quietly.
“… You can judge me however you like, but…”
Arnold pulled away from her.
Then said.
“Remember, war for this country isn’t an outrageous choice or anything… It’s just another political tool.”
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