“You might lose your claim to the throne. What are you going to do about it?”
I raised my voice, making my concern loud and clear. The faces of the maids darkened even further.
There was no doubt about it—Prince Renato was well-loved. Everyone around him was saddened by the possibility that he might not become the crown prince.
Renato paused for a moment, as if considering my words, before lifting his gaze slightly. His eyes met mine directly.
“…If I wasn’t the crown prince, everything would work out.”
“What?”
And with that, he fell silent again.
I waited, gently rocking the teacup in my hands, but he showed no sign of continuing.
“You can’t just leave it at that. Explain yourself properly.”
“…”
“I won’t tell anyone. Well, depending on the content.”
“……”
“Come on, now, you’ve piqued my curiosity.”
“………………”
“Oh, for goodness’ sake!”
Frustrated, I stood up and strode over to his side, plopping down unceremoniously beside him. Leaning in, I cupped a hand around my ear.
“Come on, just whisper it to me. I’m a foreigner—I’ll be gone eventually. Just let it all out and get it off your chest.”
Renato flinched slightly, startled by my sudden proximity, but then, after a soft chuckle, he gave in and leaned closer.
“Placido is in love with Lady Aida.”
“What?!”
“Keep it a secret.”
“Wh-wha-wha—”
“He’s an earnest guy, which makes him easy to read. He’s loved her since we were kids. That’s why I always kept my distance from Lady Aida.”
“Huh. Interesting…”
“But then the Duke of Amethyst insisted that his daughter would marry the crown prince, and Parliament approved the engagement. I thought that if I ignored it completely, they would eventually give up, but… it didn’t work. And as graduation approached, I started to panic.”
I tilted my head and glanced at Renato. His expression was one of mischievous delight, as if he had just come up with a brilliant prank.
“So I figured—if I just gave up my position as crown prince, Placido would take my place, and Aida would become his fiancée. That way, everything would work out perfectly.”
Slowly, I moved the hand from my ear to my lips.
This guy… is such a good person.
Phew. I managed not to say that out loud.
“Just as I was trying to figure out how to get disinherited, Baroness Cashari approached me.”
“You mean…?”
“The Cashari family was already under suspicion, and a discreet investigation was underway. So, I took advantage of the situation.”
“Took advantage… Ah. So that document your aide was holding…”
“Yes. That was evidence of Baron Cashari’s embezzlement. You’re quite sharp. The plan was for my aide to expose the baron’s crimes and then denounce me for having been deceived by the baron’s daughter, ultimately leading to my removal from the line of succession.”
So that young man, who had looked so confused behind Renato that day, wasn’t meant to expose Aida.
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