Chapter 22

VOL . 2 CHAPTER 22: A PATRIOT OR A TRAITOR?

The information we got from Viscount Cottnes suggested that the Duke is in league with Remrest . This information alone was already beyond our control, we had to inform the right people .

Hence, I decided to fly to the capital, the royal castle, to be specific . After dropping me off here, Ryuu was to fly to Ashbaton with Patrick in tow . We decided that his family, who lived along the border of the neighboring country should be informed .

I never thought the day would come where I had to visit the royal castle on my own . Though I didnt expect to have an audience with His Majesty immediately, I still told the ministers secretary that I wanted to meet him .

I thought I would have to wait at least a few days and would have to stay at my residence until everything was ready, but the secretary immediately returned .

Count Dolknes, this way . His Majesty would like to see you now .

Seriously, isnt this too quick? Is it really this easy to have an audience with His Majesty? Maybe next time Ill shout, Your Majesty, lets play together, in front of the castle .

The secretary walked me to His Majestys office while I imagined things I would never do .

The office was crammed with neatly organized papers and there was no sign of any decoration . He was sitting alone in a room full of paperwork, looking over his papers .

When he heard the door open, he looked up and set the papers aside with a serious expression .

I never thought Id see the day when Miss Yumiela would come to see me voluntarily . Should I be happy or sad? I suppose you brought some bad news .

He knew that I wouldnt come to the castle unless something serious had happened . He knew her all too well .

Its been a while, Your Majesty, but I have something to share with you today regarding Duke Hillrose .

I explained what the Viscount had told me about the Duke schemes . About how the extremist had banded together to remove the Kings faction and Remrest was involved .

I thought it was quite dangerous, but His Majesty didnt even bat an eye . Eh? Did he already know about this?

After I had finished my explanation, he was silent . He just closed his eyes . Like he was reminiscing about someone .

His Majesty sighed, opened his eyes slowly and said .

The only one that knows about Remrests involvement is Hillrose, is there any question about this?

That was what Viscount Cottnes had said . He also said it was an unusual move by the duke .

In that case, its not a problem .

I believe its full of problems .

Despite His Majesty not knowing the information beforehand, he showed no signs of being upset at all . Normally, this information could cause a major uproar throughout the country, but he showed no sense of urgency .

Although I had no intention of interfering with His Majestys policy, I couldnt help but voice my concerns .

Is Ronald-san okay? I understand that he is the Dukes son . Right now, he is His Majestys close aide, but there is a possibility that he will side with the Duke in this debacle .

That wont be a problem .

Then why would the duke send his son away?

It was for the sake of his son . You forget that he can see the future .

The Dukes future predictions were brought up once again . Ronald and the queen mentioned it before, but I had no idea what that meant .

Perhaps my dissatisfaction was reflected in my attitude, as His Majesty began to speak first .

See, Hillrose was my close friend . He foresaw that, even if the Demon Kings problems were solved, the unrest in the kingdom would never end .

Is that what the Duke saw? I dont think thats a good reason to distance Ronald-san .

Both of us had a different solution . Now we have no choice but to confront each other and to avoid being caught up in it, he has entrusted his son to me .

It would seem like the Duke is moving under the assumption that he will lose in the confrontation with the King . I wonder why he would risk a losing battle and if he were to drag other countries into the fray, he knew he wouldnt be spared .

His Majestys speech, which I had expected to continue, ended there .

I cant divulge any more than that . Forgive me, but Im not about to break a promise to my friend .

What does the Duke have in mind? What is his goal?

Duke Hillrose leading his faction attempts to seize control of the kingdom by enlisting Remrests help . Thats it . And I will make sure that his schemes are thwarted .

When His Majesty said that his former best friend was an enemy and the bad guy, I couldnt ask him any more questions .

He looked sad .

I was absorbed in my thoughts while taking a break .

Afterward, we were sent home and were told that all the problems would be taken care of as long as we quietly stayed in the territory .

I get the feeling that His Majesty is not worried about the kingdom being tipped by the Dukes schemes . But I dont think he has taken all possible measures against the Duke . He didnt seem to know about the neighboring countrys involvement until I told him .

As I wondered about these things, I heard a boisterous voice coming from the doorway . There she was .

Yumiela-san, Im here!!

Youve arrived early .

You said you wouldnt be coming to the capital for a while, so I was thinking of coming to meet you myself .

I wish she would quit coming uninvited . But, were friends, right? I think its okay once in a while?

Eleanora showed up as usual, just in time . Lets ask her about her father .

I will invite you to the Dolknes territory soon, just wait for a little while .

Really?! Yes, yes, yes, Ill wait for you!

If I dont invite her, shes likely to come unannounced at some point . I subtly brought up the topic about the Duke .

Doesnt the Duke say anything when you go out so much?

Father says that all the time, hes too overprotective .

He must be very fond of you .

Eleanora, who was in an obviously good mood, started to grin . She said, swaying her body happily .

But father loves this kingdom too, you know .

Balshine Kingdom?

Yup, he also likes to clean . He said that he likes to gather all the things he doesnt need in one place then get rid of them together .

I dont care about the Dukes decluttering hobby .

However, I didnt know that Duke Hillrose loves this kingdom . Maybe hes lying in front of his daughter, I couldnt help but wonder .

Judging from Eleanoras attitude, it appears that she has been kept in the dark regarding any information related to the coup . There was no point in learning about the Dukes unexpected side when he was with his family .

A knock was heard and Patricks voice came through from the other side . Hes already back from the frontier, that was fast .

Im home . Did Eleanora-sama come to visit?

Pardon for the intrusion .

Youre home early .

I asked Ryuu to rush . Anyway, Im a little tired from the journey, so Im going to rest now .

His steps were a bit shaky . He wasnt good with heights . Patrick was about to leave the room when Eleanora abruptly called him out in a loud voice .

Oh! What about that? What happened to it?

What are you talking about?

She grabbed my left hand and looked at it intently . Was there something wrong with my hand?

Patrick then turned and looked at us with a reluctant look on his face .

Eleanora-sama, I would appreciate it if you didnt mention anything about that yet .

Its been too long! Are you sure you want to go through with it?

Sorry, I havent got the chance to do it .

Oh no! While romantic places are nice, dont rely on them too much! Just like any other day, all of a sudden! That would still work perfectly .

Ill try .

While Patrick looked unhappy, Eleanora put her hands together and started sparkling . I was left out of their conversation .

After he left the room to rest, I asked Eleanora .

What was that about?

Im not going to talk about it .

She said, turning away with a pouty face .

Eleanora has a strange stubbornness about her that makes her unwilling to talk, though she can be tricked through indirect questions .

Back to what I was saying earlier, I brought up the topic of family . She seems to love her father and brother, so I dont think its a surprise .

I dont want to pry but, what kind of person is your mother?

My mother, she died due to illness when I was young .

Uh-oh, that was a landmine . I was unsure of what to say, but she continued .

But Im happy! I have a kind father, a wonderful brother even though he doesnt live with Yumiela-san and me, so I wont be lonely!

Right .

If the Duke is going to stage a coup detat, what would happen to her? It was well-known that Eleanora, unlike her brother, was a member of the Dukes family .

In the back of my mind, I kept seeing the Dukes face when he asked me to take care of his daughter .

Is he a patriot or a traitor?