「Huh? You are back already, aniki?」
「Yes.」
Halfren sensed someone in the hidden room and peeked in. He let out a wry sigh and shrugged his shoulders.
His brother, who never seemed to rest, was buried in a mountain of documents, reviewing them intently.
「How was the eastern town?」
「No major issues. There were just a few foolish officials acting up, so I sent them to the coal mines as punishment.」
「I almost feel sorry for those officials. A prince shows up out of nowhere, turns the whole office upside down, and digs through everything.」
「If they kept their daily records accurate and never touched anything shady, they would have nothing to fear from an inspection like that.」
「Fair point.」
The words stung a little. Halfren casually dropped onto the sofa.
「The recent documents have been good. No mistakes at all.」
「That is because Arg handles most of it. He just nags me to sign them myself.」
「Arg is right. You should sign them.」
「Arg is royalty too, you know?」
「In name only.」
His hands and eyes never stopped moving.
As a statesman with outstanding talent, he was the finest civil official in the kingdom. Through sheer ability, he had risen above the major nobles and secured the position of prime minister.
「Have you seen the report?」
「Which one?」
「The one saying Arg and Noie were seen walking side by side through the castle town.」
「Ah, yes, yes.」
「…..」
Hiding it would only delay the inevitable. Halfren decided to confess right away.
「I took Arg out to visit Noie. On the way back, those two were walking together all happily.」
「I see.」
「I thought there was no way they could make it back on foot from that place, but they arrived before us even though we were on horseback.」
「It seems so.」
The awkward silence stretched on. Halfren could not hold back any longer.
「…I just thought, as an older brother, I should help bridge the gap between my little brother and his wife.」
「I am not angry.」
「Aniki, your face always looks angry.」
「…Because of my job, I cannot exactly go around smiling.」
He makes decisions without favoritism or bias, handling any task with an unchanging expression.
Because of his rulings, some people have lost their lives. Entire families have been stripped of everything and left with nothing.
Doing good politics is simply part of the job. No one thanks him for it.
What gathers around him is only resentment and hatred. That is why, even inside the castle, he avoids having a proper office and uses this hidden room instead.
「Aniki, you are way too serious.」
「Being frivolous is your job. Anyway, back to the topic. From now on, if anything comes up, make those two walk through the castle town side by side.」
「…….」
That was not like him at all.
From a security standpoint, he would never want to let his little brother, who is completely hopeless in a fight, wander around freely.
But if Noie is with him, everything changes.
「Why?」
「Their reputation among the people is excellent right now. The taverns in town are buzzing with rumors like 『The third prince and Noie were walking together so lovingly』.」
「To the citizens, just knowing 『Noie is here』 already makes them happy. If that turns into 『she will always be here』, well…」
「Yes. So, find some suitable excuse and have those two walk around. As long as they look close, I do not care what you make them do.」
「…You are dumping this entirely on me?」
「Are you not the older brother who is so interested in bridging the gap between his little brother and his wife?」
His excuse for playing around had been perfectly turned against him.
「Fine, fine. Then I will just do whatever I want.」
「That is fine.」
The mountain of documents shifts from right to left at an incredible speed.
He is actually reading almost all of them. It is frightening. Any that need corrections are instantly set aside.
「Also, aniki.」
「What?」
「The imperial embassy has been pretty lively lately, right?」
「…They want Noie by hook or by crook.」
「But we have always stayed one step ahead and blocked every move they tried. Right?」
「It is not quite that simple. Look at that letter as proof. The fifth one from the top.」
Halfren pulls it out as instructed and shrugs with a tired sigh.
「Are they serious?」
「It seems they are.」
「…The establishment of House Draguknight was officially announced through proper diplomatic channels to both domestic and foreign parties, was it not?」
「It was.」
「That is terrifying.」
Halfren crumpled the letter in his hand, the one that revealed their desperate willingness to use any means necessary to get what they wanted.
「This should do it, right?」
「Even if we use the same tactics they tried on us… they would have no room to complain.」
「But the ambassadors will still kick up a fuss.」
「Yes.」
His brother suddenly stopped moving his hands. Halfren scratched his head awkwardly.
「I will handle the preparations on my end. Do you have Father’s permission?」
「I already obtained it.」
「Then what we need is funding for the arrangements.」
「We will temporarily appropriate Noie’s salary that is held in the national treasury.」
「…This is basically going to be a full national effort, you know?」
「If something does not exist, we have no choice but to borrow from where it does.」
「Even so…」
To prioritize the country above all else, his brother sometimes neglected things that were truly important as a human being.
「The shorter the preparation period, the better. We announce it before the official envoy from the empire arrives.」
「Got it. I will leave the arrangements on your side to you.」
「Yes. …Oh, right. Father added one specific request.」
「Do not pile on impossible demands.」
Having finished reviewing the documents, he stood up and lightly rolled his shoulders to loosen them.
「Make it as grand and flashy as possible… and above all, beautiful, he said.」
「Father really does make unreasonable requests.」
Though exasperated, Halfren could glimpse both parental affection and the propaganda value in it. Motivation started bubbling up inside him.
「Alright! Let us do this.」
「I am counting on that energy. By the way, what is Arg doing?」
「Oh, shoot, I almost forgot. I am supposed to go with him starting now.」
「Where to?」
His brother ducked slightly as he opened the hidden door. The younger brother flashed the biggest grin he could muster.
「Explaining everything got too annoying, so I decided to dump it all on Frea.」
「…At least give him some context. There is a difference between the rumors circulating publicly and the actual situation.」
「I know, I know.」
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