The hectic, suffocating schedule of the second day of the Imperial Social Gathering had finally drawn to a close.
If I were to assess myself, I had managed to successfully plant myself at the center of the empire's social circles.
The Second Prince had come over and acted friendly with me, and the Emperor—the most powerful man in the empire—had shown me favor in front of the nobles, so there shouldn't be any major problems for the time being.
Unless I get caught being a fake prince, cause some huge accident, or get entangled with a suspicious person like the Northern Archduke's daughter… nothing will happen.
“Haaa…… I'm seriously dead tired…”
Before the vicious hangover from repeatedly downing 40-proof hard liquor last night had even subsided, I had spent the whole day enjoying the party in a state of constant tension; now my entire body felt as heavy as waterlogged cotton.
With every step I took, it felt like I was sinking deep into the carpet.
‘Today, I'm just going to go in and pass out without even washing. I don't need anything else…’
Firmly convinced that the moment my head touched the pillow I would plunge into dreamland within one second, I grabbed the handle of my quarters and flung the door open.
The lights were off inside the room, leaving it pitch-black.
But just as I was closing the door and trying to lift my heavy foot inside—
“Ian Sterling—!!”
“Hiiieek?!”
A deep, thunderous voice burst out like lightning from the darkness.
At the same time, there was a click as the magic-stone lights turned on, illuminating the room as brightly as broad daylight.
And the scene that unfolded before my eyes was one of the most terrible and horrifying sights I could ever face in my life.
“Y-Your Highness the Prince!?”
The Second Prince of the Empire, Arthur—was sitting on my bed.
And not in the formal attire he had been wearing at the Social Gathering, but in a thin tank top.
“Y-Your Highness? W-what brings you to my room at this hour……”
“Ian, you rascal. Do you not feel as though you've forgotten something very important today?”
“……Yes? F-forgotten, you say?”
As I stumbled back in confusion, stammering, Arthur clicked his tongue and sprang up from his seat.
As his massive frame drew near, I felt the oxygen in the room suddenly diminish, a suffocating pressure bearing down on me.
“You didn't exercise today, did you?”
“W-well, it's the Social Gathering period, so…”
“You didn't yesterday either.”
“Ah, n-no, Your Highness! Still, it's the Imperial Social Gathering period…”
“Does muscle atrophy not occur just because you're at a Social Gathering? Does the Great Emperor Uzarat personally guarantee your muscles?”
“It's common to take a brief rest during the festival period…”
“I won't listen to cowardly excuses! Today, I shall personally put you through an intense session before you sleep, so be grateful.”
Arthur gripped my shoulder tightly with his thick, cauldron-lid-like hand and grinned wickedly.
“Still, since it's the festival period, I'll show mercy and generously have you do bodyweight exercises only. Take off that cumbersome outer garment and get down on the floor this instant!”
“Y-Your Highness…… the hour… it is the middle of the night…”
“Isn't it better since you can go to sleep right after exercising?”
“Th-that is true, but…”
“I specifically intend to only have you do a light warm-up today. Five sets of fifteen push-ups! Five sets of fifteen squats! And to finish, five sets of two-minute planks! All performed with perfect form. If your posture falters even slightly, I will restart that set from the beginning. Understood!”
At Arthur's booming roar, devoid of any mercy, I ultimately had to hold back whimpering tears, take off my banquet jacket, and begin exercising on the floor.
“Now, begin! Go down when I shout, and come up calling it out! One!”
“O-one!”
“Two!”
“T-two……!”
“Three!”
“Th-three!”
After having me do fifteen push-ups, Arthur immediately moved on to squats and planks.
I kept up without much trouble until about the third set, but after that, my body gradually stopped moving.
“Nnngh……! Urgh……!”
“Your elbow angle is wrong! Again! One!”
“H-huheuk……! Aack! Your Highness, that one was perfect! It counted! Please!”
Whether I screamed or not, if my form faltered even slightly, Arthur would immediately skip counting that rep.
“Don't let your knees pass your toes! Push your hips further back! That one didn't count!”
“Nnngggh! Huff, Your Highness, m-my thighs feel like they're going to really burst! Please, stop…!”
“They won't burst! Your muscles are growing stronger! Stop whining and squat deeper!”
“Gyaaaaack—!!”
And finally, the long-awaited finale: a three-minute plank.
“Engage your core! Push up with your abs! If your waist dips like that, you'll strain your back! Lower your hips!”
“Uwaaaack!”
“Oho, if your waist dips one more time, I'll just sit on you!”
“…Yes!?”
“For your information, my weight is 265 pounds—no, 120 kilograms! That's heavier than the bench press weight you can lift in one go! You wouldn't want that, would you?”
With a soft, cozy bed right in front of me, I was caught by the tiger-like Second Prince and forced into muscle expansion, screaming all the while.
#
“Hoo, let's stop here for today. Good work, Ian. Your muscles are pumped up quite appetizingly. You should be able to fall into a very sweet sleep tonight.”
“Th-thank you, Your Highness…!”
“Now hurry up and wash before bed. There's another Social Gathering tomorrow.”
“…Yes, I understand.”
“Ah, my brother is doing something in the main hall tomorrow, but it's sure to be boring, so it would be better not to attend. I'm going to step out, so why don't you go to the table you were sitting at? I believe they gather the hostages in one place.”
“…Are you referring to the hostage table, Your Highness?”
“Yes. There might be more friends who like exercise like you. If there's a promising one, it would be fun to bring them along to work out together.”
Arthur smirked, then his expression slightly hardened as he spoke.
“—Well, if they hang out with me, that hostage might be treated a little better. I'll have to bring one or two along using exercise as an excuse.”
“…Did you know?”
“That the Empire treats its hostages terribly? I know. Didn't I mention it before? Even before you arrived, I brought a hostage named Jason to exercise with me. He was a friend who was treated very poorly, but fortunately, his treatment improved quite a bit after he started keeping company with me.”
“…!”
“I'm not interested in politics, and Father and my brother are in charge of hostage affairs, so I usually just let it be… but sometimes I think it gets a bit excessive. So I occasionally try to get close using exercise as an excuse. Of course, most of them run away even when given the chance, so I just give up, but the few who grit their teeth and stick with it to the end—I tend to look after them.”
“……”
I hadn't expected such words to come from a member of the Imperial Family, so I was momentarily at a loss for words.
As I struggled to choose my words carefully, Arthur added with a sigh-like tone.
“Well, the tradition of the Empire handed down since the time of the Great Emperor Uzarat was to treat the capable with favor regardless of status. That's why the capable from all across the continent gathered to build the current great empire, but these days it seems to have become somewhat extreme, distorted into something like 'the incapable have no right to live.’”
“……”
“I consider it fortunate that this trend hasn't yet been applied to the common people, but the blue-bloods have always been held to strict standards, now as in the past. Strictness is fine, but bringing hostages and abusing them—honestly, I don't see what that has to do with meritocracy at all.”
“……”
“Frankly, I wish they would stop waging wars on all fronts. The Southern Campaign is over, so the Empire's enemies are now only the Northern Archduke and the Kingdom of Rolan, neither of whom are easy opponents. I think we could find a reasonable compromise since the Empire holds the advantage, but Father, my brother, and Sister Victoria can think of nothing but war.”
“……”
“Well—I was never close to the throne to begin with, and my brother will be the next Emperor, so what use is there in me saying such things? It was unbecoming of a prince of an empire founded by a nomadic people, and it's uncomfortable talk for you, a hostage, so I'll stop here. Have a good night.”
“Have a good night, Your Highness the Prince.”
Arthur stood up with an expression that somehow looked slightly lonely and headed for the door.
He had been walking with heavy steps when he suddenly stopped. I had been preparing to wash up, but wondering if he had something to say, I looked at him.
“Your Highness?”
When I saw his eyes as he turned his head in an unnatural manner, I gasped sharply.
The eyes that should have been glowing violet were instead glowing silver.
[Ian Sterling.]
Arthur's voice was not the usual deep one, but a cold woman's voice. Though I had only brushed past it briefly, it was a voice I could never forget.
[Shall we talk?]
“……!”
[Are you interested in a conversation about bringing down the Empire?]