"I don't need any extra people, though."
I returned to my room and grumbled.
I'd already changed out of the stiff formal clothes, so if possible I wanted to spend my time on alchemy, but it didn't look like that was happening. I had all the equipment ready, and I wanted to try using it all. There were things like the water displacement method that I could use with science knowledge, but the problem was what to displace. I needed to work through those details and experiment on my own. So I wanted time, but it seemed I couldn't have that.
Because hearing Ikuto's explanation, Harty had started crying. Wearell had a very sour look, and Helkov—whose expressions were hard to read—was baring his fangs and growling.
"Ikuto, can't I get into that royal guard training or something?"
"Unfortunately not. They remember my face, so I shall handle it."
He's planning to interfere again. I thought the guards were basically just observing, though. No, come to think of it, did he ignore me when I was arguing at the door?
"Lord Arsha is His Majesty's child! And yet, why must he be prevented from meeting his own father!? How much more must he endure!"
Harty gripped her handkerchief tightly, crying in frustration.
For a normal six-year-old, having lost his mother and being unable to see his busy father would indeed be a pitiable situation. I understood that my aunt Harty cared for me. But I was sorry to say that due to my previous life—where I'd been an adult with poor family relationships—I had no dissatisfaction with the current situation. Certainly, as a six-year-old I did want to interact more with my father, but not by forcing things on those around me and disturbing Father.
"I'm fine, Harty. Besides, I gained something from this."
Among the retainers with puzzled expressions, only Ikuto gave a bitter smile.
"His Majesty will create guidelines for emergency contact with me because of this incident."
"That is, haha. Lord Arsha's resourcefulness is wonderful. I couldn't imitate that," Wearell laughed, surprised.
Stripping had been something I could do because I was a child; if I'd been a proper thirty-year-old adult, I'd probably have thought of another way.
"But I may have caught Marquis Strateg's attention because of that."
"It was about increasing personnel. In that case, isn't it fine?"
Helkov spoke, putting away his fangs.
We were currently in the Gold Room, the largest waiting room. Though rarely used, the entrance was nearby, and Helkov pointed with his clawed finger at the door leading to the stairs.
"There are four staircases connecting outside from here. Three internal, one external. There are two doors facing that external staircase. Even if four or five people are sent in, we can just have them stand around the staircase area."
The interior was divided into four sections: the Gold Room, Blue Room, Red Room, and Emerald Room. It seemed separate households had lived there, with each having its own staircase leading outside.
Well, despite having that many staircases, only one external one could be used for meeting Father—they really had shoved me into a place with such malicious arrangements. It was fine, though, since it was spacious and there was no problem fitting alchemy equipment here.
"I'd prefer they don't enter the Emerald Room. It's full of beakers."
And flasks, too. There were round flasks larger than my head that I'd never seen even in my previous life. I wanted to try using them once I learned alchemy. Those were stored in the Emerald Room, and it would be terrible if armed people moved them carelessly and broke them. I remembered helping check for cracks in test tubes after experiments when I was in charge of science at school, and I'd heard that even small cracks could cause explosions.
"Probably won't be assigned four people," Ikuto said with a composed expression. "The royal guards are gathered from reasonably high births. Everyone wants to work splendidly in conspicuous positions."
In other words, they didn't want to waste their careers dealing with me—who had low succession rights and was being watched by Marquis Strateg, the head of the royal guards. Well, it was a reasonable deduction.
"...It might be the opposite."
"Wearell?"
"I think we should consider the possibility that he will send in a trusted confidant."
Wearell looked wary, but I tilted my head.
"Do I have that much value?"
"His Majesty certainly loves Lord Arsha," Harty said firmly, gripping my hand hand. Tears still floated in her eyes, but her gaze was straight and without falsehood.
"Yeah, I know. But if that's the case, I'm sure it's the same for my younger brothers."
Yes, I now had three younger brothers. My succession rights had fallen below those three. So for those wanting to get close to the throne, I should be a prince with little appeal.
"As for what reached Marquis Strateg's ears, perhaps it was the incident with your younger brother last year?" Ikuto informed me, looking slightly uncomfortable.
That incident where a royal guard had tried to point a sword at me. I'd heard Father got angry and removed them from Terry's guard, and some had even left the palace for their blunder.
"Isn't that the guards' issue, not mine?"
"I'm sure he's concerned about the rumors that arose then."
Harty warned me of my optimism with a sour look. Rumors that I had harmed Terry, or that the Emperor doted on his unfortunate eldest son. But the biggest one was probably that I was aiming for the throne. I'd been shut away doing alchemy, yet they had such terrible paranoia. They say adults' suspicions only deepen, thinking you're aiming for something even when you're not. So Marquis Strateg would send a trusted confidant because of that?
"In that case, would Marquis Strateg see me as ambitious? Or would he try to use me?"
"I'm not well-versed in politics, but if one wants to maintain and grow their current power, they would solidify His Majesty's reign. Thinking that way, they wouldn't be pleased if a prince with weak backing came to the forefront," Helkov muttered, stroking his chin as if answering his own question.
After all this discussion, there was no increase in contact between me and Marquis Strateg. Thinking about it that way, he really did seem to have strange suspicions. And Marquis Strateg himself didn't know the truth. So the possibility of sending someone to obtain reliable information became high.
"So if I behave quietly, will they leave me alone eventually?"
"If it's his person, keeping them standing here where there's almost no work would be a waste."
According to Ikuto, annoying people would intrude for a while, but I just needed to endure it.
One day, while thinking that way.
"Marquis Strateg is calling for me?"
"There seem to be documents requiring personal verification. Man, I searched blindly because Mr. Totos moved here before his shift."
I could hear a royal guard speaking in a casual tone, coming to call Ikuto. He was talking with the door open because he had stood in front of the room before Ikuto came out, so he couldn't close it. What I could see was a young face in his early twenties, and just as I noticed blonde hair, his characteristic black eyes looking rudely into the room stood out. In this world, it seemed to work on different principles from Earth, where body color follows rules based on pigment density.
"Then I shall go. You also—"
"Ah, I'm told to guard the prince instead of Mr. Totos, the only guard here, so go ahead, go ahead."
He slipped in, replacing Ikuto who was trying to close the door on his way out.
"Hello. So I'm Levain Daphne Yani Mildoadis, here to guard you. Nice to meet you~"
Levain introduced himself in a casual tone that seemed to hold no ill will. But I hadn't permitted him entry, nor given him permission to speak. This was a complete breach of manners. Or rather, I should think he was obviously treating me as inferior. If they had sent this Levain on purpose, Marquis Strateg had made a more unpleasant choice than expected. This was picking a fight—or rather, looking down on me.
I had thought about enduring it for a bit, but this type only grew worse if endured. I felt that if I just watched, he would do as he pleased.
Now then, how should I send him away quickly?
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