Chapter 105 – The Two Princes and Their Retainers

“Brid. No servants got fired this week, right?”

“Yes, Second Prince. No one’s been dismissed lately.”

Brid gazes at me with a smug, satisfied look as I let out a relieved breath.

Not something to brag about, though.

“The kid-together strategy was a success. I’m relieved.”

“Indeed. And lately, it seems she’s been cooking alongside the cook’s child.”

Cooking?

“She’s still not ready to eat in front of others, but she’s picked up the basics of table manners too—probably thanks to that?”

“Well, yes. A cook’s child learns proper etiquette for the dishes they make from their parents.”

I see.

“For her to pick up these skills on her own—I’ve truly got some luck on my side.”

“I’m the one stuck dealing with you claiming it as your merit and everyone mistaking me for some genius.”

Come to think of it, during that recent visit to the neighboring kingdom, she claimed she’d disguised herself as a coachman, thinking she’d been left behind on the trip, and just happened to tag along.

“That’s a good thing, isn’t it?”

“It feels like enemies might come after me.”

Brid flashes a grin, his face twisting into a smirk.

“Don’t make it sound like it’d be better if you got attacked.”

“Hahaha.”

Maybe I should assign some guards to Brid too.

“Hey. It’s spring now—think it’s safe to send Lily back home soon?”

“Her skin and hair are both radiant now. Visually, she looks just like the Saintess.”

Brid says it to me with a wicked gleam in his eye.

“Heh heh heh. Trying to paint me as some deviant prince?”

“No, just confirming. Please don’t worry about it.”

Of course I’m worried.

“Oh, I almost forgot.”

“What is it?”

“Lady Lily said she’s already bored of that dress from the other day…”

“Again…?”

Haah…

“Ahaha. Just kidding.”

Damn it.

“Not funny at all.”

“Wahaha. It’s hilarious to me.”

Brid’s in high spirits. Is he that thrilled about Lily leaving?

No, he is. And I’m thrilled too.

“Hahaha. Just hurry up and send her back already.”

“Yes, yes.”

I laughed as I shoved Brid out of the room.

But why do I have this awful feeling of dread…?

“Lord Larsen. A former guard of Second Prince Miles Devius has requested a secret meeting. What should we do?”

“To me, the First Prince’s retainer, from the Second Prince’s ex-guard? Who is it?”

“It’s Dazil, the former head of the guards.”

A spy from the Second Prince?

That’s too obvious, though.

That Brid serving the Second Prince wouldn’t pull something so idiotic.

“Let him in.”

“Yes, sir.”

Dazil enters the room with perfect posture and snaps a sharp salute.

“What’s your business?”

“Today, I have some intelligence to whisper in your ear, Lord Larsen.”

I hesitate for a moment, but there’s no harm in hearing him out.

“Speak.”

“During the Second Prince Miles Devius’s recent inspection tour to the neighboring kingdom, he brought back the newly emerged Saintess’s twin sister.”

The Saintess’s twin sister?

I’ve never heard of such a thing.

“What does the Second Prince intend to do with the Saintess’s twin sister?”

“Yes, sir. Right now, they’re dressing her up beautifully and polishing her appearance. They’re also drilling manners into her.”

Just like that fool of a prince. Nothing good will come of it.

What does he plan to do with a dolled-up puppet?

“He doesn’t seriously plan to marry her in place of the Saintess, does he? No, their statuses are worlds apart.”

“But their faces are identical. If they swap her with the real one, couldn’t they bring the famed Saintess into our kingdom?”

That’s it!

The idiot prince probably hasn’t thought it through, but that Brid would pull it off.

Every single time Brid’s involved, assassinations get thwarted, and the idiot prince’s blunders all turn into merits for him.

Brid must be scheming to marry the Saintess off to the idiot prince and steal the right of succession.

“Dazil. Why come to me?”

“I have a debt to settle with the Saintess’s twin sister. Figured I’d pay it back properly.”

Dazil’s face twists with pure malice.

“You’ve got your reasons. Fine. Serve under me from now on.”

“I am deeply honored. Thank you.”

I need to report this to the First Prince right away…

“Brid’s making a fake Saintess? Larsen, is this information solid?”

“Yes, First Prince Yorus Arju. Straight from someone close to the Second Prince.”

“Can we trust it?”

“Yes. I can’t disclose the details, but the enemy of my enemy…”

I see. Shared interests.

That guy’s got plenty of enemies too.

“That bastard Miles. He planning to swap the Saintess with her sister?”

“Yes. That’s what concerns me. If he pulls off marrying the real Saintess, the throne would be as good as his.”

Miles is too much of an idiot to think that far.

Brid’s the one scheming, no doubt.

The recent assassination flopped too, and he’s pulling every trick to go after the throne… going after me.

Even if I plot to poach Brid, Miles would never let him go.

“All right! Snag that Saintess’s sister for ourselves! We’ll hijack their plan outright!”

“Yes, sir. Before that, the informant insists on hearing our plan first.”

“The informant?”

“Yes. If it’s useful, we exploit it and toss him aside.”

As expected of Larsen.

I nodded in satisfaction.

Thank you for reading.

To everyone who bookmarked, rated, or liked: thank you so much!

Typo reports—truly, truly thank you!!