---

Princess Shione was acting all wild and unpredictable.

But then again, she’s the precious daughter of a noble family. Normally, she wouldn’t even dream of cursing, unless, of course, her target wasn’t a cultist. Yet here she was, effortlessly throwing around terms like “bitch” and “slut” at a woman whose future was uncertain!

Suddenly, she got fixated on names and insisted on being called by hers! Furthermore—

“Make it sound a bit threatening. You know what I mean, right?”

Today, there was no brake on Princess Shione.

If it were any other time, she would have blushed and looked around nervously. But now, she was boldly mixing in her odd preferences with my requests.

I couldn’t help but feel dizzy as she now shamelessly demanded things from me, as if we were already very comfortable with each other.

‘Well, I guess half of this is my fault.’

After all, it was me who had encouraged her quirky tastes, fanning the flames of her peculiarities!

In the end, I called her name once again as she instructed.

“Lady Shione.”

“……!”

Her mouth opened and closed, and her feet fidgeted, pacing in place.

It seemed that she quite liked the embarrassment of hearing her name called. She didn’t scream, but her body was expressing all her emotions in the most exaggerated way possible.

“Hmph, this feels good. After all, Ray isn’t just a servant, there’s really no need to add ‘my lady’ to my name, right? So please keep it like this moving forward.”

“If I call you Lady Shione, will you react like this every time?”

“…I only do this in front of Ray.”

“Well, that’s a bit troublesome. You see, while you’re under the command of the Knights Order, I’m subordinate to you, so it seems more appropriate to use ‘my lady’.”

In the hierarchy of the Knights, the leader, Lady Diolia, holds the position over Shione. So after her, it’s me.

It might seem off for a deputy commander who swears loyalty to rank and house to call her just “Miss” or “Young Lady.”

“Still, Ray holds the position of the baron’s firstborn, meaning he represents the family and… even if I’m the second daughter of the count’s house, it still feels a bit distant—”

But as she noted, even if the baron’s family is of lesser standing than the count’s, the head of that family never bows to just anyone.

Shione simplified that ambiguous distance:

“Maybe if Ray called me ‘Lady Shione’ assertively from the start, the others wouldn’t question it as much.”

She just wanted to hear ‘Young Lady’—

As if she knew that already, she came closer, beaming with a coy smile, and tiptoed to reach me.

“Ray is really tall.”

With Shione snugly nestled against my chest, her annoyed expression turned up to me for a moment.

And then—a soft sensation brushed my lips. A gentle press against my lower lip.

It was too short and light to be called a kiss, yet a bit deeper than a mere peck.

After that brief match of lips, she stepped back with her arms crossed and said,

“Congratulations on becoming the lord of the Karpel Barony! It’s famous for being harmonious and beautiful, so when you visit, you’re sure to love it. I’ve heard there’s a lovely big lake there.”

Shione tilted her head slightly, a habit she gets when recalling knowledge, so I guessed it was something she read or heard. Given our travels, we had never passed through the Karpel Barony before.

But it was certainly exciting to hear it described as a harmonious and beautiful territory. There are no bad lands managed directly by the royal family, and the fact that Shione also expressed a desire to visit meant Karpel must be developed in some way.

“That’s great news. Now that I’m the Karpel Baron, I can assist you more, especially in so many ways.”

“…I asked you to call me ‘Lady.’”

“What can I do if ‘my lady’ has stuck in my mouth, Shione?”

“Now you’re just omitting ‘my lady’? Well, fine, if it’s just the two of us.”

“…Regardless, being a baron of a royal direct territory is quite a privilege. It means being recognized by the royal family… so your words will carry more weight within the count’s house from now on.”

Both the House of Counts and even the Royal Princess are aware of this fact: Shione and I are one and yet both at the same time.

Whatever influence my new title may have holds uncertain limits, but still… I could definitely use it down the line when supporting Shione and rallying allies.

Without having to look too far ahead.

“Right now, it could assist you as you try to eliminate the remnants of your past.”

This struggle is crucial. Even after solid evidence is found, not being overtaken by the enemy’s momentum until the very end is vital. It’s critical to drill the events of this incident into everyone’s heads until they accept the truth.

When I assert my intercession as the Karpel Baron, not just as a mere Deputy Commander, it’s only natural that even the retainers who think little of me due to my skill with a bow would start taking us seriously.

“The key will be whether Lady Diolia can uncover a decisive piece of evidence while the Princess stays in the Count’s House. I’d like to clear all this up before the expedition if possible.”

“And you have a plan, it seems.”

“There’s no benefit in dragging it along… With all this, I’m just feeling more anxious and exhausted. It might be good to ask Diolia about it tomorrow.”

Shione turned her head to gaze outside the window.

The window was tightly shut to keep any sound from slipping out.

“What will we do if Diolia doesn’t manage to bring results?”

“Because I had already thought through all that.”

What a light, warm light shone through the window, contrasting with the ice-cold shadow that enveloped Shione’s overall face.

“After all, they already know everything. What we lack now is the material evidence. If I can’t find a legitimate reason to attack, then I should create one myself.”

If the head maid were to be drawn into this, it would be impossible for her not to respond. Tracking that response should allow us to catch everyone involved.

Shione was filled with determination to finish everything before embarking on the expedition right after the royal family would leave the count’s house.

After a moment of deep thought, she sighed softly and abruptly grabbed my hand.

“So let’s rest for now. Anyway, my sister and mother will call us once they finish their talk with the Princess.”

Plopping me down on the room’s sofa, she immediately settled on my lap.

As if it couldn’t get any cozier, she leaned her head against my chest, loosening up like before.

She tilted her head back to look up at me.

Peck!

After placing a kiss right on my jaw, she stared at me blankly.

“Come on, hurry up and hug me. If not now, who knows when we’ll be this close again?”

Following her words, I gave her a gentle embrace.

Yet despite that, for some reason, Shione pouted and said:

“…You’re too weak; hold me tighter next time.”

I can’t help but think her preferences are consistently inconsistent.

*

“Hah…”

A nervous sigh echoed through the quiet office.

The one letting out that sigh was Lady Kelsy Arnin, the head maid.

She was currently in a foul mood.

‘Naturally, under the current circumstances, I can’t help but be suspicious.’

Ray had specifically mentioned Herrel.

And for some reason, even Lady Diolia had been keeping her distance from the retainers. Since the news had spread that she would support Shione, she’d started interacting with various retainers.

Why was that? It seemed they were frequently bumping into those tied to her by past contracts.

Kelsy felt increasingly uneasy about their movements that stirred up her past actions.

‘Aheira, I haven’t found someone as useful as that girl. These days, I feel rather uneasy about her.’

In front of her stood a woman quietly awaiting her command. Aheira, whom Kelsy had previously kept tightly controlled, was now asserting her ignorance as she questioned every detail regarding Shione and those close to her.

Kelsy couldn’t help but feel frustration brewing inside her.

But even so, she didn’t delve into thoughts of Aheira siding with Shione.

‘That girl’s father’s life is being extended significantly by my funds.’

Kelsy knew better than anyone in the count’s house about Aheira’s background.

Having been her puppet for quite some time, she was well aware of who needed money the most in their family. Aheira would never betray her.

“It would be wise to have a private conversation, it seems.”

Having reached that conclusion, Kelsy closed the book in front of her and slowly stood up from her seat.

“Aheira, as written there, deliver the letter.”

“…Understood.”

After receiving the letter, Aheira quietly headed off to deliver it.

Shortly after, Kelsy and another woman greeted each other somewhere in the mansion and quickly disappeared from view.

From a distance, two figures kept a watchful eye on them, feigning coincidence.

“Finally found you.”

One of them was Diolia.

At last, she had caught onto a connection with a prominent figure.

“…Did I read the letter in vain?”

The other was Aheira.

Now standing at the crossroads of her final choices, a fallen noble.

*

The next day, Shione and I faced nature’s fury in our Special Mission Team’s training grounds.

Starting with the rigid atmosphere of our team, once we spotted the concentration of everyone’s sharp senses, we were finally able to see the source of this tension.

Violet hair, violet eyes, flawless white skin, and rosy lips.

Adelhaite Aisiliah. For some reason, she had come to our training ground with attendants in tow, and now Lady Diolia was sweating profusely dealing with her.

Cautiously, Shione and I approached and asked her,

“Your Highness, may we inquire as to why you’ve come to the Special Mission Team?”

At my question, the smile of a first-time acquaintance spread on her lips. Simultaneously, her attendants’ gazes landed squarely on Shione and me.

“I wish to accompany the Young Lady and the Baron in spending some time together. After all, we need to know each other a little better to be more familiar, right?”

Wait, what? It’s not like she’s here to torment us! What kind of bonding could there be with the royal princess in a training area?!

Dressed in a flowing, dreamy semi-dress, and arriving at a dust-filled training ground, it was mind-boggling! If we were to do anything here, it would likely be sparring. But how could we possibly shoot arrows at royal attire like hers?

Once I tried to gauge her intentions, I could only let out a sigh of exasperation.

‘I’m losing my mind.’

What else could be a natural disaster but something unavoidable, more or less?

That princess was truly enjoying this situation! It looked like she was genuinely interested in training with us.

 

---