The knight turned pale and waved his hands, unable to say anything.

“Oh, no it is not that! I—”

“Not that?!” I cut off the knight with exaggerated gesture and stepped towards him. “Sir Conrad! Are you now refuting your own loyalty? My goodness! Are you saying that you are abandoning loyalty, the most important virtue of a knight!”

I stumbled on my steps while saying how astonished I was. When I did, Precia was startled and quickly came to my support.

“Your Highness!”

“Ah, don’t worry, I am alright.”

She was overreacting to my act. How troublesome… I balanced myself and approached the knight.

“Oh, no. No, I did not mean that, but what I’m saying, no I mean to say is…” The panicked knight began stuttering.

The other knights froze up, unable to open their mouths. It was a normal reaction as they were at the risk of losing their lives if they said something wrong here. It was so easy to deal with them.

I tapped on the knight’s shoulder twice and then took steps in the direction of the people that were looking towards us. “I know. I know you have no such impure intentions.”

Now, everyone paid attention to what I said even if I spoke softly, “How can I not know that you said that out of your genuine concern for my safety after what had happened? Sir Conrad.”

Hearing my statement, the knight nodded strongly as if he had found a lifeline. “Th-that’s right! I spoke in concern for Your Highness’ safety…!”

“Yes! As shameful as it is, there is no guarantee that there won’t be a second assassin aiming for my life. I’m sure you have no choice but to think about my safety as my royal father sent you to be my escort.”

“Th-that’s right!”

That’s right my ass. He was clearly just annoyed that he would have more things to watch out for if I wander around.

Contrary to my inner thoughts, I spoke with a resolute expression. “But! I cannot hide in the palace! Why? Because that is no different from testifying that I have lost against a lowly assassin!”

I was no longer talking to the knights but was shouting as I looked around at those watching from afar as if I was performing a monologue on the stage in a play.

“When my royal father heard about the incident he got furious, saying it was a challenge against the authority of royalty. What could he mean by that? As the prince, I am not simply the son of my father, but the son of this kingdom, and therefore am obliged to act for the sake of the royal authority!” I took a breath and continued, “Now, tell me, Sir Conrad. Is it right and proper that I, the prince of this nation, hide for the sake of my safety because of a mere ruffian? Or should I declare to the whole world that I, and by extent, the royal family, still stand healthy?”

The knight answered my question carefully. “It is right to let them know that royal family is… perfectly fine.”

Wrong. I cannot represent the royal family.

There was no guarantee that I would be succeeding the throne just because I was his first son, and unlike me, my half-brother had a strong backing. In other words, whether I stayed safe or not did not signify the status of the royal family.

But still, no one dared to argue at the moment. So, I declared.

“Yes! That is the reason I am strolling around the palace!”

Obviously, that was a lie. Even at this very moment, I was thinking about how I could gobble up the treasures hidden in this palace. However, the people that heard me were nodding as if they were deeply touched.

Good, I wouldn’t have to worry about interruptions wherever I go now.

After all that I said, stopping me would be akin to challenging the royalty.

Actually, I presumed that the knights would complain if I strolled around everywhere, but I did not think they would do so this soon. I thought that they would at least complain to me inside the palace, but it was good that they were more idiotic and impatient than I had thought.

Well, there was no way they could think properly. Knights were the kind of folks who thought that learning to read was a shame until just hundred-something years ago. In any case, it seemed that I’d be able to enter the King’s palace earlier than scheduled.

* * *

When I saw a thick steak as well as the well-grilled garnishes, I asked while taking a seat. “Will I be having steak for dinner?”

Herion answered my question while pouring me a light aperitif. “That is right. As per your orders, Your Highness, I was told most of your meals will consist of meat.”

The meat on the plate was a lot for a single person but that was what I had asked for. For this weak body of mine to properly absorb Founder’s legacy, eating lots of protein was important.

As I cut the meat, I offered Precia and Herion to eat as well. “Why don’t you eat with me, both of you?. Especially Precia, you don’t even have time to eat as you have been by my side all the time.”

“Yes, but…”

“Other knights are taking turns to eat. If you don’t want to eat together with me than you can go and eat separately.”

The knights that came to the palace with me were not here because they joined the guards of the palace when we returned.

At my words, Precia hesitated but soon sat down. It looked like her confidence had taken a big hit after I was nearly assassinated while she wasn’t present.

Then I looked at Herion who was standing still, he smiled gently and put salad in my plate. “I’m eating separately so you need not worry.”

Unlike my escort Precia, Herion did not stick with me all day, so he seemed okay.

An attendant and a knight served different purposes, so it wasn’t surprising that he refused my offer to sit at the table unlike Precia, who hesitated, but eventually sat down.

“How reliable of you. Learn from him, Precia. How do you plan to protect me without eating properly?”

At my playful taunt, Precia replied with a blush. “I will eat with you.”

Well, not that I’m in a position to worry about anyone

As I was ardently eating the steak, someone knocked and asked for permission to enter the dinning hall.

“Your Highness, this is the Lord Chamberlain from the privy council. Please forgive me for coming announced during your dinner but may I talk with you?”

At the request I put down the steak that I was about to eat. The privy council was the body that managed the attendants in the palace and the Lord Chamberlain referred to their highest-level personnel. In other words, someone akin to the Secretary Head of State had suddenly come to meet me.

Precia quickly stuffed the steak she was eating in her mouth and then stood next to me as an escort as if she had never eaten with me in the first place.

How cute.

“Come on in, Lord Chamberlain.”

After I gave him the permission a middle-aged man in decent clothes entered through the door and greeted with a bow.

“Lord Chamberlain Germaine Lumine greets Your Highness Yuan.”

I inwardly smiled in bitterness when I looked at the greeting that seemed to be in conformance to the teachings of royal etiquette. Although he was just an extra that didn’t have much of a significance in the novel, he played a big role in executing the queen, who was one of Precia’s enemies.

Though, of course, he was not someone I could make use of right now.

“I am curious as to why the lord chamberlain has visited me, but if you would like, why not join me for dinner?”

At my suggestion, Germaine bowed and expressed his refusal. “Thank you, but I am afraid I cannot stay longer as His Majesty has tasked me with some duties.”

“Is that so? That is unfortunate, but as I cannot hold a busy person, you may comfortably state your business.”

The lord chamberlain expressed his gratitude at my pretentious words and stated the reason for his visit.

“His Majesty has said that He is regretful about the cancelation of Your Highness’ dinner banquet to celebrate your birthday. As such, although it is a little late, He wishes to have a small dinner with you at the central palace, and I have been tasked to ask for your intentions.”

I was rather flabbergasted at how he put the words “The King wants to eat with you” into such a difficult, grand speech. Still, it was a good thing that things were going the way I expected them to. Putting everything aside, Videl’s armor, which was in the central palace, was something I had to get after all.

I smiled brightly, hiding my thoughts. “That is delightful news. Please tell Father that this young prince anticipates the day he sees Him.”

From how the king called me like this when he had zero interest in his children usually, it was probably because he heard what happened during the day. The king was furious when he learned about an assassination attempt on me not because I almost died but because it was a challenge to the royal rule.

In other words, from the king’s perspective, my speech which reminded everyone that the royalty may be looked down at the slightest excuse in the harsh political world, was a satisfactory response.

“I shall convey your words to His Majesty. Then I will take my leave.”

“Yes, Lord Chamberlin. Herion, see the lord chamberlain out.”

At my instruction, Herion politely opened the door and saw Lord Chamberlin out of the palace. Once the two left, I took a sip of aperitif and smiled. “He sent the lord chamberlain just to deliver some words, huh…”

The king must be satisfied by my actions during the day.

However, there was one person who should’ve found my actions bothersome, and in fact, furious: the queen. As long as I held the title of the king’s eldest son. The queen had no choice but to hate me.

While what I did during the day was for the sake of getting entry into the king’s residence, it was also a provocation that the queen could not ignore and a stepping stone for my future path.

In such a situation, a visit from the lord chamberlain, who was one of the closest aids of the king, was enough to instill anxiety in her. I was practically refueling a car with a cigarette in my mouth in front of someone who hated smokers.

Was the king helping me? Or was he just using me… In either case, I only had to get the most out of the situation. Be it king or queen, I would suck them all dry as much as I could.

“This is delicious. It would’ve been better if you could appreciate the taste a little more.”

Precia blushed because she was embarrassed after eating in hurry.

“Pl-please don’t tease me.”

I will want to tease you even more if you say that.

After eating I went back to my room while exchanging light jokes with Precia.

* * *

I sat by the window and looked up at the night sky. The temperature the mid-winter night brushed past my nose but I did not feel cold. It was thanks to Nabi blocking the wind from entering the room.

—Meow~!

“Yes, yes, you did good.”

I played with Nabi with one hand and looked at the place that I asked it to enter during the day that it formed with the wind. As it was formed with wind, I couldn’t see it properly, so I sprinkled some dirt on it. When I did, the dirt was trapped within the wind, and the structure of the building appeared.

It was physically impossible for me to get all the treasures tonight, so I was going to take time and get it gradually.

“Nabi, can I pass through this vent?”

When I pointed at a vent, Nabi pondered for a moment than cried.

—Meow!

“Oh, I can’t go?”

It was amazing that I could understand it when the only thing I heard was a cat cry.

“Then where’s a place that I might fit through?”

In response to my question, Nabi floated around the structure and after examining it stopped at one place pointing at a ventilation hole on the third floor.

“Then leave just the part that is connected to this hole.”

At my instruction. The dirt building collapsed apart from the ventilation ducts, leaving behind a three-dimensional map made of dirt in the air.

“Well, if I go through here then I can get to our destination at once. Well done!”

When I patted Nabi on the head, it purred pleasantly.

After I observed the place I was going to visit today, I brushed aside the dirt. I roughly cleaned the soil.

Then I spoke sticking my legs out of the window.

“Let’s go, Nabi.”

—Meow~!

As I jumped out of the window, I felt resistance under my feet and slowly landed where no one was present. After landing on the ground from the fifth floor I patted Nabi on the head.

Then someone jumped out of the window as if trailing me. I was surprised for a moment as the person descended rapidly, but when I saw that face of the person that landed right next to me, I clicked my tongue.

“Your Highness… No, are you really the prince?”

Under the moonlight, Precia’s face could be seen, taken aback and confused. Even then, she put her hand on the handle of her sword.