The following morning, Lelia and her companions gathered in one of the private rooms assigned to them.
Now that they had reached the location of their mission, it was time to discuss how they would protect William during the Crown Prince Selection. William himself was absent; they would report to him only after deciding everything among themselves.
(He did not discover who I was during yesterday’s introductions, but I cannot be too careful!)
With that thought in mind, Lelia turned to Marianne beside her.
“Does the estate appear easy to secure?”
“Exactly as your advance information suggested. This mansion was properly designed with the Crown Prince Selection in mind. Your investigation from three years ago was thorough and free of waste, as expected. How is the security plan coming along, Yves?”
“No problems so far.”
“There was movement early in the previous selection as well. We must remain vigilant,” Ghislain warned.
“Your prior experience truly is reassuring, Ghislain.”
They talked animatedly, reviewing the security inspection they had completed around the Erlanger estate the previous day, as well as the likely actions of the other houses.
“There is one thing bothering me,” Yves said, raising a hand.
“What is it?”
Lelia prompted him to report.
“There appear to be factions even among the servants in this mansion. They all care for William, of course, but their reasons differ. It may affect something later, so I thought I should share it.”
“Agreed. Thank you, Yves.”
Lelia had noticed the same thing three years ago, but there had been little she could do about it while playing a foolish wife. Working as part of a team was reassuring.
(Returning to a house that once expelled me because it could not love a foolish woman makes this assignment highly irregular. Nevertheless, it is still a mission. For now, we have only one major objective.)
When the discussion ended, Lelia addressed them all with emphasis.
“Our most important task is to survive the first vote one month from now. We must protect him properly so he neither dies nor falls out of the selection because of another house’s scheme.”
“Understood.”
The entire team answered their chief with grave expressions.
(I am also concerned that House Artois may interfere in some strange fashion. But unless they place William in danger, that has nothing to do with our mission.)
Lelia certainly had grievances against House Artois, but that was another matter. She had to concentrate above all on the assignment before her.
(This mission is already unusual because I must protect my former husband while concealing my identity. I have no time to let my attention wander.)
Once they had resolved all the items on their agenda, Marianne leaned toward her with intense curiosity.
“So, Lelia… you and Duke Erlanger…”
“Yes?”
“What were you like as husband and wife?”
Lelia blinked at the unexpected question. Marianne’s eyes sparkled.
“He is such a beautiful man. Even if the marriage was part of an assignment, surely something happened between you?”
Apparently, she was hoping for a romantic story. Lelia felt deeply apologetic that she could not meet those expectations.
“Hmm… We spoke only when absolutely necessary, so there is not much to say. In fact, I worked hard to make normal conversation impossible.”
“I see. I understand everything now. That was the kind of fool your mission required you to portray. Besides, romance is still too early for you, Lelia.”
“I am somehow sorry.”
Abandoning the subject, Marianne cut the conversation short and patted Lelia’s head repeatedly. Yves, however, looked unconvinced.
“N-No. Even if it was an assignment, you were married and lived together for six months. How could you have spoken only when necessary?”
“Nothing happened. We never shared a bed, either. We slept in separate rooms almost the entire time.”
“What?”
Both Yves and Ghislain—who had apparently been trying not to take part in the conversation—grimaced. Marianne, who had understood everything immediately, remained unperturbed.
Lelia tilted her head, wondering if it was truly so strange.
“Perhaps it was because I was fifteen at the time…? Some noblewomen marry at that age, but it is admittedly rather young.”
Still, Lelia had infiltrated the household as a spy for a specialized organization. Although playing the fool had been the mission’s central premise, she fully understood that assignments might sometimes involve more intimate duties. The organization had trained her for those possibilities.
She also knew that fulfilling the obligations of marriage might be necessary to avoid suspicion. Lelia had entered House Erlanger prepared to do so.
“We did share a room on the first night of the marriage… But perhaps because my behavior was so childish, the atmosphere never developed in that direction. I was an appalling fool the entire time.”
“William is a gentleman. Some disgusting old men would take advantage of a woman even while claiming to despise her for being stupid,” Marianne muttered.
Yves and Ghislain exchanged glances, their eyes wandering awkwardly.
(Yes. Just as Marianne says, William truly is a decent and principled man…)
Fortunately, her own lack of appeal had never become a problem.
At that moment, someone knocked upon the door. William—the very man they had been discussing only seconds earlier—looked inside.
“Is now a good time?”
Yves, Marianne, and Ghislain exchanged glances. Lelia greeted him with a smile.
“William, we are presently discussing the protection plan. We will report to you once everything is settled, so could you please wait a little longer?”
“Understood. That is not a problem, but…”
(…Oh?)
Lelia noticed that William was dressed to leave the mansion.
And these were not ordinary outdoor clothes. At first glance, his attire resembled a conventional suit, but a closer inspection revealed defensive magic woven into it. It was combat clothing—something seldom worn in daily life.
“Where are you going?”
William nodded in admiration when Lelia noticed the anomaly with a single glance and questioned him calmly.
“I just received a report of an enormous magical reaction near the northern edge of the territory, around the Yuno Wastes. It is some distance from the nearest inhabited village, but the reaction is apparently too powerful to overlook. I intend to inspect it personally.”
“The Yuno Wastes…? Ah!”
After a brief moment of thought, Lelia let out an involuntary cry. William looked at her curiously.
“Is something wrong?”
“No, no! Nothing at all…!”
Of course, that was not true. The report gave her far too many reasons to suspect one of the “parting gifts” she had left three years ago.
Seeing her reaction, however, Marianne apparently mistook the matter for a scheme connected to the Crown Prince Selection. She rose before anyone else.
“The nearest village to the Yuno Wastes belongs to Earl Dorado’s territory. House Dorado is hostile toward House Erlanger and may attempt to obstruct you during the selection.”
“Then this abnormal magical reaction might be a trap related to the Crown Prince Selection?”
“Yes. You should exercise caution, my lord.”
William responded smoothly to Marianne’s composed advice.
“Very well. I request your company. This is merely a reconnaissance mission, so the entire team is unnecessary. Two of you will be enough.”
“As you command.”
The other three answered solemnly. Lelia alone stood frozen in discomfort, then slowly raised her hand.
“Um…”
“What is it?”
“I may know what caused it.”
“You do? Even though you arrived here only yesterday?”
William frowned suspiciously. Unable to hide her discomfort, Lelia nodded.
“All of us will accompany you. This has nothing whatsoever to do with the Crown Prince Selection, and I expect it will be an extraordinarily dangerous mission.”
William narrowed his eyes at the utterly unexpected statement. Lelia saw her own teammates tilt their heads as well.
