Chapter 144.1

It was then Raul learned something.

That Princesses who were used as pawns in state affairs would never be happy in a political marriage.

Truth to tell, the royal family did not protest in the least when their own Princess was subjected to such torment.

"Thanks to that child's sacrifice, the Emperor of Garkhain overlooked this country. We're so proud of her..."

Apparently, royalty must live and die for their country. In order to fulfill their duties, they weren't allowed to smile and must accept unwanted marriages, nor were they allowed to cry when they were unwilling.

What? Then we're the same, aren't we?

Raul had been asked to show his true smile, but all he felt was a new resolve.

I can't have feelings...It's much easier to laugh when you need to, be sad when you need to, and act like it.

Afterward, Raul continued to travel around the country with his foster parent, the chief.

That group of hunters was, as they said, mercenaries for hire. They went wherever they were paid to go and changed the master they served each time.

It didn't have to be a country that could afford a sky high price. This was because information gained in the service of a small country was useful when hired by a powerful country. In particular, the previous chief actively accepted requests from small countries for the sake of his heir, Raul.

Among them was Sigwell.

There was Prince Curtis, who was fifteen years old, the same age as Raul at the time, and Harriet, who was ten.

Smiling maturely, Curtis made eye contact with Raul, who was nothing more than a disposable guard, and asked to shake his hand straight away.

"I'll be counting on you, Raul...This is my sister, Harriet, and she's a bit of a wimp."

The girl who was hiding behind her brother's back and staring at Raul motionlessly exuded a stiff countenance.

At first glance, she seemed to be glaring at him. But Raul was accustomed to observing others and immediately realized that she was just frightened and shy.

So, he smiled smugly.

He tried not to frighten the timid girl with a cheerful, calm, and non-pushy expression.

"Hello. I look forward to working with you, Your Highnesses Curtis and Harriet."

"...!"

Because of this, Harriet gradually grew attached to Raul. While smiling in front of the two of them, Raul was thinking inwardly.

This princess will be unhappy in a political marriage, anyway.

But, on the other hand, the siblings unfailingly approached Raul.

"Raul! Raul is amazing. He can walk without making a sound, and his bow and arrow hit all the targets. When Raul masquerades as me, even Father fails to notice it. Right, Harriet?"

"Hmm!"

Harriet's cheeks flushed, and she nodded her head at Curtis' words.

This was just something Raul donned to stay alive. Raul, however, feigned gaiety.

"I am honored by your praise. Your Highnesses."

"I told you, you don't have to be so formal. We're close in age, and I want you to treat us as friends."

"...Friends?"

For once, Raul almost appeared bewildered. But Curtis and Harriet smiled without question.

"Of course. You're our friend."

"Friends. Because you're very likeable."

They really shocked Raul at that moment.

There was no way that the royalty of a country and a person who was just picked up to be a mercenary could be friends. However, what was required in that situation was exactly the behavior of a friend.

"Thank you...I'm glad to hear that."

Raul thought he was telling a lie as usual.

But he felt something warm, kindling inside his chest.

...What is this?

It was an uncomfortable, unsettling, and yet familiar feeling.

Am I perhaps happy about this?

No kidding.

It was a feeling he didn't need for survival. Such a feeling was a hindrance to his work.

Discard it, discard stuff like this. What if I fail to protect these guys because of these feelings?

That time, he thought he must protect them.

Despite his determination, Harriet became more and more downcast as her Princess training in Sigwell began in earnest.

Concerned about what Walter had said, Harriet let her bangs grow to hide her face and quit looking people around her in the eye as she spoke.

She had always been timid, and under her mother's strict upbringing, she gradually lost her smile.

The only time she showed a cheerful expression was when she was reading a book or talking about it.

A few years passed in that state, and when Raul's foster father died, he took over as the chief of the hunters. Around that time, Sigwell's ally, Fabrania, offered to bring Harriet to their country.

It was in the name of Bridal Training, but Raul had a bad hunch about it. Raul advised Curtis and offered to accompany her to Fabrania as an escort.

If there was a problem with having a male escort, he could disguise as a woman. However, Fabrania refused any escort provision, limiting Harriet's companion to a single maid.

"Raul. Could you please, just once, go check on Harriet?"

It was some time after Harriet's departure that Curtis pleaded with Raul.

"It's strange. It's been six months, but I haven't even gotten a single response to my letters..."

You, idiot. What do you want to know about what's going on at your sister's place of marriage?

There was nothing he could do about it anyway.

Sigwell lacks weapons that can compete with other nations. If allies do not help them, they'll be vulnerable to invasions of major powers...If they disobey Fabrania, the leader of the alliance, this country won't survive.

Still, Raul patted Curtis on the shoulder in a comforting manner and chuckled.

"I got it, Curtis. I'll find out everything I can, and if anything happens to Harriet, I'll help you."

"Raul!"

Then Raul went to Fabrania and unearthed everything that had happened to Harriet.

She was scorned, abused, and ridiculed. And to top it all off, she seemed to be involved in a forgery case.

The head maid who accompanied Harriet was desperately trying to protect her. By taking the initiative in scolding her, she had created an atmosphere where third parties had no chances of saying anything to Harriet.

However, such tricks weren't effective.

"Welcome back, Raul...How's Harriet?"

After returning to Sigwell, Raul smiled at the emaciated Curtis.

"She looks busy, but happy. You're such a worrier when it comes to your sister, you know?"

"R-Really?"

Raul felt that he had never put on a more perfect smile on his face than he did then.

"Harriet will definitely be happy. ―― So you too, stop blaming yourself for sacrificing your sister."

Since then, Raul carried out what he thought were the best preparations.

Intelligence work, gathering evidence of forgery, training his own people. He advised Curtis to have female knights trained and ready to move as soon as the 'opportunity' arose.

However, the problem was that there was no sign of that opportunity coming.

Even if he had infiltrated Fabrania, he couldn't get close to Harriet. Because of the counterfeit, not only was the castle heavily guarded, but the King was always at Harriet's side.

Once Harriet was forced to use counterfeit money once, she'd be done for. Just as Raul was getting impatient, an unexpected news came.

The Crown Prince of Garkhain had gotten engaged and sent out invitations to all countries.

As expected, Fabrania seized the opportunity. They allowed Harriet, who had stubbornly refused to leave the country until then, to go out and ordered her to spend the counterfeit money.

Meanwhile, Curtis had just fallen ill in Sigwell.

Raul offered to be his double, and instead of going to Garkhain, he headed to Fabrania without telling the royal family.

That was how he hid in the ship and mixed the potion into the drinks of the female knights of Fabrania. As soon as they arrived in Garkhain, he intended to separate the knight guards from Harriet and fulfill his 'purpose'.

An unexpected miscalculation occurred because of the appearance of that beautiful girl named Rishe.

The girl with coral hair appeared with dignity beside Harriet, who was supposedly without guards.

There was no such thing as female knights in Garkhain. Then she decided, there and then, to be Harriet's escort, yet there was nothing futile in that girl's Tai sabaki/body control. She almost embodied a top-notch knight.

Notes:

This chapter is quite looong so part 2 tomorrow 🙂