Previously
Cecilia observes the tension between Rosivius and his hostile half-brother Dominic, noting Rosivius's stoic endurance. She officially appoints Cain and Eileen as her first knights, rewarding them with gold and private houses to secure their absolute loyalty.
“What?”
Surprise washed over their faces once more. Clearly, it was something neither of them had expected.
I pressed on, paying no heed to their reaction.
“Eileen will watch the family of Marquis Gibbels, and Cain will watch the family of Marquis Alvinus.”
Since Rosivius could directly impact Emily’s safety, this was also an arrangement to make Cain aware of his existence.
On the other hand, it was also a way for me to keep an eye on Rosivius, if only a little….
I voiced the thoughts I had held in my head for years.
“Within a few years, these two families will rise to become influential powers in the Noble Faction.”
Gibbels was already an effective power among the nobility, and Alvinus was bound to grow considerably with Rosivius joining their ranks.
“I do not expect you to gather valuable intelligence right away. Whether by building rapport with servants or relying on the guild, keep a close watch. And as you might guess, not a word of this must leak outside.”
I could almost hear them swallowing their dry breath.
They may not have grasped the full extent of my orders, but they certainly felt the gravity behind them.
At last… at last, it had begun.
“Have you truly started?”
“I told you, yes. Did you underestimate my resolve, Lady Baroness?”
“I truly did not expect you to carry it out.”
I offered a bright smile to Baroness Rentil.
“I even informed the Crown Princess. I would be disheartened if my teacher of ten years doubted me.”
Though I had long since completed the curriculum required of direct imperial family members, Baroness Rentil still visited me twice a month.
As my tutor and someone who enjoyed Grace’s trust, she sought to advise me in various matters until I reached adulthood.
“I remember how startled I was when you said you intended to monitor the Noble Faction.”
“Just wait. I shall bring all your secret dreams to fruition.”
At my jest, Baroness Rentil chuckled softly like a young girl. Beneath her light orange hair, her amber eyes sparkled like the afternoon sun.
Having been pushed aside in a family succession struggle, Baroness Rentil had entered the Tower of Sages, harboring a great deal of resentment toward current aristocratic society.
‘That critical perspective is precisely what sustains our bond as teacher and pupil.’
As I had told Grace, I initially had not discussed forming my Direct Squad with Baroness Rentil.
Yet once she heard the details through Grace, she found my plan thoroughly intriguing and generously shared her appraisals of the Noble Faction families.
‘Coming from high nobility herself, she naturally knows them well. Perhaps that family, in all likelihood…’
Staring into her amber eyes, I was reminded of a certain girl.
“By the way, there is something I would like your opinion on.”
“Are you hoping I will agree with your view again?”
Time and again, my views aligned with the Baroness’s, earning me both her counsel and her support.
“Under the law, even illegitimate children hold the same standing once recognized by the head of the family, correct?”
“That is correct.”
Baroness Rentil smiled faintly, and I knew the subject piqued her interest.
“Yet reality is nothing like that…. Is there anything I can do to shift this perception gradually?”
In other words, this was the best I could do for now despite knowing Rosivius’s circumstances.
“Speaking of harsher penalties is stale and trite, is it not?”
“I know that does not resolve the matter, either.”
If penalties could solve it, the problem would never have persisted in the first place.
“The simplest way would be for you to marry a man born out of wedlock.”
“Have you lost your mind?!”
“You could make him a resident husband and live together in the Imperial Palace.”
“It is not merely that I never want to leave the palace….”
It was her reply to my constant remarks about never wishing to leave the Imperial Palace.
True, comfort was one reason, but I had no desire to rely on such fragile romantic ties either….
Unable to voice that, I simply pressed my lips together.
“The next best alternative is to surround yourself entirely with people of such origins. Do you know how many commoner children dreamed of becoming knights after the Sixth Squad trainees were selected?”
“…As expected, a young princess has little choice but to serve as a figurehead for a campaign rather than enact policies….”
“You can craft policies later once your footing is firm. What you desire now is to shift awareness, is it not?”
Well, she was right about that too.
‘Yes… then I will also need an assistant to handle the administrative duties of my Direct Squad, and then…’
As I nodded along and drifted into wandering thoughts, Baroness Rentil spoke slowly, studying me with a penetrating gaze.
“I feel this every time… but Your Highness does not quite belong to this land, nor to this era.”
Ha, that was hardly surprising given that I was reincarnated.
Unable to admit as much, I brushed it off with a faint smile.
“Since I am One Indebted to Grace, I shall surely adapt somehow.”
“Which is why I always find it reassuring that you are indebted to grace.”
My tutor’s eyes shone with profound depth as she said that.
The first substantial report from Eileen and Cain arrived nearly a year later.
Between escort duties, their own training, and surveillance work, they must have been stretched thin.
Tackling tasks they had never previously imagined naturally involved a great deal of trial and error.
It seemed they had concealed their identities while frequenting the information guild, even slipping into servant employment agencies to win over domestic staff.
‘I did give them a generous advance for that very reason.’
I recalled placing gold coins equivalent to an entire year’s salary inside the velvet pouch I had handed them.
“Next is the second son, Rosivius Alvinus. He is currently thirteen years old, born to Lady Irina Alvinus, the Marquis’s half-sister, and adopted by the Marquis after Irina’s passing.”
Cain, who had brought the first report, recited the general contents with a tense expression. He was likely worried whether he had fulfilled my intentions despite working day and night.
“Lady Irina was commander of the Third Battalion of the Holy Knights, but she fell eleven years ago in the Sea of No Return during the Double Eclipse….”
The knight whose final moments I had witnessed in my dream… was she also laid to rest in the Hall of Glory?
“And as there are very few servants familiar with him, it is presumed he was raised in neglect….”
The bleak childhood of Rosivius recounted by Cain matched the original work and what I had seen in my dream. Cain had evidently investigated thoroughly, true to his nature.
“He is now a first-year student at the Academy, though his social ties… he is always seen alone. Thanks to his academic excellence, he placed first in the first term, and should this momentum continue, he may graduate early.”
“I see….”
I hurried on, keeping my sinking emotions hidden.
“Why was he rejected by the Magic Tower?”
“We are awaiting a response from an informant inside the Magic Tower.”
“And what of Lady Irina Alvinus’s mother?”
“As it happened so long ago, evidence is scarce… but accounts claim the previous Marquis Alvinus traveled through the eastern region at that time, so we are searching village by village. We are also attempting to track down survivors from back then to uncover who the biological father of the Alvinus son is.”
“Well done. You have worked hard all this time.”
“…Thank you, Your Highness.”
Relief washed over Cain’s face, which brightened at once. I smiled back with satisfaction, impressed by his dedication.
I had recruited him because he was an acquaintance of Emily, but he had proven genuinely dependable.
‘Ha, it was well worth not giving up back then and seeking him out.’
“By the way… is your father pleased with life in the imperial grounds?”
“Of course. The house you granted us is more than wonderful.”
Cain replied, scratching his short brown hair.
Shortly after receiving the house from me, he had brought his father to live with him.
“Is it not too cramped for two people?”
“Cramped? The problem is that it is far too spacious!”
Just as I thought. I had never visited it, but Grace would never skimp on anything regarding my affairs.
‘Now, even if Emily arrives, there will be no trouble.’
I chuckled inwardly.
Teasingly, I adopted a deliberately aloof tone.
“How has it felt now that you’ve tried it? You became a knight only to be tasked with strange duties. Is it discouraging? Or do you regret not becoming an imperial guard?”
“…I have dedicated my loyalty to Your Highness, yet you ask me this.”
Cain’s eyes brimmed with earnestness. Yet I couldn't stop myself from testing people in this suspicious manner….
Tinged with the bitterness of hollow relationships from my past life, I changed the subject.
“And what of Eileen?”
“She is doing her best. I… find it astounding how she can focus on a task like that.”
“I believe she is the sort who works hard when no one is watching.”
Cain nodded in agreement with my assessment.
Four years had already passed since they became comrades, more than enough time for him to realize she was not someone who breezed through life without effort, despite her indifferent exterior.
“Well then, until the others are appointed, keep doing your best.”
“Naturally.”
Knock, knock—
Just as I was about to wrap up my conversation with Cain, a knock came at the door.
“Your Highness, the Young Lord of House Ornbach has arrived.”
“Very well, show him in. Cain, you may take your leave.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
Cain bowed and departed from my office.
‘His eyes are even more impassioned than before.’
Whether in my past life or this one, owning a home in the capital was no simple feat, so it was only natural that fierce loyalty would form toward the one who resolved that problem.
I smiled with quiet satisfaction, content with this brand of loyalty rooted in capital.
“What has you looking so pleased, Your Highness?”
“It has been a while, Leo.”
Leoport, my friend of eight years, stepped into the reception room.
With puberty distinctly taking hold, Leoport was growing at a remarkable rate. Each time he visited the palace every month or two, I could tell the difference in his height.
Now he stood a good span taller than me, taller even than most adults.
‘Where did that naive little boy who used to wander about with his mouth hanging open go?’
Hiding the thought, I greeted Leoport warmly.
“Did you come straight from the Academy?”
“Yes. Had I known you were busy, I would have come another day.”
He answered in a noticeably deeper voice. It seemed his voice had already begun to break….
“I hear you have a fan club at the Academy? How could I put off a meeting with such a celebrity?”
“Y-Your Highness, really now….”
Leoport offered an awkward grin, his cheeks flushing pink.
‘Yes, this is how Leo ought to be.’
Laughing quietly to myself, I continued gently.
“If word has reached my ears, you must be far more than just a little popular.”
“Please don't tease me like that.”
Even the tips of his ears turned red.
That charming, cheerful blond boy was bound to be stealing the hearts of countless girls at the Academy with his warm appeal.
I felt a twinge of pity for the young ladies pining over him every night, for the boy already had someone destined for him, even if he didn't know it yet.
“With that kind of popularity, life at the Academy must be enjoyable.”
“It would be far more enjoyable if you attended the Academy as well.”
“And what would I do among a den of nobles like that?”
I shook my head, recalling the manager from my past life who would crash after-work drinks and make the staff foot the bill.
Come to think of it, going from a mere ordinary employee to a member of the imperial family… was truly an uncanny feeling.
“By the way, why did you call for me?”
“Ah, well… there was something I wished to know.”
In truth, because Cain’s report had taken longer than expected, I had intended to inquire separately about Rosivius’s life at the Academy. But…
‘I am no longer that curious anymore.’
With Cain’s report arriving today, I had wound up summoning Leoport for no real reason.
I masked my embarrassment behind a soft smile, putting on my Cecil face.
Since my smiles were so rare around Leoport, my good-natured friend could only smile back in turn.
Though we hadn't ridden wooden horses together, we had shared a palace carriage….
“Were you curious about the Academy?”
“Yes, something like that. I simply wanted to know what sort of people study there.”
Whether Rosivius was studying there, that is.
“And whether the lectures are decent.”
For Rosivius, that is.
“And what social circles are typically like.”
His social circles, that is.
‘Ah, I feel like some obsessive stalker fan.’
Aside from wanting to make sure he was doing well, it was also necessary for my goal….
The political turmoil that would later become Leoport’s ordeal, as well as Emily’s tragic plight, would all stem from him, so the more information I had, the better.
Having listened patiently to my words, Leoport paused before speaking.
“Then… would you like to visit the Academy with me?”