Chapter 186: What Should We Do?

"Amazing! Everyone’s windows have lights on!"

At my words,

"Right? It can only mean that something major has happened."

Lily answered, and Stevie nodded repeatedly as well.

"But it isn’t necessarily about me, is it?"

That’s true — it isn’t necessarily about me. I might be self-conscious. For all I knew, word might have come that the margrave in the capital had died, and the place was in an uproar over that.

"Yes. That possibility certainly exists. Therefore let us wait here for a while. If someone comes to Robby-sama’s room in the middle of the night, it would be better to consider them suspicious. In that case we will leave the mansion and head for the Mainz Kingdom immediately."

Lily proposed.

"I see. Then what if no one comes?"

"Tomorrow morning we simply act as if we know nothing and leave."

I see — no matter what I said she answered the other way, answering smoothly as if she had anticipated my questions.

"That’s true too. By the way, which side of the king’s succession struggle is the margrave on?"

Lily tilted her head a little and answered,

"As I recall, he is not aligned with either side — neutrally speaking, he is neutral."

Stevie, stop just nodding and say something yourself! That was my inner voice.

"In a bad way, that means sitting on the fence. An opportunist, huh~~"

I thought he was the worst kind of person. But no one wants to board a sinking ship after clearly raising a flag.

"Well, yes."

"He’s walking a dangerous bridge."

I thought. Was it just favoritism that made me think no matter how one looked at it he ought to side with us?

"Regarding that, I will refrain from commenting."

Oh, Lily was making a cautious statement for some reason.

"Anyway, shall we wait here?"

Well, either way we had no choice but to wait.

""Yes.""

Stevie finally spoke.

We moved across the roof and watched the uproar in the mansion from a place with a good view. What was happening? Even now horsemen were entering through the gate from outside. Perhaps because they were worked up, they were shouting at the people who had come out from the mansion to meet them. They did not look like complete strangers; it looked as if acquaintances had arrived. Did that mean people of the margrave’s household had arrived?

Before long the lights in the rooms of the mansion began going out one by one. What was going on?

"I wonder what happened? Has it been settled?"

"I don’t know. There seems to be no sign that anyone came to Robby-sama’s room either."

"How can you tell?"

I asked Lily, but

"It’s a secret."

Stevie answered proudly. I see — Stevie’s ability.

Looking back on tonight, I truly felt I was being helped. Of course both below and above the waist. Did I only have a cheat against women? Umm, I didn’t know whether it could be called a cheat, but since I wasn’t suffering any inconvenience it was probably a cheat. I wanted to give even one-tenth of this cheat ability to the me who had been in Japan. I wanted to become someone who could manage properly on my own without relying on Lily and Stevie!

After that the lights continued going out one after another, until finally only the light of a large room remained.

"What are they doing there? The margrave’s wife’s figure is appearing and disappearing?"

I wondered whether it was all right for the servants to sleep while the margrave’s wife was awake.

"Perhaps something has happened concerning the margrave."

See, you think so too, right?

"In that case, would it be better for me to wait in the room?"

"Yes."

In the end we decided to pretend we knew nothing and wait in the room. However, we prepared so that we could escape (or flee?) at any time, and the three of us rested in my room. Even though there were three of us, of course nothing happened. We took a nap, but there was nothing improper—ooo.

In the still-dim hours of dawn, there was a knock on the door of the room.

"Prince Robin, are you awake? I apologize, but would you please open the door? There is something I must tell you."

The margrave’s wife had come to the room. Not a butler or a maid — the margrave’s wife herself. If not for last night’s events I would have thought the margrave’s wife had come for a night visit — no, a morning visit. But her voice carried tension, and there seemed to be other people with her, so at least it was clear this was not a morning visit. Anyone could tell she had come to talk about something related to last night’s uproar.

"I’ll open it now."

Stevie went to the door and opened it.

Behind the margrave’s wife stood the butler.

The margrave’s wife looked somewhat haggard. I really wanted her to drink my youth-rejuvenating medicine! If she drank it directly the effect would double! All I needed was a little time alone with her! Of course I could not say such a thing, so I remained silent.

Because Lily and Stevie, the maids attached to me, were both present in my room, the margrave’s wife wore a slightly surprised expression. Had she not expected Lily and Stevie to be there? The mansion had been in such an uproar. Noticing would have been normal, right? I had been asleep, though.

Lily and Stevie were wearing maid uniforms, but they did not look as if they had just woken up. They looked as if they had known the margrave’s wife was coming and had been waiting, so she was probably surprised. I hoped she understood that nothing lewd had occurred.

I invited the margrave’s wife into the room and had her sit on a chair of the reception set. This room was far larger and more luxurious than my room in the Rear Palace. Well, it was a guest room.

"Prince Robin, I must tell you something at once."

The margrave’s wife’s face was filled with considerable tension. The dark circles under her eyes looked painful.

"Has something happened?"

I felt that without an interjection the conversation would not progress, so I inserted one. The effect was unknown.

"Word has come from my husband the margrave that the Third Prince Maxim has raised troops in the capital."

"""Eh!!"""

The three of us cried out together. What a foolish face I must have been making at that moment. I was so surprised that I froze with my mouth open. If it was that kind of news I would have liked to hear it much earlier.

"R-raised troops — what does that mean?"

I asked back in confusion.

"Apparently he has sealed off the Royal Palace and taken His Majesty the King into custody."

Is that true!?

"Does that mean he intends to force His Majesty to abdicate and take the throne himself?"

I couldn’t believe that prince was capable of such a thing.

"I don’t know. No further word has come. Not only the Royal Palace but the entire capital may have been sealed off."

"So after the margrave sent the first report, he could no longer leave?"

"I believe that is the case."

I asked the thing I most wanted to know.

"What has become of the Rear Palace?"

"I don’t know. The only information that came was that Prince Maxim had raised troops."

What a situation this was.

Silence fell over the room.

What should I do? Shouldn’t I return to the capital and go see Mother? Even if I went to the Mainz Kingdom like this, I could not go with any peace of mind while Mother’s whereabouts remained unknown. I had to see Mother’s face at least once! I could rescue Mother and take her with me to the Mainz Kingdom.

I stood up.

"Robin-sama, what is it?"

Lily asked, so I declared in a loud voice,

"I’m going to the capital. I’m going to see Mother!!"

That was what a son should do!

Yet,

""Please stop!""

Lily and Stevie tried to stop me. You two — raising objection to your master’s words is something that places you below the wind of a maid.

When I looked at the margrave’s wife’s face she said,

"Robin-sama, I think it would be better if you refrained from that."

As expected, she said the same thing. Would no one listen to my claim?

"Why is that?"

I asked the margrave’s wife back.

"In my opinion Prince Maxim has gathered the members of the royal family and taken them prisoner. If Prince Robin goes there I believe you will certainly be captured as well."

At the margrave’s wife’s words Lily and Stevie also nodded. Even the butler nodded.

"Even if Prince Robin does not go to the capital, people may come here to capture you."

I thought that was absurd, but from a third-party perspective was that the case?

"Me? All the way here?"

"Yes."

The margrave’s wife answered immediately.

"Why?"

"Because if Prince Robin goes to the Mainz Kingdom, persuades His Majesty the King of the Mainz Kingdom, borrows troops, and attempts to secure Prince Maxim, that would be a problem."

How absurd...

"No way."

I thought. He wouldn’t go that far, would he? For what purpose?

"It would not be strange even if he had thought that far."

The margrave’s wife asserted.

"Is that so?"

"Yes. I had heard rumors of Prince Robin in letters from the margrave. And when I met you yesterday I was surprised by your cleverness."

Eh, is that so? This might be the first time I’ve been praised?

"Therefore I believe Prince Maxim does not want to let Prince Robin go to the Mainz Kingdom. If Robin-sama returns with the backing of the Mainz Kingdom it would be a threat. Therefore, would it not be better for Robin-sama to enter the Mainz Kingdom once and observe the situation? The forces opposing Prince Maxim will certainly attempt a counterattack in the capital. You can support them using the backing of the Mainz Kingdom as a weapon. If you carelessly enter the capital and are captured, I believe you would have no choice but to do as Prince Maxim says."

When the margrave’s wife said this, I thought she had a point. I keenly felt that I had no opinions of my own.

At that moment Lily tugged repeatedly on my sleeve, so when I turned she whispered,

"Robby-sama, shall we talk once among only ourselves?"

Stevie also nodded vigorously.

Because blood was rushing to my head, it would be better to hear Lily and Stevie’s opinions once and then think.

"Margrave’s wife, thank you for your advice. I would like to talk once among only ourselves, so could you please leave us for a moment?"

"Understood. However, I believe there is little time. It would be best to decide quickly."

Then the margrave’s wife and the others left the room.