Chapter 40: Anderson Ducal House

"No way! I’m going out! I’m the 11th Prince! If I die or go missing, no one would care, right? Everyone would be happy that there’s one less mouth to feed!"

"Even if you say that to me... Anyway, please refrain from going out at night. I beg you."

"No!"

"Then shall we remove Lily from night duty?"

"Fine, I’ll go alone!"

"That is absolutely not allowed! Please stop this!"

"That’s not something the Royal Palace Garden Maintenance Department has any say in!"

Behind Lake, Lily was laughing silently, her shoulders shaking in silent laughter.

"Anyway! I’m going out! Send Stevie quickly today too! You’re wasting my time!"

"I’m going to be forced into this again, huh... Kukuku. I’ll send Stevie later, but please stop climbing onto roofs! What if you fall!?"

"I won’t fall, so it’s fine. With Stevie around, there’s no problem, right?"

"That’s exactly what I’m worried about!"

"Then is there a replacement for Stevie? You assigned him because I’m the 11th Prince, didn’t you? If there’s someone more capable, bring them out!"

Lily was holding her stomach, laughing her head off (silently).

"Well... you see... Robby-sama—pardon, Robin-sama—for now, please make do with Stevie. As for other capable personnel..."

"Yeah, yeah, this is a waste of time! This conversation is over! Keep Lily on night duty! Send Stevie during the day! Just like before! If you don’t like it, then Lake, you take over. If you can’t, then don’t say anything!!"

As I walked away, leaving Lake behind, I heard his desperate cry from behind:

"Nooooooo!!"

---

When I returned to my room, Stevie was already waiting.

"Robby-sama, I’ve been waiting for you."

"Did you run into the section chief?"

"Yes. He came back to the department fuming and ordered me to go to you right away."

"Did he say anything?"

"He was really angry. Something like, ’I’m worried about Robby-sama’s safety,’ and so on. What exactly happened last night? Lily-san was laughing her head off when I asked her."

"I see. The section chief suggested changing my guards, so I just told him to keep things as they are."

"Eh!? Change my guard duty!? Please don’t do that! I really like being Robby-sama’s escort! I think it suits me perfectly."

"Really? You prefer being an escort over being a maid?"

"Yes! Absolutely! Because when I’m a maid, all I get is complaints — I wash dishes poorly, my cleaning is sloppy, that sort of thing. The head maid and seniors are so strict and nitpicky. I’m just not suited for that kind of detailed work."

"Then what about gardening? You can do that alone without much hassle, right?"

"That’s even worse! I can’t even tell the difference between flower buds and weeds. How am I supposed to weed? And I have to pick tiny bugs off the back of rose leaves one by one with my fingers. That’s impossible for me!!"

Stevie declared this passionately, breathing heavily through her nose.

"You don’t have to be that intense about it. Alright, let’s head out."

"Understood! Where are we going today? The section chief told me not to go anywhere dangerous, but I don’t go to those kinds of places on purpose anyway. He really is such a worrywart."

Stevie might say that, but after what happened last night, I can’t really blame Lake.

---

"First, I want to stroll around the noble district. Let’s pass by Countess Rosette’s residence from the Anderson Ducal House. If you know any good shops in the noble district that serve delicious tea, tell me."

"Understood! Leave it to me!!"

As we walked toward the entrance, we saw Linda cleaning the hallway.

"Linda, good morning. You’re working hard!"

Linda looked a little surprised but bowed politely.

"Good morning, Robby-sama. Are you going out? Please be careful. I will be on night duty tonight, so I look forward to serving you."

So tonight it’s Linda. I wonder what she meant by "look forward to serving you"?

"Robby-sama, you don’t need to greet every single maid," Stevie said with a slightly dissatisfied tone.

"Hmm? But if I know them, a simple greeting should be fine, right?"

"But if the prince keeps talking to the maids one by one, they’ll get carried away..."

"Aren’t you the one getting carried away, Stevie? You seem so happy to be my escort."

"...People do say that."

"See? It’s the same. Besides, a low-ranking prince like me doesn’t get much attention. If I don’t at least chat with the maids, I’ll go through the whole day without talking to anyone." ℴℴ𝘮

"Eh? Is that so? There are actually some girls who say they want to become your personal maid, you know?"

"Really? But since I’m a prince with no future prospects, even if they like me, I’d probably have to become their son-in-law and be supported by them to survive."

"That’s surprising. To think a prince would be thinking about such things," Stevie suddenly stopped walking and said seriously.

"What’s with that serious face?"

"I always thought that princes, including you, Robby-sama, lived with their heads in the clouds and never worried about the future."

"Why would you think that?"

"Because you’re always smiling and look like you don’t have a single worry in the world."

"Is that how I look? Being the 11th prince means I’m useless. When I think about the future, it gets pretty dark. If things get really bad, maybe you could take me as your husband and support me, Stevie?"

"Eh!? Me!? No way! My ideal man is someone strong and noble like my brother. If you become like him in another 10 years, I’ll think about it."

"Haha, I’ll count on you then. Are your parents still alive?"

"No, they passed away when I was little. So my brother basically raised me."

"I see. So if I ever want to make you my wife, I’d have to ask your brother for permission?"

"That’s right, but I’m sure he won’t allow it."

"Why not?"

"Because my brother only approves of men with strong, impressive physiques."

"Got it. I’ll work hard from now on. Looking forward to your support when the time comes."

"Understood!"

*Well, at least I’ve secured a backup plan?*

---

We left the royal palace and walked toward the Anderson Ducal House. Unlike last night, the streets were busy with carriages coming and going, and squads of what appeared to be patrol soldiers marched along the roads.

We stopped in front of the Anderson Ducal House gates and looked inside. Naturally, guards stood on both sides of the gate, but after Stevie explained, "This is Robin-sama, the 11th Prince," they didn’t seem suspicious. If anything, I felt like they were looking at me with pity, as if thinking, *Poor thing, being only the 11th prince.*

Not wanting to linger too long, we started walking again and soon reached the spot where I had fought last night. The cobblestones had been neatly washed, but small red stains still remained. Of course, only someone who knew what had happened would notice them. That incident had probably been buried in darkness. If I had been the one killed, I would have been disposed of just as quietly.

I focused my mind and activated 『Detection』. I sensed people on the other side of the wall. When I stopped, Stevie also halted with a questioning look and approached.

"Robby-sama, is something wrong?"

In a low voice, I asked, "Stevie, are there people on the other side of this wall?"

Stevie quickly pulled my sleeve and said in a suddenly serious, low tone:

"Robby-sama, you must not say such things out loud. Let’s leave this place immediately."

Her tone had completely changed from her usual carefree attitude.

Following Stevie’s lead, we walked past the Anderson Ducal House wall. Only after we reached the front of the neighboring residence did she turn around and speak:

"Robby-sama, you must never say things like that so carelessly. There are people on the other side of the wall listening carefully. If they realize we’ve noticed them, it could cause trouble later. It’s best to pretend you don’t know anything in those situations."

Her advice was very reasonable, and it surprised me a little.

"I understand. I was too naive. I’ll be more careful from now on."

"No, it was I who overstepped my bounds with you, Robby-sama. I apologize."

Stevie bowed her head.

"That’s not it. Please keep teaching me these things from now on. This is exactly the kind of knowledge I need."

"Knowledge I need?"

"Yeah. I won’t be able to stay inside the royal palace forever, so I’m thinking about a lot of things. Everything is experience."

"Is that so? I don’t really understand, but if I was helpful, then I’m glad."

Stevie looked a bit puzzled but continued walking ahead, leading the way.