I Became the Teacher of the Imperial Family’s Bastard

068. The Second Princess of Chaos (2)

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There wasn’t much that could be done in that place.

I couldn’t introduce Philia, who was on a secret mission, on the street, and above all, Philia’s reaction was too intense and needed to be calmed down.

So, we returned to the palace and faced Philia again.

First, I asked that.

I was really… purely curious.

“Why do you like him?”

“Because he’s handsome!”

“?”

“His sharp eyes… his chiseled jawline…!”

“???”

I wondered for a moment if a demon had interfered with my perception.

Peto’s face, his head elongated and pointed like a halfling’s pottery, his eyes slitted so much that the whites were barely visible.

His mouth was small and mean, and at least his nose looked somewhat human.

Overall, a face that looked like someone had pulled it apart.

‘That’s handsome…’

I checked her reaction again, wondering if it was a lie.

A flushed face, dreamy eyes as if lost in a dream, and short breaths.

It was a moment that made me realize once again that tastes are diverse.

In the meantime, Philia spoke to me.

“Do you know him?!”

“Yes, well. He’s my subordinate.”

“Please, introduce me…!”

She grabbed my hand tightly and pleaded earnestly, and although I felt uneasy at first, that was it.

“Hmm…”

There’s nothing I can’t do.

On the contrary, it might be easier to get the seal that way.

* * *

Currently, Peto is staying as a guest at the mansion.

I thought he would be useful if left alone, and so far, all he has done since coming to the capital is wander around hardware stores buying tools.

I just learned that his encounter with Philia happened during such a process.

One more thing, Peto was aware of Philia’s existence.

“Ah, that little lady. I have some items I ordered from the hardware store. I go there periodically to check on the progress, and every time I go, isn’t she spying on me?”

“So you avoided her?”

“Y-yes. Even though I look like this, I used to be a criminal… Hehe…”

“You were worried it might be a grudge?”

“Yes…”

He scratched the back of his head awkwardly.

I thought it was a needless worry, but the words ‘If that’s your concern, you should have lived a good life’ rose to the tip of my tongue.

I didn’t say it because I wasn’t in a position to judge others.

Anyway, it was a pleasant coincidence.

“You, let’s work together.”

“Work? Ah, finally a mission…!”

“Yes, a really important mission.”

Thud!

Peto knelt on the floor.

With shining eyes, he said to me,

“I await your orders!”

“Hmm.”

I leaned back on the sofa and crossed my legs.

Then I said,

“Seduce the second princess. And get me a seal.”

“What?”

“Didn’t you hear? Do some sweet-talking.”

Peto blinked.

And then, one, two, three.

“He, heeek!!! No! That’s an insult to the royal family! I’ll be executed!!!”

He recoiled in horror, scrambling backward while still seated.

As he glared, Peto began to tear up.

Is it really something to react to this extent?

“Why, if you do well, you could become royalty too.”

“Isn’t she fourteen! What do you expect me to do with a child…?”

“She likes you. Fourteen is about the age to start finding a fiancé among the nobility.”

“And you, brother…?”

“Oh, I forgot to mention, don’t talk about marriage in front of me. Especially not when our sister is around.”

“???”

“Just listen for now.”

He coaxed Peto gently.

The result was,

“Really? If something goes wrong, you’ll really cover for me…?”

“Of course, absolutely.”

It was a success.

* * *

“So, in the end, you made Peto approach the second princess?”

Girgore smiled faintly.

He had stopped by to say goodbye before leaving, only to hear such an amusing story.

Yuren responded to him.

“Yeah, he seemed tempted by the idea that he might actually become royalty. I told him to just meet and talk. It’s been about a week, so there should be some progress by now…”

“That kid seems capable but greedy. He won’t live long.”

“He’s quick-witted, so he might be able to escape.”

“Is that so?”

He chuckled softly.

What an amusing situation this was.

Thinking this, Girgore asked Ias.

“The second princess… Ias, do you know anything about her?”

“I’ve heard rumors. The treasure of the Estro family, with somewhat… peculiar tastes.”

“Again?”

“I’ve only heard that he’s quite lacking in many ways for a member of the royal family. However…”

Ias’s expression turned sour.

Both Girgo and Yuren found it intriguing.

“What is it?”

Then Ias, still with a sour expression, spoke.

“…Personally, I find many things quite suspicious.”

“Suspicious?”

“Yes, isn’t it strange to just call him stupid? Despite being so generous materially, there hasn’t been any physical scandal. Considering his young age, that might be expected, but… if he were really as stupid as the rumors say, and considering his associates, isn’t it odd that there hasn’t been a single scandal?”

It was a different perspective.

Precisely, it was an ‘Igrosian’ perspective.

It could be overlooked, but even Girgo thought so.

“Indeed. Mercenaries or swindlers… they’re not the type to leave someone alone just because they’re young, yet there’s oddly no such rumor. Were they cautious because he’s a royal? Trying to avoid any backlash?”

“If they had that much sense, they wouldn’t have approached the princess in the first place.”

It was a sharp point.

Did the royal family cover it up?

If that were the case, Yuren should have known about it immediately.

If not, the only conclusion was that they moved in a way that left no room for physical scandals.

Girgo looked at Yuren.

He furrowed his brows upon hearing Ias’s words.

“Do you have any thoughts?”

“No, I just can’t imagine that woman being smart.”

Yuren stroked his chin.

Though he said that, he seemed deep in thought.

“What’s wrong?”

“…Hmm, nothing.”

Yuren shook his head.

“Maybe I’m overthinking. Anyway, thanks for your opinion. I’ll keep it in mind.”

He said he needed Estro’s seal to move.

Seeing him so busy with the prince’s affairs made one feel quite sympathetic.

So, Girgoor said,

“If you want, I can steal that seal for you?”

“No, if the head of the Estro family decides, it would only take a moment to overturn the system. If the culprit is revealed to be the Crown Prince, it would be an even bigger problem.”

“What about forgery?”

“That won’t work either. The seals of all the noble families, including Pharos, are artifacts. If we attempt it recklessly, we’ll be politically cornered. So, in the end, the second princess is the answer.”

Yuren sighed.

Then he said,

“Let’s do what we can for now. If it doesn’t work… we’ll have to find another way.”

He doesn’t give up, does he?

Girgoor thought, but he understood.

‘Well, if it’s one of the three great swords…’

The Holy Sword of Vigo is one of the three legendary swords recorded in the continent’s history.

One was lost, and the existence of another is uncertain, so the Crown Prince can only aim for the Holy Sword.

The question of whether it has to be a great sword was meaningless.

The fact that the sword’s power is recorded as a legend means that it acts as a strategic weapon.

If you don’t know how prepared the enemy is, isn’t it right to bring all your forces?

Girgoor said,

“If you want, I can look for a way too. If that doesn’t work, I’ll try to find another great sword.”

“Alright, thanks. It’s about time to go. Let’s move.”

Yuren waved his hand.

Girgoor greeted him and turned around.

It was then.

“Brother!!!”

Peto rushed into the room he had come out of.

Bang!

The door closed, and Peto’s tearful voice was heard from inside.

―I can’t do it! I think it’s ruined!

―Why are you crying? Do you want to die?

―No! I’m telling you, it’s really strange?!

Ias whispered.

“Would you like to watch a little longer?”

“No, let’s go.”

Girgore’s smile deepened.

Anyway, it was a neighborhood where there was no room for boredom.

* * *

Peto was actually feeling wronged.

‘I should have just gone to the blacksmith…’

Suddenly, regret welled up.

Since he had come all the way here under Yuren’s command, he thought he might as well get a knighthood if he did well.

So he went to the hardware store to make a dagger that suited him.

The reason it wasn’t the blacksmith was because he was stingy with money.

That was a mistake.

If he had gone to the blacksmith, he wouldn’t have met that woman.

He regretted it, but somehow he pulled himself together.

What welled up was enthusiasm.

Honestly, he didn’t care much about royalty or anything, and since the other party was a fourteen-year-old kid, it didn’t come to him as a rational matter, but he worked hard thinking he might get Yuren’s recognition if he did well.

However,

“…Really, really strange.”

The more he did, the more uneasy he felt.

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It was an uneasiness that instinct told him, something he couldn’t describe.

Peto drank cold water in gulps and calmed his breath before speaking.

“Something is strange. If you just look at the actions, it seems like they like me! But whenever our eyes meet, I get goosebumps…”

“How so?”

“Well, how should I put it…?”

He couldn’t explain it exactly.

That was the problem.

Peto felt frustrated with himself.

So he spoke incoherently.

“When I give a gift or something! They always scan my reaction. As if to say, ‘Hurry up and like it!'”

“…Again?”

“If I say thank you, they ask if I want something else! But at that moment! The eyes don’t smile! The pupils sparkle, the face is red, the mouth is curved, but only the eyes are expressionless!”

“……?”

“That happened all week long, you know?”

Peto trembled as he fiddled with the dagger at his waist.

It was a dagger bought by Philia… a dagger made by a famous blacksmith in the capital.

“When I gave this, it was real. They asked, ‘Who are you going to kill with this?’ and I got chills…!”

Peto’s body trembled.

Of course, receiving a gift was pleasant, and knowing that someone liked him, especially the princess of the empire, made him proud, but that was it.

Just facing her made him feel like his whole energy was being drained.

“I can’t do this… I’m sorry, brother…!”

Peto’s eyes squeezed shut.

Yuren, who already had a nasty temper.

The moment he thought about what kind of wrath might fall upon him, his body tensed up.

“No, it’s fine.”

“…What?”

Peto slowly opened his eyes and looked at Yuren.

In those eyes, Yuren was,

“Brother…?”

Lost in deep thought.

* * *

The words Ias said on the day Gilrogo left lingered in his mind.

Next, the words Peto said while sobbing lingered in his mind.

It had been like that for the past few days, and the conclusion that followed was that there might be a hidden truth in ‘some fact I knew.’

So, the events before the regression suddenly came to mind.

Should I confront it, or should I pretend not to know?

The past days were a time of such contemplation.

And I made a decision.

‘They approached first.’

Then, is there any need to run away?

Thus, I entered the imperial city.

There was no second princess.

She only left a message.

“She asked you to come this way if you were looking for her.”

What kind of wild goose chase is this?

With a sigh, I walked again.

The place I arrived at was a hill outside the capital.

There, sitting on a mat among the knights, was Philia.

“You’ve come.”

Her voice lacked strength.

Her gaze was beyond the hill, towards the capital.

Was it a hidden scenic view?

A picture unfolded as if the high castle walls were swallowing the sunset.

I went to her side.

Then Philia spoke.

“I’m sorry, sir. You helped me, but it didn’t go well.”

It was a bitter smile.

“Lord Peto didn’t seem to like me. We had clearly arranged the next meal… but he didn’t show up. Not the next day, nor the day after that…”

It was inevitable.

I had told him he could stop, so he must have run away.

“I apologize if my subordinate caused any offense.”

“No, it’s my fault for being inadequate.”

She looked dejected.

I watched her for a moment, then spoke to the knights.

“Could you all step back a bit? I’d like to have a private conversation.”

“But we’re outside the castle, and danger could come from anywhere…”

“I doubt you could protect her better than I can. If you’re unsure, we can have a fight to test it.”

“…My apologies.”

The knights moved away.

I sat down beside her.

A moment of silence.

At the end, I asked.

“So, tell me.”

“Yes?”

“Why did you approach me?”

Suddenly—

Philia’s body froze.

Eventually, Philia’s head lifted.

Only then did I understand what Peto had said.

“What do you mean?”

A wet voice, moist eyelashes, a red face, lips curling up desperately.

Even though those things spoke of sadness, her eyes did not smile.

So,

“You can stop the acting now.”

Philia had been acting.

From the moment she first met me.

No, perhaps every moment people were watching her.

“……”

“I’ll ask again.”

I looked straight into those eyes and asked again.

“Why did you approach me?”

It had to be Peto.

And I was the counselor.

Philia is not a fool.

Combining the three, it was too obvious what all this causality was aiming for, wasn’t it?

There was something I wanted to confirm.

Only then did Philia answer properly.

“…You truly have great insight, sir.”

She said, smiling as if she had lost.