CPBF 29

Chapter: 29

Just like the first time he met Bin, a single ray of light once again descended upon the Crown Prince’s world.

Where embers had gone out, water had dried up, air had stilled, and trees had withered, vitality began to return.

His newly gained purpose in life—his hope, and the reason he would continue living—made it so.

Just like when he was a child, merely threatening with words was no longer enough.

Now that he had confirmed that Bin’s feelings had not changed, it was time to move and reclaim him.

But there was a problem.

He had no power.

The Emperor, who had failed to kill him and seen him return alive, sent assassins whenever he had the chance. Meanwhile, the noble faction that supported him doubted whether someone with homosexual tendencies could even produce an heir.

Because of that, he could not simply execute someone he disliked without proper justification.

That left only force—but the Crown Prince lacked even that.

Had he not suffered humiliating defeat in all ten sparring matches?

Still, it was not as though there were no options at all.

There was one method he had once investigated for the sake of killing the Emperor.

A legendary treasure said to have been hidden somewhere within the imperial palace by the Archmage Mona White.

If he could find it, then no matter how skilled his opponent was, they would have no choice but to kneel before the might of an Archmage.

The identity of the visitor was the Crown Prince.

What? Why would the Crown Prince come to Sis’s room at such a late hour…?

Ah, it’s because I like His Highness.

That absurd, melodrama-like misunderstanding from earlier tried to resurface in my mind, but I forcefully erased it and looked calmly at the Crown Prince standing at the door.

“…Why is that here.”

For some reason, hearing him refer to me as “that” felt especially strange.

He had always been like that, but today, the shadow on his face seemed deeper than usual—almost like…

Like someone about to kill another person.

And judging from what had happened earlier, that person was probably me… right?

“What brings you here, Your Highness?”

“I have something to ask.”

“Please, go ahead.”

“Not here…”

The Crown Prince glanced sideways at me, signaling with his eyes.

Even that brief look showed his disgust toward me more clearly than usual.

Without thinking, my body moved toward my room.

“Whew. I thought I was going to die from the awkwardness…”

After locking the door, I let out a sigh of relief.

I was just about to lie down and go to sleep when—

Something caught my eye.

“What the hell is that?”

On top of one of the many books scattered across the desk, a quill pen was moving on its own, writing words.

It looked like another magical tool Sis had made as a hobby.

Writing, drawing, magical tools… he really was talented in everything.

“Huh?”

I didn’t think much of it and was about to lie down again, but then I froze and hurried back toward the quill, eyes wide.

Because of the words that had stabbed directly into my brain.

[You chased Irillin out, so what is it you wish to ask me?]

Huh? Irillin?

Why was my name suddenly written there?

[Before that, explain why the sister you claim to despise so much is staying in your quarters.]

[Her dormitory is under construction, and she had nowhere else to go. If I hadn’t let her stay, the family would have caused trouble, so I had no choice.]

[…The sound isn’t leaking into the room, is it?]

[No. The higher-ranking officers’ quarters are well soundproofed.]

As the quill continued writing, I realized what was happening.

This thing was recording a real-time conversation between Sis and the Crown Prince!

[I want the legendary treasure Mona White hid.]

[Why?]

[I need power.]

…Wait. Didn’t I just see something strange?

Mona White’s treasure? Why was he trying to find that already?

In the original story, the Crown Prince searched for it much later.

[What do you need that power for?]

To kill the Emperor, seize power, and completely claim Bin.

That was the Crown Prince’s reason in the original work for seeking Mona White’s treasure.

It wasn’t just because the Emperor was heavily guarded.

It was to destroy Brilliante, the necklace passed down through generations of the Avert Empire’s emperors.

Brilliante was protected by an absolute defensive spell.

So powerful that no swordsman or mage, no matter how skilled, could break through it.

But who was Mona White?

The strongest mage in The Crown Prince’s Lover.

The mage who cast the protective spell on Brilliante was nothing more than an ordinary mage before her.

If one had the treasure she left behind, even that necklace with its long history would be reduced to ashes.

[Commander Heather. Is your purpose for searching for your sibling—the same reason you joined the war—still unchanged?]

[Yes.]

[Then help me. Your goal and mine align.]

[…You’re saying that finding the treasure will help Your Highness’s objective?]

[Exactly.]

Wasn’t he searching for the treasure to kill the Emperor?

Why was my story coming up here?

Could it be that Sis’s goal and the Crown Prince’s goal were…

[Because only with that treasure can we eliminate your sibling.]

They were planning to get rid of me.

The Crown Prince, fine. But Sis?

Hadn’t he said he was on my side? That he wanted me to survive?

Then was his reason for finding me… to kill me?

What was the truth?

[Help me find the treasure hidden in the imperial palace—]

Before the Crown Prince’s words could finish being written, I snatched the pen and flipped the notebook back several pages.

Too many things had changed already.

I didn’t have time to panic—or to feel guilty about snooping through someone else’s belongings.

More than anything, survival came first.

[…Sir Schultz. What are you doing?]

[Uh… C-Commander Heather… What brings you to the Deputy Commander’s office all of a sudden…?]

[I came to deliver some documents.]

[Ah, y-yes… I see… um…]

[…I’ll pretend I didn’t see what I just saw, so don’t worry.]

[Y-you saw it after all…?]

[Yes. I saw you spit phlegm into the Deputy Commander’s black water.]

[Do you have to say it out loud?! What if some lunatic happened to walk in and hear— Ah. That was a slip of the tongue. You’ll keep that secret too… right?]

[Why is everyone making such a racket in my office?]

[D-Deputy Commander!]

[You’re here, Deputy Commander.]

[Commander Heather, what brings you here as well?]

[He came to deliver documents. By the way, Deputy Commander, would you like to try the black water I brewed?]

[No. Absolutely not.]

[Ah, is your appetite gone?]

[No. You’re staring at Sir Schultz like he’s pathetic. You must have pulled some kind of stunt again.]

…Sir Schultz’s humiliating dark past was funny, but not important right now.

Let’s go even further back.

[What’s the occasion, Sis Heather? It’s been a while since you showed your face.]

[I came to propose a deal.]

Jackpot.

I had randomly flipped to a page with the word “deal” on it.

I focused completely, eyes glued to the page.

[What kind of deal?]

[Help me find my sibling.]

[Are you sure they’re really your sibling?]

This person Sis visited clearly knew that I wasn’t the real Irillin Heather.

Just who was this person?

[You already know everything, so stop messing around. Just answer me—are you in or not?]

[If I help you find your sibling, what do I get in return?]

[I haven’t really thought about it. I don’t know what you’d want from me.]

[From you… nothing in particular. But there is something I want from your sibling.]

…Me?

Someone wanted something from me?

Did they know me?

[What is it?]

[I want your sibling to stay by my side.]

[…What do you mean?]

[I want to keep them near me and watch them. They’re extremely interesting. Isn’t that only natural?]

[I suppose it is.]

Someone who knew I wasn’t Irillin Heather, and yet couldn’t help but be interested in me…

I really wished someone came to mind—but unfortunately, no one did.

I had no idea how they knew, or why they found me so interesting.

[So bring them to me. I’ll help you too. But I have conditions. First—do not reveal the truth to your sibling. Not even hints.]

[Why?]

[It’s not a big reason, but—]

That was when I needed to turn the page.

I hurried my hands, desperate to see how they had helped search for me—

And then.

“The Crown Prince has left, so you can rest now.”

Sis knocked and opened the door.

“Y-Yeah! You came all this way just to tell me? How kind.”

I lay stiffly on the bed, forcing an awkward smile.

Sis didn’t seem suspicious. He simply closed the door and left.

He must have completely forgotten the important item he’d left on the desk—that’s probably why he told me to sleep here.

Something the original Sis would never have done.

With his germaphobic personality, he wouldn’t have left his belongings lying around like that.

And more than anything, he never would have allowed Irillin—whom he despised so much—into his room in the first place.

“Well, whatever. Thanks to that, I got myself a clue.”

My days of flailing around blindly were finally over.