A Famous Traitor and Treacherous Genius

47 – Orphanage Princesses (5)

Late at night.

A time close to midnight.

I often rode alone in the carriage pulled by my father, but today, another person is also riding along.

“Princess Naria.”

“…….”

“There’s no one around right now, so it’s okay to talk.”

“…Ah.”

Princess Naria slowly opened her mouth.

“I will make a strict distinction. When calling me Jabes, it is time to hide it. When calling me Princess Naria, it is okay to say it.”

“…Yes.”

Princess Nalia nods her head with a short answer.

“Keep your eyes peeled. It won’t take that long to get to the canyon, but once you join the kids in the canyon, you’ll have to stay as Jabes from then on.”

“What is Gibraltar planning?”

“What…?”

I know.

Princess Naria is from the same family as Queen Carmen.

Since she shows even more tendencies than Queen Carmen, she should not be treated carelessly as a child.

However.

“A moment.”

I was a little confused.

‘To what extent should we treat it?’

She only confirmed that she was doing well for three years, but did not confirm what level Princess Naria had reached.

‘I thought of course we would get along well.’

From the beginning, both her father and I thought that Princess Naria would have known about the secret agreement between Gibraltar and Morgania.

‘The problem is that the perception before regression is so strong that I don’t know how to deal with it.’

What can I say about the princess before, she was truly a miserable being.

Princess of a ruined country.

Leader of the revolutionary army.

His father, King Muneung, was executed.

Her mother Carmen rules the kingdom as the governor of the empire.

Without receiving anyone’s loyalty, he set out to find loyalists who had been purged by the empire and created a revolutionary army on his own.

As an enemy of this woman, I tormented her for nearly 7 years.

As the head of the traitorous family.

Since Governor Carmen could not execute the captured revolutionary soldiers, I executed them with a musket.

But the princess of the ruined country saved me.

They forced the executives of the revolutionary army to make sacrifices and finally rescued me from prison.

And in me, who had lost and given up everything, he instilled motivation for life in a somewhat coercive way.

-Look, Lord Gray. Your soul says you gave up everything, but your body is honest. Can you see the blood rushing?

“…….”

“Grey, sir?”

“No, Gray is fine. Please leave out the title Sir.”

Although the voice is still that of a child, hearing the person in question use the same name gives me goosebumps.

“As I said, I decided to show my loyalty to the princess that day.”

“Yes. I remember.”

The carriage is shaking slightly.

This is what I told my father outside to hear as well.

“The period is 7 years. Until the day the princess becomes an adult and becomes king.”

“…….”

“Are you upset?”

“No. It seemed that way from the beginning. There were a lot of things I couldn’t understand, but…”

Princess Naria wiggled her fingers and grabbed the hat she had on her head.

“Because I was used to seeing people as both ends and means.”

“…As expected.”

I, Princess Lia, knew of my purpose from the first time we met.

“What do you want to say?”

“Nothing in particular. Thanks to those words, I didn’t refuse to come here.”

“Did you believe it?”

“I’m sorry to your mother, but when she was beheaded by the king and thought of a place to take refuge, the first thing that came to mind was….”

Princess Naria looks at me intently.

“…Because it was you.”

“It was just something a child said.”

“Because no one said that except you.”

“Okay, Princess Naria. So now that you have confirmed some information, what do you want from me?”

I lowered her head forward and brought her face closer to Princess Naria.

“Please answer honestly.”

“Rather, I would like to ask you something.”

“It is not good to answer a question with a question, Princess Naria.”

“If I answer, will you answer honestly?”

Princess Nalia held out one hand in front of her and raised her little finger.

“Promise.”

“Are words not enough?”

“If I could have written a contract, I would have done so.”

“You’re hard.”

I understand.

“Okay. Be honest and let me be the first.”

And, for me, this kind of conversation is much more comfortable.

“I want to bring down St. Geo and install you as king in his place.”

“I see. I understand.”

A conversation where only public stories are shared, without any emotional aspects.

“There is only one thing I want from you, Gray.”

Princess Nalia snapped her still outstretched little finger.

“After 7 years, please make me the king of this country.”

I stretched out my hand and hooked Princess Naria and her little finger.

“I will make you the queen of this country. As your knight.”

“Thank you, Lord Gray.”

“So, the title Lord Gray.”

“I heard you’re a knight.”

Princess Lia still spoke with an expressionless face, nodding her head.

“Lord Gray. Lord Gray. Can I call you Lord Gray even when you are Jabeth?”

Seeing that people are talking more than usual, it seems like Gibraltar has become a little more comfortable.

“…Since I haven’t been ordained a knight, I should usually call you ‘Master Gray’. When it’s Jabes.”

“I understand, Lord Gray.”

“…….”

* * *

Open the door of the 2nd gateway and head to the 1st gateway.

While Princess Naria was taking a break in her carriage, I received a call from her father.

“Do you really have no feelings for Princess Naria?”

“Father?”

“This is the first time in my life that I have heard such a breathtaking conversation from a 13-year-old.”

My father looked at me and then at Princess Naria in the carriage a little away.

“Apart from being Saint Geo’s daughter, if she is Princess Nalia, she is a pretty decent woman.”

“She would be a decent queen.”

“You don’t think of that child as a member of the opposite s*x at all?”

“Use reason.”

There was definitely a time when I thought about it.

“I’ve been longing for love for three years, but how can I expect anyone to accept me like that?”

“…Did you happen to send me a letter without my knowledge?”

“No, I was just thinking about it in my head. It’s been exactly three years since we first met, right?”

Coincidentally.

“I’ve been thinking hard about it for three years, and even if I like Princess Naria, I don’t think she’ll like me back.”

“We haven’t seen each other in three years, but wasn’t it the first time we met today?”

“Both the princess and I are people who are moved by reason rather than emotion.”

It might have been during the academy days.

At that time, I believed that there was no tree that could not be felled by taking 10 steps.

“It is a bilateral contractual relationship with aligned interests.”

For now, just future kings and subjects are enough.

“Son, have you ever heard that a man and a woman cannot be friends?”

“If the king and his subjects eat friends, the country will fall.”

“……I want to ask why you are Princess Naria.”

“Except for Princess Naria, there is no other Nostrum.”

Of course, grace before returning and loyalty now are separate issues.

“The princess uses me as a knight for rebellion. I am someone who will bring down the incompetent king and put him in his empty place. That is enough, father.”

“Really, who will be the woman you will hold in your heart?”

My father clicked his tongue as if he was fed up.

“I thought that if you found a woman you loved, she would give up everything for her.”

“…….”

“Gray?”

“Do I feel that way in your father’s eyes?”

“Of course.”

My father looked at me in a calm voice.

“You are a worse human being than me. If the life of the woman she loves is in danger, then she might give up her love for her too. Thinking that is the way for her.”

“…….”

“Why. Do you think I’m wrong?”

“No. That’s… Really.”

Wait a minute, I got goosebumps.

“If you become a sword master, will you be able to read the future?”

“Why? Does it feel like a prophecy? If so, I’m sorry. It’s like putting a curse on your son’s future.”

“Yes. I think it’s no different from a terrible curse.”

Tuk.

“Think of it as a warning, not a curse.”

My father put his hand on my head.

“What would your father do? In such a situation.”

“If it were me, of course.”

My father flicked the sword at his waist lightly with his hand.

“That kind of danger is enough if you cut it all down with a sword.”

“This is an ignorant method.”

“All you have to do is demonstrate overwhelming power to avoid falling into danger.”

It may sound pretentious to some, but it is not particularly wrong.

“I see. If you know there will be danger, you can nip it in the bud before it gets there. Thank you very much for your teaching.”

“…Okay. But if you ever have a child like that, please tell me in advance. I will support you no matter what you do, but both I and Charlotte need mental preparation.”

“hahahaha, father. How serious would I be willing to commit to save the woman I love from her danger?”

Nothing special.

“At best, if there is someone trying to kill her, she will kill him with all her might.”

“Are you trying to kill Saint Geo Nostrum like that?”

“Father, isn’t it true?”

“I was just asking. That guy…”

My father patted my back and placed his hand on the gate of the canyon.

“I can’t hand it over to you either, because it’s mine.”

Kkiik.

The door to the canyon opens.

“Ah, it’s finally opened!”

At the same time, a person waiting right in front of the gate of the canyon smiled and waved at us.

“It’s been a long time~~”

Still a lively voice.

As usual, Chairman Erwin’s voice contained clear hope.

“What about the children?”

“Here, in the container!”

“…Container?”

The translator cannot translate registered proper nouns.

“Yes! It looks like a carriage, but, uh, um, how do I explain it…?”

Chairman Erwin knocked on the large iron box next to him.

“Ah! Gray! Can you explain?”

“Do you think I know, Chairman?”

“Uh, um, right? As expected….”

“It is a fully automatic wagon powered by a magic stone engine, father.”

It’s not that I don’t know.

Rather, I know better.

“Fully automatic cart?”

“It is an object that allows the wheels to roll through an internal device without a horse pulling from the front. Although it seems a bit extreme.”

To put it simply, it’s just a rectangular steel box with wheels attached underneath.

What can I say, I have a strong feeling that the children were hidden in the cargo compartment of the city railway running through the islands.

“Did you really have to bring the children like this?”

“Oh, I had no choice! If it wasn’t for this, I couldn’t escape the surveillance network!”

“…Surveillance network?”

My father frowns.

“If there is a chase team….”

“Oh, no! I was already ostracized when I got out of the system. You don’t have to worry about that!”

“Hmm….”

“And I will send this container as is, so please accept it! First of all, the children’s clothes, luggage, and…”

“We are building the facilities separately, so you don’t have to worry.”

I passed Chairman Erwin and headed to the ‘entrance’ on the other side.

“Is there a door here?”

“Uh, yes! It’s right there. Wait a minute?”

Chairman Erwin ran right next to me and placed his hand on the container.

“Sorry. The lock is a blood authentication method.”

“Blood authentication?”

“Yes! It’s a method that only reacts with the same blood stored in the magic stone. Is this a secret of our Ipheria?”

I see.

This system, which was later installed on each weapon of the Imperial Army, was Ipheria’s.

“So the Chairman is following you in person?”

“Um, no. I’m just going to take this lock out of here. I need to retrieve it.”

“I see.”

Weeeing.

The door opens.

I thought the light of the red magic stone was shining from inside, but soon the iron door slid inside.

“Guys! It’s the prince~~”

“Who is the prince?”

Chairman Erwin smiles cheerfully and waves his hand, but no one inside can be seen.

The container was literally filled with darkness.

Moonlight streamed in through the door and illuminated the inside, but the girls inside didn’t all have very good expressions.

The age ranges from approximately 15 years old to approximately 7 years old.

They are all dressed in black robes, sitting in the innermost part of the container, shivering.

“Nice to meet you, everyone. Gibraltar will protect you wholeheartedly.”

“Ah….”

The moment I spoke in the imperial language, the eyes of the orphans brought in by Erwin began to brighten.

‘Are they all the crown prince’s illegitimate children?’

I’m looking at them one by one, but all I see are pretty girls who seem to have a bright future.

Do these girls really know?

They all have the same father.

And these nine children who were not born with a promising future –

…Nine?

“……?!”

Suddenly, I felt the presence of something behind me.

This is living-

“Wow!!”

“…….”

…It’s not, it’s playful.

“Huh?! Weren’t you surprised? No! Were you surprised?!”

“…Hey.”

Chairman Erwin laments that his head is pounding.

“That child is the eldest son of the Margrave of Gibraltar, who will take responsibility for not only you but also the other children.”

“Uh, really?”

Suddenly.

“Then this is our master?!”

He grabs my shoulder from behind and violently forces me to turn around.

“Hello!!”

“…….”

“Hello? Um, isn’t this it? But…”

With your back to the moon, your white hair with a soft light purple fluttering.

“You’re really pretty!”

With eyes that seemed to be a mixture of purple and sky blue, the girl smiled brightly at me.

“I’m Astasia! Nice to meet you! What’s your name?”

“…You are the second person to tell me I’m pretty as soon as we met.”

“What?! Was there someone else besides me?”

“Yes.”

Gray Gibraltar, 17 years old.

“You…A pretty person like Astasia did that to me.”

When we first met at the royal academy.

“Tossi is not wrong.”

She told me.

“Who is that?! Wow, there’s someone who thinks the same way as me!”

“In my dreams.”

“…Eh. What? Is it a dream? Then, I’m the first in real life!”

“I see. Um….”

If.

If we meet, how should we greet each other?

I’ve thought about it over and over again over the past three years.

“You have crossed the Gorge of Gibraltar and come to the kingdom, so I will greet you in the kingdom style.”

Already, my body started moving before I even thought about anything.

“Welcome to Gibraltar, Lady Astasia.”

Is it an old habit or instinct?

“It is an honor to meet you like this.”

I got down on one knee in front of the girl and kissed the back of her hand.

“I will treat you like a princess.”

“……Hit.”

Let’s raise our heads.

“Please take care of me, Prince!”

Astasia was smiling brightly as always.

After my execution ceremony.

About a month after the princess of the ruined country rescued me.

-Goodbye, my prince.

Like the last moment when he was executed in the square by the emperor.