# 12
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Meanwhile, in the north, the Knights of the Runes...
“I miss the leader.”
They were chatting while shoveling snow as usual.
“Really… where did he suddenly disappear to?”
“He must have gone to the imperial palace. He is a prince.”
“Is that so?”
Then one of the knights assigned to guard appeared, almost crying.
He was a large, short-haired man, with a large rabbit toy in his hand.
On the soles of the doll's feet was engraved the name "Merida."
“I don't miss the leader.”
“Why, am I making you angry again?”
“He said Merida has gained more weight than last year!”
Hmmm…
As soon as the others heard, they dropped what they had in their hands and gathered around him.
“Really... I'm getting fat.”
“Yes, I got fat.”
They embarked on a three-hour long discussion about how and why Merida had gained weight.
None of them argued that a doll could not be fattened.
***
Peter Maillot was a valedictorian of the academy.
Once he graduated, he was appointed advisor to the Imperial Palace.
He even became the third prince's special advisor directly!
A great honor he received at a young age.
He entered the palace amidst the cheers of his family and friends, and his first destination was the Third Prince.
But the one who received him was not the prince, but a servant from the palace.
“Nice to meet you! I am Peter Milo, the new Chancellor who will be serving His Highness the Third Prince starting today!”
Peter stood up politely, but the servant said coldly.
‘His Highness the Third Prince is currently unavailable. There will be no need to meet him in the future either.'
'What...?'
'He has been away from the palace for a long time, and he prefers to do everything himf.'
And what he said was true.
While the advisors of the rest of the princes were hard at work day and night, Peter was doing almost nothing.
The Third Prince did not issue orders, nor did he use the budget allocated to him.
In fact… Peter didn't even get a chance to meet him.
Everything he reported about him were just terrifying rumours.
It destroys the beasts of the north alone... it is extremely brutal... and so on.
Moreover, he did not attend any festival or public event.
The reason is simple: laziness.
Only the few necessary servants knew his face.
And so Peter spent his days alone at his desk, doing nothing.
'How I wish I could work…'
This was the case every day.
Even after the Third Prince returned from the north, he did not receive him, but instead transferred Peter directly to the Department of Magic Affairs.
The prince never asked for it.
Peter opened a white sheet of paper and started scribbling.
'Yesterday I drew a butterfly... Today I might draw a bird...'
All that increased over time was his skill in drawing.
And suddenly…
Knock knock.
A knock sounded on the door.
“What's wrong?”
Peter answered in a desperate voice. But what he heard was surprising.
“His Highness the Third Prince requests you. Immediately!”
"……What?"
This early morning...?
Peter asked in amazement.
But the servant was impatient and opened the office door.
“Get out quickly! He said it was very urgent!”
Peter jumped to his feet.
In his haste, he bumped into his desk and almost tripped, but he didn't even feel the pain.
His Highness the Prince asks me...!
Finally...my first day of work!
He smiled with a bright face and rushed after the servant.
“The revelation of His Highness the Third Prince.”
This is… the Third Prince?
Peter stopped in shock, staring at the man standing in front of him.
He was tall and shone under the sunlight, blinding the eyes.
A delicate face, almost the face of an angel, looked at him with a gentle smile.
A man who had nothing to do with those horrific rumours...in fact, he was extremely beautiful.
“Kh-k-k-k!”
The servant could not bear the scene and let out a feigned cough.
Only then did Peter regain consciousness and hurried over to salute.
He was panting from running.
“His Highness Prince… III… Nice… to meet you… I… Peter… huh! Milo…!”
“Yes, huh, Milo. I summoned you for an urgent matter that requires investigation.”
“Order me... haha... whatever you want!”
Edwin nodded at the servant.
The latter quickly understood his meaning and left the place, leaving them alone.
“Research the circumstances of Viscount Hartwin’s family. To what extent they are experiencing difficulties, and what their conditions are like.”
“Viscount Hartwyn…?”
Peter had never heard of this small, obscure noble house.
He caught his breath and asked.
“You mean economically... huh... Your Highness?”
“Yes. Better check their sources of income as well.”
Why does the Third Prince care about the Hartwyn family?
But the loyal advisor does not ask why.
Peter answered firmly
“I will report back in a week!”
"no."
Edwin said quietly.
“When I return from my trip.”
Peter's eyes widened as he thought anxiously.
'What's the matter?' Is it testing my abilities as a counor?'
If so, this is an even greater incentive to prove his worth.
Edwin added...
“Hey Milo, what matters to me is the result.”
'...that is, the method does not concern him.'
The astute Peter understood the point immediately.
At that moment, a luxurious carriage belonging to the Imperial Palace stopped in front of him.
Edwin nodded as if to say, “What are you waiting for? Get in.”
'Are...do you mean for me to take this?'
This was exceptional treatment for an advisor.
Peter couldn't help but feel emotional, so he immediately left the palace full of excitement.
'I will search for every little thing, even if it is a speck of dust!'
That perseverance that had made his professors at the academy bored with him reignited in him.
***
As for Dana, she had to leave early in the morning on a business trip.
She put thick clothes from her closet in her bag, then went down the stairs.
She looked around quietly.
The maids had not yet begun their work, and the family members were fast asleep.
No doubt they spent the night partying and gambling, then got drunk until dawn in the dining hall.
Dana took a small cloth bag out of her purse.
From within it appeared a crystal ball, which looked like an ordinary glass bead, but was in fact a magic stone-powered device: a visible recording ball.
Thanks to Edwin, I was able to get it easily.
As he explained to her, she grabbed the ball with both hands and spun it in opposite directions.
-Knock.
Registration has started.
‘The details of the contract must be recorded in some way...’
Dana wanted her family and Count Hamburn to be punished together.
But she feared that if she reported it, her family would disavow and say that they had been forced under the threat of the viscount.
Therefore, they needed evidence to prove their knowledge of the content of the contract.
That's why she borrowed the recording tool.
She hid it deep in the utensils cupboard, where the Viscountess keeps her most precious dishes, which she only uses for decoration.
Dana checked one last time that everything was in place.
And if you turn around...
“What are you doing?”
A sharp shout rang out.
Dana froze in shock.
A coldness swept over her body, and cold sweat ran down her back.
The owner of the voice was none other than Jimmy.
He was leaning against the wall, holding his head, clearly suffering from a headache and thirst after drinking too much.
Dana pretended to be calm and said.
"What do you mean? Getting ready to go to work."
"here?"
“Is it strange if I drink water before going out?”
“So what was it that you just saw?”
“What do you mean?”
Her heart beat violently.
She again feigned indifference as she stared at him.
Jimmy pointed to her bag.
“Don't say you're trying to run away? Because you don't want to repay the debt?”
“…What you saw was the bag?”
"Yes! My eyes make no mistake!"
A sigh of relief almost escaped her, but she held herf together.
His eyes were red from the alcohol, and he looked at her sharply.
She said lightly.
“It's a business trip up north.”
Ah... Jimmy's face suddenly softened.
He is always simple-minded, quick to anger and quick to be satisfied.
“Of course... you can't abandon your family.”
Dana passed him without paying attention. She smiled bitterly.
Why do they seem so sure she'll never escape?
Her family has always treated her with contempt, as if she were a prisoner among them.
As if they were sure that she would not escape them.
'But… why did I keep putting up with it?'
That old question floated back in her heart.
She always felt that disobeying their orders, or ceasing to sacrifice for them, would bring disaster.
Despite knowing their injustice, she swallowed everything silently.
'What changed me all of a sudden?'
She tilted her head in confusion.
While she was deep in thought, she opened the palace door...
Her eyes widened in astonishment.
“...Edwin?”