Chapter 27

[ …Have you, perhaps, developed other feelings? Maybe you’ve fallen in love with your fiancé? ]

[ Love? That’s something shared only by those of the same kind. ]

A rather uninterested reply came back, as if the question were beneath consideration.

[ I only bother looking after her because she’s so hopelessly weak. ]

Despite those words, it seemed clear that Louis must have decided his fiancée was at least somewhat useful. Otherwise, that two-faced scoundrel with a ruined personality would never have bothered to assign a personal guard.

[ But your fiancé, Lady Leonia, was it? Are you sure she’s someone you can trust? She’s spent quite a lot of time around Marquis Regen, after all. ]

Aaron carefully chose his words, trying to turn his doubt into conviction.

[ From what I can tell, you haven’t investigated her separately. ]

[ That’s because her informant is unexpectedly competent. If I’m not careful, she might start getting suspicious. ]

[ …Lady Leonia’s informant? ]

Louis nodded silently, leaving Aaron thoroughly bewildered. Was he truly wary of an informant belonging to nothing more than a count’s daughter?

[ If she were a piece I intended to discard, I wouldn’t care. But for now, I plan to leave her be. ]

[ What if you end up stabbed in the back? ]

At that, a faint, almost amused smile curved Louis’s lips.

[ Aaron Valentin. ]

His voice dropped a shade lower, rich with quiet warning.

[ I’m not sure what it is you’re fishing for. ]

[ …. ]

[ You’re the one who seems to be hiding something. ]

A smile cold as ice filled Aaron’s vision, its chill leaving no doubt as to its meaning.

Louis had realized Aaron and Leonia had met privately. There had been ducal knights present, so it wasn’t exactly a secret. Still, the fact that he took an interest in their meeting was troubling.

[ …Since when did you care about things like that? ]

[ I have every reason to care. After all, it concerns my fiancée. ]

He was the sort who wouldn’t bat an eye even if the emperor were to die tomorrow, yet here he was, pretending to fret over his own fiancée.

With a sigh, Aaron muttered.

[ …That woman, she may not have been born under a lucky star, but she’s clever. Maybe there’s something to that informant you mentioned, or perhaps she has something else up her sleeve. ]

Aaron possessed the ability to glimpse a person’s fate. It wasn’t precise, nor could he use it at will, though when luck was on his side, it could prove useful.

This time, he’d managed to read Leonia’s fate.

[ There’s nothing to lose by keeping her on your side. Just be careful. Once she’s done with someone, she never looks back. ]

[ You almost sound like a fortune-teller. ]

It was his way of telling him not to waste time on pointless talk. Hearing that, Aaron didn’t protest and moved on to the next piece of information.

[ You’ll be receiving an invitation soon. I’d advise you to be cautious. ]

[ An invitation? ]

[ Ren is furious with your fiancée over this incident. I wouldn’t be surprised if he’s plotting something with Marquis Regen. ]

Louis, however, looked thoroughly unimpressed.

[ Whatever trouble they cause in the capital, it won’t amount to much. ]

In other words, he had no intention of interfering.

[ Well, that’s your problem to handle. This time, I’ll lend a hand too. ]

With that, Aaron rose to his feet.

[ I’m a prince, after all. I can’t allow myself to be outmaneuvered twice by a spy my own father sent. ]

Aaron glanced at the window, noting how darkness had fallen. It was nearly time to head back.

[ So let’s make sure we get rid of him this time. ]

It was both a promise to Louis and a vow to himself. On his way back to his quarters, Aaron took a deep breath, hoping to calm his pounding heart.

‘…Ugh, my heart can’t take this. There’s no way I could do it a second time.’

Louis and Aaron had agreed to keep their acquaintance a secret.

There were matters of diplomatic confidentiality, and the risks of revealing their connection far outweighed any potential benefit. So, the two always chose to meet late at night, in abandoned buildings tucked away in the maze of empty backstreets. As a result, hardly anyone could have guessed at the friendship between them.

Yet Leonia Bellasi had discovered it.

He never once considered that Louis might have told her himself. There was nothing to gain from exposing their long-hidden friendship, and he wasn’t the sort to confide in a fiancée he didn’t even trust. So, just as Louis suspected, Aaron found himself wondering if Leonia’s informant was far more capable than he’d thought.

Perhaps it had been wise to agree to cooperate with her.

After the incident with Ren, in a private meeting, Leonia had made three requests.

First, that Aaron told Louis she was someone worth keeping around.

Second, that he never revealed she was deceiving Louis.

She hadn’t simply known about Aaron’s ability. Her requests showed a precise understanding of how it worked, and just how far its limits reached.

Her final demand wasn’t especially difficult either.

But what she said next brought a whole new kind of confusion.

“If you agree to all my conditions, I’ll help resolve the very problem threatening the Valentin royal family’s survival.”

It was a rather audacious offer to make to a foreign prince. However, having glimpsed her fate, he found it difficult to refuse. If anyone could find a way, it was likely her. So, in the end, after much deliberation, Aaron decided to trust what he’d seen and to deceive Louis, if only a little.

He kept silent, even knowing that Leonia was hiding something from Louis.

‘It’s not as if I’m coming between true lovers.’

They weren’t actually in love, just bound by an arrangement. Nonetheless, marriage was marriage.