—What? No!?

I shook my head, trembling, and hurriedly shut the window. I blocked his startled face with the curtain and piled my luggage in front of the window to keep it closed.Then I returned to my bed with angry steps and lay down. Pulling the blanket over my head, I squeezed my eyes shut and muttered.This is just a stupid dream. A stupid dream…」

Viett slowly lifted his head to look at Esca.

“What do we do? This situation is completely screwed.”

Esca, chain-smoking, tried to offer a solution with a forced smile.

“This is no time to waste. We need to inform the media immediately that the prince in this scene is Minute, not you…”

“It’s… it’s no use.”

Viett crumpled the newspaper and shook his head.

“Did you forget that we’re in a foreign country? Westenia… distributes newspapers faster than Costonia.”

“Then…”

“Father must have already taken action.”

A crown prince who married three years ago and a worthless stuttering problem child. It was obvious which one their father would protect.

PART 1.

Chapter 4. Scandal

Lechen, the capital of Westenia.

The Selaron Royal Palace in the center of the capital was deathly quiet. The chamberlain had brought the carefully ironed newspaper to the king’s bedroom at dawn today.

The servants, who had read the novel <Pepe> beforehand, were at a loss, waiting for the king’s orders. After a long contemplation, King Raus IV summoned the chamberlain.

“I understand that the Ministry of Magic oversees this old system.”

“Yes, Your Majesty.”

“Summon the Minister of Magic immediately.”

Thus, Minister of Magic Hinler Heinz had to meet the king without having finished his morning sleep.

King Raus IV was sitting almost reclining in a plush chair, glaring at a silver tray. The neatly cut and ironed pages of the serialized novel were placed on the tray.

“Your Majesty.”

Minister Hinler slowly bowed and kissed the back of the king’s hand. He suppressed the urge to bite his lips and respectfully paid his respects.

“Glory to the golden sun of Westenia.”

“The Ministry of Magic oversees the Little Lord system, correct?”

The king waved his hand, indicating to skip the trivial formalities.

“Yes, but it is now commonly referred to as the ‘Little Lady system.'”

Minister Hinler took a step back and bowed his head respectfully.

“Is it possible to revise the novel distributed in the newspapers?”

“It is impossible.”

“Why not?”

“The creator of the magical typewriter that writes the Little Lady’s novels was the first Minister of Magic. He imprinted one rule on the typewriter: ‘Always write the truth.'”

And it’s impossible to retrieve newspapers distributed nationwide now. The minister swallowed his words and watched the king’s expression. The king rubbed his chin covered in a white beard, deep in thought.

“That’s unfortunate… It seems that Little Lady is quite close with my sons.”

King Raus IV muttered, looking down at the pages of the novel on the silver tray.

“Many have criticized the anonymity of this novel as a serious flaw. But this time, I feel grateful for the crude X mark.”

The minister carefully read the novel handed to him by the king. After meticulously examining each word, he sighed regretfully.

“Your Majesty. When you say ‘sons,’ do you mean that the ‘prince’ who visited the Little Lady’s room yesterday is indeed…”

“The first visitor was my second son, and the second visitor was Crown Prince Minute.”

King Raus IV replied with a dark expression.

“Several fortunes mixed like coincidences. That ‘magical typewriter’ hid the fact that my second son stutters, and Minute happened to stay in Costonia away from the public eye. And…”

He traced the phrase ‘man’s sapphire eyes’ with his fingertip.

“All my sons inherited their mother’s beautiful blue eyes.”

“Are you planning to pin the Crown Prince’s actions on Prince Viett?”

“Viett has nothing to lose.”

The king muttered to himself, placing his clasped hands on his stomach.

“But Minute is different. He is the heir who will lead Westenia after me. He even has a wise wife from the wedding of the century.”

Minister Hinler recalled Crown Princess Amelia, who only appeared in public. She was an excellent woman. She had a great personality, a good family, and a good reputation. It was clear she would wisely assist in state affairs as the future queen.

The minister also knew how much King Raus IV cherished his daughter-in-law and had high expectations for her. And how much Amelia wanted to leave this palace.

“If Minute’s attempted adultery is exposed, Amelia will have the right to legally demand a divorce. The archbishop and the royal family would have no choice but to grant the divorce this time.”

“If the Crown Prince and his wife divorce, Westenia will be turned upside down.”

“Indeed. With the expected air raid from Easton, we cannot disturb the people’s minds with such a scandal.”

The king pushed the silver tray towards Minister Hinler.

“Fortunately, the majority of the people who don’t know about Minute’s private life are mistaking the one who visited the Little Lady with flowers as Viett.”

The minister adjusted his glasses and examined the novel more closely. After reading the same content several times, he noticed the differences between the two characters.

The Little Lady referred to Viett Hartmann as ‘Your Highness’ and Crown Prince Minute as ‘the prince.’

There were also subtle differences in their speech and behavior. Anyone familiar with the two brothers would immediately recognize the identities of the two characters upon reading the novel.

However, most of the people did not know the royal family. If the royal family decided to hide the truth, the people would believe without doubt that the prince in the novel was only Viett.

“I’ve already sent a messenger to the Cochrun Count’s family.”

The king said, glaring at the pages of the newspaper with disdain.

“By this morning, an extra edition will be published stating that the ‘prince’ in the novel is the second prince, Viett Hartmann. And I plan to proceed with the wedding between him and the Little Lady as soon as possible.”

“A wedding, Your Majesty?”

“Yes. Scandals must be covered with even more sensational scandals.”

The king replied indifferently, a cold light flashing across his face.

“I considered starting with an engagement, but then that arrogant Viett would declare a breakup within a few months.”

“Do you really intend to make the Little Lady a princess?”

“Look here.”

King Raus IV touched the lines of Viett’s dialogue in the novel with his fingertip.

“The second son described in the novel is not a pathetic stutterer. If we keep the Little Lady by his side, the rumors that have secretly spread among the people will gradually fade away.”

“Rumors, Your Majesty?”

“The rumor that the second prince of Westenia is a pathetic invalid who can’t even speak properly.”

Such a terrible rumor had spread among the people. The Minister of Magic unknowingly made a pitiful expression.

“Unless I make him give a radio speech, most of the people will never hear Viett’s voice in their lifetime. I think it’s better to cover his flaws with lies and bury the truth as it is.”

“…I recently contacted Mage Tenessa, who was dispatched to the Costonia field hospital.”

The minister cautiously began.

“Tenessa said she assigned the Little Lady as the prince’s personal nurse. Since then, His Highness’s bad behavior has noticeably decreased.”

“Are you saying that if Viett marries the Little Lady, his nasty temper will be suppressed?”

A satisfied light flickered in King Raus IV’s eyes.

“It’s like living with a newspaper reporter with sharp eyes. It’s a very good method.”

* * *

Minute fled to a hotel to avoid the reporters who would soon swarm in. While he was holed up in the hotel room, time flew by in the blink of an eye.

The sun was already high in the sky. There was enough time for the newspaper to be distributed throughout Westenia and various Allied camps.

The thought of people laughing at him sent chills down his spine. Imagining Amelia rejoicing made his stomach turn.

She was a woman who had been desperately searching for evidence of her husband’s infidelity. Now that she could formally demand a divorce, she must feel like she owned the world.

He hid under the thick blanket, thinking of ways to avoid the disgrace. No matter how much he racked his brain, he couldn’t come up with a suitable way to get out of this crisis. Biting his nails and trembling, he kicked off the blanket and shouted.

“Damn it!”

Who would have thought that nurse was the Little Lady! If he had known she was the protagonist of that third-rate novel, he would never have visited the dormitory at night.