Fish Don't Know About Water - Chapter 16

— People have only encountered Viett Hartmann through distorted articles. They had very little basis to judge what kind of person you are.

“… That’s probably because I-I’ve been a-avoiding public appearances.”

Giving a speech in front of tens of thousands of people gathered like an army of ants with a loudspeaker. The mere thought was horrifying.

He pictured himself holding the speech script with trembling hands and stuttering embarrassingly. It was better to never appear in public than to suffer such humiliation.

— This marks the end of the assault incident, the broken engagement, and the malicious rumors associated with them.

Hinler spoke confidently.

— If you continue to appear in the novel as the Little Lady’s kind husband, the disgraceful public opinion towards you will change rapidly.

“That s-sounds… ridiculous.”

He was about to retort, but Hinler was quicker.

— Actually, the newspaper’s sales skyrocketed after Your Highness appeared in the novel.

Viett placed the desk clock back on the desk with a dissatisfied look.

“So, so what?”

— There are many readers who look forward to the romance between Your Highness and the Little Lady. They must have been delighted to read today’s novel.

“D-delighted?”

— Did Your Highness act gruffly towards the Little Lady while hospitalized in the field hospital?

Hinler clicked his tongue briefly.

— When they realize that the rude behavior was actually the clumsy self-defense of a man in love, the readers who anticipated your romantic tension will be thrilled.

Romance? Viett scoffed. Thinking of the photo of Phenelity and Dr. Law made him more irritated. What could he expect from a woman who already had another man in her heart?

— The Cochrun earldom is already in league with the king. There’s no way to avoid the marriage now.

“…So, F-Father is finally putting a l-leash on me.”

Viett chuckled bitterly. He finally understood the real reason the king wanted to make the Little Lady a princess despite deceiving everyone.

The king intended to muzzle his fierce second son like a rabid dog. Viett could only laugh in disbelief.

Fine. He was destined to marry a woman chosen by his father anyway. But he never imagined that woman would be a mischievous girl with a screw loose who would expose her husband’s every move to the world.

— Don’t be too disheartened.

Hinler Heinz’s breath mixed with static and came through faintly.

— This is a golden opportunity to restore Your Highness’s reputation.

Hinler comforted him with a gentle voice. He was someone Viett trusted and followed like a godfather. The only person who had stayed by his side in the lonely palace during his childhood. It was surprising to see Hinler view this situation positively.

Marry the Little Lady and publicly share every move with the world? What good would caring about his reputation do now? Once Minute and Amelia had a son, he would be pushed out of the line of succession anyway.

— I’ll visit you soon. Let’s discuss it in detail then.

“You’re c-coming to Costonia?”

— Yes. I was ordered to persuade the Little Lady to forget that the ‘prince’ in the novel is Minute.

Persuade? Viett’s hand holding the desk clock weakened. He mumbled in a gloomy voice.

“Is it persuasion or b-brainwashing? Did you receive orders to m-manipulate Phenelity Cochrun’s memories with m-magic?”

Hinler’s heavy sigh came through without an answer. Silence meant affirmation. Viett frowned at his father’s ruthless order.

The royal family feared the exposure of Minute’s disgrace. They were wary of the novel <Pepe> referring to Minute as ‘the prince who flirted with me,’ revealing the truth of the previous night.

To think he would send the Minister of Magic to the battlefield to cover up the situation. His effort to protect the eldest son was commendable.

“S-so now I’ll be remembered as a s-scoundrel in her memories.”

The mere thought was unpleasant. He didn’t want to be remembered as a pathetic man in that tomboy’s memories. Phenelity Cochrun would likely mock him for years, saying, ‘Remember when you came to woo me at night!’

Wait. If she dislikes me due to the hypnosis… won’t I never see that smile again?

Viett replayed the recent moment in his mind. The gentle smile she gave him with the words ‘Well done.’ That strange woman couldn’t possibly smile like that. She couldn’t have smiled so warmly.

Maybe I was seeing things. He rubbed his chin with a blank face. It must be because of her that I’m losing my mind too. Otherwise, I wouldn’t feel even a slight regret in this situation.

— If Your Highness wishes, I can execute the brainwashing magic to completely erase Minute from the Little Lady’s memory.

Hinler cautiously suggested.

“Erase my b-brother’s intrusion into Cochrun’s room… completely?”

Viett was at a loss for words and wore a bewildered expression.

“But if… her s-sudden change is s-suspicious to the readers…”

— The Little Lady was always mentally unstable and capricious. The readers won’t suspect her if she forgets last night’s events.

“But if the b-brainwashing process is revealed in the novel, it will put you in a d-difficult position, Heinz.”

— I have prepared countermeasures for that.

Viett twisted his lips quietly. If his magical skills were quick enough to prepare countermeasures, couldn’t he resolve this unwanted marriage situation?

“Y-you’re quick.”

He replied briefly, trying not to sound like he was whining like a child.

* * *

“Yes, then…”

Hinler Heinz listened to Viett’s breathing through the desk clock and then sensed someone approaching. A young woman sitting on the sofa gestured for him to end the communication.

“I’ll contact you once I arrive in Costonia. Please… please take care.”

— U-understood.

Viett’s somber voice came through the pocket watch. Hinler ended the call with a grim face. Thinking about Viett’s lackluster tone throughout the conversation weighed heavily on his heart.

“Damn swindlers.”

His hatred for Raus IV and Minute Hartmann grew even stronger. Just as he muttered a low curse, a giggling sound came from one corner of the silent office. Hinler turned his sharp gaze towards the source of the sound.

“You might get arrested for insulting the royal family, Minister.”

A woman sitting on the velvet sofa, smoking a cigarette, smiled slyly. She had stylishly groomed black hair over her shoulders and wore a luxurious dress. Her face was full of a joyful smile.

It was Viett’s former fiancée, Cecilia Rosti.

“What’s so amusing?”

Hinler glared disapprovingly at Cecilia, who was lounging on the sofa. She crossed her legs in the opposite direction and let out a sharp laugh.

“The Minister’s effort to remain ‘kind Heinz’ to the prince is touching.”

Cecilia grinned mischievously and winked.

“Why don’t you just come clean to His Highness? ‘I’m actually the leader of Aisad. I’m plotting to overthrow the state to make you king!'”

“And should I also mention that His Highness’s former fiancée is a secret agent of that organization?”

Hinler retorted sarcastically, making Cecilia’s smug expression falter.

“Oh, come on. Why so prickly over a joke?”

“This is no time for silly jokes. The situation has become too complicated.”

“But isn’t it true that we have an opportunity to restore His Highness’s reputation? Let’s not think too negatively.”

“…It was because of you that things got so tangled up in the first place!”

Hinler slammed his fist on the desk, startling Cecilia into straightening her posture. He glared at her bewildered face and shouted harshly.

“Why did you have to throw a tantrum at His Highness that day and make things worse?”

“It was you who ordered me to induce a breakup in the first place. You said you couldn’t bear to see an Aisad agent become the Queen of Westenia!”

Cecilia blew out a puff of smoke and scoffed.

“Thanks to that, I ended up looking like a pathetic woman desperate to marry the prince. If I had known I’d be discarded like an old shoe, I wouldn’t have circled around His Highness for the engagement.”

She glanced at Hinler with eyes full of resentment.