“For now, my whereabouts are recorded as having gone on a provincial inspection tour.”

“And I was missing during that period, so that’s why Seth thought I was with you.”

“You said you were last at the magic tower and got caught in an explosion, right?”

“Yes.”

After a moment’s hesitation, I swallowed the story about the monastery. I couldn’t gauge how much I should tell him.

“Anyway, Seth doesn’t seem to know that you went ‘outside’.”

“Really?”

“Yes.”

“Then I’ve gained an advantageous card over him.”

What does he mean?

Looking at my senior, he smiled brightly.

“Knowing about the outside world.”

Before I could affirm, my senior gently creased his eyes into crescents. His tear moles stood out more than usual.

“It’s our secret, just between us.”

The intimate whisper moistened my ear.

“Haha! Hahaha!”

Our secret, just between us? I’ll pass.

I laughed loudly to dispel the awkwardness, and my senior straightened his body that had been leaning forward.

“Have you eaten?”

“Of course not yet.”

“Then let’s eat together.”

When I nodded, my senior called the caretaker and gave various instructions.

“The maid…”

A worried look clouded the senior’s handsome face.

“There’s no one the Chancellor’s hand hasn’t touched.”

“I don’t think Seth would mind either since he probably doesn’t want to spread rumors about me being here.”

“…Is that so?”

He neither confirmed nor denied it.

“And I don’t need someone to wait on me as long as meals are provided regularly.”

From what I can see, it’s easy to bathe, and the clothes… well, the clothes are a bit difficult to put on. They have those flowing dresses here too.

And there’s one more thing: I didn’t want others to see the marks left on my chest. You could say I didn’t want anyone to find out who I was with or what I was doing.

“Still, you should get used to managing subordinates.”

Though his tone was gentle, it felt half like a demand. Or was that just my imagination?

Above all, why do I need to get used to managing subordinates?

Knock knock.

Along with the now-familiar knocking sound, the meal arrived. Even though I had eaten a hearty breakfast, my mouth was watering.

The main dish for lunch was meat. I was a bit disappointed that breakfast was fish.

“Senior, I’m grateful that you’ve provided me with accommodation.”

“But?”

“Can I go outside the palace?”

The senior didn’t answer.

This senior?

“Senior? Hello? Senior?”

I finally put down my knife and grabbed the arm of the senior sitting next to me, shaking it. He stubbornly continued cutting his meat with his knife.

“Don’t pretend you can’t hear me. Hey, Senior? Answer me, will you?”

As I stood up from my seat, the senior finally slowly raised his head.

“Why are you trying to keep me cooped up in the palace? What benefit does that bring you?”

“Have you already forgotten that I said I like you?”

“Ack, cough.”

I choked even though there was nothing in my mouth.

I thought he was on my side, but he turned out to be the strongest enemy!

“I told you, didn’t I? I came to like you even when I wasn’t the Crown Prince.”

Faced with his utterly serious expression, this time it was I who fell silent.

“I will let you move around freely. But a little later.”

I decided to back off for now, sensing that pressing the issue might ruin things.

I pretended to be satisfied with this much and sat down, starting to cut my meat.

“You’re quite adept at table manners?”

“I learned.”

“From whom?”

“From Seth.”

“Hmm…”

As the senior nodded, his silver hair swayed.

“Come to think of it, I don’t know anything about how my junior has been living here.”

Ding ding ding ding!

The red alert warns me not to speak!

“Me? There’s nothing particularly special.”

I tried to brush it off, but the senior smirked as if to say ‘not a chance’.

“If you don’t tell me, I’ll let the Chancellor make his own assumptions.”

“Surely… you don’t mean you’ll let him think it was a love escape…?”

“Yes.”

This senior doesn’t value his life, does he?

“Senior, you might lose your head for that…!”

“From what I’ve seen of the ending, I’m still alive, aren’t I?”

This senior?

I was about to say that such things no longer matter, but I let it go.

To me, he’s more of a senior than a Crown Prince, but it seems that for him, the perception of being a person from this place is stronger.

So if I were to tell him that all the rules he knows have been overturned, it would be shocking.

Seth said he wouldn’t kill him, so it should be fine. …Probably?

“What about you, junior? Why did you come here?”

I have a purpose for coming here.

To bring him here since he would die if he stayed outside the book for too long, and to eliminate the possibility of him going outside.

The senior can’t go outside without the key, after all.

The goal is to destroy my mysterious diary in Yuno’s desk drawer. And also to check if the kids are doing well.

“To get a treasure?”

“What?”

“You mean there’s a treasure I collected in the magic tower, right?”

When I spoke seriously, the senior seemed unable to tell if it was true or false.

Hmph, only someone like Seth or a human lie detector would be able to tell when I’m lying.

“And I was also a bit curious.”

“About what?”

“You’ve read the book, so you know, there’s a female protagonist, right?”

“That’s right.”

“I wanted to see her.”

When I spoke with half-sincerity, the senior didn’t seem to doubt it. In truth, there’s another reason that I absolutely can’t tell anyone.

I want to confirm the meaning of the dream I’ve been having frequently.

One person who appeared unusually often in my dreams. I wanted to meet that person.

Instead of them coming to meet me, I wanted to go and meet them.

***

“Why do they only give me clothes like these?”

In Rose Palace, only dresses that were impossible to put on alone were prepared – in other words, elaborate clothes that greatly restricted movement.

The senior, who seemed to be pondering, sent away the maids. There were only two of them anyway.

From what I heard, there was a separate cleaning staff who worked at night when I was in my room.

The senior, being the Crown Prince, would come and quickly disappear, perhaps due to Seth’s meddling. In fact, Seth visited more frequently.

“‘The All-Out Literary Work of One Who Dreamed of Being a Great Sage’? Senior, I can’t believe you thought to bring such a book.”

The title of the book the senior brought me the next day was ridiculous, unlike its worn cover. It seemed important, so I started reading it carefully.

“Wow, this is terribly hard to read.”

But this book was even more dreadful than any doctoral dissertation I had read while writing reports.

I couldn’t help but think the senior must be quite a tough person to have read all of this.

“I have no choice!”

I stood up, clenching both fists.

“The senior told me not to leave here for the time being, but…”

It wouldn’t be me if I obeyed that.

There are maids outside the door, so I’ll go out through the window!

I took off my shoes and held them, gathering and tying up the flowing dress with the curtain cord.

It looks unsightly, but no one will see me anyway.

I hadn’t initially planned to attempt an escape.