Silent Witch-CH18: At Prince Yuma’s Detached Palace

Even though they were inside a building, small tornadoes were forming here and there.

At the center of it all, Lady Alteria Hwant, now the fiancée of the second prince, was quietly releasing the power bestowed upon her by the fairy within her, manifesting it as tornadoes.

But no one would likely recognize her. That's because, from any angle, the current her looked like nothing more than a lovely young boy.

She wore a white shirt with a blue vest over it and brown slacks. Her long brown hair was tucked away inside a blue hat. She had the air of the well-dressed son of a merchant.

While this was on the castle grounds, it was a detached palace located farthest from the center. It was the private property of Second Prince Yumanova Crow Regalty.

Her using her power in the training hall equipped within had become a common sight recently.

Now that she was recognized as the prince's fiancée by those around them, she was coming and going from the castle to receive her formal education as a future princess consort, but in between, she would come to this detached palace of Prince Yuma's to release her power.

There would be no problem with her coming and going here as herself, a count's daughter, but with her partner having gotten engaged so soon after broken engagement, there was no telling what gossips might say.

Concerned for her safety, Prince Yuma suggested that she come and go in male disguise to avoid being recognized as Lady Alteria.

Given how often Lady Alteria was visiting the castle, they couldn't be certain she wouldn't be targeted by Lord Jumelba. Of course, she had guards, but they had to consider the worst-case scenario. For that reason, she was told to remain in her male disguise except when attending her princess consort lessons.

It was also explained as a precaution to hide her identity; even if someone were to see her using magic, they likely wouldn't realize it was her if she were disguised as a boy.

Change at the detached palace, attend her lessons, then come back and change again. He proposed something incredibly troublesome with a perfectly straight face.

Naturally, Lady Chiffone gave him a deadpan stare.

"…Prince Yumanova, don't tell me you actually like Lady Alteria in her male disguise?"

Prince Yuma flinched, his shoulders twitching. Lady Chiffone and I let out a long, exasperated sigh.

"As expected of you, Prince Yuma. In that case, no one would recognize me either, right? I also find it easier to move in that outfit."

——The pure-hearted Lady Alteria had fallen prey to Prince Yuma's wicked clutches.

Watching the two of them get all excited and giggly, Lady Chiffone and I couldn't bring ourselves to object.

By the way, Lady Chiffone was wearing a standard-issue maid's uniform from the castle. It suited her very well. But putting aside my thoughts on her, I honestly believed there was no chance of Lady Alteria being seen by anyone here.

This was the training hall of the second prince's detached palace, after all. If the area was declared off-limits, no one would dare come near.

You see, the royalty of this nation are mostly meatheads… ahem. They are a people who prize physical prowess above all else. And so, to train their bodies, they each possess a personal training hall.

Since long ago, there have been members of this brawny royalty… cough… who dislike being seen while they train. In a castle where you never know where a traitor might be lurking, revealing your true abilities is a reckless move. There are quite a few who believe that power is something to be unveiled only in a crucial moment, not something to be constantly displayed for all to see. Then again, according to Prince Yuma, it's apparently just because he dislikes having his sword strokes and habits analyzed so his weaknesses can be exploited.

For this reason, every male member of the royal family is granted his own detached palace, within which a training hall is built. It is one of the few privileges allowed only to the men of the royal family, who otherwise have almost no personal space.

As I watched, marveling at how truly mysterious and wonderful her power was, the tornadoes began to shrink, and finally dissipated into a mist, as if she had released all she needed to.

"Fuu~"

"Good work, Lady Alteria."

"Are you alright, Allie?"

I, Brian, greeted her approach with applause, while her best friend and handmaiden, Lady Chiffone, offered her a handkerchief.

"Thank you as always, Sir Brian."

Lady Alteria took the handkerchief from Lady Chiffone and thanked me. It was likely thanks for my protection.

"Not at all. Prince Yuma was supposed to be here as well, but he was too busy to make it today, for which I apologize. If you have the time, Lady Alteria, I can guide you to Prince Yuma's office. He mentioned that he would like to have some tea with you if you are available."

"Thank you. But wouldn't I be interrupting? I imagine he's very busy?"

At my mention of his busy schedule, Lady Alteria took a deferential stance. I let out a small laugh.

"As you know, Lady Alteria , His Highness Lenanino has been out of commission since the other day. Prince Yuma's busyness stems from the fact that all of His Highness Lenanino's official duties have fallen to him. Of course, Prince Yuma isn't entirely uninvolved in the matter, so I suppose he's dealing with them rather reluctantly."

"Is that so? Um, isn't there anyone else who can help him?"

"Aside from His Highness Lenanino and Prince Yuma, the rest of this country's royalty are mostly meatheads—er, I mean, they are men who prize physical prowess. As such, they are all quite unskilled at administrative work. The King usually leaves everything to His Highness Lenanino, with Prince Yuma acting as his assistant. So now that His Highness Lenanino is out of commission, it's no exaggeration to say that everything has fallen on Prince Yuma's shoulders."

"In that case, all the more reason for me to decline today."

"Not at all, it's no problem for Prince Yuma. Besides, he is the one who has been eagerly awaiting your visit, Lady Alteria. He's been cooped up with work and is probably a bit on edge by now. You would be doing him a great service by soothing his spirits."

When I said this with a smile, she tilted her head slightly. "Would I be able to soothe him?" I see, I thought to myself. So this is the kind of thing that makes Prince Yuma call her cute. I found myself strangely agreeing.

"Of course. Right this way, please."

I opened the door and led them to Prince Yuma.

"But it's true that no one comes to the detached palace. I was surprised, considering it's on the castle grounds, that there's no sign of anyone at all."

Lady Chiffone let out a sigh of admiration. I wondered if she was impressed by how well-disciplined the staff must be. I quickly corrected that misunderstanding.

"Haha, well, you see, one of the King's elder brothers is a rather bloodthirsty man. There have been times when anyone who approached the detached palace was mercilessly used as a practice dummy for his sword. Among his victims were spies, but also servants who had simply gotten lost. He made no distinction. The royal family's stance is that if you approach a detached palace—whose very purpose is to keep people away—without permission, you have no right to complain no matter what happens to you. Of course, Prince Yuma's opinion is that it's fine for royals to have a personal space, so he doesn't go out of his way to refute that tradition. But given the current circumstances, I think it's working out for the best."

As I cheerfully explained that, in short, everyone was simply too afraid to approach a royal detached palace, the two women… froze, their faces twitching. Oh no!

"My apologies. I've told you a frightening story. Ah, I am truly too blunt. Prince Yuma is always telling me, ‘Pay more attention to how people react.' He's right, of course."

As I hurriedly apologized, both Lady Alteria and Lady Chiffone waved their hands dismissively, saying, "No, no, not at all."

"We were a little startled, but if that's the reason, then I suppose it truly is the safest place there is. We'll continue to use it with peace of mind."

Lady Alteria beamed and nodded in agreement with Lady Chiffone.

Ah, what a relief. I had been genuinely panicked that my words might make the two of them afraid of the royal family, of Prince Yuma.

More than anything, the thought of Lady Chiffone disliking me made me want to cry inside.

It seems that whenever Lady Chiffone is involved, I turn into a rather pathetic man. Catching a glimpse of this unexpected side of myself, I reflected alone on how I could never possibly bring up the matter of His Highness Lenanino now.

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