Published: August 10, 2026
Princess Claudette of the Flaria Kingdom was fidgeting shyly, her small shoulders hunched.
"Th... th-thank you for meeting me properly for the first time. I am Claudette Amelie Maria Gabriel Christlake Augustan Lindberg Simon El de la Francis..."
"You don't need to say your full name every time unless it's a public occasion, Dee."
"Yes, I understand, Lord Richard!"
"And when exactly am I going to get you to stop adding 'Lord' to my name?"
"I-I'll be careful, Ri-Rich—no, Ricky, l-lord, ahhhh..."
The Flaria princess was writhing in embarrassment beside Richard, her face red as a beet. Richard watched her with a gentle smile.
...What?
What kind of relationship do these two have?
They looked unusually close, almost like lovers. Surely not—could it be?
I instinctively looked to Wolfgang behind me for help, but he just shook his head. So at least it hadn't been officially announced in the international news.
For now, I pulled out the chair facing Richard and sat down.
"Your Highness, what brings you to a place like this?"
"Of course, I came because I had business with you. I was looking for someone at the harbor and heard you were staying here as your regular lodging."
"...You came to see me? And I don't see any guards with you. Is there some extraordinary reason for that?"
"First of all, stop calling me 'Your Highness.' I'm technically incognito. Richard is fine. And drop the formal speech too. The second prince isn't important enough to be bowed to by Duke Granado."
"...Then, Richard. What do you need from me?"
When I asked, Richard gave another small laugh. He looked almost embarrassed, his cheeks faintly tinted.
"Actually, I've become engaged to her."
"Her? Wait, you mean the princess!?"
I accidentally shouted. Richard hurriedly covered my mouth and raised a finger in warning.
"Don't make a scene. This is still a state secret."
"S-sorry, I won't yell again. But still... an engagement... Congratulations, I suppose...?"
I glanced at Claudette from the corner of my eye. The princess was blushing furiously, writhing in place with her head bowed. Richard, meanwhile, smiled lightly.
"It's not something to be so stiff about. It's what you'd call a white marriage. As you can see, there's a big age gap, and the princess is still very young. Neither of us even thinks of the other as the opposite sex."
...Is that so? Because just now, Princess Claudette was trembling slightly with tears in her eyes.
"Honestly, if it weren't for that, we wouldn't be able to sit together like this. You know I've always had trouble with women—rather, I'm bad with them."
That was true enough, but...
Princess Claudette was, if I remembered correctly, fourteen years old. She hadn't debuted in society yet, but for an arranged marriage, she was certainly of the right age. The age difference wasn't that large either. Her age didn't seem like a reason for Richard's female aversion to vanish.
Rather, it felt like Richard had gotten close to Claudette first, and only afterward added the explanation to justify it.
Maybe this white marriage was just the excuse?
At that thought, I smirked. I hurriedly covered my mouth, but Richard must have caught it for a moment, because he gave me a puzzled look as if to ask, "What's so funny?" That only made it more amusing.
Someday, he would realize her feelings.
I wanted to sneak a peek at what kind of reaction he'd have then.
So that's how it was. Even Richard had someone now... somehow, it felt moving. Like the incompetent younger brother finally got a job. Though Richard was older than me, and a prince.
"Either way, it's happy news. So, your business with me was to report that?"
At my prompting, Richard glanced at Wolfgang behind me. Sensing the meaning of the look, Wolfgang quietly withdrew. Once no one else was nearby, Richard covered his mouth with a hand and murmured,
"Recently, the next king has been decided. It's me."
"......Well, well. That really is a state secret."
"Yes. Officially, my eldest brother Lionel is still the Crown Prince. Even if he were to step down in favor of a younger brother, most people would probably think Ruifeng is the leading candidate. I'm just the neglected third brother."