Chapter 73

Word that Joachim had woken reached me late that morning. I went to find him myself.

Mindful that he might be handling classified documents, I knocked exactly once — and from inside came a tremendous crashing and clattering.

……What on earth is he doing? I was reaching for the door when —

“Is that Your Highness?”

The door flew open, and Joachim appeared, his expression oddly urgent.

His face was red to the tips of his ears, so I snorted and asked,

“Were you doing something improper in there?”

“What? Something improper — what on earth would — !”

Joachim leapt to his own defense with rare vehemence, his flustered expression somehow making it worse as he pulled the door wide open.

“I simply wasn’t expecting Your Highness. It has been so long since you’ve visited.”

“That sounds like you’ve been feeling neglected. We see each other nearly every day.”

“I would never presume to say such a thing. I was merely surprised. Please, come in.”

Once inside, it wasn’t hard to understand what had caused all the commotion.

Stacks of documents towered on every available surface around the desk — and the desk itself was conspicuously, unnaturally bare.

……He swept everything off in a hurry.

I turned to look at Joachim. He smiled awkwardly and gestured toward the sitting area.

As I moved in that direction, I found one more piece of evidence confirming my suspicions.

“Oh dear.”

I bent down and retrieved a single sheet of paper from beneath the table, then held it out to Joachim.

“You missed one, Duke.”

“How in the world did that end up — thank you, Your Highness.”

Joachim fumbled for it with visible embarrassment and took it from my hands. I settled into a chair and regarded him.

“You look very busy. I hear you’ve been making do with a single roll of bread for lunch?”

“I’m touched, truly. To think you keep such careful track of my every move.”

“And yet ever since coming to Solara Palace, you’ve always joined us for dinner.”

It was only then that Joachim seemed to realize I was working up to a reprimand, and his expression turned sheepish.

“……Well.”

“Don’t push yourself. I’m well aware how demanding your work is. Dinner I can look past — but standing watch outside my bedchamber every night……”

“That’s why I’m here.”

Joachim interrupted me — a rare occurrence. His voice was unusually urgent.

“Your Highness seems to occasionally forget who I am.”

“Well……”

“I, Joachim Rommel, am the Minister of Finance for Stade — but before that, I am Your Highness’s devoted attendant.”

He placed a hand to his chest with great solemnity and introduced himself before his expression shifted into something almost romantically dreamy.

“And it is the sacred duty of a devoted attendant to lay down his very life for the one he serves.”

“……I don’t need that.”

In the first place, I intended to leave before things ever reached that point. I steeled my resolve inwardly and scolded him.

“Saying that won’t do any good. I’m someone who is ready to send you away at any moment — have you forgotten?”

“How could I. But didn’t I also say as much, Your Highness?”

He set a warm cup of lavender tea in front of me and smiled.

“Simply being permitted to remain by your side is happiness beyond measure for me.”

“You don’t look like a happy man. You look exhausted. How many hours did you sleep last night?”

“Please don’t worry. Embarrassing as it is to admit, I haven’t always been fully awake while keeping watch outside your door.”

He grinned as he said it, and I recognized the effort behind that grin — trying to make me worry less — and sighed despite myself.

“I know. Which is precisely why you should be sleeping in a bed. If you keep this up, your health will suffer.”

“But……”

Joachim looked, for a brief moment, almost petulant as he bowed his head. Then he muttered something very small and very quiet.

“……I don’t want to lose.”

“Pardon? Lose to whom?”

“To the prince.”

Why is Friedrich coming up now?

I looked at him in disbelief.

“You want to hold an advantage over a growing child who needs his sleep at night?”

Joachim winced at having his pride struck in exactly the right place. Good — I hit the mark.

“That’s too petty, don’t you think? Even you can see that’s not playing fair.”

“……Well. In a sense, perhaps.”

“Right. And besides — both Friedrich and you seem to forget who I am, rather too often.”

I said it with some satisfaction.

“Assassination attempts are something I know very well. They’re practically routine for me.”

“And yet even I flinch when I see a wasp — even knowing I could crush it without a second thought.”

“……”

“Is Your Highness so different?”

The truth is, I was terrified.

But I couldn’t let that show. And I had no wish to make others worry.

“How could a common man like you ever hope to understand me?”

I answered with a haughty little sniff, and Joachim blinked — then his expression shifted into something almost pleased.

“That’s right. My princess is exactly this kind of person.”

Good. That worked.

“In that case, I would be honored if you thought of it simply as my effort to ensure a comfortable night’s rest for Your Highness.”

“Duke, but——”

“I truly ask for nothing else.”

Joachim met my eyes and smiled.

It was a smile too sincere to doubt. I found I couldn’t argue any further.

The days moved quickly. The nobles who had left for their summer retreats began to return, and the autumn social season was drawing near.

Joachim continued to keep watch outside my bedchamber.

Every time I saw him, I frowned. Every time I frowned, he answered me with a bright smile. There was nothing to be done.

Sooner or later, he’ll wear himself out and give up on his own. That was the only conclusion I could reach.

……Except that he seems to be getting more comfortable sleeping in that chair by the day.

I studied Joachim, who was busily pitting cherries in front of me, and thought about that.

Somehow, word of what had happened at the family dinner had reached him.

Lately, he had taken to peeling and pitting fruit for me with dedicated enthusiasm.

“Your Highness, I believe this may be the last of the season’s cherries.”

Joachim held out the plate with a deeply satisfied expression. He looked quite proud to be the one pitting the final cherries of the year for me.

“Where did you hear it?”

“Pardon?”

“You heard about Friedrich pitting the cherries at the family dinner, didn’t you?”

At that, Joachim winced — then confessed with a sulky pout.

“The prince actually bragged to me about it. And I can’t even attend the family dinners — he goes on about how he cut your steak for you and pitted your cherries, as if it’s something to gloat over. I……I can do that too!”

“Even my father doesn’t bring his attendants to family dinners, Duke Rommel.”

I shook my head slowly, then asked,

“Did Friedrich really go out of his way to brag about that?”

“He did! He was rubbing it in!”

“Talking so freely about someone when they’re not here. Can I ask him about it later?”

“He should be glad he’s not present.”

Joachim pulled his mouth into a small, unbothered smile.

“I get to dine with Your Highness alone today, after all.”

And so it was. We’d sat down to an early lunch — Marie was in class, and Friedrich was still asleep.

Joachim had come bounding to me, delighted that his morning meeting had been cancelled.

“He really has been sleeping later and later these days.”

I murmured it with some bemusement, and Joachim’s expression flickered almost imperceptibly. I watched him and asked,

“Do you know something?”

“……Know something about what, Your Highness?”

“Speak plainly, Duke Rommel.”

“I genuinely haven’t the faintest idea what you mean.”

Joachim shook his head and laughed it off.

Hmm. Was I imagining it? He’d seemed, just for a moment, like someone who knew something he wasn’t saying.

“Perhaps he’s developed a touch of insomnia.”

“Hm……I wonder if he’s still having nightmares.”

That’s been nagging at me. I thought it would pass.

“He does have a tender heart, the prince.”

Joachim looked at me with an expression caught somewhere between disbelief and restraint — and when our eyes met, he quickly glanced away.

“I beg to differ, Your Highness.”

“Of course he does. He developed insomnia over me, of all things.”

I looked at Joachim, whose expression had turned distinctly sour, and said,

“Your ordeal will be over before long, Duke.”

“What do you mean by that, Your Highness?”

“There’s a reason. It’s a secret.”

I smiled and popped a cherry into my mouth.

I, René Stade, hereby relinquish all rights as princess and return to nature.

I planned to put an end to all of this — once and for all — at the Founding Festival.