Chapter 142 - The Day of the Exchange Meeting (4)

There was a brief happening, but finding the waiting room where Regina was located wasn't very difficult.

After all, nothing particularly noteworthy happened after that.

“……Hmm.”

I stood in front of the room Regina had told me about beforehand.

There were two main reasons why I stood there without entering immediately; one was, funnily enough, because of the appearance of the room's entrance.

‘How dazzling.’

Should I say it was a room used as a waiting room for royalty, even if only for a short while?

The door itself was exceptionally splendid.

Come to think of it, although I had rolled around in this world for a while, I had basically never had a reason to come to a place like this, so it was only natural to be unfamiliar.

The other reason was… obviously, to knock.

Knock, knock.

“May I come in?”

While knocking, I left those words for Regina, who would be behind this door.

For some reason, I felt a little more tense than usual, but it probably wasn't noticeable because of my usual way of speaking.

“Come in, Prince.”

Not much time passed after my question before Regina's reply came back. Naturally.

Click.

I opened the door as it was, and the scenery of the room where Regina would be unfolded before my eyes.

Among those scenes, there wasn't a single thing that was not unfamiliar. The room adorned with all sorts of decorations, the various jewels and cosmetics laid out in front of the dressing table, and so on.

But among those unfamiliar elements, there was only one that truly captured my gaze.

“You're a little late, aren't you?”

Regina's appearance, greeting me with a sly smile as always.

Her expression was certainly the same as usual, but when viewed as a whole, there was a huge difference from her usual self.

A deep violet dress that resembled the color of her eyes, various accessories wrapped around her body, and makeup that was even more elaborate than usual.

I'll be honest. Since I had no knowledge of such things, it would be impossible to describe it in detail… but it was certain that it was a sight that would captivate anyone.

“I had some circumstances, I apologize.”

However, I didn't show such thoughts on the outside and calmly answered Regina's words.

“Hmph~.”

Regina dragged out the end of her words as if she were dissatisfied with something.

I wasn't so dense as to not know the meaning of that, so I opened my mouth again to add more.

“……It suits you very well. That dress.”

“Oh my, really?”

“Really.”

Only then did Regina have a faint smile on her face at my words. Though even that displeased expression was probably meant to tease me.

However, as if she wouldn't let go of the opportunity to tease me with just this, Regina rested her chin on her hand on the chair she was sitting on and opened her mouth again.

“Is that so? What part do you like in particular?”

“……”

So you want to hear it directly from my mouth.

I swallowed a sigh internally and continued the conversation.

“The dress suits you very well. Even more so because it resembles the color of your eyes.”

“Huhu, is that all? How about expressing it a bit more specifically?”

This girl.

“……As I am a layman in that field, please be a little lenient.”

When I expressed my difficulty and said so, Regina finally nodded her head.

“Well, alright. Shall we stop the teasing here for now? We have things to talk about.”

Phew.

As I barely succeeded in changing the subject, Regina looked to the side for a moment and then gestured in that direction.

Kilt, Regina's guard knight, was standing there, holding a bag in his hand and bringing it over.

“……”

As befitting a person who was always taciturn, he didn't open his mouth, and he then opened the bag and handed it to me.

What else was there to do after receiving the bag? I checked the contents of the bag without delay.

‘『Outlaw』, check. 『Spellbinder』, check. The Knight Robe is here too…….’

Yes, what I had asked Regina for was to bring in the equipment I usually used.

And as expected, everything I had asked for had arrived safely.

“It's the item you requested. Originally, it's not allowed to bring weaponry inside… but I managed somehow.”

“Thank you. This should be enough.”

After I nodded my head in satisfaction and closed the bag to take it in my hand, Regina narrowed her eyes.

“It seems something is going to happen again this time.”

Regina naturally understood. That asking to bring in such equipment would surely entail some kind of incident.

“……That is correct, but it will not be something that affects Your Highness.”

I nodded my head slightly in response to Regina's words. In fact, that was the goal.

Because the incident that was supposed to happen today was the incident that would become the beginning of the Princess's downfall.

However, was she dissatisfied with my tone that didn't share the exact details? The Princess tilted her head for a moment.

“Haa……”

Then, Regina let out a deep sigh. What could it mean? Was it a sign of her admitting defeat?

It was hard to grasp the exact meaning.

And the words that followed were somewhat beyond my expectations.

“Really, you don't take a single day to rest properly, Prince. It's like you're running at full tilt every single day.”

“……Thank you for your praise.”

“I'm not exactly praising you. I'm just thinking—that if you keep running without rest like that, you might just collapse one day before you even reach the destination.”

“……”

I couldn't help but be surprised. At first, I thought her tone was ambiguous but meant as praise, but if I didn't read too much into it… it could only be heard as a sign of worry.

“It seems you already have something in mind, so I won't stop you this time… but from now on, please think more about yourself as well.”

“……I will take it to heart.”

That was really all I could answer. That's how surprised I was.

What kind of person was the Regina I knew? What was the image she showed in Arche?

Wasn't she a person who would unhesitatingly cut down even those who were loyal to her for her own benefit, and even smile while doing it?

For her to say something like this.

‘What kind of change of heart is this.’

My thoughts were complicated, but no clear conclusion was reached.

Perhaps she was trying to gain favor that way? Even that thought crossed my mind… but I don't know.

For some reason, the thought that it probably wasn't true kept lingering in my head.

“……Th.”

And just as I was trying to formulate a thought and answer.

Knock, knock.

A light knocking sound came from the direction of the room's entrance.

And the voice that came with it was…….

“May I come in for a moment? My sister.”

It was the voice of a man asking such a question in a tone that was nothing but gentle, an informal way of speaking.

Just listening to it gave a strange sense of stability, as if the hostility towards the owner of the voice would melt away.

The moment I heard that voice, my mind began to race.

The owner of this room was Regina, and… a person who could informally call Regina ‘my sister’.

Such a person… there was only one in the world of Arche.

“Haa……”

Regina's sigh, which was rarely heard and even felt deeply troubled, was turning my guess into a fact.

“……Come in, brother.”

As Regina's answer was heard, the door slowly opened.

And what was there was.

“Oh my, there was a guest already.”

Pure white hair, golden eyes, and beautiful features that even made one feel an essential goodness.

It was impossible not to recognize who he was just by looking at his appearance.

Yes, he was Claudio Renart Abellon. One of the main villains of Arche and… the purest evil within this world.

“……I greet His Highness, the Imperial Prince.”

I couldn't show any agitation. Holding the firmly closed bag, I stepped aside and politely greeted the Prince.

“Ah, you are… the much-rumored prince of the Enlight family.”

What was the nature of the Crown Prince's Faction? They were the extreme conservative faction that insisted that illegitimate children should not be treated as nobles, and its leader was the Crown Prince, Claudio, but… he received my greeting with a friendly voice and a smile.

It wasn't particularly surprising. He was that kind of person in the original work as well.

A man who possessed a radiance that covered all sorts of blemishes despite being the head of the conservative faction. A man who was a contradiction in himself, who did not commit the contradictions of his own faction.

No one raised any questions about his contradictory actions.

Because he was the absolute good, and therefore no one could question him.

It was a matter of persuasiveness that emanated from the person himself, something that existed before logic.

“What brings you here?”

As if responding to Claudio's mask, Regina asked back with a full smile on her face.

“Well, I came to see my little sister's face after a long time. It's nothing special. That's what family is for.”

When Claudio spoke in a gentle tone that was so contrary to the disgusting things that filled his insides, Regina responded with a smile again.

“Huhu, I suppose so.”

On the surface, it was a perfectly amiable scene, but considering it was almost certain that he had just plotted to eliminate me and Regina… it was absolutely undeniable that it was a chilling scene.

“And… to see who my sister has been associating with lately.”

While continuing the conversation, Claudio naturally turned the topic to me.

And those words also meant that he knew I was here.

“……”

What could that mean?

Yes, it meant that he knew I had headed here, and it was a clear warning.

‘This is crazy.’

I swallowed dryly. It was because I had met an unexpected person in a completely unexpected place.