Chapter 85: Chapter 85: Sister-and brother-in-law quietly came to an agreement
Rishe strode through the halls of the palace with her guards. Her "lesson" with Michel had been cut short when Kyle sent for him. Michel had just grinned and said, "See you tomorrow, Rishe." leaving the room like nothing had happened.
She felt the urge to sigh as she made her way down the hall.
I'm sure Michel will do whatever he can to meet with Prince Arnold now. And Prince Arnold will surely listen to what he has to say. I've spent enough time with him to know he's very open to new technologies and ideas.
If Arnold found out about gunpowder, and she couldn't prevent the outbreak of war, she knew exactly what would happen.
I can't let Prince Arnold get his hands on it. I've also got to improve our relations with Coyolles as soon as possible.
Lost in thought, Rishe hardly paid attention to her surroundings. As a result, she failed to notice the hand reaching out from a nearby hallway and yanking her around.
"Ack! Prince Theodore!"
Theodore must have been on his way back from some official business. He was wearing a cloak for going out in, frowning at Rishe. Without him even saying anything, Rishe knew the source of this perturbed expression.
"He found out about your cross-dressing? "
"I-I'm so sorry!"
Theodore let Rishe go and folded his arms, looking down at her. Thankfully, he was speaking quietly enough that Rishe's guards couldn't overhear. All she could do was apologize earnestly.
"Really, I'm sorry. And you helped me out too…"
"Well, if he found out, there's nothing you can really do about it. Besides, my brother's difficult whether he is or isn't fooled. It's fine. More importantly, how did he react? You have to at least tell me that! And why was he at the training anyway?! He's never done that before! I was out in the slums on business when I heard. I was on pins and needles all the way back."
"Oh, about that…"
Rishe told Theodore that Arnold had come to the training to see the candidate his brother had recommended.
Afterward, Theodore was silent for a good several seconds. He then covered his face and hung his head.
"What is it, Prince Theodore?"
"Yeah, no, I can't really digest that information right now, so I'm not going to think about it. You'll have to tell me about it again some other time…"
Er, he seems overwhelmed.
So much had passed between them over the years that he was having trouble processing this. Theodore was practically hunched over on the ground now.
Looking to change the subject, Rishe asked, "You were all the way out in the slums, yet you heard right away that Prince Arnold was observing the training?"
"My retainers are good at their jobs. I have a perfect information network set up—even if I'm out in town, I get news of my brother right away." Theodore said, deadly serious.
All the power of a prince, and he'd finely honed it to be his brother's keeper.
The "retainers" he mentioned were likely not palace guards. He was probably referring to people from the slums who were in his debt and other such ruffians.
"And it's not just my brother. I've looked into all the trainees. I'm watching them to see how they spend their time in town, making sure none of them pick up any odd habits to amuse themselves."
"I see. So the prince is watching over the baby knights from the shadows."
"Well, there's that too." When Rishe tilted her head, Theodore reluctantly admitted, "I'm sending my sister-in-law into their midst. If anyone strange was among them, and something happened to her, what could I say to my brother?"
Rishe was surprised to hear he was doing all this for her. "Thank you for your concern. I'm sorry for worrying you."
"I'm not really worried about you. Everything I do, I do for my brother, obviously."
"Heh. I know. Well then, Prince Theodore…" Rishe found herself smiling, but she schooled her expression and looked up.
"I don't suppose I could borrow these skilled retainers of yours for a time, could I?"
Theodore's eyes widened. "For something that will help my brother?"
"No. In fact, this would be more like betraying him."
Theodore's lips instantly curled into an impish smile. "Interesting… Sure, I'm in."
"We have a deal, then."
With that, the sister-and brother-in-law quietly came to an agreement.
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After parting with Theodore, Rishe penned several quick letters and handed them off to a servant. She had dinner by herself, tended her field, and checked on her maids. Then she took a bath and returned to her room.
When her hair was dry, she dismissed her attendant, leaving herself alone. Sitting in the one chair in her room, she took a moment to catch her breath.
Naturally, Michel was the first thing that came to Rishe's mind. In her life as an alchemist, he had taken her all the way to the far north of Coyolles.
"Thank you so much, Professor! I never thought I'd see an aurora like that!"
It began with a single insignificant comment. Auroras were visible in Coyolles, but Rishe had never seen one before in either of her previous lives.
"Well, it was the perfect opportunity. It's easiest to see them when the nighttime temperature rapidly drops after a few warm days. We should hurry—it's probably going to rain in a few hours."
Walking across a snowy field, Michel took out a corked glass bottle containing a special mixture he'd made himself.
Normally, the liquid was clear, but it crystallized into something like snow when the weather worsened. The device wasn't precise enough to present to the royal family, but it came in handy in Michel and Rishe's daily life. She was of the same mind; they needed to make their way home soon.
"Rishe, did you get any ideas for the project you were stuck on?"
"Yes, I did!"
Michel smiled, a lantern swaying in his hand. "Good."
Rishe was wearing a fur coat, but Michel—sensitive to the cold—was bundled up far more than she was. He was in so many layers, it looked hard to move.
"I'm sorry, Professor. You had to come all this way for me."
"Why are you apologizing? You're my student, aren't you?" Michel cocked his head, his breath coming out white.
"I'll show you whatever you want to see. If there's something you don't know, I'll do my utmost to teach you. Although if you want to figure it out for yourself, I won't get in your way."
Whenever other people witnessed this, they always reacted with shock.
"Michel Hévin doesn't think about anything but his research. He doesn't care about other people at all." That was the popular public consensus, but the reality was different.
"Why do you take such good care of me, Professor? If you didn't have a student, you could focus more on your own research."
Walking down the snow-cleared path, Michel stroked his chin. "Perhaps…because it's the only 'good' thing I'll ever do in my life." His quiet words were sucked away into the snowy landscape. "But you don't need to worry about that. Just learn a lot, absorb a lot, and grow big and tall!"
"Professor, I'm not going to grow any taller than this."
"Huh? Are you already at that age? Nothing should be done about that, I suppose." Michel turned back to Rishe and gave her a truly kind smile.
"I'm looking forward to witnessing the scholar you become."
Those words were probably heartfelt on Michel's part. He cared for Kyle and many of the people of Coyolles as well. He wasn't hostile, and his desire to experiment with his gunpowder wasn't out of any sort of ill will or cruelty. That was why it was so difficult to do anything about him.
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