A Barbaric Proposal Side Story 22

※The Hedgehog's Truth※

[Seira] "Are you mocking my status right now?"

Her expression turned icy.

Startled by the sudden change in her demeanor, Dief flinched, his shoulders jerking back.

The face that had made the word "beautiful" slip from his lips upon their first meeting now looked frightening.

[Shellan] "Of course not. I’m simply curious."

However, if one were to speak of being frightening, Shellan was no amateur. In fact, Dief occasionally wondered if Shellan might actually be more terrifying than their father.

[Shellan] "I know nothing about your mother, My Lady."

[Seira] "…You already know she isn't the Prince’s wife."

[Shellan] "What does that matter? You are still a member of the House of Alito regardless."

[Seira] "Is that genuinely all there is to it?"

Seira did not seem inclined to speak further. Instead, she kept her lips pressed into a thin line, her face even more contorted with distress than when she had fallen from the horse.

It was the look of someone clutching onto a secret they never wanted discovered.

[Seira] "I don't wish to say another word. Please, all of you, leave me be."

She turned her head away sharply.

Dief sent a troubled glance toward Shellan. Shellan furrowed her brow but eventually nodded, accepting the situation.

[Shellan] "Then take your rest. I hope you recover quickly, My Lady."

[Dief] "Get well soon."

The children turned to leave, their faces clouded with awkwardness.

Smash!

The moment their backs were turned, the sound of something breaking echoed from behind them.

[Dief] "Ah…!"

It was the sound of Seira shoving the vase—the one Dief had struggled so hard to carry with his flowers—off the table and onto the floor.

Shellan took his hand.

[Shellan] "Don't look back, Dief. Just pretend you didn't hear it and walk out."

His head drooped despondently.

[Dief] "I worked so hard on those..."

She patted the back of his hand understandingly.

[Shellan] "It’s all right. Those flowers have already served their purpose."

[Dief] "Are you sure...?"

[Shellan] "Yes. Mother saw them, didn't she?"

From the very beginning, those flowers had never been for Seira. They were for Liene’s eyes.

His expression brightened slightly.

[Dief] "You're right. Our parents didn't leave for their trip today either."

[Shellan] "Mmm. And I’ll make sure they stay here tomorrow, too."

Her reliable assurance made Dief feel much better.

Meanwhile, Shellan realized it was time to find someone else to talk to.

Seira was currently like a hedgehog with its quills fully raised; there was no use trying to poke her further.

---

Finding such a person was not difficult.

[Shellan] "Sir Renfel!"

Shellan smiled brightly and waved toward Klima.

Klima was engaged in training, as usual. Within the Arsak Knights, Klima commanded a small, specialized unit. For a year now, he had been training this group, consisting of four new apprentices and one veteran knight.

In reality, this nameless unit existed so Klima could pass on his assassination techniques. While they were still in training, they were intended to serve as a solid safety measure—much like Klima was—for the twins when they grew up and traveled abroad.

[Klima] "Ah, Princess. You've come. And the Prince is here as well."

He grinned broadly.

While everyone in the castle was kind, Shellan believed that Klima was the one who loved them the most. Even now, if she asked him to sneak her into the library, he was the type of man who would carry her down the underground waterways regardless of any strict orders from her father.

[Shellan] "Are you busy today?"

[Klima] "Uh..."

He immediately scanned his surroundings. A moment of hesitation flickered in his gentle brown eyes before he shook his head.

[Klima] "I can spare the time. You lot, I shall be escorting the Princess. Repeat yesterday’s drills until I return."

His expression was perfectly serious.

This was why Shellan liked Klima. He was someone who would listen to her no matter what.

[Shellan] "It will only take a moment."

[Klima] "Ah...? Then, can we speak here?"

[Shellan] "Mmm... preferably somewhere without prying ears."

[Klima] "Understood."

After another brief moment of thought, Klima led the children to the rear garden.

The garden had a strange number of paths leading outside the castle walls, and Klima knew every single one of them. While the Arsak Knights were also aware of them, Klima was the best at finding a place where no one could overhear.

[Klima] "It is safe here. No one is within earshot."

He hoisted Shellan up and perched her on a sturdy tree branch. Then, he placed Dief on the opposite side.

When the tall Klima looked up, he was almost at eye level with them. Dense foliage shielded the children from view.

Shellan grinned, enjoying the cool breeze rustling through the leaves.

[Shellan] "Sir Renfel, you know all the people from Alito, don't you?"

[Klima] "Yes. I know them well."

He nodded without hesitation.

Ever since a messenger from Alito had used poison against Liene, Klima had researched that household until he knew it inside out. Although they were now an allied nation and no trouble was expected, Klima remained vigilant.

[Shellan] "I knew it. Then, do you know Lady Seira?"

His complexion shifted.

[Klima] "Uh... no. I don't know much about... her."

[Shellan] "Oh, no way!"

Klima had focused his investigation on people who might use assassins or poisons, not on a fourteen-year-old girl. Furthermore, Seira had only recently been officially incorporated into the Grand Ducal family, so he had been entirely unaware of her.

Klima clenched his fist silently and spoke with grim determination.

[Klima] "My apologies, Princess. If you give me time, I shall find out."

When he said he would "find out," it meant he was prepared to depart for Alito immediately, hide in the shadows, and unearth whatever filthy secrets they might be concealing. Naturally, at this moment, Klima was bracing himself for a long mission—at least a month, perhaps even half a year.

Shellan didn't realize the extent of his resolve, but she wasn't discouraged. Klima said he knew the Grand Ducal family well, and he was not the type to exaggerate or lie.

[Shellan] "She’s the Prince’s daughter. So, you don't know who Lady Seira’s mother is either?"

[Klima] "Well, then it would be the Princess Consort of Alito—"

[Shellan] "They said it wasn't her."

Klima nodded.

[Klima] "Then it must be one of five: Broard, Ashvik, Ryukan, Porshenen, or Rodhus."

[Dief] "Huh? Why does she have five mothers?"

Dief, who was still innocent regarding the complicated and messy affairs of adults, asked naively.

[Shellan] "Dief, you don't need to know yet, so just stay quiet."

[Dief] "Why don't I need to know?"

[Shellan] "Because you're still young."

Dief looked at her, incredulous.

[Dief] "Shellan, we’re twins!"

[Shellan] "There are many things in this world that cannot be explained by numbers alone, Dief. The fact that you don't know that is proof that you're still a child."

[Dief] "That's—"

Dief started to snap back, but he bit his tongue, realizing there was indeed much he didn't know. It was a fact that Shellan knew far more than he did.

[Shellan] "Is there someone among them who is very beautiful? Someone who looks exactly like her?"

[Klima] "Princess, I do not know what Lady Seira looks like."

[Shellan] "Really? Haven't seen her yet? Lady Seira has... well, her hair is black. And her eyes..."

Dief chimed in.

[Dief] "They're purple."

Dief thought they were beautiful, reminiscent of the embroidery on the puff-sleeved dress their mother favored in the summer. Madam Flambard had personally embroidered those deep purple flowers.

In the year the twins turned one, Madam Flambard had made three sets of clothes with the same embroidery. The twins had grown too large for theirs, but Liene still wore hers often. It was Dief’s favorite outfit of her mother.

[Klima] "Black hair... and purple eyes?"

Klima’s expression stiffened.

[Shellan] "Yes. Do you know someone?"

[Klima] "That... that is not good."

[Shellan] "What? What isn't good?"

Dief was startled, but Shellan’s eyes flashed with excitement.

Someone who resembled Seira could not possibly be a good person. If they were, their parents would have welcomed Seira instead of being distressed.

[Klima] "To my knowledge, there is only one such person."

Unfortunately, Klima did not yet know the details of who the Prince had brought or exactly what was unfolding. He hadn't even heard the news of Seira’s injured ankle yet.

And Liene and Black had not anticipated that Shellan would seek out Klima so quickly. It was an unfortunate oversight.

[Shellan] "Who is it? Is it her mother?"

[Klima] "No. It is someone it shouldn't be."

[Shellan] "Why?"

[Klima] "Because that person is Princess Blini."

[Dief] "Princess...?"

It was the first time the children had heard the name Princess Blini.

[Dief] "Who is that? Since she’s a Princess... um, is she someone like the Prince of Alito?"

While Dief questioned him, Shellan focused on the words "someone it shouldn't be."

Though she was a Princess, no one had ever told them such a person existed. They had only been told that she was dead.

That means she must have done something terrible.

She looked at Klima.

[Shellan] "What did she do to make Mother hate her so much?"

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