From where Riona and I had taken refuge in the corner of the chairman’s office, Kilpus called out to us.

“Hey, are you two done talking?”

Riona turned back and nodded.

“We’re done. We’re dating.”

“We’re not done, but since this is going nowhere, I’ll let it be.”

With a sense of resignation gripping me and Riona looking rather pleased, we both returned to stand before Kilpus’s desk.

Kilpus gave a deep nod.

“I see, so you two really were in that kind of relationship. No wonder you were so desperate to save Lady Belzhein. To the point of even clashing with the War Maiden—such resolve doesn’t come lightly.”

“Why are you grinning while spouting nonsense…?”

“Oh, it’s just that seeing young people grow is a delight. No need to be so flustered. Excessive denial might wound her heart.”

If she were the type to be wounded by something like that, I wouldn’t have had such a hard time with her.

But even if the relationship part was completely untrue, I didn’t see any point in desperately denying it here.

Ahh, what a pain. It seems like Oujin is the only sensible person around me.

“—However.”

Kilpus’s demeanor suddenly shifted.

The playful expression vanished, replaced by a sharp gaze.

“The fact remains that this girl attempted to take my life. That’s not something that can simply be erased.”

The air grew heavy with tension.

But I had no intention of backing down.

“Then what was the point of sending me? Are you saying you did it just to have Riona arrested? Ahh, right, you did say that royalty must be cunning. …I’m disappointed, Kilpus.”

Truly, I was. I had believed we were friends beyond our respective statuses.

Kilpus’s lips curled ever so slightly.

“Indeed. Act cunningly. Flip the perspective, and all that needs to be done is to erase the fact. I had already imposed a gag order early on for Mercenary Void Scale, exchange student Ryoka Oujin, and General Ituka. Not a single classmate of yours knows the truth about Riona Belzhein.”

“…What…?”

I lifted my gaze.

Kilpus leaned on one elbow, resting his chin, while spreading his other palm open. A wickedly shrewd grin adorned his face—one he never showed before his family at the royal castle.

“The fact that the school chairman is also the king is a classified matter known only to a select few instructors. The knights searching for her in the academy city believed they were looking for a petty criminal with unclear charges.”

“Quit being vague. Say it clearly.”

“To put it plainly—she is wanted for theft, having taken weapons from Lehan Knight Academy without permission and disappearing.”

“Ah…”

So, a school supply thief.

Essentially, the knights were chasing after a girl who had taken equipment like rapiers and main-gauches from the academy. That would be easy enough to explain later—say, she had pursued a monster that had infiltrated the city. Given she was a knight academy student, such an explanation wouldn’t be implausible.

Now it made sense why the knights had called off their search so easily just because of a little rain. To them, Riona wasn’t a dangerous assassin targeting the royal family, but a petty thief—one who had merely been suspected.

Kilpus continued.

“General Mald Orunkaim, stationed at the border, never knew the name or face of the girl who kidnapped and impersonated his daughter, the real Lady Miku. And it seems even Miku herself never saw Belzhein’s face. The faction that carried out the kidnapping has already been dealt with by Mald. Some managed to escape, but that’s irrelevant. If they cross the border, the republic itself will take care of them.”

A purge by their own shadow operatives, or indefinite imprisonment—both were plausible.

If that was the case, then Riona was—

“So that means…?”

Kilpus gave a deep nod.

“It means that as long as a handful of people, including myself, keep quiet, no one will ever uncover Riona Belzhein’s crime. And as for the theft, she just now returned the equipment to the academy. The chairman—that is, myself—has determined that it was all just a misunderstanding on the school’s part.”

A warm sensation spread through my chest.

“Kilpus, you…!”

After all, Kilpus was the greatest king I could ever serve. He always saw people, not just power or the state. That had been true even in our past lives.

If I were to serve a ruler, it had to be someone like him. It was because he was king that Blythe had been able to wield his full strength without hesitation. Even if that strength had been meant for killing.

Because with Kilpus, that strength could be turned toward a future where people would be saved.

“However, as I said before—I have no intention of forgiving an assassin who targeted my life so easily.”

“What…?”

With chilling resolve, Kilpus declared:

“Riona Belzhein will be placed under surveillance. As long as she lives in this country, for the rest of her life.”

“Wait! That’s the same as treating her like a criminal—”

Kilpus silenced me with a raised hand.

Then, flashing a knowing wink, he smirked.

“And the one I’m assigning to that role… is you.”

“……………………Huh?”

“You’re slow on the uptake, Eremi—ah, no, Eremia Neu.”

Hey, you just called me by my real name. Did I inherit my slip-of-the-tongue habit from you?

“Since you two were dating anyway, I’m simply saying you should stay by her side while keeping watch. You love her, don’t you? No need to worry—I know your father, Baron Neu, well. If she’s someone you’ve chosen, I’m sure he’ll approve.”

Of course, he’d know—because he was him.

The great king before me was acting no different from a doting father thrilled about his son finding a bride.

“I’m already looking forward to your graduation. Hahaha! I’ll inform your dear mother myself. This will be quite the celebration!”

As I imagined Queen Alina, my mother, I slowly rolled my eyes back into my head.

Hey, Kilpus…

…To me, you are the most insufferable, meddling father in existence…

That day,

I had the sinking feeling that I had taken a step from which there would be no return.