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Power Struggle Within the Royal Palace – Part 04

Hikaru had arrived in the royal capital, G. Ponsonia, the previous night. After learning about the situation in the royal palace from Freya, he hurriedly made his way there, anticipating significant developments. He even hoped to find a way not only to lift Lavia’s wanted status but also to have it completely rescinded.

Infiltrating the palace wasn’t too difficult. Suppressing his drowsiness, Hikaru used his Stealth to slip through the side entrance late at night. As expected, the main gate was closed, but the side entrance remained open. With the cover of darkness, evading the guards’ vigilant eyes was a breeze.

Upon hearing the nobles talk about Margrave Grugschilt, Hikaru monitored his movements. Moving around the palace during daylight with his Stealth would be risky, a problem solved by borrowing a soldier’s uniform while it was still nighttime.

Disguised as a soldier, Hikaru was making his way through the palace with his Mana Detection on, when he found a magical trap. These traps seemed designed to sound an alarm if they detected intruders, but curiously, they were installed behind the walls. Using subtle signs uncovered only through thorough examination and a sense of unease that could only be felt by exploring, Hikaru discovered a secret passage within the walls.

Covered in a layer of dust, the passage appeared seldom used. To avoid drawing attention with his dusty appearance, Hikaru removed the soldier’s uniform.

Advancing through the secret passage, he discovered a ladder cleverly carved into the interiors of massive pillars, granting access to the upper floors. The passage seemed to connect to the less important areas of the palace, making it nearly impossible to eavesdrop on any gatherings.

Finally, he reached Princess Kujastria’s private chamber. The wall-mounted mirror had a mechanism that allowed it to rotate, revealing the passage.

Hikaru had heard the conversation between Margrave Grugschilt and Kujastria. To his surprise, Kujastria knew Roland—the previous owner of Hikaru’s body—despite finding no trace of her in Roland’s memories. He held back the urge to speak up and thoroughly examined the secret passage, awaiting nightfall.

As darkness blanketed the surroundings, the attendants left, leaving Kujastria alone in the room. While she was busy writing, Hikaru rotated the mirror and entered. Stealth muted the sound of him dusting himself off.

Hikaru deactivated his Stealth. “Do you know Roland N. Zaracia?”

Princess Kujastria whirled around, startled. Standing before her was a cloaked figure—a boy, it seemed—his face concealed by a low hood and a silver mask.

“Are you Silver Face—” She cut herself off. “No, Roland? Roland N. Zaracia?”

It was Hikaru’s turn to be astonished. His heart pounded, but he managed to contain it. The mask proved useful in hiding any signs of discomposure on his face.

“What are you talking about?” he said.

“Ah… I was wrong. I mistook you for someone else. More importantly, entering this room without permission is a serious offense, you know.”

“I’m aware. So, do you know Roland N. Zaracia?”

“Before I answer, would you kindly introduce yourself?”

“As you guessed, I’m Silver Face.”

“I knew it.”

It was clear that Roland had no memories associated with Kujastria. When they flew on the Fire Drakon and caught a brief glimpse of Kujastria from the sky above the capital, Hikaru didn’t feel any particular familiarity.

But what is this feeling? Hikaru wondered. Just like how Princess Kujastria mistook me for someone else, when she gets closer and I sense her aura… it feels like I really do know her…

“So, you infiltrated the palace just to confirm whether I know anything about House Zaracia’s son? You’re the boy who fought the Knight Commander, aren’t you?”

“You haven’t answered my question yet.”

“I’ve heard that Roland has passed away. We were not personally acquainted.”

“It’s true. Roland is dead. I was just asking in case you knew something about him.”

Despite Kujastria’s denial, Hikaru deduced that they had some sort of connection from the bitterness and sorrow that flashed across her face. The intrusion of a clearly suspicious individual did not prompt Kujastria to scream or call for help, most likely because something about him reminded her of Roland. Hikaru had no intention of provoking her, so he kept a certain distance and refrained from getting closer.

“Are you acquainted with Roland?” Kujastria asked.

“I suppose you could say that. We only knew each other for a short period of time, but we were quite close.”

“How much do you know about the spell for crossing worlds?”

Hikaru’s eyebrows twitched beneath his mask. “I know most of it, but why do you ask? Roland published most of his research, and there’s no one else besides him who can continue it.”

Kujastria grabbed the piece of paper on her desk and approached Hikaru.

“Quite bold of you to approach a suspicious person.”

“Are you calling yourself suspicious? You’re an interesting fellow. I don’t know how you learned about it, but you must be familiar with the secret passage known only to the royal family. There is no point in being cautious around you. You could take my life any time.”

That was true. She must have deduced how he got here from the dirt on his clothes. He was, however, surprised by the “known only to the royal family” part.

“Here.”

The princess stood right in front of Hikaru. He took the paper and ran his eyes over it.

Written on it were magic formulas—the theory, upcoming experiments, and a list of necessary materials.

“What are you doing with this?” Hikaru asked.

Kujastria nodded. “I intend to continue researching the spell for crossing worlds.”

---

Meanwhile, Margrave Grugschilt was in the knights’ guardhouse located within the palace. Hidden from normal view, it also served as a resting area for the palace guards.

“So the princess has no interest in ascending to the throne?”

“Yes… It’s difficult. It won’t matter unless the princess herself is willing.”

In a small room furnished with wooden chairs and table, Margrave Grugschilt sat himself, attended by Knight Commander Lawrence D. Falcon. The other knights kept their distance.

“Count Falcon, being too wise can be quite a dilemma. Overthinking has caused Princess Kujastria to become cautious and reluctant to take risks. But sometimes, people have to roll the dice.”

“Just like when you launched an attack on Jean-elka’s suspension bridge. Also Margrave, please call me Lawrence.”

Lawrence, who had once studied under Margrave Grugschilt to hone his sword skills, still showed the man respect, despite now sharing the same noble rank.

The Jean-elka suspension bridge was a bridge situated in the mountains that separated the Kingdom of Ponsonia from its neighbor, the Quinbrand Empire. Minor skirmishes were a yearly occurrence, but that year, the situation escalated as both sides lost their valiant generals in battle, with the Empire gaining the upper hand.

Although it was beyond Margrave Grugschilt’s domain, he joined the battle due to its proximity to his own lands. His focus fell on the suspension bridge in the mountains. The bridge had long been under the Empire’s control, and deploying a large army through the narrow mountain path was impossible. Grugschilt led his forces to launch a surprise attack, decimating the enemy forces that outnumbered them threefold. They then descended from the mountains and set fire to the Empire’s provisions. As the saying goes, “One cannot fight on an empty stomach.” The Empire’s forces, on the verge of capturing the kingdom’s cities, were forced to retreat immediately.

From midnight until the following evening, Grugschilt raced through the battlefield, his body stained with the blood of enemy soldiers and smoke from the flames. His demon-like appearance left an indelible impression not only on the kingdom but also on the empire.

“The situation is different from Jean-elka. In my case, I only had to risk my life in one battle, but Princess Kujastria will have to steel herself for the rest of her life.”

“In that case, it’s inevitable for her to be cautious.”

“Whose side are you on? You’re making it harder for me to convince the princess. Wait. There might be a way for the princess to steel herself just once.”

“What would that be—” Lawrence paused and lifted his head.

“What’s wrong?”

“The princess’s room is in that direction.”

The window of Kujastria’s room was visible from the guardhouse. At times, glimpses of her head could be caught when she was writing or doing something else.

“And what about it? Lawrence?”

“Excuse me. I have to go.”

Lawrence bolted out of the guardhouse. Margrave Grugschilt also left the room, calling the man, but the commander went on without stopping, presumably heading toward the princess’s room.