Shitoen And The Dragon Crest

One week later.

After seeing my second older brother, who had been visiting home, off to the border, I returned to the mansion as planned.

I had truly wanted to hurry my second older brother along, but when I saw how relieved he looked as he spoke with Father and Mother the moment he arrived at the royal palace, and how he spent time with the crown prince and his wife, there were parts of him that overlapped with Shitoen.

My second older brother had married into the royal family of another country.

The one who would become king in the future was the crown prince he had married, and my second older brother would become the royal consort.

Ever since he was little, he had been considerate and kind at heart. Maybe that was why, even when he returned home like this, he did not complain even once.

Shitoen, too, had left her homeland and was here in this Kingdom of Tidros.

She had returned home during the apology ceremony and met her parents and close friends, and she had spoken her native language and looked very relaxed.

At least when he returned home, I wanted him to stretch his wings a little, I thought as I looked at my second older brother’s smile.

That was why, normally, I would have made the carriage race all the way to the neighboring country to deliver my second older brother, then returned to the mansion like a gale to see Shitoen.

But since I did not know when he would be able to return home again.

I did it leisurely, as planned.

I saw him off to the neighboring country while letting him enjoy the view from the carriage window.

“Thank you for your hard work. Then I will take my leave here.”

“Huh? You’re going home?”

The moment the butler opened the door and the two of us entered the entrance hall, Raul said that, so I was surprised.

When I turned around, Raul, my adjutant, was rotating his left shoulder as if to loosen the stiffness with an air of exasperation. We had spent a lot of time on horseback today, after all. Maybe he was tired.

“How about eating with me?”

It was only just past eight at night.

This man, who was also my milk brother and five years older than me, was unmarried. According to him, “I missed my chance to marry while thinking I couldn’t get married before the commander.”

When on duty, he was with me. At other times, he had lived at his family’s baronial house, but lately his older brother had inherited it and then had children one after another, so he had been complaining that there was no place for him there.

On top of that, he had also become terribly reserved about freely coming and going from my mansion ever since Shitoen married me. These days, he lived in the knights’ dormitory.

The dormitory had a dining hall, but the time when meals were served should have been fixed. Even if he went back now, would he be able to get food?

In that case, I thought I might eat or drink with him as thanks for his efforts.

When I glanced at the waiting butler, he nodded. It seemed dinner was ready.

“No. I have plans to meet someone after this.”

“A woman?!”

“An old man. Wai—pressure! The pressure is intense!”

He frowned and pushed me back.

I said sorry, sorry, but I had almost lost myself there.

Because I had decided on my own that when he took a wife, I would be the first to celebrate.

Good grief, that surprised me. I thought he had found a woman without me knowing. This guy had a good face and was capable too. It was more surprising that he was unmarried.

“That’s not it. I have an appointment to meet a professor who knows the history of the Kingdom of Tania.”

“Ah.”

I almost said, “The Dragon Crest?” but hurriedly closed my mouth.

When I sent my gaze toward the butler again, he understood my intention and moved away.

“There are limits to what we can find even by tracing connections through the Royal Library and the like.”

After there was no one left in the entrance hall, Raul said that.

“Does it look like you’ll find anything?”

“Not yet.”

Raul folded his arms and made a frown.

“I have heard things like, ‘One must not even speak of having seen it, nor even speak of its shape. The Dragon Crest itself is noble and sacred,’ but… it really is something heavily concealed. I never thought it would be to this extent.”

I groaned too and scratched my cheek.

The Dragon Crest.

That was the tattoo bestowed upon limited members of the royal family of Tania.

I had assumed it was a mark proving one was a member of the royal family, but I learned that even among the same royal family, there apparently were those who had the Dragon Crest and those who did not.

Moreover, Shitoen, who had the Dragon Crest, was treated as someone exceptional in the Kingdom of Tania.

That was right.

Shitoen had the Dragon Crest.

It was on her chest… or rather, right at the edge of the swell of her right breast.

It could not be shown to anyone, though.

I had seen it.

Many times! I wanted to emphasize this part! I had seen it many times!

And yet!!

I had even touched it, and I had even kissed it!!

Because.

I was her husband―――――――――!!!!!!!

However.

Because the Dragon Crest was kept secret on the level of a top-priority classified matter, it invited all sorts of speculation.

Arios, the crown prince of the Kingdom of Luminous, who had once entered an engagement with Shitoen, had been fed false information that scale-like tattoos had been applied all over her body, and he declared the engagement broken.

That broken engagement incident made my guts boil even just thinking back on it.

As a result, thanks to Mother, who moved the fastest to secure Shitoen, she ended up marrying me and was living happily.

No. I was working hard so that she could live happily.

“The reason Shitoen has been targeted all this time is probably the Dragon Crest after all.”

I muttered that to myself, but Raul also nodded deeply in silence.

That was right.

Ever since she became engaged to me, Shitoen’s life had constantly been targeted.

It had happened at the wedding too, and she had also encountered danger several times on the road to the apology ceremony.

The assassins then had been Mone and Roze, but while those two swore loyalty to Shitoen, who had saved their lives, they said nothing about the ones who had ordered the assassination.

“Shall we just ask Princess Shitoen? Ask her to teach us what she knows about the Dragon Crest.”

“…But, you know. She has gone through all sorts of painful experiences because of that Dragon Crest.”

Somehow, it was hard to bring up the Dragon Crest to Shitoen face-to-face.

I wanted to make asking Shitoen directly the last resort.

Raul sighed as if he had no choice, then opened his mouth again.

“Still, the fact that Crown Prince Arios warned you to ‘be careful’ also bothers me. It means the royal family of Luminous is involved too, doesn’t it?”

“Rather than a warning, that was closer to advice.”

I said so while remembering it.

It had been after the apology ceremony.

He had casually arranged for Shitoen to leave the room, and when it was just the two of us in the room,

“I will be frank.”

“Shitoen is being targeted by an assassination group.”

“I will do what I can, but my power is still insufficient. For now, this is all I can say. Their skills are genuine, so be very careful.”

That was what he had said to me.

“But… it was the Kingdom of Luminous that unilaterally broke the engagement, wasn’t it? Why would they be so obsessed with Princess Shitoen after she left the country and even married into another country, Tidros?”

“The question is why the Dragon Crest is involved there too.”

I scratched my head vigorously.

That was right.

The conclusion Raul and I had reached after discussing it was “the Dragon Crest.” Shitoen was probably being targeted because of something connected to the Dragon Crest.

“How about torturing Mone and Roze?”

Raul said it as if it were nothing.

As if I could do that. Shitoen had opened her heart to those sisters.

Try separating them from her and doing something like that. What would Shitoen think?

Besides, those sisters’ skills were genuine.

I had official trips because of public duties, and I could not stay stuck to Shitoen twenty-four hours a day.

Mone’s swordsmanship and Roze’s knife techniques would hold up even in our knights’ order. Putting Roze aside, Mone was also tall. If something happened, she could serve as Shitoen’s shield.

“There are times when women are useful. There are places men can’t enter, after all.”

“You’re soft. Commander, you are soft.”

Raul said that with vertical wrinkles between his brows, but he probably would not go so far as to act against my opinion.

“Ah. What happened with that buckle and necklace? Have you been able to get any information since then?”

Raul’s eyes shone with expectation.

Officially, we had spread word that Mone and Roze had been captured, tortured by me, and died.

And along with that information, we had released into town the golden buckle Mone had worn on her arm and the jade pendant Roze had worn around her neck.

“I receive regular reports from Vandel.”

It seemed the buckle and pendant had been put on the market along with the rumors by people who dealt in stolen goods in the royal capital.

They were moving while changing buyers one after another.

“Right now, they have moved close to the frontier.”

“Is that the County of Sheen, where Lord Vandel is?”

“No, the exact opposite direction east to west. The Ethel Territory.”

The instant I answered, Raul’s brows drew together.

“That is a place we visited very recently, isn’t it?”

“Yeah, it is. A territory near the Kingdom of Luminous.”

That was right.

The buckle and pendant were gradually approaching the Kingdom of Luminous.

“Then it really is confirmed that it’s connected to the Kingdom of Luminous.”

Raul muttered.

If this had been a little earlier, I probably would have admonished him, saying, “Don’t jump to conclusions.”

But it was getting close to being confirmed.

The reason the Kingdom of Luminous was fixated on Shitoen.

The Dragon Crest should be there… somehow.

“Well, well. Welcome back, Prince Saryu.”

When I turned toward the sound of footsteps coming down the stairs, it was Eaton, Shitoen’s maid.

Her uniform, and her hairstyle with her long hair neatly tied into a bun, were the same as always. She had a large wicker basket in her hands.

“My lady is a little occupied right now…”

“No, I’ll go see her myself later.”

Raul spoke up, almost cutting into my answer.

“That’s right! She’s Tania-born too!”

When that was said, Eaton looked blankly puzzled, but I also clapped my hands.

“True! Eaton, I want to ask you something. Come here.”

While looking suspicious, Eaton moved to the entrance hall with the wicker basket held in front of her.

“I want to know about the Dragon Crest. How much do you know?”

“The Dragon Crest? The one my lady has?”

She asked back with her eyes round. I nodded, and Raul remained silent, but since he was watching Eaton with great interest, Eaton made herself small in discomfort.

“I do not know much either. To begin with, everything about it is kept secret.”

“So Eaton, you have never seen Princess Shitoen’s Dragon Crest either?”

When Raul asked, Eaton nodded as if it were obvious.

“I have served at my lady’s side since she was granted the Dragon Crest, but I have never once seen it. My lady herself is careful not to show it, and we also prepare her clothing only after she has put on her undergarments, so that we do not see it.”

Eaton added even more rapidly.

“Of course, I have thoroughly drilled that into those sisters as well, you know? When we previously had clothing tailored, I naturally made sure that the Dragon Crest would not be visible, and also that it would not be seen.”

“Ah, that’s not what I’m worried about.”

When I shook my head, Eaton seemed relieved and let out a sigh. Then she tilted her head slightly.

“Well… when it comes to the Dragon Crest, I know things such as that it is a tattoo applied to royalty. Or that those who possess the Dragon Crest embody the country by that fact alone. In any case, they are exceptional. To think I have been able to serve such a person all this time… it truly is an honor.”

“The Dragon Crest isn’t applied to all members of the royal family, is it?”

When I asked Eaton, who proudly puffed out her chest, she blinked curiously.

“W…ell, that is true. After all, my lady’s father, Lord Balimore, does not have one. In fact, those who are granted the Dragon Crest are truly few.”

“What might the standard be? Is there some ratio of men to women?”

Raul pressed further. But Eaton shook her head in confusion.

“I do not know. The High Archbishop grants it to those who receive a revelation.”

“Do you know why Shitoen was granted the Dragon Crest?”

Eaton shook her head even at my question.

“I do not know. I heard that my lady was granted the Dragon Crest when she turned sixteen. But as for the reason behind it, that is not something a person like me would know.”

Raul and I looked at each other.

Eaton did not look as if she were lying or trying to gloss things over.

In that case, even people from the same country had the same level of knowledge about the Dragon Crest as we did.