The Beloved Of The One I ‘Trust Above All Others’

“Oh come on, you two—can you drop the grudge already?”

“…………………………”
“…………………………”

Riding in a carriage through the streets of Zwerg, a small town west of the Estraia Empire, Carlo held his head in frustration at Aurora and Priscilla, who were still sulking.

Naturally, they were upset because he had let Jonah leave without stopping him.

And without letting them see him one last time.

But if they had seen Jonah, they definitely would’ve tried to stop him by force.

Aside from Carlo himself, those two were the ones who worried about Jonah the most in Benedia.

“Oh—looks like we’re here.”

The carriage halted before the largest building in Zwerg, and Carlo called out to the guard standing at the entrance.

The soldier went inside, and moments later—

“Please, come in.”

He returned quickly and guided the carriage to the entrance.

“Now then… I wonder what sort of people Count Hagenberg and his daughter are, since Jonah trusts them so much.”

“Explain that in detail.”

As soon as they got off the carriage and were shown to the reception room, Aurora and Priscilla—who had been ignoring him until now—suddenly perked up, eager for details.

When it came to Jonah, these two completely lost their composure—that was their one big flaw.

“Jonah said it himself before leaving—‘the person I trust more than anyone.’”

“…Sister, I must admit I feel jealous.”

“Yes. Obviously Jonah’s number one is me.”

“That is quite a strange delusion. Clearly, I am Jonah’s number one.”

“Oh for—don’t start fighting in someone else’s house!”

He regretted bringing it up at all, but he still tried to calm the two as they started arguing.

At that moment—

“Thank you for waiting. Please come this way.”

A servant of the manor arrived and guided them toward the room where Count Hagenberk awaited.

“My Lord, I have brought the guests from ‘Carlo Trading Company.’”

“Very well.”

They could not let the Empire know that the Crown Prince of Benedia was here—so Carlo and company were disguised as merchants.

Yet Aurora and Priscilla completely ignored that and wore maid uniforms anyway.

“Welcome. I am Hagenberg, Lord of this territory.”

“My name is Carlo. It is an honor to meet you, Lord Hagenberg.”

Carlo shook the hand the count offered.

But Carlo’s gaze wasn’t on the count—it was directed to the young girl standing behind him.

“A pleasure to meet you, Lord Carlo. I am Marguerite, eldest daughter of House Hagenberg.”

Marguerite lifted the hem of her skirt and performed a graceful curtsy.

“Likewise—Carlo. And—hey!?”

“I am Aurora.”

“And I am Priscilla.”

For some reason, the two maids shoved Carlo aside and bowed as if competing.

It seemed they’d decided Marguerite must be the one Jonah “trusted more than anyone.”

“And… will Lady Marguerite also be present for today’s business discussion?”

“Yes. I am training my daughter to inherit my role, so she assists with lordly duties.”

“I see… that’s impressive.”

Carlo acted calm, but inwardly he was surprised—she looked to be around Jonah’s age, yet she was already learning estate administration.

“So then, you have something you insist on selling to me…?”

“Yes. We’d like you to see it. It’s quite large, so we’d appreciate it if you could accompany us to our carriage.”

“Very well.”

Thus Carlo led the count and Marguerite to the carriage.

“This way, please.”

“Wha—!? This is…!”

Seeing the magitech devices piled on the carriage—including Fire of Judgment—the Count let out a stunned groan.

“…Carlo. Why bring these to me?”

“Well, someone introduced you to me. They said you are ‘the one they trust more than anyone.’”

“—!?”

With just that line, both instantly realized who the introducer was.

It was Jonah—the boy who saved their territory from the swarm of locusts a little over a month ago.

“Allow me to introduce myself properly. I—I am Carlo Regalita Benedia, Crown Prince of the Kingdom of Benedia.”

“Impossible…!”

Carlo revealed the hilt of his sword bearing Benedia’s royal crest, confirming their suspicion.

They returned to the previous room, where Carlo explained the circumstances and purpose of his visit.

“The Langheim House… did that…!?”

The Count ground his teeth, fury contorting his face.

What the Langheim House had done was unmistakably treason against the Empire—utterly unforgivable.

“Just as Your Excellency is thinking, Jonah said the same—this magitech should be presented as evidence to the Empire.”

“Good grief… just who is Jonah? That ancient magic alone proves he is no ordinary boy.”

Seeing the Count exhale and shake his head, Carlo realized he didn’t know Jonah’s true identity—but Carlo intentionally chose not to say anything.

After all, Jonah hadn’t revealed it even to the one he “trusted more than anyone.”

“So then, Your Excellency—regarding the Empire…”

“Of course. I will report it immediately.”

Count Hagenberg nodded firmly.

With this, Jonah’s request was fulfilled.

With nothing more to do, Carlo began to rise—

“U-um! Jonah… was Jonah doing well…?”

Marguerite, who had kept silent because the discussion was serious, now asked with a face on the verge of tears.

It was clear she cared deeply about Jonah—he was precious to her.

“…Yeah. He already left for his next destination, but he was doing fine.”

Surely Jonah hadn’t told her about his condition.

So Carlo told her a half-truth.

“I see…”

Marguerite let out a breath of relief, yet her expression remained lonely.

‘Alright… guess I’ll do the kid a favor. He clearly cared about this girl too.’

Forming an amused grin, Carlo continued—

“When we brought the magitech over, that Jonah kid kept bringing you up. Tease him a little and he’d go bright red.”

This was also half a lie… well, mostly a lie.

He had cared about Marguerite, and he had gotten mad when Carlo teased him.

Then—

“I… I see. Jonah…”

Marguerite clasped her hands before her lips and blushed, smiling as if she were melting.

“Precious…”
“Precious…”

Aurora and Priscilla, silent until now, echoed softly.

It seemed the twins had taken a liking to Marguerite as well.

‘Haa… once Jonah grows up, he’s gonna have trouble with women. Well, he already does…’

Carlo sighed internally and gave a wry smile.