Chapter 17: The Commander's Son Chats with His Best Friend

"I see, this morning's commotion was also your fault."

Rinse said with a wry smile to me who was feeling lonely because I'm in a different class from Alice.

"I was wondering what you would do after hearing that you were going to make her a servant instead of punishing her.

"Don't talk to people like they're wicked. Well, I won't deny that it's within the scope of my expectations."

"Hey, can I ask? Why did you take her as her servant? You know how dangerous she is."

Is there a reason... well, the heroine is certainly a dangerous factor. However, by getting more troublesome information from the heroine, the danger has been reduced to the limit.

If you ask me, I heard that the otome game "Lovely Princess" that I know has a sequel, another story, and many Gaiden works that share the same world view. I was amazed at the breadth of media development of otome games that even the heroine couldn't grasp all of them, but I couldn't help but be amazed. It seems that some of them have a different heroine and a different capture target, but the villainess is Alice, and above all, there are games where I, Arth, is the capture target. I take my hat off to the professionalism of the manufacturer who shines even more light on the unpopular characters in the main story, but it's troublesome because it's a big handicap to protect Alice.

Well, even putting aside the otome game, it's going to be a plus to bring the heroine into the company. In fact, it might have been better to condemn the heroine like a story, but if you just look at the results, you'll understand that it's meaningless. Even if you feel refreshed like that, Alice's painful memories won't disappear. Considering Alice's feelings, she might be a bit iffy, but she already knew at the evening party that Alice didn't have any ill feelings towards the heroine. Alice never holds a grudge against others. She always blames herself and corners herself. That's why I want to protect her in the truest sense of the word.

Well, there's no way I could say that to Rinse, so I thought for a while and then answered normally.

"If you have more cards called charm magic, it will be useful in an emergency. And that woman is also good at acting. If you have such a tricky card, it will be easier to protect Alice."

"It's not a surprised that you did it for Alice."

"Of course, I'm Alice's fiancé after all."

"Ah. I want to find a fiancée as soon as possible, but this is all up to my father's decision."

Well, if you're in a position like Rinse, it's natural for a political marriage to happen. It seems that they were actually going to make Alice a successor, but they probably gave up because I started first. Well, if that king was a tyrant, he might have taken Alice by force, but at that time she would have eloped and lived a modest life. Rather, there is a clause that Alice longs for such an elopement development, but is it because she is usually suppressed? I feel quite satisfied with Alice, who is becoming more and more spoiled when it's just the two of us.

"Well, I hope Rinse finds a good person soon. Come to think of it, is there a type that Rinse likes?"

"What type do I prefer? of course to the opposite sex, right?"

"If you're interested in homosexuality, that's fine, but I'll need to keep a little physical distance from you."

"It's kind of a rude misunderstanding, but I'm normal. But it's just a physical distance."

"That's right. No matter what kind of hobby a friend has, they're still friends."

The world is relatively tolerant of homosexuality and consanguineous marriage. That's why it would be appropriate to keep a distance and watch over him without denying it. Well, I don't have that kind of hobby, so I can't respond even if I have thoughts. Anyway, since Alice is there, the feelings of love towards me are meaningless. Well, even if Rinse is, it doesn't change that he's my friend. A friend never ceases to be a friend no matter what. Of course, if it's for Alice's sake, I'm the kind of person who can just throw them away without hesitation, but I really want to protect them if possible.

When I said that, Rinse laughed and said after being dumbfounded for a while.

"I'm glad I became friends with you."

"Really?"

"That's right. To be honest, I felt a lot of pressure when I became the crown prince. After all, my father is a sharp person, so it's a lot of pressure to succeed someone like that."

It would be more appropriate to say that the king has a bad personality rather than being sharp, but I decided to listen silently without saying such a thing.

"That's why I have nothing but gratitude for those who support me like you. Thank you, Arth."

"Well, Rinse will be indebted to me in the future, so I don't need to thank you, but I will accept it just in case."

"Ah, you can rely on me for anything.

"Really? I want to hear that."

In that way, spending time without Alice with friends distracts them. Well, is it whimsical to think that this kind of time isn't bad once in a while?