EEBT Chapter 13: Vacation

Early morning.

 

“We’ll head into the baths first.”

 

“Ah, sure. I’ll follow you in later, so go ahead.”

 

In the changing room of the grand bathhouse, the soldiers grabbed their toiletries and headed into the baths. While there were many female guests, the male guests were surprisingly few, making the changing room unexpectedly quiet.

 

“Excuse me for a moment.”

 

At that moment, a man approached Alex, who was taking off his shirt, and sat down on the bench next to him. As the man undressed, he asked Alex in a low voice,

 

“How’s your health, Captain?”

 

“My joints ache, and I’m exhausted.”

 

“Sounds normal.”

 

Alex continued undressing and asked in return,

 

“What’s the word from above?”

 

“They’re hesitant to get involved since the source of the information is unclear. But they’ll trust your judgment on the ground.”

 

“Well, that’s something.”

 

“Is it true that the Crown Prince and Syed made contact?”

 

At that question, Alex nodded.

 

“…It’ll be hard to confirm directly, but we can work around it. I’ll look into it.”

 

“How long do you think it’ll take?”

 

“I don’t know. Are you planning to intervene?”

 

Alex paused, folding his clothes into the locker as he pondered.

 

“With your skills, you could probably rescue the Empress or stop any potential assassins. You’re the elite of the elite.”

 

“……”

 

“The Chief of Staff and the Brigade Commander trust you. The decision is yours, as the field commander.”

 

With that, the man placed his clothes in the locker and closed it.

 

“I’ll head in first. Let me know if you need anything.”

 

As the man left, Alex also entered the bath.

 

Inside, he saw his subordinates soaking in the hot water, their bodies and minds exhausted. Could he really take away this rare moment of rest and prepare them for another mission?

 

Alex washed his body and then submerged himself in the bath. The hot water soothed his aching joints, and he felt a sense of relief.

 

“One day off won’t hurt…”

 

He murmured, slowly closing his eyes. It felt good to let his body relax. Freed from paperwork, training, and guard duty, his mind began to wander with trivial thoughts.

 

What should I do after the bath? What should I eat for dinner? And so on.

 

Amidst these mundane thoughts, one person came to mind.

 

Adeline von Lopitz.

 

What on earth was going on with her? What made her think the Empress would be assassinated? No, before that—can a person really change so drastically overnight?

 

His thoughts gradually focused on Adeline.

 

Alex leaned back, floating with only his face above the water. As his ears submerged and his eyes closed, he became even more absorbed in his thoughts.

 

What’s different? No, what’s changed?

 

“…Sergeant Lake.”

 

“What is it?”

 

At Alex’s call, Andrei, who was soaking up to his shoulders nearby, moved closer and asked.

 

“During the black market operation last time. Was there anything unusual?”

 

Andrei thought for a moment before answering.

 

“Even if you ask me, I don’t know much more than you do. We’ve already gone through the briefing and debriefing for that mission.”

 

“I see…”

 

He let out a deep sigh. What kind of feeling was this? Why did she keep coming to mind?

 

*Sigh.*

 

He exhaled again. Whether it was the warmth of the bath or something else, Alex’s face had turned red.

 

* * *

 

Adeline looked out the window. Early in the morning, they had gone out and spent the entire morning enjoying the baths. Now, they were crossing the mansion’s garden in a group.

 

Among them, of course, was Alex. After lunch, Adeline set down her teacup, which she had been sipping on, and spoke to Naya, who was attending to her.

 

“Tell Captain Manningham to join me for a cup of tea.”

 

Naya nodded.

 

“Understood.”

 

As Naya opened the door and left, Adeline read the note again.

 

*Stir the grass to chase the snake away.* She understood that Syed had been driven away, but how? How had he been chased off?

 

*Knock knock.*

 

While Adeline was still trying to unravel the mystery, a knock came at the door. There was only one person it could be.

 

“Come in.”

 

At Adeline’s words, Alex entered with Naya.

 

“I’ll bring fresh tea. Please enjoy your conversation.”

 

As Naya left the room again, only Adeline and Alex remained.

 

“Syed is gone.”

 

*Nod.*

 

Alex nodded.

 

“You told me to keep Syed here… but he left.”

 

“That’s right.”

 

He answered as if it were no big deal, his gaze fixed on Adeline. Seeing his calm demeanor only confused her more. It had only been a day.

 

In just one day, Alex had told her to keep Syed here, and now that he was gone, he sat there unfazed.

 

“I think I need to know what’s going on.”

 

At that moment, Naya returned with a fresh pot of tea, teacups, and a plate of pastries. The half-empty plate of pastries was replaced with a new one, and a fresh teacup was placed in front of Alex.

 

As Naya finished her tasks and stood by Adeline’s side, Alex spoke.

 

“From here on, let’s keep it between us.”

 

He glanced at Naya, and Adeline said to him,

 

“Naya is my maid. She’s someone I can trust.”

 

“I know. I’ve known her longer than you have, my lady. That’s why I’m saying this.”

 

“……”

 

“Sometimes, it’s safer not to hear certain things.”

 

As he said this, Alex lowered his gaze slightly and sipped his tea. For a moment, just a brief moment, his eyes met hers over the rim of the teacup.

 

Seeing that look, Adeline had no choice but to smile at Naya and say,

 

“…Naya, could you go to the kitchen for a moment? Beef would be nice for dinner today, but I think chicken might be better.”

 

“I’ll let the chef know.”

 

Responding to her request, Naya set the tray down on the table and left the room.

 

*Click.*

 

The door closed, and after a moment of silence, Alex looked at Adeline.

 

“What do you want to know?”

 

“There’s so much I want to ask. You told me to keep Syed here during the day, but at night, you said to rest easy because he’d been chased away. Which one was your true intention?”

 

“Ah. That first.”

 

Alex took a sip of his tea and then said to her,

 

“Deceive your allies. Then you can deceive your enemies.”

“……”

 

“It’s a simple principle, and even easier to apply. It’s also one of the things we’ve been doing.”

 

“What do you mean…?”

 

“When you return to the ducal mansion in the capital, have the family’s exclusive mage inspect every space and item thoroughly. Especially, pay close attention to Naya’s belongings and the spaces she frequents.”

 

At Alex’s words, Adeline tried to organize her increasingly tangled thoughts. Then, a scene from the novel came to mind.

 

The scene where Syed planted a surveillance spell in the heroine’s quarters, only to be caught by her keen intuition.

 

“No way…”

 

Adeline was about to exclaim in surprise but covered her mouth with her hand.

 

However, Alex seemed to find her reaction amusing, as he raised the corner of his mouth and said,

 

“We’ve already checked everything. So, you can rest easy.”

 

Only then did Adeline remove her hand from her mouth and ask Alex,

 

“…Really?”

 

Alex smiled at her.

 

“Of course.”

 

Adeline let out a sigh of relief and then said to him,

 

“Please continue.”

 

At her request, Alex nodded with a smile and began to speak.

 

“The suggestion I made earlier—to keep Syed here—was just the first move.”

 

“What was the purpose of that move?”

 

“It was a move to make Syed leave the ducal mansion on his own.”

 

Alex continued his explanation.

 

“Syed is elusive. Skilled in martial arts, magic, and…”

 

*Tap tap.* Alex tapped his temple with his finger.

 

“…and brilliant in mind. That’s why I never intended to keep him here in the first place. If we could’ve caught him by keeping him here, we would’ve done so long ago.”

 

Adeline swallowed hard and stared at him.

 

“…I’ll keep listening to your explanation.”

 

At her words, Alex nodded and continued.

 

“Next, I gathered the Riflemen and made it seem like we were sharing important information. And crucially… I recommended keeping Sergeant Lake close by to increase the risk for Syed.”

 

“Was Sergeant Lake a threat to Syed?”

 

“Not only is he an excellent bodyguard and advisor, but it also sent a signal that he would be keeping a close eye on Syed. Syed wouldn’t have wanted to take that risk.”

 

“Ah.”

 

As Adeline listened to Alex’s explanation, things suddenly became clearer. Without her realizing it, he had completely achieved his goal.

 

While she was momentarily impressed, Alex moistened his lips with tea and said,

 

“By the way. The city of Bath is quite large and crowded, especially at this time of year. Aren’t you curious?”

 

He leaned slightly forward and stared at her.

 

“How the Crown Prince managed to find us so precisely.”

 

Adeline’s eyes widened.

 

“W-what are you saying…?”

 

“You don’t actually believe it was a ‘coincidence,’ do you? Not after you warned about an assassination attempt on the Empress.”

 

“……”

 

“This isn’t a novel, Lady Lopitz.”

 

From the look in Alex’s eyes, Adeline could tell what he was getting at. That’s why her mind became even more clouded.

 

The Crown Prince in the novel possessed all the virtues a protagonist should have.

 

He was diligent, sincere, and kind, yet capable of decisively dealing with villains. However, he carried wounds, and the heroine healed those wounds, leading to their love story.

 

Of course, villains like Adeline would appear to create crises, but despite that, their love would prevail.

The novel *’Diary of Observing the Crown Prince’* was filled with such sweet, romantic content. And this was the world of that novel. The man who had been portrayed as nothing more than an unlikable extra in that novel was now sitting in front of her, speaking.

 

“If the Empress is assassinated,”

 

Alex said to her in a calm voice,

 

“the Crown Prince will be behind it.”

 

And that calm voice shattered everything in her mind.