Afterward, we exited the room, and she returned to her duty. As a Queen, she was really busy, especially after the mourning ended and the piled-up duty awaited her.
I was guided to the guest room by a maid. She seemed to be a bit nervous guiding me and didn't look me in the eyes even once. She kept her head low. I understood that guiding a VIP among VIPs could be nerve-wracking, so I didn't say anything and just followed her.
"Y-Your Holiness, we've arrived."
The room I was taken into was on the castle's second floor, near the intersection. The window faced the entrance of the castle.
A soft carpet adorned the floor, and in the middle of the room was a canopied bed that looked soft. It was also king-sized, enough for 3 people to sleep on it together.
From the bed, I could see the gate and the wall surrounding the castle from the balcony door made from glass. The furniture looked luxurious, and a soft, warming light covered the room from the magic lamp on the ceiling.
I went to the balcony and leaned against the railing, looking at the beautiful garden adorning the path to the castle. Because I was only on the second floor, I couldn't really see the entire Capital City, but that wasn't a problem.
"This is a good room," I muttered as I turned around, noticing two neutral dots approaching my room from my <Presence Detection>. It wasn't the maid from earlier, but someone else. "Who is this?"
A simple <Appraisal> told me it was the Second Prince, Edison, and probably his servant, who acted as his bodyguard, as I didn't recognize a Level 40 person named Dram.
'One of the kingdom knights?' I guessed as I went back inside the room, sitting on the chair around a small round table.
Also, why did the Second Prince visit me alone? Technically, he wasn't alone, but his servant would only protect him and stay outside the room if I allowed him to enter.
'Is he just passing by?'
I considered such a possibility, but that could be scratched after I saw the dots stopped right in front of this room.
Knock knock knock!
"Your Holiness, t-this is Prince Edison. May I have a little bit of your time? There is something that… I want to ask about the training."
The door was knocked, and a young voice followed suit. Even when it was his own home, because my position was higher than his, he decided to knock and told me his goal. He was polite and so na?ve.
Meeting me just right after I met with his mother to discuss something important showed how rushed and na?ve he was. The First Prince was better at controlling himself, it seemed. Even when he was also excited by the training, he didn't meet me immediately. But…
'This is perfect for making a good impression on him. I can teach and influence his train of thought easier compared to a cautious Prince. However, that also made him easier to control by other nobles. I should make him take my side before he got influenced by them.'
"You can enter, Prince Edison," I answered and took out a holy book I got from Sana when I visited the church earlier, pretending that I had just closed it as the door was opened. Once again, maintaining my image was important.
The figure of a timid boy with short blue hair entered the room after a man in plate armor opened the door. As expected, he was a knight. And he bowed deeply after the Second Prince entered and opened the door again.
He looked at me with a sheepish smile.
"Welcome, Prince Edison. Just sit comfortably here." I gestured at the chair across from me, and he nodded in understanding.
The Second Prince approached and sat slowly, seemingly nervous as his eyes wandered around.
"So, you wanted to talk about training?" I asked, putting the holy book down on the table. "Is there something you're dissatisfied with? We can still change the schedule."
"N-No, it's not that." He waved his hands in front of him, "I… I just wanted to know about… Umm, the hunt. A-Are we going to fight a monster?" His voice sounded a little bit excited, just like a boy who got a new toy or met someone he really looked up to.
Also, his innocence was real, and he sounded truly looking forward to the training and the hunt.
"Yes." I nodded and smiled at him, "We will start by hunting Level 10 monsters and gradually hunt stronger ones."
"Woah!" He exclaimed. His eyes sparkled with anticipation and excitement. "I finally am able to see monsters from a close range."
From his words, I guessed that he was more excited by the likelihood of meeting a monster instead of training with me.
'Does he like monsters that much?' I thought, realizing his hobby.
"I see that you are a very curious person. Are you interested in monsters that much?"
"Yes!" Prince Edison answered with a glee tone. "Umm, you see? Because my older sister… Umm– The throne is supposed to be given to her, yes? Thanks to that, my older brother and I were given a chance to learn as we pleased. And I… I am very interested in monsters and want to research them."
"I see. So you want to be a monster researcher?" I asked curiously.
A smile blossomed on his innocent face. He became more excited as he raised his voice.
"Yes! T-There is not much research done on monsters, especially the higher Leveled ones. If we know about their weakness and habitat, we probably can plan for more efficient training, thus increasing the survivability level when our knights try to Level up.
"Also, the magic item we can use for our daily lives could be improved! That way, the citizens and merchants will also be happy. I-I think research about monsters needs to be pushed forward as many people haven't been made aware of its good point yet!"
I took back my words. This boy wasn't na?ve; he was too innocent to understand and doubt other people. That was why he marched into my room without waiting for time to pass.
He wasn't interested in politics at all, making him the perfect Prince to help me get Queen Eve's favor.
"That's a good dream." I praised him honestly. "But to do that, you also need to be strong. That's why you accept my training, right?"
Prince Edison nodded at my words, not denying it at all.
"I understand." I nodded, "Your motivation and goal has moved me. When we are hunting monsters, I will give you a chance to research a monster you want. Of course, I know a lot about them too, so I will also teach you about them. How does that sound, Prince Edison?"
Hearing me, his face lit up in happiness as his smile widened, "Yes, Your Holiness. Thank you very much!"
"You're welcome," I answered.
At that moment, I also took out a book about monsters given to newbies back in Horizon Online. While it wasn't the complete version, there was a list of monsters from Level 1 to Level 30 written in here.
The Second Prince looked at me curiously as I took out the book from my inventory. I grinned and pushed the book toward him.
"Because you have such a noble ambition, I have a little gift for you."
"This…" He muttered and took the book. The letters used to write in Horizon Online and Sins Paradise were similar, so he surely could read them.
After reading the title, his eyes widened, and he opened the book without even minding my presence. He flipped out the page faster and faster as his jaw dropped.
"T-This is!" His voice raised in surprise as he lowered the book, looking at me in disbelief. "A-Are you sure you wanted to give this book to me, Your Holiness?"
"Yes. Study well and be a good researcher."
"Of course! Thank you very much!"
It seemed like he was done with what he wanted to say.
Bidding me farewell, he stormed out of the room, holding the book tightly. He treated it like a treasure, the one so fragile that it could break anytime.
"How innocent," I muttered as I leaned back on the chair. My lips curled up into a grin, thinking about my plan. "Influencing him would be easier than I initially thought."
That could wait for a bit. For now, the assassin was the more pressing matter.
"Tonight…" I looked outside the room, through the open balcony door, at the tall tower that was visible from the corner of the door. "I need to tell Beatrice to prepare herself and help me dig information from the assassin."
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