“...”

“...”

After Bella took Verati away, we remained in our seats for a while, each of us lost in thought. Alice, who had been tense, finally let out a deep sigh, while Claire and Leo, who were caught up in the unexpected situation, still looked dazed.

Eventually, Alice couldn’t handle the silence any longer.

“Ugh, seriously!” she shouted, turning sharply toward me.

“Say something!”

“What would you like me to say?” I asked earnestly, and Alice looked at me with a mixture of frustration and embarrassment.

“You know… like, how dangerous it was for a princess to be there or that there was no need for me to be directly involved in such a risky plan.”

“Are you asking me to scold you, Your Highness?”

“No, that’s not it…”

Alice glanced around nervously, her cheeks reddening slightly.

“Well, yes.”

I replied calmly, “Of course, it was something that could have been handled by someone else, and there was a real risk of unforeseen complications where Your Highness could have been severely hurt.”

“...”

Alice’s shoulders slumped at my words, and I couldn’t help but think the white bunny ears she still wore seemed to droop as well.

“But that doesn’t change the fact that what happened was something you accomplished.”

Upon hearing this, Alice lifted her head, and her ears seemed to perk up slightly.

In truth, it would’ve been challenging for anyone else to pull off a plan like this.

Lucas was absent—whether he was running away or simply away on an extended errand, I wasn’t certain. But in any case, assigning a task to someone who wasn’t present was impossible. Even if he’d been available, Lucas was too well-known. Verati would have likely bolted the moment she saw him.

Jaden was also unsuitable for similar reasons.

Bella, while adept at gathering intelligence, had to remain unseen. Someone else had to handle the capture, and Verati, who was often surrounded by crowds, had to be lured somewhere less populated to minimize civilian casualties.

If Bella had taken care of the capture herself, her face would have been exposed to Verati. While eliminating Verati might have been an option, it would only provoke further scrutiny from the Theocracy.

The same held for my other sibling, who performed similar work to Bella and was already stationed in another country for intelligence gathering.

Which left only Alice and me.

Since the Theocracy viewed me with extreme caution, they couldn’t dismiss my presence, while Alice, whom they likely considered inconsequential, was ideal bait.

The Theocracy had directly observed me assuming the role of the Emperor’s proxy, a position that Alice might one day inherit. 

Perhaps, from that observation, they made a crucial error in judgment—believing that Alice had no chance of becoming the next Empress.

Well, their assumption was understandable.

The current Emperor was an unusual figure by any standard, and despite the lack of blood relation, there were no official distinctions among his children. One of them was already a Knight Commander, while another was serving as the Emperor’s full proxy at a young age.

To those who hadn’t overheard the private discussions between the Emperor and his children, the confusion was understandable.

Alice’s position made her the perfect lure.

Verati would have been caught regardless, but the royal family’s goal was to extract Verati without drawing attention to the Northwood duchy.

Removing Verati without alerting Duke Northwood was critical, and if Alice hadn’t volunteered to act as bait, things would have been far more complicated.

Although the royal family wasn’t fully aware of what the Theocracy wanted, they knew it was valuable.

“Well done. Achieving results is also a form of skill.”

And so, I said this to Alice.

“R-Really?” she replied.

“Yes. Though it’s a bit concerning that you were dressed as a bunny girl the entire time.”

“...”

Claire, having finally regained her senses, chimed in with a hint of jealousy, causing Alice to realize just how embarrassing her outfit was. She quickly uncrossed her legs.

“W-Well, the other person was dressed like a bunny girl too, so it doesn’t matter!”

Despite her words, Alice hurriedly rose from her seat.

---

“Yeah, there weren’t any other forces around.”

Back at the inn, we discussed a few things we hadn’t been able to cover in front of Leo and Claire.

“So, it was just a bluff,” Alice said confidently, to which I nodded in agreement.

Indeed, even with the Emperor’s authority, deploying forces within Northwood’s domain was a separate matter. Requesting Northwood’s forces to act was an even larger issue.

Troops might have accompanied us from the capital, but their ability to operate openly in Northwood was another matter altogether.

It was fortunate that Verati hadn’t divulged her true purpose before we took her away.

Even if Leo and Claire weren’t the type to gossip, it was better if no one else overheard any sensitive information.

“...You knew about this all along, didn’t you?”

After a pause, Alice cautiously asked me.

“Yes,” I replied.

“Hmph.”

Alice responded with a knowing sound but didn’t press further.

“I don’t know how you come by such knowledge, but still.”

She motioned to a small, round table with four chairs set around it in the middle of the spacious guest room.

Even though it was just a guest room in the ducal residence, it was equipped to receive visitors in style.

Then again, even luxury hotels have this level of preparation.

When I pulled out a chair and sat down, Alice took a seat across from me.

“Even if I ask how you came to know all that, I suppose you wouldn’t tell me,” she remarked.

I paused briefly, contemplating my response.

“The way I acquire information is one of my greatest talents. It’s not something I can reveal casually.”

“Well, I suppose we all have one or two secrets we’d rather not share,” Alice replied with a thoughtful look.

As curious as I was about her secrets, I decided not to pry. If it was something I needed to know, Alice would eventually tell me.

“Still, I’d like to know a little, if possible.”

Alice looked directly at me, her expression calm, her clear eyes shining with determination. Her gaze wasn’t one of interrogation, nor was it one a princess might use to demand answers.

Rather—

“As your sister, not as a princess, I want to know.”

Alice paused before asking softly, “The ability you have… is it foresight?”

“Are you referring to the same kind of prophecy as those recorded by the ancient scribes of the royal family?”

“Yes.”

“No, it isn’t.”

I could answer that much with certainty.

“Then is it some sort of advanced calculation, a prediction derived from careful analysis?”

“No, it’s not that either.”

I could also answer that with certainty.

If I had such powers as Laplace's Demon, where I could perceive the world with perfect clarity and predict the future, that would be one thing. But even if the laws of physics worked the same in this world, such abilities were beyond me.

“You say it’s neither calculation nor prophecy, yet you can somehow know the future?”

“Yes.”

“...”

Would Alice be able to figure out my ability from this exchange?

Maybe, or maybe not.

If it wasn’t prediction or calculation, the only remaining answer would be that I had already experienced that future firsthand. If even that were denied, it would imply that I simply acted as I wished, and everything worked out accordingly, which would imply a divine level of control.

I doubted Alice would assume I was some kind of god, so she could probably guess the nature of my ability without me explicitly stating it.

If I truly wished to hide my powers, I wouldn’t have answered her questions in this way.

But for some reason, I wanted to answer like this.

It wasn’t a logical conclusion, just… something I wanted to do.

“...Alright. I won’t press for more details.”

After a moment of thought, Alice concluded with a glance at the wall clock.

“You must be tired. Thanks for staying up so late with me tonight.”

“It was my pleasure. I wanted to accompany you.”

I gave her a slight bow in response.

Honestly, I would have gone even if she hadn’t asked.

There was no need for Alice to apologize to me.

If anything, I’d almost spoiled her plan.

“If you ever need me again, just call on me.”

“...Alright.”

Alice nodded, accepting my offer without hesitation.