Chapter 47 Progress Report
"...So, it took a little time, but we've almost completely taken control of the Detached Palace, Sigurt."
"Isn't that a bit fast? It's only been two weeks, you know?"
In the Royal Palace, where I had come alone, I gave Sigurt an update on the situation at the Detached Palace.
When his face twitched in disbelief, I tilted my head slightly, puzzled.
I'd used all the charm at my disposal—both mine and Rifine's—so it wasn't surprising that people had fallen under our influence.
Besides...
"If we take too long, bad people might catch on to Rifine... To be honest, I wanted to move faster."
The entire point of making the Detached Palace completely loyal to Rifine was to secure her safety.
Even though the Granbell family claims neutrality, if I, as someone closely associated with Sigurt, frequently visited Rifine, it wouldn't be strange for people to suspect I was up to something.
Even I could see that much.
That urgency was why I moved quickly, and when I explained this to Sigurt, he gave me a wry smile.
"True, that's definitely the case. But still, not everyone is as dependent on Neil as he is, right?"
"Well, that's true."
If we managed to turn the entire Detached Palace into Neil-level sycophants in just two weeks, it wouldn't be cute anymore.
It'd be something else entirely.
Sure, people greeted us warmly with smiles and friendly gazes, but it wasn't like they were vying to outdo each other for the right to pet us—or causing the kind of chaos Elder Brother routinely invites.
"Wait, what's going on with your house right now? I'm starting to get a little scared..."
After hearing my explanation, Sigurt pressed a hand to his forehead, clearly trying to fend off a headache.
What's going on is that every morning, Father and Elder Brother engage in a serious mock battle over who gets the honor of my first interaction of the day.
The knights of Granbell who get caught in their crossfire scream loud enough to serve as my morning alarm.
"...Yumie, how many days has it been since you came to the capital?"
"Almost a month now."
"...Don't you think your family is going to storm the Royal Palace soon...?"
Sigurt muttered with a faraway look in his eyes, something about warning the guards to brace themselves.
Seriously, what was he talking about? No one would go that far just because they hadn't seen their daughter—or sister—in a month.
...Right?
"I'll write a letter."
"Please do. Actually, write one every day. ...It might be too late, though."
Sigurt's voice carried an unusual desperation, which made me pause for a moment.
I wasn't lonely, not with Rifine around, but Father and Elder Brother weren't like me...
and now I was starting to get concerned.
"Anyway, we've strayed off topic, but right now, it's about Rifine. What's the plan after we take down the Detached Palace?"
Worrying about Father and Neil wasn't going to change anything now.
Instead, I needed to focus on what mattered—Rifine's safety.
"As for that, it's our turn now, so Yumie and Rifine can just continue staying at the Detached Palace. At this point, let's make everyone there depend on Rifine like Neil does. That way, she'll be absolutely safe."
"Understood."
It sounded simple enough, but I knew that reaching Elder Brother-level attachment was an unrealistic standard.
That said, if Father ever ordered Elder Brother to do something as extreme as assassinate me, Elder Brother would probably challenge him to a duel on the spot.
If we could even get a fraction of that loyalty for Rifine at the Detached Palace, it would suffice.
"That said, it really wouldn't be possible without spending more time on it."
Building rapport to a certain level was easy, but anything beyond that required both time and shared experiences.
"Then how about throwing a party at Detached Palace? I think Rifine's birthday is coming up soon."
"Oh, is that so?"
Sigurt nodded.
"Up until now, with everything that's happened, I don't think she's ever been properly celebrated... This could be a chance to get even closer with the people from Detached Palace. I'm counting on you."
There was something about his tone—slightly detached—that caught my attention.
Then it hit me.
Even if we held a party at the Detached Palace, Sigurt wouldn't be able to attend.
"Don't worry about my situation. Just take care of Rifine, okay?"
"...Sure."
I acknowledged his words and gave a firm nod, but internally, my mind raced for a way to resolve this.
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