Pride as a Prince

♪ Poet (Present) ♪

I had indeed heard rumors that my brother had gotten into trouble over a woman. I did not know the specific name of the person involved, nor had I ever intended to pry too deeply. I only knew, at the level of court gossip, that the palace had been thrown into turmoil over whether he would choose a woman of royal blood from another country or someone of non-noble birth.

Before I knew it, the subject had faded away, and I had assumed it had been resolved peacefully. But what if the woman he loved back then had been killed? And by my brother’s own hand...?

No. My brother is not that kind of person. I knew that much. I wanted to believe in him. And yet, the woman before me claimed that she had helped dispose of my brother’s lover’s body. Given the circumstances, there was no advantage for her in making up a false confession.

Ugh. My ears are twitching with nerves. Calm down.

In any case, I had to separate what I wanted to believe from the truth. Something must have happened to my brother. The Rabbit Kingdom had long suffered under the corruption of its bureaucracy.

Even the former king had suffered because of men who pretended to be loyal while looking for leverage against him, always waiting for a chance to seize power. Even if my brother had been involved, it did not look like something he had done alone.

It felt pointless to think about it any further. Whatever the truth was, I was now an outsider to the Rabbit Kingdom. There was no point in digging deeper. It would only disturb the order of the nation.

When I glanced over at Adagio, she was looking at me with tearful eyes. S-so cute. More importantly, I had to protect her.

Just as I took a step forward, I sensed a presence in the grass.

“Who’s there!?”

I strummed my guitar and stirred up a light gust of wind as a warning. Not enough to hurt anyone, but it should be enough to throw them off balance.

“Wah! Please stop! It is I, your old servant!”

“Masahide?”

“Indeed.”

An elderly rabbit-eared man with a white beard slowly revealed himself, floating gently as he sang a long melody, holding an Okinawan instrument from another world—a sanshin—like a walking stick.

“I heard you belong to the vocal magic faction. That you stand with my brother.”

“Yes. I am indeed on Lord Sonnet’s side. By Lord Sonnet’s आदेश—”

He stopped himself, then continued properly.

“Yes. I am indeed on Lord Sonnet’s side. By Lord Sonnet’s orders, I have brought you a gift.”

With that, he held out a magic money card. The amount was 4 million Mofu. Enough not merely for escape funds, but to live well for ten years.

“From my brother!? Why?”

“Lord Sonnet could never hate his own flesh and blood.”

“...I refuse. Whatever the circumstances, I am the leader of an anti-government group being hunted by the state. I cannot make use of tax money. How could I possibly live well on money the people earned through their sweat and toil? Please go back.”

“B-but if things remain like this, neither I nor Lord Sonnet will be able to rest easy...”

“The feelings of royalty and their power struggles have nothing to do with the common people. I am grateful for my brother’s feelings. But I am sorry—I cannot accept it.”

I straightened the collar of my clothes—nothing particularly expensive, but sincerely made by a tailor—and Masahide withdrew in disappointment.

I’m sorry, old servant. I must not carry that kind of money. If I did, it would only become a source of funds for worthless people.

“Adagio!”

“Y-yes!”

I called over the dragonfolk woman I had seen so many times in dreams that were now proving prophetic.

“For certain reasons, I am a man cast out from my homeland. In the end, I am nothing more than a social outcast. If you stay with me, the danger to you will only increase.”

At that, she looked sad. I’m sorry. The truth is, I also... I wanted to travel with you, to share both hardship and joy with you. That had been my dream.

I took a breath, then continued.

“However, while we travel from this forest to the nearest town, being alone will only increase the risk of attack. Until then, would you allow me to escort you?”

Adagio thought for a moment, looking slightly bashful, and then said,

“The pleasure is mine. I look forward to traveling with you.”