Rex also left to prepare for the interrogation, and the four of them were left alone in the room.

“As expected, we must be cautious around Malcolm Elms.”

Quentin muttered with a severe expression. Ethelbert grinned in ridicule.

“Princess Charlotte. How do I say this, your fiancé seems to be a bit slow-witted.”

“Indeed. When it comes to Juliet, this is how he becomes. He’s worse than His Majesty.”

“…What are you trying to say?”

Quentin’s eyebrows twitched. But since both Charlotte and Ethelbert were in higher positions than him, he had to suppress his anger. Even then, he barely managed to do so.

“You’re being vigilant for the wrong reason. You’re probably worried that Juliet will fall for him. After listening to Rex Elms’ testimony, you should’ve realized that there’s more going on beneath the surface than it appears. At least, the usual you would.”

Even after saying this much, Quentin still failed to understand, and Charlotte sighed.

“Malcolm Elms didn’t hesitate to rush in to save the raided carriage despite having zero knowledge about magic tools.”

“Wasn’t that because he wanted to save Her Highness?”

“How foolish. No matter how taken he is with Juliet, doing so would be beyond him. He isn’t the kind of man who’d jump into danger knowing that his life would be at risk.”

Malcolm was nervous when he was in the presence of Ethelbert. He tried to conceal it, but she could definitely feel his fear and intimidation toward him.

That was all it took for everything to make sense to her.

Malcolm Elms prioritized himself above anything else. His life was too precious to risk, even for someone he loved.

There was nothing wrong with fearing death. It was a normal feeling.

“He must’ve acted in such a way because he knew the magic tool had a limited number of uses.”

“Impossible.”

“Let’s assume he has some knowledge about magic tools. Even granted that, being able to determine the number of uses a magic tool has simply by looking at its magic stone is still too far-fetched.”

Malcolm was no magician, after all.

Even if he was, it’d be extremely difficult to accurately measure the formula of a magic tool and the amount of magic within its stone instantly during battle.

“I can imagine his motive. He wants to win her favor by staging a crime.”

“So, that man had bandits attack Princess Juliet…? That would explain why he offered to switch places with his brother for the business deal…”

“I’m not sure about that yet. But I’m sure he knew about the magic tools.”

Then, Charlotte and the others were informed that George, who had left the mansion, had returned home. Before commencing the investigation, they decided to greet him first, so they met him in the drawing room.

***

“It’s been a long time, Her Royal Highness Princess Charlotte, His Imperial Highness Prince Ethelbert, and Lord Quentin.”

“Indeed. I’m glad to hear that you’re in good health, Sir George.”

George Elms was a softspoken young man. As the son of the count’s late ex-wife, he took after his mother and looked nothing like his two half-brothers.

After meeting for the first time in a while, despite his gentle smile and calm demeanor, he seemed a bit haggard.

“I’m grateful for your cooperation with the investigation of the bandits.”

“Of course! I’m immensely grateful towards His Highness the Imperial Brother for lending his assistance. As this happened within the count’s territory, we should rightfully express our gratitude. Also, I apologize for exposing Her Highness the Second Princess to such peril within our territory.”

“If you knew about the bandits and did nothing about them, you would be reprimanded. However, the perpetrators were a relatively small group, and they appeared in a forest close to the border with the neighboring territory. As such, the possibility exists that they were hiding in the neighboring territory. I do not intend to hold you accountable to such an extent.”

“Thank you for your generosity.”

Recently, reports of bandit sightings in a nearby mountain had surfaced. It wasn’t in the county, but the neighboring territory, and the lord was currently dealing with the matter. The bandits who attacked Juliet could likely have been from there.

Patrols had been strengthened due to the reports of bandit sightings, and fortunately, vigilance had been increased within the county as well. Thanks to that, a knight from the county on patrol noticed something was wrong and aided Malcolm and his men.

Well, it’s quite likely that they had planned it all out.

“Of course, this incident is regrettable, and we want to resolve it as quickly as possible, but… I’m also worried about the count. His condition doesn’t seem to be very good.”

“Yes. We’ve had him examined by various doctors, but none of them know if he’ll wake up…”

George’s frown and regretful expression were just like a son worried about his father.

Charlotte was amazed by Quentin. He had managed to hide his almost insincere and harsh attitude so well, he seemed almost earnest as he spoke.

“I don’t believe I’ll be able to come to the count’s estate very often. As such, I’d like to see the count later. Is that possible?”

“Of course. Please feel free to contact me at any time that’s convenient for you.”

George readily agreed, not seeming particularly flustered.

After greeting George, the count’s knights led Charlotte and the others to see the bandits. The bandits were being temporarily held in the dungeon of the count’s mansion. The three brothers of the Count of Elms family were not present as they had business with the trading company.

There were four bandits, each of them locked in adjacent cells. They were gagged; their hands and feet bound with chains.

The suspected ringleader was in the cell closest to the stairs, so they decided to interrogate him first.

Without taking them to another location, Charlotte and the others stood in front of the cell. The man directed his gaze their way.

The count’s knight entered the cell and removed the man’s gag. The man coughed slightly, before slowly raising his head. With a menacing look in his eyes, he stared straight at Charlotte.

“Blonde hair, and also, those eyes… Ha! To be interrogated by the Crown Princess herself, you must love that compassionate princess dearly!”

No one had mentioned Charlotte’s name or title while they were descending down the stairs or when they had arrived at the cell. The man must’ve determined it through both her hair and eye color, and the way the knights followed her.

Even so, his words bothered her.

A sarcastic remark about Juliet, with a hint of disgust in it.

Or was it directed at the royal family? …No, it was clearly aimed at Juliet.

Although the man’s eyes reflected Charlotte, it was as if he was looking at Juliet through her. They may be different, but they were both princesses.

That was the first time she had encountered a citizen who was so blatantly hostile towards Juliet.

Why would a bandit without any particular connection to Juliet despise her so?

After all, the second princess was one of the few princesses within the history of the kingdom there was to be proud of considering her popularity with the people.

“I hear you want to meet Juliet, but did you know her before the attack?”

“No.”

“But it seems that you hate her more than anything? Enough to threaten her life.”

When she asked why, the man spoke with the same fierce look in his eyes.

“—Did you hear about the princess getting pickpocketed?”

“…If I recall correctly, that was about six months ago.”

“Yeah, that’s right.”

Around six months ago, Juliet was pickpocketed when she was strolling around after her usual visit to a local orphanage. To be precise, the purse of the maid accompanying her was stolen.

The knight noticed the culprit and apprehended the culprit on the spot. That was when the pickpocket cried and recounted his life’s story. How he was orphaned and that he had no choice because he had to support his younger siblings. He must’ve found an opportunity to take advantage of Juliet’s kindness.

After learning about his predicament, Juliet felt sympathy for him and forgave him. She gave him almost all of her money and set him free.

“Amazing, right? Instead of catching the guy who stole her money, she released him and even gave him money! Such a benevolent princess!”

Despite his praise, the man’s expression was far from cheerful.

“—Because of that, my family had to pay with their lives!!”

---

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***T/N: And I oop

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