Chapter 53

"Wh-What, the real culprit! But why would he do such a thing!?"

Nash was surprised to hear that the waiter was the culprit.

Given the circumstances, it had to be either him or the waiter. If Nash wasn't the culprit, it had to be the waiter, but he was probably shocked because he couldn't understand the motive.

"Stop it! It hurts! It hurts, ouch, ouch, ouch, ouch!"

"I dislike inhumane methods, so I try not to use torture. ...But we don't have time. To make you tell the truth, I can inflict pain dozens of times worse than this. What will you do?"

"......Grrr!"

The waiter groaned in intense pain and teared up at Prince Eric's threat.

He probably wouldn't actually do it, but it was true that they didn't have time. Prince Eric's performance was quite convincing.

"It's better for you to confess here. Fortunately, Baron Almar is still alive. If you confess honestly, I can try to prevent the death penalty."

"......Grrr! I, I understand... I did it all. I confess, I confess, so...!"

Finally, he confessed. The waiter admitted that he was the culprit.

This confirmed Nash's innocence. It would also clear Prince Dale's name.

"Good. Rinsha, let him go."

"Huff, huff, haa..."

The waiter checked that his arms were unharmed and wiped the sweat from his forehead.

Rinsha was truly skilled. Inflicting such pain without causing injury was a superhuman feat.

"Let's hear your story. Why did you plan to kill Baron Almar in this shop? There must be a reason, right?"

"......I was an orphan. I was picked up from an orphanage and taken care of as a butler apprentice in the Belclain family."

The waiter began to confess reluctantly.

It seemed he had served Jade Belclain.

"Lord Jade was my benefactor. I still can't believe he was arrested. He was kinder than anyone, passionate about his ideals, and had the resolve to change this country. There's no way he would plot to kill you, Prince Eric."

"......"

"Lord Jade was framed. Someone claiming to be his confidant told me this. They also said that Nash and Baron Almar had betrayed Lord Jade to save themselves."

Huh? What does this mean?

The waiter believed that these two had betrayed Belclain and set him up, leading to his downfall.

But who told him this and for what purpose?

"To save Lord Jade, I had to eliminate both Nash and Baron Almar. If someone told me that, I had no choice but to do it."

"Hmm. So you were waiting for the right opportunity to kill Baron Almar, knowing he would visit this shop?"

"Yes, I was told that Nash's father and Baron Almar were old acquaintances, so he would definitely come one day."

The full picture of the incident was becoming clear, but a bad feeling was growing.

This man had been deceived by someone and carried out the crime.

It was a convoluted and meaningless plan. Even if Baron Almar died and Nash was framed, it wouldn't change Belclain's conviction.

In other words, he had wasted his efforts on a futile task.

"Johan, Rinsha, take him away. Send the report to me later."

"Yes, sir!"

"Got it, Al!"

After hearing the waiter's motive, Prince Eric entrusted him to Johan and Rinsha.

The prince was probably thinking the same as I was, rubbing his chin thoughtfully.

◆

"Prince Eric, thank you. Despite my cold treatment, you proved my innocence. I don't know how to thank you..."

After watching the waiter being led away by Johan, Nash bowed deeply to the prince.

He had his reasons, but he had been uncooperative in solving the case.

Perhaps he was moved by the prince's dedication to the truth and sincerity.

"I didn't do it for you. I wanted to meet Dale's expectations. He seemed to care about you a lot."

"Is that so? Prince Dale did this for me..."

"Anyway, your name has been cleared. It might not be easy to restore your reputation, but try your best."

"Yes, sir! Please come back again! I'll serve you the best ice cream!"

Nash, who showed his first smile, bowed deeply again.

(Certainly, Prince Eric and Prince Dale's kindness must have reached him. I'm glad he wasn't framed.)

Thus, the attempted murder at the ice cream shop was resolved.

We said goodbye to Nash and returned to the palace in a carriage.

◆

"What was this incident really about?"

As the carriage swayed, I reflected on the past few days.

The waiter had been manipulated by someone to commit the crime.

But what was the purpose of that person? Without knowing that, it didn't feel like the case was truly resolved.

"Maybe the purpose was to cause a disturbance. To divert attention from something else..."

"So this incident was a diversion?"

"Yes, exactly. We might have been played by the mastermind."

If that was true, it was a very unsatisfying conclusion.

The conspiracy in this country runs deep.

What could be the purpose of going to such lengths to divert attention?

"......Do you have any idea who orchestrated this, Your Highness? I know it's not something you can figure out immediately."

"There are many suspicious people. We'll have to investigate to find out."

I felt disheartened. We had solved the case with Prince Dale's help, but...

However, solving it quickly had its own significance. If it hadn't been resolved before the abolition of privileges, the investigation would have been more chaotic.

If that happened, it might have pleased the mastermind who incited the waiter even more.

"By the way, did you enjoy your dinner with Dale?"

"Uh? Dinner with Prince Dale? Yes, the food was delicious. I was nervous but enjoyed it."

"Hmm. I see, I see. You and Dale had a good time together, huh?"

Caught off guard by the sudden question about my dinner with Prince Dale, I answered honestly, and Prince Eric narrowed his eyes, sounding somewhat disappointed.

(What's going on? Is he upset that I enjoyed the dinner and forgot my mission?)

"Was it fun going to the ice cream shop with me?"

"Your Highness? ...Yes, it was. I'm just disappointed that such an incident occurred."

This time, the prince asked about our outing.

I didn't understand. What was his purpose in asking such things?

Could he be jealous that I had dinner with Prince Dale? No, that couldn't be it with Prince Eric.

"Then, let's go out again. Promise me. I enjoy spending time with you."

"......"

The prince, blushing, asked for a promise with the most gentle expression I had ever seen.

The time we spent eating ice cream together. Prince Eric seemed to have enjoyed it.

I never expected to see him like this when we first met.

"Yes. I'd be happy to accompany you. I enjoyed it as much as you did. Let's go again."

"That's good. I'm glad to hear that."

I'll work hard to have such a time again.

No matter what plots anyone devises, it doesn't matter.

I will protect what is important to me with my life. To see a bright future with the prince.

This marks the end of the web version, as the second chapter of the book will have a completely different development.

In the future, I plan to update side stories when announcing new comics or sequels!

I had a lot of fun writing this!

I hope you enjoy the comic adaptation starting on May 20th and the second volume of the book released on May 25th!

For more information about the second volume of the book, please click on the release date below the advertisement.

I also wrote a new short story.

'The Saint Who Was Fiancée-Dumped for Lack of Love Learned the Duke's True Feelings in the "Mirror of Truth"'

https://ncode.syosetu.com/n4974hq/

I hope you enjoy it as well. Thank you very much! m(_ _)m