It was a direct answer. He even did not hesitate to deliver a finishing blow.

“He is insufficient as a match for our Ayleth.”

“......”

The decisiveness was almost like a belief or philosophy. His sky-blue eyes gleamed like a freshly sharpened sword.

“Th-then how good must he be?”

“Why do you ask that?”

“Huh? Th-that, that’s...”

“That is?”

“I-I don’t have a younger sister...! I’m curious, ahem! Curious about how a brother with a younger sister feels.”

A clumsy excuse that might have failed...

“Ah, I see!”

It worked on Prinz. Raywin felt a deep guilt inside.

“Actually, I haven’t thought about it deeply...”

As a sincere and kind personality, Prinz tried to answer the question faithfully. After stroking his chin and thinking hard, he spoke.

“My standards might be a bit high...”

“Go on.”

“My brother must be devoted to my sister for life, his personality obviously kind and family-oriented with great patience. His words, actions, and demeanor must overflow with intelligence and dignity. He must accommodate my sister but be firm, value honor, and have the strength, wealth, and power to protect that honor. Moreover, he must be a man willing to give up everything for my sister.”

“......”

“Oh, and he must be handsome. My sister inherited her mother’s somewhat high standards for looks.”

If ordinary men heard this, they would likely respond coldly, thinking, “If such a man exists, I’d rather marry myself.”

But the mind of a person in love is not rational.

Raywin tried to apply those absurd conditions to himself. He was even confident on most points.

“Our Valenstein family has long been devoted husbands, so loyalty and family orientation aren’t problems. I’ve never heard complaints about my looks, so that’s fine. I live by chivalry and avoid disgraceful acts, so honor and dignity should be above average.”

Above all, he was the future Duke Valenstein. He had more than enough wealth and power to protect himself and his loved one.

In fact, he was widely considered the best groom candidate in the Kingdom of Winchester. There were two unmarried princes in the royal family, but they were all rotten in character and easily dismissed.

There was only one sticking point.

“But Sir Prinz.”

“Yes?”

“How strong must he be? If there’s some rough standard, tell me.”

“Hmm, I suppose he must be able to win.”

“......I see.”

The perennial second-place student sulked.

Then two royal knights approached Prinz and Raywin with friendly faces.

A woman with dark brown long hair and a woman with fiery reddish-blonde hair tied in twin tails. They were Shez Linati, the 114th class top graduate, and Cherly Reckandro, the second.

For Prinz and Raywin, they were like sky-high seniors.

“Oh, juniors. Looks like you two are finally getting along?”

“Second and first. Finally reconciled?”

A perfect phrase to needle those embarrassed. Raywin took the bait immediately.

“N-no, that’s not it.”

“Not really? Still bad?”

“N-no, we never fought enough to need to reconcile or had bad relations...”

Raywin failed to finish cleanly and glanced at Prinz. Fortunately, it wasn’t just him; Prinz responded.

“That’s right. It’s a misunderstanding that we have bad relations. Sir Raywin always considered my feelings. We just never had a chance to get close. I have always had good feelings towards Sir Raywin.”

“Sir Prinz... you...”

Just as Raywin was slightly moved by the unexpected confession, Cherly and Shez suddenly moved beside Prinz and patted his shoulders.

“Well, you’re the duke, so you have to be accommodated. You’ve had a hard time, Sir Prinz.”

“I was like this in the past. Cherly is a duchess’s daughter. As an Aura Master’s daughter, I accommodated her a lot.”

“Shez, you have no conscience. What accommodation? I was the one accommodating you! Gah.”

“This is proof. Cherly’s hot-tempered. I’m calm. I accept everything.”

“Hey!”

Prinz, chuckling watching their bickering, looked at Raywin.

“Seniors are teasing us now. No need to look so serious, Sir Raywin.”

“Oh, is that so?”

“Yes, it is.”

Raywin blushed faintly and spoke quietly.

“I’m embarrassed. Maybe I can’t tell jokes.”

“That seriousness is knightly and cool.”

“Well, you’re a model knight yourself.”

“Thank you.”

“Thanks to you too.” 𝐟𝗿𝐞𝚎𝚠𝐞𝚋𝕟𝐨𝚟𝐞𝕝.𝕔𝕠𝚖

“......”

“......”

An awkward silence followed.

However, Prinz and Raywin thought inside that the current atmosphere felt a little different from usual discomfort.

Cherly and Shez watched them with satisfaction.

“Yes, yes. Be close friends.”

“Good friends are necessary.”

“The palace atmosphere is tense, so we need to rely on each other.”

Though the topic came out casually, it was serious enough to quiet the mood immediately. Even Shez, uninterested in politics or society, was no exception.

“The palace is a mess.”

“Shez, shh.”

“But the royal family’s child-rearing is a «N.o.v.e.l.i.g.h.t» failure.”

“Shh!”

“The country’s downfall.”

“Anyway, they really don’t listen...”

Four aura-sensitive aura users lived here, and Shez herself was unmatched at sensing presence. No need to worry about eavesdropping.

Perhaps that’s why the other three not only tolerated dangerous remarks risking execution but silently showed approval by quietness.

It showed how unstable and precarious the current kingdom’s political situation was.

“How long will this royal power struggle last...?”

Currently, there were three heirs to the Winchester throne.

The first prince Hadeil, born of the former queen.

The first princess Celestid, born of the former queen.

The third prince Ligares, born of the current queen.

...Originally there should have been four, but the second prince Reminic disappeared in childhood and was excluded.

Thus, a three-way battle was underway for the next throne. The king Perat was bedridden with illness, and the current queen Raviosa was regent, which made the chaos worse.

As the political strife prolonged, nobles split. In central politics, nobles divided into factions backing different royal family members, setting themselves against each other.

Cherly shrugged and said,

“Well, our Reckandro family is neutral. Our matriarch is an Aura Master. We swore long ago to serve the next king without complaints.”

“The Valenstein dukes are also mostly uninvolved in central politics.”

“Linati counts as indifferent to central politics.”

The problem lay elsewhere. The gazes of Raywin, Cherly, and Shez turned to Prinz. Representing the three, Cherly spoke.

“Come to think of it, the Viscount of Gilette supported Princess Celestid.”

“Yes......”

It was known that Prinz had a deep connection to the Gilette family. A troubled bitter smile appeared on his face.

Unfortunately, a recent event broke the balance of the three-way battle.

Until recently, Celestid was the strongest candidate for the next monarch. She stopped pretending to be a luxurious and foolish princess to survive and revealed her true self.

Celestid solved major corruption scandals, exposing the incompetent and vile Hadeil, cornering him.

Though Hadeil had no exceptional abilities, he held his position as the firstborn royal with a good-natured personality, so the damage was serious.

As much as Hadeil’s reputation fell, Celestid’s standing rose sharply, backed by Viscount Gilette and Bianca’s thorough support.

However, the downfall came suddenly for Celestid as well. She was deposed on charges of attempting to poison her half-brother Ligares.

Whether it was Hadeil’s counterattack or the queen’s scheme backing Ligares was unknown.

At the current moment of Celestid’s fall, the real contenders for the throne were Hadeil and Ligares.

‘Miss Bianca...’

Retainers share the fate of their lord. If things continue, the future for Viscount Gilette serving Celestid looks bleak.

Prinz’s eyes clouded with worry, fingers interlaced and clenched. The other three’s faces darkened with worry for the country.

Cherly lowered her voice first.

“If the third prince ascends the throne, war might break out.”

“Yes. Third prince hates the church.”

“But I don’t know if the first prince is a better choice.”

“Yes. First prince also means war.”

“What? Why?”

Shez said firmly,

“If it’s the third prince, he’s the invader. If the first prince, the invaded.”

“Ha, might be true. He’s incompetent... no, has no outstanding traits.”

Whichever becomes king, the country looks doomed.

By now, one must consider a third option.

“Is there no chance the first princess will be reinstated? Sir Raywin, what do you think?”

“I think not for the time being.”

“Sigh, only two choices. Would be better if there were more. Isn’t there any decent royal family member?”

“That is......”

The four thought of a name simultaneously to the casually posed question. Shez said,

“The missing second prince. Reminic.”