I Have a Stalker of Noble Status. And to Make Matters Worse, their Numbers are Increasing (BL) - Chapter 38

“Sorry about the commotion, you two. Things got a little out of hand.”

After some time on the road, once the crowds had finally thinned, I turned to Ray and Max.

We had split into two carriages—Ray, Max, and I rode together in one, while Angelica and Lady Violetta shared the other.

And Douglas? He was riding directly on horseback, of course.

Additionally, since the Duke’s household had assigned maids and guards to accompany Lady Violetta, there was yet another carriage and a few more riders traveling alongside us.

All in all, we were moving as quite a large entourage.

“No need to apologize. Your father was incredibly generous in hosting us, and if the people were happy to see us off, then I’d say that’s a fine way to repay their kindness.”

Ray responded with a gentle smile.

He wasn’t wrong.

Although my father had welcomed everyone, each noble family had contributed more than enough under the pretense of covering “lodging expenses.”

For our cash-strapped barony, it had honestly been a much-needed financial boost.

“The fact that they only gathered at the very end to send us off means they made sure to give us space while we were there. Thanks to that, I finally had a chance to relax for once.”

Ray truly seemed at ease as he said this.

Now that I thought about it…

Even when we went out or visited the marketplace, the townspeople never crowded us the way they did today.

They must have been consciously holding back, making sure my friends could enjoy their stay undisturbed.

A warm feeling spread through my chest.

“Well, when the ruling family is a bunch of soft-hearted pushovers, it’s no surprise the people turn out the same way. Just don’t let some other noble house swindle your entire domain out from under you.”

…And of course, Max had to phrase things like that.

Couldn’t he give a compliment as naturally as Ray did?

◇◇◇

Our journey continued without issue, and we made our final stop at a town just before the royal capital.

We would be spending the night here to rest and prepare before heading straight to the palace the moment we arrived in the capital.

Ideally, I would have liked to return home first and take a moment to gather my thoughts,

But since the royal summons had explicitly stated “immediately, without delay,”

Heading anywhere else first would apparently be considered disrespectful.

Ugh… I’m so nervous.

“It’ll be fine, Pat. We’ll all be there with you at the palace.”

“Yeah. Since we’re coming straight from the barony, we might as well charge in as a full party.”

As I sat in my room, frozen with anxiety over what tomorrow might bring, Ray and Max reassured me.

They really were a reliable bunch.

…Honestly, wasn’t I supposed to be the main character in all of this?

Why did I feel like the least important one in our lineup?

“Oh, and one more thing—watch yourself around the Crown Prince. If things go the way they did in the game, he’s bad news.”

“Right, you mentioned before—‘the scheming Crown Prince.’ Is he really that bad?”

When I asked, Max let out a frustrated groan, raking his fingers through his hair.

At the same time, I noticed Ray’s expression darken at the mention of the Crown Prince.

That… wasn’t a good sign.

“I didn’t tell you before because knowing too much would just get you tangled up in something messy… but the one who poisoned the ‘ghost prince’—Chrisford—was none other than that scheming Crown Prince, Ethelbert.”

“…He poisoned his own brother!?”

Shocked, I stared at Max in disbelief.

Chrisford—the second prince—had been poisoned by his own family?

Suddenly, the weight of this entire situation grew even heavier.

“What kind of disgrace of an older brother does that!?”

“And honestly, I believe Prince Ethelbert considers me an enemy. It’s highly likely he’s already investigated my connections and knows that you and I are close, Pat. I can’t say for certain how that might affect you, but I wanted to warn you in advance. I’m sorry.”

Ray furrowed his brows and apologized, his voice laced with regret.

The Crown Prince sees Ray as an enemy?

That didn’t make any sense.

From what I knew of Ray, he wasn’t the kind of person to make enemies.

“Why would he consider you an enemy? Do you have any idea?”

“Yeah. In all my repeated lives—except for the first—my relationship with Ethelbert has been nothing but terrible. Violetta’s misfortunes have often been linked to her engagement to him, so I’ve repeatedly tried to prevent the engagement altogether. That’s probably why.”

I see…

From the Crown Prince’s perspective, Ray was actively interfering with his betrothal.

That wouldn’t exactly leave a good impression.

“In my third life, he betrayed me in the worst way possible. I was imprisoned, and while I was locked away, Violetta was exiled from the kingdom.”

“Ray… you were imprisoned?”

I had always known his past lives were filled with suffering,

But hearing the details firsthand made my chest tighten painfully.

I won’t let that happen again. Ever.

“Well, considering how different things are now—myself included, and even Violetta—it’s possible the Crown Prince won’t follow the same path as in the game. But if he’s already showing hostility toward Raymond, we should definitely be cautious.”

“Understood. I’ll be careful.”

Anyone who poisoned Chrisford and treated Ray so cruelly was already as good as an enemy in my book.

“But… the Crown Prince is still technically a romance route, right? How does anyone fall in love with that?”

“Well… he’s ruthless, sure, but he does have his own reasons. The thing is, the one truly pulling the strings behind all this—especially the poisoning—isn’t the Crown Prince himself. It’s his mother, the royal concubine. The game’s narrative revolved around the Prince meeting the saintess—our protagonist—who helps him break free from his mother’s control and reform his ways. That’s his entire redemption arc.”

“So… his ‘happy ending’ isn’t exactly like the other love interests?”

“Right. Unlike the other romance routes, his doesn’t come with an uncomplicated happily-ever-after. And for some reason, that made him one of the most popular characters.”

He had his own reasons, huh…?

Either way, since we were aiming for the Eternal True End, our paths were bound to cross with the Crown Prince sooner or later.

I needed to be ready.