A Mastermind? No, I'm just the Live-In Son-in-Law-Chapter 114: The Runaway Girl (2)

I stood there in a daze for a moment at the bombshell that came out of Princess Katarina’s mouth, before finally snapping back to my senses and opening my mouth.

“So... you ran away from home.”

“That’s right!”

“In other words. The Empire’s only heir to the throne... escaped from the Imperial Palace?”

“Mhm!”

I asked again because I was just too dumbfounded, but Her Highness simply nodded with a beaming smile. freēwēbnovel.com

“Don’t tell me, the reason your outfit looked like that wasn’t because you were in disguise...”

“That’s right! I was sleeping on the streets!”

Only then did I understand why Her Highness’s so-called disguise today looked like such a mess.

It wasn’t a disguise at all—just a runaway girl, clueless about the world, reduced to homelessness.

“Where have you been staying all this time?”

“Hmm, well, I came out onto the streets... and went to the market. There were plenty of alleys there to hide in.”

“It must’ve been dangerous to be alone... Or maybe not.”

For a moment, I wondered if a delicate-looking girl in disguise like her could really wander around such places safely, but then I heard the groans of the knights on the first floor and immediately corrected my thoughts.

Maybe it was because she looked so pitiful as she snuck glances at me dressed like a beggar.

But at some point, I’d forgotten that it would take someone stronger than even Lunelle to bring down Her Highness.

“How did you manage food and shelter?”

“W-Well. I crawled into places with no people to sleep... and food...”

As she obediently answered my barrage of questions, Her Highness suddenly blushed and lowered her head.

– Grrrrr...

The next moment. A weak growl echoed from her stomach.

“...I just went hungry.”

“......”

“B-But still, I couldn’t bring myself to steal someone else’s food.”

Saying that with a tearful expression, Her Highness now looked so pitiable that even considering all her past misdeeds, it was getting hard to watch.

“Bring out some cookies and tea.”

“Ah! Is that for me?!”

“...Of course.”

“Thank you so much, Sir Whitney! You keep saving my life, again and again!”

And so, when I ordered a light snack from the maid, Her Highness, now on the verge of tears, suddenly grasped my hand and started shaking it with wild gratitude.

“Pardon me....”

“Oooh!”

But that didn’t last long. As soon as the maid placed the refreshments I had prepared in advance for a guest on the table, she widened her eyes and lunged for the plate.

– Nom nom nom nom...

I watched silently as she stuffed the cookies into her mouth at a terrifying speed, cheeks puffed out like a hamster, and let out a dry laugh before speaking again.

“Don’t eat so fast. If you eat suddenly on an empty stomach, it can be hard on your—”

“...I burnt my tongue!!!”

“Oh no.”

And because Her Highness had chosen that exact moment to respond properly, cookie crumbs ended up flying everywhere, so I just quietly closed my mouth and watched her eat.

“Phew...”

“Are you feeling better now?”

A few minutes later. Once she finally finished her meal and leaned back in her chair with a blissful expression, I spoke to her again.

“So this... this is what friendship feels like...?”

“......”

“It really does warm the heart...”

Still smiling brightly with crumbs on her lips, Her Highness murmured to herself.

‘...Maybe she really did live a life more pitiful than mine.’

Even I, someone with no real ties to social circles, had Tiffany as a childhood friend, and Lady Meredia as a lover in this life.

But if I think about it, she was forced to live as a man from birth, and as royalty—the Empire’s First Successor, no less. It was unlikely she’d ever had a real friend.

Well, aside from that exception: Lord Maigongja, who gaslit her while pretending to be her friend, then discarded her the moment she lost her usefulness.

“I-I actually tried to hold out somehow at first, you know.”

“And?”

“But, um...”

As I watched her, she wiped cookie crumbs from her lips with her sleeve, then suddenly looked at me with drooping eyes and continued.

“It was just so cold at night, you know...? I never knew the world outside was so cold after dark.”

“...Haha.”

“A-And once, I woke up because I felt something near me... and I made eye contact with a rat.”

Stopping there, she shivered slightly at the memory, then glanced at me timidly and kept going.

“So I suddenly felt so sad and started bawling... and right then, I thought of you.”

“I see.”

“So, um... I don’t think I got an answer earlier.”

Her voice now barely above a whisper, she asked me:

“C-Could I maybe stay here for a little while?”

Honestly, if there’s someone who could turn her away after hearing all that, they probably don’t have a human heart.

“I can certainly offer a home to a friend.”

“S-Sir Whitney...”

So when I said that with a smile, Her Highness’s eyes widened and soon filled with tears.

The maids nearby, on the other hand, turned pale hearing my words—but sometimes, you have to do things even when you don’t want ✪ Nоvеlіgһt ✪ (Official version) to.

“But before that, I must ask one thing.”

Still, I had something I needed to confirm first.

“Is the reason you ran away perhaps... related to this?”

“...Gasp.”

So I spread open the front page of the newspaper Parsha had given me earlier, and as soon as she saw it, Katarina’s face went ghost-white.

Judging by that, it was clear—Princess Katarina should never play psychological games like gambling.

“Y-Yes....”

As expected, Her Highness began to sweat nervously and nodded, confessing the truth.

“I don’t know who it is, but whoever put up that poster definitely knows my identity...”

“...All staff, please leave the room. That includes you, executive officers.”

At that point, I had no choice but to dismiss everyone in the room.

It wasn’t because I didn’t trust my household, but because I had to show Her Highness a minimum level of respect.

“...Hehe.”

Just before she left, Parsha poked her head in and flashed me a sly smile—so it seemed at least one person had already figured it out.

“You can’t be sure that’s what it’s about, right?”

“Hmm?”

“I mean... Your Highness, to be frank, don’t you tend to cause a bit more trouble than average?”

Now alone in the room with Her Highness, I began saying the kinds of things only a friend—not a subject—could say.

“So we can’t assume it’s definitely about that fatal secret of yours.”

For instance, maybe someone found out a different, smaller secret... or maybe the poster was just a prank to begin with.

“C-Could you look at this for a moment?”

But then she hesitated, pulled out a letter from her cloak, and handed it to me—forcing me to abandon that line of thought.

"If you renounce your right to the throne, I will not reveal the secret hidden beneath your bandages."

A letter made from cut-out letters like something out of a mystery novel had just entered my vision.

“If it’s about bandages, then it can only mean one thing!”

“...Please, don’t lift your clothes.”

As I was reading the letter seriously, Her Highness, just like last time, suddenly started lifting her top without a second thought—forcing me to avert my eyes in a hurry.

“Wait, is it that unpleasant to see my body? I may look delicate, but I do take care of myself... Look, even my abs are—”

“...Anyway, was receiving that letter what made you decide to run away?”

Still lacking any sense of awareness, Her Highness kept talking, so I forcibly changed the subject.

“Y-Yes. After I received that, everything became terrifying...”

Her expression darkened almost instantly.

“T-The letter was... placed in front of my pillow in my room.”

“Hm...”

“I may be dumb, but I know what that means. It means the enemy is everywhere, doesn’t it!?”

Her voice trembled as she spoke, lowering her head and taking deep, shaky breaths.

“Yeah... I never had anyone on my side to begin with. The Imperial Palace was always like that...”

“......”

“Honestly, I’ve been cold and hungry these past few days... but at least my heart felt at peace. Haha...”

After hearing that, I had no more reason to press her.

“...This can’t be helped.”

So I let out a small sigh and spoke again, making Her Highness’s drooping ears perk up.

“Stay here for the time being. I’ll have a room prepared.”

“Sniff... hic...”

And when I finished speaking, her body started to tremble.

“Waaahhh...”

“...Haha.”

Then, she burst into tears and threw herself into my arms.

“Your Highness? Please let go for a second.”

“...Waaaahhh...”

“Your Highness?”

I wanted to pat her back and comfort her, but I had a very good reason not to.

“......”

The platinum-colored canary that had been silently watching from the window was now staring at me without blinking.

“Hahaha...”

It was blatantly obvious who that majestic bird, clearly trained by some noble family, belonged to—and it made a chill run down my spine.

***

“Hehe, Sir Whitney. I’ll be in your care from now on.”

“...Yes.”

“I promise I’ll repay this favor one day!”

At last, the chaos died down, and Her Highness, now smiling again, grabbed my hand and raised her voice brightly.

“This gift alone is already more than enough...”

“No! If I become the Emperor someday... I’ll keep you right by my side!”

I wanted to ask what exactly she meant by that, but something more urgent came up.

“By the way, Your Highness. Don’t you need to bathe?”

“Hm?”

“As royalty, showing up in this state is a bit too much for me as your host.”

Even someone raised in nobility would inevitably start to smell after several days of homelessness.

“Ah, that sounds good!”

“Yes, I’ll send a maid to—”

“Then let’s bathe together!”

“...Excuse me?”

I had intended to send her to the bath quickly to restore cleanliness, but those words left me stunned again.

“Isn’t it normal for friends to strengthen their bonds by bathing together?”

“...That may be true, but...”

“Then what’s the problem?”

Was she being serious right now?

“We’re of different genders, Your Highness.”

“...Ah?”

When I whispered that with a nervous sweat, Her Highness widened her eyes and fell into deep thought.

“But... hmm, I’ve been raised as a man since I was a baby...”

“That’s not the issue.”

“I wouldn’t mind if it’s with you, Sir Whitney?”

“...Well, I mind.”

Faced with her shameless answer, I had no choice but to shove Her Highness toward the bathroom.

“Then it can’t be helped...”

“Haha...”

“If you change your mind, just let me know!”

...Should I have the maids teach her about gender someday? If not, we might have a real disaster on our hands.

“Haa...”

“M-Master.”

“...Sasha?”

After sending Her Highness off to the bath and finally relaxing with a sigh, Sasha suddenly poked her head through the door.

“Sorry, but... another guest has arrived.”

“A guest? But no one’s scheduled for today...”

I tilted my head and checked the appointment list, but froze in place at her next words.

“...She, um, says she’s the ‘Shadow Witch’?”

The second, uninvited guest had arrived—at the worst possible time.