Chapter 60: Plans Afterward
The second prince took Armand and Carle on a walk around the church. Even though they visited many rooms, from the cold wind blowing through one cracked wall they passed, it was clear that the second prince didn’t show them everything.
Afterward, the second prince smiled and said he wanted to hold a feast to welcome them. But both Armand and Carle quickly said no. A feast like that, where danger could be hidden, was something they didn’t want to take part in, eating even one bite would be like punishing their own stomachs.
If the second prince hadn’t shown up, the two of them might have stayed longer to explore. Maybe they could have found something important. But now that the prince had heard they were coming and came all the way here to "greet" them himself, it was clear this was not a good place to stay too long.
“There are at least three hidden tunnels behind the walls, just from what we saw,” said Carle as he stepped onto the carriage.
He took out a small notebook and began writing down everything he noticed during the visit, how many rooms there were, the number of stairs, and estimated distances and heights. As a businessman, even if he didn’t work in real estate, he had to be good at quickly measuring spaces with his eyes. If he couldn’t, it would cause problems when making deals.
“There could be more, he didn’t even take us to the basement.”
“Didn’t he say that was just for storing wine?” Carle said with a chuckle, clearly thinking it was a terrible excuse.
“That’s the same excuse I used when checking the basement of my estate,” Armand shrugged.
“Oh? Then I guess you two are the same type of guy.”
“Don’t joke. That makes me sick.”
Even if he made fun of himself sometimes, Armand couldn’t accept being compared to the second prince.
“We need to decide the list of knights who’ll be stationed there when we get back,” Carle said while continuing to write down names in his notebook. He assigned them to different corners of the church.
“Just pick the quiet, rule-following ones. Spies are spies, and knights are knights. Tell the regular knights not to get involved in anything strange. Just guard their posts. I’ll find someone else to handle the spying.”
Sending knights to the Saint Fleurs Church was basically like sending them into enemy territory. On the surface, the people there wouldn’t hurt them, but who knew what might happen in secret?
If any of those helpful, kind-hearted knights discovered something, the second prince might deal with them in a dangerous way. His “House of Nightingales” was known for doing dirty work. There’s no way he would let anyone who knew his secrets leave alive.
“I understand. I’ll take care of it,” Carle said with a knowing nod.
“By the way, the festival is coming up soon. How are things going on your side?”
The carriage rocked gently as it moved along the bumpy forest road. Armand sat beside Carle, eyes half closed, calmly listening. The soft scratching of Carle’s pencil writing in the notebook sounded like relaxing white noise.
“We’re almost done with the final plan,” Carle replied. “Once we meet the crown prince in a few days, it should be confirmed.”
“Are you going to attend?”
“Of course. My wife is really looking forward to big festivals like this. Places with big crowds are always full of business opportunities. She’s crazy about money, there’s no way she’d miss a chance like this.”
“…That’s true.”
Armand thought back to the first time he met Carle’s wife. Her warm and excited personality had shocked him a little.
Because of his handsome looks, Armand was very popular among noble ladies. Carle’s wife had even asked if he wanted to partner with her to sell some fan merchandise. She said he didn’t have to do anything, just give permission to use his name, and then stay home and earn a share of the profits.
Of course, Armand turned her down. He wasn’t the type who wanted to become some public star. In fact, he believed the less famous he was, the easier his retirement would be in the future.
He refused her suggestion several times, until Carle stepped in and persuaded his wife to stop. Even so, she still handed Armand a business card and said, ‘If you ever need someone to help promote things, feel free to contact me.’
“You’re not going to the festival this time?”
Carle put down his notebook and leaned back to rest, just like Armand. When they got back to the knight order, more messy problems were waiting.
“Not interested. I hate parties.”
When people said “festival,” it usually meant fancy parties with dancing.
Armand hated those kinds of parties the most. At every one, he would show up just briefly, then climb out the window and sneak away.
If anyone went looking for him, they’d usually find him walking around a different hall, fishing at the garden lake, or even napping in a tree. If he decides to stay, he’ll only come back to show his face at the very end of the party, politely saying, “Wow, what a great event! I look forward to next time.” If he didn’t feel like staying, he’d already be riding home before the party ended.
“But you’re the captain of the knight order.”
“You can take the position anytime you want.”
“Oh, please. I’m already busy enough.”
There were rumors going around that if something happened to Armand, Carle would naturally become the next captain. But Carle himself had no interest in that job.
He was happy being the vice-captain. He didn’t need to make big decisions, just follow Armand’s orders and do the tasks given to him. Simple and easy.
If he became captain, the pressure would be much greater. Right now, if anything went wrong, Armand would take all the blame. As one of the crown prince’s trusted knights, Armand was unlikely to be seriously punished.
But if Carle took over and made a mistake, the crown prince might not protect him the same way.
Getting promoted didn’t always mean more pay, just more trouble. And besides, Carle’s family was already very rich.
“By the way, that girl you keep talking about, aren’t you planning to take her to the festival?”
“Hmm?” Armand opened his eyes. “You mean bring her to the festival?”
“Yeah. There’s not much going on at the festival. Mostly chatting and dancing. Dancing is a close-contact thing. It helps build feelings.”
“…That’s true,” Armand admitted. “But I hate all those loud, gossiping women.”
Armand wasn’t being full of himself, his popularity among noble ladies was real. At every party, they always crowded around him, which was one reason he kept sneaking away.
If he brought Evelia with him, those women might start gossiping again. And Evelia wasn’t a noble. That would probably make things even worse, with people saying mean things.
“Hmm… true,” Carle said softly with his eyes closed. “But this time, the festival is to honor heroes. All of our knights are heroes, no matter their rank or background. That’s why I separated the ballroom for nobles and the ballroom for knights.”
“Most of our soldiers aren’t nobles, so I did this on purpose to avoid stupid class conflicts.”
“Wow, you really thought of everything,” Armand said thoughtfully. “But I don’t know how to dance.”
“Are you serious? Can’t you just learn?”