Crest of the Strongest Knight

Chapter 48 - The Missing Prince

As usual, Viviane blushed at Medrauta's sudden advance. "H-Hey! I'm being serious here!"

"...Must the two of you always flirt before my eyes?" Gwenhwyfar sighed. Despite Viviane clearly having long forgiven her, she felt somewhat disheartened that her genuine apology had been dismissed so quickly.

Medrauta simply smirked. "Well, since it looks like Viviane's so eager to forgive you, I suppose it'd be difficult for me to keep holding a grudge. So, what's this favor you need?"

"Galahad is missing."

"So? Didn't you say he was off with some girls? He'll probably be back in the morning," Medrauta shrugged. Honestly, she'd rather be dancing with Viviane than trying to find the lost prince.

"We cannot find him anywhere in the building, and as someone who has virtually unrestricted access to my chambers, he must be accounted for," Gwenhwyfar directed the latter half of her statement to Viviane meaningfully.

"Ah." Viviane nodded in understanding. "This is about that."

"Yes. I gathered your father would have spoken to you about it. Will you please convince your knight of this task's importance?"

"Of course, Your Imperial Highness. Rest assured that we shall spare no effort in finding your brother," Viviane curtsied elegantly.

"I thank you deeply, Lady Viviane." Gwenhwyfar returned the curtsy and then departed swiftly. There was a certain hurry in her eyes that told Viviane things were a lot more precarious than her father had seemingly let on.

Moving quickly, Viviane led Medrauta out of the building that housed the ballroom and onto the vast academy grounds. The moon hung brightly against the otherwise black canvas of the sky. It was a starless night, and a chilly wind swept through the air.

Upon seeing Viviane shiver, Medrauta drew her lady a little closer to herself, providing the warmth of her body. "Is it truly such an urgent matter? I may not be a great dancer, but I would've loved to share one last dance with you before the night ended."

Viviane nodded and lowered her voice to a whisper. "Yes. It concerns our country's security. The short of it is that someone had issued an imperial order without the princess' consent while the emperor had taken ill."

"...Seriously? How's that even possible? They'd have to have both the seal and the parchment."

"Exactly."

Medrauta's eyes lit up as she connected the dots. "Ah... That's why we're looking for the prince."

"Yes. The imperial knights are probably scouring the town for the servants she brought too. After all, today was supposed to be a day off for them."

"What a mess..." Medrauta sighed, casting her gaze at the towering shadows of the academy buildings. "So, where do we start?"

"Hm..." Viviane stopped in her stride as she paused to think. "Perhaps the classrooms? Even if the princess dispatched knights, I doubt they would've checked there."

"The classrooms?" Medrauta frowned. "Why the classrooms?"

Viviane shrugged. "I don't know... It's just a good place to start, I guess?"

"No, no. Remember what the princess said? He got dragged away by a bunch of girls."

"Yes? And...?" Viviane tilted her head to the side in confusion. "I don't see how that has to do with anything."

"Alright, Viviane. Say I invited you to my room at this hour. What would you think?"

"What would I think...?" Viviane pondered the idea for a moment. "Well, not much, really. Perhaps you had something to show me in your room?"

Medrauta heaved an exasperated sigh. "...I just can't let you out of my sight, can I? Viviane, there's only one thing people do at this time of night when they're alone."

"...What?"

Medrauta leaned in close and whispered into Viviane's ear. The moment she did, the noblewoman stumbled back, nearly falling over if not for Medrauta catching her. Her face was completely red, making her stand out even in the dark.

"S-Shameless! H-How can you even s-suggest something so shameless, Medrauta!? That is not what people do! B-Besides! The prince was just leaving the gala, right? H-He never got invited to anyone's room!"

"Well, not as far as we know, no. But I think that'd be a better place to start looking," Medrauta said. "He certainly wouldn't be in his own room, or the imperial guards assigned there would've reported in already."

"S-So you want us to search the girls' dormitory...?"

Medrauta nodded. "Yes. Specifically the one for the nobility."

"What if the girls were knights...?"

"Then we'll search the girls' barracks if we don't find him."

It was as simple as that. Medrauta and Viviane made their way to the dormitory where the ladies resided. It was a building that was extravagant both on the inside and the outside. Of course, Medrauta had been here more than a few times, so there was no wonderment to be had for her.

Viviane didn't think that this search would bear any fruit. More accurately, she didn't want this search to be successful. After all, if Medrauta was right, then it would mean that the prince was utterly depraved.

S-Seriously, Medrauta! What are you even thinking!? That's the type of thing people do after marriage! Viviane thought as she knocked on a door. She thought she'd heard some sounds coming from behind, but her only answer was silence.

Refusing to give up, she knocked once more, louder this time. Again, there was no response.

"I know you're in there! This is an official inquiry by order of Her Imperial Highness Gwenhwyfar, the Princess Imperial!" Viviane announced. She was stretching the truth a bit, and she didn't even have an official document to support her claim, but words like that were usually enough to get someone to open up even if only out of curiosity.

To her credit, it worked.

The door flew open, followed by a voice that was biting and harsh.

"Who dar—Viviane."

Standing before Viviane was Isabella Rosenhall. She wore a nightgown that looked hastily thrown on, and her skin shone with the sheen of sweat. Her hair was messily arranged, and she seemed to be breathing quite hard, as if she had been undergoing some sort of strenuous physical activity mere moments ago.

Yet, that wasn't what Viviane had been taken aback by.

Instead, her eyes were fixed not on Isabella, but the man standing in her room, just barely a few feet away from the door. His shirt was uncharacteristically ruffled, and his pants had clearly been a last-minute addition to the rest of his messy attire, but he was unmistakably the person they were looking for.

Galahad August di Kyrrako.

The prince.

"...I-It can't be..." Viviane choked. Her head swam. She simply couldn't believe her eyes.

The sound of footsteps coming up the stairs to her left echoed through the hallway.

"Hey, Viviane. I didn't find—Oh." Medrauta stood behind her lady as she stared into the room. She'd suggested the possibility earlier, but even she hadn't actually thought it'd be the case.

"Well, that's fuckin' scandalous, ain't it?"