Arnold, upon being called, interrupts his instructions to Oliver.
With a signal from Arnold, Oliver bows understandingly and exits backstage. Gutheil, noticing Arnold's weary sigh, speaks up.
"I will never forget the guidance you've given me, Prince Arnold... To protect, not by sacrificing our lives in battle, but by enduring to the end with the resolve to live. I have come to understand the importance of this, as well as the difficulty."
Gutheil then kneels before Arnold.
"I am fully aware of my own immaturity and inadequacy. However, I wish to become a knight who prioritizes protecting the important people in front of me, rather than serving a grand entity like the nation."
After bowing deeply, Gutheil looks up at Arnold.
"...Would you consider accepting me as your vassal?"
Rishe gasps at Gutheil's request.
In the future known to Rishe, Gutheil is a loyal vassal to Arnold, commanding battlefields across various regions to carry out invasions. Thanks to Gutheil's achievements, many countries fall.
(If Gutheil becomes a knight under Prince Arnold, it will bring the future closer to what I know...)
Just recently, Rishe was terrified by this thought. But now, she nervously hopes that Arnold will agree, praying for his nod. She sincerely wishes for Gutheil's wish to be granted and for him to be recognized as a knight worthy of his abilities.
Arnold furrows his brow, looking down at Gutheil with a vexed expression.
"Stand up."
"..."
Although his voice is cold and intimidating, Gutheil shows no sign of backing down.
"I will bow to you as many times as necessary. Until you acknowledge me..."
"I said stand up."
"My Prince...!"
Then, with a grim expression, Arnold sighs before speaking.
"That gesture is the posture one takes to pledge loyalty to their liege. It inherently leaves many vulnerabilities and makes one unable to move quickly if attacked."
"...Prince Arnold..."
"If you heard that, stop immediately. I am informing this to all of my Royal Knights."
Arnold's piercing gaze meets Gutheil's straight on.
"As someone who claims to be my knight, do not expose yourself so readily from now on."
Gutheil hurriedly stands up and bows deeply to Arnold once again.
"Thank you... very much!"
Sylvia cheers loudly and tightly embraces Gutheil.
Though taken aback, Gutheil firmly holds Sylvia. Sylvia blesses Gutheil with a different voice from before, her tears replaced with joy.
"Congratulations...!! Now surely, your wish, your first step as a knight, will come true!"
"Sylvia..."
"From now on, you will be evaluated solely on your greatness, regardless of your father's sins."
When Sylvia says this, Gutheil widens his eyes in surprise.
"That makes me very happy...!"
"...More than that, to have you who rejoices in that fact even more than I do..."
(...I'm glad.)
Rishe breathes a sigh of relief.
Surely, Sylvia won't say things like "disappear from Gutheil's sight" anymore. Although she hasn't confirmed it, seeing how desperately Sylvia clings to Gutheil makes that future seem clear.
(It's thanks to Arnold acknowledging Gutheil's change.)
Feeling relieved, Rishe approaches Arnold. Then, she tightly grips his sleeve.
"What's wrong?"
"Hehe."
When she can't hold back her laughter, Arnold looks slightly puzzled.
(In the future I know, Gutheil becomes a knight under Arnold-sama... But surely, if he changes even a little, we can avoid such a future.)
Rishe truly believes that.
However, she doesn't say it out loud, and Arnold, seeming resigned, sighs.
Then, gently, he weakly clasps the hand of Rishe, who is gripping his sleeve, like comforting a child.
"Ah..."
As their fingers intertwine softly, her heart beats strongly in her left chest.
(Although I feel like I should tell him about "what I want for my birthday" that I figured out earlier... But that can wait until later...)
As Arnold said, the mission is not over yet. More enemies have been brought in, and the theater still seems unsettled. Oliver left earlier, but he probably doesn't have enough hands either.
"I'll help too, Prince Arnold."
Rishe smiles, removes only the veil she was wearing, and starts to move with Arnold.
"Absolutely, what an extraordinary couple." In a corner of the excited theater, Raul muttered softly. "Coming up with such a reckless plan... It's not every day that the future Crown Prince and Princess appear to rescue a discarded espionage operative."
Putting away his bow to avoid catching the audience's eye, he takes off his robe hood and rests his chin on the railing on the fourth floor. Although his subordinates assigned to watch outside have reported no fleeing spies, it's still necessary to keep an eye out a little longer.
"Well, this will make it easier to gather the information 'Prince Arnold' seeks. How calculated can you be, pretending to be swayed by your wife's whims while making such meticulous plans?"
And with that, Raul stares at the stage, where only petals remain. "...Of course, if he wasn't that kind of person, he wouldn't have ordered me to do such a thing."
At any rate, he did well this time. Praising himself, Raul yawns quietly and leaves the theater before anyone notices him.