“Patrick, this is the usual way of handling things.”

After the academy’s classes ended, as I was heading toward the carriage stop, His Highness Eldred handed me a letter with his personal crest on it. “As usual” meant “give it to Amelia.”

I would never receive a letter from His Highness to Amelia, but sometimes His Highness searches through the bookshelves in obscure sections of the royal library. The books he pulls out are always different, but there must be a pattern between the two of them. It’s not just a one-sided exchange from His Highness; it’s clear that they are in proper correspondence.

The reason His Highness deliberately uses me as an intermediary is officially to prevent a letter with the royal crest from falling into someone else’s hands, but in truth, he must be suspicious of the relationship between Amelia and me.

No one besides me is aware of the hidden connection between Amelia and His Highness Eldred. Miss Jacqueline, Prince Christopher, and no one else knows about the secret exchanges between the two of them. I wonder if their desire to keep it secret only fuels their connection.

Currently, rumors are circulating in society that Miss Jacqueline is in a romantic relationship with her older brother, Duke Hammond’s son. Miss Jacqueline, who was once so close to His Highness, now finds His Highness looking at her with an incredibly cold gaze.

The rumor that an 18-year-old man and a 12-year-old girl are romantically involved seems implausible to me. However, due to the foster son situation, Miss Jacqueline, who had once been estranged from her brother, Duke Hammond’s son, has recently been frequently seen getting along well with him, lending some truth to the rumors.

A few years ago, Duke Hammond’s estate lost considerable wealth due to a volcanic eruption, and the scandal surrounding his legitimate son and foster son became the final blow. With no favor from His Highness anymore, it’s only a matter of time before Miss Jacqueline is removed from the list of engagement candidates.

Before the volcanic eruption, Duke Hammond had considerable influence due to his wealth, and he had arranged for Miss Jacqueline to be a candidate for engagement to His Highness Eldred. Most nobles believe that the arrangement was made so that it wouldn’t matter whether Prince Eldred or Prince Christopher became the crown prince, but that’s not the case.

His Majesty had a concubine whom he adored. This concubine passed away 12 years ago after giving birth to the third prince, but His Majesty, convinced that the queen had killed her, secretly hid the prince from the queen. This became an open secret among the high-ranking nobles. Therefore, Duke Hammond believed that the third prince, who was adored by His Majesty, might become the crown prince.

Those who witnessed how easily both Prince Eldred and Prince Christopher discarded their long-time engagement candidates now worry that the same fate might befall them. The high-ranking noble families who know of the third prince’s existence are quietly withdrawing their support and starting to investigate the third prince. Of course, I am no exception.

Prince Eldred and I are both 13 years old, and he is currently in his first year at the noble academy. Prince Christopher, who is one year younger than His Highness Eldred, will enroll in the academy next month. The third prince, who is said to be the same age as Prince Christopher, is also under investigation based on the new student roster, but so far, no one has found a candidate who might be the third prince.

“Patrick-sama, it’s been a while.”

When I returned to the Johnston family residence, I met Miss Jacqueline in the foyer. I couldn’t help but be distracted by the letter from His Highness Eldred to Amelia in my chest pocket.

“It’s been a while. Is Miss Jacqueline returning now?”
“Yes. I spent quite a bit of time consulting with Mel today.”

She must have come to discuss His Highness Eldred and the rumors. Amelia, who is welcoming Miss Jacqueline with a smile, has no idea that Miss Jacqueline is secretly connected to His Highness Eldred.

After our conversation, Amelia’s servant, who must have been following Miss Jacqueline, called out to her.

“Hammond-sama, you forgot this handkerchief.”
“Ah, I dropped it. Thank you.”

The servant hands over the handkerchief. Upon closer inspection, there’s a piece of paper tucked between the folds. It’s likely a message from Amelia to Miss Jacqueline, trying to keep it hidden from the maids of the Hammond family. I believe Amelia guided Miss Jacqueline’s careless actions that sparked the rumors.

After seeing Miss Jacqueline off, I handed the letter from His Highness Eldred to Amelia’s servant.

This servant knows Amelia’s true nature, so there’s no problem. About six months ago, Amelia brought this boy here, and he was soon swapped with the former maid who had served Melissa. Now, he accompanies her wherever she goes. Though his face is obscured by long bangs, his well-shaped nose and mouth give away that he is quite handsome.

When I first heard he was the same age as Amelia, I suspected he might be the third prince. However, since he won’t be enrolling in the academy next month, it seems that’s not the case. Without a diploma from the noble academy, one cannot inherit the throne, so His Majesty would ensure that he enrolls.

As I watched Amelia’s servant leave with the letter from His Highness Eldred, I wondered if Amelia ever felt guilty or conflicted. But that’s a pointless thought, since I had once enjoyed seeing Melissa suffer when Amelia expelled her from the manor two years ago.

Originally, Melissa was supposed to enroll in the same noble academy as me next month. I checked the enrollment roster to investigate possible candidates for the third prince, and I found Amelia’s name, but not Melissa’s. When I asked my father about it, he told me that since Amelia still couldn’t control magic, Melissa would be sent to the empire’s noble academy.

I had been under the impression that Melissa would return next month, but the despair of realizing I wouldn’t hear her play the piano for three more years overwhelmed me, and everything in front of me went dark.

I wonder if Melissa remembers. When she first encountered the piano at age three, I, too, was captivated by it at age four.

Whenever Melissa starts playing, she becomes so absorbed that she may not have even noticed that I was playing the piano too.

I remember when I asked to learn the piano, my mother’s face tensed. She knew that as the heir to the Johnston dukedom, I wasn’t allowed to play the piano.

My mother told the piano teacher she had hired for Melissa to also teach me after Melissa. The reason I didn’t get a personal teacher was probably to deceive my father. But in the end, my mother’s plea could only fool my father’s eyes for six months.

“You’re the heir to the dukedom, and as a candidate for the first prince’s retainer, you don’t have time to play the piano. It’s only second and third sons of lower nobility who, out of necessity, become pianists. Playing the piano is a frivolous hobby for women.”

My father forbade me from playing the piano, saying this. Even though my mother desperately begged him to let me continue playing as a break from my studies, he refused, saying that continuing half-heartedly would be worse.

Though Melissa and I had started learning the piano together, I was the only one who had to give it up after about six months.

Afterward, I hid my longing for the piano, my anger toward my father, and my jealousy and resentment toward Melissa, who could freely play, while I fulfilled my duties as the heir to the dukedom. Every time I went to hear Melissa’s piano, my heart would become a wreck from jealousy, yet I couldn’t resist listening to her beautiful music.

“I’m sorry. I know it’s not my place to ask this, but I want Mel to continue playing the piano during her princess training. I know it’s not my place to ask, since I couldn’t help Rick when he was forbidden to play. Please don’t resent Mel. Rick knows it’s not her fault, it’s my fault and my husband’s.”

When my mother said these words to me when Melissa’s princess training started, I realized she knew the passionate emotions I had been desperately hiding.

Even after Melissa started her princess training, she wasn’t forbidden from playing the piano, just like me. This was because my mother pleaded with my father, just as she had for me. Perhaps because of the gender difference or because my father had become captivated by Melissa’s piano, she was never forbidden to play.

Melissa is a genius. Anyone who hears her play would think so. But during that short period she studied, my piano teacher told me that I was better than Melissa.

If I had been allowed to play the piano, would I have played as well as Melissa does now? Or would I still have been jealous of her performances? Either way, if I had been jealous of Melissa, I would have wanted to play the piano.

The only one who truly understood my conflicted feelings toward Melissa was my mother, and she has now passed away. Amelia, who was the only one besides my mother to see through my complex feelings, has ultimately become neither a substitute for my mother nor for Melissa’s music, nor for the piano itself.

I hate Melissa, but I love the sound of the piano she plays from the bottom of my heart. It’s been three years since Amelia came to the Johnston family, and I haven’t heard Melissa play the piano since.