A Secret Meeting
Before dinner, Father told us all to gather in the living room after the meal.
He looked like he had swallowed a bitter pill.
It probably wasn’t good news.
I’ve been behaving myself—well, more like relaxing—so I don’t think this is about me.
After dinner, our whole family moved to the living room.
Everyone took their usual seats, and tea was placed on the table.
Father took a sip and said,
"Three days from now, Princess Rinaluna will be visiting our house. She plans to stay for five days."
"That’s quite sudden. I thought it would be His Highness the Crown Prince or His Highness the Grand Duke instead."
"It seems she wants to go to the Great Forest with you three, along with Atre, Ripka, and Bianca."
"If Chris returns to the academy, that won’t be possible anymore."
Our parents discussed the matter while we siblings listened quietly.
"They’ll likely be trying to probe into what’s happening in our household, so we need to review everything and agree on what information we can share.
Regarding the company, the three of you may know about the products, but the details are left to Raziel. So just act like you don’t know anything.
And above all, never reveal that the product ideas came from Hardt."
Now that I think about it, over the past few months, we siblings have made contracts with S-rank and A-rank magic beasts, launched a company, and introduced a string of groundbreaking products: irons, hair dryers, pet nameplates made from scrap gemstones, book bands, charms, decorative knives, and accessories made from colored glass.
Even if it weren’t the royal family, anyone would be curious about all this.
The decorative knives must be kept secret. While the princess is staying, we’re not even allowed to display them in our rooms.
If the truth does come out, we’ll say that instead of birthday gifts from me, they were custom-made to match our magical beast partners after forming our contracts.
I agree with this decision.
If Princess Rinaluna found out that the magic beast illustrations I designed for my brothers just happened to match their actual contracted partners, she would definitely want one.
If I were in her position, I’d absolutely want one too.
Regarding factory visits, anything without an approved patent will be refused as a company secret.
However, aside from the decorative knives, they plan to show all the other products.
"Father, Maria’s workshop is within the estate. The princess will likely request a tour, given that Maria is the developer of the irons and hair dryers.
Wouldn’t it be bad if she saw the projects currently in development?"
Oh, Brother Chris made a sharp observation.
"I’ve already instructed Maria to halt all development during the princess’s visit. She’ll only be working on producing the patented irons and hair dryers. Any in-progress projects must be hidden within the next two days. Her development notes have been placed in our household’s safe."
"Has Maria also been told not to mention Hardt?"
"Of course. She’ll say that she came up with the ideas after asking our maids about their inconveniences. Which, in a way, is true—she has been asking them for their input."
"My friends have also requested an extended stay, so they’ll be here for five nights.
I think it would be best to prohibit Maria from developing anything new until we return to the academy."
One of Brother Chris’s friends is the Chancellor’s son, right?
His father might have asked him to gather information for him.
In the end, we decided to keep the decorative knives hidden until Brother Chris and the others return to the academy.
Brother Chris is really sharp. Our family will be in good hands under his leadership.
We continued our discussion, confirming our shared understanding of the situation, and then dispersed.
However, before we left, Father gave us one last warning.
"Hardt, I’m begging you—just keep quiet. If Princess Rinaluna talks to you, keep your responses brief and end the conversation quickly. If you engage in conversation with her, there’s a high risk that she’ll figure things out.
Gerald, you too. There’s a good chance you’ll get drawn into a conversation and unknowingly give things away, so be careful."
What do you think about this chapter?
