Kane did not know he had already been targeted before he could even begin his official move.
He knew his time was limited, but he had not expected it to be quite this scarce.
This evening would likely be the most leisure he would enjoy for the foreseeable future. After eating a luxurious dinner that a maid had specifically brought to him, he took a quick bath in his room and went to bed early.
As a room meant for hosting the royal palace’s distinguished guests, the level of comfort was the highest available outside of those reserved for the royal family. Kane slept soundly that night, not waking up until nearly 8:00 AM the next morning. He had slept for more than ten hours.
Needless to say, while breakfast was not as lavish as dinner, it was still quite delicious.
This highlighted the benefits of not being a member of the royal family—there were fewer rules, and he was not constantly flanked by one or more maids. Relatively speaking, he was much freer.
As a guest of the Queen, Kane was permitted to roam most areas of the palace at will. Only a few sensitive areas required him to apply for the Queen’s permission.
Since time had been relatively tight when he first arrived in this world yesterday, Kane planned to spend the entire second day properly exploring. Thus, he politely declined the elderly Head Maid’s suggestion to arrange a dedicated guide and began wandering around on his own.
Indeed, the chief steward from the original work—the image of an old gentleman—had also been gender-swapped in this world into a reliable and strict-looking Head Maid. If the original steward had been a romanceable character, the Head Maid in this world would likely be at least thirty years younger.
However, the role of a palace steward was likely less attractive compared to other characters, so the original game had not included them as a romanceable option.
Kane was not tactless enough to try and visit the Ice Queen or the Cold Lady; they had work to do, after all.
Queen Corellia was a given, but Duke’s daughter Altina also served as the Chief Instructor of Court Swordsmanship for all the nobility and was responsible for managing the entire Royal Capital. In other words, Altina could essentially be seen as the mayor of the capital.
In the original work, the “Cold Young Master” was meant to inherit the Duke’s territory. However, Altina had chosen not to return to the fief to inherit the title. Instead, she stayed in the Royal Capital to assist her childhood friend, the Queen, in governing the country.
Two people like that were bound to be busy. If he went looking for them, it would be troublesome if he were asked to help with their work.
As for Princess Edwina, she also needed to receive a royal elite education in a special room, where various professional tutors coached her on how to become a proper member of the royal family. Naturally, she did not have much time to look for him either.
While it was somewhat impolite to the three of them, the thought of them being busy every day due to their royal status made Kane feel like the air was even fresher as he strolled through the palace.
He had never spent a single day as a prince, but he had been a corporate slave in his previous life. He understood the hardships of work all too well.
‘There is nothing more pleasant than getting something for nothing.’
With his food and housing currently provided for, he naturally did not have to worry about survival. He could focus on admiring the palace, a place where ordinary people could not simply walk around.
Due to Corellia’s arrangements, the palace servants generally knew of Kane’s existence. Even if they were curious about him, they did not disturb him.
When lunchtime arrived, a maid specifically came to inform him that the meal was ready. Being a man who valued his meals, Kane immediately paused his wandering and returned to his room to enjoy the fine cuisine.
After eating and taking a good rest, Kane resumed his tour of the palace.
He originally thought the day would end with this leisurely mood. However, by the afternoon, it seemed his good luck had run out, as a troublesome figure appeared.
At 2:10 PM, Kane arrived at the courtyard garden where he had met Corellia the previous afternoon. He had specifically observed the area before entering to make sure Corellia was not there, so he was not worried about running into her.
That part was true; Kane did not encounter the imposing Ice Queen. However, that did not mean he did not encounter anyone else.
“…Oh? Your Majesty, you look a bit different today. Of course, you are just as beautiful and moving as always.”
While Kane was focused on admiring the flowers, a cheerful and talkative young woman’s voice drifted from behind him.
Just like Altina and Edwina, even though she could clearly see that Kane’s back did not belong to the Queen, she still greeted him proactively and politely as if he were.
Kane had no idea who she was specifically, but he had a vague inkling of her identity. This was because the more a person knew the Queen in the original work, the easier it was to mistake them. Conversely, the palace servants who rarely interacted with the Queen only felt that Kane looked strangely familiar.
Based on that experience, the only person who could mistake him like this was someone who played a major role in the original story.
As Kane turned around with a helpless expression to face the person who had greeted him, he was finally able to see her appearance clearly.
She was a beautiful woman with pure black hair, a rarity in this country. She was roughly the same age as Kane, around 20 years old, and her ruby-red eyes could not hide her surprise.
A tight, white noble dress accentuated her tall and curvaceous figure. Beneath her short skirt, a pair of shapely legs clad in black stockings were visible above dark, high-heeled boots.
One look was enough to tell she was a young noblewoman of extraordinary status. Her features were exceptionally striking—the kind of beauty that one would remember instantly after a single glance.
If one looked closely at the corners of her eyes, they were exactly like Queen Corellia’s.
Kane already knew exactly who she was.
“…Being praised by someone as beautiful as a fairy is my honor, young lady. However, I am afraid you have mistaken me for someone else. I am not Her Majesty. My name is Kane, and for now, I am just an ordinary person.”
Facing that surprised gaze, Kane chose to introduce himself with humility and politeness. This time, he completely abandoned his royal status.
It was not a deliberate attempt to cut ties; rather, he was testing her to some extent. If he was not mistaken… her reaction would be entirely different from the previous three.
“No, no, no. Even if you aren’t Her Majesty, there’s no way you’re just an ordinary person! It wouldn’t be strange at all to say the Queen was cursed and turned into a man. Ah, could it be that you are a Majesty who isn’t the Majesty? It’s me, Vita! Vita K. Retinos, your younger sister!”
Just as Kane had predicted, the cheerful and generous woman did not believe his words. Instead, she had a rather exaggerated reaction.
While shaking her head, she waved her gloved right hand in front of her. After asserting that Kane was definitely Corellia, she naturally placed her hand over her full chest and took a step forward.
As if she could not wait for Kane to recognize her, she spoke her name with a smile and a slightly flighty, cheerful voice.
Great. Although he had known it was coming, it seemed that after an impromptu daughter, he now had an impromptu younger sister.
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