I Was Reincarnated as the Prince in a Villainess Story, so I’ll Use My Cheat Knowledge to Create a Noble Lady Harem and Make Them All Happy - 24

Chapter 24: The Decision That Came from the Past

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The bell of the castle town rang once in the morning air.

Valis gazed down from his office window at the castle gates slowly opening. It was the signal that the diplomatic envoy had returned. Beyond the stone doors lay a well-kept courtyard, where the wet cobblestones glimmered faintly in the morning sunlight. The autumn wind was a touch cold, and the color of the sky seemed tense, almost brittle.

In the courtyard beyond the gate, the guards who had gathered to greet the returning party stood silently in line. Their tense expressions suggested they had already sensed the weight of the message soon to be delivered. Footsteps approached, and the secretary knocked lightly on the door.

“Your Highness, the envoy to Silva Haruna has returned. They bring both a report and a formal letter.”

“I see. Send them in.”

When Valis gave his brief reply, three envoys entered the room at once. They could not fully hide the exhaustion of their long journey, and the complex emotions behind their eyes told their own story. The envelope they handed over, guided by the secretary, was sealed with pale green wax, an unmistakable mark of Silva Haruna. That alone made the air in the room tighten further.

“Who is the sender?”

“Auguste-dono, the representative of Silva Haruna.”

When Valis broke the seal, the parchment inside was immaculate, with generous margins and a refined hand. In clear and formal script, the letter read:

『We honor balance, and as a nation, we desire no bond with those whose intent disturbs the flow of nature.』

Though the language was polite, the intent within the words was unmistakable. There was no desire for diplomatic relations. The journey that had carried their faintest hope had ended in a rejection—quiet, yet cutting deeply. The envoy leader bowed his head as he spoke.

“They received us with utmost courtesy, but there was no further progress to be had.”

That report spread a small ripple through the capital. Some of the younger royal guards, in particular, began to show visible frustration.

“To go in the name of His Highness, only to be treated so… This is nothing short of an insult to Prince Valis!”

“So this is what they call forest courtesy? Polite words, but a closed gate all the same.”

Such mutterings were said to have circulated quietly around the training grounds. For them, an official envoy bearing the crown prince’s name, carrying the honor of the realm, being met with such a clear refusal was nothing but humiliation. When Milia heard this, she told Valis with a faint smile.

“Reina’s been calming everyone down. She said, ‘If courtesy was lacking, it was on our side.’”

“…I see.”

“But, you know… I think the one who’s most upset about it is Reina herself.”

Valis said nothing, lowering his eyes slowly.

He understood Reina’s earnest sense of responsibility all too well—her sincerity, her sense of duty. And because he knew, the mix of guilt and frustration kept him silent. No matter how polite the phrasing, a rejection remained a rejection.

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That night, Valis was in the quiet royal archives deep within the capital.

The chamber was surrounded by high ceilings and old stone walls, filled with the dry scent of parchment and ink. The lighting was dim, the magical lamps flickering gently between the rows of shelves.

Several government clerks worked silently under his direction, carrying out, sorting, and cross-referencing documents one after another. The shelves of diplomatic records were lined with letters from past kings and chronicles of dealings with other nations. Yet, no solid record of contact with Silva Haruna could be found.

“In the foreign affairs records, there are a few ceremonial exchanges, but all from several decades ago.”

“And any actual negotiations?”

“None, Your Highness. Every one of them ended in formalities only.”

Feeling the stagnation, Valis instructed them to widen the search.

“Check family transfers, records of commendations, past royal inspections. Start from the periphery. There must be something we’re missing.”

It was some time later that a clerk brought out a thin document from the back of the shelves.

“Your Highness, please review this record. It was misfiled among miscellaneous writings, but its format matches that of diplomatic reports.”

Valis removed his gloves and carefully opened the cover.

【On the Audience with the Elven Chief of the Western Great Forest】

The record dated back exactly a hundred years. The handwriting was astonishingly neat, with every detail of the journey carefully chronicled—number of attendants, the names of villages visited, even the arrangement of campfires and the rituals performed before entering the forest.

But one thing stood out. At the very end—the section marked “Outcome of the Audience”—there was nothing. Only a blank space.

“That’s odd… A report this meticulous, yet it’s not in the diplomatic files?”

“Yes, Your Highness. At the end there’s a note by the recording officer: ‘Outcome unknown, provisional storage.’ It appears the report was filed before the final submission was ever made.”

“Who was the one sent for the audience?”

“It was Lord Laurel, then Captain of the Royal Guards and second son of the Marquis of Agreia.”

The moment he heard the name, Valis froze. Laurel—the younger brother of Reina’s great-grandfather. From the current Marquis of Agreia’s perspective, he would be their great-uncle. Tracing the record further, Valis found that upon his return, Laurel had been granted a new countdom by royal decree and assigned to oversee the western frontier.

That house bore the name—Margrave Everett.

No way…

Valis stopped, bowing his head slightly. He had not expected to encounter that name here. Feril Everett. He knew that name well. She was, of course, from the Agreia family’s branch line, and he knew Reina adored her like a younger sister. But his impression of her was not merely as Reina’s beloved kin.

In Valis’s memory—memories from his previous life—she was the “reincarnated noble girl” who appeared in the web novel 『The Crown and the Cage of Purity』. In that story, she used her memories from a past life as an office worker to save the so-called villainess Reina, and to denounce and exile the “tyrant prince,” Valis.

That was why he had always avoided any contact with her. Even when Reina mentioned introducing them, he had dodged it skillfully, keeping his distance and using Feril’s absence from the capital as a convenient excuse. And for her part, Feril had never once appeared before him.

She had never interfered in his engagement with Reina, nor tried to obstruct it. She had remained silent, keeping her distance. That was why he had never been certain about her. Was she also a reincarnated soul? And if so, what was she thinking now?

He had always known he couldn’t avoid it forever, but now that he had found the Everett name here, perhaps it was time to take the step he’d been putting off. Outside his office window, one by one, the streetlights of the city began to glow. Valis stared down at the blank parchment on his desk, lost in silence.

So the time has come to finally meet her.

The uncertainty still smoldered quietly in his heart. Even so, the moment had come when he could no longer stand still.

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