Chapter 76: More Cautious

After Franz announced Mariela's pregnancy the entire palace was in an uproar for over a week. Suddenly the relatively forgotten second princess was the most talked about person in the capital. News spread like wildfire throughout the town.

Al and I found that out while escaping the palace one day for some peace and quiet. No matter how hard we tried, it seemed that we couldn't escape our problems. Whispers about the line of succession followed us wherever we went.

Eventually we were so sick of listening to other people that we headed to the completely empty beach and sat on that rock where we met by chance the day he proposed to me.

"How does Mariela stand it?" I asked.

The poor thing knew she was the subject of much gossip but she was still stuck in her room. Franz never left her side and had guards he trusted personally inspect all of her meals for poison before she consumed them.

Al stared out at the sea glumly. "She's a princess. She's used to this sort of thing."

I gathered from his tone that he, as the unwanted third prince, was used to this sort of thing too. Had anyone ever tried to kill Al? I didn't have the courage to ask.

I was technically a princess too but I would never be used to this sort of barbarism. I hadn't been born into the world of royalty and backstabbing though. This was still new to me. Even so, this didn't seem like the sort of thing a person could get used to.

The ocean was a greenish gray today. It seemed colder and more mysterious than usual, matching the dark mood that had befallen us. What would we find across that sea when the time came for us to escape?

The closer the time came the more worried I was about logistics. Would we really be able to get away with it? What would we do when we got there? It probably wouldn't be easy building a life from scratch in a new country.

"Do you really think we'll be able to afford enough books to start a library when we get to Shibatsu?"

Al turned toward me, the ghost of a smile on his face. "In case you haven't forgotten, your husband is filthy rich. We could survive for years as commoners with a single month's worth of my allowance."

I hadn't, but Al didn't have access to that money personally most of the time. He had to go through a steward in charge of his expenses if he wanted to purchase something outside of the palace.

Seeing my hesitation, he was quick to reassure me. "I've been cutting corners by buying cheaper things for us the past few months and having the steward give me the difference."

I frowned. Wouldn't that look highly suspicious if anyone talked to the steward?

"What if somebody notices you doing that? They'll get suspicious. The steward might talk; you never know who is on Sigmund's side in the palace."

He shrugged it off. "You really think someone is going to care enough about me of all people to tell? No one has ever cared what I'm up to before. It is how we're able to get away with going out like this."

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He had a point but I couldn't help but be paranoid. Who knew if we were being plotted against this very moment? If Sigmund suspected we (but mostly me) were on Franz's side on the issue of succession we would both become targets.

He didn't like his little brother anyway. Looking for an excuse to get rid of him wouldn't take much prodding. Especially since Duke Orla was his right hand man and he particularly seemed to hate Al.

"You need to be more careful," I scolded. I didn't want him to get in trouble and drag me down with him.

Al brightened slightly as he leaned over to kiss the top of my head. "You worry too much and I don't worry enough. We complement each other perfectly."

I rolled my eyes. He was such a cheeseball.

Sometimes I didn't know how to handle the things he said. Over time he had gotten a lot better at making me blush because I couldn't always dismiss such statements as ridiculous. It was part of his attempts to court me.

I couldn't deny that sometimes they got to me and touched my heart. But not right now when I was a bit cross with him.

"Al, I'm serious. We need to be more cautious. I know you think we're safe because all eyes are on Mariela right now but that doesn't mean we should get complacent. We still have to survive here a while longer."

He sighed and stretched out his legs in front of him on the rock. "I know we do. But there isn't another way I can get money for us to leave so I'm doing my best here."

I softened a little at his words. I really couldn't fault him for trying even though his methods weren't the wisest. All he wanted was for us to get out of here as quickly and efficiently as possible to live a better life.

Al wouldn't have to keep cheating the steward if there was another way for us to make money. What if I used my crocheting skills to set up a stall in town? The yarn's expenses would be coming from the royal treasury and wouldn't personally cost a cent.

I knew how to make beanies and scarves. If I offered a discount because the cold season was coming to a close people might be more likely to buy them. But I would also be taking away from the livelihoods of people who needed the money more.

Unless…what if I used our monthly budget to buy up all of the other hats and scarves so I had a monopoly? Everyone would get paid and I could potentially donate all the things I bought to the orphanage. This could work.

I stood up and offered Al a hand. "Come on. I have an idea."

"Where are we going?"

"To the yarn shop. We're going to place a huge order to be sent to the palace. I know what's going to keep us busy for the next month," I said mischievously.

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