The Protagonist's Party is Too Diligent

The method for completing a covert quest is simple.

You enter the room, approach the NPC who holds the quest, and start a conversation. Then, the dialogue proceeds, and once the conversation ends, the quest is automatically added to your quest log.

The tricky part is that no notification pops up when you receive the quest, so sometimes you won’t even realize you’ve accepted it, and if you continue with the story without noticing, the quest will end up failing.

In reality, there’s no system window like that, so I had to rely on my memory to keep track of everything.

The interior of the Duke’s mansion was less guarded than the outside. Despite its vast size, it was still a personal residence. It would be strange to let anyone wander freely inside.

That was a relief. The thick, luxurious carpets in the hallway were a blessing.

You couldn’t hear footsteps at all.

The problem was running into a maid or servant while wandering around, but that was something I could deal with later. It was late at night, so there wouldn’t be many people wandering around.

So, I just had to meet Roti’s mother, who was giving the covert quest, and have a chat—simple enough.

“Sylvia.”

Did I not scream because I’ve grown? When Alice called me on the beach, I screamed once. So, I guess it could be said that I’ve grown quite a bit in just a few days.

“...Your Highness?”

“Just Alice—ah, never mind.”

I almost screamed when I saw Alice following me behind.

In the original, Alice was a physical attacker wielding a massive sword. Had she secretly changed classes to a thief?

“After the conversation yesterday, don’t you think it’s strange that you thought I wouldn’t notice your movements, even though we share a room?”

“...Then why did you only speak to me after you came inside?”

“...”

Alice avoided my gaze and fell silent.

Yeah, it must have been out of curiosity. Alice and I had known each other for years—not just known, but lived together in the same place... It was a bit awkward, but we’d been like sisters, in our own way.

“You’ve really gotten good at sneaking up on me.”

“Oh, really?”

Her voice was a quiet whisper, but she had a pouty expression when she said that.

“You always go off without telling me, so I had no choice but to get better at this.”

Wait, hold on.

Does that mean Alice saw me get caught by the guards five times?

...

How embarrassing. Alice probably won’t remember it, but I sure will.

I tried my best not to show how flustered I was.

“So, what brings you here?”

It was an interesting experience to crouch in the corner of the hallway and talk to each other, but I didn’t have time to enjoy the novelty of it.

After all, it wouldn’t be right to deliberately wake someone up just to talk to them.

“...I’m here to meet someone.”

“You’re sneaking around to meet someone? If you told the Duke, he’d gladly invite you.”

That’s true.

But, at the same time, there would be surveillance. If it were Alice, she could get away with it, but I’m someone other nobles would watch closely.

Who knows, someone might even think I’m planting a bomb in the mansion.

“Who is it?”

Hmm.

I paused for a moment, then stopped myself from overthinking.

There was no point in scheming here. There was no way to get Alice to leave me alone.

Actually, to separate her, I might have to rewind an entire day. Based on the situation, Alice probably started following me from the hotel.

“It’s Roti’s mother.”

So, I said it.

Alice blinked in surprise for a moment, then closed her mouth again.

“At this time?”

“At this time.”

When I answered, Alice gave me that complicated look she’s been giving me lately and sighed deeply.

“Alright, then. If you say so, I’ll go with you. Just so you know, don’t even think about trying to separate me.”

“I knew you’d follow me here, so I didn’t think you’d try to leave.”

When I said that, Alice shot me a brief, irritated glance.

* * *

One of the causes of the civil rights movement in the United States started when a woman sat in the white section of a bus.

Of course, there’s no such incident in this world. For something like that to happen, it would probably take decades—far beyond the main story of the game. It would be more of a “future” story, something from a far-off time.

But, at the same time, there were similarities.

Colonial natives weren’t allowed to ride the buses. Specifically, they had separate vehicles for them.

Colonial natives were usually transported in the back of trucks. It might sound charming to ride in the back of a truck on a cool day along scenic country roads, but if you had to endure the scorching sun, the story would be different.

“They are different from us.”

The Empire was eager to make sure everyone knew that.

And naturally, the same went for the maid’s room. The rooms for white maids and servants and the ones for colonial natives were usually separate. Ironically, in this mansion, the only maid of colonial native descent was Roti’s mother, so she ended up alone in a room.

But that didn’t mean she was treated better than other colonial natives.

Naturally, the maids who shared rooms would envy and resent her. They’d never volunteer to share a room, yet they thought Roti’s mother was receiving special treatment just because she “gave birth to the child of Lindbergh.”

...

It’s odd that I don’t hear any sobbing from the thin walls.

Alice’s expression hardened as soon as she stood in front of the door.

Before coming here, Alice had somewhat imperialistic views, but it seemed like those had shifted a bit after the incident at the banquet.

When I quietly opened the door and stepped inside, I saw Roti’s mother, her face buried in her palms, sobbing.

Only Roti’s mother was in the room.

When the door creaked open, Roti’s mother flinched, looked up, and when her eyes met mine, she jumped to her feet.

“W-w-Your Highness!?”

Her almost-screaming voice made me quickly extend my finger to my lips, signaling her to be quiet. Perhaps thinking I was giving an imperial order, Roti’s mother immediately clamped her mouth shut.

“I just need a moment to talk. Would that be alright?”

Roti’s mother looked between Alice and me with trembling eyes, then nodded.

I closed the door behind me.

Hmm.

Now that the door was closed, I was at a loss for what to say.

In the original, there wasn’t a description of sneaking in, and the conversation had been led by Leo.

Leo had discovered Roti’s mother crying and sat down to listen to her in silence.

Could I do the same?

“First, would you mind sitting down?”

When I said that, Roti’s mother sat down, still looking frightened.

Hmm, I guess sitting next to her would be hard in this situation.

I moved towards an old table in the middle of the room, pulled out a chair, and sat, keeping some distance from Roti’s mother.

Alright.

Let’s start the conversation... and if she’s too scared to talk, I could always rewind time.

* * *

“Just as I thought...”

There had been several attempts.

When I acted stiffly as usual, Roti’s mother’s face turned pale, and she couldn’t speak properly. Well, that was to be expected. Who could talk poorly about the Duke’s family in front of a princess?

And not just any princess, but one who was likely to be the next Empress.

I tried to smile, but I could see Roti’s mother’s face turn even whiter.

I decided to rewind time and ask Alice for help.

In the original, things were different, but now Alice used a soft tone that wouldn’t make anyone feel uncomfortable.

We had just finished hearing about the day Roti was born.

At first, Roti’s mother had vehemently refused to speak, but after Alice sat next to her and gently spoke a few times, Roti’s mother eventually gave in and continued her story, looking as though she had let go of all her pent-up emotions.

It must have been painful for her. It was something she couldn’t say to anyone else.

She didn’t have any coworkers to talk to. And even if she did, talking to another colonial native would only earn her the label of a traitor.

The reason she eventually opened up in front of us was likely because she wanted to share the things she could never say to anyone else.

“...”

Alice’s jaw twitched as she watched, clearly angry after hearing the story.

“Please, don’t tell the master. If you do, I’ll—”

“I understand. You don’t have to worry.”

After Roti’s mother had finished speaking, Alice comforted her with a calming expression, but I clearly saw the flames of anger in her eyes.

Maybe, coming here with Alice was a good thing after all.