That day, I was at the Royal Castle in the royal capital of Symphonia Kingdom. My purpose was to meet Orchid.
I have a good relationship with Orchid, and we exchange letters because we are the same gender and very close in age.
When we were building our home, I asked Orchid about all kinds of things related to the country first, and I sometimes have a chance to come to the royal castle like this to have tea and exchange some idle chatter with him.
Today too, I had come to the castle to have tea and chat about other things, and since there's an opportunity, I wanted to show off the tea that Nebula had made.
I could have gone straight to Orchid's place, but since I came early, I thought I would say hello to Ryze-san and asking if it was convenient for him, I was immediately ushered to his office.
After knocking, I entered the office and saw Ryze-san working at his desk... and a red-haired, good-looking man.
Short cropped hair and a rather solid figure... He was a very austere and cool guy in his 40s, giving out the vibe of a general.
[Hello, Ryze-san.]
[Yaa, Miyama-kun. I'm glad you came to visit... How should I say this... I'm sorry that I was always at work when you came to visit.]
[Ahh, no, I'm sorry for visiting at a short notice.]
After exchanging a few words with Ryze-san, who pleasantly welcomed me with a wry smile, the red-haired man looked at me and spoke with a gentle smile.
[Ohh, Miyama-dono. It's been a while, hasn't it?]
[Eh? Errr...]
He spoke to me as if we had met before, but what should I do? I have no idea who he is. Ummm, did we meet at Amalie-san's birthday party or an event like that?
No, but with Alice's great coordination, I shouldn't have talked to the nobles much...
[Oi, oi, "Alfred"... "With the way you look", even Miyama-kun wouldn't recognize you.]
[Oops, you're right. Your Majesty, may I reveal it to Miyama-dono?]
[Yeah, there's no problem.]
As I was thinking this, Ryze-san chuckled and spoke with some sort of meaning behind them, to which the man named Alfred chuckled too.
Then, after confirming with Ryze-san, Alfred-san took out something that looked like a ring and put it on his finger.
[...Would you remember me if I had this face?]
[Eh? Eeehhhh!? I- If I'm not mistaken, you're that guy in front of the temple... Count Ducas!?]
[I'm honored that you remembered me.]
The moment Alfred-san put on the ring, he transformed into a bloated, flabby, toad-like figure, an appearance that you will never forget once you see it.
His appearance turned into that of Count Ducas, whom we had encountered when I received a blessing at the temple soon after my arrival in this world. Eh? What's going on here?
As I was feeling confused, Ryze-san, who seemed to have sensed my confusion, gave me a light explanation.
[He, Alfred... so to speak, is a shadow of the royal family. He has served the royal family for generations, taking care of the dirty work... He's like a special forces unit for the royal family.]
[My real name is Alfred Dunel, and I'm currently a Viscount... but it was just a provisional title given to me in order to be His Majesty's close aide, and I'm not a natural-born noble. Count Ducas is just one of the faces I use in my work.]
T- That kinda sounds a little complicated... Also, it's just a guess, but isn't this a state secret? Well, I'm sure they trusted me since they told me that, so I'll be careful not to reveal it to anyone else.
[In running a large-scale structure like a country, you can't always do things the clean way. The one who handles such tasks is me. Count Ducas is also a means to control hostiles, concentrates the repugnance of people according to the case, daring to complain to the royal family, and would bear the burden in a situation that could disgrace the royal family... Well, if one had to describe it, Count Ducas is like the lizard's tail that can be cut off any time.]
[Alfred's job is the so-called hate control, manipulation of information and schemes. He has served me since I was a child and is officially my assistant... and my most trusted subordinate.]
[Hahaha, well, from the perspective of Phantasmal King-sama, whom Miyama-dono knows very well, what I'm doing is nothing more than child's play, but as the shadow of the royal family, I'm allowed to do many things.]
[...I- I see.]
It seems like he has a very special position. I'm imagining him as some sort of special forces commander or one of those agents who handle covert missions. Chris-san also mentioned how he was good at schemes, so I guess it really would be tough for royalty if you don't have a hand in such matters.
[Incidentally, unlike the role of a dilettante that he plays as Count Ducas, Alfred himself is a very devoted and loving husband. I mean, even though it was love at first sight, it took him a year before he spoke to her.]
[Your Majesty!]
[Oops...]
Alfred-san seems to be a really trustworthy partner for Ryze-san, and somehow, I felt like the way Ryze-san was talking to Alfred-san was similar to how Lilia-san talked to Luna-san and Sieg-san.