CPDW CH 10

Chapter 10: The Chess Maniac

Every royal-born boy was expected to enter the knights’ corps at some point—to learn discipline, patience, and mental strength.

Between my duties as the next crown prince and my work as captain of the royal guard, every day was packed full.
Never did I imagine I’d end up spending my limited free time spying on some woman who may or may not even show up to the garden—just to figure out her intentions.

Grandfather was always accompanied by two of my most trusted men.
According to them, he met with this woman every Wednesday. They’d been meeting regularly for several months now, though sometimes she didn’t come.
The only thing they knew about her was her name—“Emma-chan.”
Grandfather had apparently used some sort of barrier so that his guards couldn’t overhear their conversations—surely on purpose. That alone made the situation even more suspicious.

If I wanted to uncover what was going on, I’d have to slip in among the guards unnoticed and secretly eavesdrop on their talks in the gazebo.

***

About three months after hearing the rumor that Grandfather was infatuated with a young woman,
I finally managed to clear my schedule.
When word came that he was heading to the royal garden, I disguised myself and joined the guards following him.
I could have arrived later, but that would have required bringing my own guards along,
and that would draw too much attention from the public.
So, hiding was the safer option.

I crouched among the bushes behind the gazebo… and couldn’t believe my eyes.
She wasn’t even twenty.

Her caramel-colored hair was loosely tied back,
her amber eyes gentle and warm,
her face plain but lovely—there was no seductive charm that could possibly “bewitch a king.”

From their conversation, there was no sign of anything romantic or improper.
Still, I decided to keep watching. Maybe she was just waiting for the right moment to reveal her true colors.

***

Over the next few months, whenever I could spare the time, I continued observing their “secret meetings.”

One morning, while we were having breakfast together, Grandfather asked:

“By the way, Demetrio, how long do you plan on secretly watching us?”
“…You knew?”
“Of course I did. Whenever you sneak around, the air gets all tense.”

I’d been doing this for almost half a year by then.

“If you’re that curious, why not just join us?”
“…I’ll think about it.”

So, the following Wednesday, I decided to crash their little rendezvous—disguised as one of the guards.

I appeared as they sat together, and brought drinks as if I were serving them.

The girl jumped in surprise when she saw me, but when Grandfather explained that I was one of his guards, she simply said,

“Ah, I see,”
and went right back to playing chess with him, not sparing me a second glance.

“Wait, why would you move there? You’ll lose your queen.”
“Yes, but after that, White can only move like this… see? Then Black can checkmate!”
“Wha—!? How did I miss that!?”
“Ahahaha!”

They were clearly having fun.
Watching them up close, it was obvious—
Grandfather looked at her the way one would at a beloved granddaughter,
and she looked at him like one might look at a father or grandfather.

One day, Grandfather was about to make such an awful move that I couldn’t help blurting out a correction.

“Oh? So you want to play too, Demetrio? Then sit down.”

—That damn old man!

I nearly shouted at him.
He wasn’t supposed to call me by name in front of anyone!

Royal portraits were rare, but my name was known throughout the kingdom.
As the crown prince, I’d appeared at countless official events.
If someone connected “Demetrio” with “the old man’s guard,” it would be obvious who I was!

But the girl only tilted her head slightly in confusion.

“So your name’s Demetrio-san?
Oh, come to think of it, I never introduced myself. I’m Emma Lucientes.”

Her completely out-of-sync reaction and the casual way she introduced herself—using her real name—
deflated all my suspicion at once.

She had absolutely no idea who we were.
She was simply a chess-obsessed girl enjoying a game with an old man.

The name Lucientes was familiar.
Her father, no doubt.
A man who had been undefeated in chess tournaments for twenty years—
so skilled that he’d earned a barony purely from his achievements.
His family’s main income came from tournament prizes and giving chess lessons to nobles.

I remembered that he’d been just like his daughter—absent-minded about everything except chess.

No wonder she was ridiculously good at it.

“Ah! Checkmate!”

Right after introducing herself, she moved a piece with a triumphant smile,
looking so proud that I couldn’t help but laugh.

—She’s… cute.