"Madam!"
Butler Oren ran over, and when I turned around to look at him, he was startled.
"Madam, madam. Has your hearing returned?"
"Butler."
"... Madam?"
The butler's eyes widened as he saw my expression up close.
"Please tell me honestly. What's the situation going?"
The butler made a face of despair, then opened his mouth as if he had given up.
"The deposed Prince joined hands with the Dawn Sect and invaded the outer castle. Although the size of the allied forces was large, the outer castle was opened too easily, and the inner castle is currently under threat."
After saying that, the butler looked at my complexion and added.
"But please don't worry too much. Not only the imperial army but also the knights of the Duke's family have all been mobilized. The Heigenberg Knights, whom the master personally selected and trained, are strong enough to be called the strongest. To put it simply... "
The butler went on and on about the reputation of the Heigenberg Knights and then said with a worried expression.
"You will definitely hear good news soon. So please rest assured. Isn't absolute stability the most important thing for you right now? I'm sure that's what Master wants more than anything."
"Um, ma'am. We were all praying together."
Linda and the other servants spoke cautiously. As if to prove her point, each of the servants was holding a candle.
"If you're anxious, why don't you try praying like we did? It might help you feel a little more at ease."
I bit my lip as I looked at the candle holder Linda handed me.
***
The attending doctor came running after hearing that my hearing had somewhat returned, and after hearing the situation, he gave me a tranquilizer and sleeping pills. It must have been a while since I finally fell asleep.
"Ah."
I woke up with a start and looked around blankly. When I woke up, the arms that had been wrapping me up were gone. The moment I felt my side, my heart sank. The seat next to me was cold. Of course.
"..."
I shut my eyes tightly.
Judging from the fact that it wasn't even a whitish sky outside, I guessed I hadn't slept for a couple of hours.
"Fortunately, your hearing has returned, but it hasn't fully recovered yet. Please, get some sleep and rest. Please."
I remembered what my doctor had said last night. Dante was wandering around outside, and all I could do was sleep. I was helpless, but that was the reality. I tried to force myself to close my eyes again, but I felt suffocated every time I faced the darkness. It was much better when I lost my voice. Back then, my side hadn't cooled down. I lit a prayer candle and let out a hollow laugh. I hated this situation where I couldn't do anything but pray. In the end, I woke up like a sleepwalker and wandered down the hallway. My footsteps naturally led me to Dante's office. When I had just entered this mansion, Dante had spent much more time there than in his bedroom. I hesitated for a moment and turned the doorknob. The door was unlocked.
"..."
I looked around the dark office blankly. The ownerless room looked as empty as an empty pit. Stepping into the space that seemed to be made of gray, I suddenly stopped...
Ah. I could smell Dante here. My sense of smell sharpened over the past few days of being silent quickly caught a familiar scent. I walked inside as if possessed. His traces were on everything in this place. The writing on the scattered documents was much more careless and crude than the writing I had when we talked in writing. There was a faint smell of cigarette smoke around the desk, and the handle on the top drawer of the desk that seemed to be opened and closed the most was a little worn.
This is Dante's space. I shouldn't have come in without permission. Even as I thought that my hands and eyes groped around here and there to find even one more trace. I saw that the last drawer was open. Bending down to close it, I suddenly held my breath.
'... This is it.'
My eyes widened as I recognized the gorgeous gold-plated paper.
There was no way I could not recognize it. It was a ticket to the Lopez Opera House.
'When... When had Dante come to see a performance?'
I picked up the ticket with trembling hands to check the date, and my mouth opened the next moment. There was not just one ticket. There were two, three...
There were over a dozen in total.
"When on earth did you get this many... "
Suddenly, I remembered my first meeting with Dante.
"Opera? I'm not interested in such a fancy stage show."
... As he said that. Holding a dozen tickets In my hand, I was at a loss.
You've come to see me so many times. This wasn't the first time Dante had lied. In fact, he had lied to me since our first meeting.
"...Sob."
Suppressing the sobs that were about to burst out, I hurriedly put the tickets back where they were. I almost cried. Then this time, my eyes fell on a document that was placed a little deeper inside.
'Blueprint?'
If I had only seen that far, I would have stopped invading Dante's privacy and looked away. However, when I saw the title written at the very top of the blueprint, I blinked blankly.
[Projected Blueprint for the Paradise Opera House]
"What...?"
A projected blueprint. But Paradise already existed. I opened the drawer a little more as if I was possessed. There was a small note attached to the blueprint.
[But Master, I recommended that a meaningful proposal gift be good, but I didn't mention a building. What if it's burdensome for Madam? - Rio, who always cheers on your love]
... A proposal gift?
My mind was blank the first time hearing this story. With trembling hands, I looked at the blueprint. It was called an opera house, but it was as big as a palace. I blinked in unreality after checking the number of seats.
My eyes were drawn to the name of the building again. A single word is written in a fancy font. Paradise. I remembered the words I whispered to the boy who was carrying me on his back when I was little, excited.
"You know... I have a dream. I have my own, that... that..."
"Opera house."
"Oh, ...yes. I want an opera house. And the name... I've decided on a really cool one."
"... We're going to name it Paradise. What do you think?"
After staring blankly at the blueprint for a while as if I had been hit on the back of the head, I suddenly wiped my tears with my sleeve. What I was good at was of no use in the war. However, even I had one weapon. That was...
'Memories of the future.'
If I could use it, it would be a valuable weapon. Although Dante ha never tried to use it even after hearing that I had returned. I slapped myself on the cheek with a sound. My mind, which had been hazy from tranquilizers and sleeping pills, became a little clearer.
'Think.'
I had to come up with information that would be helpful to Dante somehow.
"The Allied Forces were large, but the outer wall opened too easily..."
This morning, the butler had clearly said that. The outer wall opened easily. That naturally meant that there was a force inside the outer wall that was helping them. If we could figure out who that force was, it would be a great help in the war. There was no way our side didn't know that. It's just that it was very difficult to catch them while they were hiding. But for me, who knew the future, it would be a little easier.
Of course, it wasn't as easy as it sounds. The war with the deposed Prince was the first time in this life. However, with the information I knew, I could filter out those who were suspicious. Those who were capable enough to support the enemy forces right now, but who would rise to a more solid position in the future when the Crown Prince ascended the throne. To filter out those people, I had to know all the information about the present and the future.
I looked around hurriedly. Fortunately, there was a lot of data I could use in Dante's office.
"..."
How much time had passed?
"Ugh! What a surprise!"
Rio opened the office door and came in, startled when he saw me.
"Huh, ma'am?! Why are you here..."
I slowly raised my head and faced Rio. Rio, who saw my face, opened his mouth as if he had seen a ghost.
"Oh my! Are you not sleeping?!"
"Sir Rio."
"Yes, Ma'am?"
"The forces within the system that are helping the enemy."
Rio's eyes widened even more as if he had never expected this story.
"I think I figured out part of it."
I said, closing the nobleman's almanac I had been reading a moment ago.
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Sobbing. May this kind of love find every lonely soul reading this novel 😭
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