When I opened my eyes again, I was alone. It seemed like the sun had risen a long time ago, and the bright sunlight was pouring in from beyond the window.
Knock, knock.
At that perfect time, there was a knock.
"Madam, are you awake?"
"Sophie?"
"Madam!"
The door opened wide and Sophie came running with a face full of joy.
"Oh, you're really awake! I heard that you woke up once in the dawn, but I was so worried because you seemed to have slept too long."
Dawn. When I heard that word, memories of dawn came to mind as if it were natural. I felt my face getting hot and bit my lip slightly.
"You were my first kiss."
...Even thinking about it again, it was absurd. What kind of hint was that?
My heart was beating so fast with words that I couldn't understand at all. Rather than finding a clue, I was even more confused as if my head was going to explode, so I almost begged for an explanation...
"No."
Dante was cold.
"You shouldn't have forgotten in the first place."
The reproachful voice was extremely harsh... It didn't match the posture that was still pressing down on me as if he was going to crush me. Suddenly, I became aware of my posture and twisted my body without realizing it, and Dante frowned.
"Don't move recklessly."
My body froze as if I was under arrest by the deeply subdued voice. I was once again struck by the fact that there was so much surface area that was in contact. Is this what it feels like to be crushed by the front legs of a huge beast?
But strangely, my heart was racing so fast, and it didn't seem to be due to anxiety or fear. Rather, it was as if I was expecting something... This is crazy. Dante grabbed my chin. I closed my eyes tightly without realizing it. I heard a low click of the tongue from above my head.
"You said absolute stability was important. I guess you can't learn without pushing yourself."
At first glance, it sounded calm, but there was a tangled mess of unresolved heat in that voice. A voice scratching at my ear sent shivers down my spine. The moment I flinched, he stood up. Like the most determined person in the world.
"Eat well and get plenty of rest. Unless you want to keep testing me."
Then he left the room, leaving behind a heat and body odor that would not fade away on my skin for a long time.
"Madam, madam! Are you okay?"
"...Ah, Sophie. Yes, I am really okay now after a good night's sleep."
As I was trying to comfort Sophie, the doctor soon came in and began examining me.
"You are much better. Your pulse and breathing are normal. It seems that the good sleep helped a lot."
"You did very well."
The butler Oren, who came in with the doctor, praised me with a pleased face. Even though all I did was sleep soundly. Oren smiled and asked,
"I prepared some nutritious food, should I have you eat it now?"
"Yes, please. But..."
I tried not to sound too self-conscious.
"What about the Duke?"
"Oh, the master is out."
"I see. Can you tell me where he went?"
The butler answered after a moment of hesitation.
"I understand he went to the basement of the palace."
Everyone knows that the most heavily guarded dungeon in the empire is located beneath the palace.
"I see."
I nodded nonchalantly.
"I'm thinking of going out, too. Is that okay?"
"Yes? But you still need to rest..."
"The doctor said that taking a walk outside in the sunlight would help. I'll just take a quick walk around the city."
Oren hesitated for a moment, then nodded obediently.
"Yes, ma'am. Then I'll assign a knight and a coachman to accompany you. Where are you going?"
"<Empire's Morning> headquarters."
Oren's eyes widened.
***
"Duchess!"
Elias Reiner, a man I'd met several times, greeted me warmly.
'I didn't know you were the owner.'
I thought that a high-ranking noble would just own a newspaper company and leave it to his subordinates, but it was unexpected.
"It's an honor that the Duchess herself has come to a place like this."
"I'm the one who came unexpectedly, but thank you for welcoming me."
"Of course, you should be welcome anytime. Whose wife are you?"
Elias said with a smile. Every time I saw him, I thought about him, but he was such a friendly person. Maybe that's why Dante seemed to treat him so comfortably.
"By the way, are you feeling better now? I can't tell you how surprised I was when you suddenly collapsed yesterday."
"It seems like I strained my body a bit while preparing for the music festival. Thanks to your concern, I'm fine now."
"This is news that all the people of the island will welcome."
Elias continued with a grin.
"I'm telling you this because I've met you, but your performance was really impressive."
"Ah... Thank you."
I said with an ambiguous smile. The praise that was directly poured on me still felt a little awkward.
"Really! The Duchess is definitely the hottest topic of the current Foundation Day. It's not for nothing that I said it was an honor to have you come. Since you came all this way, I would like to ask you for an interview, but..."
Elias glanced at me as he said that.
"It was only yesterday that you collapsed, so I can't ask you to do something burdensome. Of course, it will be a great, very big windfall for our newspaper..."
Elias gave me another quick glance, and when our eyes met, he smiled kindly and pretended not to know. It was clear what he wanted. '<Empire's Morning> must already have an overwhelming market share, but he really is a person who puts his heart into his business...
I felt a sense of relief inside. It seemed like my plan would work as expected.
"I'm also an avid reader of <Empire's Morning>. I would be most honored if you could publish my interview."
"Really, Duchess?!"
Elias asked back, startled. He didn't expect me to get an answer so quickly. I smiled and nodded.
"If you want, you can take pictures, and I can also provide information about the instruments I used when composing, and related anecdotes. If that can enrich the special issue, as I said, it would be an honor for me."
"Oh, my goodness."
Elias covered his mouth with his hand. I almost laughed a little at his truly speechless appearance. He really is a man who is serious about his newspaper.
"It will enrich. It will enrich. It will explode. Both the circulation and my heart."
I smiled faintly as Elias nodded enthusiastically in agreement.
"I feel so good that you welcome me like this. But... would it be okay if I asked you a small favor?"
"Oh!"
Elias smiled happily.
"Any help I can give you."
"I was just wondering if I could look at some old newspapers."
"Oh, of course!"
Elias walked over to his desk.
"Shall I show you a few days' worth of newspapers? Let's see, there should be about a month's worth here..."
"Do you have newspapers from 314?"
Elias's hand, which was rummaging under the desk, stopped.
"If it's 314... That's ten years ago."
"Right."
If I had simply needed newspapers from the past few months or a year, I could have simply stopped by the palace library. The reason I had come all the way here was because I needed older records.
I looked at Elias with a smile on my face, unfazed. He blinked in confusion as he faced me.
***
"This is where all the newspapers of the <Empire's Morning>, with its long history from the first issue to today's, are perfectly preserved."
Elias said as he guided me through the underground space where the sound echoed muffled. I slowly looked around. Since it was a newspaper company that had been publishing since printing technology was introduced to the empire, the volume was extremely large.
"If you tell me in detail what you are looking for, I, Elias, will help you."
"I appreciate your kind words, but may I look for it on my own?"
Elias's curious eyes were fixed on me. However, instead of asking questions, he simply stroked the back of his head and nodded.
"Of course, Duchess. Feel free to look around."
Elias left the basement. Left alone, I looked around the vast bookshelves. They seemed to be neatly organized by year. I took out one of the newspapers, a date I remembered.
<Empire Morning>, Issue 102, Year 324. The headline that day was as follows: Dante Heigenberg succeeds the Duke.
Below that was a photo of Dante's triumphal day. Even though it was a blurry black-and-white photo, the distinct facial features and the arrogant smile on his lips were clearly visible. I looked at the photo for a moment, then put the newspaper back and went back a long way.
<Empire Morning>, issue 300, year 316. A newspaper from ten years ago. Nothing stood out. I picked up the previous issue right away.
Issue 299, still nothing special. Issue 298, 297...
"Ah."
I froze in a daze, holding issue 41 of year 314.
Heigenberg, the youngest Prince, goes missing.
[He is believed to have fallen in the upper reaches of the Eren River, and the search is difficult as there are no witnesses...]
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