“Yes.”
He moved his lips very slowly so that I could understand. Our eyes met closely because he bent down.
I felt his lips as a blind man gropes for letters and understood.
“Yes, the law.”
It may have sounded a little similar. To my ears, it sounded pretty plausible.
As I smiled contentedly, Laskan smiled back. Even that small smile was transmitted to .y fingertips.
“When I look at you, I lose track of time.”
Finally, he let go of my hand and said.
Whenever I listened to Laskan, I felt like I had become a very lively woman. A person with great speaking skills who could make the other person completely absorbed in the conversation.
I tried not to blush too much, but I guess I was failing because my face was starting to burn.
“I asked you what you were doing here earlier. I was waiting for you.”
“Me? Why?”
“I sent a messenger to the palace and received a reply by dawn. He said that he would come to see you in person from the palace within a few days.”
“...What did you say?”
Someone from the palace? Everything seemed to have come to me so quickly and out of control.
I asked hastily, completely forgetting Isabella's advice.
“Oh, how did things go so quickly?”
“Do you know the knight Enoch?”
My thoughts, which had been running quickly, became tangled.
“Did you... find him? My, my clothes too? Were they really the ones that belonged to Her Highness the missing Princess?”
“That’s what I see. Enoch knew that we were protecting you, so he came back and told us the whole story.”
“Where is Enoch now? Can I meet him? I ran away without saying anything back then...”
"He volunteered for the Northern Expeditionary Force to repay the crime of arbitrarily forcing the safety of the royal family. He plans to depart within ten days. Do you want to meet him?”
I nodded. There were things I had to apologize to Enoch for and things I was grateful for.
And I didn't think he forced me to do it. Rather, he protected me, and my heart was twisted, and I couldn't accept it at face value.
If Enoch volunteered for the Northern Expedition because of me, I wanted to tell him not to do it.
“I will arrange a place for you soon. You can't meet him alone, so you will need to bring Cesare with you.”
“Anything is fine.”
I answered him quickly before he could change his mind.
“Then are there any other problems?”
“For now. It’s just that everything happened so suddenly... I’m a little confused. I thought it would take longer. Or maybe they’ll conclude that I’m not the one.”
“The evidence was sufficient, and I trusted your testimony. I simply decided there was no reason to delay any longer.”
Do you trust my testimony? I was momentarily speechless. Me, who grew up in the back alleys, tangled with swindlers, hustlers, and pickpockets?
Of course, I didn't lie to him, but we are people who, when we're bored, are quick to accuse others of nothing. So it was a bit strange for someone of such high status to trust me so easily.
I asked back, dumbfounded.
“...You really believed me?”
“I don’t think everything you said was a lie.”
It was a statement that could be interpreted in two ways.
Either you believe everything I say, or you believe only some of it.
“It is not me who will make the judgment, but the Emperor himself who will see you and make the decision. Even if he acknowledges you as the Princess, it will not be easy to persuade the Privy Council members. Many of them are on Kairak’s side, so they will try to delay your entry into the palace as much as possible.”
“...”
“That means my workload has doubled.”
He added slowly. Judging from the soft curve of his lips, he must have been joking.
Because he was such a neat-looking person, his jokes didn't sound like jokes.
Anyway, since I had already received a call from the palace, I couldn't just turn back now.
Let it be. If it really is the case, you can just crawl through the drain to escape.
Instead of worrying about my bones breaking, I shrugged.
“Your Excellency, may I ask you one thing?”
“Anything.”
“Everyone says that the Duke was a playmate of Her Highness Princess Anastasia when she was young.”
“...”
“I have no memories of my childhood, but Your Excellency, I’m sure you do. No, let’s leave out the similarities in appearance, complicated political talk, and all that. What do you really think, Your Excellency? Do you believe that I am... Her Highness Princess Anastasia?”
He looked at me like he was meeting me for the first time today.
The flow of his gaze slowly continued from head to toe. What was he looking at? Princess Anastasia as a child? Or, the Princess as she had grown up?
His gaze, which had descended to below my knees, rose again and met. Laskan looked at me for a very long time. So long that I could even distinguish the shape of his pupils.
Finally, he took a step back. Laskan bowed gracefully.
***
“The unprecedented famine that began in 367, coupled with the poor harvest, sparked the Perth Civil War... Miss, Miss Sasha! Are you paying attention right now?”
Cesare asked sharply. I forced my gaze, which had been looking out the window, back down to the book.
The thousand-page history book spread out before me no longer looked like a book but almost like a weapon.
Where did it all start? Yeah, it was fine until I started learning about politics.
The more I understood how the laws made by those in power with complacency had caused trouble for the common people, the more frustrated I became.
Theology was somewhat manageable. The answer was, to be honest and moral. If you just memorize a few prayers, you seem somewhat faithful.
But history. This one really had no answer. It was something you could learn until the country changed, the King changed, or a major law was promulgated.
But when the number of clans exceeded several dozen, and the names of the heads of those clans began to change almost every six months due to civil wars, it really felt like I was going to go crazy.
“I heard that...”
I replied glumly. But Cesare was merciless.
“Then read the following.”
...I really want to get violent. If only I knew how. And if only Cesare’s gaze were a little less scary.
But the most I could do in protest was to slam the book shut.
“Isn’t there anything simpler? Something boiled down to just the most important things.”
“This is also a very abbreviated version! You absolutely must memorize this much.”
Cesare scolded me strictly. As I was doing this, I felt like I was a poor student.
I timidly banged the desk with both hands.
“Just a few days ago, you told me that you were very satisfied with my progress to this point!”
“That’s true. Compared to the general level of education, you’ve achieved remarkable results in a short time. At first, you even had difficulty reading.”
“...”
...I will never say that the letters are so dirty and complicated gore.
Cesare's protest became a little more eloquent as if he had read my rebellious gaze.
“But your opponent is the Young Lady of Duke of Kairak. You should never be satisfied with ordinary achievements. You have to master the basics to survive!”
This is the basics, I'm dying. I collapsed on the desk.
That Young Lady of Duke of Kairak. I wonder what kind of enmity he had with me in his past life that he keeps getting entangled in every little thing.
“Just how great is that woman?”
“She is the valedictorian of Branford College.”
I waited for him to continue, but Cesare kept his mouth shut. As if I had to know that she was great just by mentioning her name.
It was only when he saw my indifferent expression that he realized that a more detailed explanation was needed.
“It is one of the best educational institutions in the entire Western Continent. It is not a place where just anyone can enter, even if they are nobles. Selection is made through a thorough examination. It is also notorious for its grueling educational process that takes at least six years to graduate.”
“But.”
“She entered there at the age of fifteen and graduated in exactly three years. After graduation, she studied abroad for a year in the Duchy of Sierra. She majored in political science and diplomacy and even has a minor in anthropology. Officially, she has been confirmed to speak four foreign languages fluently.”
I gaped. Do you want me to keep up with that guy? She has all sorts of degrees, has studied abroad, and is fluent in only four languages, officially.
This was a fight whose outcome was obvious from the start.
“...Do I even have a chance of winning?”
“If it’s before Princess Kairak is officially registered as the Emperor, then no matter how outstanding she is, her bloodline is no match for Her Highness the Princess.”
In the end, it was a story about believing in bloodlines and going after them. It wasn't even certain whether I had that bloodline or not.
Cesare, seeing me sullen, added in a gentle voice.
“Still, you have a good ability to deal with situations. Moreover, you have been able to read difficult books fluently in just two weeks. If you just put in a little more effort...”
“...How much longer from here?”
“How much sleep do you have now?”
“From eleven to seven o’clock...”
I answered absentmindedly but then trailed off with an ominous feeling.
“If you reduce your sleeping hours from twelve to five, you can pretty much finish the basic training course within the next six months. The rest can be dealt with as needed.”
“...Sir, are you really crazy?”
“I have repeatedly told you not to use such vulgar language...”
I quickly corrected him before his nagging got any longer.
“I seriously question your mental state.”
"Great."
I wondered if this was something to be praised, but seeing Cesare's proud expression made me lose my courage.
Instead of arguing about petty things, I decided to ask questions.
“But, Sir Cesare.”
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