“It’s not true.”
I added force to my voice.
“Even if I was out of my mind from the shock of seeing a masked man in my bedroom, I’m not so ignorant as to not know what would happen if I pulled a sword on me.”
Most of the nobles nodded at my words.
“That’s false! She clearly stabbed herself in the heart by holding the blade like this!”
Prince Tesla shouted, demonstrating with both hands.
“Be quiet! I ask Your Majesty, the only witness. Did you actually see Prince Tesla stab Her Highness Zelda with the sword?”
The High Priest turned to Linel, who was sitting on the same platform but somewhat distant, and asked politely.
“That’s correct. When I opened the bedroom door, Zelda was already blocking the sword with both hands, and Prince Tesla was about to plunge the sword into her heart when our eyes met, and he faltered.”
A look of bewilderment crossed Prince Tesla’s face at Linel’s testimony.
But Prince Tesla quickly regained his composure, perhaps expecting the testimony to some degree.
“Is it true that you hesitated when you saw that the person entering the bedroom was Your Highness?”
The High Priest asked Prince Tesla.
“T-That’s true, but as I said, I wasn’t the one who stabbed you with the sword!”
“If I hadn’t blocked it with my hand, it would have sunk deep into my heart! It was only at that moment that His Majesty entered the bedroom that I was spared.”
I looked straight into Prince Tesla’s face as I continued.
“Besides, the sword Prince Tesla claims he found in my quarters wasn’t the Incarnation Sword.”
My words stirred the nobles, including the High Priest.
“Don’t be fooled! Everything will be revealed tomorrow anyway! And yet, Her Highness Zelda is mocking the High Priest and the nobles gathered here to avoid this moment!”
Prince Tesla shouted, pointing a finger at me.
I caught sight of Roxana snorting at me.
I wanted to laugh out loud at the sight of the two, but I held it back.
Zelda's quarters were bustling with guards from the main palace and the Empress's palace.
Following orders from the Grand Hall, the guards searched the old building thoroughly, searching for traces of the Incarnation Sword.
The attendants working in Zelda's quarters were all trapped inside, unable to leave their quarters, and could only watch the guards bustling about.
The captain of the guards from the main palace and the captain of the guards from the Empress's palace went straight to the bedroom floor.
"This is where we must focus our attention!"
The captain of the guards from the main palace ordered the guards and open the bedroom door.
Sharon and Nancy followed them into the bedroom.
Sharon, in her capacity as the head of Zelda's quarters, and Nancy, under the orders of Empress Roxana, kept watch, following the two captains the entire time.
A solemn expression appeared on the faces of the two attendants as they entered the bedroom.
Just then, the voice of the captain of the Empress's guard came from the dressing room attached to the bedroom.
"I found the sword!"
Sharon and Nancy rushed into the dressing room.
"Prince Tesla said there's an incarnation sword, right, Moni~?"
The captain of the Empress's guard said, stroking the ruby gemstone embedded in the sword's hilt.
"Oh my, Prince Tesla's testimony was correct, wasn't it?"
Nancy glanced at Sharon and sneered.
Sharon remained silent, staring at the fake incarnation sword, not forgetting to deliberately frown.
"Now Her Highness Zelda is in big trouble, isn't she, Moiya~?"
The captain of the main palace's guard took out the white cloth he had been carrying to collect evidence and wrapped the fake incarnation sword around it.
Sharon's heart raced as she watched Moiya and Moni transform into guard captains.
However, both of them performed their roles with considerable dignity, surpassing her fears.
After finding the fake incarnation sword in the dressing room, the two wyverns started to do a shoulder dance simultaneously, startling her. Fortunately, Nancy was looking away, so she was able to get through it safely.
The movements seemed too frivolous and light for the dignified and solemn captains of the guards, so she might have suspected that Nancy had seen the two wyverns' shoulder dance.
Sharon brushed her chest and secretly sighed in relief. But in that moment, the captain of the guards from the main palace found a sausage in his pocket. He lifted the sword he was holding at his waist, cut the sausage in half, and handed half to the captain of the guards from the Empress's palace. Just then, Nancy's head turned to the two troublemakers.
I added force to my voice.
“Even if I was out of my mind from the shock of seeing a masked man in my bedroom, I’m not so ignorant as to not know what would happen if I pulled a sword on me.”
Most of the nobles nodded at my words.
“That’s false! She clearly stabbed herself in the heart by holding the blade like this!”
Prince Tesla shouted, demonstrating with both hands.
“Be quiet! I ask Your Majesty, the only witness. Did you actually see Prince Tesla stab Her Highness Zelda with the sword?”
The High Priest turned to Linel, who was sitting on the same platform but somewhat distant, and asked politely.
“That’s correct. When I opened the bedroom door, Zelda was already blocking the sword with both hands, and Prince Tesla was about to plunge the sword into her heart when our eyes met, and he faltered.”
A look of bewilderment crossed Prince Tesla’s face at Linel’s testimony.
But Prince Tesla quickly regained his composure, perhaps expecting the testimony to some degree.
“Is it true that you hesitated when you saw that the person entering the bedroom was Your Highness?”
The High Priest asked Prince Tesla.
“T-That’s true, but as I said, I wasn’t the one who stabbed you with the sword!”
“If I hadn’t blocked it with my hand, it would have sunk deep into my heart! It was only at that moment that His Majesty entered the bedroom that I was spared.”
I looked straight into Prince Tesla’s face as I continued.
“Besides, the sword Prince Tesla claims he found in my quarters wasn’t the Incarnation Sword.”
My words stirred the nobles, including the High Priest.
“Don’t be fooled! Everything will be revealed tomorrow anyway! And yet, Her Highness Zelda is mocking the High Priest and the nobles gathered here to avoid this moment!”
Prince Tesla shouted, pointing a finger at me.
I caught sight of Roxana snorting at me.
I wanted to laugh out loud at the sight of the two, but I held it back.
***
Zelda's quarters were bustling with guards from the main palace and the Empress's palace.
Following orders from the Grand Hall, the guards searched the old building thoroughly, searching for traces of the Incarnation Sword.
The attendants working in Zelda's quarters were all trapped inside, unable to leave their quarters, and could only watch the guards bustling about.
The captain of the guards from the main palace and the captain of the guards from the Empress's palace went straight to the bedroom floor.
"This is where we must focus our attention!"
The captain of the guards from the main palace ordered the guards and open the bedroom door.
Sharon and Nancy followed them into the bedroom.
Sharon, in her capacity as the head of Zelda's quarters, and Nancy, under the orders of Empress Roxana, kept watch, following the two captains the entire time.
A solemn expression appeared on the faces of the two attendants as they entered the bedroom.
Just then, the voice of the captain of the Empress's guard came from the dressing room attached to the bedroom.
"I found the sword!"
Sharon and Nancy rushed into the dressing room.
"Prince Tesla said there's an incarnation sword, right, Moni~?"
The captain of the Empress's guard said, stroking the ruby gemstone embedded in the sword's hilt.
"Oh my, Prince Tesla's testimony was correct, wasn't it?"
Nancy glanced at Sharon and sneered.
Sharon remained silent, staring at the fake incarnation sword, not forgetting to deliberately frown.
"Now Her Highness Zelda is in big trouble, isn't she, Moiya~?"
The captain of the main palace's guard took out the white cloth he had been carrying to collect evidence and wrapped the fake incarnation sword around it.
Sharon's heart raced as she watched Moiya and Moni transform into guard captains.
However, both of them performed their roles with considerable dignity, surpassing her fears.
After finding the fake incarnation sword in the dressing room, the two wyverns started to do a shoulder dance simultaneously, startling her. Fortunately, Nancy was looking away, so she was able to get through it safely.
The movements seemed too frivolous and light for the dignified and solemn captains of the guards, so she might have suspected that Nancy had seen the two wyverns' shoulder dance.
Sharon brushed her chest and secretly sighed in relief. But in that moment, the captain of the guards from the main palace found a sausage in his pocket. He lifted the sword he was holding at his waist, cut the sausage in half, and handed half to the captain of the guards from the Empress's palace. Just then, Nancy's head turned to the two troublemakers.
'I can't live because of you.'
Sharon quickly covered the sausage-sharing scene between the two with her body, barely blocking Nancy's view.
'Moiya, Moni... Please!'
After a while, Sharon turned to the two captains of the guards and cursed harshly with her eyes. The captains of the guards, who had come out of the dressing room with sausages in their mouths, looked down at the dog and cat sitting in the middle of the bedroom.
It was Aoshi and Nana.
"Hey, how can a lowly cat come in when humans are handling important business? Isn't it rude, Moiya~?"
"There's even a wrinkled little dog, Moni~?"
"Captain of the guards, Nana is the dog that Her Majesty the Empress is raising..."
Nancy approached the captains of the guards of the Empress's palace and whispered.
"Nana, or you two, why did you bring that dog all the way here?"
Moni reprimanded Roxana's servant in a rather dignified voice.
“I’m sorry. Nana kept following me around, so I couldn’t help it. But as you know, she’s so well-behaved even in the Empress’s Palace that I thought you wouldn’t be bothered.”
“She doesn’t look like she’s well-behaved, so what are you talking about?”
Moni pouted, glared at Nancy, and then glared at Nana again.
Moiya patted Moni on the shoulder as if to soothe her.
“Stop it. What crime has Miss Wrinkle committed?”
If she’s guilty, it’s only for chasing Aoshi.
Moiya stopped Moni, who was half-drawing her sword at Nana, by grabbing her hand.
Moni secretly looked at Moiya, who was circling around Nana, with displeasure.
“Huh? This idiot wyvern has a crush on wrinkle, Moni~?!?”
“I think the incarnation found her in the black dressing room.”
Hetor relayed to Roxana what he had just heard from his adjutant.
“Are you sure? You even confirmed that there’s a red jewel embedded in the sword?”
Roxana’s voice rose, unable to hide her excitement.
Hetor nodded.
While she believed Prince Tesla, her suspicions were strong. But to think Zelda really had the Avatar Sword?
Roxana couldn’t hide her joy.
“I’m not mistaken, am I?”
“Our captain of the guard found it himself, so it must be certain.”
Roxana burst out laughing at Hetor’s words.
She, too, was certain that the sword she’d found in the dressing room was the Avatar Sword.
“But... how did she hide the Avatar Sword? Didn’t she have her attendants search through everything when she moved her belongings from the main palace?”
Hetor questioned.
“It’s possible that a third party kept it and sneaked in at night like Prince Tesla to deliver it.”
Hetor shook his head in response.
“No one would... take that risk, would they?”
Moreover, under Roxana's orders, Hetor had been closely monitoring those around Zelda since her demotion to concubine.
In fact, Hetor's guess was correct.
It wasn't a human, but baby wyverns who delivered the Incarnation Sword to Zelda.
Anticipating Roxana's surveillance, Zelda hid it in the training hall storage room the night she retrieved it from the Empress's Palace.
It wasn't a human, but Moiya and Moni, disguised as guards, who brought it back to Zelda's quarters.
"Doesn't it matter who delivered the Incarnation Sword? What matters is that it's back in my hands."
Roxana shrugged, dismissing it as nothing.
Besides, if the Incarnation Sword were submitted as evidence at tomorrow's trial, Zelda's claims would be proven false.
Zelda's position would be weakened in many ways.
Therefore, whoever had brought the Incarnation Sword to Zelda's quarters didn't matter to Roxana at all.
Fatigue washed over me as I returned from the Great Temple.
I soaked in the cold bathtub.
The once-crowded atmosphere in the quarters had become somewhat subdued after the trial ended, and the captains of the royal guards from the main palace and the Empress's palace had retrieved the fake incarnation sword from the dressing room.
But that was only the atmosphere within the servants' quarters. The atmosphere inside the bathroom, where he and I were now, was quite different.
"Isn't the water too cold?"
He asked with a surprised look, sitting on the edge of the tub and stirring the water with one hand.
"This is the perfect temperature for me to bathe in. The water warms up quickly. Did you forget?"
"Oh, right. Even though I know, I keep forgetting because our body temperatures are so opposite."
I took his hand out of the water and grabbed it.
"It's about to freeze. What do I do if I forget my own body temperature and plunge my hand into the cold water?"
"I guess I knew you'd hold my hand like this."
His shy, grinning smile made my unwashed body tingle.
“Where are you keeping the sword you brought?”
“There’s a separate evidence storage room in the Grand Temple for the trial. Our proud captain of the guards has it there.”
“Did Moiya go there himself?”
“The captain of the guards from the Empress’s Palace, who fell in love with me, went with him.”
“Did Moiya and Moni behave properly here earlier?”
I asked worriedly.
“It seemed like they were doing a good job reporting to me when they came to the office.”
He seemed to have more faith in them than I did.
“But they’ll both be leaving the guard captains’ bodies after the trial. Won’t they find it strange?”
“Oh, and Moiya said he could implant memories of the guard captains.”
“Really? That’s fortunate, but I think they’ll still feel a little strange.”
“Even so, they’d never think a wyvern was inside them. Don’t worry.”
He said, stroking my head, then stood up.
“Are you going to go out?”
“Why do you want me to watch you bathe?”
“No!”
Without realizing it, I crossed my arms and wrapped them around my shoulders.
His eyes narrowed as he looked down at me.
“Sorry. I misspoke. I'm not helping a pregnant woman, I'm just talking nonsense.”
“...Huh? Huh? What are you doing? Why are you in here?”
Linel, still clothed, entered the increasingly hot bathtub, hugged me from behind, and sat down.
The water in the bathtub sloshed and overflowed.
“To wash you.”
“Yes, yes. I can wash myself!”
Why was this man doing this already when I wasn’t even uncomfortable from being full?
Sharon quickly covered the sausage-sharing scene between the two with her body, barely blocking Nancy's view.
'Moiya, Moni... Please!'
After a while, Sharon turned to the two captains of the guards and cursed harshly with her eyes. The captains of the guards, who had come out of the dressing room with sausages in their mouths, looked down at the dog and cat sitting in the middle of the bedroom.
It was Aoshi and Nana.
"Hey, how can a lowly cat come in when humans are handling important business? Isn't it rude, Moiya~?"
"There's even a wrinkled little dog, Moni~?"
"Captain of the guards, Nana is the dog that Her Majesty the Empress is raising..."
Nancy approached the captains of the guards of the Empress's palace and whispered.
"Nana, or you two, why did you bring that dog all the way here?"
Moni reprimanded Roxana's servant in a rather dignified voice.
“I’m sorry. Nana kept following me around, so I couldn’t help it. But as you know, she’s so well-behaved even in the Empress’s Palace that I thought you wouldn’t be bothered.”
“She doesn’t look like she’s well-behaved, so what are you talking about?”
Moni pouted, glared at Nancy, and then glared at Nana again.
Moiya patted Moni on the shoulder as if to soothe her.
“Stop it. What crime has Miss Wrinkle committed?”
If she’s guilty, it’s only for chasing Aoshi.
Moiya stopped Moni, who was half-drawing her sword at Nana, by grabbing her hand.
Moni secretly looked at Moiya, who was circling around Nana, with displeasure.
“Huh? This idiot wyvern has a crush on wrinkle, Moni~?!?”
***
“I think the incarnation found her in the black dressing room.”
Hetor relayed to Roxana what he had just heard from his adjutant.
“Are you sure? You even confirmed that there’s a red jewel embedded in the sword?”
Roxana’s voice rose, unable to hide her excitement.
Hetor nodded.
While she believed Prince Tesla, her suspicions were strong. But to think Zelda really had the Avatar Sword?
Roxana couldn’t hide her joy.
“I’m not mistaken, am I?”
“Our captain of the guard found it himself, so it must be certain.”
Roxana burst out laughing at Hetor’s words.
She, too, was certain that the sword she’d found in the dressing room was the Avatar Sword.
“But... how did she hide the Avatar Sword? Didn’t she have her attendants search through everything when she moved her belongings from the main palace?”
Hetor questioned.
“It’s possible that a third party kept it and sneaked in at night like Prince Tesla to deliver it.”
Hetor shook his head in response.
“No one would... take that risk, would they?”
Moreover, under Roxana's orders, Hetor had been closely monitoring those around Zelda since her demotion to concubine.
In fact, Hetor's guess was correct.
It wasn't a human, but baby wyverns who delivered the Incarnation Sword to Zelda.
Anticipating Roxana's surveillance, Zelda hid it in the training hall storage room the night she retrieved it from the Empress's Palace.
It wasn't a human, but Moiya and Moni, disguised as guards, who brought it back to Zelda's quarters.
"Doesn't it matter who delivered the Incarnation Sword? What matters is that it's back in my hands."
Roxana shrugged, dismissing it as nothing.
Besides, if the Incarnation Sword were submitted as evidence at tomorrow's trial, Zelda's claims would be proven false.
Zelda's position would be weakened in many ways.
Therefore, whoever had brought the Incarnation Sword to Zelda's quarters didn't matter to Roxana at all.
***
Fatigue washed over me as I returned from the Great Temple.
I soaked in the cold bathtub.
The once-crowded atmosphere in the quarters had become somewhat subdued after the trial ended, and the captains of the royal guards from the main palace and the Empress's palace had retrieved the fake incarnation sword from the dressing room.
But that was only the atmosphere within the servants' quarters. The atmosphere inside the bathroom, where he and I were now, was quite different.
"Isn't the water too cold?"
He asked with a surprised look, sitting on the edge of the tub and stirring the water with one hand.
"This is the perfect temperature for me to bathe in. The water warms up quickly. Did you forget?"
"Oh, right. Even though I know, I keep forgetting because our body temperatures are so opposite."
I took his hand out of the water and grabbed it.
"It's about to freeze. What do I do if I forget my own body temperature and plunge my hand into the cold water?"
"I guess I knew you'd hold my hand like this."
His shy, grinning smile made my unwashed body tingle.
“Where are you keeping the sword you brought?”
“There’s a separate evidence storage room in the Grand Temple for the trial. Our proud captain of the guards has it there.”
“Did Moiya go there himself?”
“The captain of the guards from the Empress’s Palace, who fell in love with me, went with him.”
“Did Moiya and Moni behave properly here earlier?”
I asked worriedly.
“It seemed like they were doing a good job reporting to me when they came to the office.”
He seemed to have more faith in them than I did.
“But they’ll both be leaving the guard captains’ bodies after the trial. Won’t they find it strange?”
“Oh, and Moiya said he could implant memories of the guard captains.”
“Really? That’s fortunate, but I think they’ll still feel a little strange.”
“Even so, they’d never think a wyvern was inside them. Don’t worry.”
He said, stroking my head, then stood up.
“Are you going to go out?”
“Why do you want me to watch you bathe?”
“No!”
Without realizing it, I crossed my arms and wrapped them around my shoulders.
His eyes narrowed as he looked down at me.
“Sorry. I misspoke. I'm not helping a pregnant woman, I'm just talking nonsense.”
“...Huh? Huh? What are you doing? Why are you in here?”
Linel, still clothed, entered the increasingly hot bathtub, hugged me from behind, and sat down.
The water in the bathtub sloshed and overflowed.
“To wash you.”
“Yes, yes. I can wash myself!”
Why was this man doing this already when I wasn’t even uncomfortable from being full?
“Our baby might prefer being washed by his father.”
He stroked my belly with both hands.
His unexpected physical contact made me feel feverish, and the temperature of the bathtub water rose. But strangely, my stomach felt more relaxed.
As my back touched his, the muscles in my body, which had been tense without me realizing it, slowly relaxed, like a ribbon unraveling.
“Ugh!”
I heard Linel gag behind me.
“What’s wrong? I didn’t wash my hair today...”
Was that why he was feeling nauseous?
I turned to him, feeling a pang of pang.
“I think it’s morning sickness,”
He said, slowly removing the hand covering his mouth.
“Your Majesty...?”
“Yes, I feel nauseous for no reason, and then suddenly craving something, so I think it’s definitely morning sickness.”
I remembered hearing somewhere that a husband could suffer from morning sickness in his wife’s stead.
“...What would you like to eat?”
I turned my head curiously to ask.
“This for now.”
Linel devoured my lips in one gulp, her eyes filled with hunger.
He stroked my belly with both hands.
His unexpected physical contact made me feel feverish, and the temperature of the bathtub water rose. But strangely, my stomach felt more relaxed.
As my back touched his, the muscles in my body, which had been tense without me realizing it, slowly relaxed, like a ribbon unraveling.
“Ugh!”
I heard Linel gag behind me.
“What’s wrong? I didn’t wash my hair today...”
Was that why he was feeling nauseous?
I turned to him, feeling a pang of pang.
“I think it’s morning sickness,”
He said, slowly removing the hand covering his mouth.
“Your Majesty...?”
“Yes, I feel nauseous for no reason, and then suddenly craving something, so I think it’s definitely morning sickness.”
I remembered hearing somewhere that a husband could suffer from morning sickness in his wife’s stead.
“...What would you like to eat?”
I turned my head curiously to ask.
“This for now.”
Linel devoured my lips in one gulp, her eyes filled with hunger.
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