Lily and Rams ran and ran, avoiding the gaze of the palace maids, around the back garden path to the castle wall where the hole was.
“Lily may not know how to read and write, but she’s really good at jumping, right, Moiya~?”
“Rams is really fast, isn’t he~?”
Moiya and Moni watched the situation outside the castle wall, then looked down at Lily and Rams, who had safely arrived at the hole, and applauded them.
“Guys! We’ll go out and get the carriage, so once you get out of the hole, stick close to the wall. Got it?”
Lily asked excitedly at Moiya’s words.
“Are you going to transform into a coachman today?”
“That way we can get to the inn without being noticed, right, Moiya~?”
“Then Moni, you can turn into a horse.”
“...Lily. We’re not going out to play. Do you know what will happen if the master catches you? Let’s stay alert, please.”
After advising Lily, Moni flew back over the walls with Moiya to fetch the carriage.
Lily knew how dangerous it was to sneak out of the palace.
"What should I do? I can't stop laughing!"
The cause of her excitement was Rams's hand, which she had grabbed in the main hallway.
However, she had to let go, regretfully, because she had to move the stone blocking the hole.
The two of them worked together to roll the stone to the side. Lily was pleased, but Rams looked at the hole with a distraught expression.
"Do I really have to go all this way to see her?"
A sudden wave of doubt washed over her.
"How did Your Highness know about this place?"
Rams asked, looking at Lily, who was still smiling.
"Sharon told me. I was planning to use this place soon, and today is the day. It's an honor to crawl through the hole with you, Your Highness."
"...I'm sorry for making you go through such a difficult time because of me."
Rams had planned to turn back without hesitation if Lily showed any sign of wanting to go back.
But Lily...
“Not at all! I like adventures. Get out before we get noticed. Oh, it might be dangerous, so I’ll crawl out first!”
Without hesitation, she fell to the ground.
“Huh? No, over there...”
As soon as she finished speaking, Lily crawled low and quickly through the hole.
Rams, flustered, followed Lily and crawled out of the hole as if possessed by something.
As they exited the castle walls, a small carriage slowly pulled up in front of them.
“Whoa, whoa, whoa, you wingless things. You have to stop right here!”
Moiya, now in the body of a coachman, roared at the horses.
“Get in quickly.”
Moni opened the carriage door and gestured to Lily and Rams.
“Is it close from here?”
Rams asked as soon as they boarded the carriage.
“Oh, there’s an inn right inside the castle walls, Moni~.”
The unexpected name came out of Mathias’ mouth.
“...Resilia?! Where did you hear that name?!”
My loud voice drew everyone’s attention.
Everyone gathered around in surprise at the name ‘Resilia.’
“Didn’t Moiya and Moni tell Prince Rams that they found that person and that they would guide him?”
Emperor Norton frowned, unable to understand Rams’s actions.
Both of them seemed deeply shocked by Rams’s actions.
Linel and I were no exception.
It couldn’t have been more so since Lily was involved in this.
“From what I’ve heard, it seems Rams had Moiya and Moni look into Resilia’s whereabouts.”
I said this while looking at Rosie and Emperor Norton, my mind racing with thoughts of how to find the children.
“Was it Resilia’s turn to come to the Lapion Empire’s monastery this time?”
As Linel muttered to himself, Emperor Norton quietly added,
"Moiya and Moni must have found out where Resilia was staying at the palace before going to the monastery and informed Rams."
"That's highly likely. If we release the knights, we'll be able to find out where Resilia is staying. The problem is time,"
Linel replied with a worried expression.
"I'm worried that Princess Lily might be in danger because of Prince Rams. I'm truly sorry."
Emperor Norton came out and apologized to him.
"This wouldn't have happened if Lily hadn't stepped in. We're the ones who are truly sorry."
Linel nodded lightly.
I added, cautiously comforting,
"But since Moiya and Moni went together, there won't be any danger."
Everyone agreed.
Even if those two were acting up, we all knew they wouldn't put the children in danger or stand idly by if a dangerous situation arose.
Still, my heart was heavy...
Even excluding Prince Rams, there's never been a time when Lily, Moya, and Moni have teamed up and not caused trouble.
Having escaped the palace, which was heavily guarded and had many people trying to stop them, they were like unbridled colts.
"Who does she take after to be acting like this, really?"
I muttered to myself, but Linel glanced at me.
"...Why?"
"Lily takes after you completely. I only found out for sure today."
He whispered with conviction.
"What?"
"..."
I wanted to deny it, but since it was something I couldn't deny, I chose silence.
But there was something I overlooked. If the dog hole hadn't existed, Lily would have probably helped Prince Rams escape to the palace, even if it meant digging a new hole in the wall.
It might have been fortunate that there was already a hole in the wall.
“I know where Resilia is staying,”
Linel said as he was leaving the banquet hall to give orders to the knights. King Martins approached him and said,
“I’m sorry. I need to tell you quickly, but I didn’t expect Prince Rams to make the first move.”
“How did Your Majesty Martins know Resilia was staying in the palace?”
I asked in surprise. King Martins looked between me, Linel, and Emperor Norton and spoke.
“We’ve been keeping an eye on Tesla and Resilia.”
King Martins said he had placed someone within their respective factions.
Only then did Rosie breathe a sigh of relief.
Melanie and Catherine quickly wrapped their arms around her shoulders, offering comfort.
“If we can just escape the palace, we’ll meet Resilia since Moiya and Moni are here. Finding her is hard, but meeting her is easy.”
Catherine said, shaking her head.
“She won’t harm him when she meets his son. Don’t worry too much.”
Melanie tried to ease Rosie’s tension with a smile.
“That’s Prince Rams, right? I doubt he’d treat Princess Lily as a guest, do you?”
Hetor, who had been holding back his words with a serious expression, said to Melanie.
Hearing that, a chill ran down my spine.
That makes sense.
I hadn’t even thought about it that far...
I felt a surge of anxiety.
Linel, who was next to me, must have sensed my body temperature as he grabbed my hand.
A coolness quickly spread through my palm, but anxiety still burned fiercely.
“We need to find her quickly,”
Linel said, tightening his grip on my hand.
No one knew better than I that Resilia’s poison wouldn’t easily disappear with seven years, no, seventy years, of monastic life.
If it were my daughter who was the target of the poison, I wouldn’t hesitate.
“I must go to Bellos,”
I told him.
He understood my intentions. He knew that trying to stop her would be useless.
“Be careful. I will arrive as quickly as possible with the knights,”
Linel urged, kissing my cheek.
I nodded and looked at King Martins.
“Your Majesty, tell me the location of the inn where Resilia is staying.”
“Are you planning to go there using the magic tower master and teleportation?”
King Martins asked, taking a step forward.
“Yes, Prince Rams will be fine, but I don’t think we should let Lily meet Resilia.”
Everyone seemed to agree with me.
I hurried to Bellos's room with King Martins.
As Moni had said, the inn was located close to the palace.
About five minutes after entering the palace, the carriage stopped.
Moiya got out, opened the carriage door, and pointed across the street.
"Over there. Just go into that alley. Are you sure you're going?"
"I'll just see her faces from afar and come out,"
Rams replied, staring into the alley.
"Insignificant children aren't allowed in the inn."
Moiya and Moni looked around.
Just then, a respectable-looking middle-aged couple walked toward them.
Moiya and Moni exchanged glances and flew towards the couple, entering their bodies.
"You're our children now, aren't you, Moiya~?"
"A harmonious family walks hand in hand, right Moni~?"
The four of them, suddenly a family, walked hand in hand toward the inn in the alley, their pace in sync.
"Hey, smile, smile."
"Walk naturally."
The atmosphere was harmonious, but they were a family with no resemblance whatsoever.
“We’re family, please give us a room.”
Moiya said to the innkeeper upon arriving at the inn.
Fortunately, the inn was pay-as-you-go. They could just pop out the window later with the kids, and that would be it.
The middle-aged couple who had borrowed their room for a while would probably be surprised why they were in an inn room when they came to their senses, but since they looked so happy together just now, they probably wouldn’t dislike it that much.
Moiya and Moni concluded that.
The innkeeper, glancing at the four overly smiling faces one by one, couldn’t contain his curiosity and casually asked,
“The children all look different. Are they nieces and nephews?”
Moiya, Moni, Lily, and Rams all flinched.
Lily thought Rams wasn’t sincere.
For some reason, he seemed hesitant to meet her second mother-in-law, Resilia.
It wasn’t like he didn’t want to meet her.
If he had, he wouldn’t have crawled out of the hole.
‘I’ll have to take the lead this time too.’
If he wanted to eat, he would eat, if he wanted to see, he would see, if he wanted to go, he would go, and... Lily, who was a person of action who would scatter flowers or dirt whenever she wanted, felt somewhat frustrated with Rams.
‘Ah, maybe he's embarrassed. It’s been a while since he's seen her.’
“Lily may not know how to read and write, but she’s really good at jumping, right, Moiya~?”
“Rams is really fast, isn’t he~?”
Moiya and Moni watched the situation outside the castle wall, then looked down at Lily and Rams, who had safely arrived at the hole, and applauded them.
“Guys! We’ll go out and get the carriage, so once you get out of the hole, stick close to the wall. Got it?”
Lily asked excitedly at Moiya’s words.
“Are you going to transform into a coachman today?”
“That way we can get to the inn without being noticed, right, Moiya~?”
“Then Moni, you can turn into a horse.”
“...Lily. We’re not going out to play. Do you know what will happen if the master catches you? Let’s stay alert, please.”
After advising Lily, Moni flew back over the walls with Moiya to fetch the carriage.
Lily knew how dangerous it was to sneak out of the palace.
"What should I do? I can't stop laughing!"
The cause of her excitement was Rams's hand, which she had grabbed in the main hallway.
However, she had to let go, regretfully, because she had to move the stone blocking the hole.
The two of them worked together to roll the stone to the side. Lily was pleased, but Rams looked at the hole with a distraught expression.
"Do I really have to go all this way to see her?"
A sudden wave of doubt washed over her.
"How did Your Highness know about this place?"
Rams asked, looking at Lily, who was still smiling.
"Sharon told me. I was planning to use this place soon, and today is the day. It's an honor to crawl through the hole with you, Your Highness."
"...I'm sorry for making you go through such a difficult time because of me."
Rams had planned to turn back without hesitation if Lily showed any sign of wanting to go back.
But Lily...
“Not at all! I like adventures. Get out before we get noticed. Oh, it might be dangerous, so I’ll crawl out first!”
Without hesitation, she fell to the ground.
“Huh? No, over there...”
As soon as she finished speaking, Lily crawled low and quickly through the hole.
Rams, flustered, followed Lily and crawled out of the hole as if possessed by something.
As they exited the castle walls, a small carriage slowly pulled up in front of them.
“Whoa, whoa, whoa, you wingless things. You have to stop right here!”
Moiya, now in the body of a coachman, roared at the horses.
“Get in quickly.”
Moni opened the carriage door and gestured to Lily and Rams.
“Is it close from here?”
Rams asked as soon as they boarded the carriage.
“Oh, there’s an inn right inside the castle walls, Moni~.”
***
The unexpected name came out of Mathias’ mouth.
“...Resilia?! Where did you hear that name?!”
My loud voice drew everyone’s attention.
Everyone gathered around in surprise at the name ‘Resilia.’
“Didn’t Moiya and Moni tell Prince Rams that they found that person and that they would guide him?”
Could it be that Prince Rams really went to meet Resilia?
“Is she someone they have to meet in secret?”
Mathias asked with an innocent expression.
While I was momentarily dumbfounded,
“What is this...? Uh, our Rams went to meet Princess Resilia?”
Rosie asked thoughtfully.
“Yes, Your Majesty!”
Mathias’s friendly tidbits began.
“Prince Rams said they had to meet in secret. After hearing that, my mother’s daughter took the Prince’s hand like this and led him away.”
Mathias took Rosie’s hand and explained the situation I had seen familiarly.
“So, Mathias. Are you saying that Lily really took Prince Rams to the dog hole?”
Linel asked solemnly, but as soon as he said “dog hole,” a choked laugh could be heard.
However, the atmosphere was becoming serious, so it soon became quiet.
“Yes, Moiya and Moni followed him too.”
What was that?
“Is she someone they have to meet in secret?”
Mathias asked with an innocent expression.
While I was momentarily dumbfounded,
“What is this...? Uh, our Rams went to meet Princess Resilia?”
Rosie asked thoughtfully.
“Yes, Your Majesty!”
Mathias’s friendly tidbits began.
“Prince Rams said they had to meet in secret. After hearing that, my mother’s daughter took the Prince’s hand like this and led him away.”
Mathias took Rosie’s hand and explained the situation I had seen familiarly.
“So, Mathias. Are you saying that Lily really took Prince Rams to the dog hole?”
Linel asked solemnly, but as soon as he said “dog hole,” a choked laugh could be heard.
However, the atmosphere was becoming serious, so it soon became quiet.
“Yes, Moiya and Moni followed him too.”
What was that?
“Where is the dog hole? We need to bring them here right now.”
Emperor Norton said with a worried face.
“It’s too late. They must have left the palace. Since Moiya and Moni went together, they should have already exited the palace by now.”
Resilia is staying in the palace.
The fact that Rams knew about this and went to the palace means he had been looking for Resilia all along?
Perhaps he had asked Moiya and Moni...
“Your Majesty, it seems the person Rams wanted to see was Princess Resilia. We thought it was Princess Lily...”
Rosie said to Emperor Norton, her eyes reddening.
Rosie didn’t look offended, but she looked a little sad for some reason.
“That can’t be... Why would Rams...”
Emperor Norton said with a worried face.
“It’s too late. They must have left the palace. Since Moiya and Moni went together, they should have already exited the palace by now.”
Resilia is staying in the palace.
The fact that Rams knew about this and went to the palace means he had been looking for Resilia all along?
Perhaps he had asked Moiya and Moni...
“Your Majesty, it seems the person Rams wanted to see was Princess Resilia. We thought it was Princess Lily...”
Rosie said to Emperor Norton, her eyes reddening.
Rosie didn’t look offended, but she looked a little sad for some reason.
“That can’t be... Why would Rams...”
Emperor Norton frowned, unable to understand Rams’s actions.
Both of them seemed deeply shocked by Rams’s actions.
Linel and I were no exception.
It couldn’t have been more so since Lily was involved in this.
“From what I’ve heard, it seems Rams had Moiya and Moni look into Resilia’s whereabouts.”
I said this while looking at Rosie and Emperor Norton, my mind racing with thoughts of how to find the children.
“Was it Resilia’s turn to come to the Lapion Empire’s monastery this time?”
As Linel muttered to himself, Emperor Norton quietly added,
"Moiya and Moni must have found out where Resilia was staying at the palace before going to the monastery and informed Rams."
"That's highly likely. If we release the knights, we'll be able to find out where Resilia is staying. The problem is time,"
Linel replied with a worried expression.
"I'm worried that Princess Lily might be in danger because of Prince Rams. I'm truly sorry."
Emperor Norton came out and apologized to him.
"This wouldn't have happened if Lily hadn't stepped in. We're the ones who are truly sorry."
Linel nodded lightly.
I added, cautiously comforting,
"But since Moiya and Moni went together, there won't be any danger."
Everyone agreed.
Even if those two were acting up, we all knew they wouldn't put the children in danger or stand idly by if a dangerous situation arose.
Still, my heart was heavy...
Even excluding Prince Rams, there's never been a time when Lily, Moya, and Moni have teamed up and not caused trouble.
Having escaped the palace, which was heavily guarded and had many people trying to stop them, they were like unbridled colts.
"Who does she take after to be acting like this, really?"
I muttered to myself, but Linel glanced at me.
"...Why?"
"Lily takes after you completely. I only found out for sure today."
He whispered with conviction.
"What?"
"Think about it. Even if you knew the doghole existed, the drive to go through it—who would that resemble? I’m someone who’s never gone through a doghole. I’ve seen a woman who lost her memory of her husband go through a doghole to assassinate him, but that’s it."
I wanted to deny it, but since it was something I couldn't deny, I chose silence.
But there was something I overlooked. If the dog hole hadn't existed, Lily would have probably helped Prince Rams escape to the palace, even if it meant digging a new hole in the wall.
It might have been fortunate that there was already a hole in the wall.
“I know where Resilia is staying,”
Linel said as he was leaving the banquet hall to give orders to the knights. King Martins approached him and said,
“I’m sorry. I need to tell you quickly, but I didn’t expect Prince Rams to make the first move.”
“How did Your Majesty Martins know Resilia was staying in the palace?”
I asked in surprise. King Martins looked between me, Linel, and Emperor Norton and spoke.
“We’ve been keeping an eye on Tesla and Resilia.”
King Martins said he had placed someone within their respective factions.
Only then did Rosie breathe a sigh of relief.
Melanie and Catherine quickly wrapped their arms around her shoulders, offering comfort.
“If we can just escape the palace, we’ll meet Resilia since Moiya and Moni are here. Finding her is hard, but meeting her is easy.”
Catherine said, shaking her head.
“She won’t harm him when she meets his son. Don’t worry too much.”
Melanie tried to ease Rosie’s tension with a smile.
“That’s Prince Rams, right? I doubt he’d treat Princess Lily as a guest, do you?”
Hetor, who had been holding back his words with a serious expression, said to Melanie.
Hearing that, a chill ran down my spine.
That makes sense.
I hadn’t even thought about it that far...
I felt a surge of anxiety.
Linel, who was next to me, must have sensed my body temperature as he grabbed my hand.
A coolness quickly spread through my palm, but anxiety still burned fiercely.
“We need to find her quickly,”
Linel said, tightening his grip on my hand.
No one knew better than I that Resilia’s poison wouldn’t easily disappear with seven years, no, seventy years, of monastic life.
If it were my daughter who was the target of the poison, I wouldn’t hesitate.
“I must go to Bellos,”
I told him.
He understood my intentions. He knew that trying to stop her would be useless.
“Be careful. I will arrive as quickly as possible with the knights,”
Linel urged, kissing my cheek.
I nodded and looked at King Martins.
“Your Majesty, tell me the location of the inn where Resilia is staying.”
“Are you planning to go there using the magic tower master and teleportation?”
King Martins asked, taking a step forward.
“Yes, Prince Rams will be fine, but I don’t think we should let Lily meet Resilia.”
Everyone seemed to agree with me.
I hurried to Bellos's room with King Martins.
***
As Moni had said, the inn was located close to the palace.
About five minutes after entering the palace, the carriage stopped.
Moiya got out, opened the carriage door, and pointed across the street.
"Over there. Just go into that alley. Are you sure you're going?"
"I'll just see her faces from afar and come out,"
Rams replied, staring into the alley.
"Insignificant children aren't allowed in the inn."
Moiya and Moni looked around.
Just then, a respectable-looking middle-aged couple walked toward them.
Moiya and Moni exchanged glances and flew towards the couple, entering their bodies.
"You're our children now, aren't you, Moiya~?"
"A harmonious family walks hand in hand, right Moni~?"
The four of them, suddenly a family, walked hand in hand toward the inn in the alley, their pace in sync.
"Hey, smile, smile."
"Walk naturally."
The atmosphere was harmonious, but they were a family with no resemblance whatsoever.
“We’re family, please give us a room.”
Moiya said to the innkeeper upon arriving at the inn.
Fortunately, the inn was pay-as-you-go. They could just pop out the window later with the kids, and that would be it.
The middle-aged couple who had borrowed their room for a while would probably be surprised why they were in an inn room when they came to their senses, but since they looked so happy together just now, they probably wouldn’t dislike it that much.
Moiya and Moni concluded that.
The innkeeper, glancing at the four overly smiling faces one by one, couldn’t contain his curiosity and casually asked,
“The children all look different. Are they nieces and nephews?”
Moiya, Moni, Lily, and Rams all flinched.
“We... remarried, right, Moiya~?”
A few seconds later, Moiya said with an unpleasant expression.
“Oh dear. I’m sorry, sir. I asked a pointless question...”
"Did your molars get dirty, Moni?"
Moni opened the woman's fan she was holding and spoke nervously.
"I'm sorry. As a token of apology, I'll give you the room with the best view."
"That's fine, isn't there a room here where the priestess is staying?"
Rams, unable to bear to watch, asked the innkeeper. The innkeeper stared at Rams. He sensed a dignity and class completely different from 'his parents'. The couple's demeanor was that of a lower-class nobleman, but when you look at the boy and girl separately, they look like quite high-ranking nobles.
In a society where attitude and speech dictated status, the innkeeper, who dealt with many people, couldn't help but be perceptive.
"We're on the same fourth floor. You're staying in the room at the end of the hallway. But why?"
"Does an inn normally ask so many questions of its guests? It would prosper more if it respected privacy."
This time, Lily spoke as if offering advice to the innkeeper. The innkeeper, who had already told them where Resilia was staying, found this contradictory, but under Lily's pressure, he ended up agreeing.
"Oh, yes. Be careful."
"Thank you, anyway."
Lily replied coolly and turned around. The four of them held hands again and climbed the stairs.
"Is this the room, Moiya?"
Moiya pointed to the room where Resilia was staying. Rams stared at the room for a while.
"Knock, Your Highness."
Lily said, and Rams shook his head.
“After thinking about it, I think it would be better to just go back.”
“...Why?”
“Even if I do see her, I think it would be better if I showed up when I’m a bit more grown up.”
“Since you’re here, at least say hello. Or at least take a sneak peek before you go...”
“After thinking about it, I think it would be better to just go back.”
“...Why?”
“Even if I do see her, I think it would be better if I showed up when I’m a bit more grown up.”
“Since you’re here, at least say hello. Or at least take a sneak peek before you go...”
Lily thought Rams wasn’t sincere.
For some reason, he seemed hesitant to meet her second mother-in-law, Resilia.
It wasn’t like he didn’t want to meet her.
If he had, he wouldn’t have crawled out of the hole.
‘I’ll have to take the lead this time too.’
If he wanted to eat, he would eat, if he wanted to see, he would see, if he wanted to go, he would go, and... Lily, who was a person of action who would scatter flowers or dirt whenever she wanted, felt somewhat frustrated with Rams.
‘Ah, maybe he's embarrassed. It’s been a while since he's seen her.’
Knock, knock.
Lily knocked loudly on Resilia’s door instead of Rams.
“Huh, Princess!”
Rams was startled.
There was no sign of life in the room. Lily knocked again, but the result was the same.
“I see you’re out,”
Rams said, breathing a sigh of relief, but a hint of regret crossed his face.
“Then let’s just stop by a nearby sausage shop and then go back.”
Moni agreed with Moniya.
“Since we’re leaving right away, I can get my money back, right, Moniya~?”
But at that moment...
“Did we get the wrong room? What are you all doing here?”
Rams and Lily turned towards the source of the angry voice.
One was Resilia, wearing a black priest’s habit, the other a neat black dress.
Her pretty face and pink hair made even the neat black dress look gorgeous.
“Wow, my second mother-in-law is truly beautiful!”
Lily exclaimed to herself.
“She’s the one who gave birth to me...”
Rams knew at a glance that Resilia was his biological mother.
Resilia felt the same way.
My son came to find me first!
“Rams...?”
Resilia asked cautiously, her lips quivering.
Lily knocked loudly on Resilia’s door instead of Rams.
“Huh, Princess!”
Rams was startled.
There was no sign of life in the room. Lily knocked again, but the result was the same.
“I see you’re out,”
Rams said, breathing a sigh of relief, but a hint of regret crossed his face.
“Then let’s just stop by a nearby sausage shop and then go back.”
Moni agreed with Moniya.
“Since we’re leaving right away, I can get my money back, right, Moniya~?”
But at that moment...
“Did we get the wrong room? What are you all doing here?”
Rams and Lily turned towards the source of the angry voice.
One was Resilia, wearing a black priest’s habit, the other a neat black dress.
Her pretty face and pink hair made even the neat black dress look gorgeous.
“Wow, my second mother-in-law is truly beautiful!”
Lily exclaimed to herself.
“She’s the one who gave birth to me...”
Rams knew at a glance that Resilia was his biological mother.
Resilia felt the same way.
My son came to find me first!
“Rams...?”
Resilia asked cautiously, her lips quivering.
Previous Next
Comments
Post a Comment