I pressed the fingertips I had placed on my leg into the air as if playing a piano. As I felt the hot energy that had been floating inside me vanish, fire burst forth from my fingertips.
Who did the red-haired woman want to show this method to? As I did one thing, I naturally acquired other things, and I gradually became accustomed to handling fire.
Unlike the chaotic last dream, I suppose you could say this one felt substantial. It seemed to show a woman's day in slow motion, and unlike the previous dream, the golden-haired man and woman seemed to get along well.
Even if it was just a dream, the man followed her wherever she went to the point where I began to think that the golden-haired man might actually like the woman; naturally, this led me to notice the man's appearance that I had missed last time.
"The encyclopedia clearly said that only elves have such pointy ears..."
The man in my dream was subtly weighing on my mind. Perhaps it was because Thierry had mentioned last time that the elf seemed to be pulling a stunt; even that strange dream, which I would have dismissed as just nonsense, felt ominous now.
I think I need to look into elves. Maybe my death is connected to them, too.
However, since I was stuck at the palace, I had to ask Maud for help to find out something, but with the appearance of the imposter, it had become difficult to call Maud separately.
It really hits me again that I’ve been dragged to a foreign country. Am I not that incompetent?
I let out a hollow laugh. Wondering what on earth I was doing here, I kept staring miserably at the raindrops tapping against the window.
However, as if to break my thoughts, I suddenly heard a knock.
Did you come back because you were worried about Marie? I looked toward the door with a puzzled expression.
"I am Princess Joubert. May I come in?"
"Ah! Come in."
I sprang up from my seat and stared intently at the opening door. As a radiant beauty entered the room, it had the effect of making the gloomy room sparkle.
"You came earlier than I expected. It's been a while."
"I came here at this hour because I thought it would be best to avoid running into people. Are you feeling okay?"
"Thanks to you. I felt better right away. Ah. I'll have some tea prepared."
I offered Sylvia a seat, sat opposite her, and reached for the dangling rope. At that, Sylvia raised a hand as if to stop me.
"If you don't mind, I think it would be best to leave quickly."
I readily accepted because it would be even better if she just kept it brief.
“I’m fine. Then..."
"First, I guess I should start talking from the day before the Princess collapsed."
Sylvia continued speaking slowly with a calm expression. She explained that she had found evidence of the poisonous herb and presented it to Thierry, and that Thierry had given a positive response regarding Sylvia receiving the ducal title. She also mentioned that Duke Joubert had brought a Lari impersonator last night and acted as if this woman would lend strength to the ducal family.
And finally, she told me the most important thing: the Duke seemed to genuinely believe the Lari impersonator.
'If you really believe in them, it would be worth bringing them in yourself, even if it's a stretch.'
It was a desperate situation, so he would surely need to secure an acquittal somehow to put his mind at ease. I quietly nodded, then opened my mouth to ask who on earth had given the information to the Duke.
"How is the Princess?"
However, before I could speak, Sylvia's question came faster. I met Sylvia's gaze as she hesitated, closing her mouth and staring intently at me.
"Does that woman look real?"
"Ah…"
"Let's be honest. I've laid bare everything, right down to the very bottom."
"..."
"Wouldn't it be good for the future if you, Princess, started opening up to me about your true feelings soon?"
Sylvia herself remained composed. Her head, which had been looking down at me with her back straight, tilted slightly for the first time.
"Princess, what is your relationship with His Majesty?"
“...There’s nothing to do with it?”
"Then, is His Majesty unilaterally harboring feelings for the Princess?"
"His Majesty, me? No. As I said before, he sees a few similarities between a maid named Lari and myself."
"Princess, does His Majesty not please you? I understand, but doesn't he still treat you well?"
"That may be true, but perhaps because I keep thinking there might be an ulterior motive, I honestly can't quite figure out what's going on inside His Majesty's mind."
"It seems everyone knows except the Princess. His Majesty is someone who simply takes what he wants. He never tries to coax anyone."
There was a sting to Sylvia's words. It seemed as though she were quietly badmouthing Thierry. But since she wasn't wrong, I simply nodded and listened to her.
"And even though the woman Lari His Majesty has been searching for has appeared, if his treatment of the Princess remains unchanged, wouldn't it be alright to open your heart a little?"
“Without change...”
"Yes. As always."
"..."
"Then I'll ask one more time. Is that woman real?"
I stared intently into Sylvia's eyes for a moment, as if trying to read her mind. Sylvia met my gaze unwavering until I was the first to look away. I don't know if it was just my imagination, but she seemed like someone who wanted me to take action rather than asking because she genuinely thought I knew.
'Let's stop hesitating now. Even if you believe that woman is the real Lari, you're not going to leave everything behind and just walk away anyway.'
I slowly opened my mouth with a determined look on my face.
"...I think I would have to ask His Majesty about that."
"That's good. Then, would you ask him and let me know? If she is the real deal, I think we need to figure out a way."
It was a look of satisfaction. Sylvia stood up from her seat with a cool smile.
"I would like the Princess to stay here for a long time. For the sake of my ducal title, too."
***
The rain, which had fallen all day, subsided along with the setting sun. Although it was the time of year when the days are getting longer, the clouds filling the sky made the scenery darker than usual, creating an atmosphere like the night just before dawn.
"Princess."
I was staring at the candle wax dripping onto the candlestick base when I turned my head at the sound of someone calling me.
"They said you didn't eat a proper dinner last night."
Suddenly, Thierry asked in a reproachful tone. I wondered when on earth he had asked such a thing; he seemed very interested in my meals, and perhaps because it was bothering him, he called me to have dinner together today.
After seeing Sylvia off, I stared blankly out the rainy window, assuming I would naturally be alone again today. However, my hope that we might eat together was dampened a bit by the fact that he sat opposite me just like last time.
"...I don’t have an appetite."
"Still, eat it. This is why you have to eat every day, but you feel uncomfortable eating with me."
As I smiled awkwardly and avoided his gaze, my eyes fell on the imposter staring intently at us. She said she was sick. Instead, she looked healthier and stared intently at me, then pouted her lips in dissatisfaction and pressed herself against Thierry.
Since it was a large table, the chairs were spaced far apart, but before sitting down, she moved her chair as far as possible toward Thierry and was gradually narrowing the annoyingly narrow gap.
"You're being too harsh to say she's uncomfortable."
The imposter lowered the corners of her eyebrows in annoyance and subtly reached out her hand toward Thierry. Thierry's gaze turned to the fingers twitching near the plate.
"Your Majesty, I am here. Don't go out of your way to take care of someone uncomfortable; can't we just eat together, just the two of us?"
Thierry and I simultaneously furrowed our brows at the imposter's behavior of twisting her body and rubbing the tablecloth as if to wipe the table.
"What?"
"It has been a long time since we last met. Your Majesty, you said you missed me. I missed you so much, too. However, even if she is a Princess from abroad, I do not think it is right to interrupt our time like this."
The more the imposter spoke, the more the end of her sentences trembled, as if she were in deep sorrow. Honestly, anyone watching would have mistakenly thought I had been harassing her. All I did was follow Thierry's instructions—come when he told me to, wait when he told me to. Come to think of it, it feels unfair.
'Ha. She's in cahoots with Duke Joubert. How can even the way she speaks be so similar?'
I was speechless, dumbfounded by her behavior that portrayed me as someone who goes around butting into everything.
"Our Majesty is such a kind person, yet she is ungrateful... I am so upset."
In the end, she's crying. At that level, isn't she just a faucet? She gets teary-eyed at the slightest thing, as if tears are a weapon. It's one thing to cry once or twice, but seeing her do it every single time is starting to get tiresome.
I looked at her indifferently, but curious about Thierry's reaction, I only moved my eyes to look at him.
'It's Wagen again...'
Thierry had his clenched fist resting on the table, but the sight of Wagen, who had been keeping watch by his side since yesterday, wrapping his arms around Thierry's hand and whispering in his ear caught my eye.
Whether it was just my imagination or not, I noticed that he was leaving Thierry's side much less often since the imposter appeared. Given Thierry's personality, he would have likely said something if Wagen followed him around like that, but Thierry listened to Wagen obediently and even kept silent.
No, to be more precise, his face actually looked like he was suppressing something. Wondering if Wagen had given some annoying report this time, I quietly watched them.
However, perhaps judging that they were not listening properly, the imposter began to sob loudly with an even more sorrowful expression. At that moment, I could see Thierry's jaw tightening.
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