INAT - Chapter 84

"Why on earth are they doing this?"

"Because they want a puppet Emperor for the nobles. Perhaps in their eyes, I look worse than a leech?" 

"A leech, a leech?"

"So I'm saying they're stubbornly clinging to the throne and babbling away. They should just sit quietly and listen to what I have to say."

I stared blankly at him as he meekly blinked his eyes and tilted his head slightly. It felt as though he was asking for praise, to the point where I unconsciously reached for his head.

Thierry closed his eyes as if he had been waiting for this moment and rested his head on my leg.1àq I silently moved my hand like someone possessed by his posture, which seemed to be beckoning me to stroke him to my heart's content.

"They probably intend to put Ethan Liart in the forefront for that purpose. I mean, since they claim to have some semblance of blood ties, he’ll likely just use that as a flimsy excuse to assert his legitimacy, and then wait for the right timing to aim for the regency."

"Ah..."

"This is the last impurity. Once I get rid of this, I can focus entirely on you."

His soft hair ran through my fingers. The anxiety vanished without a trace, and only the pleasant sound of his heart beating resonated throughout his body.

I closed my eyes tightly. I was still anxious, but even if it was the calm before the storm, I simply wanted to fully focus on this very moment.

***

Why do bad premonitions never fail to come true?

The next day, an emergency order was issued at the Imperial Palace. In the dead of night, blazing torches began to gather at the palace, and barbaric shouts cut through the air.

"Is it really okay to just sit here? Shouldn't Sir Oscar go and help, too?"

I peeked outside through the curtains and then turned around abruptly. Oscar, who had been standing behind me keeping watch, shook his head with a look completely devoid of tension.

"It is alright. His Majesty and Lord Bakken alone will be enough."

“Even Lord Wagen?”

"Yes. That is why I really couldn't understand what on earth those nobles were relying on to act. Even though our Empire has strong military power, they surely know that its foundation stems from His Majesty's authority..."

Oscar trailed off slyly.

Yes, it is too reckless. Even if they had gathered forces for years, the reason they hadn't risen up until then must have been because Thierry was still alive and well. But, making that patience go to waste, they moved too hastily.

He might have been somewhat shaken by witnessing the execution of Duke Joubert, but even so, it was not something to act rashly like this. As if he had some ulterior motive...

I stared at Oscar for a moment, then slowly spoke.

"What happened to that elf who was captured?"

“It’s still the same”

"And a woman named Lari, too?"

"Yes."

"By any chance, in a situation like this, do you sometimes bring in some of the knights guarding the prison?"

Oscar's face, which had initially looked puzzled, gradually hardened. He paused for a moment, then answered in an uncharacteristically impatient tone.

“...I will instruct you to find out.”

I might be overreacting, but the reason Lari infiltrated this place in the first place was due to the intervention of an elf. I do not know how the elf leaked information about Lari to Duke Joubert, but in any case, it was a situation where one could not ignore the collusion with humans.

Thinking that it wouldn't hurt to be on guard just in case, I approached Oscar, who was giving orders to the knight.

"Oscar, if we happen to be right, I don't think it would be a bad idea to try using this to our advantage."

Oscar, who was checking the closed door after the article was published, looked at me with a questioning gaze.

"Assuming the elves are taking advantage of this chaos to infiltrate, I am definitely the one they are after. So, I was thinking, Oscar, stay in hiding while I extract the information from them first, and then I come out to take them down."

"No. We cannot expose the Princess to even the slightest danger."

"It will be fine. I can handle this ability to some extent now, so I won't be helplessly captured anymore."

I lit a fire in my hand and showed it to Oscar. Since he is my close bodyguard, I had mentioned this ability to him beforehand, so it was fortunate that I didn't need to explain it further. However, I still couldn't get used to Oscar's gaze as he looked at my hand with such fascination, even after seeing it again.

I clenched my fist, extinguished the fire, and gave him a look that said, "Let's see what happens."

"...It still won't work."

As expected, he is firm. However, it felt like a waste to just sit idly by. Even the elf currently captured refuses to open his mouth, so it seemed unlikely that we would gain any particularly useful information even if we suppressed him and imprisoned him.

I glanced at the red light shining through the slightly parted curtain. It was a gruesome sight that would make one involuntarily sigh.

"There will absolutely be no danger. I just need to stand here, and you stay inside the closet. If we leave it slightly ajar, you can come right out if anything happens."

"Princess."

"And if you will listen to me, I will tell His Majesty that I would like to see you spar with him."

“...Sparring?”

“Yes. I promise.”

If there was absolutely no opening, I just needed to create a situation that would drive the sword idiot crazy. Sure enough, as soon as I finished speaking, I laughed inwardly as I watched Oscar hesitate with a look of desperation.

“Oh, no.”

"I'll say I want to see it twice."

Oscar's Adam's apple bobbed as he refused with an expression that was visibly shaken.

"...Twice?"

"Yes. I’ll tell him that once isn’t enough and ask to see it a second time. And of course, this is just between us!"

At my firm words, Oscar spun around. Walking toward a closet the size of a small room, he spoke solemnly.

"Do we just need to go inside here?"

***

I hurriedly moved the table in front of the closet door and sat down in the chair, so that I could feel Oscar's presence waiting behind me without seeing him.

Anyway, Marie must have been really shocked to see this situation at her accommodation. I wonder if she'll be okay. With a heavy heart, I sighed as I looked out the window through the slightly parted curtains.

But will they really come? Even if it's dangerous, I'd rather my prediction be right. Because if elves really do show up, it means we could at least crack down on the collusion between the rebel forces and the elves, even if just a little.

It was then.

Knock, knock. I flinched and turned my head at the sudden sound of knocking.

"Princess, I have brought the tea."

The door opened cautiously, and the first thing I saw was a maid's uniform. The knights would have prohibited the maid from entering in the first place, so to think she had come in like this... I didn't know what she might have done.

I peered cautiously through the gap in the door. I could see a leg stretched straight out through the crack. However, before I could say anything, the door opened and closed, and I turned my gaze to the maid approaching.

"Princess, this is a calming tea. Shall I set it on the table?"

The brown-haired maid had her head bowed low. I didn't know who it was, but the voice sounded somewhat familiar, so I slowly rose from my seat to make room to move. I kept my distance from the maid and kept observing her closely.

"Why didn't Marie come, and why did you come? Look up."

The maid placed the tray she was holding down on the table. Then, as she slowly swept back her stray hair with both hands as if tidying it up, she subsequently lifted her head.

“To take you away.”

"...Lari?"

I opened my eyes wide. Of course, I expected an elf to come; I never dreamed that Lari would come.

Lari's face, as she confidently met my gaze, was deeply disfigured. She was gaunt with rough skin and dark circles under her eyes, and her chapped lips were covered in scabs. Everything clearly showed that she had endured a rough life in prison.

Come to think of it, it wasn't exactly an unexpected situation for Lari to have ended up here after receiving instructions from an elf.

However, to be sure, a more powerful elf would be better... Why did they send Lari alone? Is he hiding and waiting outside that room door? Or did Lari simply approach me disguised as a maid while the elf was distracted?

Countless thoughts flashed through my mind in a short time. I clenched my fists tightly and gritted my teeth.

"Where are you taking me?"

"If it weren't for you, I could have lived happily with His Majesty."

Lari muttered with dead, pitch-black eyes, as if my question hadn't even been heard.

"Lari is me, so why are you saying I'm not Lari? What do you know? His Majesty is mine. He is mine, whom I have looked after since childhood. I am the only Lari in the world..."

A fierce madness began to settle in her unfocused green eyes. She, who had been muttering to herself in self-deprecation, suddenly let out a smirk and slowly lifted her green eyes that had been looking downward. Her eyes, gleaming with a madness that sent chills down my spine, stared directly at me.

"I am Lari! I am the only Lari in this world that His Majesty wants!!!"

It was a desperate scream that had never been heard even once before. Lari's lips trembled uncontrollably. Smiling, yet appearing unrestrained, she opened her eyes and mouth wide.

"I guess you just have to die here."

"...If that happened, the elves wouldn't just sit still."

I reacted a beat late because I was staring at Lari, who was bringing up my flaws under my skirt. I was extremely flustered, but I tried to stay calm, fearing that if I showed it, Lari would go even crazier.

"You're sure you have to take me away alive, but if you kill me, can you handle it?"

Then, the sound of teeth grinding was heard from Lari.

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