Chapter 5: In the Galarc Kingdom
Three days had passed since the battle with Erica. Everyone that had gone to Duke Gregory’s territory had now returned to the capital of the Galarc Kingdom.
It was the afternoon, and King Francois had been invited by Charlotte into the mansion that had formerly been bestowed upon Rio. The purpose of his visit was to discuss things with Satsuki, Celia, and the others gathered in the dining room.
Besides Francois and Charlotte, the others in attendance were Satsuki, Miharu, Celia, Latifa, Sara, Orphia, Alma, Gouki, and Kayoko. Liselotte had also been invited, as well as Masato and Lilianna.
Leading the gathering was Charlotte.
“Ever since we’ve returned to the capital, I have been investigating the strange sense of loss and discomfort that has been plaguing all of us,” she said. “As a result, I’ve found things that provide answers, and things that raise more questions. Today, I’d like to discuss these things with everyone and hear your thoughts, which is why I’ve invited Father and arranged this meeting.”
“Excuse me.” First Princess Lilianna of the Centostella Kingdom raised her hand to seek permission to speak.
“Yes?”
“Is this something I should be sitting in on?”
Sensing that they were about to touch upon the troublesome secrets of this foreign country, Lilianna sought some necessary clarification. If they continued to speak before her after this clarification, then she couldn’t be held responsible for learning their secrets.
“Yes. Do you recall the banquet where Lady Satsuki was revealed to the public? I wish to ask for your account of that event as well.”
“I understand. In that case, I shall remain.”
“Now, let’s get straight to business.” Charlotte spread out a sheet of paper on the table before her. Those seated farther away couldn’t make out the text, but all their gazes focused on that sheet.
“What’s this paper for, Char?” Satsuki wondered, peering at the text.
“This is the national archive of the Kingdom of Galarc. Or rather, the draft of it.”
“National archive?” Masato, Satsuki, and Miharu all looked confused at the unfamiliar term.
Charlotte gave them a brief explanation of the topic. “A national archive is an official record of the history of the kingdom. It’s normally drafted by an official that specializes in the details of history and penned by a secretary, but the final decision on what gets recorded lies with the king. There have been occasions where the king personally wrote the draft of the national archives.”
“So what was wrong with the archives?” Satsuki asked.
“This paper contains the events of what happened before the recent battle. It was written before our departure at Father’s official request, as seen by the mark of the royal stamp.”
“What does it say...?”
“In short, our kingdom was invaded by the Holy Democratic Republic of Erica, which seized the capital of Duke Gregory’s territory. The leader of this nation is one of the chosen heroes—a self-proclaimed saint that goes by the name Erica. With Lady Satsuki’s endorsement, our kingdom dispatched the army to recapture the city. As the king, Father was to command the army. That’s the general gist of it.”
“My endorsement...?” Satsuki blinked in confusion. She couldn’t recall giving such a thing.
“Yes. In other words, our kingdom has just gone through a battle with a nation led by another hero. Because we were opposing a hero, we sought the support of our own kingdom’s hero before heading to war. That was why Lady Satsuki had gone all the way to the battlefield. Everyone else here went along to accompany her. This appears to be the full sequence of events,” Charlotte said, explaining things in chronological order.
“Right... I headed out to the battlefield...”
Satsuki looked around at everyone’s faces with a look of uncertainty. They all had similar expressions to hers, as they all recalled heading to Greille out of their own will.
“It seems everyone’s understanding of the situation is the same, then. We couldn’t recall that our enemy was a hero. We didn’t even remember her name. Even now, the hero named Erica doesn’t ring any bells. Is this correct?” Charlotte questioned the group at large. Everyone nodded with perplexed looks.
“It’s an enigma. Father says he cannot recall ordering such a draft to be written by the secretary. The secretary doesn’t recall receiving such orders from Father either. Yet, this draft of the national archive exists. Father’s official stamp is on it, and the situation at hand supports the contents of the draft.” Charlotte smiled as though she was enjoying herself.
“There are other enigmas as well. Soldiers of the Holy Democratic Republic of Erica were captured and interrogated, but they claimed to have no recollection of anyone named Erica.”
Was such a thing possible? Yet Charlotte questioned the group in a cheery tone.
“Incidentally, the Holy Democratic Republic of Erica is a minor nation that was only recently established. Frankly speaking, they have no value as a nation. The force that invaded Greille consisted of the hero and nine others. None of the nine soldiers had abilities that could compare to those of a knight—they were basically former adventurers. And so, I’d like to direct this question to Gouki: Is it possible for such a group of people to seize an entire city governed by a duke of our kingdom?”
“No, it’s impossible. It would take at least one person of exceptional ability to pull such a thing off.”
Without one, they would have failed the moment they tried to seize the city. Unless they managed to create a hostage situation, they would have been surrounded by the city guards and suppressed instantly.
“Thank you for answering. In that case, this hero named Erica that no one seems to know must have been the one to seize the city. Would you agree that this is the most logical way of thinking?” Charlotte asked cheerfully.
“Good grief, it isn’t a matter to be enjoying so openly,” Francois scolded with a sigh.
“But it’s so mystifying! What exactly have we all forgotten? I’m just dying to know the answer.”
“I can agree with wanting to know the answer. How am I to update the national archive with events I cannot recall?” While that wasn’t the only issue at hand, as the king, it was a major source of woe for Francois.
“There are other memories we are missing as well,” Charlotte continued.
Francois sighed at Charlotte’s good mood. “Indeed. Go on, then.”
“Right. After reading everything I could get my hands on, I came to the realization that there was one more person we’re missing our memories of. And I believe that person was on close terms with us in a good way.”
“Who would that be...?” Satsuki asked.
“The owner of this mansion. Father and I believed we had prepared this mansion as a residence for Lady Satsuki’s friends, but the documents we have say that this place was bestowed upon a certain honorary knight. The records we have of his achievements are outrageous—before I give you his name, I’d like to read those records first. It may get a little long, so bear with me...”
With that preface, Charlotte took out another sheet of paper.
“According to these records, this person protected Lady Miharu and those she was summoned with when she first wandered into this world. He made a major contribution to repelling the outbreak of monsters in Amande’s outskirts. He saved Liselotte and Princess Flora, and attended Lady Satsuki’s introduction banquet with Liselotte as a result. He made a major contribution to repelling the insurgents that raided the banquet, after which he was appointed as an honorary knight of our kingdom. He mediated the dispute between Sir Takahisa and Lady Miharu. Then, it was revealed that he had prevented Lady Celia’s political marriage to Charles Arbor on the order of Princess Christina. He assisted Princess Christina’s escape from her kingdom, escorting her safely from Lady Celia’s family home to Rodania. Along the way, he defeated Alfred Emerle, Beltrum Kingdom’s strongest knight, who was then taken prisoner with Charles Arbor. He then rescued Princess Christina and Princess Flora, who were abducted by Lucius Orgueil, commander of the Heavenly Lions. Finally, it says he rescued Liselotte, who was abducted to the Holy Democratic Republic of Erica by the hero Erica, bringing her back to Galarc.”
Charlotte read the record of that person’s achievements for several long minutes.
“It truly is outrageous,” she repeated with a sigh of admiration.
“...”
Was the list too long to be believable? Or was the lack of any memory of those events too shocking? Either way, the people whose names were just mentioned were silent in wide-eyed shock.
Charlotte turned to each of them in turn. “Those whose names I just read aloud—do you recall any of these events? And does the name Haruto Amakawa sound familiar to any of you?”
As soon as the name was revealed, several people immediately reacted in their expressions—namely Miharu, Latifa, and Liselotte. Liselotte’s reaction was minimal, however...
“That’s a Japanese name, isn’t it...?”
“It resembles the names that can be found in the Yagumo region as well.”
Satsuki and Gouki commented on the sound of the name. The others didn’t show any recognition of the name—besides Celia, who tilted her head in thought.
“Did it ring any bells for you, Lady Celia?” Charlotte asked. She had been observing everyone for their reactions.
“Umm... I believe I’ve received a letter from someone of that name before. He was called Haruto as well... Huh?”
What Celia was referring to was the letter Rio had sent her shortly after departing from the Royal Academy. He had actually sent another one upon returning to Strahl, but Celia was already under Duke Arbor’s control at the time, so she never received it.
At any rate, the one letter she’d received from Rio was very precious to her. She had never been able to throw it out...which was why she was able to recall his face in her head. When she thought of that face as Haruto Amakawa’s, it all made sense.
However, no sooner had everything clicked, a fog filled her mind. The image in her head was blurred over and scattered, and she found herself unsure of who Haruto Amakawa was once again.
“Is something the matter?” Charlotte asked.
“No, it’s just that I can’t recall whom I received the letter from... So why do I remember receiving a letter...?”
Celia pressed her hands against her forehead, bewildered by the questions rushing about in her head.
“If you’re still in possession of that letter, I would love to see it.”
“I think I still have it... I’ll have to look for it later.”
“Please do. And Lady Miharu.”
Miharu hadn’t expected to be addressed and flinched in surprise. “Huh? Yes?”
“Your expression just now implies that you recognized something. Would you like to share?”
“Right... Umm, my childhood friend had the exact same name as him. Last names came first in our world, so he was called Amakawa Haruto instead.”
“Lady Miharu’s childhood friend, you say? Amakawa Haruto...”
“He’s back in my original world, so I believe it’s just a coincidence...”
“Are you sure? You might just be missing the memories, and he could have been summoned to this world with you.”
“But... Even before we came to this world, it had been a long time since we last met. We parted ways in our childhood.”
“In your childhood... And do you still recall his face now?”
“Yes.” Miharu nodded firmly.
“Is recalling him enough to guarantee he’s a different person to this honorary knight? Dismissing this as a coincidence sounds a little too hasty... What about you, Liselotte and Lady Suzune? Your expressions changed when the name Haruto Amakawa was brought up as well.” Charlotte turned to Latifa and Liselotte.
“I should have expected as much.” Liselotte had been trying to hide her reaction as much as possible, so she was impressed by Charlotte’s keen eye. But she wasn’t able to answer her question right away, turning to look at Latifa beside her instead.
“Umm... I know the name Haruto Amakawa as well...” Latifa admitted after some hesitation.
“Where from?”
“That’s...” Charlotte had a strong look of curiosity in her eyes as she questioned Latifa. But Latifa seemed reluctant to answer her. The name was familiar to her because it involved her past life. Answering Charlotte would inevitably require explaining how she was reborn into this world.
“Allow me to explain.” Liselotte spoke up to protect Latifa.
“Liselotte...?”
“I recognize the name as well. It’s the name of the university student who rode the bus with us in our past life, isn’t it?” Liselotte spoke to Latifa not in the Strahl tongue, but in Japanese. It was an unfamiliar language to hear coming from Liselotte, which surprised Francois and Charlotte. Their eyes widened faintly.
“Y-Yeah.”
“Then, leave it to me,” Liselotte assured her, then turned to the two royals present. “The reason why Suzune and I are surprised is because we hadn’t expected that name to come up here. However, if you wish for me to explain why, then I must ask that you keep this a secret, Your Majesty, Princess Charlotte.”
“Very well,” Francois agreed, sending Charlotte a look for her to follow his lead.
Charlotte agreed. “I can’t wait to hear what Liselotte is about to say,” she added happily.
Liselotte took a deep breath before beginning to speak. “In terms of metaphysics, do either of you believe in reincarnation or rebirth? That is, do you believe humans can have past lives?”
“I believe it. It sounds romantic,” Charlotte replied without missing a beat.
“It is a phenomenon that sounds impossible to prove objectively, but there is still room for consideration provided the right evidence.” Francois gave a more realistic opinion of reincarnation while being flexible enough not to deny it completely. Besides, the fact Liselotte was bringing this up out of the blue probably meant she had such evidence. He looked at her to prompt her to continue.
“I’m afraid I don’t possess any objective evidence, but Suzune and I both have memories of our past lives.”
“Oh my,” Charlotte beamed in delight.
“Memories of past lives, you say...”
Memories were an entirely subjective matter, so testimonies that were given based on memory always had questionable authenticity.
However, the testimony was by none other than Liselotte Cretia. If Francois was asked to name the most talented noblewoman in the kingdom, he would immediately give her name without hesitation.
“This may not serve as sufficient proof, but many of the Ricca Guild’s products are designed from the knowledge I possessed of my past life.”
“I see... Indeed, your many novel products have been a contributing factor to your company’s growth.”
If they originated from the knowledge of another world, then it all made sense.
“I’ve kept my silence about this until now because I feared how people would react to such a topic,” Liselotte continued.
“Indeed, it isn’t a topic to speak openly about.”
“Thank you, Your Majesty. I will proceed on the assumption that you can believe this for now. By some turn of fate, Suzune and I both lived in the same world as Lady Satsuki and Miharu in our past lives. While we weren’t friends in our past lives, we’ve confirmed with Miharu that it was indeed the same world as hers.”
Francois, who had been listening with suspended disbelief until then, couldn’t hide the shock on his face. “What...?”
“Umm, I heard it through Miharu, but I believe it’s the truth. Liselotte has memories of living in the same world as us.”
“Hmm...”
Satsuki backed up Liselotte’s testimony. With that, Francois could no longer listen with suspended disbelief. That was how heavily the hero’s words weighed.
“Suzune and I often rode the same bus—which is a means of transport like a horse and carriage—in our past lives,” Liselotte explained. “We rode it so often, we could recognize each other’s faces. And there was one more passenger who often rode that bus with us...”
“The gentleman named Amakawa Haruto?” Charlotte asked, jumping straight to the conclusion.
“Yes.”
“There’s one thing I’d like to confirm first. You said you weren’t friends with Lady Suzune in your past life, so how did you come to realize your past lives were from the same world?”
“Our reunion in this world was a coincidence... But it was partially caused by my naming of the Ricca Guild’s products after items in our past world. We realized we were vaguely acquainted with each other when we both mentioned how we died in a bus crash. That allowed us to connect the dots,” Liselotte said, wrapping up her explanation.
“That makes it even harder to dismiss this as a coincidence. Wouldn’t you agree, Father?”
“Indeed...”
“All that leaves is the matter of whether Liselotte and Lady Suzune’s Amakawa Haruto is the same as Lady Miharu’s Amakawa Haruto. In fact, if Liselotte and Lady Suzune were reborn into this world, then it’s possible that he was reborn here as well. And if he was reborn here, he could be the Haruto Amakawa mentioned in our records...”
“...” The entire group held their breaths.
“So, what do you say, Lady Miharu?” Charlotte asked once again. “You should have been placed under the protection of Haruto Amakawa soon after arriving in this world.”
“That’s—right. Yes, I was... Someone was protecting me... Someone... I... Haruto...”
Miharu searched through her memories, but the look in her eyes grew more vacant as time passed. Before long, her entire mind was in a dazed state—but she didn’t want to lose her train of thought. She grabbed desperately at the memories that were rapidly fading away to retain them, when she clutched her head as a sharp pain ran through it.
“Urk?!” she groaned.
Immediately after...
Stop, don’t force yourself to remember.
...a panicked voice spoke to Miharu directly in her head.
“Miharu!”
“You okay?!”
Everyone called Miharu’s name worriedly. Satsuki, who was seated beside her, touched her on the shoulder. At that, Miharu slowly raised her head, her headache fading as quickly as it came on.
“Umm... I can’t remember,” she said, blinking away her daze.
Seeing Miharu’s reaction, Charlotte seemed to realize something with her natural intuition. “That settles it, Father,” she said to Francois proudly.
“Settles what?” Francois asked, puzzled. Her normally wise father was being oddly slow on the uptake. That was the first thought that occurred to Charlotte, who then decided to put her realization into words.
“You know...about Haruto Amakawa...” But as she started speaking, she found herself stumbling for words.
“What’s the matter, Charlotte?”
“Oh... What was I trying to say again?”
The rest of her sentence completely slipped her mind. She had no memory of what she was just trying to say. She recalled saying something about Haruto Amakawa’s record of achievements, but...
“I’ll investigate this a bit more.”
“Very well...”
Thus, their productive discussions ended there. However, everyone in the room felt the same indescribable feeling, as though they had forgotten something unnaturally...
That indescribable feeling lingered around them.
◇ ◇ ◇
After Francois had left for the castle, Charlotte called out the names of two people before the rest of the group disbanded.
“Oh yes, there was one more thing I had to say,” she said. “To Princess Lilianna and Lady Celia.”
“Yes?”
“What is it?”
“Firstly, Princess Lilianna. Your letter has been sent to the Centostella Kingdom. We can expect a reply within a week.”
“Thank you for going to such trouble. I appreciate it greatly.”
Charlotte smiled at Lilianna. “Not at all. Next, Lady Celia...”
“Yes?”
“The Restoration has sent a messenger. Princess Christina and Princess Flora will be arriving here tomorrow.”
“Thank you for the notice. That’s right, the conference with the main government of Beltrum Kingdom is coming up soon. In another five days, if I recall correctly...”
Christina had asked Celia whether she was willing to attend the meeting. The strife with Greille had completely wiped the thought from her head.
Restoration and the Beltrum Kingdom were both participating in the meeting. There was no way of changing the schedule. At worst, she might have had to pass on participating in the meeting, but they had fortunately returned with enough time to spare.
“I’m thinking of discussing what’s happening to us with Princess Christina and Princess Flora. I will show them to this mansion when they arrive, but will you have time to meet with us?”
“Of course.”
Suddenly, Sara marched briskly up to the window and threw the curtains open. They were currently on the ground floor. When she looked out the glass window, she could see the guards patrolling nearby. The guards had noticed her opening the curtain and were looking back at her.
“What’s wrong, Sara?” Celia asked.
“I thought there was someone there...but it seems I was mistaken.” Sara nodded at the guards in greeting then turned back to Celia. However, she was certain she had sensed someone there.
Meanwhile, Sora was standing on the roof of the mansion. When their group returned to the Galarc Castle, Rio had relocated his group to the city outskirts. Sora was infiltrating the castle grounds under Rio’s orders, observing what kind of effect the memory loss had on everyone. She had been watching Charlotte give her report earlier, but she quickly retreated to the roof when the patrolling guards came by.
Hmm... They’re unable to recall anything. When they reach the verge of recalling something, they immediately forget it once again. There’s no defying the correction of the world.
Over and over, the world would correct itself... That was the fate of the transcendent ones. That was how it had been for the past thousand—and more—years, unchanging throughout time.
The moment the Dragon King uses a new transcendent power, everyone forgets about him once again.
Sora looked up at the sky sadly. Her gaze was locked onto Rio, staring down at the ground from where he floated high above.
Right now, Sora is the only one who can remember the Dragon King forever...
That’s what she had thought, but Rio currently had Aishia beside him. She was wearing a mask to prevent her spirit presence from being detected.
F-Fine, maybe there’s Aishia as well...
Sora puffed up her cheeks in a pout.
Sora can’t keep him waiting. Time to head back.
She quickly ascended to where Rio and Aishia were waiting.
◇ ◇ ◇
The next afternoon, as planned, Christina and Flora arrived at the Galarc Castle. Charlotte led them to the mansion where Miharu and the others were living, and they met Celia in a parlor to talk. After Celia exchanged ecstatic greetings with the princesses of her homeland, they sat down facing each other. Charlotte was seated beside Celia.
“I was shocked when I heard you went to the battlefield, Professor. I’m so glad to see you’re unharmed,” Flora said first, sighing in relief.
“I was there, but I remained at the rear the entire time. The war ended before I knew it, so I’m perfectly fine, as you can see.”
“Princess Charlotte gave us a brief summary on our way here. She said everyone was experiencing some kind of strange memory loss.” Christina looked at Celia curiously. It was hard to imagine standing on a battlefield with no idea who the opponent was. She wanted to hear the opinion of her teacher firsthand.
“It’s true. I honestly have no idea what happened...”
“Does that mean you’ve lost your memories too, Professor?”
Celia nodded hesitantly. “So it seems...”
“As I explained on the way here, there’s something we’d like to ask the two of you regarding this incident as well. If you don’t mind?”
“Of course, go ahead.”
Christina agreed to Charlotte’s proposal. And so, she got straight to the point.
“Now then...”
With that preface, Charlotte began to tell Christina and Flora exactly what she had said at the group meeting just yesterday. That was, that there was evidence of two people having existed, but no one possessed any memory of them.
“I see...” Christina thought to herself with a faraway look.
“I want to ask the two of you about someone named Haruto Amakawa. According to our records, this person has been heavily involved with the two of you as well. For example, he rescued Lady Celia from her wedding with Charles Arbor at Princess Christina’s order, and he also escorted Princess Charlotte and Lady Celia from Cleia to Rodania. Princess Flora should have had several opportunities to witness his feats as well... Does any of this sound familiar?” Charlotte asked, looking between the two Beltrum princesses one after another.
“No... I have no memory of giving out such an order,” Christina replied, blinking blankly. In a way, it was only natural for her to have no memories of that. After all, she truly hadn’t done such a thing. Christina had merely used that as an explanation in order to shift the responsibility of Celia’s abduction onto herself.
“I also do not recall traveling with such a person on the way from Cleia to Rodania. After meeting up with Professor Celia in Cleia, we received the assistance of Sara, Orphia, and Alma in order to reach our destination...”
Like the others, Christina’s memories had become unclear.
“That is what Lady Celia and Lady Sara’s group said as well. However, none of them have the memory of driving back the King’s Sword Alfred Emerle by themselves,” Charlotte said, noting the inconsistency in their memories with the records that existed.
“That’s...true...” Christina replied falteringly. She attempted to recall what had happened in regard to that, but...
“That’s strange. No matter how hard I try, I can’t recall who defeated Alfred. I see, so this is what you meant by missing memories.”
As the saying went, seeing is believing. With this, Christina experienced the strange phenomenon that was occurring firsthand.
Flora cocked her head curiously. “I don’t know that person either...”
“My memories of when I was abducted from the wedding at the capital are unclear as well. I also wanted to ask—Princess Christina, would you happen to know the reason why I’m in Galarc in the first place, when I’m meant to be a member of the Restoration?”
Celia looked frustrated at how little she knew about her own situation.
“That’s... I was in attendance at your wedding. I recall a hooded figure gallantly whisking you away from the ceremony, but nothing else... And the reason why you were sent to Galarc was because of your friendship with Sara and Miharu’s circle...”
Something was odd. She had given the first reason that came to her mind, but it seemed strangely weak to be the motive. Celia’s talents as a sorcerer were exceptional. It would have made sense if she had been relocated for a special role, but she was too valuable to leave wandering freely.
“Right... I’ve spoken to Miharu and Sara’s group about this, but none of us have any idea how we met in the first place. The more we discussed it, the more our memories got mixed up.”
Celia sighed tiredly. There had been countless discussions held since their memories first became vague.
“There are other similar events happening as well. The honorary knight Haruto Amakawa aside, no one can remember anything about the hero named Erica either. It’s clearly an unnatural situation, yet the great majority are unconcerned about it, making it even more abnormal. It’s almost as though our thoughts are being controlled.”
“Indeed... The more I think about this, the heavier the fog in my mind gets. It’s almost like my brain doesn’t want to think about it...” Christina said slowly, objectively analyzing her own thinking process.
Charlotte beamed in delight. “I’m glad to hear that from you. From my investigations, the majority of people don’t share that opinion.”
“Really?”
“There’s no way of confirming if our thoughts are truly being controlled or not, but the majority of people seem to think there’s nothing wrong with missing memories. Some have even expressed doubt that such people existed in the first place, and others have forgotten the fact they’re missing memories. This seems to be more common with those who were less connected. It seems we were deeply connected with Haruto Amakawa, as we recognize this abnormal situation for what it is. But if we let our guard down, we could also be at risk of forgetting this investigation.”
“Is it possible that some kind of large-scale sorcery has been used to control our thoughts...?” Christina asked, looking at Celia.
“I’ve considered that possibility, but the range of the effect is so vast, it’s impossible. I’ve checked if we’ve been hit by any strange sorcery, but I couldn’t detect anything...”
“How odd... It’s almost like someone’s trying to erase the two of them from history,” Flora mumbled.
“Yes, exactly. As if there’s an unseen divine power at play.”
“That sounds like the only option—but you seem oddly pleased about it.” Seeing Charlotte as excited as a child given a toy box made Christina smile with a hint of exasperation.
“Because we rarely ever experience anything this fascinating. What kind of relation did this person have with us? The more the truth tries to hide itself, the more curious I get,” Charlotte said, highlighting her inherent curiosity. The other three chuckled even more at that. On top of that...
“I agree. Everyone else said the same too. We’re all curious. It feels like we’ve forgotten something we shouldn’t have forgotten...”
Celia felt the same as Charlotte. Her strong will shimmered in her eyes heatedly. She didn’t know why, but perhaps the loss of memory hadn’t completely erased her emotions.
“At any rate, we have no choice but to continue investigations. Princess Christina, could I trouble you to search through Rodania’s documents when you return home?”
“I’d be glad to. Especially since it seems we’re indebted to this person,” Christina agreed readily.
“In that case, please accept this. And keep it on you at all times.” Charlotte placed a brooch on the table.
“What is it?”
“A countermeasure for memory loss. I’ve written down my request on the paper inside. I’ve prepared one for Princess Flora as well, so you can both take these with you.”
This way, even if they forgot, they’d be able to recall Charlotte’s request by looking at the paper.
“I see... We’ll accept this gratefully.”
“Thank you for the consideration.”
Christina and Flora softly picked up the brooches.
“This was all I had to discuss. If there’s anything you wished to discuss with Lady Celia, please go ahead.”
“Then I’ll keep this brief. It’s about the meeting with Duke Arbor.”
“It’s only four days away now.”
“We’re very likely to return the hostages as planned, so I intend on bringing up the treatment of the Count Claire family as one of our exchange conditions. Count Claire will also be in attendance.”
“Thank you for making the arrangements.”
“Not at all. First, I wanted to make one last check on your thoughts of attending.”
“I don’t have any other plans, so I can attend.”
It was one of the few opportunities to meet her father in public, and it was over a matter involving her own family. Celia gave her answer resolutely.
“Then, second... With the discussion we’ve just had in mind, we plan on interrogating Alfred and Charles one last time. Would you like to attend that? This invitation extends to you too, Princess Charlotte.”
The discussion they’d just had probably referred to the memory loss phenomenon. There had been a fight that caused Alfred and Charles to be captured. It seemed like she wanted to hear their account of events before they were returned.
“I have no reason to refuse,” Charlotte replied. As someone investigating Haruto Amakawa, it was in her interests to attend.
Meanwhile, Celia had a rather complicated past with Charles. She had been practically threatened into an engagement with him, which was then scrapped when she was abducted from the wedding ceremony. Even though her memories around the incident were vague, she still remembered wanting to break off the engagement of her own will at the very last moment before they were married. Charles would inevitably be enraged to hear this truth.
That was why she hadn’t stood in front of Charles as Celia Claire since the day their marriage was scrapped. But if she wanted to continue living as Celia Claire, then she had to face him someday. It was something to ascertain after the meeting with Duke Arbor.
“Yes. Please let me attend.” Celia clenched her fists and nodded.
◇ ◇ ◇
One hour later, while Flora remained in the mansion to give her greetings to Miharu and everyone, Christina, Charlotte, and Celia headed for the foreign guest house of the Galarc Castle. They went through the lobby and down a corridor, where they were promptly met by someone who had heard of their arrival.
“Good day to you, Princess Christina, Princess Charlotte, and Celia,” Duke Huguenot said, bowing his head reverently.
“We’re about to question Alfred and Charles,” Christina informed him shortly.
“Is that so? I can accompany you if you so wish, but...” Duke Huguenot glanced at Celia. He seemed to guess that they were there to allow Celia to meet Charles.
“We won’t be discussing anything important, so you may prioritize your own duties.”
“Understood. Then I will return to my duties.”
All the necessary interrogations had already been conducted. Duke Huguenot seemed to see no need to accompany them any further, so he proceeded to excuse himself.
“This way.”
Led by Christina, Celia and Charlotte climbed the stairs. They arrived before a room on the top floor, then entered with two of their guards.
“Princess Christina! What a surprise.”
Several knights, including Vanessa, were inside the room, and they all straightened at the sight of the girls entering.
“We’re here to question the two of them. Take us in.”
“Understood.”
They were currently located in the living room of the suite on the top floor of the foreign guest house. Vanessa opened the door to the bedroom.
“Brother, you’re wanted for questioning,” she said to Alfred Emerle within. Although Charles and Alfred were prisoners, they were still nobles of the Beltrum Kingdom. Instead of being thrown into a musty dungeon, they were kept under guarded house arrest in this suite.
Their magic was sealed with cuffs around their wrists, and the shackles around their feet prevented them from running around.
“Right.”
Alfred had been reading a book, but he moved to the living room as directed.
“Sit,” Christina ordered as soon as he left the room.
“Yes, Your Highness...”
Alfred’s eyes widened at the sight of Celia beside Christina, but he obediently obeyed the order and sat down.
“I will call for Charles.”
Vanessa turned and headed for the other bedroom, summoning him to the living room as well.
“What, do you still have something to—Celia?!”
Charles arrived with a fed-up attitude towards the interrogation, but expressed his shock upon seeing Celia in the living room.
Celia took a small breath and bowed. “Long time no see, Sir Charles.”
“So you were a traitor all along...”
Charles frowned bitterly. He made no attempt to hide his displeasure, instead turning it into an emotional blade pointed at Celia.
“Sit.”
“Sit? How dare you! Who do you think I am?!”
Charles snapped at Vanessa for giving him an order. Then, as if he thought that even that anger should be taken out on Celia—
“This is a grave matter,” he spat, glaring at Celia.
“What is?” Christina asked calmly.
“I’m talking about the Count Claire family’s betrayal. Both during the wedding, and at Cleia. Though I thought it was just the father that was colluding with the Restoration.”
“That’s an odd claim to make. Whom exactly did Professor Celia betray?”
“Me! The Duke Arbor family! She was a shameless bitch under that innocent face, fooling me until the day of our wedding. Trampling on my kindness in accepting an old hag for a wife like this!” Charles snapped, criticizing Celia’s choices with harsh words.
“...”
Although Celia frowned, she remained silent.
“How unsightly,” Charlotte muttered with a sigh.
Charles was startled. “Wh-What?”
“Hmm? Did you say something?” Charlotte cocked her head cheerfully, feigning ignorance.
Christina mirrored Charlotte, tilting her head diagonally with a curious look. “She pledged loyalty to the First Princess who lamented for the future of the kingdom and offered her life. How is that a betrayal?”
“H...How isn’t it a betrayal? We nobles are to pledge loyalty to the King and kingdom! Not the First Princess! Thus, both this woman and you are no more than rebels against the King and kingdom!” Charles argued heatedly.
Christina smiled with cold contempt. “How amusing. I didn’t imagine those words coming from someone who has been trying to seize control of the kingdom from the king they clearly despise.”
“My actions were made out of consideration for the king and kingdom! When the gutless Huguenot gained power, our kingdom lost territory to the Proxia Empire. His Majesty and Huguenot underestimated Proxia’s power! That’s why—”
“Nevertheless, that doesn’t justify how you sold out the kingdom.”
“S-Sold...out...?!”
Charles frowned in displeasure at Christina’s words, which overlapped with his.
“I agree with Princess Christina. The actions of the Duke Arbor family have been an attack on the kingdom itself. That’s why I decided to join the Restoration in support of Princess Christina.”
Celia expressed her feelings, conveying her opposition to Charles clearly.
“You...!”
“That’s enough. I’ve heard enough of your side,” Christina said, interrupting Charles once more.
“Then what did you call me out for?!” Charles snapped irritably.
“It’s about the events leading to your capture here. Do you recall whom you lost to?”
“What are you saying...?”
Charles shot her a skeptical glare, but then looked more confused as he processed the question. Seated beside him in silence, Alfred looked equally puzzled.
“Alfred.”
“Yes, Your Highness.”
“Do you recall who you fought and lost to, and how you were taken prisoner in the first place?” Christina asked, looking straight at Alfred.
Alfred paused for a long moment, then shook his head. “No, I do not.”
He didn’t seem to be lying. The confusion was clear on his face.
“I see... Princess Charlotte, do you have any follow-up questions?”
“No, I’ve heard enough.”
“Then, Vanessa, you may show them back to their rooms.”
“Understood. This way, brother.” Vanessa bowed her head deeply, then escorted Alfred and Charles back to their bedrooms one after another.
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