The Daughter of Evil - Volume 3 - Chapter 3.22

Chapter 3, Section 2-Full Moon Visitor; Scene 2
Praeludium of Red, page 176-181

✥ Kyle ~In the Lucifenian Palace, “The Heavenly Yard”~

.

That night, I finished with all of my work and went to the garden for some relaxation.

The garden in the Lucifenian palace boasted a size unlike any kind seen in the whole of Evillious. You could say that it was a symbol of the power that the former Lucifen dynasty held.

Come to think of it, what’s happened to Yukina?

After our meeting I had caught glimpses of her occasionally in the palace. She looked to have been writing something down in her notebook while exploring various areas. Had she already gone back home?

Though if that was the case, she ought to have given me notice that she was leaving, me being the king.

Right then, I heard a shout from behind the largest fountain in the garden.

“THIS IS A DRAMATIC FOUNTAIN!”

Speak of the devil; there she was. So she hadn’t returned home yet after all.

“You’re quite spirited, Yukina.”

“Ah–Mister Kyle! I mean uh, Your Majesty!”

“Just ‘Kyle’ is fine. We’re not in public.”

“Oh goodness, the palace is so large that I completely missed how late it was getting while I was exploring it!”

Perhaps because of how much she was enjoying herself, Yukina spoke innocently, as though having lapsed back to when she was a child. She suddenly started writing in her notebook, seeming to have remembered something.

“Are you making a note on some idea you have in there?” I asked, pointing to the black notebook that she held.

“Yep. My mom gave me this for my ninth birthday. It’s a treasure I value more than my own life.”

She treasured it, huh? …I couldn’t tell from her speech whether or not that was because she’d gotten it from her mother, or because it had so many good ideas in it now.

“Treasure, hm? I have plenty of those.”

“What I’d expect of a king. Of course you’d have lots of treasures. You should show me some, if you want.”

“Ah, alright. First, how about this one?”

I took out my hand mirror from my pocket and showed it to Yukina.

“That mirror doesn’t look all that valuable, for something a king would own.”

“Ha ha ha. Nothing less than I’d expect of Keel’s daughter. Being able to ascertain the price of something at a glance must be your strong point.”

Yukina flushed, likely embarrassed at having made an appraisal of someone else’s property so quickly.

“What an uncouth thing for a lady to say…My apologies.”

“Well, you aren’t mistaken in that this is a cheap mirror. Even so, it’s a treasure to me.”

“Why is that?”

“It’s just like your notebook. My mother gave it to me when I was young.”    

I might have been young then, but it did seem a little inappropriate to give such a cheap hand mirror as a present to a boy–and the prince of a country, no less. But my mother was a sophisticated woman, so she probably didn’t pay much mind to little things like that.

Even so, I valued this hand mirror. Even after my animosity towards my mother had strengthened, I couldn’t part with it.

If I were to throw it away, then I would lose the last connection between me and my mother. Though I refused her, though I had wanted to get away from her, I couldn’t go against my fear of losing that connection. If I might say so myself I thought that they were rather contradictory feelings.

“I see…Do you always carry that mirror around with you?”

“Aside from at night, when I’m sleeping.”

“Yes, I’d think it would be pretty terrible if you were to roll over in your sleep and crack it.”

There was another reason I carried it around. Once, before–it was probably around four years ago by now–some burglars had invaded the palace looking for it.

Those burglars had sought nothing else but the mirror. Normally I would just laugh them off as fools with no taste.

But thinking on that strange voice that I could hear from it, and the true identity of the burglars–those two women–it seemed that this mirror could probably have some special secret to it.

“What other treasures do you have?”

“Ah, I have another one–actually I’m wearing it right now. It’s a treasure I value even more than the mirror.”

“Sounds exciting. What in the world is it?”

Yukina looked at me with eyes full of anticipation.

“However, I can’t show it to you, Yukina.”

“You’re terrible! Making me wait after making such a big deal about it!”

I felt the slightest bit of pity, watching Yukina splutter with indignation, but even so I resolved to not elaborate on what the other treasure was. I would show her when she had become a little more mature, and when I was able to put my own feelings in order.

I gazed at the western sky, and saw that the sun had dipped half below the horizon.

I abruptly asked Yukina on something that was concerning me.

“By the way, where do you plan to stay tonight? Are you living at the Corpa mansion?”

“No, I’ve rented a room at an inn back in Rolled, so I was going to go back there.”

“Rolled, hm?… Public order hasn’t been very well maintained over there as of late. I wouldn’t advise staying there for a daughter of the Freezis family, of all people.”

“Don’t worry. I’m already quite used to it.”

“You’re used to it?”

“Ah! I mean, uh…”

Yukina flusteredly shut up, probably because she’d just been careless in her speech. With the way she was carrying on now it was a wonder she had been able to travel safely for the past year.

“Since you’re already here, you can stay at the palace for tonight.”

“I can?”

“We have a plethora of rooms here, in any case. I’ll have some prepared for you and your servants.”

“I’m glad! Well then, I graciously accept your offer, Your Majesty.”

I ordered the servants to prepare rooms for Yukina and her guests.

They silently bowed their heads, and each went to their respective rooms.

.

And that night, an unusual event occurred.