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Translated By Arcane Translations
Translator: FusionX
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“What’s wrong?”
“…It’s nothing. I just suddenly had a strange feeling.”
When the carriage stopped for negotiations with the different races, I got out and silently gazed at the deep south.
I wasn’t one to rely heavily on intuition like Adele.
Although my hunches were often wrong, it was true that my ominous feelings had never been incorrect.
I didn’t know why I was having this thought.
It was as if I felt I might meet Miragen, to put it one way.
When we departed for the south, I had heard that Miragen was under house arrest.
If she was here now, it meant either her house arrest had been lifted sooner than expected, or she had simply come out on her own will.
Surely she wouldn’t have secretly left in defiance of the Emperor’s orders.
As I thought about what might interest Miragen in this southern region, I realized there was a possibility it wasn’t entirely impossible.
Miragen had come to the south before.
If she traveled with magicians, she could move quickly through teleportation, but the different races didn’t like that much, so they usually traveled secretly.
The reason Miragen went to the south then was because of a relic.
It was a relic known to the imperial family, and securing it would have benefited Miragen herself.
It was different from the relic I was looking for.
The one Miragen wanted to secure was created by the Moon God, while the one I was after was related to the Four Dragons.
Miragen’s power had increased slightly after the recent Terranite mine incident.
She now had enough influence to exert some authority, but it was still weak compared to Kaitel.
If she was still concerned about that, maybe we could meet here.
I hoped that wouldn’t happen.
“You seem to be thinking about someone else.”
“Did you learn mind-reading in the North?”
When I asked that, Adele shrugged and approached me.
Negotiations with the different races were the job of Adriana and the paladins.
As such, we had nothing to do, so we were inevitably quite leisurely until the task was finished.
By the way, Adele’s intuition was better than I thought.
It might be what they call a woman’s intuition, but she had accurately guessed that I was thinking about Miragen.
Though I had no intention of speaking honestly, I smiled awkwardly, and Adele silently looked at me as if she understood.
In truth, I felt very apologetic towards Adele.
For not being able to tell her more about myself, though there was actually a lot I could say.
I thought that if I said more, it would only increase her confusion.
If there was any consolation, it was that she was now somewhat wary of the Crown Prince.
If she was cautious on her own, she wouldn’t die as futilely as I had seen before.
If an unexpected situation arose, I could step in.
If we could get through this year like that, I might be satisfied even if I lost the bet I had made with her.
“When this is over, do you plan to go straight to the central region?”
“I suppose so. I should start preparing what I’ve been planning.”
Adele knew that I intended to become the family head.
I thought she probably understood the meaning of this southern trip to some extent, but she didn’t know my purpose after becoming the family head.
Rebellion, I wanted to tell her that I was planning to instigate it… but somehow we hadn’t been able to have that conversation.
I would be busy for a while after becoming the family head.
I would have to absorb power in my own way and gain the support of the nobles to reign over them.
At least to the point where mere nobles wouldn’t be able to interfere with me.
In that sense, Adele’s support was quite powerful.
If the Grand Duchess supported me, it meant that 30% of this empire supported me, didn’t it?
“If you want, I could help. Considering what that sister of yours did to you.”
Adele’s mood didn’t seem very good as she gritted her teeth.
Perhaps it was because she had read my memories, or because of the memories I had told her about in the past.
Having heard that all the wounds covering my body came from one person… I suppose it was a natural reaction.
“…How could she do that to her brother? She really has an interesting way of thinking.”
“It’s in the past. Well, it wasn’t just once or twice.”
“I’m seeing it now. So I can’t help but be irritated. I’ve had to hold myself back from attacking the Taylors several times after recalling these memories.”
Adele hesitated for a moment, then added as she looked away from me.
“I couldn’t ruin the plan you had set up.”
“I should thank you then. You don’t need to care about me that much.”
“As I always say, you have a talent for making people worry. I see you even when I don’t want to.”
Since we shared memories, it was comfortable that we could communicate on many levels.
At this point, Adele was probably the only one I could talk to like this.
Theresa, who knew my other memories, well… she was dead.
The parts of me that bothered her were always the same.
The anxiety that came from feeling like I might disappear at any moment, and the mental state that seemed like it could crumble at any time.
I was fine with it, but Adele seemed to care more about it after hearing that I had died several times.
After watching Adele stare at me for a while, I finally chuckled and shrugged.
“If you’re that worried, why don’t you just come to the central region? Once I become the family head, no one will have anything to say about it anyway.”
“Not a bad idea. No, it’s worth considering.”
I had said it jokingly, but Adele seemed to be thinking about it quite seriously.
When I asked if she was really thinking of coming, surprised, she opened her mouth as if it was obvious.
“Are you really thinking of coming? Don’t you have things you need to do?”
“Lothos will handle it. He did it before anyway.”
It seemed I had brought up an unnecessary topic.
As I looked at Adele seriously considering my words, I silently sent a prayer for Lothos.
It seemed Lothos’ unfair treatment wasn’t much different in this life than in the past one.
Perhaps that was his fate.
It must be miserable for him.
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Adele left, saying she was tired, and I was alone again.
When I was with others, it was different, but when I was alone, my thoughts naturally multiplied.
As I wanted to avoid my mind becoming too complicated, I tried contacting Miragen, whom I had briefly thought about earlier.
Adele… Adriana, and Miragen.
They all had their own brilliant aspects, but they were people I wanted to take care of until the end in this life.
Even if I died, it would be better if at least these people lived.
It would be good if Miragen was in the imperial palace rather than the south, but I wasn’t sure if things would go as I thought.
It didn’t take long for a voice to be heard again after the brief connection tone.
When the familiar voice reached my ears, I couldn’t help but smile.
“Have you been well?”
-I’ve been fine. Thanks to someone.
Was she still upset about the last incident?
When I laughed out loud at her somewhat grumpy voice, Miragen opened her mouth as if displeased.
-You’ve been contacting me privately quite often lately. I hope you remember the purpose of this artifact.
“Wasn’t it given to me for casual conversation in the first place? If you prefer, I’ll only discuss official matters from now on.”
-…That’s not exactly what I meant. You can contact me often. Just don’t talk about other people.
“I understand. Anyway, I contacted you today to talk with Your Highness the Princess.”
After a brief cough, a much clearer voice than before came through.
Even just from her voice, I could sense her expectation, so I grinned at Miragen’s tone.
-If what you just said is true, I might forgive your previous rudeness. Has your heart changed a little now? Do you think of me sometimes?
“It seems so.”
-…Oh, really? Really?
“I don’t think it’s something to joke about, but did I offend you?”
-Of course not. Hmm, it was just unexpected.
Miragen’s voice was full of emotion she couldn’t hide.
I smiled softly at her voice, which was trying to maintain the dignity of a princess while clearly pleased with what I said.
When talking with Miragen, I couldn’t help but think a lot about the old days.
Her jealousy, her affection.
Maybe because I had seen it so many times, I could tell what emotions she was feeling just from her voice.
-So, what’s the reason for this call? It’s not really just to check on me, is it?
“I really did want to ask how you were doing. We’re heading to the deep south now, so I had some free time.”
-It seems you didn’t travel with magicians. If you had, you would have arrived quickly.
“We want to avoid friction with the different races. It can’t be helped.”
As I said that, I focused on the sounds coming from Miragen’s end.
Not just her voice, but including the surrounding sounds.
When we had talked in her room before, the sound had echoed slightly, but this time there was no such reverberation.
It meant she was in an open space.
She could be talking from a garden, but using such an artifact in a place like a garden wasn’t Miragen’s style.
At least when talking to someone she was interested in, didn’t she prefer places without people?
It wasn’t the imperial palace.
Then where could it be?
The sound that resolved this question came from the other end.
The chirping of birds flying in the sky, a sound that would never be heard indoors like the imperial palace.
Chirp chirp-!
I smiled bitterly as I realized it was the sound of birds native to the south, not the central region.
I had hoped Miragen wouldn’t be here, but it seemed this ominous feeling had been spot on.
I squeezed my eyes shut.
Just imagining it made my head hurt.
“I’m asking just in case, but are you somewhere other than the imperial palace right now?”
-W-What are you talking about? You know I’m still under house arrest.
“You know what?”
Miragen had a personality that couldn’t lie.
When she lied, her voice gave it away, so she often got caught trying to deceive Kaitel.
Maybe it was because we had spent so much time together.
Now I could tell what she was thinking just from her voice, so I realized Miragen was lying.
“Your Highness, you’re really not good at lying. I could hear the bird sounds just now too. I think you know what that means.”
-…Are you saying I’m in the south?
“Aren’t you? I thought it might be the case, but you really are there.”
Chirp chirp-!
There was a time lag, but the chirping sound that had been coming from Miragen’s end now reached my ears too.
This time, not from the artifact, but from right above my head.
What could that mean?
The direction the bird had flown from, that is, it meant Miragen was in the deep south.
When I asked again, Miragen muttered in a small voice, as if resigned.
-Please keep this a secret from Father… If I get caught this time, I might have to stay in the palace for a whole year.
“What were you thinking- Hah.”
There was only one thing I could say to Miragen who spoke like that.
I didn’t think she had come to the central region alone, but still, it was the deep south.
It had happened before, and I remembered that Miragen had returned safely then too.
But I couldn’t help but worry.
Wasn’t Miragen like a sore thumb to me?
I swallowed for a moment and then opened my mouth.
Trying not to sound angry, in the gentlest voice possible.
“Stay right there. Don’t move a single step until we find you.”
I felt I would only be at ease if I could see her with my own eyes.
By the way, if Miragen was here, did it mean all three of them would be gathered, including Adele and Adriana?
Somehow my head started to ache, and I sighed while rubbing my forehead.
It was a headache in many ways, indeed.
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