Chapter 59
A Very Small Shadow
“Then your health must certainly be fine?”
The first time she'd ever overslept, it seemed to have quite shocked Madam Flambard. She found it hard to believe Liene's explanation that she simply didn't want to get up and had been lazing in bed.
“Are you sure? You're not just bearing with it because you think I'll make a fuss, are you?”
“I'm telling you, I am. I feel much better after a good sleep. I think I have more energy than usual.”
“But why couldn't you get out of bed for so long?”
Do you really not know why, Madam…? Liene cleared her throat softly and avoided answering. But from Madam Flambard's point of view, it was understandable that she wouldn't understand. It was perfectly normal for couples to use separate rooms. Unless they were sleeping together to have a child, there was no reason to spend time in the same bed. Madam Flambard thought that Black had spent the entire morning in Liene's bedroom to watch over her while she was sick.
“Um, well, I hope my being late hasn't caused any trouble with the meal?”
“If you're still not feeling well, you can rest more. Don't overdo it.”
“I'm fine. Don't you start too, Madam. You know I didn't actually lose a child.”
“Well, yes… Ah, then did he perhaps force you to stay in bed?”
“No. It's not that…”
…Please stop asking.
“…Ah, right. I told him.”
Liene changed the subject midway.
“Yes? Told him what?”
“I told Lord Tiwakan that I wasn't pregnant. I'll let everyone else just think I lost a child, but at least I don't have to keep lying in front of Lord Tiwakan.”
“Oh, well done. What did he say?”
Just answering that question made her heart sink.
“Princess?”
“……He said his heart felt very light.”
He wouldn't lose it. He wouldn't forget it. He engraved those words on my heart. I wonder if that wasn't the proposal he originally intended. If it had been like that from the start, I would have been the happiest bride on the continent…
“That's right. He must have been determined to treat it as his own child, but still, it's someone else's child. How could it be the same as his own? Well done, Princess. You two will only have happy days ahead.”
“That's the plan.”
Liene said nothing more. Everyone would be happy if she just kept the secret to herself. Liene sincerely believed that.
“Oh, then I should go and bring in the meal now. There's something you need to do after you've eaten, Princess.”
“What is it? I'll do it now.”
“It's not urgent. Eat first. He… Oh, dear. How long am I going to keep calling your fiancé 'he'… I'm sorry, Princess. It's just stuck in my mouth. Lord Tiwakan insisted that I make sure you eat well.”
“Really? He did?”
Liene made an unfamiliar expression, neither smiling nor frowning.
“I can't believe it… That he'd do something so sweet… No, of course he's very affectionate, but… Still, isn't that only when we're alone…?”
Liene muttered to herself like a bewildered person, while Madam Flambard looked unduly proud.
“What can't a man in love do? There's no such thing as 'not that kind of personality' in the face of love. Then wait a moment. You must be very hungry, so I'll be right back.”
“No, it's okay. Take your time.”
“No, no.”
Madam Flambard hurried out of the bedroom. Liene looked in the mirror at her hair, which Madam Flambard had taken so much care to style as if it were a celebration. Today, her blonde hair looked unbelievably beautiful. …Is this okay? For me. In front of him. Liene swallowed a sigh and squeezed her eyes shut before opening them again. Looking in the mirror again, Liene slowly began to erase the shadows from her face. No, this is what I have to do. I will give him everything he deserves. And to do that, there was something she had to do. * * * After finishing a breakfast similar to usual, Liene postponed Madam Flambard's errand for a while. There was something she had to do first. As if the gods had granted her luck, the thing she had to do came to find her on its own.
“Did you enjoy your meal? I'm worried I've timed this badly.”
“No, you've come at just the right time. Please, have a seat, Lord Fermos.”
“Yes, Princess.”
Fermos sat down on the chair as if it were a habit, fiddling with his monocle.
“As you know, my master is away for a while. If you're uncomfortable being alone with me, I can come back later.”
She had said it was the perfect time because Black wasn't there.
“I'm not uncomfortable. But thank you for being so considerate. Now, tell me. What have you found out?”
“Yes, about the missing royal records. The ones you suspected me of taking.”
Fermos had decided to find and reveal the real culprit as proof that he wasn't the culprit.
“Have you found out who did it?”
“No. But I have found out something else.”
“Something else? What is it?”
“That there's no way to know who the culprit is.”
Liene frowned at the playful reply.
“I believe you're not one to make frivolous jokes, Lord Fermos. You didn't ask to see me just to say that, did you? Will you tell me properly?”
“……Oh dear. When you put it like that, I can't stall any longer. You're quite direct and ruthless, Princess. Just like my master.”
“I've never heard that before. But if you say I'm like your master, I'll take it as a compliment. Tell me what you mean by 'there's no way to know who the culprit is' first.”
Fermos raised the corners of his lips in a brief smile, then quickly changed his expression to a serious one.
“It's exactly as I said. The records weren't lost recently, but a very long time ago.”
“……? Is that true?”
“Yes. I have quite the eye for books and bibliography. The royal archives are a history of bookbinding in themselves, after all.”
Tiwakan's clever advisor was knowledgeable in many fields. It was hard to understand why such a man was slogging through battlefields instead of being in a library.
“Well, leaving aside the things that only I would enjoy talking about, to put it simply, the thread that bound the records was very old. About 20 years old, I'd guess. If someone had tampered with the records recently, the thread used to repair that part would have to be new.”
“20 years… you said?”
“Yes. I'm sure of it.”
“……”
Then it was obvious who the culprit was. It must have been Father. He didn't want me to remember the last King of the Gainerus Royal Family. If there was anyone who would open the royal archives in the future, it was obvious. It was only Liene. So he would have tried to hide it. The rebellion of the Seven Families, the disappearance of Prince Fernand, the engagement between Gainerus and Arsac.
“I understand. Thank you for your hard work, Lord Fermos.”
“Oh? You believe me just like that?”
“Because I think you told the truth.”
“Well, of course, but… That's not all there is to it, is it.”
Fermos was clever. He was already digging into the reason why Liene's reaction deviated from his expectations.
“If I were you, Princess, I would have been more surprised. Because it's proof that there was a secret royal history from 20 years ago that you didn't know about. But you don't seem surprised at all, so I assume you already knew. Isn't that right?”
Liene quickly hid the expression that was about to twist.
“……If it was 20 years ago, it could just mean that it was a long time ago and I'm not very interested.”
“Yes. But you're not such a lazy Monarch, are you, Princess?”
“I can be lazy if I need to be. Anyway, I commend you for keeping your promise. I'll repay you by turning a blind eye to your unauthorized intrusion into the royal office.”
“Oh, such an unexpectedly generous disposition. Thank you, Princess.”
Liene quickly continued.
“And there's something I want to say to you.”
“Hmm? To me?”
She already knew how quick-witted Fermos was. It was very difficult to hide something from Black while dealing with him. Liene faced him with the feeling of taking a gamble.
"It's about Klima Sectarian. I said with my own mouth that I saw the Sectarian bleeding... but when I think about it, it was because he was hit by the old man back then. So, the Sectarian is not the culprit who killed the Cardinal. I think it's better to stop chasing Klima Sectarian."
"Aha..."
Fermos wasn't easily fooled.
"Princess, you seem to want to save him. Is that right?"
"......Yes."
"There must be a reason."
Liene didn't know, but Black had already decided to save Klima. Fermos was also there.
"I can't call someone who isn't a criminal a criminal."
"Even so, he kidnapped you, Princess. We can't just ignore that, can we?"
"That's... the Sectarian might not be the culprit. I didn't see the face of the person who kidnapped me. When I woke up, I was alone, and soon Lord Tiwakan came to find me."
"Aha."
Fermos let out an ambiguous sound that was neither a sigh nor a laugh.
"With all due respect, Princess, you don't seem to be very good at lying."
"......"
What is it? Everyone was fooled by the fact that I was pregnant. Liene crumpled the hem of her dress with a slightly embarrassed face.
"That's not necessarily true. And there's no proof that I'm lying about the kidnapping, is there?"
"......Well, that's true."
"Then believe me. Klima Sectarian is not the culprit. If Lord Tiwakan doesn't agree, I'll talk to him separately."
"Um... Well, regardless of agreement, he won't refuse if you ask him, Princess."
Fermos muttered bitterly, wiping his face.
"It seems like that's especially true today. When I saw him a moment ago, he looked frighteningly happy. Maybe it's because you came back safely, Princess, so... yeah."
"Then I'll take it that we're done talking about Klima Sectarian."
"Um... but there's one problem, Princess."
It was certain that the Sectarian should not be killed. That's what Black said. Black didn't say anything more, but Fermos learned a lot from the short conversation between Black and Mrs. Hinton. As soon as Black saw Mrs. Hinton's face, he suddenly said he was her son. That meant Black knew not only the Sectarian but also his mother. Mrs. Hinton was the same. She recognized Black. However, she didn't seem happy or pleased, but rather showed unresolved resentment. He said he shouldn't be killed twice. That meant the woman had another child, who had died because of Black. Wasn't the reason Black was going to save the person who laid a hand on Princess Liene because of a past debt? Fermos was vaguely guessing what the past debt was. Black didn't tell him himself, but he didn't say not to figure it out on his own. Mrs. Hinton said Nine Waterfalls, and Black understood it without difficulty. Considering that Nine Waterfalls was once the symbol of the Nauk Kingdom, the wealthiest in the south, Black must be of royal blood. Then the question was the relationship between Liene and Black. It goes without saying that Black was sincere towards Liene, but what about Liene? Why would Black tell him to spare someone he owes a debt to?
