Chapter 80 - <2>
Leaving the castle, Anna hurried home. For the first time in a while, everyone would be together for dinner, and that alone made her happy.
"Annie, listen, listen!"
Still out of breath, she burst into the kitchen where Annie always was, and Annie's eyes widened in surprise.
'What is it, Anna?'
"Ritz is coming home! And Franz said he's eating dinner here today too, so everyone will be here!"
'Oh my, it's been a while, hasn't it?'
"Right? Let's make a feast today!"
On the kitchen counter was a large amount of apple jam and pie dough that was in the middle of being kneaded. It seemed Annie was planning to bake an apple pie.
"I have to go shopping. Where's Joe?"
Without even taking off her winter clothes, Anna asked Annie. If she took them off now, she'd just get cold again, so it was best to go shopping as she was.
'She's in the garden. For her sword practice, she said.'
"Wow… She's working hard."
Joe was having Ritz teach her sword practice as promised. That said, since Joe, or rather Josephine, had been adopted, Ritz had only been at this house for about three weeks. In that time, what she had been taught was incredibly little.
But Joe held the memory of the fight between Ritz and Edward she had seen when she was saved dear to her heart. And she diligently remembered and practiced those few teachings.
Anna had once heard Ritz praise Joe. Being Ritz, he didn't praise her to her face. He made Anna promise to keep it a secret from Joe, then quietly told her, 'She has more talent than Franz.'
Joe said she wanted to be a mercenary or a soldier in the future, but to be honest, Anna didn't want Joe to take on such a dangerous job. But she couldn't say that to Joe, who had been in the situation of an orphan and hadn't even been able to have a dream until now.
She didn't want to say anything unnecessary to the hopeful Joe and dampen her dreams.
"Annie, what do you think would be good for today's feast?"
Taking the spoon that was stuck in the jam, Anna brought the apple jam to her mouth.
'Hey, you can't do that.'
"But I'm hungry."
She had forgotten in her excitement about Ritz coming home and everyone eating dinner together, but Anna was hungry. She had been at the castle all day and had unusually skipped lunch, so her hunger was severe.
'Then I'll toast some bread for you. Just don't eat only the jam.'
"Oka~y."
But if she dallied, she wouldn't make it in time to prepare the meal. Anna took only her muffler and received the bread from Annie.
On the lightly toasted bread, she spread… or rather, piled on the jam, holding it with both hands so it wouldn't spill. When she took a bite, her mouth filled with a sweet and sour taste and the faint scent of cinnamon. An exquisite contrast of flavors. Compared to the jam she made in Vishnu, it was like night and day.
Anna's jam was always criticized by the children for being too sweet because she used too much sugar. She used a lot of sugar to preserve it so it wouldn't spoil during the winter. That was the result of Anna's effort to make it last a long time without spoiling, as they couldn't afford to buy jam, and a consequence of their poverty.
"Mmm, delishush…"
'Don't talk with your mouth full!'
"Mmm-hmm."
Annie's jam was considerably less sweet, but that created a pleasant freshness that made it delicious. Even with this much piled on, the sweetness was never overwhelming. She reveled in the happiness spreading through her mouth for a moment, but Annie's words brought her back to her senses.
'Ritz has been at the palace all this time, hasn't he?'
"Mmm-hmm."
With a thoughtful expression on Annie's face, Anna replied while munching on her bread. Oh right, she had asked what kind of dish would be good. She had completely forgotten.
'Then, rather than a lavish meal, he might appreciate a home-cooked one more.'
That was probably true. If he had been having those troublesome meals for two weeks, he definitely wouldn't want another one. In that case, since it's cold, something warm….
"Ritz likes cream stew, doesn't he?"
Remembering the dish Ritz had mentioned when he was sick in bed, Anna murmured.
'That's right. He wanted to eat it even when he was unconscious.'
Remembering, Annie chuckled. If Ritz hadn't said he wanted to eat that back then, Anna wouldn't have wandered into the slums alone, and consequently, Joe wouldn't have come to this house.
Come to think of it, it might be a fateful dish for the Clayton Residence.
"Then, how about a cream stew with salmon and mushrooms, which are delicious this season?"
'That sounds lovely.'
"And also, chicken garlic steak with lots and lots of tomato sauce, baked in the oven until crispy with cheese?"
After licking the jam off her fingers, Anna voiced her own favorite dish that had come to mind.
'Yes, those two would go well together. A warm vegetable salad would make it perfect.'
"Then it's decided! Thanks for the jam bread. I'm off now~"
Rewrapping her muffler, Anna went out into the garden. If Joe was practicing her sword, she was always in the backyard near the service entrance.
Having been in the warm kitchen until now, the cold bit into her skin even more. The wind hitting her freshly warmed cheeks felt like it was piercing them.
Looking around, she saw Joe. She was lightly dressed yet seemed to be sweating a little. She must have been training for a long time. Joe's diligence was admirable.
In her hand was not a sword, but a wooden stick cut to a suitable length. She was raising it and swinging it down over and over again. Her expression was serious. Joe would get embarrassed and stop practicing as soon as she was seen by Anna, so Anna sat silently on the stone steps of the service entrance and waited until she was finished.
As Ritz said, Joe seemed more powerful than Franz. That said, she was an amateur, so it wasn't like she could tell the clear difference.
"One hundred! Ugh, that's tough!"
Joe shouted and bent forward, placing her hands on her knees. It seemed she had reached a stopping point for now.
"Joe, want to go shopping?"
At Anna's voice, Joe literally jumped.
"You were here?"
"Yep, I was."
"You scared me~"
Joe seemed genuinely surprised, her eyes wide.
"Ehehe, sorry. I was watching, thinking I'd wait until you were done."
"What, you should have just said something."
With an embarrassed pout, Joe came over to Anna's side. She leaned the wooden stick she was holding against the side of the service entrance.
"What are we shopping for?"
Having stopped moving, she must have been feeling the cold, as Joe blew on her hands while asking Anna.
"Shopping for dinner. You know, Ritz is coming home!"
"Really?"
Joe's chestnut-colored eyes sparkled.
"Really, really! It's been two weeks, hasn't it!"
"It's been so long! I wonder if I can get him to train with me?"
"I'm sure he will."
To Joe, Ritz was nothing more than a sword instructor. It was quite different from how Anna saw him, but it was nice to have a friend who could share in her joy.
"And guess what, Ritz is bringing cake! A big one, with strawberry cream!"
Though she had told Ritz to bring it if he could, Anna had no doubt that the cake would actually arrive. Ritz had never once broken a promise.
"Lucky! Let's go shopping quickly and get ready for the cake!"
"Yeah!"
Joe rushed back into the house and returned in just a few minutes, bundled up in her winter clothes. Joe's speed at getting ready was faster than anyone Anna knew.
"Alright, let's go."
The two of them set off shopping together under the clear winter sky.
In the morning, this usually quiet residential street had been filled with the clamor of people heading to the castle to hear the king's speech, but now it was completely quiet.
The two walked leisurely through the residential area, talking about today's menu, sword practice, and other things. It was a mystery how they never ran out of things to talk about, even though they were chattering together all the time.
According to Franz, it was 'probably because you repeat useless conversations,' but Anna didn't think so. Because there really were lots and lots of things to talk about.
Joe seemed to find the stories Anna told about the castle and her journey so far interesting, and Anna enjoyed hearing about the amusing things that had happened in the city that Joe had experienced.
They both talked earnestly, but when they suddenly remembered a story they hadn't told yet, they would start talking again, continuing on endlessly. Besides, Joe hadn't opened up to anyone other than Anna yet, so she seemed to look forward to their time together.
There were still many things Joe didn't know. Mainly about Ritz and Franz.
She seemed especially unaccustomed to Franz, and still asked Anna things like, 'Franz said this today, was he angry?' Each time, Anna would reply, 'You know, Franz may look like that, but he's not angry very often.'
In reality, Franz was just expressionless and remarkably lacking in emotional expression; he wasn't that grumpy or angry… or so Anna thought.
Besides, when he did get truly angry, he got really angry. To put it bluntly, it was no joke. Anna was always being told by Ritz, 'You can tease and make fun of Franz all you want, but the second his eyes look dangerous, you cut it out immediately.'
For someone who said that, it always seemed to be Ritz who made Franz angry, but was that just her imagination?
Just as they were talking about Franz as usual, someone suddenly bumped into her from behind. Just as she was about to stumble, that someone hugged her with the same momentum.
And they were short. Looking closely, she saw that the hands wrapped around her were a child's hands.
Surprised, she stopped, and Joe, next to her, stopped as well. Turning around, she saw a child in a hat clinging to her, their face buried in her coat.
"Sis! Where've you been?!"
Before Anna could open her mouth, the boy shouted at her.
"Sis?"
At Anna's perplexed voice, the boy looked up.
"You haven't been home for a whole month! Mom and I are worried."
She had absolutely no memory of the face looking up at her, tears streaming down it.
"Umm, I think you have the wrong person…"
As she said this hesitantly, the boy roughly wiped his tears with his fist and stared up at Anna's face. An incredibly awkward expression immediately appeared on his.
"…Ah, crap…"
The boy hesitantly moved away from Anna and simultaneously tried to run off. But he couldn't.
"L-let go of me!"
The boy's wrist had been firmly grabbed by Joe.
"Like I'd let go! There's something you're supposed to say in a situation like this."
Trying to escape, the boy desperately tried to run forward, but Joe wouldn't let go.
"Let go, you ugly hag!"
"What was that? Say that again after you've gotten a good look at my face!"
"No way! I'm not looking at your face!"
Somehow, the strangely comical exchange between the two became funny, and Anna burst out laughing.
"Joe, it's okay."
"But Anna, hugging someone in the street and then trying to run off is too suspicious. Is your wallet still there?"
It was only when she said it that she realized. So this sudden contact was a common trick for pickpockets. As expected of a former pickpocket, her observation skills were sharp. She checked, and her wallet was properly there.
"It's here, I'm okay."
"I see, good."
Despite her words, Joe still didn't let go of his hand. Anna walked around her and crouched down next to the boy.
"There's a reason for this, isn't there? Right?"
At Anna's attitude, the boy relaxed. He slumped his head down and sat on the ground. Anna placed a hand on the boy's head.
"Is there anything I can do? I'll listen if you want to talk."
"Jeez, Anna, you're too nice."
Even though Joe let go of his hand, the boy didn't run away anymore. Joe, without letting down her guard, crossed her arms and looked down at the boy. Under that cold gaze, the boy brushed off Anna's hand along with his hat. His reddish-brown hair was revealed.
"What's wrong?"
To the bewildered Anna, the boy turned a sharp face and yelled.
"Like a rich person would understand!"
"Rich person…"
"Yeah!"
At the boy who was radiating anger, Anna was confused. This was the first time she had been treated like a rich person. It was true that this was a high-class residential area, and the clothes she was wearing were hand-me-downs from the queen, so while old, they were reasonably expensive.
No, that wasn't it, she just didn't understand the situation that was causing this boy to hold such hostility towards her.
"Could you tell me in more detail?"
Wrapping the hand that had been brushed away in her other hand, Anna asked. But the boy just turned away and wouldn't answer.
Just as she was wondering what to do, Joe moved. She suddenly grabbed the boy's chin, forced him to look up, and peered intently into his face.
"Joe, what are you…"
As Anna started to speak, Joe suddenly shouted.
"I knew it, you're Dan!"
Her eyes were as wide as they could possibly be.
"I thought you looked familiar, but it's really you! What are you doing in a place like this?"
The boy, who had been called out, stared blankly at Joe for a moment, then pointed a finger at her and shouted.
"Big Sis Joe!"
The two faced each other, too surprised to speak.
"…Wait, you know each other?"
Caught in the middle, Anna looked back and forth between the two several times before asking Joe.
"Yeah. He's the son of the laundress who helped me out in the slums. His name's Dan."
At Joe's words, the boy… Dan picked up the hat that had fallen to the ground, put it on, and then looked up.
"You had the nerve to call me an ugly hag earlier."
"I didn't realize it was you, Big Sis Joe! More importantly, what are you doing here?"
Dan asked, looking genuinely curious. Joe shrugged her shoulders.
"Did you forget? I was adopted by the family in the house up there."
"Oh yeah… I forgot."
Knowing the other person was Joe, the boy seemed to lose his energy and crouched down. His behavior didn't seem normal. Even Anna, who had just met him, thought so, so Joe, who had sensed Dan's strangeness earlier, knelt down beside him.
"Dan, this is my friend, Anna. You called Anna 'sis,' right? Does that mean something happened to Jinny?"
"Yeah, Big Sis Joe. Big Sis Jinny's been missing for a month."
"Missing?"
Dan nodded.
"My sis, she went to work as a maid in a high-class residential area. For the first month, we heard from her properly. But for this past month, there's been no contact at all."
Seeing how genuinely worried Dan was, she felt sorry for him. The spirit of helping people within her began to stir.
"That must be worrying…"
As she said that and nodded, Joe looked up at Anna from her kneeling position with an exasperated expression.
"Anna, are you thinking of looking for Jinny for him?"
"I am. Because I feel sorry for him."
Not understanding why she was being met with exasperation, Anna tilted her head. Like she was looking at an incompetent little sister, Joe stood up with a sigh.
"When you go to work as a maid, for the first month, you're not used to the job and you complain to your family and stuff. Then when you get used to the job and start having fun, you don't contact them as often. That's how it usually is, you know."
"Is that so?"
"It is. That's common sense, isn't it?"
She hadn't known that at all. But to leave a child who looked so worried alone was just too cold.
"But, but, Dan is really worried, right? That must mean something happened!"
As Anna continued to press, Joe sighed, shrugged her shoulders, and continued.
"Nope. Dan's always been attached to his sister, following Jinny around. He's just lonely because he can't see her, so he came looking."
"What the heck, Big Sis Joe, you don't have to say it like that!"
While giving a cold look to Dan who stood up and protested fiercely, Joe slowly crossed her arms.
"Dan, it's about time you grew out of being so attached to your sister."
"I am over it!"
"Liar. You know what Jinny's like, don't you? If she's having fun in her new life, she's the type to casually abandon her old one."
"Ugh… but that's not all!"
Despite being in a overwhelmingly disadvantageous position, Dan launched a desperate counterattack.
"The place my sis went to work as a maid, maids keep going missing one after another! And they're all red-haired girls with long hair! Something definitely happened to my sis too!"
Anna was surprised by those words. If that was true, it was indeed a dangerous story, and at worst, a crime. But even so, Joe remained calm.
"…Where did you hear that story?"
"Everyone's saying it!"
"Everyone who? It's not just a rumor, is it?"
Anna was perplexed by her overly cold words.
"Joe, if everyone's saying it, there must be something to it. Right, Dan?"
"Anna, you're naive. In a place like the slums, a little story quickly turns into a huge rumor. For example, the story about you going on a rampage in a shop near the slums, do you know what it's become now?"
"Huh? I don't know."
She only knew what Ritz had told her about what happened to the shop afterwards. It was certain that the old man was fine and his cooking was still delicious.
"It's amazing. They say a master spirit user who looks like a child freely wielded hundreds of water spheres, knocking down enemies left and right, then went on a rampage in the slums with a sword and beat up the Ward Family…"
"No way!"
"It's true. And apparently, this girl is a master investigator sent by the Military Police, and she commands many skilled men."
She was speechless at how different it was from reality. For one thing, Anna was not a master spirit user. All she had done at that time was drench the enemy and the inside of the shop.
Moreover, she had only been saved by Ritz and Edward when she was being attacked.
"I see… so it's not very credible…"
"Right?"
She glanced at Dan and saw him slumping his shoulders in dejection. Even if the rumors weren't credible, his love for his sister was real. She still couldn't just leave a child with such a sad face alone.
"Joe, you know, I still feel sorry for him. If we can find out where the rumor started, and if it seems like it might be true, let's help him."
Clasping her hands in front of her chest as if pleading, Anna looked at Joe. Joe, with an exasperated face, stared at Anna for a while, but then, as if giving up, she let out an exaggerated sigh.
"…Jeez, Anna, you're really too nice. Fine, next time I'm in the slums, I'll gather some information, and if it's true, I'll report back to you."
"Thank you, Joe!"
Overjoyed, she jumped up and took Joe's hand. With a resigned look, Joe muttered.
"BUT, not today, okay? You said the master was coming home today, right? It'll be tomorrow or later. If that's okay, I'll look into it."
"Okay, that's fine. Please do! Is that okay with you too, Dan?"
"Yeah."
Even though she had only said she would investigate the rumor, Dan still looked a little happy. If his sister was found, he would be even happier.
After all, you have to help each other out when someone's in trouble.
"Once that's decided, let's finish our shopping and go home early. Then we'll eat quickly, and then let's wake up early tomorrow!"
"Alright, alright. See you later, Dan."
She was glad her work was finished today. Starting tomorrow, she would do her best for that boy, Anna resolved anew and started walking towards the shops.
Little did she know at that moment that this would turn into something very troublesome.
And just like Anna, there was another person who was holding his head with the premonition of facing a tremendous ordeal.
Franz Lucina was in a bad mood. If asked what he was in a bad mood about, it was his own words and actions from a little while ago.
The story goes back a few hours.
This morning, for Franz, was an incredibly early start. It was because Ritz had asked him yesterday to bring his formal wear and disguise early in the morning, as there was a king's speech and he would be standing beside him.
Stumbling to the palace, sleep-deprived, he handed over the things Ritz had asked for, and then Franz intended to go straight home. He thought he would go home and at least go back to sleep. But with extremely bad luck, he was caught by His Highness Prince Greig of the Yuresla Kingdom, who, after the recent incident, had inconveniently been made his friend.
"Good morning, Franz. You're going to listen to Grandfather's speech, aren't you?"
He thought he had run into a troublesome person, but Franz was not foolish enough to say it out loud. He glanced at Greig and saw that he was looking at him with a confident expression, not even considering the possibility that Franz would leave. Without turning around, Franz replied briefly.
"…I'll pass."
"Why? Grandfather doesn't speak in front of the public very often these days. You'll regret it if you don't listen."
He couldn't see what benefit Franz would gain from listening to Edward's speech. Franz was also a commoner. And he sometimes talked with Edward. Wasn't it the same as his speech to the public? He thought that should be enough….
But it was too much trouble to say that out loud. Anyway, he wanted to go home. But Franz knew. When you want to go home, you can't. Especially when it comes to this boy, Greig.
"You should listen, it'll definitely be worth it!"
"Worth it?"
"Of course. It's Grandfather's speech, isn't it? There's no way it wouldn't be worth it!"
"…I see."
That wasn't a reason at all. There was no way to argue with that. Greig sincerely respected his grandfather, Edward. That was why, without any basis, he just earnestly believed so.
To Franz, Edward was certainly His Majesty the King, whom he should revere… but more than that, he was his companion's bickering friend. Remembering how he had twisted Ritz up when they first met, he just couldn't idolize him as much as Greig did.
If he were to say something sarcastic about Edward to this Greig, he might get cut down. Seriously.
"I've got a great spot. It's a prime seat, you know?"
To Greig, who was still pestering him, it was too much trouble to resist anymore. Once Edward's speech began, he would probably be forgotten anyway. In that case, there would be no problem if he slept there.
"Fine, I'll go."
And so, Franz ended up listening to Edward's speech from what Greig called a prime seat. That place was truly unexpected. It was right under where Edward, Ritz, Gerald, and Shasta were… in other words, in a corner of the connecting corridor right under the terrace.
During Edward's speech, Franz, ignoring Greig who was intently listening to the voices from above, dozed off in a patch of sunlight. He had heard the gist of the speech from Ritz yesterday. The rumor about the recent incident had spread strangely among the people, and voices of unease had begun to be heard, so this was to extinguish that fire, he had been told. If that was the case, for Franz, who knew the truth of that incident, there was no point in listening.
But his peaceful slumber was disturbed by Greig's loud voice.
"Franz, did you hear?"
"…What?"
"Grandfather is abdicating!"
For a moment, he didn't understand what he meant. Abdicate? What was abdicate again? He thought in his head. When his sleepy mind understood the meaning, he finally understood what Greig had said.
"His Majesty the King is abdicating?"
"That's right!"
Edward is abdicating… Could it be that this had been decided? Since Ritz came back. He had that feeling. The biggest question for Franz was why Ritz, who had disliked the position of minister so much, had accepted it so easily after one night at the state farm. If he had known this, it made perfect sense. Ritz was surely planning to use this opportunity to abandon his position as minister.
In that case, what did Ritz plan to do? Would he go on a journey? Would he take Anna and Franz with him again? Surely he wouldn't be left behind.
Questions swirled in his mind. He happened to look beside him and saw Greig muttering to himself.
"It's so sudden… I'm so surprised… I wonder if Father knew?"
He seemed confused, so he decided to leave Greig here and go ask Ritz the truth. Just as he thought that and stood up, the hem of his winter coat got caught on something. Looking down, he saw Greig's hand. It seemed that when Franz stood up without warning, he had grabbed him reflexively.
"Where are you going, Franz?"
"I'm going home. This isn't the time for you to be talking to me, is it, Greig?"
Saying so coldly, Franz turned on his heel towards the exit. But Greig wouldn't let go.
"What's with that? That's cold, Franz."
Looking at Greig's face, he saw that he was pouting in dissatisfaction. As expected of a twelve-year-old, he was a child. To Greig, Franz was not so much a friend as his only confidant who didn't give him difficult lectures. If that confidant tried to leave so quickly, it would surely not be amusing.
But Franz was not the type to meekly become a confidant. He was aware of that himself.
"It is you who should ask His Majesty the King about the abdication, or His Highness the Crown Prince. Not me."
"Tch, you're so cold."
Greig sulked. But Franz was not one to be moved by sulking. He continued to press Greig coldly.
"I do not intend to be cold. It is just that I cannot imagine His Majesty would speak of abdication as a joke. Your idea of bringing me along to find out something together is meaningless."
Franz made a point of calling Edward 'His Majesty' in front of Greig. He did not know that Edward had been away from the capital for about a month, traveling with Ritz and the others. In front of him, calling his revered His Majesty the King by name was extremely dangerous.
"You're not a very good friend, Franz."
"…Say what you will."
This time, forcing Greig's hand off, Franz looked for the exit. For now, he had to find Ritz and find out the truth.
But Franz was not able to go to Ritz right away.
"…I wonder what the crown looks like…"
At Greig's strangely気になる words, Franz stopped in his tracks.
"Grandfather ascended the throne a long, long time ago, right? So I've never seen the crown before. Grandfather said he only uses it for the coronation."
It was true that he had never seen Edward wearing a crown, not even for New Year's events or anything.
"In the deepest part of the treasury, there's a secret passage, you know… I bet you can get to the room where the crown is from there."
What was he trying to say? He had no idea. But Greig seemed to have noticed that Franz was slightly interested. Greig was good at instantly understanding people's feelings towards him and using that to his advantage. Having been doted on and raised by many people, he must have learned to create situations favorable to himself that way.
"Hey, hey, Franz, do you like old documents?"
Here it comes, he hit him where it hurts. Franz thought so inwardly, but remained silent without turning around. Greig knew that Franz read a large number of books and was learning to decipher old documents. He had only mentioned it offhandedly once, but Greig didn't forget things like that.
Ignoring Franz, Greig's voice tickled Franz's heart.
"Franz, you said you were looking for old books, right? Did you know that various materials from the founding of the country to the present are stored in the back of the treasury?"
"…I didn't know."
Actually, he did know. They touched on important state secrets and were never to be seen by ordinary people. It was written so in various books. He also knew that to see them, he needed the permission of the king, the prime minister, and the minister. But it would likely not be granted without a clear reason.
Franz had a clear reason to want to see them. Of course, it was about his master, Orphe. Actually, Franz didn't know Orphe's full name. He had thought there was no need to know, when he was his disciple.
But now he greatly regretted not trying to find out. It was only recently that he learned that his master's other name was apparently 'Artis.' He had said both were his real names.
But that name was not in the level of materials Franz was currently allowed to view. He wished he could at least find out the era in which King Edmond, who had commissioned the 'Infinite Nightmare' used by former Crown Prince Stewart, lived, and the full name of its creator, but that would surely fall under state secrets.
If so, the truth Franz desired was in the back of that treasury Greig had just mentioned. But to explain his reason would be to talk about Orphe. Franz was not yet ready to tell everyone about that.
"Franz, let's go see the crown! Let's take it in our hands!"
"Don't be ridiculous."
He was aware that there was no strength in his voice of rebuttal. To be honest, he was extremely torn.
"It's not ridiculous, I'm serious. Even if I can see it at the coronation, I'll never be able to touch it. It'll be over thirty years before I get my hands on it at my own coronation. I can't wait that long!"
"…How foolish."
Contrary to his words, Franz's heart swelled with anticipation. For his currently stalled research, Greig's suggestion was extremely attractive.
His heart wavered… It wavered, but to trespass into a place that required the permission of the king, the prime minister, and the minister… wasn't that a crime?
"Don't worry, even if we get caught, I, a member of the royal family, am here, so we'll definitely not get into any serious trouble!"
Was that true? Greig's confidence was less trustworthy than Ritz's bluffs. He was silent for a while, struggling internally. To go or not to go….
In the midst of that agony, Franz suddenly remembered Orphe's words from the last time they met.
'You might be the first one to find out my true identity,'… His master had certainly said that. If that was the case, if he, the one and only, first and last disciple, did not live up to that expectation, who else would find out Orphe's true identity?
His resolve hardened.
"Let's go, Franz. I promise you'll see something really interesting."
At Greig's umpteenth invitation, Franz turned around.
"Fine. I'll go with you."
"Alright! That's my Franz. You really are my friend."
He couldn't shake the feeling that he had been skillfully manipulated. But it might be his one and only chance to see the old documents. If he missed this, he would surely regret it.
"Alright then, the exploration begins in one week! I'll make sure to steal the map!"
"…Steal?"
He couldn't help but ask again at Greig's casual, outrageous statement.
"That's right. The map of the underground treasury is in Grandfather's room. I happened to find it the other day."
He could feel the blood drain from his face with a whoosh. Could this be a very bad thing? He regretted it now, but it was too late. Greig was definitely going to do it.
"You said you'd go, Franz. I heard it with my own two ears."
There was no backing down now.
"I said it."
"If we get caught, you're jointly responsible, Franz."
"…Yeah."
Jointly responsible… The weight of the crime would be completely different for a prince and a commoner like himself, wouldn't it? Did he understand that?
"I don't want to get a hundred spankings from my grandmother, you know."
"…"
Franz couldn't help but look up at the ceiling. He prayed that after their exploration of the underground treasury was discovered, it would end with just a hundred spankings for Greig. A hundred spankings for Greig and beheading for him would be no joke.
"…I'm going home now. I have things to do…"
Staggering, Franz turned his back on Greig.
"Be careful. Make sure you're prepared."
Greig's voice stung. Even if he thought he had acted rashly, it was too late now. He could confess everything to Ritz now and possibly stop Greig, but then his own hopes would not be fulfilled.
For now, he would postpone asking Ritz various things. If he and Ritz talked alone now, there was a possibility that Ritz would fish for information, true or not, and this matter would be accidentally revealed. That would be the end.
Carrying an unprecedented amount of anguish, Franz left the scene.