Chapter 158 - 2-40 Louis's Perspective
「Yes. And there is one more thing Alberic discovered about the medicine Rachel obtained.」
Amidst the heavy atmosphere, Theodore placed a paper he was holding in the center of the table. 「Oh, this is it.」
「It is highly likely that the 'Cursed Medicine' Rachel obtained was different from the lethal poison Miss Carroll was served. Its country of origin is indeed the Kingdom of Orta.」
「Orta, huh? The reason you came to this world was because of the trouble in Orta, right? Even in this world, the succession issue in Orta is drawing attention. It feels like a strange coincidence,」 Theodore remarked.
I felt a similar unease. Since coming here, the shadow of Orta had appeared once again. Theodore seemed to be feeling the same thing.
「Come to think of it, you carry the blood of Orta as well. You’d be cousins with those princes.」
「Now that you mention it... that’s true. My mother was a former princess of Orta, so that would be the case.」
「Good grief, you sound like it’s someone else’s business.」
I had forgotten until Theodore pointed it out, but my lineage was surprisingly close to Orta. That said, my mother had never spoken of Orta directly—perhaps she had been sworn to secrecy before her marriage—and I hadn't even known of the existence of dark magic. While I have an aptitude for light magic, I cannot use dark magic at all.
「Lineage, huh... Though she is royalty, Mother’s magic is weak; she can only use fire magic enough to light a candle. She certainly wouldn't be able to use dark magic. I suppose that’s why she was sent here as a royal bride—someone safe to send out from the secretive Kingdom of Orta.」
Theodore nodded, but he seemed to be deep in thought, resting his chin on his hand with a serious expression. Cyril, watching Theodore, pulled a single sheet of paper from a file and handed it to me.
「Um, this is something the Louis of this world asked me to investigate previously. It’s not much information on its own, so I didn't think it would be useful, but...」
「Hmm? Ah, the acquisition route for the Cursed Medicine. The identity of that pharmacy owner... but it ends quite abruptly. Why did the investigation stop?」
I scanned the paper, but found nothing of great importance. The pharmacy had opened a year ago; the owner’s appearance; an eastern accent—nothing new.
「It was the Chancellor, wasn't it? This matter was too close to home for Louis, and the implications for the country were too great. After all, it involved the Saint. That’s why the Chancellor took over the investigation entirely. Because of that, it became difficult for me to obtain information,」 Theodore said, his face twisting with frustration.
「Even so, the fact remains that I stopped investigating halfway through.」
I looked at the paper again, my fingers tracing the final, unfinished words. The fact that I washed my hands of it just because the Chancellor told me to remains the truth.
The resentment and irritation I felt toward the 'other me' in this world never faded. If anything, it only grew every time I saw traces like this.
「What do you think, Cyril? You were closest to Louis. You should have seen him more clearly than anyone. Why do you think he stopped the investigation?」
「Well... I knew His Highness wasn't fond of Miss Marcel, and he was quite stressed about the trouble she had caused. However, His Highness continued to investigate privately even after the Chancellor told him to step away.」
Investigating privately? It seems rather half-hearted for that.
Or was there a trace of an investigation somewhere that even Cyril didn't know about? The thought crossed my mind, but I immediately dismissed it. I had checked every hidden shelf that even Cyril couldn't see, and found nothing.
「Is that true? I found no trace of such an investigation.」
「Yes, he was definitely looking into it. He said, 'There is so much evidence that I cannot even defend her. There is a confession from the person herself. And yet... the evidence is so perfectly aligned that I cannot shake the feeling of dissonance.'」
Cyril dropped his gaze awkwardly. 「But...」
「After Miss Marcel passed away, perhaps to minimize the chaos in the country... the evidence was either destroyed or entrusted to the Chancellor...」
「Ah, that. What Louis told me before—that my priorities were wrong,」 Theodore added.
「What do you mean?」
「It was the reason Louis and I fell out. I wanted to chase Miss Marcel’s case, but he told me that while he intended to catch the mastermind eventually, now was not the time. He said stabilizing the country was the first priority. I understand his point, but I was hot-headed back then.」
Theodore gave a wry smile, and Cyril lowered his eyes.
「I don't want you to misunderstand; His Highness didn't heartlessly discard Miss Marcel. He hoped her time at the monastery would change her for the better and was making preparations to support her.」
「Even so, I believe Louis himself created this situation. Of course, Miss Marcel committed a crime she shouldn't have. But she wasn't the only cause of the situation reaching that point. Louis, who didn't even try to understand what drove her to that, was also at fault.」
Theodore was right. The gears had shifted slightly, and by the time anyone noticed, they were beyond repair. Yet, instead of trying to fix them, both Rachel and the Louis of this world had only made things worse.
In the heavy silence, Theodore moved to the window with a self-deprecating smile. He leaned his head against the glass, staring out at something far away.
「And... it’s also my fault for turning my back on Louis and Miss Marcel.」
「I... I am the same. I knew better than anyone that the relationship between His Highness and Miss Marcel was deteriorating, yet I did nothing.」
「Even if this matter is resolved, what will be left for me? Will I be able to move forward? Or will there only be more regret?」
Theodore’s voice was quiet and calm, yet it couldn't hide the colors of sadness and despair. I struggled to find words to say to him. But Theodore must have seen through me; he turned back with a soft smile.
「Still, this is our world.」
Our world... Those words drew a clear line between Theodore, Cyril, and myself.
Yet, contrary to his words, the expressions on Theodore’s and Cyril’s faces were ones I knew well. They were the expressions of reliable comrades.
「We will find out the truth of Miss Marcel’s end in this world. We will uncover the truth and report it to her parents.」
Theodore walked over and placed a hand on my shoulder. Cyril nodded firmly in agreement.
「Theodore, Cyril.」
I looked at them both. Theodore spoke again, as if to reassure me. 「Things will be fine here.」
「So, Louis. Go back to your original world with peace of mind.」
「To my original world...」
「Yeah. You have someone waiting for you. Someone I can never see again, no matter how much I want to.」
Despite his strong words, Theodore’s smile was lonely. But their words finally allowed me to make up my mind. I still wanted to uncover the past of the Rachel I knew—the Rachel of this world. That hadn't changed. But even if I left, I had comrades who would carry on my will and see it through. Knowing that allowed me to focus on what I needed to do now.
Looking at them, I relaxed my shoulders and smiled.
「Theodore, Cyril, thank you. I’ll leave it to you.」
Cyril’s eyes softened slightly.
「Yes. Please return to your world and do not let go of the hand of the person you hold dear.」
I held out my hand, and Cyril gripped it firmly without hesitation.
「I’m glad you two were in this world. I couldn't have done anything alone.」
「You take too much on yourself, Your Highness. Ah, but please don't trouble the 'me' in your world too much. Make sure to give him proper time off. Don't push impossible tasks on him.」
「Haha. I understand, I understand. I’ll remember that.」
「I’ve got your word now.」
Theodore burst out laughing at our exchange. The tension that had filled the room vanished, replaced by a bright and peaceful atmosphere. Theodore snapped his fingers and called out to Van, who was perched boredly on the arm of the sofa. 「Van, come here.」
Van reacted, his head twitching before he spread his large wings. After a few flaps, he took flight and landed on my shoulder. Seeing that preparations were complete, Theodore smirked.
「Well then, shall we go? To the Land of Light Spirits.」