305 - Lost Petrona
We decided to go around the night festival while searching for the two who had gotten separated, and so the hand at the end of my left arm changed from Alfred to Elke. This was to avoid producing any more lost children. In the worst case, if the lost person was a grown man, there was no need to worry, and just having all the children who needed adult supervision gathered in one place would give us leeway to look elsewhere.
...Am I the only one worried about Petrona-chan?
Of course, everyone was worried about the two lost children, but I felt like they were more concerned about me than about the lost ones. Elke squeezed my hand tightly and encouraged me, saying "Petrona is with the knight (Giselle), so she'll be fine." This might have been to reassure me, but perhaps Elke was also telling herself the same thing.
"We can't find them."
"Yeah. If we've searched this much and still can't find them, ...we might need to conduct a proper search."
When we went back the way we came and boarded the carriage, Alfred gave instructions to the guards on the spot. It was decided that I, Elke, and Hermine would return to the detached palace with Alfred. Half of Alfred's guards would accompany us, and the remaining half plus Aaron would stay in the inner city to search for the lost children.
"If the carriage moves, Petrona-chan and the others will be surprised when they come back."
"I'll leave one knight here for communication, so don't worry about it."
When I said I'd stay in the inner city (here), I was told I'd be more useful returning to the detached palace. Since they wanted to use knights who knew Petrona's appearance, they said they'd send me, whose guard couldn't be released, back to the safe detached palace within the royal castle and then dispatch the knights anew.
"If that's the case, I understand. I'll wait obediently at the detached palace. ...Kokumaro, please go search for Petrona-chan too."
"No, don't let go of Kokumaro."
When I called out to the black Shiba (Kokumaro) at my feet, his tail perked up, but he seemed to prioritize Alfred's orders. The perked tail drooped with a flop, and his expression tightened slightly.
...Kokumaro is supposed to be my dog, but he prioritizes Alfred-sama's orders, huh.
That bothered me a little, so I lightly tugged on the triangular, fluffy ear of the black Shiba. His face, made slightly goofy by the skin pulling along with his ear, helped my frustration subside.
"Since I'll be holed up in the detached palace, you can use Kokumaro for the lost child search too, you know?"
I recommended to Alfred that a dog's sense of smell would be useful, but Alfred's answer didn't change. In the end, since both of my personal guards would be leaving, he said not to let go of the dog.
...Well, sure. A dog's sense of smell is amazing, but with this crowd of people... maybe a human who can talk to the people around would be better than a dog's nose?
First, we left the search for the lost children to Aaron and the others, and I decided to return to the detached palace so they could move more easily.
...I said I'd return to the detached palace, but I didn't say I wouldn't wait for their return.
I set up camp in the living room so I could tell immediately when a carriage arrived from outside. If Petrona had really been kidnapped by spirits, she'd come back through the living room hearth. In that sense too, I thought setting up camp in the living room was a good idea.
...And there's a kotatsu in the living room too.
Since we couldn't light a fire in the hearth, I had the kotatsu do the job instead. I immediately had someone fill the cat hot water bottle Leonardo had bought for me with hot water and placed it inside the kotatsu. Then I changed into the thin cloth shoes made for the kotatsu and sat down in the spinning chair.
"Kokumaro, do you want to get in the kotatsu too?"
Since the hearth fire wasn't lit, I wondered if the black Shiba might be cold and invited him, but he just lifted his head a little and didn't come into the kotatsu. Given his short fur, you'd think the Black Dog (Oscar) would be more sensitive to the cold, but I knew it was pointless to invite him, so I didn't bother. The Black Dog, even more well-trained than the black Shiba, understood his job, didn't listen to Alfred's orders, and never left my side except when Bertrand was present.
...But something feels strange.
I lifted my face from the manuscript meant to become a bobbin lace guidebook and stole a glance at Hermine and Elke sitting opposite me doing embroidery. Even though one child was lost, neither of them seemed particularly worried. Maybe there was reassurance that an adult (Giselle) was with her, but Alfred and the others' reactions were also quite calm.
...Considering Hermine-sensei's overprotectiveness tonight, there's no way she wouldn't be worried, even if it's someone else's child, right?
I could consider that she might be deliberately hiding her emotions and pretending to be calm so as not to upset me and Elke. Hermine is the kind of adult woman capable of that.
What was unnatural was Elke. Elke is only a little older than me, but she's an ordinary child. Perhaps because her family runs a business, she had proper manners and had received training from Kalisa on how to deal with nobles before coming to the capital. I think she can act more calmly than I can, but even so, not showing any worry on her face when her friend is lost felt distinctly odd.
I was certain something was strange, but before I could question it, my ears caught a sound from the entrance.
"Could Petrona-chan be back?"
I thought it was strangely quiet for that, but I headed to the entrance hall anyway. I'd thought I'd notice if a carriage came, but it seemed the visitor had come to the detached palace on horseback, not by carriage.
"Oh? It's Leonyaldo Big Brother."
"Tina. Why are you still awake? It's way past a child's bedtime."
When I poked my head into the entrance hall, Leonardo was standing there. He seemed surprised that I'd come to greet him at this hour, when midnight was about to pass. He tilted his head, a faint smell of alcohol wafting from him.
"Did you finish your work?"
"I finished. I finished, so I came home. ...Could it be, you were waiting for me to finish work?"
"That's not it."
I immediately cast Leonardo, who had a momentarily troubled, almost happy expression on his face, down to hell. I wasn't waiting for Leonardo's return in particular. I wasn't waiting, but it was certainly true that Leonardo, who came back in this anxious situation where the lost Petrona hadn't returned, felt more reassuring than usual. With joy and loneliness both helping me along, I hugged him around the waist. Then, after having my head patted by his large hand, I was picked up.
"...What happened?"
Leonardo's face tightened as he looked at Hermine and Elke, who had followed me. If even Hermine and Elke came to greet him, not just me, he must have realized something abnormal was happening in the detached palace. Since I had been perfectly seen being carried by Leonardo, I'd be getting a lecture from Hermine tomorrow, but for now I was worried about Petrona. While putting on a futile show for Hermine of 'Leonardo did this on his own' and 'I didn't ask for it,' I told Leonardo that Petrona had gotten lost in the city.
"...So that's why you all can't sleep, because you're worried."
"An adult (Giselle) is supposed to be with her, but I think she must be lonely being separated from everyone at the night festival."
In my case, I wasn't separated, but was abandoned at the night festival by the person who was supposed to be my guardian (Kaya). Fortunately, the streets of Grenore were safe, and knights and soldiers were stationed here and there along the streets, so I didn't get involved in any incidents or accidents, but even so, the terrible feeling I had on the way home that day is still fresh in my memory. I don't want Petrona to have memories similar to that night. Before dawn broke, before Petrona could return to the detached palace alone, I wanted her to be found by some adult and taken into protection.
"...Alright. Then I'll wait with you too."
When I told him I wanted to wait for Petrona's return, Leonardo stopped telling me to go to bed first. He'd just returned to the capital and should have finished the work of the War God Herkeles' rites, but it seemed he would accompany me in waiting for Petrona's return rather than taking rest. In that case, I invited him to the kotatsu in the living room and had Kalisa prepare a late-night snack. Tonight's snack was bite-sized tarts made from ingredients that failed to become 'Itsurateru's Four Blessings.' They didn't have ceramic dolls inside, but they were Kalisa's 'Itsurateru's Four Blessings' just like last year.
While having a late-night snack and tea at the kotatsu, I asked about Leonardo's recent news within what he could talk about. My recent news had already been mostly shared, so I just had peaceful reports to give. When I immediately told him that one of Saint Yuuta Hiraga's secret arts had been completed, even Leonardo was surprised. The Sedovara Church had been shaken by Aurelia's death, but it seemed he never imagined that one of the secret arts would be revived in such a short time, even if just one.
"Leonyaldo Big Brother, how long can you stay in the capital during winter?"
"I think I can stay for the winter... but when spring comes, I'm thinking of heading to the Lugmilama Fortress again."
When he peered at my face as if asking if I could manage being home alone, I flicked his nose and said I wasn't alone.
"Elke-chan and Petrona-chan came from the town of Grenore, Kalisa is here, and Hermine-sensei is also with me, so I can manage the house just fine."
Leave it to me, I said, puffing out my flat chest, and then I noticed something. Come to think of it, it seemed like Elke and Petrona were starting to develop faint hints of chest-like curves.
...Could this be a kidnapping targeting girls at that delicate age of slowly approaching adulthood...!?
Worried about how late she was, this kind of delusion crossed my mind. Maybe I thought of this because I'd heard the full story of the Fake Godwin before.
"...A carriage is approaching."
"Hnnh?"
At a time still too early for dawn, yet no longer quite night, when the world was faintly brightening, Leonardo started saying this. He said he could hear the sound of a carriage approaching the detached palace. As Leonardo lifted his head and looked toward the window, I too looked at the window with my head threatening to drop from drowsiness. I didn't think I could hear a carriage, but I saw a lamp light in the distance.
"That's true deshu. Could it be Petrona-chan this time deshu?"
Half-asleep and with my tongue not working properly, I pressed myself against the window and looked outside. When the carriage's shadow came within visible distance, I finally heard the sound of wheels. When I left the kotatsu and went to the entrance hall to greet them, Alfred, Aaron, and Petrona with a sleepy face came inside.
"Welcome back, Petrona-chan!"
"I'm home... I've returned..."
Her reaction was slightly dull because Petrona was also about to fall asleep. Maybe she was tired from the stress of being lost.
"Petrona must be tired too, so you should sleep for tonight. You can hear the details tomorrow, right?"
"I've already started hearing the details from Giselle."
Giselle seemed to be compiling a report about having gotten lost until this late despite being an adult who was with her. Aaron said that since he couldn't return to the detached palace tonight, he wanted to take turns with Leonardo for my night watch.
...But Leonardo-san only just came home today, you know.
Thinking that, I remembered.
...No wait. Leonardo-san had his fun last night, didn't he.
So if I thought it was fine to make him work a bit more even though he was tired, I must have been quite angry at Leonardo for not coming to see me first upon returning to the capital. He'd been visiting brothels before, but I think what bothered me was that he prioritized that over a family member (little sister) who hadn't shown her face for a long time.
Saying we should sleep together tonight, I pulled Elke and Petrona into the bedroom. We'd never done this before due to the master-servant distinction, but Hermine permitted it as a special exception for tonight. Hermine is strict with Leonardo, but I think she's quite soft on me.
...I hope Giselle doesn't get scolded too much.
I won't know until I hear the circumstances, but Giselle is kind of clumsy. Even if she got lost, it shouldn't have been intentional. There should be room for sympathy, so I hope she doesn't get scolded too harshly.
Thinking such thoughts, with Petrona between us, the three of us slept side by side.
Next is Leonardo's perspective for the first time in a while.