466 - Measures Against Spirit Mischief
"There is no way I should be in the royal capital."
It must be a dream, I tell myself as I carry a piece of cheesecake to my mouth. The moist, rich cheesecake had a cookie base and was mixed with a few dried grapes (nuzeel). It was a recipe from my previous life that I vaguely remembered, which Kalisa had made for me once. Since I didn't know the exact measurements, I had given the recipe to the shop that made the most delicious cheesecake in the royal capital while I was there, leaving the improvements to the professionals. That must have been how it became a staple.
"...Christina is stubborn."
"If this weren't a dream, there is no reason why I would suddenly be at the detached palace."
I point out that no matter what method was used, it would be impossible for me, who had been in my own room in Grenore until just now, to move all the way to the distant royal capital, and then I suddenly remember something. Come to think of it, something similar must have happened before.
"...That's right. I have a prior record of a mysterious relocation to the town of Mandez on the night of the Divine King Festival."
"You finally remembered."
I feel sorry for Alfred, who holds his head in his hands, as if to say it took too long. I had completely erased the possibility, thinking there was no way such a thing could happen, but in my case, I cannot say for certain that I won't suddenly undergo a mysterious mass relocation. While I have never done it of my own will, I have moved relatively short distances, such as from the detached palace to the Spirit's Seat, through the influence of spirits or the Divine King.
"Eh? What should I do? Is this really not a dream, but reality? Is it really you, Alfred-sama? Why am I at the detached palace?"
"Christina, your language."
"...That's right."
Having been pointed out that my language had slipped, I straighten my posture. As I try to correct my speech, I am able to become a little calmer.
"For now, Christina, you first need to change. You cannot have an audience with His Majesty the King in your everyday clothes."
"Eh? I don't have time to meet Christoph-sama... rather, I have no leeway to request an audience with Christoph-sama. If I don't return to Grenore quickly, Big Brother Leonardo will be worried."
This time he'll really go bald, is the honest feeling that accidentally slipped out despite my caution. Truly, I am a sister who only causes worry for Leonardo.
"Father was worried that you had been kidnapped, and whether we send a fast horse to Grenore or send you back immediately, the treatment changes depending on whether we have the King's (Father's) permission or not."
Since I've already caused worry for two years, I should show my face since I've come this far. Being told this much, I cannot say I refuse. I am aware that I cause worry in various places.
"...Since I'm here, I would like to express my gratitude and apologies to Alfred-sama's wife. Also, I want to see the baby."
Alright, let's think positively, I switch my thoughts and list the things I want to do in the royal capital. Even if I left the royal capital immediately, it would take more than two weeks to reach Grenore even with a forced march. In that case, the result wouldn't change if my departure were delayed by a day.
"I want to see Felicia-sama's baby too... was she pregnant with her second? It's an important period. In that case, I might not be allowed to see the baby..."
...Ah, it's no use.
I switched my thoughts to think positively, but my true feelings haven't switched. I must return quickly, I don't want to cause Leonardo any more worry. Perhaps because of my hurried heart, my voice sinks lower and lower. I try to intentionally use a bright voice, but in the end, the words get stuck and I can no longer make a sound.
"...I'll have a carriage ready as soon as Father's permission is granted."
"Hah..."
The response that somehow came out was completely tearful. The end of the sentence trembled, and my vision blurred. It's not the time to be crying, but since I cannot suppress it, it cannot be helped.
Urged to wash my face and change, I begin walking toward the dressing room led by Rebecca. As I walked while staring listlessly at the carpet, the type of floor changed the moment I stepped into the dressing room.
"...Huh?"
Even if it was the dressing room, the floors of the detached palace should have been covered in carpets. Noticing this, I look up, and what was in front of me was not a closet. It was a floor with exposed boards and three simply made doors. At the familiar surroundings, I look back toward Alfred and the others who should be in the room behind me.
"Huh? Huhhh?"
Too-stupid-sounding voices leaked from my mouth in succession. Until a moment ago, I should have been in a room of the detached palace furnished with well-made pieces, but what was behind me was the attic of Grenore. As for furniture, there was only a simple bed and a desk.
"Why? What does this mean!?"
Unable to understand what had happened, I spin around in place. When I first stepped into the attic, a thin layer of dust had accumulated, but now that the number of people in the mansion has increased, the attic corridor is also cleaned beautifully. It's not the case that dust is removed only where I step, leaving footprints.
"Ah, this looks bad."
—Young lady? Tina-ojousama? Where are you hiding?
From downstairs, I hear Salisa's voice, seemingly searching for me. Timing-wise, it's probably the point where the snacks are ready and she came to wake me up, only to find the bed empty. Thinking about what happened can wait until later. First, I must reassure Salisa, who is looking for me.
"I'm here! In the attic!!"
First, I shout loudly to let her know I'm safe, even if only by voice. The voice from downstairs stopped abruptly, so my voice must have reached her. Soon, small footsteps echoed from the stairs, and Koku-maro, the black shiba inu, arrived in the attic. Following that, Aaron showed his face. Aaron's vision should be unclear, but as expected of a knight, each of his actions is swift. Since he said he had perfectly memorized the layout of the mansion, there is no hesitation in his steps.
"...Christina-sama, even if you are playing pranks, please take your guard with you."
It cannot be helped that a complaint immediately comes from Aaron's mouth, asking what the guard is for. Since Aaron has come to the mansion as my guard, there should be no option for him to leave my side.
"As for me, it was neither a prank nor intentional..."
I tilt my head, wondering if it's sleepwalking. Since there is no way I could have been at the detached palace, it's more likely that walking to the attic while sleepwalking and meeting Alfred was the dream. If I think of it this way, it feels like it fits together a bit, but to make it fit, another question arises.
"Aaron, were you in front of the door the whole time?"
"I was. Until Salisa came to the room for snack time, I was stationed in front of the door the whole time. ...Despite that, how did you pass in front of me and leave the room?"
"I want to ask Aaron that as well. Did you not notice me leaving the room?"
"I didn't notice. I could hear the sound of breathing from the bed the whole time, but then it disappeared halfway... I just thought you were waking up in the bed."
I want to tell him not to eavesdrop on a maiden's breathing, but sound is an important source of information for Aaron. I felt a bit embarrassed, but I cannot blame him for this.
...It really is strange, isn't it?
To think I came to the attic while sleepwalking, Aaron's presence makes it forced. Even while awake, it is impossible to slip past the door Aaron is guarding without Aaron noticing. I don't think I could do that while half-asleep. Even if I could outsmart Aaron, I couldn't explain why Koku-maro was left behind downstairs. Koku-maro sometimes drags its feet, but its eyes and nose are sharp. If I had staggered out of bed and left the room, it would have definitely followed behind me.
...Umm? In other words?
If everything is to be made to fit, it becomes this. I was kidnapped by a spirit during my nap and went to the detached palace in the royal capital. There, I enjoyed some delicious cheesecake, and for some reason, I returned to the attic of the mansion in Grenore. Because I was not in the bed where I should have been and had returned to the attic, Salisa and the others downstairs noticed my absence and were searching for me.
I am aware that this is a far-fetched conclusion, but the scary part is that for me, it's not something that absolutely cannot happen. Above all, I feel as if my mouth still faintly remembers the sweetness of the cheesecake. I don't want to think that even the delicious cheesecake was a dream.
"...For now, it's neither a prank nor hide-and-seek. I am innocent."
"I wonder why you're suddenly making excuses, but I'll listen. Please tell me in detail."
Apparently, during my nap, I went to the detached palace in the royal capital.
I wondered whether I should tell Leonardo about this mysterious phenomenon or keep quiet because I didn't want to worry him, and in the end, I decided to speak honestly. I didn't want to cause Leonardo any more worry, but it would be scarier to keep quiet and move again without knowing. This time I happened to be able to return in a short time, but I didn't move on purpose, nor did I return of my own will. In that case, it's better to let Leonardo know as one instance of such a thing happening. Because if I suddenly disappear again, it might comfort Leonardo's heart a little to think that I've gone to the detached palace.
...Though I feel like I just have to get used to it.
Wondering if my trauma about going outside has been cured, I spot Leonardo walking from the main gate as a test and cross the entrance hall to welcome him at the entrance. I intended to open the entrance door with that momentum, but as expected, my feet stopped in front of the door. It seems my trauma about going outside hasn't been cured, and it just didn't trigger because it was a mysterious movement from room to room.
"I'm home, Tina."
"Welcome back, Big Brother Leonardo."
When I welcome Leonardo with my shoulders slightly slumped, Leonardo makes a puzzled face. That's only natural. Just when he thought his sister was welcoming him home, she is strangely depressed. Even if it weren't Leonardo, anyone could guess that something happened.
"—You feel like you met Alfred-sama at the detached palace?"
I tell Leonardo, sitting side by side on the long sofa in the living room, about Aaron's testimony, my own thoughts, and the mysterious event I want to believe was a dream. It would have been good if Alf were here, but he is apparently working at the fort tonight as well.
"I can only think of it as a dream, but while I was eating cheesecake at the detached palace, Alfred-sama came."
If it were only that, it could be dismissed as a dream, but what happened after that cannot be explained. Before I knew it, I was in the attic, and both Aaron and Koku-maro had lost sight of me and were searching.
"Is it another prank by the spirits?"
"Even for a prank, it's not a story that can be dismissed as a prank... Ah, that's right."
Saying "that's right," Leonardo's gaze drops to me. After staring intently at my face, Leonardo suddenly called me 'Christina'.
"Wh-what is it, all of a sudden...!"
It was so sudden that it's strangely embarrassing. Heat naturally gathered in my cheeks, and I tightened my face to prevent myself from grinning sloppily.
"Please don't suddenly change the way you call me."
Feeling somewhat shy, I cup my cheeks with both hands as if to hide them, which have turned red.
I still cannot think of 'Tina' as my name and 'Christina' as my name, but that said, I've already been called it so much that I'm used to it.
In short, I can think of it as a pen name or a handle name.
That 'Christina' is also one of my names.
And, there is a characteristic to the people who call me 'Christina'. Excluding those who are not close and call me 'Christina', when people close to me call me 'Christina', it is treating me as an adult, urging me to be aware of it.
Leonardo, who had treated me as a child all this time, was suddenly treating me as an adult for some reason.
"No, I remembered hearing before that you can blind spirits by changing your name."
So, Leonardo's thought was apparently that if he called me 'Christina', the spirits would be unable to find me, and the pranks would decrease. I was embarrassed by the sudden adult treatment, but it seems Leonardo called me 'Christina' with a very serious wish.
"Who did you hear such spirit measures from?"
If you knew, I wanted you to tell me sooner, I look up at Leonardo with a pouting face. This also included hiding my embarrassment at being shaken by the sudden 'Christina' call.
"I heard it from the Divine King when I went to pick up Tina... Christina. He told me to keep my real name hidden."
"...What is that? This is the first I've heard of it."
I've heard the rough story of what happened over the two years from Leonardo and Alfred. Leonardo apparently grew his hair and beard to hide his face and came to pick me up in the Zoogary Empire. I had also heard that he borrowed the help of the Divine King and spirits, but this is the first I've heard of what the Divine King told Leonardo. It's strange in the first place that the Divine King would go out of his way to warn a human.
"Big Brother Leonardo, is there something about you?"
"Hmm? Something? What something?"
"I mean, that's how it is, right? It should be quite rare for the Divine King to do something for a human who isn't even a favorite of the spirits?"
The Divine King once prophesied about Lanvald's search. I thought the Divine King might have acted because Lanvald has a constitution liked by spirits, but that was also part of the flow of conversation with me. He had prophesied as if it were just a side note in the flow of conversation. I don't think the Divine King had the consciousness of acting for Lanvald's sake.
...Huh?
Remembering Lanvald's search, something bothers me a little. Something bothers me, but right now, the Leonardo in front of me is more important. Theo, who is Lanvald's search, can be put off for later.
"The fact that he went out of his way to warn you means it's something important for Big Brother Leonardo. Was he told anything else? Is there anything you're keeping from me?"
"He told me repeatedly to give him the spirits' names... but that's all."
"That's not all. Big Brother Leonardo, who are you really?"
When I pressed him, asking if he was a relative of the Divine King or spirits, Leonardo shrugged, saying that's probably not it. He doesn't know his father, but his mother was a poor woman found anywhere.
"Even meeting the Divine King was like being collected while helping Tina...?"
Leonardo's words cut off unnaturally, and his gaze wandered as if searching his memory. Just as he slightly frowned, the words that came next were once again unbelievable.
"Come to think of it, in the divine realm of the Divine King's Domain, I had somehow entered the Divine King's Temple."
"The Divine King's Temple... is that the Divine King's Temple that the gods made for the Divine King in the age of myth?"
"That Divine King's Temple. Thanks to that, the Acting King bowed his head to me... I wondered what was going on."
Leonardo brushes it off as wondering what was going on, but for Remihio, it probably wasn't something that could be brushed off. The Divine King's Temple is a temple for the Divine King. According to myth, even if one has the blue eyes linked to the Divine King's blood, it is a place where only the Divine King and the next generation's Divine King can enter. If one entered such a place, they would receive treatment far beyond being called a 'Saint' by Remihio.
It wouldn't be strange to be worshipped as the modern Divine King or judged to be the next generation's Divine King.
"...Big Brother Leonardo, were you related to the Divine King-sama?"
"That can't be. If that were the case, the Divine King (himself) would have said more."
"I don't know that? The Divine King-sama is quite rough and does his work haphazardly."
To be specific, he always helps in a half-baked way. Just when I thought he had hidden and taken me away, he also threw me into the locked room of the Spirit's Seat. I was lucky that Clarice came, but if I were unlucky, my corpse might have been discovered a year later after starving to death.
...I wonder? Is there something about Leonardo-san?
Looking at Leonardo and suspecting if there's something regarding the Divine King, there are many suspicious things. His life of continuous good luck could be seen as the work of spirits, but the biggest mystery is his powerful arm, which is called the War God Herkeiles or the demon god. The state of the battlefield I heard from Cody is only rumor, but even so, I feel he has too much physical strength to be considered a normal human. Leonardo had an uncommon physical strength, like a hero appearing in myths.
"...Christina."
"Please stop, it's embarrassing."
When Leonardo calls me 'Christina', it's so embarrassing that I feel a tingling around my waist. It's like the strength is leaving my knees, anyway, I feel like I can't stay still.
"Christina."
"I told you to stop. You're mean."
"Tina's fresh reaction is cute, so I can't help it. Besides, you're at an age where you'll soon join the ranks of adults, so it's a good opportunity to change the way I call you."
"...I understand. Next time you call me 'Christina' without permission, I won't call you 'Big Brother' anymore."
Since he calls me even though I say I hate it, he must be prepared for this level of counterattack, I think as I paste a lady's smile on my face. I threatened him with a smile, saying I would respond as an adult to the adult treatment, and Leonardo gave up the white flag quite easily.
Apparently, not being called 'Big Brother' by me is a big damage for Leonardo.
...But if it really is effective, maybe changing to 'Christina' is an option?
I denied it out of some sort of stubbornness, but it might be good to try it out a little.
Typos and omissions will be corrected at a later date.
I completely forgot, but July 7th marked the second anniversary of the serialization. I had planned to finish it before the second anniversary, but since various things happened early this year, the schedule seems to have been disrupted. Please stay with me for a little while longer.