Chapter 59

"You slept well."

Without changing his position much, my brother, who had been checking the documents on his knee—probably the sound of turning pages I heard while half-asleep—stopped and spoke for the second time.

It seems that after I requested to see him, he came to me.

—Just like when Father came, having my brother in my room feels so out of place! I greeted him, but I almost wondered if this was a dream.

I sat up in bed.

I cautiously looked around. ...The diary and pencil I was writing in just before I fell asleep were on the small table, and Sasha was standing in the corner of the room.

Finally, I fixed my gaze on one point.

There was my brother, standing there, as if from a special illustration from my past life—yet, he was three-dimensional.

This is real!

I straightened my back.

I never expected to meet him right after waking up...

"...Brother. If you had woken me up..."

"After what happened, I heard you had a fever. You must be tired, right? I couldn't bear to wake you. How are you feeling?"

His gaze moved to my left hand, which was bandaged.

"Thank you for your concern. They say the injury will heal in a few days. The fever seems to have gone down because I slept."

"I'm glad to hear that. I made my maid wait for me to wake up, and it was worth the effort."

So, it ended up like this...

When I looked at Sasha, she bowed her head apologetically. Yeah. When the First Prince says something, you can't really refuse. It can't be helped... but, I'm having a normal conversation with my brother!

I thought, based on what Father said, he would be furious... but it's the opposite. He doesn't even seem to be in a confrontational mood?

"I told your maid she could leave..."

"I was sleeping, and even if it's my brother, he shouldn't enter my bedroom without permission. Sasha must have thought it was proper to maintain decorum."

Especially since this is my bedroom, my brother didn't even bring his own guard knights—probably waiting in the next room—so if Sasha left, it would just be me and my brother in the bedroom. Well, even if that happened, nothing would happen, of course!

"Decorum... Indeed. There have been cases in the past where two royal family members were left alone to reconcile, and it ended in a fight to the death."

"...A fight to the death?"

I frowned a little.

If you delve into the history of the royal family, there have been various incidents within the family, including some violent ones...

"But, between me and Brother, something like that could never happen."

I smiled—laughing it off would be inappropriate, so I gave a gentle smile. No matter how distant our relationship, worrying about this is just a waste of time! I can vouch for it!

"...That's true."

Narrowing his eyes, my brother, who had been leaning on one elbow of the armrest, stood up.

He handed me the documents he was holding.

"These were delivered to me just now. I read through them while you were sleeping. They summarize the attack that occurred during the Viscount Rendleton's semi-ball."

"...Can I read them too?"

"Yes. You can read them as you are. You're injured, so a comfortable position is better. But, dismiss your maid. —It's likely to be a complicated conversation."

Since he's letting me read them in bed, I'll take advantage of his words...

"...Understood. Sasha."

I called Sasha.

"...Your Highness."

Sasha replied, sounding a bit worried. I smiled at her.

"It's fine. You can leave. When my conversation with Brother is over, I'd appreciate it if you could bring me some light food and tea."

"—As you wish."

Sasha bowed deeply and left the room.

My brother sat back down in the chair and crossed his legs.

Feeling his gaze, I held the documents with both hands and read through the densely written Esphian letters, page by page.

...It feels like a report that prioritizes quick delivery over formality.

First, it starts with the incident of Sir Sil's carriage running wild, followed by the attack in the garden and what happened in the 'Sky Room,' all written in chronological order.

There were some new discoveries for me. Sir Sil was apparently injected with some kind of drug by a man who seemed to be the leader of the 'Servants,' causing him to lose consciousness. Oh, and the "Barks" guy! The name of the red-haired young man I danced with at the semi-ball was Stein. His name was mentioned as one of the reporters.

Drugs on Sir Sil... In the original story, there was no mention of him being awakened by drugs... I wish they had written down what Sir Sil and the 'Servants' talked about, but unfortunately, it's not included.

But...

'My... "Master"... Why...'

After the wild run stopped, Sir Sil muttered these words.

—Could Sir Sil be a 'Servant'? If he is, his awakened strength can be explained by that... But if that's the case, he's being targeted by the same 'Servants,' right?

I want to ask that leader of the 'Servants,' but there's nothing written about the interrogation of the captured suspects or the 'Servants.' They must still be in the middle of the investigation.

I repeated the process of reading through the documents and then passing them back.

When I returned to the first page.

"...Is there anything wrong?"

As if on cue, my brother's voice echoed in the room.

I looked up from the documents.

I met his gaze and nodded.

"Yes. There's nothing wrong."

There's no strange distortion, and at least, the facts about what I experienced are written. Even Clifford's heroics are mentioned.

Incidentally, the reporter for the part where I went to the 'Sky Room' was mainly Derek.

After Uncle arrived, his testimony was added. Of course, the part about finding the crown, and the background work he did before and during the semi-ball to catch the suspects, including Lady Rosa's role.

Lust worked under Lady Rosa and guided us to the 'Sky Room.' The report mentioned that the information about Lust's guidance was obtained by chance.

...There might be a misstatement here. This part might not be accurate.

"—Then, I have a question about your actions."

I swallowed hard.

What is it? Or, which one? I have a few ideas. From my brother's perspective, why I went to the semi-ball with Sir Sil might be one of them.

"What you did to Sil in the 'Sky Room.'"

That's it...!

The report included what I did to the awakened and out-of-control Sir Sil. Mainly based on what Derek heard.

But, nothing from Sir Sil was included in the report.

"...Brother. Did Sir Sil regain consciousness?"

"He woke up once about two hours ago. He's sleeping now."

"! I see."

That's good news! Two hours ago—what time is it now?

We exchanged greetings with "Good morning," but...

There's a large glass window in the bedroom. On sunny days, sunlight streams in, making it perfect for a nap! But, the shutters were down. They do this when the sun sets. All the candles in the room were lit. ...It's night.

"...What did Sir Sil say about the incident?"

"—On the way to the semi-ball, his carriage was involved in an accident, and he happened to meet your carriage and rode with you to 'Paradise in the Sky.' During the semi-ball, he was invited by Duke Knightfellow to act as bait to catch the suspects in the 'Sky Room,' but he was injected with something and lost consciousness. That's all Sir Sil remembers."

He doesn't remember anything from when he was in the awakened state...

"According to the report, Sil went into an abnormal state in the 'Sky Room.' However, you managed to calm him down. You injured your left hand, and the moment your blood touched him, Sil became docile—"

He asked with a piercing gaze and voice.

"...Why?"

—How should I answer?

This is something that, in the original story, is revealed at a later stage and involves the relationship between Sir Sil and my brother...!

The reason why royal blood can return Sir Sil to his normal state is left for the next volume!

Moreover, Sir Sil's anxiety—about his unknown origins—hasn't been revealed to my brother yet.

And there are suspicions about Sir Sil's connection to the 'Servants.'

"..."

Unable to say anything, I froze, and my brother continued his questioning.

"Octavia. Why were you able to stop Sil? ...What do you know?"

The pursuit didn't stop.

From his blue eyes, I could tell that he wouldn't accept any deception.

A thought popped into my head—should I just come clean?

Maybe because I've finally come to terms with the hateful memories from my past life.

Then, what if I did come clean?

Let's simulate it!

"Brother. Actually, I have memories of living in a different world called Japan in my past life. And this world is based on a BL novel I read in my past life, where the main characters are you and Sir Sil! That's why I know a lot! As a reader! I stopped Sir Sil's rampage based on the knowledge from the original story!"

"! Is that so...!"

"You understand...!"

—But, that's not going to happen!

That's just my wishful thinking...

—Without the wishful thinking, even if I'm lenient, the first princess might be locked away somewhere under the pretense of needing rest...

The concept of a past life exists in Esphian.

But, seriously believing and saying it...

Even in modern Japan, I think it would be the same.

Imagine if there was a machine in a fortune-telling corner that checks your past life.

It's fine to check it for fun and laugh about it with friends, like "Wow, I was an insect in my past life! Not even human!" or "I was human. I was a street performer in Europe!"

But if someone started talking seriously, "You know, I was born in a certain era and class in my past life, and I lived and died like this..."—that would be creepy!

It's only acceptable because it's half-joking.

Even if it's true, there's no way to prove it to others.

Moreover, if it's a past life story, it's fine if it's within Esphian. Or, if it's a story that concludes within this world.

But, saying that in a different world—Japan on Earth, where I was a high school girl, and this world is based on a BL novel—denies the entire creation myth!

It could be seen as blasphemy against the Sky God, and some people might get angry and contort their faces. At best, it would lead to someone emitting murderous vibes.

It's natural that they wouldn't believe me. If they listened to me, I'd be grateful just for that.

The honest explanation that I can predict certain events because I read the original story in my past life would be more believable if I said, "I can see the future thanks to the Sky God's blessing..." with a serious face.

Actually, if I came clean about my past life and they immediately believed everything, that would be scary.

I'd be skeptical too. ...Ah, they're just pretending to believe me.

Even if they do believe me—there needs to be a process, and I can't just let my guard down.

I want them to believe me, but I also want them to have some suspicion...

Because if I were in a position to come clean, I wouldn't believe it either.

—Anyway!

Trying to come clean is extremely dangerous.

If it fails, there's no going back!

If I were to do it, I'd have to be as cautious as walking on a stone bridge.

...I shouldn't come clean to my brother.

How do I explain why I was able to handle the awakened Sir Sil without coming clean?

It's not something I can easily bluff... Well, it was a coincidence... I'll push through with a sudden idea—.

It's tough. If it's a coincidence, why did I use blood? And if it's a sudden idea, why did I think of that method?

I think Sir Sil's mysterious origins should be revealed by Sir Sil himself, not by me...

"—Octavia"

My brother called out to me.

I have to answer.

Instead of seriously talking about my past life, should I deflect it by saying it's a message from the sky?

—But, I don't want to lie here.

If I can, I'll stick to what I can say—

"...Time will resolve it."

If reality catches up with the original story, Sir Sil will reveal his origins to my brother. Given what happened, I think my brother will notice a lot of things. And, hopefully, they'll figure out Sir Sil's awakened and out-of-control state together...

"I have nothing else to say to you, Brother."

It's not a lie, so I could look my brother in the eye and say it.

"...I see. I understand."

My brother closed his eyes. After a breath, he opened them and continued.

"I have something to say to you. It's about your guard knight."

"About Clifford?"

The topic of Clifford! This is my chance! I'll use this to broaden the conversation and get his suspension lifted!

"I heard from Father that there are voices blaming Clifford for my injury."

"...Mostly because I'm the one advocating for it."

"Yes. Brother, please consider Clifford's contributions. He protected not only me but also Sir Sil from the 'Servants.' His suspension should be lifted."

"Protected? The one he should protect is you. ...When Sil unconsciously drew his sword and pointed it at you, your guard knight was about to kill Sil, wasn't he?"

Kill... I can't deny it.

Initially, Clifford tried to eliminate the out-of-control awakened Sir Sil as a danger.

"That's because Sir Sil pointed his sword at me. If Clifford hadn't been there, Sir Sil's sword would have injured me."

"Then, should Sil be executed as a criminal who tried to harm the First Princess? It's possible if you raise your voice. What do you think?"

"I have no intention of that. Sir Sil was made to do it by the suspects. I want to resolve this peacefully."

I know Sir Sil's situation within the scope of the original story.

"Are you saying that in exchange for not prosecuting Sil, you want your knight to be released?"

I blinked.

Ah, I see...!

There's that option! Can I go with this?

It's a bit underhanded, but in this situation, maybe I should frame it as a deal!

"That might be a good option."

"—You seem particularly concerned about Clifford Alderton."

"My guard knights don't usually last long, as you know. Clifford has been working with me for three months. He's a valuable asset."

He won't quit early to start a relationship! That's important!

"Even to the point of asking the head lady-in-waiting to arrange a meeting with Clifford Alderton first."

My brother's words, spoken with a hint of mockery, continued.

"Even if he is under suspicion?"

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