Chapter 93

【Epilogue】

That day, Noah knocked on the door of the guest room at Clingate Castle and said to his master, who came out looking pale,

"Princess has ordered me to make some tea for Lord Karlheinz."

"......I see, thank you."

Karlheinz, who looked utterly exhausted, had probably not slept for two days. Usually, the women of the castle often admired his cool and sharp eyes, but today they were dark with heavy shadows.

The reason, of course, was the great turmoil that had erupted in the Clingate royal family since the resolution of the incident with Lewis two days ago.

Entering Karlheinz's room and preparing the tea, Noah asked his master about the situation.

"What happened to the women who woke up?"

"The diagnosis of all of them was completed just this morning. There is a slight stagnation of magic, and minor discomforts are visible, but there are no major health concerns. The longest sleeper, the princess, has been asleep for eight years, so there will be issues with adapting to the passage of time that she was unaware of......"

"......How do you know so much about medicine as well as swordsmanship and magic?"

Saying this with a slight sense of frustration, Karlheinz smiled faintly.

Karlheinz, by nature, was supposed to be unrelated to this country.

However, immediately after defeating Lewis and repairing the barrier, he received this explanation and instruction from Claudia:

"Karlheinz, Lewis was actually a five-hundred-year-old magician and not the true prince of this country."

"......Please wait, Princess."

"Lewis and the curse are gone, but as a result, the princesses all woke up at once. Moreover, the brainwashing that made people believe Lewis was the prince has been lifted."

"Please wait. The details of what happened inside the barrier."

"Given the chaos, I need you to help out a bit. For future actions, we plan to say that the two adults who defeated Lewis were a man and a woman, and that the legitimate prince of this country, Stuart, is the witness to this. Now, go ahead!"

"Princess!!"

Karlheinz, who was sent off by transfer, was somewhat pitied by Noah.

(......I can't tell Lord Karlheinz that Lewis's goal was 'Ardelheit' and that he targeted the princess, who is her reincarnation......)

Unlike Noah, who knew everything, there were several secrets kept from Karlheinz. Claudia's judgment was that in times of crisis, it was better not to involve people who didn't know. Karlheinz did not know that Claudia's past life was Ardelheit.

However, Karlheinz naturally sensed that Claudia and Noah had secrets.

Despite this, he always fulfilled Claudia's wishes, even while pressing his forehead as if in pain.

Noah respected Karlheinz's attitude internally, but he had no intention of ever saying so.

Karlheinz leaned back in his chair and exhaled deeply, saying,

"The one who was most shaken was King Clingate."

"......"

"Realizing that the son he had been proud of for eight years did not exist, and suddenly becoming aware of neglecting his legitimate child...... He looked utterly drained, like a hollow shell......"

Thanks to Claudia's magical information gathering, Noah knew a bit about what happened.

The one who appeared before the bewildered king was none other than Prince Stuart.

Stuart, who had been confined to his room for eight years and avoided conversations with his father, apparently said to the king,

"It's not the time to be dazed, Father......!! The newly awakened aunts need our help as family. Moreover, we need to deal with the confusion among the nobles caused by Lewis's infiltration. This is the only chance to clear the royal family's name of the brainwashing......!!"

"But...... I can't even believe the words of my own son......"

"I......!!"

Without meeting his father's eyes, Stuart gripped his sleeve tightly and continued,

"Even while I was confined, I knew that Father and Mother loved me. You relieved me by relieving me of the title of crown prince, allowing me to stay inside. Saying things like 'I have a younger brother I don't know' and not forcing me to do anything......"

"Stuart......"

"You quietly and regularly provided me with the materials I needed to draw. ... In that sense, I knew you believed in me."

At that time, Stuart was holding a letter. No one in the castle knew the sender, but Claudia and Noah did. It was a letter from Claudia, left for Stuart to read when he woke up in his room.

"I had a saint who believed in my story. ... She told me to support Father and become a good crown prince."

"......!"

King Clingate managed to stand up and, prioritizing the help for the awakened princesses, has been active for the past two days.

The garden that Lewis destroyed was repaired by Claudia using magic as much as possible. However, when he checked just now, there were no signs that Stuart had entered the garden in the past two days.

He was probably busy helping his father.

"From what I've seen, Prince Stuart is very capable and a great support to King Clingate."

"......"

Noah, having finished making the tea, offered a cup to Karlheinz.

"Here you go. It's a tea to help you stay awake."

"......I'm surprised. You're quite considerate."

"Not really. It's just a flavor the princess likes, and I happened to have it on hand."

To show that there was no need to worry, he deliberately said it in a way that lacked charm. Karlheinz smiled slightly and sighed.

"Princess has planned everything. Even though the marriage arrangement with Clingate was broken off, by having me act on her orders to help Clingate, the alliance will be advantageous for Abinoria. After this, the formal order from our king will be the same as what Princess received."

"......"

"Moreover, despite the age difference, there is a possibility that the marriage arrangement between Prince Stuart and Princess could develop......"

"---Lord Karlheinz"

Noah, placing the teapot with the remaining tea, looked at Karlheinz quietly and said,

"......The tea will get cold."

"I'll have it. I will also advise the king that a political marriage with Clingate is unnecessary."

"......That's why. I just follow the princess's wishes and have no intention of saying anything more......"

Feeling that any further words would be futile, Noah decided to stop protesting to Karlheinz.

(Damn......)

More importantly, it was about time for Claudia to wake up.

Noah left Karlheinz's room and returned to his lord's side.

***