Chapter 53

7/8 19:13 7th episode, I made a slight addition and revision.

Tiara Rose held the ring of the Sea Fairy King, which her mother had given her, tightly in her hand as she stood at the classroom door, took a deep breath, and firmly gripped the secret letter from her mother.

Amidst the cherry blossoms dancing in the wind, Misaki opened the old diary and read the words of promise written there.

However, the most unexpected thing was not that Aquasteed had been defeated by Levi. Levi hadn't killed him or inflicted a fatal wound. But still, Aquasteed had been forced to his knees and had the Tiara Rose's ring stolen. It was an unbearable humiliation, an unimaginable defeat.

"Tiara, Tiara! Please, answer me!!"

"…………"

Aquasteed desperately called out to Tiara Rose, but she had fallen into a deep sleep, as if she had fainted, after the ring was stolen. Confused and unable to understand why, Aquasteed was in a state of chaos. Only Tiara Rose knew that the Sea Fairy King's ring must not be removed.

"Damn it."

Aquasteed cursed and punched the ground with all his might. His stomach, where Levi had hit him, was bruised and red, but it wasn't a fatal injury. The pain would subside with time, and he would be able to walk normally again.

—Why didn't he stab me?

He had realized from the first blow that Levi didn't intend to kill him. However, instead of knocking him out, Levi had forcibly taken the Tiara Rose's ring. Aquasteed was confused as to why Levi had done this.

"…I remember, he was the butler of the Ariadelle family."

Recalling the noble of his country, Aquasteed picked up Tiara Rose. He wanted to return to the castle as quickly as possible. He roughly woke up the unconscious Elliot and told him to return to the carriage immediately.

"…Prince Aquasteed! …Lady Tiara Rose!? What on earth… What am I supposed to do?"

"You seem to have been knocked out. Do you remember anything?"

"…………"

As they headed towards the carriage, Aquasteed reported what had happened to Elliot. Elliot, nodding, recalled what had happened while he was unconscious.

"I was hit from behind on the neck."

"One blow. …From our earlier conversation, you seem quite skilled."

A precise blow to a difficult spot, enough to knock someone out with one hit. It required experience, and he didn't seem to be just a butler. The weapon he used was probably a concealed weapon. It was the first time Aquasteed had faced someone who used such weapons. The thought of where he could have hidden such weapons made his spine shiver.

Placing Tiara Rose in the carriage and sitting beside her, Aquasteed instructed the driver to start. This was the first time he felt the journey to the castle was so long.

◇ ◇ ◇

In the silent bedroom, a low voice echoed.

"What on earth is going on here…"

The doctor, seeing a symptom he had never seen before, checked Tiara Rose's pulse and used magic to examine the flow of blood in her body, but found no abnormalities. Yet, Tiara Rose showed no signs of waking up.

"Doctor, what about Tiara?"

"Prince Aquasteed… Her life is not in danger, but this is unprecedented."

"……Tiara"

Kneeling beside the bed, Aquasteed held Tiara Rose's hand, his eyes filled with worry as he gazed at her, praying for her to wake up. The doctor slowly left the room to investigate if there were any similar cases in the past. Elliot, who was waiting outside, told him to call if anything happened, but it was unclear if Aquasteed had heard him.

—Is the reason Tiara can't wake up the ring?

The pinky ring, which was said to be the Sea Fairy King's ring, was now missing. Aquasteed realized that Levi's target was the Fairy King's ring.

"Wasn't he after Tiara herself…"

Aquasteed didn't know the purpose of the ring. He wondered if Levi knew, and if the duke's family knew something the royal family didn't. He cursed the many unknowns of the past few days.

"Tiara, wake up soon."

Her lovely blue eyes were tightly closed. He wanted to hear her call his name "Aqua" as usual, to see her eyes looking at him. But Tiara Rose remained unconscious.

Gripping Tiara Rose's hand tightly, lost in thought, Aquasteed realized he had spent the entire night by her side.

—Since it's the Sea Fairy King's ring, I should get information from Creil.

While thinking this, Aquasteed gently brushed the hair from Tiara Rose's forehead, kissed her forehead lovingly, and felt her warmth.

"Tiara…"

What kind of husband am I if I can't save her… Aquasteed thought, berating himself. He had always promised to protect her, but he had failed when it mattered most.

"I want to become stronger. How can I become even stronger?"

He never skipped training, and he was skilled with both sword and magic. He had traveled to other countries as part of his studies and was proficient in various techniques. —But it's still not enough. The strength that others found more than sufficient was meaningless if he couldn't protect Tiara Rose.

He whispered "Tiara" softly to himself. He would do whatever he could to save her.

"I will definitely save you, so please wait a little longer… Tiara."

Gently caressing her cheek, he softly kissed her lips. Even though she was unconscious, her lips were sweet. Reluctantly pulling away, Aquasteed left the bedroom.

"Aquasteed-sama!"

"Elliot. How did it go?"

"I sent a messenger to the Ariadelle Duke's family. …However, the butler in question has been missing for a few days."

Aquasteed thought the duke's family might be trying to distance themselves from the incident. This way, even if Levi made a big mistake, the damage would be minimal. However, Elliot frowned and continued.

"However, I received information that the lady the butler served, Olivia, disappeared the day before he vanished."

"What? So the man's master was Olivia Ariadelle?"

He had seen her at a ball, but she had been quiet and unremarkable. Thus, she didn't leave much of an impression on Aquasteed.

—The missing lady and the butler who disappeared in pursuit.

There seemed to be a connection. However, if that was the case, this was his domain, and Aquasteed smiled.

The "Air" that blessed Aquasteed specialized in information. Information was more pervasive in the air than in the forest or the sea. From rumors among the people to secret transactions—nothing escaped the air.

"Let's ask the Air Fairies, and then Creil—hmm?"

"Aquasteed-sama?"

Just as he was about to summon the wind, he heard the sound of someone running desperately. Running was generally not allowed in the castle, so he immediately knew something was wrong. The sound was heading straight for him, and it was likely related to Tiara Rose or Levi.

"Elliot, open the door and let them in."

"Understood."

Hearing the knock, Elliot, drenched in sweat, led the running knight into the room. The knight, kneeling, handed a letter to Aquasteed without even catching his breath.

"…What is this? The Ariadelle family's crest…"

"From the butler? …This is a smaller size than what the head of the family would use. It's likely Olivia's."

"Probably."

Tearing the seal, Aquasteed read the letter inside. It was written in neat, flowing handwriting.

---

In exchange for the Sea Fairy King's ring, the release of Olivia, who is in prison, is required.

---

At the end, he saw the name Levi. From the content, Aquasteed was certain it was written by the butler. But—

"What does it mean that Olivia is in prison?"

There was no such fact. The castle did have a prison, but it was currently empty. He had the Air Fairies check, but there was no sign of anyone being imprisoned without his knowledge. Elliot, peering at the letter, frowned and said, "What does this mean?"

Elliot, deep in thought, listed the possible locations of the prison.

"There's one in the castle's basement, in the castle's knight quarters, in the city's knight quarters, and a small one in the church. Also, high-ranking nobles might have their own prisons and private armies. The worst case would be if she were with bandits, but if that were the case, the butler would have rescued her himself."

"That's true… Air Fairies, blend with the wind and give me information about all the prisons in this country."

Elliot listed the locations, and Aquasteed had the Air Fairies check if Olivia was imprisoned anywhere.

"……"

Closing his eyes, Aquasteed received information from the Air Fairies. However, there was no one who could be Olivia among the prisoners. He put his finger to his chin, thinking.

"There's no one. But prisons aren't that common."

"Could it be another country? If so, it makes sense for them to propose a deal to you."

"…No."

Would a butler as skilled as that propose such a deal just because she was in another country? Aquasteed was certain that wouldn't happen. The butler could easily infiltrate another country. Of course, it would cause problems, but the other side must have had a guilty reason for kidnapping Olivia. The possibility of it becoming a national issue was low. Narrowing it down, only one possibility remained.

—A place I can enter, but the butler can't.

If that was the case, it made sense for Levi to propose a deal. —I didn't expect the blessing to be useful in this way.

"I'll confirm with Creil immediately."

"Yes, sir."

Aquasteed put on a new shirt, changed, and left the room.

I'm very happy to have received the sample magazine first.

Thank you so much for all the comments! They are a great encouragement. (I'm sorry I can't reply to each one, but I'm reading them all.)

While I agree that it's indeed Tiara Rose… It's a bit difficult to find time to make revisions immediately, so I would be very grateful if you could wait.