The palace’s well-kept flower beds were filled with unfamiliar flowers. But it didn’t look untidy. If the Winter Palace gardens felt like a secluded, orderly park, the Spring Palace gardens seemed to be in the midst of a festival.
Although Bertus’s garden was barren, it wasn’t disorganized.
Charlotte’s palace was splendid, but not messy.
One garden full of flowers, the other without a single one.
I felt like this was about two people who ended up resembling each other.
Bertus hates flowers because Charlotte loves them.
Charlotte planting more flowers because Bertus hates flowers. She even picked up the flowers that Bertus threw away and planted them.
Both were fixated on each other’s likes and dislikes.
If Bertus were to die, what would happen to Charlotte’s garden? Without a reason to be fixated on flowers, it wouldn’t be as spectacular as it is now, even if the flowers didn’t disappear entirely.
In the end, they were quite similar.
Charlotte led the way through the garden filled with flowers, and the gardeners tending the flower beds respectfully bowed to the princess.
There was no special conversation.
There were no questions about the unexpected guest.
If the Winter Palace gave off a cold impression, the Spring Palace looked comfortable and cozy, whether it was due to the design or the name.
The palace gave a warm feeling rather than being flashy, and it seemed to supplement the lack of grandeur with the beautiful and colorful flowers surrounding it.
The garden was also a part of the palace.
It was the same for the Winter Palace, the Spring Palace, and even the Emperor’s Palace Tetra.
“There really are no bees, huh?”
“Of course not…”
Charlotte’s eyes narrowed at my words.
“The flowers are pretty. They smell nice. They are well-maintained. I didn’t expect you to have such thoughts, but were you really still thinking about that?”
No, that’s not it!
“Since there are so many flowers, it’s natural for there to be bees, but it’s amazing how there are really no bees as you said!”
“Of course not. If I get stung by a bee, the gardener’s head will roll.”
Charlotte laughed and said that, and I broke out in a cold sweat.
There are no bees in this garden and they can’t even come in. Pest management is probably taken care of as well.
“No, then that… you know.”
“Pollination?”
“Yeah, that’s it.”
If there are no bees, isn’t there a problem with pollination?
“You worry about strange things. They’ll handle it themselves.”
“How?”
“…… Reinhardt, you know, I don’t know anything about that.”
Charlotte loves flowers, and that’s why this massive garden of flowers exists. She doesn’t need to know or have a reason to know what the gardeners need to do.
That’s what power is.
Charlotte lives a life where it’s natural for her to have that kind of thing.
I feel like I’m a distant person from Charlotte in every way.
I don’t need to know anything about that. The gardeners will take care of it.
To say something like that so confidently.
Charlotte walked through the garden and arrived at the entrance of the palace. There was a huge hall inside the palace, filled with statues and colonnades, with a spiral staircase at the end.
I thought the palace was too big for her to live in alone.
No, she wouldn’t be living alone. There would be maids, servants, and guards to help with various tasks.
But…
Somehow, there didn’t seem to be any servants around in the huge hall.
Well, there should have been someone to greet Charlotte.
No one came to greet her, and there seemed to be very few people around.
Something must have happened here, and this emptiness was a sign of that.
Although she was forcing herself, Charlotte had brought me here. I wonder if I’ll see anything suspicious.
Charlotte spoke first in the chilly palace.
“As I said before, don’t say anything unnecessary. I’ll take care of it.”
“Yes.”
I kept it in mind.
It was as good as Charlotte admitting that she could handle whatever came her way.
It feels good.
“Your Highness.”
Then, a man sitting somewhere in the hall stood up and came to greet Charlotte.
I couldn’t help but open my eyes when I saw the approaching person.
He was alive.
He was the cavalry captain who had given crucial help when escaping from the Demon King’s castle.
“You’ve returned.”
“Ah, Dyrus. Say hello. This is my friend Reinhardt. Reinhardt, say hello. This is my bodyguard, Sir Dyrus.”
There before me was Dyrus, now Charlotte’s bodyguard.
I was assuming that Dyrus might be dead, and I couldn’t bring myself to ask Charlotte. There was no reason for me to know about Dyrus.
Dyrus became Charlotte’s bodyguard. Charlotte had somehow managed to protect the man who saved her.
But Dyrus wasn’t anyone special. I don’t know what happened to him afterward.
At least he’s safe.
That’s enough.
However, unlike my joy, Dyrus looked at me with a guarded gaze.
“My Lady, allowing outsiders to enter here….”
“He’s my friend.”
“Still….”
Despite Charlotte’s words, Dyrus seemed uncomfortable.
There must be some truth to the rumors that something happened here.
Therefore, entry and exit of outsiders are currently prohibited.
Charlotte was trying to cover up my coercion as her own, and Dyrus looked troubled.
The princess, who couldn’t resist her friend’s pleading, has now become the one making demands.
“Your Highness.”
Then, another voice could be heard piercing through Dyrus’ voice.
It wasn’t a familiar voice, but it wasn’t entirely unfamiliar either.
“Please understand that we should refrain from letting outsiders into this place.”
It was Saviolin Turner, the commander of the first Imperial Knights of Shanapell, whom I had seen before.
Why is she here?
She was walking towards Charlotte, dressed in the Knights uniform.
“Long time no see, Reinhardt.”
She recognized me, of course.
“I’m sorry, but you have to leave, even if you are invited.”
She spoke as if Charlotte’s opinion was not important.
Was Shanapell in charge of security at the Palace of Spring?
The implications of Sarkegaar’s rumor were playing out in real time before my eyes.
What the hell had happened.
What the hell was going on?
Is Charlotte safe?
“Lady Turner, I’m the one who decides that.”
“Even though it’s temporary, it’s my job to ensure the safety of the palace.”
Suddenly, the strongest in the current world and the first princess were locked in a mental battle.
“Is Reinhardt a dangerous person?”
“I’m sure you realize that’s not what I’m saying.”
I made a hasty decision based on my instincts, but am I causing Charlotte to fight a battle she shouldn’t?
Saviolin Turner looked at me, as if to say, “Didn’t you understand me?”
Rather than having the princess fight her, it would be better for me to leave, and if I understood, I should go back on my own.
However, I cannot back down even in the face of the strongest in the world.
I need to know what is happening to Charlotte while I’m here.
I have no intention of retreating.
She looked back at Charlotte when she saw that I was looking straight at her.
“Your Highness, can we talk for a moment?”
It was almost like an order.
Is that the extent of the authority and power that Savoilin Turner possesses?
“Yes, Lady Turner.”
Charlotte wasn’t particularly intimidated either.
It’s odd that Dyrus and Saviolin Turner objected to my visit.
So I think this situation is only happening in the Spring Palace.
Dyrus, Saviolin Turner, and Charlotte said they would talk in private and went somewhere.
They went far enough that I couldn’t hear their conversation.
The Templars were nowhere to be seen, save for their leader.
She seemed to be alone.
I’m not sure if other people are hiding somewhere to guard or not.
If a murder occurred, shouldn’t the security be strengthened?
Why is it so quiet here?
I had a bad feeling.
How much time has passed? When they came back, Saviolin Turner looked uncomfortable.
I felt sorry for Charlotte because I had forced an unnecessary fight.
“Let’s eat dinner and go. It’s okay,”
Charlotte said with a fresh smile, and the others were silent.
It was strange that she could convince them so easily.
It’s a request I wouldn’t normally make.
But in this unusual situation, Charlotte gave in to my insistence.
“Should we take a walk?”
Charlotte took me around the quiet and serene Spring Palace as if to introduce it.
Dyrus nor Turner did not follow.
“What is going on, all of a sudden……. I didn’t want to fight Lady Turner.”
“Did you fight?”
“Not really, but…just know that I had to sacrifice my reputation to take care of you.”
The look in Charlotte’s eyes gave me goosebumps. I wonder if I’m just going on a hunch and getting myself into trouble for nothing…
“Anyway, don’t act foolishly in front of Turner or Dyrus. Got it?”
“Of course. I’m not crazy.”
“You are, or rather you’re weird.”
Hmm.
I have a conscience too, so I have to admit it.
“That’s true. I went crazy, but I’m not crazy enough to protest to the Commander of Shanapell. Don’t worry.”
“But why are you giving me a hard time?”
“Friends…”
“Shut up!”
Charlotte blocked her ears as if she didn’t want to hear it anymore.
-Shut up!
As Charlotte’s shout echoed through the corridor, the Spring Palace fell silent.
“It’s quiet.”
“…It wasn’t like this before. Recently, we’ve been reducing the number of people.”
“Is that so?”
“Yes. Let’s go.”
Anyway, now that she brought me here, I hope she doesn’t treat me badly. Charlotte hurriedly led the way.
There were no traces of murder.
Even if there were, I wouldn’t be able to recognize them, and there would be no reason for them to be left behind.
The first place Charlotte took me was the gallery.
“Do you like paintings?”
“…I can’t lie about this one. No, I don’t like them at all.”
“Can we assume that you’re not interested in anything related to art in general?”
“That’s right.”
“To be honest, me too.”
Charlotte just passed by countless paintings and sculptures hanging in the large gallery inside the palace.
“I mean, paintings are just a sub-par imitation of reality. If it has any function, it’s only in preserving what’s left, like taxidermy. But it became meaningless when enchantment magic advanced. Still, it’s strange to see those who continue to struggle painting.”
Charlotte is sometimes sarcastic to a degree that can’t be compared to Bertus.
The value of painting, an imitation of reality, has plummeted since the development of magic similar to photography.
It seems that the concept of abstract art does not exist here yet. I learned something unexpected. Charlotte denied the potential of painting, but she walked through a gallery filled with portraits.
“Portraits of those who lived in the Spring Palace, some of them are of the royal family and some are not.”
“Oh, so even if you’re not part of the royal family, you can live in the palace?”
“That’s right.”
Just confirming what I already knew, Charlotte explains eagerly.
It was a pretty sight to see, so I pretended to be curious on purpose.
“The Summer Palace is the largest, with many subsidiary palaces, and has long been home to the imperial family. The Autumn Palace to the south is where the officials work.”
In the original work, who lived in the Spring Palace is unknown.
It was Charlotte’s home, but she never returned, and it may have had a different owner. I don’t know that much. Bertus lived in the Winter Palace in the original, just as he does now.
You can’t know what you don’t know. It’s possible that it was used as the residence of the imperial family’s relatives.
Because of the two potential successors, two of the four palaces were now occupied by members of the imperial family who were in line for succession.
Charlotte and Bertus, each with one palace in the Imperial Palace.
Oscar de Gardias in the Summer Palace in the east, the residence of the royal relatives.
I understood what Bertus meant when he said that even though they were of the same family, they were never the same.
We walked through the gallery and then went to the chapel.
There was no dust, but it felt like a space that had not been used for a long time.
Charlotte looked at me from where the five statues of gods were erected.
“Do you follow a god?”
“Not really.”
“I thought so.”
Although I am the owner of Tiamata, I do not follow any god, of course.
The religions of this world are peculiar. No, not peculiar, but different.
There is no concept of not believing in gods.
The gods exist.
It is only a matter of whether one follows them or not.
Those who follow the gods are referred to as religious. One cannot deny the existence of gods, as the power of divinity exists, and divine relics exist as well.
“What about you?”
“I don’t really have one…?”
Charlotte tilted her head.
“Of course, if Artorius hadn’t won, I would have died, so maybe I should serve Als, the war god… I did have thoughts like that.”
Ragan Artorius was not a priest of Als, but he had defeated the Demon King with Alsbringer, the holy relic of Als.
“Even though I think Artorius saved me… I’m not sure I should…”
Charlotte laughed sadly.
She must be thinking about Valier. Was my existence such a great salvation for Charlotte? Of course, I did save Charlotte’s life. But if Artorius hadn’t been there before that, the war wouldn’t have ended.
“How strong do you think the Demon King was? Even if Artorius had lost, couldn’t the Allied Forces have killed the Demon King if they had joined forces?”
“I don’t know…”
I say that, but I actually knew the answer.
The previous Demon King, Valier.
Although this is a novel where the story begins with the Demon King’s death, what about the Demon King’s power?
If it weren’t for Ragan Artorius, the Demon King would not have been defeated.
The Allied Forces would have suffered a crushing defeat.
People know that Ragan Artorius killed the Demon King, but they don’t know how. The battle took place inside the Demon King’s castle, without any spectators.
Only I know what happened.
If it weren’t for Alsbringer, even Ragan Artorius would not have been able to defeat the Demon King.
If Ragan Artorius had not existed, the Demon King would have won, and I wouldn’t have had to run away. Charlotte would have died.
“It’s ridiculous…that I’m thinking about these things.”
Charlotte and I continued to walk through the palace after leaving the chapel. There was also a music room, but there were no musicians. The adjacent instrument storage was also empty.
Charlotte showed various places to me, such as the quarters of the palace servants, the kitchen, the dining hall, the dressing room, the storage room, and the guest rooms.
Even so,
“Is this really okay?”
“It’s actually amazing that you can draw a line with your …rudeness. Why not? You’ve been rude enough already.”
Charlotte showed me her own bedroom.
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