After leaving the castle, Cordelia didn’t head to the confectionery shop like they had planned, but instead, went to the church where the heroine stayed, with Ronnie. Fulvia’s house was close enough to the church that she was able to hear the choir, so Cordelia and Ronnie walked down the same route they did when they went to her house.
(I’m going to see the heroine so I can grasp the situation… I’m sure Ghost will be close by for a while to check on my progress.)
If it’s a place with lots of people, then he can just blend in, but if it’s a place with few people, then he’ll hide so he can observe me. However, if I take a route guarded by knights, then he might get caught.
She had been thinking the whole time they were walking, so they reached the church in no time.
However, Cordelia saw an unexpected situation when she arrived at the church.
(Knights in front of the church…?)
This church was small. She had heard that there were guards in large churches that have people visiting a lot, but there probably wasn’t any disorder in a small church that was located in a quiet place.
(And, it looks like the knight’s flag is hoisted on one of the buildings next to the church, but what is the meaning of this…? Huh?)
She looked at the building, wondering what it was, and saw someone familiar.
“Is that Clarice-sama…?”
Although they weren’t close enough for Cordelia’s whisper to reach Clarice, she immediately noticed Cordelia because there weren’t many people around. She looked surprised and walked towards Cordelia.
“Long time no see, Cordelia-sama. How are you?”
“I’m fine. How about you, Clarice-sama?”
“Me too. I’m too healthy and have extra strength, so I’m working in perfect condition.”
Clarice showed a calm and elegant gesture. She was a female knight in the Imperial Guards and was Cyrus’s subordinate. Cordelia had met her when she had first encountered Ghost. She hadn’t joked the first time they had met, but she was making jokes now, so this was her real personality.
“Where are you going today?”
“I’m on my way to visit Pharmacist-sama, but I read about the stained glass in this church, so I thought I would stop by to see it.”
“I see. Oh yes, I heard that you won the competition show. Congratulations.”
“Thank you very much.”
“Actually, the knights have been talking about the edible paper. The knights use a magic medicine to restore their strength… it’s effective, but it smells terrible and is hard to swallow when it’s mixed with water, and if we eat it in its powder form, then we almost faint from the prolonged bitter and astringent flavour.”
“Th-that’s… People say that good medicine is bitter, but I’m happy it could be of use.”
The medicine itself may require a taste improvement, but Clarice’s voice indicated that there was little hope for that.
(I haven’t heard anything about this at home, but my Onii-samas might be happy with this as well.)
It’s necessary to check whether the timing of when the oblaat melts will obstruct the effects since the medicine works inside the body, but if I can check this, then I want to mass-produce the oblaats as soon as possible.
(If I make it into capsules, then it would be easy to carry, but that’s just a plan right now.)
There’s something I have to prioritise right now. When she thought that, Clarice gave Cordelia a surprising proposal.
“Cordelia-sama, would you like me to show you around, since you’re going to the church? I’ll tell you a bit about what I know.”
“Is that alright?”
Cordelia was surprised because it looked like Clarice was still working, but Clarice laughed a little mischievously.
“I was actually on the night shift, so I’m already done with work.”
“Th-then, aren’t you tired…?”
It’s already past noon. If she’s done with work, then she probably wants to go home and sleep.
However, Clarice laughed softly and dispelled Cordelia’s anxiety.
“You don’t have to worry about me. I might be free from the bitterness of that medicine, so please let me do what I can.”
“Ojou-sama, why don’t you accept it?”
Ronnie urged Cordelia to accept since she was still hesitant.
His expression said, ‘you’ll regret it if you refuse’.
“Then, please do.”
“Yes, of course.”
The stained glass was just an excuse for her to see the heroine, but she couldn’t refuse Clarice’s goodwill, and Ronnie, who Clarice should thank for the oblaat, had told her to accept. I think I’ll let her show me around.
“Mm, I’m sorry, Clarice-sama. I forgot to introduce you two. This is Ronnie Eris, a magician who works for us.”
“My name is Ronnie Eris. It’s a pleasure to meet you.”
“Nice to meet you. I’m Clarice Keighley.”
After they introduced themselves, Clarice entered the building next to the church and said, “I’ll tell my colleagues first,” before coming back out.
“I’m sorry for keeping you waiting. Shall we go in?”
“Come to think of it, why are you here today, Clarice-sama? Is it because of your job?”
She didn’t intend to force Clarice to talk if it was a confidential matter, but she wondered why Clarice, a member of the Imperial Guards, was doing a night shift here.
Clarice laughed as if it was not a big deal.
“We’re here for support. The jurisdiction in this area is wide, so a new garrison was set up. The station was opened up a month ago, but we still have a lot of moving and recruitment to do.”
“Thank you for your hard work. Is there a knight standing guard at the church because the station is next door?”
“Yes. We also want to deepen our relations with our neighbours. The station usually has two guards stationed outside, but the road here is close, so we can deal with any trouble that occurs even if we have a person stationed in each place. We surprisingly have a good reputation here.”
Cordelia smiled as she listened to Clarice. It’s rare to talk with knights, so I somehow understand how they feel. But at the same time, I have a question.
(If the Heroine is near the knights, then she shouldn’t get kidnapped easily from the church, right…?)
Even if they’re not here to protect the Dreamer Girl, the heroine will be safe.
But if they’ve been here since last month, then Ghost should know about this.
(What is the meaning of this? Do the kidnappers have a plan that even the knights won’t be able to stop?)
The knights will share information amongst themselves if they see anyone suspicious. Is Ghost hinting that the kidnappers are on the inside? Cordelia walked through the gates of the church while being confused by the information she had received from Clarice.
The church was cool and quiet, and there weren’t any other people except for Cordelia, Clarice and Ronnie.
“The priest told me that this church is small, but it has the oldest history in the royal capital. The architectural style and sculptures in this church are important cultural assets. The stone statue on the right side of the altar…”
When Clarice began explaining that, the door behind the stone statue opened, and an elderly man appeared.
The man looked at Clarice and seemed surprised.
“Oh, Clarice-dono. Are they guests?”
“Hello, Priest-sama.”
“I’m sorry for interrupting you while you were showing them around. I don’t have to worry about suspicious people because the guards are nearby, but I can’t get out of my habit of asking.”
“No, security is important. Please keep doing so.”
“Guests, I’m sorry for interrupting.”
“It’s alright. Have there been suspicious people around here?”
Cordelia’s voice sounded more uneasy than she had wanted it to be, but the priest shook his head.
“Suspicious people have never visited this church but a lot of people visit the royal capital. So, I think we should be on our guard since we look after children here.”
“Yes, that’s true.”
“But I don’t need to worry too much since the knights are around.”
The priest smiled gently to reassure Cordelia. Then, he said before leaving the room, “Then, I’ll go out for a bit.”
After the door closed, Clarice swore to Cordelia since she was worried.
“I’m sorry, we talked about something scary. But don’t worry. We pledged to strive ourselves to protect those who live in the royal capital every day. We won’t break our pledge.”
“Clarice-sama is very cool.”
“I’m delighted you think that way.”
“I have a friend who wants to become a knight. I’m sure she gets very excited because knights are like this.”
If Dahlia-sama saw Clarice-sama right now, then she would shriek in joy.
Cordelia and Clarice smiled at each other, then they heard children shrieking outside. It sounded as if they were quarrelling like the children outside the Oulu poorhouse did, instead of playing.
“Are they fighting?”
“The knight outside will probably mediate if they were fighting…”
Clarice frowned. She seemed to know why they were fighting.
Cordelia thought that the children who lived here were fighting, but the screams were coming from the gate, instead of from inside.
However, Cordelia knew one of the voices.
“I’ll go out a bit to see what’s going on.”
Ronnie also thought of something and went outside first. Cordelia also wanted to confirm this with her own eyes.
“I’m a little bit worried, so I’ll go out.”
“Then, me too.”
Clarice was also worried, and they quickly headed towards the door.
When Cordelia went outside, Ronnie was already there, and he looked shocked.
A boy who Cordelia knew was standing there.
“Mick. Why are you screaming in a place like this?”
“Oh. It’s Dilly. What’re you doing?”
“I’m the one who’s asking you that.”
Mick was the one who was screaming, but there were two other children from Oulu’s poorhouse here. They were holding sweets they’d brought.
(I wonder if they were on their way to Obaa-sama’s house from the market.)
They’ll have to walk past here to get to Obaa-sama’s house, but I don’t think Mick would raise his voice since he’s in a good mood from buying sweets. He doesn’t look like he’s in a bad mood either, so I’m not sure why he’s yelling.
But there’s something I have to warn them about before asking this.
“Everyone, Sensei said that you can’t eat and walk, right?”
The two children hid their sweets when they heard Cordelia, but Mick didn’t seem scared.
“It’s fine. She can’t see us. We were talking about buying these again because they’re yummy, and then she interrupted us. She’s the one with the problem since she wants to pick a fight instead of buying sweets.”
Mick said as he pointed at the girl, who Clarice was lecturing.
“――― We told you that you can’t go out on your own. The priest is worried about you too.”
“But they’re going to get wet because it’s going to rain soon! I saw it in my dream, so it’s definitely going to rain! I didn’t see the kids, but it’s going to rain. They’re going to get wet!”
It was the first time Cordelia had heard this girl’s voice. However, she couldn’t help but widened her eyes when she heard what the girl had said. She couldn’t see the girl fully because Clarice was in the way, but Cordelia knew that figure.
The pretty girl with light pink, soft and slightly wild hair with bright blue eyes looked younger than the one in Cordelia’s memories. But, she wanted to avoid the girl just like she did with Sylvester. In the game, she was 『Cordelia’s』opposite and was the『Heroine and Dreamer Girl』, Shelley.
“―――!”
Cordelia gulped.
This was a surprising development for Cordelia since she had just wanted to secretly investigate the situation first, but Shelley ended up quarrelling with Mick.
“She started talking about nonsense when we said that we were going to go buy some more sweets. She started yelling when we ignored her.”
Mick said and sighed. Then, he bit on the candy in his hand again.
“It’s so bright out, so it won’t rain.”
Mick doesn’t know that Shelley is the 『Dreamer Girl』. Cordelia didn’t even know if he knew that someone like that exists.
“Dilly?”
“Oh… Sorry. The weather was it?”
Reflecting on why Mick was strangely upset, Cordelia looked up at the sky to calm herself down.
“It might rain. There are thin clouds in the sky, and it’s covering the sun. And, a black bird is flying low over there, right? The insects they eat are flying low because their wings are heavy.”
She didn’t care much, but if she paid attention, she could feel that the surrounding air was a little moist.
“A bird…? So, how do you know it’s going to rain?”
“Well, I can explain it to you, but if you want to buy sweets, then why don’t you go ahead. I’m heading towards Sensei’s house, so I’ll explain it to you there if I have time.”
“What the hell, you're pompous. Well, if you say so, then I’ll listen, but you have to explain it to me properly later. She said that she saw it rain in her dreams, like I can understand something like that.”
“You know, Mick. That’s not something you say to someone when you ask them for something, is it?”
“Heehee. Well, bye. Let’s go! I’ll see you later Dilly!”
Cordelia waved at Mick and his friends who were running off and took a deep breath.
However, the words she heard right after that froze her blood.
“Those kids didn’t listen to what I said…”
Cordelia glanced at the girl who said that with a hint of annoyance.
Shelley was biting her lips as if she couldn’t accept it.
“Thank you for telling them about the rain.”
Cordelia smiled at Shelley while trying to remove the stiffness from her voice.
It was scary for her to talk to Shelley, but she had to if she wanted to investigate her, and she didn’t want to leave a bad impression on Shelley.
But Shelley looked unhappy when she turned towards Cordelia.
“Why are you thanking me? There’s no reason for you to thank me. They only believed that it would rain because you said so.”
“But, if you hadn’t said anything, then I wouldn’t have been able to tell them.”
She didn’t think her words got rid of Shelley’s frustrations, but she felt that Shelley had frowned less, and her hostility towards Cordelia had lessened.
(Well, of course. It’s our first meeting. If 『Cordelia』hadn’t done unnecessary things, then they wouldn’t have had conflict in the game, and 『Cordelia』had been the one who was hostile towards Shelley.)
『Cordelia』had lost her life because she 『lost control of her magic due to her jealousy towards the Prince and Shelley』, so Cordelia didn’t think it would happen to her, since she had been avoiding the Prince.
(If I sort this out, and stay away from Shelley, then I’ll be able to live in peace again.)
It’s probably difficult to not be involved with her, since she’s from a noted Earl House like I am.
But we don’t have to get along. ――― Otou-sama isn’t on good terms with Earl Clydereine, so I only have to associate with her and not get in her way.
(Even if there are differences in the game, it should be safe if I don’t get in their way at all.)
She was able to calm down a little when she thought that, but her heart was still beating fast.
Next to Cordelia, Shelley pouted and said, “Well, I don’t care if they get wet or not anymore. They didn’t believe in my dreams at all.”
Cordelia felt relieved by her words, even though Shelley was sulking a little.
(She’s really strong-willed, but I wonder if she’s kind-hearted deep down…)
There’s a problem with the way she speaks, but her personality and what she says differs from the heroine in the game, but she had said that because she didn’t want Mick and the other two to get wet. That being the case, I’d like to believe that as long as I'm being careful, as I have been, there won’t be any problems.
“Shelley-san, you should go inside before it rains. And, please don’t go outside through the hedges anymore. Tell someone when you leave, and leave through the gate.”
“But, I heard the kids’ voices…”
Clarice spoke, and Shelley turned away and whispered. However, she seemed to have admitted that it was her fault for not going out through the gate, even though her actions were childish.
“You were worried about them, weren’t you?”
Shelley’s eyes sparkled when Cordelia said this.
“Because my power is supposed to make everyone happy! And, if I help everyone, then I can be of service to His Highness one day! If I can be of service to him, then he’ll return the favour!”
The words that had been uttered by someone who she was finally beginning to feel relieved about made her freeze.
(What is this uncomfortable feeling…?)
I wouldn’t be surprised if they had met somewhere, but I doubt she would have realised they’d met. And why does she already have feelings for the Prince?
(Did the Prince reveal his identity when they met? No, I don’t think he would have.)
If the Prince was someone who would say careless things, then I don’t believe Vernoux-sama would be his friend. Vernoux-sama is probably too lazy to approach the Prince.
(Besides, the Prince returning the favour…? This is different from the game.)
In the game, Shelley used her power for people who she knew, she wasn’t the type of person to tell strangers about her power, like she did with Mick. And, most importantly, she never thought of using her own abilities as a weapon.
“But kids like that still don’t know about my powers. I have to try harder so that the Prince will find out about my powers.”
“Shelley, if you don’t go back soon, then everyone would be worried that you snuck off somewhere again.”
“Ookay.”
Shelley cheered up while they were talking, and briefly replied to Clarice, before walking back into the church.
However, while she was walking, she turned back to look at Cordelia.
“Say, you know who I am?”
She asked that as a question, but her voice was full of confidence.
Shelley laughed with satisfaction when she saw Cordelia nod before going back into the church.
“I’m surprised that Cordelia-sama is also friends with the children in town.”
Cordelia turned back in shock when Clarice spoke to her.
She hadn’t noticed that she had been staring at the closed church doors until Clarice spoke to her.
“The children from before are from a neighbouring village. I interact with them through welfare projects.”
“I see. It’s wonderful to see that you’re so loved.”
Clarice smiled in understanding, but after a while, she looked down and whispered.
“Cordelia-sama, you know about the『Dreamer Girl』too, don’t you?”
“Yes. I didn’t think she was that energetic…”
It wasn’t weird for Cordelia to hear rumours that spread around the royal capital, but she didn’t want people to think that she came to the church to see Shelley’s dream fortunes. Cordelia had come here to see the girl herself, and not to have her fortunes told. She was worried about this, but Clarice didn’t seem to notice.
“I haven’t talked to Shelley much, but she seems to get involved with others and direct them in a better direction. She also tells them what’s good for them. However, people around her are worried that she might be using her rare power carelessly. Right now, she’s only fortune-telling about the weather, but they’re worried that someone will use her for their own self-interests.”
“Are her fortunes correct?”
Clarice nodded silently at Cordelia’s question. There was concern on her face.
“She’s trying to spread her fame by increasing her abilities and using it, and is trying to be of use to a lot of people so that she can support His Highness one day. But even if her wish comes true… if she continues to be overconfident, then it’ll become poison one day.”
“Poison…”
“But this is just my personal opinion. Some believe that she’s the second coming of the Saint and that she will become a guide to this kingdom’s prosperity.”
“It’s a difficult problem, isn’t it?”
“Yes. I still can’t tell what her true powers are, and she’s still growing. So, I might be worrying for no reason.”
Clarice relaxed a little after saying that and smiled.
“But her powers are really rare right now, so suspicious people will have their eyes on her. So, the priests are keeping an eye on her so that she doesn’t sneak off on her own. Luckily, we knights are stationed close by, so we can help them with this.”
Clarice was worried about Shelley as a knight, and Cordelia agreed. If Clarice-sama is right, then Shelley is using her powers for the sake of others. So, I can understand their worries and fears.
(But the knights were more worried about her powers than the person herself.)
I hope she can spend her days peacefully until Earl Clydereine welcomes her home.
I hope, but there are too many things to worry about. It would be difficult for someone to kidnap her because the knights are around, and they’re also paying attention to her powers. Even more so, since the priests think something could happen to her.
(What the heck does Ghost know?)
It would be difficult to get help from the inside since the priests are on the lookout. Or did Ghost expect me to overlook the possibility of 『something』and is enjoying the situation?
“But, lately, things have been looking good.”
“Huh?”
Cordelia looked up and glanced in the direction that Clarice was looking in. Then, a carriage gradually approached.
The carriage stopped in front of the church, and a slightly slim man with a cane appeared.
When the man saw Clarice, he said, “Oh,” and smiled gently.
“Why, hello, Keighley-dono. Thank you for your hard work today as well.”
“You’re always so dignified and reliable.”
The man who greeted Clarice ――― Earl Zakharov, smiled gently.
(Earl Zakharov…? Mm, was his name Boris?)
Cordelia only knew the name well enough to point out their fief on a map. But she hadn’t learnt much about them since their land didn’t stand out, and the Earl, himself, wasn’t active in politics. Furthermore, this was the first time she had met the Earl since they weren’t involved with her Pameradia House.
I’ve met someone unexpected, she thought as she looked for the right timing to introduce herself. Suddenly, Earl Zakharov looked at her.
“This red-eyed Ojou-san… are you Earl Pameradia’s daughter?”
“It’s nice to meet you, Earl Zakharov. My name is Cordelia Enna Pameradia.”
“Oh, how rude of me. I’m Boris Zakharov. I’m not as famous as your father, but I’m an Earl.”
He might have been joking, but it was hard for Cordelia to respond to that. She couldn’t confirm this, but then denying it was a lie. She didn’t know how to answer and smiled. Earl Zakharov didn’t wait for her to reply and continued speaking.
“I’ve heard rumours that you launched a charity with Marquis Flantheim’s son. I also support various places, but I would like to exchange ideas with you if we get the chance.”
“Th-thank you very much.”
Surprised by his unexpected words, Cordelia thanked him. Earl Zakharov smiled wider, and turned back to Clarice.
“Is that child here today?”
“She is. She’s full of energy today as well, and tried to sneak out a while ago.”
“I see. I’m looking forward to seeing her.”
He said, before slowly disappearing into the church. He walked lightly despite carrying a cane. Clarice saw him off and whispered with a gentle expression on her face.
“Earl Zakharov sees the image of his late wife in Shelley.”
“His wife’s image…?”
“Yes. He’s looking for clues to see if she’s related to him, and the church is also watching them warmly. The church trusts the Earl a lot because he has contributed a lot to them, but even if that wasn’t the case, he could probably adopt her if she agrees.”
Earl Zakharov certainly looks like a gentle man at first glance. And, he knew about the mobile library even though he doesn’t have children my age, so he’s familiar with charity work.
(But I’m sure they’re not related. Of course, this world doesn’t have to be exactly like the game…)
Still, it’s bothering me since there’s a lot of things in this world that happened exactly like it had in the game.
(Wait. There was something that made Earl Clydereine conclude that she was his daughter. What was it…?)
If Shelley had something with a family crest on it, then people would know straight away.
But, if she had something like that, then the people at the church would have found it.
(I’ll look up Earl Zakharov when I get home.)
As long as the knights are around, there’ll be a commotion if someone tries to enter uninvited. If so, then the situation isn’t as bad as I imagined for now.
“But, rain, she said…? Cordelia-sama, you’re visiting Pharmacist-sama after this, aren’t you?”
“Yes, that’s the plan.”
“Then, you should finish your business before it rains. Why don’t I show you around the church another day? I’m free the whole day tomorrow, would that be alright with you?”
“Thank you very much, then can I ask you to show me around tomorrow?”
“Of course.”
Cordelia appreciated Clarice’s offer.
(In any case, I have to come here again.)
I’m lucky that I have a reason to visit. First, I have to research what I need by tomorrow. I can’t say what’s right and wrong at this stage.
Cordelia thought as she parted ways with Clarice, and left the church.
On the way to Fulvia’s house, Ronnie sighed after being silent for a long time.
“It was bizarre. That girl and how Ojou-sama acted that is.”
“Me too?”
“You were restless.”
“I can’t deny that. I mean, she’s a rare type of girl.”
I really want to deny it, but it might seem like I’m hiding my agitation. She shrugged and agreed by making it a joke.
“Well, she’s a very strong girl. Isn’t there a high chance that Ojou-sama will meet strong people?”
“Maybe. But being strong isn’t bad.”
“Well, confidence can often lead to success but conceitedness also leads to failure.”
I was certainly troubled that Hazel-sama didn’t listen to me when we first met, but that matter was related to her, so I can understand her desperate feelings.
On the other hand, Shelley was angry that Mick and the others wouldn’t listen to her allegations, even though she had said it for their sake.
(She lost her temper because things didn’t turn out the way she wanted to, even though she had said it for their sakes. She’s different from the heroine I know from the game.)
If Shelley is different from the heroine in the game, then it might not affect my future even if I’m not scared. It’s not like I don’t want to have this hope, but I feel like another problem will occur even if I’m involved or not. I’m also worried about what she said about the prince.
“But words said based on dreams. She’s like an oracle.”
“She is.”
“I could live an easy life if I could dream about how to get rich fast.”
“Oh my, do you want to see that kind of dream, Ronnie?”
“Hmm… No, it’s troublesome if I think about it carefully. I feel like I’ll be asked for lots of things from different people, and it’ll be a lot of trouble in the end.”
Cordelia sighed, is it alright for him to understand with that kind of reasoning?
“Well, that girl doesn’t seem to be able to dream about what she’s going to do, so she might not do that. At any rate, she said that 『her powers can make everyone happy』.”
“Yes, that’s right.”
Like Ronnie said, Cordelia didn’t think that Shelley dreamt of herself. If she did, then she would dream of a way to convince someone like Mick, who doesn’t believe in her dreams, and from the rumours that Cordelia had heard, it didn’t seem like Shelley’s dreams helped what Shelley did.
(But I don’t think she’s like that. I wonder if she’s like the game heroine, where she doesn’t use her powers for herself.)
The heroine in the game might not have any need to see a dream like that, according to the scenario, so it might be possible, and Shelley might actually see dreams like that even though she doesn’t tell people about it.
There are too many uncertainties, and I feel depressed and scared, but I decided that I would protect her. If I can’t leave her alone, then I’ll just have to help her.
“Hey, do you think people can enter the church and kidnap her?”
“Kidnap? Are you worried about what Keighley-dono is worried about too, Ojou-sama?”
“Yes.”
“I don’t think it’s impossible, but it’ll be difficult. Even if the knights are around, there are a lot of blind spots. The church is a place where people can freely enter, so it’s hard to prevent crime there, therefore it’s easy if they just come into contact with her.”
“I knew it… But they have to come into contact with her, right?”
“Yes. People will know even if a little commotion is caused, so it’s difficult for the perpetrators to secure an escape route. It would be fine if they just escaped themselves, but it would be difficult for them to escape with that girl. However, the situation is different if she sneaks out of the church all the time.”
Certainly, they might not need a guide inside if Shelley continues to act the way she does. If they’re waiting for the chance to kidnap her, then there’s no advantage to them letting others know about their plan.
(… It’s really a headache-inducing problem.)
It’ll be fine if she recognises the danger of her peculiar power. Still, if she’s welcomed into noble society with her attitude like that, then I’m worried that she would cause problems because she misjudged a situation and acts inappropriately.
Cordelia thought that and suddenly someone spoke to her.
“Oh, Cordelia-san?”
She turned around and saw a familiar boy with his attendant.
“Oh my! This is a surprise, Myles-sama.”
Viscount Gunnell’s son, Myles. She had become friends with him, and he was also good friends with Vernoux. He was also in the mobile library planning group. However, this was her first time meeting him by chance in town.
“How do you do? We’ve met in an unexpected place.”
“I’m glad you look well, Cordelia-san. But I’m surprised. I thought that Vernoux would be the only one who I would meet like this.”
Cordelia smiled wryly since Vernoux strolling around town was common knowledge.
“Come to think of it, I’ve heard about it. You got a good result for the competition show. Congrats.”
“Thank you very much. This is also thanks to you.”
“I was surprised because I didn’t think that seaweed could become something like that. I have to make sure that father doesn’t learn I discussed the seaweed with you since the beginning. If he finds out, he’ll definitely get mad and yell, 『Make better deals』.”
Myles joked, but his tone conveyed his heartfelt blessing.
I feel bad, but I still wouldn’t have talked to him about it because of the benefits. Perhaps, Myles-sama understands that and congratulated me, so that’s why he can laugh.
“Where did you go today? No wait, are you going somewhere now?”
“I visited the Big Bookcase in the library a while ago, but I’m on my way to visit a pharmacist I know. I also stopped by the church.”
“I see, that’s a shame. I got an interesting book, so I wanted to ask if you would drop by the office with me if you have time… Maybe another time.”
“Yes, another time.”
Cordelia thanked Myles, who withdrew his offer while laughing. She felt bad and thanked him.
“But the church? Which church did you visit?”
“The one famous for its stained glass. It’s the oldest church in the royal capital…”
“Oh, you must be talking about the one Earl Zakharov visits a lot.”
“Oh my, do you know about that?”
Cordelia widened her eyes in surprise because he had guessed correctly, and Myles continued while smiling.
“He’s famous for his charity work, and he used to work in the same marine industry as my House.”
“… Used to?”
“Yeah. He lost two ships in the summer and went out of business two years before we were born, but he’s still doing charity work. He doesn’t appear much, but he has done a lot of charity work. If you can speak to him, then you might be able to learn something. ――― Having said that, I’ve never met him either.”
Cordelia was surprised by what Myles had said. Myles-sama has information on him but has never met him before. Still, I wonder if I can get more information from him… Cordelia thought, but his attendant blocked her from asking.
“Young Master, it’s nearly time.”
“Oh, okay… It’s unfortunate, but I’ll see you next time.”
Myles waved his hand as he left, and Cordelia heard, “Young Master, you should stop.” Then, she spoke to Ronnie, “Let’s go.”
(I don’t know how much damage losing two ships can cause, but I’m sure it’s not small.)
Earl Zakharov was a man who had a friendly smile. From what she heard from Clarice and Myles, he did a lot of charity work, which meant he’d been supporting the church for a long time.
(I don’t think I should doubt that person, but I wouldn’t know what type of person he is until I investigate him.)
I don’t have any clues right now, so I have no choice but to look at every possibility.
On the one hand, I hope I that find something, but on the other, I hope that I don’t find anything, and that everything is just Ghost’s lie.
After that, she received herbs from Fulvia and explained why it would rain to Mick and the other two. Then, after she got home, she headed straight to the library to look up information on Earl Zakharov.
(I’m sure it was around here… Oh, found it.)
Cordelia picked up a book and turned the pages.
(His fief doesn’t have anything special about it after all.)
The main industry of Earl Zakharov’s fief, which extended from the sea to inland, was considered as agriculture, but they sold it for cheaper because the quality was inferior. The harvest there wasn’t bad, so he could secure income, but there wasn’t any extra money.
(Even so, he’s actively maintaining his fief. As expected, he puts a lot of effort into charity work… is what I would like to say, but if I think about the income his fief makes, he might be overspending.)
She thought that, as she picked up another document. The document contained transactions his fief did on marine trade, as well as their top products in the last two decades. The income he earned from the marine trade seemed higher than the income he earned from agriculture. She continued reading and reached the year when Earl Zakharov lost two ships. It was written that he had purchased two ships with state-of-the-art magic tools at the beginning of that year.
(The two ships he lost were new ships, weren’t they? But he couldn’t get any more money, so he had to give up on buying new ships, or something like that…?)
Cordelia couldn’t imagine how much the latest ships would cost, but this was a world where the cost of a magic dryer was the same price as a carriage. Buying two ships would require a lot of money, and if it was powered by magic tools, then she could picture that his financial situation would deteriorate the moment he loses them.
Cordelia turned to the next page and frowned.
(But the Earl’s donations haven’t changed… No, is he donating more money every year?)
Although the donation amounts weren’t written down, their destination was, and that increased as the years went by. I don’t think he would decrease the amount donated so that he could donate to more places. Nobles don’t want to lose face so they won’t reduce the amount they donate so that they can make other donations.
However, what does it mean when he continues to donate more money after he loses his ships?
(I’m curious, but I didn’t think it would bother me in a lot of ways.)
If he wasn’t increasing the amounts he donated, then it was possible that he would kidnap Shelley for money. But he doesn’t seem like a money-grubber when he does charity work which doesn’t bring in income. Earl Zakharov seems like someone who would donate more money if he had any, and he could just stop donating if he wants money.
(And, I don’t think he would need to announce that he wants to adopt her if he wants to kidnap her.)
It’s possible that people would be suspicious of him if it’s known that he has a strong interest in Shelley. Normally, you would want to avoid that if you’re trying to kidnap someone.
Having said that, his behaviour is incomprehensible since his income and expenditures don’t match up, and I’m curious about his relationship with Shelley.
“I wonder if I need to observe their progress.”
She couldn’t get information on Earl Zakharov like she had wanted, but she was going to the church again tomorrow. If things went well, then she will see Shelley again.
(Does she know that she is Earl Clydereine’s daughter? Or if I can find something that hints that she is, then this problem will come to an end.)
Without that, even Cordelia couldn’t obtain proof.
“I wish I could remember what happened in the game…”
What would be enough to prove that a town girl is an Earl’s daughter? There might have been a scene in the game about it, but unfortunately, I can’t remember. But if I can find that, and get Earl Clydereine to discover the possibility, then they can work things out somehow with a magic test which is similar to a DNA test.
“I wonder if the hint is something that can’t be separated from her body, since others haven’t found it. I wonder if I can find something like that.”
Cordelia wasn’t confident that she could guide the conversation in that direction. One of the problems was that Shelley was strong-willed and didn’t seem like the type to listen to people, but the other reason was that she hated having to talk to Shelley and the Prince, ever since her memories returned at the age of three.
“I already made up my mind… I can only say that these are my instincts.”
Cordelia gave a long sigh. My body will continue to refuse now that I’ve decided to do this. She prepared herself again while putting away the books that she had read, and Lara appeared in the library.
“Ojou-samaa, dinner’s ready!”
“Thanks.”
“I can’t believe you’re in the library when you already went to the library in the castle. Ojou-sama, you really love books and flowers,”
Lara said, as she picked up the remaining books and helped Cordelia put them away.
“Oh, Ojou-sama. Can I have the day off tomorrow?”
“Day off? That’s fine. Were you able to rearrange your work?”
Cordelia tilted her head at the rare request, and Lara spoke proudly.
“Perfectly! Actually, the merchants who came today told me that there’s a circus in town. I don’t have a pre-booked ticket, and it might be hard to watch the show because there’s a lot of people, but I heard there’s a lot of rare animals around the tent, so I want to go and see them.”
Lara said as her eyes shone, and Cordelia laughed a little.
“Alright. Have fun.”
“Thanks!”
“Why don’t you go with Ronnie? It’s not fun to go alone, right?”
“You’re also going out tomorrow, aren’t you Ojou-sama? I talked about it with Mentor, and she’s interested, so I’ll be going there with her and her grandchild. Ronnie should be doing his job.”
“I see.”
“And, does Ronnie look like someone who would be happy at seeing animals?”
“… That’s also true.”
Cordelia laughed lightly, so that’s why she didn’t seem disappointed. She was a little surprised that Lara had become friends with Mentor’s grandchild.
“Ojou-sama, why don’t you go there for a break? You might come up with something new if you go.”
“Hmm, I’ll think about it.”
I’m interested, but this isn’t the time to be visiting the circus.
“If you want to go, then I’ll show you around, so don’t hesitate to tell me.”
Lara proclaimed boldly, and her mind was already on the circus.
The next day, Cordelia went to the church with Ronnie and met up with Clarice.
Clarice had said she had the day off today and was wearing a simple outfit: a blouse with a brooch, a long skirt and armed with a sword.
“Thank you for showing me around today, Clarice-sama.”
“I’m looking forward to it, Cordelia-sama. And, Eris-san.”
“Hello.”
“Well, let’s start with the stained glass and leave the stone statue for later. There are a lot of things to see from chairs to candlesticks.”
Clarice started her explanation without any idle chat because they had been interrupted yesterday. Cordelia looked around the church as they moved to the stained glass in front of the church. She had been nervous yesterday, but in addition to chairs and candlesticks, as Clarice had stated, there were also rare stones in the floor.
(There really is a lot of rare items. I’m thankful that Clarice-sama is showing me around, but do we have enough time for her to explain everything?)
Cordelia panicked a little in front of all the cultural assets. How long would it take for her to explain all these cultural assets? I might not have time to see Shelley.
(But it should be easy for me to notice something strange if I’m close by.)
In addition to the knights on guard, Clarice and Ronnie were also here. They should be able to fulfil the minimum role for crime prevention. Cordelia also thought that she needed to meet Shelley, but it was too hasty of her to say that now. If she gets the timing wrong, then people might suspect her of scheming something.
“Cordelia-sama, you said you read about it in a book, so I don’t think I need to explain the basics, but the name of this stained glass is 『The Descent of the Saint』. It depicts the Saint who descended from the sky to help the first King build this kingdom.”
Cordelia also knew about the history that Clarice was talking about.
Just like history in Japan, the kingdom had a lot of myths from its early days. The kingdom had a history of about a thousand years, but it was a thousand years behind Japan, where people used smartphones freely, so it wasn’t weird for them to think that ghosts appeared in front of them. She even believed that there might be ghosts in this world, since it had magic.
She was someone who was born with her previous life memories, so it wouldn’t be strange for a saint to descend from the sky.
“――― Now then, I’ll talk about the stone statue.”
She had only intended to think for a short while, but she had pondered for so long that the topic changed. Cordelia reflected because she had done something rude.
“This stone statue is of the evangelist who looked over the First King and the Saint.”
“Evangelist…?”
“We don’t know the evangelist’s name or gender. However, it is said that the official records from the period in which the evangelist lived was mostly written by the person themselves.”
“I see.”
“I heard that the evangelist had a diary, separate from the official records they wrote. However, their diary isn’t counted as an official record, and not a lot of manuscripts were printed because they wrote a lot of bad things about the church, but you might be able to find a copy at the Big Bookcase. I’ve never seen it before, but I hear that they wrote a lot about the interactions between the First King and the Saint.”
Cordelia wasn’t interested in the legend between the First King and the Saint, because, even if she didn’t know about their story, it was fine as long as she knew about how the kingdom was founded. However, if that diary had a lot of things written about the Saint, then she might be able to find some hints to Shelley’s power, and she might find what Ghost meant when he said 『The ominous end of the Saint』.
(The Heroine’s power aside, 『The ominous end of the Saint』might not have a big impact on me, but…)
Like when I heard that Shelley might be kidnapped, I want to prevent this ominous end if I can.
My first priority is to ensure my own safety, but I don’t want to pretend that I don’t notice others misfortunes just so that I can be safe. And, if the person who had the power to see dreams in the past destroyed herself and 『died』, then I can’t ignore this. I don’t know whether Shelley would listen to me or not, but I think I need to tell her about it, depending on the results I get.
(I’m sure Shelley would want to avoid anything that would cause her to die, like me.)
Cordelia slowly stared at the stone statue of the evangelist and decided that she would definitely look for their diary the next time she goes to the Big Bookcase. Then, she heard the front door open.
She looked towards the door, and she saw Earl Zakharov and his attendant.
“Earl Zakharov. It’s rare for you to come two days in a row.”
Clarice said in surprise, before Cordelia could speak.
Earl Zakharov smiled in a friendly manner, like he had yesterday, and raised his hand.
“I got something rare today, so I came to invite Shelley out.”
“Something rare?”
“Yeah, a ticket to the circus. I heard that they show animals, birds and acrobats not seen in this area. Would you two like to come, Cordelia-san and Keighley-dono?”
Cordelia was a little surprised by the word, circus, and looked at the ticket in his hand. They were probably from the same troupe as the show Lara was talking about yesterday. However, the ticket itself was luxurious, and was definitely for good seats.
However, Clarice’s expression clouded over at Earl Zakharov’s invitation.
“Keighley-dono, do you not like animals?”
“That’s not it. I’m glad you invited me… but, I don’t want to get close to animals in the cat family.”
“Ah, that’s a shame. I hear they have a lot of large felines.”
“I’m very sorry.”
“Don’t worry about it. My friend was going to go to the circus with his family, but he couldn’t, so he gave me these tickets.”
Earl Zakharov looked at Clarice as if it was too bad, and Cordelia shook her head.
“Mm, Earl. If you go with Shelley-san, then wouldn’t the other children be jealous?”
I know that he sees his late wife in her, but is he allowed to give her special treatment? If the ticket was for his friend’s family, then it wouldn’t be enough for all the children who live in this church.
(If possible, I don’t want Shelley to go to a place with lots of people…)
But the Earl continued to smile.
“I received a wonderful birthday present from Shelley the other day. This is thanks for that, so it should be fine.”
“Birthday present, you say?”
“I got a lovely flower. The priests will probably listen to my selfishness this once. But I think she’ll have more fun if she was with someone who is around her age. Keighley-dono can’t come, but how about you, Cordelia-san?”
If Earl Zakharov, who has had a close relationship with the church for years, says so, then it must be true. But I’m also worried about why he’s giving special treatment to one child. His special treatment towards Shelley will create discord among the children in the church and will create rifts.
(In any case… I can’t ignore this.)
Cordelia’s wish won’t come true if he wants to take Shelley out.
She glanced at Ronnie, and he looked as if he didn’t care either way.
(Otou-sama didn’t tell me I have to be careful around the Zakharov House.)
Then, there was only one answer.
“Then… if Shelley is going, then I will too.”
Earl Zakharov smiled happily at Cordelia’s reply. _ _
As Earl Zakharov had said, Shelley was given permission to go out.
Cordelia thought that she had done something terrible to Clarice, who had shown her around the church on her day off, but Clarice said, “I’m glad you’ll be with them.” Although Clarice might have her reasons, she might have been worried that she had refused an invitation from an Earl.
Afterwards, Shelley quickly greeted everyone before flying towards Earl Zakharov.
“Earl Zakharov! Are you really taking me to the circus!? I’ve never been to the circus!”
“Hello, Shelley-san.”
She had dressed up a little in second-hand clothing that the Earl had donated to the children of the church. However, when the Earl told Cordelia about this, he said, “Actually, her clothes are new,” so she knew that he favoured Shelley. It’s normal if he thinks she might be his daughter or wants to adopt her, but this is bothering me.
“Are you looking forward to the circus?”
“Of course! But I’m sorry. I don’t have any dreams to tell you today.”
“I came to see you, so you don’t have to worry about your dreams. Children should smile.”
Shelley was the same as Cordelia and couldn’t be considered as a child anymore, but she still seemed young to Earl Zakharov.
(She looks like an innocent child like that.)
There were many things about the Earl and Shelley that bothered her, and she couldn’t relax. When her feelings grew heavier, Shelley finally noticed Cordelia.
“Oh, you’re the girl from yesterday.”
“Hello.”
“It rained, right?”
Cordelia nodded at the unyielding girl. It seemed like her mood was bitter after Mick and the others angered her.
Shelley talked the whole time as the four sat in the carriage and headed to the circus.
She talked about being able to sing well, about being able to draw well, about finding lost items thanks to her dreams, and about receiving sweets in exchange for finding the objects.
She continued to talk, and Cordelia didn’t even have room to interrupt. If Cordelia opened her mouth a little, then Shelley glared at her as if telling her to shut up.
(But she doesn’t think she’s Earl Clydereine’s daughter at all, with the way she acts.)
She wants her fame to reach the Prince, so if she knows that Earl Clydereine is her Otou-sama, then she would happily go with him.
Is Shelley really Earl Clydereine’s daughter, like she was in the game, or is she Earl Zakharov’s daughter?
Cordelia hoped that she was Earl Clydereine’s daughter, since Earl Zakharov didn’t have enough power to protect Shelley.
“Hey… Hey, I said!”
“Huh?”
How long has she been calling for me? Cordelia raised her face when she heard Shelley’s voice, and Shelley laughed happily.
“Hey, did you know that the church has a stained glass?”
“Yes. It depicts the encounter between the First King and the Saint. It’s magical.”
“Oh, you actually know a lot.”
Cordelia laughed vaguely at Shelley who had uttered words that showed she was looking down on Cordelia.
(Even if Shelley wasn’t the heroine, I might not be good at dealing with her.)
However, Shelley didn’t care about how Cordelia acted and spoke loudly.
“I’ve been thinking. I’m sure the encounter between the First King and the Saint was a miracle, but their strong feelings created this kingdom. It’s wonderful that I have the same power as the Saint!”
Shelley put her hands together and looked enticed, which made Cordelia shiver.
(Does she already think she’s the same as the Saint?)
Although people have been talking about this on the streets, Cordelia never imagined that the person herself thought of herself as the Saint. She never imagined that Shelley would adore the Prince either.
“Say, Shelley-san. Why do you want to be of use to the Prince? Is it because you have the same power as the Saint?”
“Of course! But the Prince saved me once when I was little. I never thought that the person who saved me was the Prince, but I saw him in a dream afterwards. So I’m sure it was him.”
“In a dream? Wait, he saved you…?”
“I wanted to pay him back for saving me, and the Prince appeared in my dream. I was stunned to see that his elegant behaviour and gentle aura was still there. But if I want the Prince to look at me, then I have to be really incredible. I want to meet him soon!”
Cordelia was confused as the excited Shelley smiled.
The Prince saved her when she was younger? I’m sure there wasn’t a setting like that in the game. I don’t know if the person who helped her was really Sylvester-sama, but how did it happen?
“You want me to tell you? I won’t. This is a memory between the Prince and I.”
No, it doesn’t matter how she met him right now.
Rather, her thoughts are the problem.
(If the only difference between Shelley and the game 『Heroine』was their personality, then I might have considered that she knew about this game and was reincarnated like me… but I don’t think she’s a reincarnated person.)
I can tell since she doesn’t think of Earl Clydereine as her Otou-sama, and, above all, it’s clear that she has no interest in Cordelia. If Shelley was someone who knew about the game, then she will probably change her expression, even if just subtly, when she met Cordelia, who will likely persecute her.
(If she was a reincarnated person who loved the Prince, then I could have supported her…)
However, even if her personality is different, I wanted her to be meeker. In the game, the personality of the game changed somewhat depending on the player’s selection, but Shelley doesn’t follow that settling now.
In front of Cordelia who gulped, Earl Zakharov laughed.
“You have to study hard too if you want to follow the same path as the Saint. The priests also tell you this, don’t they?”
“I might need to study, but I have the power of dreams, so I’ll be fine. If my dreams are strong, then I should be able to get better results than studying. Because I can see the future!”
The fear that Cordelia felt towards her declaration wasn’t just rejection. She genuinely believed that her power was special and righteous and that she can become special. It was terrifying.
“If your dream powers are wrong, would you be able to tell?”
She understood that this question would offend Shelley, but she had to ask it.
Sure enough, Shelley frowned.
“Why did you say that? Are you saying I’m wrong?!”
“I’m not. However, I was just wondering how you would show that your dreams are absolutely true.”
”Oh my, that’s easy. People who want to believe in my dreams can tell, and people who don’t are wrong, aren’t they?”
Shelley’s answer, which was full of confidence, did not give Cordelia the answer she wanted to hear. It was pointless to ask her any more questions now, and from what Cordelia had just heard, Shelley will follow her path in a parallel line.
(But one mistake can lead to her destroying her surroundings and herself.)
If Shelley is going to stick to her beliefs, then she needs to know the risks.
(I might have to tell her the risks if she doesn’t notice it herself.)
However, Cordelia didn’t want to put Shelley in a bad mood. I don’t want to continue to incite her or be seen as an enemy either.
I have to be patient right now. When she moved her fingertips, an unexpected voice reached her ears again.
“Dreams are only aids. It’s hard to gain confidence from people if you can’t convince them.”
“But I think it’s a game of numbers. If I can prove my powers, then everyone will believe in it, right?”
Earl Zakharov kindly informed Shelley, and she answered full of confidence. It was as if she was saying that Earl Zakharov should have known this.
(Which means she’s shown Earl Zakharov that her powers are always correct.)
But Cordelia was surprised by Earl Zakharov’s words.
Contrary to Shelley’s confidence, he had rebuked her twice.
(If the Earl is involved in her kidnapping, then it would be easier if he just agrees with her.)
My suspicion towards him might be groundless fear. If it is, then I’ll be happy, but…
“Oh, we’ve arrived.”
“Our journey in the carriage is over. It was fun! I felt like a Princess!”
Shelley said and rushed out the door before the coachman could open it. The Earl slowly followed after her.
Cordelia sighed in relief when they both got off the carriage. Even though they were still close, Shelley’s departure allowed her to relax a little.
“Say, Ojou-sama, are you under the weather? You usually wouldn’t just let her say something like that.”
“I’m fine. I didn’t argue because I couldn’t prove that her dreams are wrong. And, I was thinking because we decided to come in the spur of the moment, so I didn’t tell Otou-sama that I was going to come here.”
Cordelia immediately lied to Ronnie and then realised.
(That’s right. Her dreams indeed come true right now.)
Shelley isn’t the only one saying this. According to the rumours, she only tells fortunes that have no problems even if she’s wrong.
(I don’t want to get in the way of her wishes… but, I can’t help but wish that her dream powers don’t get any stronger. She has too much confidence in it and doesn’t even think there’s a slight chance they might be wrong.)
The heroine’s powers in the game were used to solve people’s troubles and weren’t directly related to the nation.
However, I don’t know if that was because『she didn’t use it』or because『she couldn’t use it』 for that.
(If her wish does come true, then there’ll most likely be chaos.)
Whether it’s true or not, her statements which hold absolute confidence could bring disaster.
And, although I don’t know the truth behind the situation, I understand clearly that I’m not compatible with her. Perhaps, even if I’m not 『Cordelia』, I still wouldn’t be good at dealing with her.
“… I didn’t want to say this, but Master told me to let you do what you want as long as it’s not really dangerous. So, you don’t need to worry about not telling Master.”
“Oh my, really?”
“Yes, as long as you don’t do anything dangerous. On the other hand, I’m the one in charge of deciding whether it’s dangerous or not.”
Ronnie emphasised strangely, and Cordelia smiled wryly while getting off the carriage.
A large amount of land was necessary for the circus, so it was located some distance away from the town centre.
In addition to the spectators, there were many stalls selling souvenirs, and the place was as lively as a festival. They might be stalls, but they were actually temporary shops, so it looked as if it was a small shopping district.
(I miscalculated.)
I knew that the circus wasn’t aimed at nobles, since Lara said she was coming here, but I thought it was a calmer place, since Earl Zakharov had said he had received the ticket from his friend. However, the crowd is more intense than I imagined. We will immediately get lost if we act carelessly.
(Honestly, I’m more worried about her getting lost than about her getting kidnapped. It was the right choice to come with them.)
This crowd is too scary, since anything can happen. Cordelia decided to be careful, and Shelley shrieked beside her.
“Wow, there’s a big tent! And it smells delicious everywhere. And there are big animals over there! I wonder what that’s called?!”
“Sh-Shelley-san. The animals won’t run away, so please calm down.”
“Why?! Don’t tell me to calm down! Aren’t you acting a bit emotionless?!”
“Hmm, seriously, please wait!”
While holding onto Shelley’s clothes as Shelley moved to what attracted her, Cordelia desperately tried not to frown. If they made too much noise, then they would stand out in a bad way.
It might be difficult for Shelley to get kidnapped if she was bathed in attention, but Cordelia felt as if she heard people stifling their laughter. This is really embarrassing.
(We might be able to laugh it off if we were really commoners…)
Shelley is beautiful because she is the heroine.
Her clothes are close to those a noble girl would wear because Earl Zakharov gave them to her. In other words, she looks like a noble girl. That’s why her actions can give a negative impression to those around her, and they would think, ‘Why is she acting like that? Whose House does she belong to?’
And, my reputation will be damaged, not Shelley’s, because she hasn’t entered noble society yet. Even if I wasn’t acting the way she is, I would probably be recognised just by accompanying her. People will notice that I’m from the Pameradia House because of my red eyes, which will cause trouble for Otou-sama. That can’t happen.
But then she realised something when she looked around.
(But aren’t there only a few nobles here?)
It wasn’t like there weren’t any upper-class people in the crowd, but there was considerably less than she had thought. Cordelia looked around curiously to find out why this was. Then, she found on a signboard nearby that performances for nobles were performed at night.
(Oh, I see. In this case, most nobles will visit at night.)
In this kingdom, plays were usually performed at night, so people didn’t go to the theatre in the daytime when nothing was on. Nobles in this kingdom know that people in foreign kingdoms go to the theatre in the day too, but they choose to go at night.
(But then, why did Earl Zakharov’s friend decide to purchase tickets for the daytime?)
It might be difficult to take Shelley out at night. But the ticket wasn’t something Earl Zakharov had bought, he had said that his friend gave it to him. I can’t say it’s bizarre since I can see other nobles around, but why did they conveniently get tickets for the daytime show?
(I wonder if I’m overthinking.)
“Hey, do we have time to see that stall over there? I’m curious because there’s a lot of sparkly things!”
“Hmm, Shelley-san, please calm down a bit…”
Shelley interrupted Cordelia’s thoughts with her loud voice and pulled on Cordelia’s clothes again. But, it was difficult for her to ponder too much since Shelley was running all over the place. Even if she had asked Earl Zakharov about the tickets, Shelley would probably interrupt them.
Earl Zakharov slowly put his hands on Shelley’s shoulders.
“Shelley-san, I’ll ask you too. Please calm down a little, alright?”
Cordelia was relieved to hear he supported her. Whether Shelley would calm down or not, she has listened to Earl Zakharov. Cordelia thought Shelley would calm down…
“We still have time until they start the performance. If you don’t rush and decide what stalls you want to visit, then we can go look at a few. Where do you want to go first?”
―――― But Cordelia had just imagined things.
Shelley heard what Earl Zakharov had said, and raised her voice cheerfully.
“Then, I want to see the sparkly things over there! And, that crowded place over there. I’m excited to see what they’re doing over there.”
“Then, where do you want to go first? Oh, how about that beads stall over there? Can you see it?”
Maybe the Earl hadn’t done this for Shelley and he just wanted to see beads? After hearing the friendly conversation, Cordelia felt uncomfortable as if she was the third-wheel.
“Ojou-sama, what will you do?”
“We’ll go with them since that child might get lost with just the Earl around. If anything happens, then we’ll be troubled.”
If Cordelia can keep her from being kidnapped, then that was what she wanted to do. She was here on the lookout. Leaving Shelley was nothing short of abandoning her decision.
“Well, it is crowded. There are a lot of rude people who pickpocket in places like these. Please be careful since you look like a normal beautiful lady at a glance instead of a naughty one.”
“… It certainly is easy for suspicious people to slip into the crowds.”
Cordelia agreed while pretending that she hadn’t heard everything Ronnie had said.
“Well, I don’t think you need to be too careful. This is probably your first time in such a crowd, but it’s a lot better than it was at the Founding Festival.”
“I see.”
There’s a lot of people here now, but how crowded was the Founding Festival? Cordelia was relieved that it wasn’t as crowded as the Founding Festival as she stared at Earl Zakharov and Shelley chatting while picking up items from the stall.
Cordelia was staring at them with Ronnie a short distance away from the stall because she didn’t want to get in the way of the other guests.
“They might be related, but they don’t seem like father and daughter.”
“Really?”
“Do they look like they’re father and daughter to you, Ojou-sama?”
“Honestly, no.”
Ronnie went quiet after he heard Cordelia’s reply and shrugged.
However, her opinion was based on the information she had gained from the game, so it lacked objectivity. Thus, she was a little surprised that Ronnie felt this way in such a little time.
“Why do you think that way, Ronnie?”
“Because the Earl lets her do whatever she wants. Even if he rebukes her, he doesn’t stick his foot down so that she will listen, right? I know that he’ll be troubled if she doesn’t like him, but he’s looking down on her. It might be fine now, but if she really becomes his relative… or even gets adopted by him, then he’ll continue to treat her like a customer.”
Ronnie’s comment sounded harsher than usual because he was tired of listening to the interactions between Earl Zakharov and Shelley. Cordelia felt terrible for making him accompany her when he was tired of them as she recalled the interactions between Earl Zakharov and Shelley.
Earl Zakharov had earned a lot of money in the marine industry even if he isn’t in that business anymore. It’s unlikely that he doesn’t know how to interact with people, Cordelia thought. Shelley left the store and hurried back to where Cordelia was. What does she want? Cordelia tilted her head, and Shelley suddenly pulled her hand.
“Hey, you.”
“Woah!”
“Woah, what…? You surprised me! Don’t surprise me.”
I’m the one who was surprised.
“Shelley-san, what happened? Where is Earl Zakharov?”
“The Earl is talking to some people at the stall. So, I thought I had a bit of time and came to talk to you.”
“To me?”
“This is my pocket money. Can I buy a nice gift for the Earl with this?”
Cordelia wondered what Shelley was going to say, and widened her eyes in surprise.
“Come on, answer. The Earl’s nearly done.”
“Eh, yes. Let’s see…”
But, the amount of money Shelley had was only enough to buy a piece of candy. It wasn’t enough to buy a gift for the Earl. Shelley probably asked me because she couldn’t find a gift that she could buy with her money.
(Hmm, I know that feelings are important when giving gifts.)
However, her budget is too low.
But, she won’t accept it even if I tell her this.
“Hey, isn’t there anything I can buy?”
“The Earl was happy that you gave him flowers before.”
“I can’t get flowers that can only be bought in stores. I won’t use money if I can pick them.”
“Then, how about wrapping paper and ribbons to decorate the flowers with? I’m sure he’ll be happy if you decorate the flowers that you picked with ribbons and wrapping paper.”
Shelley thought a little about Cordelia’s proposal.
“… That’s not the answer I was expecting. I thought you would know a lot of things since you’re dressed beautifully. But, alright. It’s not a bad idea. I’ll try it.”
I feel like she spoke ill of me when she’s supposed to thank me, but it seems like she accepted my idea.
(I wonder if domineering refers to someone like this.)
I wonder if she doesn’t respect the people she talks to because she has a lot of confidence in herself. She shows kindness sometimes, but her attitude makes it hard to tell.
(But at this rate, she’ll just be conceited.)
How can I get her to notice that, Cordelia thought, and Shelley walked pass Cordelia.
“Shelley-san, where are you going?”
“I’m going to look for wrapping paper and ribbons! I’ll be back right away, so tell the Earl that!”
“You can’t go by yourself! It’ll be troublesome if you get lost in this crowd of people!!”
“Then, find me if I get lost! I have to go buy it now!”
Cordelia had expected this, but Shelley didn’t stop even when Cordelia tried to stop her.
Ronnie also thought it wasn’t a good idea, so he tried to grab her, but she lightly dodged when she saw his hand… then she bumped into someone who was passing by.
“Oops, are you alright, Ojou-san?”
“Eh, yes.”
Shelley had bumped into a tall and muscular man who had a stubble. The man confirmed that Shelley hadn’t fallen over and smiled.
“It’s good for kids to have a lot of energy, but you should be careful. I heard what you guys were talking about. We have wrapping paper and ribbons at my general store. Do you want to come see?”
“Yes! See, I found a shop. I’ll be back right away! Will you guys be waiting for the Earl here?”
“Shelley-san, I said you can’t go…”
“Argh, shut up! I said I’ll be back right away, didn’t I?!”
Shelley had already turned her back and wasn’t listening to what Cordelia said at all. Cordelia panicked and looked towards the stall that the Earl was at, but he was already inside.
(You’d normally think that that person would kidnap you! He doesn’t have the appearance of someone who manages a general store!)
People who did business in places like this wouldn’t have an appearance that drove customers away.
“Ronnie, do you think we can find the Earl later if we leave?”
“In the worst case, we’ll just meet up with him at the entrance. Things have gotten like this, so we can’t just ignore it.”
Cordelia and Ronnie babbled before chasing after Shelley and the man. The man turned around and laughed a little.
“Hmm? I don’t need you two. Ojou-san, run.”
“We’re running?”
“Yeah. Well, I’ll carry you so we won’t be late.”
The man said before lifting Shelley like she was a bag of rice, then he ran into an alley.
(That’s obviously not an attitude one would use towards a customer. Why is she not struggling?!)
However, Cordelia noticed that Shelley’s behaviour was strange. It probably felt uncomfortable being held like that, but she wasn’t reacting at all.
Did he put her to sleep with a drug? This is already a crime.
“Ojou-sama, I’ll go ahead!”
“Okay!”
The man wasn’t running very fast, so Ronnie should be able to catch up if he dashed in a straight line, but the narrow alley was stacked with wooden boxes from the stalls. The pile of boxes occasionally collapsed because the man was running all over the place, and got in the way of Ronnie’s chase. Ronnie got rid of the boxes with magic every time, but the man got furtherer away from them because it took time to get rid of the boxes. Even so, Ronnie can catch up to the man if he ran with all his might, and no matter how far the man ran, he couldn’t get that far away from Cordelia.
(If it was a bit easier to run…!)
Cordelia had trained herself a little after the Flora Silk incident, but she was reaching her limit.
Still, she clenched her teeth and continued to run, then she saw that there was a lot of dust in the surrounding buildings. After a while, Ronnie gradually slowed down and signalled Cordelia with his left hand. The man had stopped.
Ronnie turned around, raised his index finger to his lips and signalled her to be quiet.
Cordelia nodded, and Ronnie slowly approached the building from the other side.
(He has comrades, so he’s obviously a hoodlum.)
Two other men, who had similar appearances, to the first was already there.
They looked around before entering the vacant building.
“That doesn’t look like a shop.”
“You’re right. I want to call the knights, but I’m worried about that girl. Can’t we do something?”
“Understood. But, Ojou-sama, you’re really good friends with trouble. Do you want to get exorcised?”
“Let’s see, I’ll think about it.”
Ronnie had spoken frivolously, but he had already began concentrating. He was squinting his eyes more than usual so that he could see the flow of magic from within.
“Ojou-sama, I’m going inside for a moment, so don’t act on your own. You absolutely can’t act on your own.”
“Of course not. Are there three people inside apart from Shelley-san?”
“That’s right. If one of them gets out, can you stop him? But you can’t let him see you or get close to him.”
“Okay.”
“Then, I’m going now!”
Cordelia waited quietly on the spot for Ronnie to rush out in victory. She also prepared the seed which she carried at all times for support, but the noisy room went quiet straight away, and she didn’t need to use the seed.
Ronnie completely his job skilfully like he always did, and when she popped her head out, he beckoned her to come to him.
“I tied them up with what I could find for the time being. The girl’s sleeping, but there’s not really anything wrong with her. So, I’m going to launch the reinforcement signal to call for help.”
“You had something like that?”
“Well, I do, or rather I made it… It makes a blasting sound, and white smoke rises from it, so someone should come. I really want to call for help secretly, but I can’t leave Ojou-sama and the hoodlums behind. I made it because I thought I would be troubled if I encountered a situation like this… but I didn’t want to use it if I could avoid it.”
It sounded almost like fireworks from Ronnie’s explanation. Fireworks weren’t something common in this world, so people will realise that something unusual had happened, and someone on patrol will come.
“You’re making a complicated face.”
“Something is bothering me.”
“There are traces that they were staying here, but there’s no evidence that shows they had kidnapped other children. Or perhaps I should say, it hasn’t been long since they made this their base. However, is something else bothering you, Ojou-sama?”
“Yes, quite a few things.”
I’ve stopped Shelley’s kidnapping this time, but the thing Ghost told me about probably hasn’t been resolved. If what he had told me was about this incident, then the kidnappers couldn’t have gone ahead with their plan unless they knew that she would be out. It would be difficult for them to ambush her even if they knew she was going out beforehand.
(If the information was leaked out beforehand, then it can only be from Earl Zakharov.)
It’s possible that he spoke about this to an acquaintance, or that someone eavesdropped on him. But, he said he received the ticket from his friend today, so would he even have time to tell other people about his outing? Would the Earl even tell people that he’s taking a town girl to the circus?
(If he did tell someone, then it would only be to those close to him.)
Cordelia distrusted Earl Zakharov more than she doubted him.
But even so, I can’t conclude that Earl Zakharov was involved in this because it was too crude.
(Either way, she’ll be put under the protection of the knights.)
I don’t know how long she will be under protection for, but she’ll at least be protected while they investigate this matter.
(And, can I call this a blessing in disguise? I can use this to talk to Otou-sama. I should be close to solving this.)
With Shelley’s safety guaranteed, Cordelia had to first settle the suspicions she held towards Earl Zakharov.
“But we’ll have to go to the castle again now.”
“Huh?”
“We have to explain what happened, don’t we?”
That’s really upsetting.
“You didn’t do anything dangerous, so I don’t think they’ll get mad at you… Probably. Let’s say the girl was acting a bit dangerously, we couldn’t stop her and so we followed her. Is that alright?”
They agreed on the same story. I’ll do my best, so I can quickly go home, Cordelia vowed as she watched the knights come due to Ronnie’s rescue signal.