But, the words that came out were the opposite.
“I-I’m not worrying about it. Really I just want to hurry and forget.”
Haa, why can’t I be honest? She thought. Then, Louise asked about one thing that was bothering her.
“Hey, can I ask you something?”
“About what?”
“When I was, well, in a state where I couldn’t live without you thanks to that drug… why didn’t you, um, d-d-do anything?”
Saito answered frankly.
“That’s because, that wasn’t you. I can’t do something to you when you aren’t you. I can’t leave myself to lust and defile a person important to me.”
Being told she was important, Louise blushed. However, she couldn’t show him such a face. Louise turned her face away. But, she was really bothered. Why am I important? Hey… why?
“Wh-wh, why am I important?”
She asked in a trembling voice.
“Well, you provide food and a place to sleep.”
“Haa...” She felt disappointed. Well, that makes sense. I'm embarrassed I even got excited for a moment. Louise had turned her face from Saito, so she didn't realize he had purposely said that while blushing.
Still, he's a familiar that still calls me, his master, “important” after being hurt so much. Becoming a bit more honest, Louise apologized in a pouting manner.
“...I'm sorry. I won't get angry anymore. You have the right to do stuff freely too.”
To be truthful, she didn't want to say this. She remembered the time when the love potion was in effect. Those might have been her own true intentions, she thought.
“It's fine. You aren't you if you don't get mad. Do what you want.”
Then, the two fell silent.
Unable to endure that atmosphere, Louise ended up changing the topic.
“Haa, still, how nostalgic... That Ragdorian Lake.”
“You've gone there before?”
“Eeh. When I was thirteen. There were occasions where I accompanied the Princess. An extremely grand garden party was opened... It was really lively and showy. It was fun.”
Louise pulled at the bottom of her memories and began to talk.
“You know, that Ragdorian Lake was where Prince Wales and the Princess met. In the dead of night, the Princess told me 'I want to go out for a walk, so I need to sneak out of bed. I'm very sorry, but Louise, can you lay in the bed in my place?' and I acted as her substitute. Thinking about it now, that might have been when the two rendezvoused.”
When Louise said that, a loud voice sounded from behind the bench. From the mole-dug hole Louise once used to watch over Siesta and Saito, Kirche's red hair poked out. Tabitha was beside her.
“That's it! I remember now! It was Prince Wales!”
“Wh-what are you talking about?!”
“What! You two were eavesdropping?”
“Ehehe,” Kirche crawled out of the hole while grinning.
“Iyaah, I wanted to see you two reconcile with each other... The melodrama after you hit him so much. Doesn't that seem interesting?”
“Like hell it would.”
Saito and Louise blushed. Kirche came up to the bench while nodding.
“That's right. I thought I saw his face somewhere before. Iyaah, so that's how it is. That was Albion's lady-killer, Prince Wales.”
Kirche had seen his face before during Germania's Emperor Inauguration Ceremony. At that time, he was sitting in a guest seat, brandishing his noble and charming smile around him.
She finally remembered just now, so Kirche was satisfied.
“What do you mean by ‘That was Prince Wales’?”
Kirche explained to Saito and Louise. How they passed a group of people riding on horses while heading towards Ragdorian Lake. How she remembered seeing that face somewhere before but couldn’t remember very well.
“But, I remember now. That was Prince Wales. There was an announcement that he died in battle, but he was aliveー.”
“That's impossible! That prince should have died! I was there to see it myself!”
Kirche did not see Prince Wales die, so she had not actually felt his death firsthand. Therefore, she asked Saito in a joking manner.
“Oh? Is that so? Then, who did I see?”
“Didn't you mistake him for someone else?”
“There's no way I could mistake that handsome guy for someone else.”
At that moment, something connected inside Saito's head. It seemed that was the same for Louise. The two looked at each other. The words that the Water Spirit said... There was a peculiar man named “Cromwell” in the group who stole the Ring of Andvari.
“The Ring of Andvari... So, Reconquista really did...”
“Hey, Kirche. Where was that group heading?”
Louise asked out of breath. Being pressured by the two's serious attitudes, Kirche answered.
“He passed us, so, let's see, towards the capital city, Tristain.”
Louise ran off. Saito also chased after her.
“Wait! What's going on?!”
Kirche was flustered.
“The Princess is in trouble!”
“Why─?”
Kirche and Tabitha did not know about Wales and Henrietta's secret relationship, so they did not understand the meaning behind those words. But, bothered by Saito and Louise's unusual actions, Kirche and Tabitha followed them.
Chapter Nine: Confrontation of Sadness
Riding Tabitha‘s wind dragon, Saito, Louise, Kirche and Tabitha herself, flew towards the royal palace, having left the Academy of Magic two hours ago. It was one hour after midnight.
The courtyard was in an uproar. Louise and Saito felt that their bad premonitions had come true. When the wind-dragon landed in the courtyard, it was instantly surrounded by the magic guardian troops.
The commander of Manticore Corps, loudly ordered.
“Hey you! The royal palace is off-limits now! Leave!”
However, he already recognized the group from sight. They were the same that came here right before the war against Albion started. The commander puckered up his brows.
“You again! You only come at troublesome times!”
Louise jumped down from a wind dragon. She had no time to play games of questions and answers with the captain of the guard. She asked in a breathless haste.
“Princess-sama! No, Her Majesty, is she alright?!”
The courtyard was humming like a beehive. The nobles were carrying the shining magical wands, while solders – torches, looking for something. It was clear that something happened in the royal palace.
“I don’t have to tell you anything, damned one. Leave at once.”
Her face red with anger, Louise pulled out something from her pocket. It was the permit paper that Henrietta gave to Louise before.
“I am a court lady who is under immediate control of Her Majesty! In my hand I hold the permit papers signed by the Queen! I have the right to exercise Her Majesty's jurisdiction! I request an immediate explanation of the circumstances!”
The commander grabbed the permit papers from Louise's hands with blank surprise all over his face. They were indeed authentic permit papers signed by Henrietta that read - “Louise Françoise Le Blanc De La Vallière is presented with the right of being a royal representative. Her demands must be granted.” With the royal signature attached.
The commander stared with astonishment at Louise. Such a young girl… had such a document from Her Majesty.
He was a serviceman though. No matter how one looked, a superior officer was still a superior officer. Standing upright at once, he reported the situation concerning Her Majesty.
“Two hours ago, someone enticed Her Majesty away. One of the guards was knocked down as they escaped with horses. The griffon squad is chasing after them. We were searching around here to find some evidence.”