episode_0163

As I slowly opened my eyes, the black, dark ceiling of the health room came into view.

Is this already the third time I’ve opened my eyes here? … .

Normally, I would have woken up in the dormitory, but this happened because of the pressure from the public health teacher and other people who told me to sleep in the health room for a day, saying that I must rest absolutely.

“Ha… … .”

I was lying on the bed and blinking blankly, then slowly got up from the bed.

Perhaps the medicine the public health teacher had made had helped, but the pain in my stomach and chest, which had been considerable until the afternoon, had improved somewhat when I woke up.

Feeling a little satisfied with my body feeling almost pain-free for the first time in a long time, I got down on the bed. As my bare feet touched the cold stone floor, my body automatically trembled from the chill.

“It’s cold… … .”

I got up from my seat at the sight of moisture on the floor and the cold, musty smell of dirt passing through my nose, and slowly walked to the window.

Through the thin curtains of the health room, the sound of rain lightly hitting the window seeped in. The sound of the rain was quite quiet, perhaps because the rain wasn’t that strong.

I sighed quietly and slightly opened the curtains to look out the window.

Tuk–tuk-tuk–tuk-tuk–

Outside the window, a light rain was falling, and water droplets occasionally fell from the edge of the roof and landed on the windowsill, making a small noise.

“The smell of rain is nice… … .”

I slowly blinked my eyes and looked up at the sky.

The thick clouds did not allow any light in, so even though there were two moons, the black sky looked as if the entire sky had been torn away.

As I looked at the sky, which didn’t look like the rain would stop anytime soon, I quietly remembered Priscilla’s words I heard during the day.

‘It’ll be okay now――’

“It’ll be okay now――La… … .”

Did he say that because the poison was finished? No, he probably said that because the poison was completed.

I probably know for sure because I ran into Priscilla while she was bringing wine out during the day.

The poison is complete. And that poison is probably running hard towards the territory by now.

“I guess they sent someone to send it… … .”

No, they probably didn’t order someone to send it.

It is a task to find someone you can trust and entrust your items to, and in addition, you need to find someone who is going to the territory today, is strong enough not to have your items taken away, and can prove your identity. How easy is that?

They must have sent it along with the carriage heading to the territory. Because it would be much safer and faster that way.

Shoot–

When I blinked and looked ahead at the loud sound of rain coming from outside the window, it was raining so hard that I wondered if someone was pouring water on the window.

“It didn’t seem like it would stop any time soon, but it’s slowly pouring in in earnest.”

With rain like this, the speed toward the territory will be slow until tomorrow morning or the morning after.

When considering factors such as wet road surfaces, weakened ground due to heavy rain, and other factors. It will take about six days for the carriage to arrive at the estate at the earliest.

If you’re late, it’s about 8 days or so. No matter how late it is, it will arrive within a day.

If you count the arrival of the carriage, the delivery of the goods, the incident, and the return to the academy of the messenger with the news that the head of the family has died… … . I guess you could think of it as roughly 15 days.

If Priscilla had gone beyond my expectations and had someone send poisoned wine, it would have taken about ten days for the poison to wear off and for news to come back. No, maybe even faster than that.

“Um… … . It’s a full moon… … .”

Of course, when the number of all cases is only the worst case, the maximum value is about 15 days. It might end sooner than that… … .

Rather than expecting it to end early, I feel more at ease this way. Let’s think it’s a full moon.

“Still, it’s a little late. It’s a full moon.”

After waiting for over 5 years, it’s funny to cry after only 15 days… … .

To be honest, I’m a little tired. To the point where it was difficult to even endure that 15 days.

“… … .”

Maybe it’s because it’s raining and it’s cold and dark, but I’m thinking all sorts of useless things.

“Ah… … . I want to see Hermel… … .”

Well, that won’t work.

After laughing bitterly, I sighed and returned to bed.

* * *

After that, time passed like a flowing stream, and ten days, the minimum amount of time expected, passed.

In the meantime, nothing really happened. There was no miracle like Hermel suddenly regaining his memories, nor did the crown prince come and talk to him.

Priscilla and Priscilla also didn’t have much conversation other than just passing by and saying hello and making light conversation such as asking if they had eaten.

Taking exams at the academy… … . Oh, it did exist. A friendly match against the Knight Academy, led by Seria.

I’m not particularly interested and have no reason to participate, and even though Hermel was participating, I didn’t even go see it… … . For me, the friendly match wasn’t even a small thing to enjoy, let alone an event.

“It’s peaceful.”

Oh, and it’s about the most important investigation.

This may be natural, but the investigation has almost come to a standstill.

It can’t be helped. There is no physical evidence, no physical evidence, and in addition, there is no one to come forward as a witness, and there are no witnesses.

Until something new comes out, there’s nothing left to do but review the information so far, but isn’t there any way the investigation can proceed?

“It’s peaceful… … .”

Thanks to that, I was able to live like a corpse for 10 days without doing anything.

Of course, in order to maintain my public image, I did things like have light conversations or go to tea parties and smile lightly.

On days when I don’t have that, I spend my days just waiting for news from the mansion in my dorm room.

“Today is the 10th day… … .”

They say they don’t have expectations, but since the human mind isn’t always what it wants, they end up expecting a little bit.

The expectation is that bad news will come today. Of course, that expectation was betrayed surprisingly quickly.

“Ha… … .”

I sighed, got up, opened the curtains in my dorm room, and slightly opened the window.

Perhaps the rainy season has arrived with summer, but there are showers today as well. It hasn’t rained all 10 days, but it definitely rains once every two days.

Thanks to this, the academy’s dirt floors and trails were all ruined. Of course, the same applies to the training ground.

Teachers came to give lectures and blew all the moisture off the floor, but even that was only temporary and if it rained, it would all be useless, so from the sixth day onwards, all swordsmanship classes were changed to indoor classes.

This is the case at the Academy, where roads are well paved and managed, but what about other places? Even if you don’t watch it, it’s a video.

“I need to correct it. Let alone 15 days, it could take close to a month… … .”

under. I laughed and sighed as I looked at the pouring rain.

Does this world know what I’m going to do and disturb me like this? Are you trying to change my mind somehow?

So you brought Priscilla by your side and let her meet Hermel, but since that doesn’t work, are you trying to stop me with the weather?

It’s not like I’m begging you to save me after torturing me so much, that’s ridiculous.

It’s ridiculous to think that that will make me change my mind.

If I thought I would have changed my mind this much, I wouldn’t have started from the beginning.

“Should I sleep… … .”

There’s nothing better than sleep to pass the time.

I closed the window, went back to bed, and quietly closed my eyes.

* * *

Another week has passed since then.

The rain has stopped. The ground was still wet from the rain, so much so that it turned into a semi-swamp and was soggy, but at least the clouds that darkened the sky every day were gone, so that was enough for now.

The story that the rain has stopped means that the land is drying out, and that is directly connected to the story that horses and carriages are becoming easier to run.

“… … .”

It will be here soon. It will arrive within this week at the latest. If you could arrive a little earlier, I would be grateful.

As I stared blankly at the sky that had become so clear that it stung my eyes, I blinked as I saw a familiar figure approaching from afar.

It was Hermel.

“… … ?”

Of course, I wasn’t that surprised. After all, we are students at the same academy, and we live in the same room in the same dormitory, so we bump into each other every day.

But something was different this time. Because she was walking looking straight at me.

“Princess?”

“Charlotte La Rochelle. I have something to say.”

She came up to me and blocked my way, saying she had something to say.

It wasn’t a face full of doubt like it was back then, nor was it a face full of agony like it had ever been.

Her face looked like she just wanted to confirm something.

“――”

As I was about to open my mouth to ask what I had to say, someone else came running towards me from afar.

“Charlotte!! Charlotte!!”

While calling my name so desperately.

The voice was so loud and desperate that Hermel, who was looking at me, trembled and turned around.

The family crest was emblazoned on his chest, and I knew immediately that he was bringing me the news I had been waiting for.

“I’m sorry, princess. Is it okay if I listen to the other side first?”

“… … Yes.”

On this day, this short conversation became the last conversation between me and Hermel at the Academy.

“Charlotte… … !! The head of the family, the head of the family!!”

Because I am leaving the academy.

A truly unfortunate incident.