episode_0055

The face of Mia Crowfield, who entered the room, was pale as a sheet.

Perhaps she suspected someone was inside when she saw that the door was locked in a different way than usual.

Moreover, if the person inside was the one she suspected of killing her father, it would be even more shocking.

Especially if that person was sitting on her bed, fiddling with a gun.

… Did I overreact?

I had that thought for a moment, but quickly dismissed it. If I really thought I overreacted, I could just turn back time and readjust the situation.

“What’s going on?”

Mia looked back and forth between my face and the gun in my hand.

“Do you know what this gun is?”

“….”

Mia Crowfield hesitated for a moment. She could pretend not to know. There was no special locking mechanism where it was found under the bed. Unless someone like me who knew in advance went in, they would never have noticed.

So, even if she said she was there all along and had no idea, it wouldn’t be unreasonable.

But the problem is who the other person is.

It was not important that I knew there was such a space from the beginning, but it was important that the people around me saw me as all-knowing.

The Emperor and the children acted as if I had almost precognitive abilities, and it was evident during the last class that I possessed a terrifying ability.

So, they might think they could find something hidden under the bed.

But it’s a whole different issue to actually find and show it.

“You can’t have a weapon with bullets on campus. Don’t you know that?”

How it was hidden and brought in is not important. Ultimately, the fact that it was brought in is what matters.

“Why did you bring this gun? Can I ask?”

I looked at Mia Crowfield while sitting on the bed.

“… Th-that’s…”

Mia Crowfield stuttered for a moment. It was a bit pitiful to see her face still pale and trembling.

After all, Mia Crowfield herself may not have done anything wrong. It was her father who did wrong. And maybe her mother too.

She didn’t know anything and just grew up listening to her parents.

The gun had not been used yet.

But according to imperial law, the story changes.

First of all, expulsion from the academy is a given, and depending on the reason for hiding the firearm, even if she is sentenced to death, it wouldn’t be surprising.

Moreover, if there is circumstantial evidence, and if the Emperor decides, the reason could be overturned.

It meant that the situation was far more dangerous than when Viscount Crowfield died. If there was enough justification, it was possible to wipe out the Crowfield family.

After all, I am the princess.

“Do you… do you intend to kill me?”

Mia Crowfield couldn’t speak properly for a while and finally asked me that.

“Let’s close the door behind us and talk.”

I said that, and Mia Crowfield hurriedly closed the door.

Silence.

There were only the two of us in the closed room. Alice knew because I had told her in advance, but no one else knew about the connection between Mia Crowfield and me.

“Can you tell me why you think I would kill you?”

“I am a child of the Crowfield family.”

“In that case, you also know that I cannot arbitrarily kill you, the daughter of the Viscount, right?”

“My… my father…”

Mia Crowfield swallowed once and said.

“My father, even though he… he was killed…”

I silently stared at Mia Crowfield.

Was that statement based on some evidence, or is it just blind faith?

Last time, I asked by revealing the truth first and provoking, but it was also important to confirm how the other person knew about that situation.

“May I ask why you are so convinced?”

I asked.

“….”

In response to my question, Mia Crowfield closed her eyes tightly and then opened them again to speak.

“… Because you weren’t at the palace when my father died.”

“….”

I waited for a moment, but the conversation did not continue from there.

“Is that the only basis you have?”

“Not just you. Whenever nobles questioned, one by one, the emperor’s children disappeared from the palace.”

“….”

Indeed.

The emperor had no intention of hiding that fact. No, he probably actively showed it. Those nobles who did not listen to me were all taken care of.

So that’s why she can be so sure.

In fact, it is true that I killed Mia Crowfield’s father.

“So are you trying to avenge me? By killing me?”

“….”

But she couldn’t answer my question properly.

Is it because she’s afraid? Afraid that if she answers wrong, she’ll be killed right here? So she won’t be able to properly take revenge?

“…. I’m not sure.”

“….”

Now?

After preparing a gun and Marmaros, was she hesitating about whether to kill me or not?

I pondered for a moment.

In the original work, Mia was trying to kill Claire but eventually gave up. But she only gave up after seeing decisive evidence that her father had done such a thing in the background episode involving Crowfield. There was still a long way to go for that story to come out.

From the very beginning, Mia Crowfield’s suspicion had never wavered.

Can that unwavering suspicion be shaken by my appearance?

Strictly speaking, am I not an easier target to kill? No, psychologically speaking.

I’m a killing machine with no expression. A human who doesn’t feel guilty about killing people, that kind of person.

Has she never shown a human side, so wouldn’t it have been easier to kill me?

“…. There’s one thing I want to ask.”

Mia Crowfield said.

“Why did you show a human side in a place where no one was?”

“…. Human side?”

I raised an eyebrow.

A human side?

Did I make a joke when there was no one around?

As Mia Crowfield continued the story, she had a look as if she had given up on something. Continuing to speak with a tired expression as if even thinking was exhausting, Mia Crowfield seemed to not want to do anything at all.

It was like the expression of a new recruit who, after experiencing too much at once, just wanted to fall asleep without thinking about anything.

“…. I followed you.”

…. Huh?

“I observed what you did when no one was around.”

…. Huh?

“And… after being sure that no one was there, you just acted like ordinary people. You rubbed your nose, yawned. You sat and nodded off.”

“….”

No, what is she talking about right now.

When did I ever do that….

….

…. Oh.

For a moment, chills ran down my spine.

I was on high alert at the fact that there was always someone aiming for me in the palace. Avoiding being bitten by Lucas by turning back time was an easy task, but the real problem was when Lucas ‘didn’t bite me.’

Lucas doesn’t pop out and say, “I was here all along!” Unless Lucas does that, I have no idea where the Lucas following me is.

So, the only way was to just stick to my concept thoroughly as usual. Otherwise, Lucas, who saw my situation, would report all my actions to the emperor. Although Lucas maintained a disrespectful attitude in front of the emperor, no one could deny the respect he had for the emperor.

I really wanted to expose everything at the end, but anyway.

But after coming to the academy… I could relax a bit.

Well, I was a bit more relaxed in my room at the palace, but it wasn’t like at the academy. Even if my actions were exposed here, the only one who would come barging into my room was Alice. Alice had already started to read my expressions. Even if I revealed a bit of my actions, Alice wouldn’t faint or anything.

Just maintaining my composure like when eating parfait was enough.

But…

Was I too relaxed?

Mia Crowfield was following me?

“Since when?”

“Please answer.”

Mia Crowfield still looked confused as she spoke to me.

But there was a determination in her eyes. As if she would get an answer from me no matter what.

“Was all the actions you did just acting? Were you trying to confuse me by showing me and making me confused?”

“….”

“Is it true that you killed my father? Is coming into my room right now to silence me? I don’t know. What logic is there in your actions, what consistency is there?”

“….”

Um.

Mia must have been following me for at least a week. The only time she could see me sitting and nodding off was when I got up early in the morning waiting for the carriage.

Yawning and rubbing my nose, I did all that then.

But there was no evidence that she hadn’t been following me before that. If I could turn back time to prevent that moment, at least I could hide the image of that moment… But the problem was that there was no evidence that I hadn’t been caught before or after that.

If I turn back time… It would be safer to go back to the start of the semester.

And I felt my mind drifting away as I reached that conclusion.

It was already the second weekend, but there had been so many things happening in those two weeks. I have the ability to turn back time, but I don’t have the ability to fast forward.

I barely managed to come to the conclusion I wanted, and now, because of this one thing, do I have to do everything all over again?

Well, I guess I could process it faster. The speed of time passing would be the same, but I could turn back fewer times.

The problem is, even if I turn back like that, can I maintain the same relationships with all the characters I’ve met so far?

From another person’s perspective, I might be meeting them for the first time, but from my perspective, I’ve seen those people several times.

Am I really good enough to act the same way I did when meeting them for the first time and maintaining the image I’ve built up until now?

Moreover, I didn’t want to lose all those emotions. The excitement of meeting the characters I liked in the game for the first time. If I were to turn back to that moment, the excitement would fade.

No matter how critical I was of the game, the emotions I felt were genuine.

Even Mia Crowfield in front of me now…

…

“Please answer.”

Mia Crowfield, who was now almost pleading, spoke to me as I remained silent.

“Why did you bother to talk to me, who no one else approached, to solve the assignment together? The reason you could have been so indifferent in front of me is…”

The more I listen to the story, the more things I’ve missed keep coming to light.

“…”

I raised a hand to interrupt Mia’s words midway.

After organizing my thoughts, I slowly opened my mouth.

“I… know the truth.”

Yes, rather than starting over from the beginning, it might be better to step back from the situation for now and carefully reassess the situation.

“But there are things I can’t tell you right now.”

I looked straight into Mia Crowfield’s eyes as I spoke.