Something’s Strange? (2)

When I woke up, the world had changed.

Blink, blink.

Not in a metaphorical sense, but it had really changed. Why is my room so dark, why do I hear owls hooting at the window instead of sparrows, and why is everything so quiet? Something’s strange. Where’s the clock?

“9:40…?”

Something’s off. Did I not sleep? No, I did sleep and just woke up. What happened?

“Well, so…”

I slept in a bit late, and when I heard Reinhardt had come, I went out to greet him, had a conversation, and then suddenly he issued an imperial order to sleep more, so I went back to sleep and…

“Don’t tell me I’ve been sleeping until now?!”

I hurriedly get up from the bed. No matter what, how could I sleep this long when the Crown Prince came?! This could be a crime of disrespect; I’d have no excuse even if I lost my head for this!

‘This can’t be!’

What’s the point of all the effort I’ve been putting in?! Isn’t it all to survive later?

The big picture I’m aiming for is to maintain the engagement relationship smoothly until I go to the Academy and before the protagonist and Reinhardt become close. In other words, if a catastrophe occurs and our relationship sours before that, forget about the original plot, I’d have to worry about my life immediately.

“What, what should I do? Should I write a letter? No, who am I to write a letter so carelessly. Should I use the excuse of being his fiancée and write? No, what if it’s already a disaster? What if he tears it up without reading and cuts off my head for being impudent…”

“Young Miss.”

“Huh?!”

Startled by the sudden voice, I look to the side to see Muriel looking at me with an indescribable expression.

“His Highness the Crown Prince has already returned to the Imperial Palace.”

“Di-did he leave any message before he left?”

“If you mean a message…”

Muriel rummaged in her pocket for a moment and handed me a letter. It’s scary. It’s just a piece of paper, but it can make a person so terrified. As expected of the male protagonist, I suppose.

With trembling hands, I checked the letter.

[Make sure to sleep and wake up on time from now on. I’ll come again tomorrow.]

It’s like a bolt from the blue! It’s not the content I expected, but in some ways, this is even scarier! If it had been a scolding message, I wouldn’t have been this anxious!

Sleep and wake up on time from now on. In other words, if I show this kind of behavior again, I’m dead. This time might be my last chance as his fiancée. And the scariest part is the next content!

Good heavens, he’s coming again tomorrow! He’s basically coming to inspect, isn’t he? It’s essentially an ultimatum, saying this is my last chance!

“I, I need to sleep…”

I’m doomed. I need to sleep now to wake up on time tomorrow, but the problem is I’ve been sleeping all day and just woke up, so I can’t fall asleep.

“Would a sleep spell work? No, what if that puts me in a strange state when I greet him? That would be even worse. But lying down like this, I don’t think I’ll fall asleep…”

I felt a strange gaze from the side, but I didn’t have the luxury to care about that right now. No, but what should I do when my head could fly off at any moment! All my efforts to survive could become useless in an instant!

“Should I ask Brother to hit me once?”

If I get hit hard on the back of my neck, maybe I could pass out until morning? Alright. That seems like the best option. Since falling asleep normally is out of the question, it’s better to cleanly pass out. It’ll soon be Brother’s bedtime too, so I should go quickly now.

“Young Miss, you’re not really going to the Young Master, are you?”

“Yes.”

It’s no big deal if it hurts a little. It’ll sting a bit, and when I wake up, everything will be over. No, it might hurt more? But a sore neck is better than losing my head. With Brother’s skills, it should be easy to make someone pass out. As long as I don’t try to resist, it should be fine since I won’t be on guard at all!

“Young Miss. His Highness left one more message.”

“What is it?”

What could it be? He could have just written it in the letter, why leave another message? What is it?

“Well… ahem, he said, ‘Don’t do anything foolish and stay put.'”

What does that mean?!

“It means exactly what it sounds like. His Highness left this message knowing you might try something like this.”

“But I really can’t fall asleep like this!”

If I don’t sleep now, I’ll end up staying up all night again, and then I’ll greet Reinhardt in a half-asleep state like this morning. Then today’s events will repeat, and Reinhardt, who sent an ultimatum through the letter, will be furious at me for completely ignoring his words and then beheading…

Dead end, confirmed!

“What am I supposed to do?!”

“Young Miss, please maintain your dignity…”

Muriel calmly interjected in response to my empty cry that had nowhere to go.

Reinhardt put down the pen he was holding and looked up at the ceiling for a moment. Today, he ended up not having a proper conversation with Ariel and came back without refreshing his mood.

At some point, meeting Ariel had become not just a simple duty for Reinhardt, but a daily occurrence he could genuinely enjoy.

But what could he do? He couldn’t interact with her as usual when she was in a drowsy state after developing a habit of staying up all night while he hadn’t seen her. He had no choice but to tell her to sleep and leave.

Needless to say, there was no way he could be satisfied with this.

“It feels empty.”

Daily life in the Imperial Palace is endlessly boring. For Reinhardt, this place was not a home but a workplace, a place overflowing with wolf-like people, a place where he always had to live on edge… It was a place without any good image at all.

Of course, that doesn’t mean he feels pain living in the Imperial Palace. Reinhardt understood his duties well. Moreover, life in the Imperial Palace did have its own vitality.

“Brother!”

Just as he finished processing the last document, the door burst open with perfect timing. There weren’t even ten people in the Empire who could barge into the Crown Prince’s office like this without notice. And Reinhardt was used to this, as it wasn’t the first or second time it had happened.

“Claudia. I told you to knock.”

The one who opened the door and came in was a girl with the same gorgeous blonde hair as Reinhardt, giving off a lively impression. Although she was wearing a dress overflowing with dignity, her actions were nothing short of tomboyish.

It was Claudia, Reinhardt’s only younger sister and the Imperial Princess of the Parnia Empire.

“Brother! Are you done with work?”

“Yes.”

As Reinhardt slightly lifted the completed documents, Claudia’s eyes sparkled.

“You’ve finished tomorrow’s work too, right?”

“Yes.”

Usually, Reinhardt was known for only handling each day’s work, but at some point, he developed a habit of pulling work forward and processing it even if it meant overworking himself. Of course, it was to make time to meet Ariel.

One day, Claudia noticed this fact and questioned Reinhardt about it. She found it suspicious that her only brother suddenly became passionate about work, so she investigated his destinations.

Investigating the Crown Prince’s whereabouts could be an extremely dangerous act that might lead to being accused of being a spy and losing one’s head if not careful, but since the person in question was also a member of the imperial family, it wasn’t a problem at all.

And when she found out that Reinhardt’s destination after overworking himself was always the Walpurgis Duke’s residence, Claudia could understand the whole truth.

Claudia also knew about Ariel Walpurgis. She was Reinhardt’s only fiancée and the daughter of Duke Walpurgis.

However, she didn’t have a good image of her. That’s because Reinhardt always frowned after meeting her. Moreover, according to rumors, she was someone who was cruel to her subordinates and acted arrogantly… From Claudia’s perspective, she was the worst kind of person.

But at some point, Reinhardt couldn’t hide his joy on the days he met her. When she casually probed, he said that conversations with Ariel were very fun.

Claudia found this strange. Of course, she had heard that Ariel had changed as a person after losing consciousness once and waking up. When she quietly asked Reinhardt, she heard it was due to memory loss… But is it possible for a person to change that much?

That’s why Claudia decided to meet her in person. Fortunately, as the Imperial Princess, she didn’t have any specific duties, so she was much freer to move around compared to Reinhardt.

“So you can go tomorrow, right?”

“Yes. I told her to sleep well today, so she should have taken care of herself.”

“Should I bring some medicine?”

“It should be fine.”

Reinhardt gently shook his head, remembering the Duke who seemed to be becoming a doting father in his absence. The Duke would probably take care of everything here.

“Then are we going first thing in the morning tomorrow?!”

“No, I’m thinking of going in the afternoon.”

“Why?!”

“She’ll need time to adjust her schedule too.”

“Wow…”

Claudia was momentarily at a loss for words at Reinhardt’s considerate remark. Just what kind of person is this Walpurgis Lady who changed ‘that’ Reinhardt like this?

‘I want to meet her! Really!’

The curiosity inside her kept growing.