episode_0127

“Yeah, I saw you a little while ago and called you ‘friend’.”

Alice spoke somewhat sharply to Mia Crowfield, who was frozen with her mouth open, unable to give a proper answer.

“Or, don’t you think of me as a friend?”

“Uh, no, uh, that’s it.”

Seeing that Mia Crowfield was unable to answer properly, Alice shook the teacup she was holding in her hand.

“At least, judging by the fact that you pointed out this teacup, even if it was a little late, it doesn’t seem like you see me as a target of revenge like your mother did. Or maybe your friendship is a little more important than revenge.”

Mia Crowfield clenched her jaw at that, but she wasn’t very good at keeping a straight face. Her mouth was quivering, her eyes were darting around, and her face was literally as red as a carrot.

“First, let’s talk. The biggest reason I came here is, of course, Sylvia, but… …it’s also related to you, no, your family.”

I found myself staring at Alice without realizing it.

Anything related to me?

Did Alice ever learn anything specific about my past?

… … Well, thinking about it again, if Alice really wanted to find out about my past, she wouldn’t be able to. Even though they were beings that other people couldn’t easily approach, if she just asked the Emperor’s Children, Bella or Jayden, who she could meet in person, she would be able to find out where I came from.

but……

“If you thought that where I was and this place had something to do with each other, you were most likely wrong.”

After hearing what I said, Mia Crowfield cautiously turned her gaze towards me. Her eyes seemed to be seriously considering whether she should intervene or not. Of course, her heart seemed to be leaning towards ‘not interfering’.

“Really?”

But even after hearing what I said, Alice didn’t waver at all and just placed the teacup she was holding on the table in an elegant motion.

“It wasn’t like that the last time I checked.”

Before I killed the Count, I searched through all the internal documents and read them. There was no evidence that I had any connection to the orphanage where I had lived.

In the first place, there wouldn’t be just one orphanage selling children. The empire is large. Rather than buying children from the islands all the way here, it might be better to buy orphans from other places nearby. There would be plenty of orphans within the Crowfield territory, and since it was a border area, orphans could have been bought from overseas.

Actually, Claire did some research on her own, but she couldn’t find anyone connected to the orphanage.

So I tentatively concluded that the orphanage was a small, independent place. By burning it down, it was completely destroyed.

The man and woman who came to the orphanage at that time were never able to find it.

“If you thought so, it means you missed something.”

Alice spoke, twiddling her fingers as if her hands were empty. Perhaps she thought that in this kind of atmosphere, it would be more appropriate to talk while drinking tea.

“No matter how much it is run like a branch organization, there is bound to be a connection.”

When I looked at Alice quietly as if telling her to continue explaining, she shrugged her shoulders and said.

“This means that no one keeps buying from just one store. If you can’t find something you like, you’ll go around other stores in the area and search around until you find what you want. This is especially true if someone has custom-made something.”

“Ah, over there… … .”

It was said that Mia Crowfield had been making an expression that said, ‘I shouldn’t interfere’ until a little while ago, but it seemed that she couldn’t stand it anymore because people kept talking in a way she didn’t understand.

“What are you talking about now? Are you saying that this thing… … has something to do with our territory?”

Alice and I looked at Mia Crowfield at the same time. I was the one who looked at her for a shorter time. I briefly saw Mia Crowfield’s bewildered expression, then turned my gaze back to Alice and stared at her intently.

Alice, did you want me to know that I killed the Earl of Crowfield?

“Yes, it’s relevant. It’s a story related to the business the Count was doing before he died.”

But Alice didn’t say that I killed her. It was still a close call, though… … Well, thinking back, I think Mia Crowfield already knew that I killed her father. Even if she didn’t know exactly, she had already come to that conclusion.

So the more I treat her well, the more confused she becomes. The less she thinks I’m going to kill her, and the less her ill feelings toward me disappear, the more confused she’ll become. If she doesn’t want to kill the person she’s been targeting for revenge her whole life… … it’ll be that futile.

“… … .”

No matter what Alice said, I had no intention of stopping her.

It was also difficult to stop Alice from being stubborn, and above all—

I don’t know if I should say this, but to be honest, I find the current situation a little interesting.

Because I am not leading it, but rather, I am directly watching the ‘relationships between characters change on their own’.

“What kind of business was that?”

Is Mia Crowfield really asking back without knowing anything?

You may not have noticed it at all when you were young. But as time went by, after your father died and your mother started preparing for revenge and brought in Mia Crowfield, didn’t you start to notice it a little? I just forced myself to turn a blind eye…

“First, I’ll explain it.”

But Alice did not give a proper answer to Mia Crowfield and continued her explanation.

Fortunately, or perhaps not fortunately, Mia Crowfield was not so foolish as to contradict the princess who almost openly said, ‘I won’t tell.’

“So, in order to track it down, there’s no point in looking at the store at the very bottom that’s already burned down. That place was already reduced to ashes 10 years ago. Rather, we should look for the one above that’s still alive and active. ”

Alice let out a small breath. It was almost a sigh.

“If you search for the nobles addicted to opium from the very top, and then find the debauched ones among them, and search through the opium dens, you can find them one by one, and it will be easier than you think.”

“… … Did you go there yourself?”

When I asked her a little teasingly, Alice frowned.

“Of course I didn’t go myself. Aside from my skills, I don’t look like I’m all that threatening. It would be much more terrifying to send a knight holding an order borrowing the Emperor’s glory.”

“Are you saying that His Majesty the Emperor has given permission for that?”

“I didn’t really get permission. I just swiped the order form. I already knew what my father’s signature looked like. Even though it looks like this, I’m still a daughter. It’s not that strange that my handwriting resembles my father’s, right? ”

“… … .”

I had to do everything in my power not to let out an “ugh” sound. Even Alice’s face looked so pleased as she said those words that for a while I couldn’t even find what to say.

“Are you saying that you forged His Majesty the Emperor’s order?”

“His Majesty the Great Emperor could not possibly be unaware of this fact, so I consider it as a fact that I have been granted permission.”

No, no matter what, the Emperor doesn’t really know ‘everything’.

This time I had to tighten my arms to avoid hitting my forehead.

“Anyway, so… …you swept the area you were in? So I figured out a few things for sure. ”

Alice said with a grin.

“The authors of the noble class often can’t escape no matter how much they want to. They can’t afford to give up their land and name because it’s much more valuable than their own.”

“… … .”

“And also, when you see someone looking at you, you think, ‘That’s natural.’”

I seriously wondered if Mia Crowfield’s jaw was dislocated. Shouldn’t she go to an orthopedic or dental clinic?

“Hmm.”

Alice, who had said that, lifted her teacup again with a slightly regretful look. Then she looked at her face reflected in the surface of the tea inside.

“… … But, is there really something in here?”

Alice asked with a slightly serious expression.

“… … .”

No, well, it wouldn’t hurt to be careful. In fact, it’s possible that the drugs were very subtle. In fact, the Countess isn’t that crazy, and Mia Crowfield might have been the only one scared.

But does that matter now?