episode_0148

When I opened my eyes, I saw the ceiling of my room.

Of course, the place I was lying down was my bed. I could tell right away without having to get up and look. It was the bed I had been using consistently for the past 10 years, almost 11 years now, and the blanket I covered myself with every day.

No, the blanket has changed, but it is certain that I have been using this blanket for quite some time.

Is it… finished?

Had Lucas been caught? Had the Emperor found out what Lucas had? Those were the first thoughts that came to mind.

I don’t feel like I slept. I just closed my eyes and opened them and found myself lying in bed like this.

“Sylvia?”

I heard a voice from next to me.

I turned my head slightly and saw Alice’s face with her eyes wide open in surprise.

“Sylvia!”

Hearing Alice shouting while holding my arm tightly, Claire’s shoulders, who was doing something next to the table, trembled.

“Sister?”

Claire’s expression, which turned towards Hwaduljaklai, was not that different from Alice’s. Leona and no one else were visible. It seemed like everyone was busy doing something.

Well, if we caught Lucas, we’d be busy… … I don’t know what Leo was doing when he disappeared.

“Lucas is… … ?”

“That’s not important right now.”

No, it’s important.

I haven’t asked Lucas yet. We fight as soon as we meet.

… … .

Thinking back, I was really stupid. Lucas, who had disappeared, came back, which must have meant he came to fight.

When I sat up, Alice seemed uneasy and tried to get up, but then sat down again.

It was refreshing.

I lifted my arm and looked, but I couldn’t see any wounds. Even without looking into it, I was a princess, so of course I would have received the best treatment. Most of the wounds on my body were scratches, so the treatment itself wouldn’t have been that difficult. The reason I collapsed was probably exhaustion.

After lying in a soft bed for a few hours, I felt refreshed. Before that, I couldn’t sleep properly because of the nightmares.

And mentally, it’s much better.

“What happened to the woman wearing the mask?”

The last time I checked, he was still swinging his sword while entangled with someone else in combat. His wounds were still there, though.

“Disappeared during the process of handling the situation.”

Again.

I knew that it was a situation where I couldn’t use my abilities. So disappearing like that is a separate story.

Is it your own will to disappear like that? Or is it because you are stuck in a certain time zone that you can’t help but appear like that?

Either way, it was a difficult thing to welcome.

“Sister, water.”

While talking to Alice, Claire suddenly held out a cup.

It was only after I looked at the mesh cup that I realized my lips were dry.

Claire gratefully accepted my cup of fresh water and quenched her thirst, and I asked again.

“What happened to Lucas?”

At my question, Alice and Claire looked at each other for a moment and said.

“… … ran away.”

“In that state of body—”

After saying that, I closed my mouth.

If you think about it, it seems possible because it was Lucas. Considering the clothes he was wearing, he could withstand the Emperor’s or the Sword Saint’s sword and bullets, so he could probably escape while being hit by the Knights’ swords.

It may not have been absolutely safe, though.

“People who were lying down… … .”

“… … .”

At my words, both Alice and Claire averted their eyes.

Is that so… … .

“How much time has passed?”

It wouldn’t be strange if I slept like that for a day or so. That’s why my throat would be so sore.

But the answer that came back was a slightly hesitant voice.

“Almost two weeks have passed.”

“… … Yes?”

For a moment I thought I had misheard you.

“2 weeks, Sister. While you were down, August was almost over. School starts tomorrow.”

“… … .”

For a moment, I couldn’t hide my blank expression.

“Are you saying that school starts tomorrow?”

“Yeah.”

Alice nodded with a serious expression in response to my question.

“Then, what about Mr. Geomseong?”

“Still in the palace. It’s a bit… …strangely, I should say it’s scary because of the happy expression.”

Claire said with a slightly hesitant expression.

“… … Leo?”

“Currently training. I guess I couldn’t leave taking care of you to a man.”

Considering the comfortable clothes I’m wearing, I’m sure someone changed them for me.

“If you were lying down for 2 weeks, how did you eat and drink?”

“Basically, we did it, and the caregivers helped.”

“Chop the food into small pieces and pour them into the mouth little by little. The same goes for water.”

Alice and Claire explained it one by one, step by step, as if they were afraid that I would panic.

“… … .”

I just lay back down on the bed.

her.

You’ve been lying like this for two weeks?

While receiving help from other people?

The explanation is brief, but in reality, a lot of things must have happened in the meantime. If Lucas had escaped, a wanted notice would have been issued, and a gunshot would have been heard from the tower, so rumors would have spread at least around the castle. There are many diplomats and embassies in the islands. With all the spies planted there, it would be impossible to completely stop this rumor.

Even if they hide the fact that Lucas caused the incident, they can’t hide the fact that the incident happened. Besides, if Garukas has already taken over the Law Nation, the Law Nation might know roughly what’s going on.

It seemed as if the iron fortress that had protected the empire for so long was beginning to crack.

I wonder how the emperor will react. I don’t think he will get a positive reaction from my perspective.

“Well, the situation itself has been pretty much resolved. At least there are no problems with the functioning of the Imperial Palace… … .”

Alice said it as if making excuses, but there’s no way it could be exactly the same when so many knights have fallen.

“… … that.”

While I was lost in thought and not saying anything, Alice carefully opened her mouth.

“… … Sorry. I was the one who asked you to come in.”

“No.”

Claire quickly chimed in on Alice’s words.

“I was the one who said I couldn’t just wait below.”

I stared blankly at those two people. They both seemed to want to hide somewhere.

“So—”

“No.”

I cut Alice off as she was about to continue speaking.

“I’m the one who didn’t say why things were going that way or what I was trying to do.”

The two people were left speechless.

It was an expression that seemed to have a lot to say. Probably mainly in the direction of apology.

But I didn’t want to accept that apology. It doesn’t mean that the two of you did something wrong to me and that I can’t forgive you. It was never something that deserved an apology in the first place.

It’s just that the situation is complicated. Mainly because of the existence of the country.

I was the one who put the heroines in danger while talking about saving them all.

“… … .”

I lay back down and stared at the ceiling. As I was staring at the old-fashioned Victorian-style decoration that was far from the word minimal, a thought suddenly occurred to me.

Oh, the rest of my vacation is gone.

*

I thought about going back to the entire vacation period, but I gave up.

Just going back a little was painful enough to the point where I would eventually lose consciousness, but if I tried to go back any further, hmm.

If we’re not careful, wouldn’t we end up like an egg being dropped on a rock?

In fact, from the beginning, what I did was really ridiculous and ignorant. What if I really died like that?

… … .

Okay, what should I do?

It’s better than Alice dying. In the first place, I was more of a bonus character in this world. To be exact, a character whose true identity I don’t know.

… … Well, since no one died, I guess it’ll be okay.

“Hmm.”

When I heard that sniffling sound, I looked up and saw Charlotte. It seemed like nothing special had happened during the vacation, and Charlotte didn’t seem to have changed much.

“I’m glad you look healthy.”

“I’m glad that the princess looks healthy.”

“The title has been reset.”

Charlotte sat down in her seat, smiling bitterly.

And then he stared at me blankly for a moment, then shrugged his shoulders.

You may have heard about what happened in the system through the newspapers or through the Belbourg royal family’s sources, but you didn’t ask any further. What happened in the castle was royal business. On the other hand, it would have been rude to ask about it on our side.

“Hello, Charlotte.”

“Hello, Alice. By the way, we already said hello in the hallway.”

When Alice, who had arrived a bit late because she was busy greeting other nobles, greeted Charlotte, Charlotte smiled and replied as such.

“Well, greetings in the classroom are different. There were a lot of other people in the hallway.”

Saying so, Alice sat down behind me.

“The vacation was so long.”

When Alice spoke with a sigh, Charlotte replied, ““That’s right.”

Yeah, it was really long.

It felt like it had been a really long time since I felt such a peaceful atmosphere.