国产午夜亚洲精品AⅤ

Chapter 265

Charlotte’s garden was rowdy, but not chaotic.

A garden full of flowers, and a garden with not a single flower. Their gardens seemed to represent the dichotomy between both Charlotte and Vertus.

Charlotte loved flowers, so Vertus hated them.

Vertus hated flowers, so Charlotte must have planted even more of them, even replanting the flowers Vertus had discarded.

Both were obsessed with each other’s likes and dislikes.

If Vertus were to die, what would happen to Charlotte’s garden?

With no reason to be obsessed with flowers, perhaps it wouldn’t be as lavish as it was at present, even if the flowers didn’t disappear entirely.

In many ways, they were quite similar.

At least, that was what I thought.

Charlotte walked ahead through the flower-filled garden. The gardeners tending the flower beds bowed silently to the princess.

There were no special conversations. There were no questions about the unexpected guest.

If the Winter Palace gave off a cold impression, the Spring Palace, perhaps due to its name or design, felt cozy and inviting.

The palace felt warm and inviting rather than luxurious, and seemed well-complemented by the lavish flowers surrounding it.

The gardens were part of the palace. That seemed true for both the Winter Palace and the Spring Palace.

The same applied to the Tetra Palace.

“... There really aren’t any bees?”

Charlotte’s eyes widened. “Wow. I wasn’t expecting you to say the flowers are pretty, it smells nice, or the garden is well-maintained, but you’re somehow still thinking about that?”

‘Well, obviously! With so many flowers around, it’s only natural that they will attract bees, but as you said, there really aren’t any bees, which is surprising!’

“Of course not,” Charlotte continued. “If I get stung by a bee, the gardener’s head will roll.”

Charlotte punctuated her statement with a laugh, which made me break out in a cold sweat.

In this garden, there were either no bees at all, or they weren’t allowed in. Pest control had to be thorough, whether by magic or other means.

“Well, then, what about... you know.”

“Pollination?”

“Yeah, that.”

Wouldn’t it be difficult to pollinate the flowers without bees?

“... You really worry about strange things. They’ll handle it somehow.”

“How?”

“... Reinhart, you know, I don’t know anything about matters like that.”

There was no need for the princess to know about matters that were taken care of by others. Charlotte liked flowers, and that was enough reason for such a grand flower garden to exist. She didn’t need to know or care about the specifics of what the gardeners did to maintain it. That was true power.

Charlotte lived a life in which such things were taken for granted. In many ways, it reminded me that Charlotte was still far removed from me.

“I don’t need to know such things. My subordinates will handle it.”

To be able to say such things so confidently...

I followed Charlotte through the garden and arrived at the entrance to the palace. We entered the grand hall, with its spiral staircase, statues, and columns.

It seemed like an excessively large palace for one person to live in.

Of course, she wasn’t living alone. There would be maids, attendants, other servants handling various tasks, and security.

Somehow, though, there seemed to be no servants or attendants visible anywhere in the grand hall.

Well, there were a few, but... Someone should have been there to greet Charlotte, whether a servant or a maid.

But no one came out to greet Charlotte, and there seemed to be very few people around.

Something had happened in this palace. The quietness was evidence of that.

Even though I had stubbornly insisted on coming, Charlotte was the one who had eventually relented and brought me along. Did that mean there was nothing suspicious for me to see?

In that eerily quiet palace hall, Charlotte spoke first. “As I said earlier, don’t say anything unnecessary. I’ll handle it.”

“Yes, ma’am.”

I remembered her advice to be careful about who I messed with. She had essentially acknowledged that I was someone she could tolerate.

That felt good.

“Your Highness.”

Someone stood up from their seat in the hall and came to greet Charlotte.

My eyes couldn’t help but widen when I saw who it was.

He was alive. The cavalry lieutenant who had provided crucial help during my escape from the Demon King’s Castle...

“You’ve returned.”

“Ah, Dyrus. Let me introduce you. This is my friend, Reinhart. Reinhart, this is Sir Dyrus, my bodyguard.”

Dyrus, who had now become Charlotte’s bodyguard, stood before me.

***

I had vaguely assumed that Dyrus might be dead and hadn’t asked Charlotte about him, especially since there was no reason for me to know Dyrus.

So, he had become Charlotte’s bodyguard. Charlotte had managed to protect the person who had saved her.

However, to be realistic, Dyrus did not possess skills that reached the realms of being superhuman, though I didn’t know what kind of progress he had made since the last time I saw him.

Despite my inner joy, I couldn’t show any of it, as I wasn’t supposed to know Dyrus.

‘You’re safe. That’s enough.’

Instead of showing the same relief I felt, Dyrus looked at me with a wary expression.

“Your Highness, bringing an outsider here is...”

“He’s a friend of mine.”

“Even so...”

Despite Charlotte’s words, Dyrus looked troubled.

The rumors that something had happened inside this palace were likely true, which was why outsiders were probably prohibited from entering.

Charlotte was stubbornly pushing her way through to cover my insistence with her own, and it was troubling Dyrus.

The princess, who had been unable to refuse her friend’s stubbornness, had brought her friend home, and it was her turn to be stubborn.

Another voice came from elsewhere, cutting through Dyrus’s voice.

“Your Highness.”

It wasn’t a familiar voice, but it wasn’t entirely unfamiliar either.

“You should refrain from bringing outsiders here.”

There stood Sabioleen Tana, the captain of the First Imperial Knights Order, Shanapell, whom I had seen before.

‘Why is she here?’

She walked towards Charlotte and me, dressed in her knightly uniform.

She obviously recognized me. “It hasn’t been that long, Reinhart. I’m sorry, but you’ll have to leave, even if you were invited.”

She spoke as if Charlotte’s opinion didn’t matter.

‘Is Shanapell responsible for the security of the Spring Palace?’

The impact of the rumors Sarkegar had relayed to me was unfolding right before my eyes.

‘What exactly had happened here? Is Charlotte safe?’

“Dame Tana. That decision is mine to make.”

“Temporarily, the responsibility for the palace’s security falls to me.”

Out of nowhere, the current strongest person in the world and the First Princess were having a standoff.

“Are you saying Reinhart is a dangerous person?” Charlotte asked.

“I believe you know that’s not what I’m saying.”

I had decided to act based on my Qi Sense, but had my stubborn insistence caused Charlotte to engage in a fight she wasn’t supposed to be having?

Instead of looking at Charlotte, Sabioleen Tana looked at me, as if to say it would be better for me to leave on my own rather than let this confrontation with the princess continue.

However, even with the strongest person in the world in front of me, I couldn’t back down.

I needed to know what had happened here, and what was happening to Charlotte.

I had no intention of leaving.

Seeing my determined gaze, she turned back to Charlotte.

“Your Highness. We need to talk.”

It was almost a command.

Was Sabioleen Tana’s authority and power that significant?

“Yes, Dame Tana.”

Charlotte didn’t back down either.

***

It was strange for Dyrus and Sabioleen Tana to oppose my visit.

The owner of the palace had made a decision, yet the secretary and head of security were vehemently opposing it.

This situation was likely specific to the Spring Palace.

Sabioleen Tana, Charlotte, and Dyrus went off somewhere to talk.

They went far enough that I couldn’t hear their conversation.

It seemed like Shanapell was in charge of security, but I didn’t see any other knights except for the captain.

It felt like she was the only one here.

I didn’t know if the other personnel were hidden somewhere, handling security.

‘If a murder had occurred, shouldn’t security be tighter? Why was it so deserted?’

I had a bad feeling.

How much time had passed? When they returned, Sabioleen Tana looked very displeased.

I felt sorry for Charlotte.

I had insisted on coming, triggering an unnecessary confrontation.

“Stay for dinner. It’s fine,” Charlotte said with a bright smile. The others didn’t say much.

In the end, my stubborn insistence had allowed me to enter the Spring Palace, where Charlotte lived.

I was very surprised that my stubbornness had worked out. My request would probably not have been granted, even under normal circumstances, but in these unusual circumstances, Charlotte had eventually given in to my insistence.

“Shall we take a walk?”

Charlotte led me around the empty and quiet Spring Palace, as if she intended to give me a tour.

Neither Dyrus nor Tana followed us.

“What’s going on all of a sudden...? I didn’t want to fight with Dame Tana,” Charlotte said.

“Did you fight?” I asked.

“Not exactly... but know that I had to damage my reputation to protect your image.”

Charlotte’s unsettling gaze sent a chill down my spine. I wondered if I had made a mistake by trusting my intuition and causing unnecessary trouble.

A princess sacrificing her reputation to protect the reputation of a commoner... ‘What a great friend she is...’

“Anyway, don’t be rude to Dame Tana or Sir Dyrus. Got it?”

“Of course. I’m not crazy.”

“Yes, you are. In fact, you’ve gotten even crazier now.”

‘Hmm, she’s right. I do have a conscience, so I should admit what’s true.’

“True. I might be crazy, but I’m not crazy enough to mess with the captain of Shanapell. Don’t worry.”

“Then why do you mess with me?”

“Because we’re friends—”

“Shut up!”

Charlotte covered her ears, as if she didn’t want to hear the word “friend” anymore.

—Shut up!

Charlotte’s brief shout echoed through the hallway, emphasizing the eerie silence of the Spring Palace.

The silence was so unsettling that both Charlotte and I stopped our bickering and fell silent.

“It’s quiet.”

“... It wasn’t always like this. We’ve only recently reduced the number of staff.”

“Really?”

“Yeah. Let’s go.”

Despite everything, Charlotte seemed determined not to treat me poorly and diligently led the way.

There were no signs of a murder. Even if there were, I wouldn’t be able to recognize them, and there would be no reason for such traces to be left behind.

The first place Charlotte took me to was a gallery.

“Do you like paintings?”

“... I can’t lie about this one. No, not at all.”

“Can I assume you have no interest in art in general?”

“Exactly.”

“Actually, I’m the same.”

Charlotte walked past the numerous paintings and sculptures adorning the large gallery without much interest.

“I don’t get it. Paintings are just inferior imitations of reality. They’re just deteriorated versions of reality, and their only function is preservation, like taxidermy. However, with the development of memory-related magic, they’ve become meaningless. Yet, these painters still strut around as if they’re important. It’s strange,” Charlotte said.

Charlotte could be much more cynical than Vertus at times.

With the development of magic similar to photography, the value of painting as a mimicry of reality had plummeted.

It seemed the concept of abstract art hadn’t yet emerged in this world. That was an unexpected thing to learn. Charlotte walked through the gallery filled with portraits, all the while denying the potential of painting.

“These are portraits of people who lived in the Spring Palace. Some are royalty, and some are not.”

“Really? So non-royals can live in the Four Great Palaces?”

“Of course.”

Charlotte explained everything diligently, even though she was just confirming what I already knew.

I pretended to be curious because she truly seemed to enjoy explaining it to me.

“The Summer Palace is the largest palace, with many annexes, and has been home to royal relatives for a long time. The Autumn Palace to the south is not reserved for royalty, and is the place where officials carry out their work.”

‘Who lived in the Spring Palace in the original story?’

In this timeline, it was Charlotte’s residence, but she did not survive in the original story, and someone else would have taken over. I didn’t know who that was.

Vertus lived in the Winter Palace, both in the original story and at present.

There was no way to find out what I didn’t know. Perhaps they would have expanded the royal relatives’ residences.

Since there were two candidates to succeed the throne, two of the Four Great Palaces each housed a royal with a strong claim to succession.

Charlotte and Vertus, each the master of one of the Four Great Palaces, and Oscar de Gradias, living in the Summer Palace, the residence of the royal relatives...

I understood what Vertus had said: that even among royalty, they could never be the same.

After walking through the gallery, Charlotte took me to the chapel next.

Though it wasn’t dusty, it felt like a space that hadn’t been used in a long time.

As we stood in the grand chapel with the statues of the five gods, Charlotte looked at me.

“Do you follow any god?” Charlotte asked.

“Not really.”

“I figured.”

Though I was the master of Tiamata, I didn’t follow any god.

The religion of this world was peculiar. Or rather, it had to be different.

The belief in gods was not in question.

Gods existed. The question was whether one followed them or not.

Followers were considered religious, but no one could deny the existence of gods. Divine Power existed, and there were Holy Relics, bestowed by the gods.

“What about you?” I asked Charlotte.

“Not really...” Charlotte said as she shook her head. “Of course, if Artorius hadn’t won, I would have died. So, I thought perhaps I would worship Alse, the god of war...”

Ragan Artorius wasn’t a priest of Alse, but he had wielded Alse’s Holy Relic, Alsbringer, to defeat the Demon King.

“Even though I think it was Artorius who saved me... it doesn’t feel quite right...”

Charlotte smiled wistfully. She had to be thinking of Baalier.

Did Charlotte truly view me as such a huge reason for her salvation? Of course, I did save her life, but if it hadn’t been for Artorius, the war wouldn’t have ended.

“How strong was the Demon King? Even if Artorius had been defeated, couldn’t the allied forces, with their combined strength, killthe Demon King?” Charlotte asked.

“Well...”

In truth, I actually knew the answer.

The previous Demon King, Baalier...

The novel began with the death of the Demon King, but what was the extent of the Demon King’s power?

Without Ragan Artorius, the Demon King would not have been defeated, and the allied forces would have suffered a crushing defeat.

People knew that Ragan Artorius was the one who defeated the Demon King, but they did not know how he did it.

The fight took place inside the Demon King’s castle, with no witnesses... That was something only I knew.

Without Alsbringer, even Ragan Artorius wouldn’t have been able to subdue the Demon King.

If Ragan Artorius hadn’t been there, the Demon King would have won. I wouldn’t have needed to escape, and Charlotte would have died.

“It’s funny, thinking about these things,” Charlotte remarked.

Charlotte and I continued walking through the palace after leaving the chapel. There was a music hall in which an orchestra could perform, but there were no musicians. The adjacent instrument storage room was also empty.

Charlotte showed me various areas of the palace: the servants’ quarters, the kitchen, the dining room, the dressing room, the storage rooms, and the guest bedrooms.

And even...

“I-Is this... okay?”

“... Every time I realize you do have a limit to your crudeness, I’m surprised. Why wouldn’t it be okay? You’ve already been quite rude to me.”

Charlotte even showed me her bedroom.