国产午夜亚洲精品AⅤ

Chapter 273

Charlotte had already come up with an excuse for my absence, so she told me not to worry about it. She seemed to have told the others that I had gone on a special assignment, under the instructions of Mr. Effenhauser. She had taken care of this the same way she deleted my entry records for the Imperial Palace.

Rather than just being happy that she was safe and that the power that tried to consume her had gone dormant, Charlotte had thought about what needed to be done immediately and proceeded with those tasks.

Before that, she had given up on everything, but as soon as the situation changed, she had gone about doing what needed to be done.

It was quite a peculiar experience.

The people of the Spring Palace were tight-lipped, and I was reassured that news of my unexpected visit would not leak out. That said, I didn’t wander around inside the palace, and stayed only in Charlotte’s bedroom.

When Charlotte told me that I could go back, and that I should resume my lessons in the Temple the following day, I shook my head.

“I should watch over you for one more day,” I suggested.

“...”

Charlotte stared at me intently.

“Does that mean you want to stay in my bedroom for one more day?” she asked.

“Yeah.”

She seemed rather taken aback. “Reinhart. I really appreciate you, and I acknowledge that you are very important to me, but isn’t this a bit too shameless?”

‘Just because you’ve slept here for a day, do you think it’s your room now?’ her expression said.

“Well, for the safety of your precious self, there’s no other choice,” I boldly declared.

“Why are you saying it like that?!”

Even though I had an important reason, I did sound a bit like a jerk.

Anyway, even if I returned to the Temple before nightfall, all the classes would be over. I wanted to keep an eye on Charlotte’s condition for one more day.

If nothing else happened that night, it would be safe to assume that everything would be fine for a while.

Charlotte knew that my words made sense, so she didn’t kick me out. Until that moment, she’d had no choice but to let me sleep in her bedroom because of my injuries, but she now found it absurd that I was being so brazen and insistent.

“... Alright. Then I’ll sleep in the guest room,” Charlotte said.

I shook my head. “What are you talking about?”

‘What is she saying?’

“I’m staying here for one more day to keep an eye on your condition. What’s the point of me staying if you sleep somewhere else? You should sleep here.”

Charlotte’s lips quivered, and color gradually drained from her face. “Y-You... Are you saying you want to sleep with me?”

‘No! How did it come to that?!’

“Do you really have to put it that way? I’m just saying that I need to see if anything unusual happens while you sleep!”

“I-I... I understand that, but...”

Charlotte was visibly trembling, unable to believe that she would receive such a request.

“I’m not going to do anything to you! I’m just going to watch!”

“W-Why would you watch someone while they sleep?!”

“So, you don’t like it if I sleep, but you also don’t like it if I stay awake? What do you want me to do? You’re the funny one here!”

“The f-funny one...?”

Charlotte seemed mentally shaken by my blunt words.

‘Why do I have to listen to this?’ her reaction screamed.

Harriet had been treated as a precious gem growing up, and Charlotte certainly had the same sort of upbringing. In fact, Charlotte had to have grown up receiving even more special and noble treatment.

However, while Harriet had learned to adapt to the way I spoke and usually went along with it, Charlotte’s immunity to such words was still weak, so her reactions were raw.

“Y-You know what, just... give it back. You’re... you’re scary.”

Apparently, Charlotte wanted to take back the brooch she had given me.

‘Is she worried that I might sneak in while she’s sleeping to check in on her and then leave?’

“Hey, you don’t take back something you gave as a gift. Don’t you know that rule? And do you think I would just give it back like that?”

“N-No! Give it back! Give it back! I shouldn’t have given it to you!”

Charlotte chased me around the spacious bedroom for quite a while.

In the end, Charlotte grew exhausted and collapsed.

“It’s not fair...” she complained, struggling to catch her breath. “You’ve trained so much and have much better stamina than me...”

Charlotte, completely worn out, sat on the bedroom floor and glared at me.

“Then you should exercise too,” I said casually.

“You’re the worst, really!” Charlotte screamed, as if she was genuinely annoyed.

Aside from Vertus, I was probably the only one in this world who could tease the princess in this manner.

***

In the end, I remained in Charlotte’s bedroom, having made the decision to stay for one more night.

Charlotte seemed restless.

‘I mean, I’m just going to sleep on the sofa or something... Is there a need to be so tense?’

This had to be a first for her, given how sheltered she had been growing up.

Of course, she had been subjected to something far more dreadful during her captivity in the Demon King’s Castle, but this situation was different.

The servants brought food at meal times, and I hid whenever they did so. Charlotte gave instructions that she did not require any attendants, and to bring more food.

I thought that I’d be able to eat a lot after not eating for a whole day, but because I was completely starved, I ended up eating less.

Charlotte looked at me, then at the amount of leftover food.

“Aren’t you going to eat more?”

“If you’re too starved, you can’t eat that much when you break your fast.”

“... Ah, that’s true...”

Charlotte would know that too.

The luxurious feast we had at the Allied Forces’ headquarters after a long period of starvation—Charlotte and I had eaten together then.

As she remembered that time, Charlotte’s expression grew wistful and sad.

***

We stayed in the bedroom the whole day. After dinner, night came, and there was still nothing much to do.

Charlotte was fidgeting like a puppy who needed to go outside. She seemed to be gathering her courage for something, got up halfway but sat back down, then tried to get up again but sat back down.

‘What’s with her?’

Eventually, Charlotte groaned and then stood up as if she had made a decision.

“I-I... I’ll be right back,” Charlotte said.

“... Where you going?”

“To another room...”

“I told you to sleep here. I’m not going to be here all the time; I just need to keep an eye on you tonight.”

Charlotte glared at me.

“That’s not it! I’m going to take a bath!”

‘Oh. So she wanted to wash up in the bath or shower attached to the bedroom but felt self-conscious about it?’

“... If you’re going to wash up, just do it here. Why do you need to go to another room?”

Charlotte’s face flushed red. “Because you’ll hear the sound...”

‘What? How should I describe her hypersensitivity? So what if someone could hear the sound of her washing up? Is that not allowed? Are girls around her age all this sensitive? I don’t really get it.

‘But isn’t it irrelevant if she has attendants who assist her with bathing in the first place? Is it natural to be concerned about this? I... have no idea... I have no idea what’s right or wrong in this situation!’

I blanked out for a moment, overwhelmed by my thoughts, then said, “You know what, that’s not something I should dictate. Do as you please.”

“My actions are not supposed to be dictated by you in the first place! Ugh!”

Charlotte stormed out of the bedroom in a whirlwind of frustration.

While Charlotte was off washing up, I took the opportunity to wash up in the bathroom attached to the bedroom.

It was quite large, but I didn’t bother getting into the tub.

After washing up, I realized something. I had no change of clothes.

The school uniform I had been wearing had been covered in blood and torn in several places, and had probably been discarded. I had woken up wearing some kind of pajamas that had been found somewhere.

Unable to leave the bathroom, I was at a loss as to what to do until Charlotte returned a while later.

Hearing the sound of water, Charlotte’s voice came from beyond the bathroom door.

—Are you... Are you washing up in my bathroom right now?

“Should I not wash up then?”

—Ugh... Ugh!

It sounded like Charlotte was stomping her feet, whether out of annoyance or something else.

‘Why is she making such a fuss? It’s not like I can leave her bedroom anyway.’

“Never mind that. I don’t have any clothes to change into.”

A pause.

—Huh?

“Bring me some clothes.”

Another pause.

—What?

Charlotte seemed to be in shock, as if she never expected to hear such a request. There was no sound from the other side of the door for quite a while.

‘Was that too much? Just because I saved her life... Am I going too far by commanding the princess to bring me clothes...?

‘This isn’t just about her being the princess; borrowing someone’s bathroom and making such a request is pretty trashy, isn’t it?’

Just as I was thinking that...

—I left it in front of the door.

Charlotte’s voice was smeared with a palette of complicated emotions.

***

Of course, this was still a palace, so there were other clothes besides women’s clothes.

After I had collapsed, Sabioleen Tana had apparently retrieved some clothes for me from somewhere.

After that little bit of commotion, both Charlotte and I were in clean pajamas.

If anyone found out about this, it would be a huge scandal in itself. This was not the prince and the pauper, but a princess and a pauper.

But here we were, due to our circumstances...

I was sitting in a rocking chair in Charlotte’s bedroom, and Charlotte was lying in bed.

“... Are you planning to sleep like that?”

“No?”

“Th-Then... are you planning to sleep in the bed?” Charlotte asked in a clearly flustered voice.

Somehow, it felt as if I brazenly said, “Yeah, it’s spacious, so I’ll sleep in your bed!” she would make a fuss, but still reluctantly give up her spot.

“What?” I said instead, “The other day, you acted like it was fine to sleep in the same bed as long as I didn’t touch you.”

“Th-That was just a figure of speech! I didn’t mean it literally!” Charlotte yelled in a panic.

Was it really okay for her to be shouting like this? The soundproofing had to be pretty good. Without supernatural powers like mine, no one would be able to eavesdrop on our conversation from outside the room.

The other day, Charlotte had given up on everything.

She had told me various things, shared very important secrets, and made some random comments. The danger had passed, though, and she was now able to feel embarrassed again.

‘It’s probably because she can think about living again.’

That made me feel oddly pleased.

“What... Why are you making that weird face...?” she asked.

Charlotte blushed and pulled the blanket up to cover half her face. “A-Anyway! Are you really going to sleep in the bed?”

That seemed like her biggest concern.

‘Is this because of her sheltered upbringing? She really cares about these things.’

“I’m not going to sleep.”

“... What?”

“I’m here to keep an eye on you and make sure you’re okay, so how can I go to sleep? Don’t worry. I won’t stare at your face or anything like that.”

I sat in the rocking chair with my arms crossed, staring blankly at the ceiling of Charlotte’s room.

‘Do you think I have some ulterior motive for doing this? I just need to make sure you’re safe. I just need to know that nothing will happen from now on.’

“... Aren’t you tired?”

“I’ve been given an elixir, one of the continent’s greatest treasures. It would be more strange if I wasn’t okay. Don’t worry about it. Staying up for one night is nothing,” I said, hoping it would make her feel a bit less guilty.

“You... You can sleep at the far end if you want.”

“If I do go to sleep, I’ll sleep on the sofa, so don’t worry about it.”

“...”

Charlotte was silent for a while.

She lay in the middle of the bed, but then slowly moved to the edge, as if to make room for me. She positioned herself so that I could lie down at the opposite side if I wanted to.

By moving to the edge, she also moved slightly closer to the rocking chair I was sitting in, which was quite far from the bed.

The chair was not facing Charlotte, but was oriented parallel to her.

I was sitting, and Charlotte was lying down.

We were side by side. I was sitting next to Charlotte.

“Reinhart.”

“Yeah?”

“... I don’t really understand. Why are you doing all this for me?”

“Someone whom I see as precious deserves to be treated preciously. Isn’t that obvious?”

“It’s not because I’m a princess, is it?”

“...”

There were plenty of people who would risk their lives for her because she was a princess.

But I didn’t seem like one of those people.

I wasn’t risking my life to save her because of her status, So why then?

Charlotte was curious.

“Just... accept it as it is.”

I couldn’t explain what couldn’t be explained, so I had no choice but to say that.

I wasn’t looking at Charlotte’s face, but I could sense Charlotte looking at me.

As if she had made a decision, Charlotte cautiously began to speak.

“The Demon King did something to me.”

“... Really?”

It had to have been a long-held secret.

The moment such a thing was revealed, everything about her would disappear. This had to be a secret she’d kept inside for a long time, unable to spill it to anyone else.

Charlotte was confirming what I had only guessed at previously.

“I don’t know what was done to me, but it hurt a lot, and it was terrifying. It felt like my soul was in pain, not just my body,” she continued.

“...”

I couldn’t easily empathize with Charlotte’s description, so I just listened.

“I still don’t know what it was. Even now... I don’t really know what happened to me. But... after that, I was locked up in a place like a prison in the Demon King’s Castle. Along with other kidnapped... people.”

“ ”

Charlotte’s voice was starting to tremble. She was about to say something she was afraid to talk about.

“Reinhart.”

“Yeah?”

“Can you... hold my hand?”

Without a word, I reached out my hand towards the bed, and Charlotte took it.

Her palm was clammy with cold sweat. Just talking about it seemed to be painful for her.

What could have happened to her?

Holding my hand, Charlotte took a deep breath and spoke.

“We starved for so long in there.”

“...”

“Everyone there... We survived on so little food and water for such a long time. And then, when the war intensified, they stopped giving us anything.”

“...”

“People... went so long... without eating anything.”

“Charlotte,” I quietly said as I looked at Charlotte. Her eyes were already brimming with tears. “If it’s too hard to talk about, you don’t have to.”

“...”

“No, don’t talk about it.”

“...”

“It’s painful for you. So stop.”

Even with just that much, I could already understand what had happened.

From the fear, terror, and guilt in Charlotte’s voice, I could piece together what had transpired.

People torn to pieces by something formless...

I remembered that scene.

I knew that Charlotte was trying to talk about what happened after the cannibalism began, and not the act itself.

When I told her not to speak, Charlotte burst into tears.

“If it weren’t for me... If it weren’t for me... everyone could have survived. Everyone. If it weren’t for me. If I weren’t there... M-Mom... Mom wouldn’t have...”

Clearly, Charlotte had never told anyone else this before.

Even though everyone knew she had suffered something at the hands of the Demon King, this story she was telling me was being let out for the first time.

Otherwise, she wouldn’t be crying so sorrowfully, confessing her guilt like this.

I didn’t offer any words of comfort, sympathy, or rationalization. I just held Charlotte’s hand tightly as she sobbed uncontrollably.

Charlotte gripped my hand tightly and cried for a very long time.

***

After calming down, Charlotte told me what had happened.

There were two types of people who knew about Charlotte’s ability.

There were those who believed it was a supernatural power that controlled the shadows, and there were those who knew that she had gained this ability after suffering something at the hands of the Demon King.

The latter group consisted of Dyrus, Sabioleen Tana, the head maid of the Spring Palace, and the emperor—only four people.

“What about Vertus?”

“I hope he doesn’t know... But I think he does. If he found out, it would have been only recently.”

The power to control shadows was already a sinister and eerie ability, and could easily be framed negatively.

Charlotte was looking for a way to control or eliminate her power. That was why she was seeking out magical sealers and such.

But all those efforts were in vain, and Charlotte’s power continued to grow, gradually consuming her.

She had begun sleepwalking as well, and so Charlotte started finding herself in strange places in the middle of the night.

Only then did I recall seeing Charlotte barefoot in the mansion’s hallway after the group mission, looking out at the snow.

“Wait, then could it be... That time...?” I hesitantly asked.

“Yeah, that was the first time,” Charlotte said.

Charlotte’s behavior back then had seemed slightly strange.

She had probably been asleep, and then suddenly found herself in the hallway. She had seemed quite startled at the time.

She said that, for a while after that, nothing similar happened.

However, she then experienced the exact same situation in the Temple dormitory.

After it happened in the Temple dormitory, Charlotte realized it was a serious issue and left the dormitory to live in the Spring Palace.

The sleepwalking then continued and became more frequent.

Eventually, she had been consumed by her power, wandering the palace shrouded in darkness. Up until that point, it was still manageable.

Although she lost consciousness and couldn’t remember anything during these episodes, she didn’t attack anyone, and when Dyrus and the head maid guarding her bedroom door brought her back inside, she did not resist.

At some point, though, she began appearing and disappearing throughout the palace without the door ever opening.

Then, she had attacked and killed a maid.

Charlotte remembered nothing, but she sensed that it was too late, and that everything was over.

She had asked the emperor to kill her, but the emperor refused.

Instead, he sent Sabioleen Tana to the Spring Palace and reduced the number of palace staff to a minimum until a solution could be found.

But the imperial family could not find a solution.

Although I couldn’t say for certain, it felt as though, if I hadn’t been there, Charlotte wouldn’t have reverted to her own self after that night.

That night had been the final moment.

That night, Sabioleen Tana would have died, and Charlotte would have eventually faced death at the emperor’s command.

In the end, if it hadn’t been for me, Charlotte would have died.

“I was scared to sleep.”

“... I can imagine.”

“But even if I didn’t sleep, I would lose consciousness. So I knew sleep wasn’t the problem... but I was still just as scared.”

Charlotte’s hand no longer felt cold and clammy with fear. It was warm.

“Reinhart?”

“I’m listening.”

“I think I can finally sleep properly for the first time in a while,” Charlotte said as she closed her eyes.

“That’s good.”

I could only offer those words.

“Reinhart?”

“Yeah?”

“Tell me that nothing will happen.”

I looked at Charlotte quietly.

Borrowing the power of Incantation, I earnestly declared, “Nothing will happen.”

“Okay.” Charlotte nodded with her eyes closed. “I’ll believe that.”

With a faint smile, Charlotte gradually fell asleep.

I quietly listened to the evenness of her breathing and watched Charlotte’s peaceful, sleeping face.

And then...

[Special Achievement Unlocked - Turning Point in History]

[A key figure (Charlotte de Gradias) who should not exist in the original timeline has survived.]

[The future has changed significantly.]

[You have received 1000 Achievement Points.]

The exact same system message as in the prologue appeared.

It seemed a bit late...

‘Why is this message appearing now? Shouldn’t this message have appeared after the battle the night before last?’

I quietly regarded Charlotte’s sleeping face. Charlotte, holding my hand tightly, was sleeping peacefully.

Apparently, the fact that I had stayed by her side until she’d fallen asleep safely had some unknown significance.

I didn’t know what that significance was, but as long as nothing happened, I decided not to bother wondering what might have happened.

Borrowing the power of Self-Deception, and borrowing the power of Incantation...

‘Nothing will happen. You will be safe. I will make sure of it.’

In my heart, I kept believing and declaring it countless times.