Could it be the captain of the knights? Or perhaps... the butler. Maybe the head maid.
I narrowed my eyes, speculating who had made the report so quickly, then shrugged my shoulders. It didn't matter who had done it.
After all, I had orchestrated matters so the servants would harbor resentment toward the one who reported them.
"I was establishing discipline. As Father knows well, the servants' attitude has been insufferably arrogant."
At my words, Father slowly turned to look back at me. He was frowning slightly.
"I thought that since you aspire to be the Little Duke, you would have the sense to conduct yourself accordingly. Did I place too much expectation on you?"
Even under Father's gaze, filled with rebuke, I answered nonchalantly.
"How could I simply stand by and watch dogs that dare act impudently toward their master?"
"If needless turmoil reaches the Imperial Palace, your position will become quite awkward as well."
"If internal household turmoil leaks outside, that would be because internal discipline was not properly maintained. So I must establish discipline all the more from now on."
"Aneli."
Father's expression hardened.
"Do I really have to tell you that this is still a time when you must remain quiet?"
Father's face as he spoke seemed frustrated. Probably because resolving the situation was taking longer than expected.
Father likely believed that after extracting me from the Imperial Palace, he could quickly wrap up matters with Prince Heinrich's help.
Since he hadn't planned to hide me for long, he must have immediately removed my sister from practical duties.
I smiled faintly at Father.
"I heard you coordinated with Prince Heinrich. Does His Majesty still harbor suspicions about my whereabouts?"
"The Prince has already reported to His Majesty that you were kidnapped. I also reported that Roam would handle the matter discreetly to avoid unnecessary criticism from the Temple."
That things had proceeded as planned yet I still had to remain hidden meant the other party hadn't responded as intended. Judging by appearances, Heinrich seemed to be doing well at stalling in the middle.
I hid my surging satisfaction and nodded readily.
"Then I'll stay here, and when the time is right, reveal myself saying I was rescued by Roam."
At my murmuring in a light tone, Father spoke in a weighted voice.
"Yes, you must stay quiet. You shouldn't cause problems like today."
"With my sister's followers spread everywhere, what good would it do for me to stay quiet?"
I asked, widening my eyes, and Father furrowed his brow.
His face showed his dissatisfaction with me, but I ignored that emotion naturally and continued speaking.
"If they cannot contain their loyalty toward my sister and hastily make some reckless report to His Majesty, what would you do?"
"Aneli."
"Or perhaps my sister, having had her position taken by me, might bear a grudge and run to the Imperial Palace. Now that I think of it, my sister has been busy going out constantly lately—do you know the reason?"
At the mention of Frigian's outings, Father's expression darkened somewhat.
Father probably sensed something was amiss as well. He would know that my sister wasn't someone who would step back quietly.
However, he was likely too busy with damage control after sneaking me out of the Imperial Palace to closely monitor Frigian's movements.
Father said with a solemn expression.
"Frigian is not a child who would bring harm to Roam."
"It feels like you're saying I certainly am a child who would bring harm to Roam."
Father's eyes trembled slightly.
If I were to interpret that reaction as agreement, would that be my own inferiority complex?
"Do you still keep Lilia's prophecy in your heart?"
A somewhat cold voice slipped through my lips. At my question, Father raised his eyebrows in apparent surprise, then returned to an impassive expression.
"I already told you I don't believe that."
"...But I wonder if my sister also doesn't believe those words."
Father swallowed a groan and turned his body to look toward the training grounds again.
That looked very much like an attempt to avoid the current topic.
Of course, I had no intention of ending the conversation here.
"Father, I am facing hostility from many simply because I returned to this mansion. Today's incident was merely the minimum defense I carried out to protect my own safety."
"You are Roam's second daughter and God's Resurrection. There is no one here who would be hostile toward you."
"What they remember as Roam's second daughter is the Empire's villainess who was executed. Since when has Roam trusted in God's protection?"
A cynical laugh burst from me unbidden. At my sarcastic words, Father looked back at me with dissatisfied eyes.
Before Father could scold me, I quickly continued speaking.
"I understand that you cannot reveal me publicly. I can wait. So please don't scold me too much for exercising some discipline while I wait."
Father didn't answer. Probably because he acknowledged that the household atmosphere wasn't good due to recent events.
If Father stepped forward, he could probably correct the servants' attitude strictly. However, the reason he didn't do so was because he already knew that ruling through intimidation wouldn't bring genuine submission.
Frigian had drawn out her vassals' respect on her own. Father would expect me to conduct myself similarly.
"The one they must serve now is me, not Frigian."
So I spoke even more leisurely and gently.
"You must think of the future."
Without appearing impatient. As if I had everything arranged.
Without letting them discover that I actually had no consideration for this household at all.
* * *
The day the Empress made her move had arrived.
The Empress's maternal family was in a city right next to the Imperial Palace, not far away, and could be reached directly through a warp gate, so the journey wasn't long.
'Will the Empress really collapse?'
Why exactly does Durahan get entangled in this? Simply because the Temple defined Durahan as evil, are they pushing all misfortune onto Durahan?
I paced anxiously around the room, lost in thought.
I was still confined to Roam's mansion, and was indirectly grasping the surrounding situation through beings including Durahan.
I maintained close surveillance in case Lilia might be scheming something, but she didn't particularly leave the mansion. She did converse with Mother, but it was all effort to avoid being driven out of this mansion.
Of course, Lilia also emphasized her usefulness to me several times.
However, seeing that my attitude wasn't receptive, she seemed to have judged that it would be difficult to win me over.
"Captain, it'll be fine."
Palides spoke gently.
"Contact will come soon. While waiting, why not distract your nerves with other duties?"
Even Samuel suggested I calm down. That even he, who usually behaved temperately, said such things meant I appeared anxious.
'Zenon is supposed to report periodically with Nadb...'
I tried to compose myself.
I was at Roam's mansion anyway, and here there was nothing I could do but wait.
So it would be better to do something else and distract myself, as Samuel said.
"What is Lilia doing?"
At my question, Tristan, who had been stuck to the window, fluttered up and answered.
[The last report I heard was that she is embroidering in her room.]
Tristan was monitoring Lilia by taking turns with various insects.
Even at this moment, insects that had been hovering around Lilia's room were busily coming and going to report to Tristan.
"She might be waiting for her own prophecy to be realized."
"...Probably so."
Perhaps because my expression still wasn't good, Jigor chimed in readily.
[Shall I go monitor her? If anything happens, I'll give her a piece of my mind immediately!]
[Don't think about causing trouble needlessly and stay quiet.]
[Minte! Minte has to go meet Nadb anyway!]
[It's still a long time before Nadb returns, you fool.]
Listening to Jigor and Minte's conversation relieved some of the tension. This kind of noisy commotion was actually much better.
I listened to the two's silly conversation and sat down at the desk.
There was a pile of duties I needed to handle as the prospective Little Duke, but I didn't even give them a glance and opened a drawer.
What I took out was a map. I had brought it out to roughly sketch out in my mind what route to take when Roam's matters concluded.
"You can travel in a straight line from the capital to Beladia Valley."
Samuel, who had confirmed the map over my shoulder, added gently.
"Before going, we need to find the remaining three knights."
At my words, Minte hopped up onto the desk.
[Surely they have all awakened too. Just as I came to this city to find the Captain, they will be searching for the Captain as well.]
"Will we be able to meet them as soon as we leave the city?"
[I can't guarantee it, but they will surely be somewhere nearby. Since the Captain has retrieved the key to Beladia Castle, their memories will have become clearer as well, just like ours.]
At Minte's words, I inadvertently looked down at my palm.
It was the hand where the key to Beladia Castle had been absorbed. There had been no particular change since then, so I had forgotten about it, but hearing Minte's words made my palm itch for some reason.
"What kind of people are the remaining knights?"
The knights I had met so far all had strong personalities but were knights who gave me their full loyalty.
So I asked Minte vaguely thinking that the remaining three would probably be similar as well.
[They are...]
But for some reason, Minte couldn't readily speak up.
"Minte?"
I was looking at Minte in puzzlement when Palides suddenly exclaimed.
"Captain! The ring is glowing!"
Just as Palides said, I could see the ring glittering. As I hurriedly connected the communication, Zenon's voice came through along with crackling static.
—...Lady Neli!
"Zenon?"
—Big trouble...!
The moment I sensed something urgent in the voice coming through in fragments—
BOOM!
...With a tremendous roar, the communication was severed.