Royal Capital Library, Univance Kingdom Castle
Frea glanced at the bundle of old documents in her hand, checking their contents.
They were tax-related materials she had searched out to use as examples for her next class.
She planned to teach the children how taxes flowed, how they circulated throughout the country… and what happened if one did bad things.
「The fact that these documents are from my family three generations ago… well, using materials from other families might stir up trouble, so…」
Repeatedly telling herself this, Frea walked between the rows of towering bookshelves.
There was no sign of anything new being added. Recently, several noble houses had been dissolved, so she had been wondering if any novel books had been donated.
(Though when Mische was involved… she probably burned them, so that’s unlikely.)
There should have been others, but there was no sign of the collection growing.
Just as she was about to give up and leave the archive, she suddenly felt she heard a sound and stopped.
(A moan?)
The sound she heard for a moment seemed like that.
Frea naturally swallowed hard and checked her attire. Her usual work clothes… leather armor.
She quietly moved her left hand behind her back… and confirmed the item attached to the back of her armor.
Confirming it with her fingertips, the item she had received from her master “her”, she released it.
Usually hidden by her long blonde hair, it quietly spread and fell. A black… cloth, folded like a shadow.
While quietly surveying her surroundings, Frea gradually drained all emotion from her face. Her expression, completely devoid of life, shifted into something inorganic, like a cold doll.
But to her, that was her true expression. It had become her face since ten years ago.
Paying careful attention to the clearly audible sounds… she quietly peeked from behind a bookshelf.
And her eyes went wide.
For some reason, her superior was banging his head against the desk like a madman.
「Argusta-sama?」
「…Ah, Frea-san.」
After hitting his head several times before looking at her, his forehead was red from striking it too hard.
「…What are… no. I won’t ask.」
Sensing a vague danger to herself, Frea quietly channeled magic into the cloth she had spread with her left hand, neatly folded it, and tried to leave the spot.
But Argusta did not allow it.
「Perfect timing. Frea-san, you know, right?」
「I do not. Excuse me.」
「Order. You know, right?」
「……」
When confronted with the word 『Order』, Frea, as a true-born knight, had no choice but to obey.
Letting out a deep, deep sigh… Frea gave up and walked to the chair opposite him.
-0-
「Impaler Camilla?」
「Yes. Do you know anything?」
「……」
Honestly, she didn’t want to answer, but unfortunately, Frea knew her.
「I do. To some extent.」
「Yes. Then please tell me what you know.」
「…May I ask why you are investigating?」
「Hmm? I’m just personally investigating all the events from the incident ten years ago.」
At her superior’s casual answer, Frea’s head throbbed with pain.
「With all due respect, Argusta-sama.」
「Yes?」
「That incident was a tragic one where many citizens and soldiers died. Hearing that you are investigating it out of mere curiosity, I cannot honestly lend you my hand. Excuse me.」
「You know Glodia… right?」
「……」
Frea, who had been about to stand up, was interrupted by those words and stopped in her tracks.
His words shook her heart that much.
Because she knew that her corpse was a fake.
She was curious about her superior, who was glancing around nervously, but he seemed to want to keep it so secret that he was even concerned about the presence of maids.
However, according to Frea’s senses, only she and her superior should be present here.
「…Actually, I found a book that seems to have belonged to her. I am currently investigating it.」
「A book?」
「It’s a secret. Oh, and don’t report this to my idiot aniki either. I will investigate this matter alone.」
「…May I ask the reason?」
Her superior, who sometimes had an elusive quality, scratched his cheek while letting his gaze wander.
The fact that he, as her superior, looked slightly pale might mean the content was indeed dangerous.
「I am technically a royal who left the Royal Family, right? If that’s the case, I think it’s valid to say I’m investigating my own relatives. It sounds plausible if I say something like, 『I am investigating if there are any suspicious points regarding the right of succession』, doesn’t it?」
「Well… that is quite a forced and disrespectful way of putting it.」
「I’ve been disrespectful for a long time, so it’s not a problem, right?」
The fact that it had been like this for a long time seemed like a major problem in itself.
However, the superior sitting in front of her returned to his usual expression, where it was unclear whether he was motivated or not.
「So I will investigate it. If the Idiot Prince investigates… it will become a big deal.」
「Will the Republic start investigating?」
「Well～. But even if I investigate, I know they will come sniffing around. Even knowing that, I have a wife I can trust more than anyone else.」
Smiling brightly, he declared it with full confidence… To Frea, his figure, trusting someone to that extent, looked dazzling. And she found herself thinking. 『When I still loved “him”, did I trust “him” that much?』
「I would prefer if you didn’t call out the Captain for anything other than dragon extermination.」
「I’m not calling her. Noie comes on her own.」
「…Is that so.」
Letting out a sigh, Frea pondered for a moment.
Indeed, it was inconvenient for Halfren to investigate Princess Glodia.
It was tantamount to questioning the actions of King Wilmott, who was also his father and had gone to capture her.
But for her superior to move… At that point, Frea realized.
His principle of action centered entirely on his wife, Noie, in everything.
「Does it have something to do with the Captain?」
「Who knows?」
「Does it have something to do with the facility where the Captain was?」
「I don’t know.」
If she could dig deeper, she would. But if she said too much, her own neck would be tightened.
Frea sighed and decided to yield.
「Understood. I will tell you what I know.」
「Thank you, Frea… san.」
For a moment, she felt like he had dropped the honorifics, but he hurriedly coughed.
Had saliva entered his windpipe?
-0-
That was close～. If I had read the cue card handed to me by the Head Maid as it was, I would have almost called Frea-san by her name without honorifics. One way or another, Frea-san is scary when angered.
The problem is how to make an excuse to the Head Maid regarding Glodia’s book… I’ll go with 『Noie won’t let go of it.』.
…The only person around me who is kind to me is truly just Noie.
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