When the man carried me back into the building, the maids exclaimed ‘Oh my, oh my!’ in a flutter of excitement. The man paid them no mind. He simply strode upstairs and opened the door through which I had once fled. The moment the door opened, a gleaming object leapt out from within.
“My Lady!”
It was Madame Marie. I couldn’t help but feel a twinge of guilt at the expression on her face, as if the world had collapsed and been rebuilt.
“Are you well?”
“Why on earth…? Did you carelessly ignore my words earlier? How can you leave a room without saying a word…!”
In her excitement, she had been spouting words wildly until she finally recognized the man holding me. In an instant, her face, which had been flushed with excitement and twisted with indignation, turned pale white. A truly striking sight.
“Sir Stefano, what brings you here?”
“The Lady was taking a walk in the garden, so I brought her here.”
“Then why…?”
Madame Marie raised one eyebrow. Basically, she was questioning why I was being carried this way. My heart pounded as I glanced up at the man. At the same moment, he set me down on the floor. The suddenness of it all caused me to lose my balance and lean awkwardly but he was there to steady me again.
“As you can see, given her condition, I had no choice but to bring her here.”
“Hmm, hmm. In that case…”
Although Madame Marie must have been grateful for him carrying me thus far, she could only offer a series of discontented coughs. Left with no choice, I stepped forward and said to him.
“Thank you for taking me.”
To my surprise, the man wore an expression of astonishment.
“Sir Stefano, I believe it is time for you to return. Were you not on your way to see His Majesty?”
Madame Marie said quickly.
But… His Majesty? What is that all about?
“Understood. Please take care of yourself, Lady Edita.”
He bowed his head to me and disappeared. However, I was still stunned after catching that strange word from Madame Marie’s lips.
After slamming the door shut, Madame Marie fussed over me.
“What is this attire? Change your clothes at once.”
Taking her instructions, I changed my clothes. Yet, as soon as I did, she casually let slip a complaint.
“That Sir Stefano really is a sneaky one. How can a man from a reputable knightly family dare spy on the Lady’s private haven?”
“…Madame Marie, what did you mean by that just now?”
“By Sir Stefano, I mean. Oh dear, you might not be aware. He is…”
“Not that. ‘His Majesty’? ‘The palace’?”
At my words, Madame Marie’s expression grew grave.
“What I experienced upon returning from outside is precisely because of this matter. I racked my brain over how best to explain it to you, but it’d be better to simply be honest about the facts, after all, we returned empty-handed.”
She then took me to a bed, forcibly laying me down and covering me with a blanket that reached my neck. Only afterward did she pull a chair over and sit down, gripping my hand tightly. It was as if she wanted to say, ‘Now you can listen carefully, relax and pay attention.’ Her gesture made my mouth dry with anticipation.
“You may be bewildered, having lost your memory. But from this moment on, you must understand one thing.”
Madame Marie’s grip tightened.
“My Lady, you are the only daughter of Emperor Paul Ludenbach of the Ludenbach Empire.”
“Uh… oh…”
A gasp escaped from my throat unconsciously. Madame Marie jerked upright in alarm.
“My Lady, are you alright?”
“I’m… not all right… Does that mean… I’m a princess?”
“Not exactly. Your mother was of low birth, and since you spent a long time living outside the palace with her, you have not yet been officially crowned a princess.”
“Eh, what…”
At my dejected reaction, Madame Marie looked taken aback.
I must have subconsciously hoped for a little grandeur, after all, being called ‘Lady Edita’ at once would have felt so noble. But what? Not even a princess?
When I displayed blatant disappointment, Madame Marie, as if exasperated by the earlier man’s comments, cleared her throat a few times.
“However, His Majesty is working hard to have you officially crowned as Princess. Once you become Princess, your personal security will be far improved over the current state. So until that day, please take great care. Do not run into characters like Sir Stefano.”
“That man… Sir Stefano?”
Madame Marie nodded.
“He was rather handsome, you know.”
A deep furrow appeared on her forehead at my remark. Realizing my slip, she quickly closed her mouth but it was too late. Madame Marie began to spout a heated tirade, foaming at the mouth as she continued.
“Do you have any idea what sort of scoundrel that slimy, sycophantic freelance Sir Stefano Russell is? A man willing to align himself with beasts and plunge the Lady into a predicament. For instance, with Princess Lena…”
“Princess Lena? Aren’t I supposed to be His Majesty’s only daughter?”
“That isn’t the point right now!”
I thought, ‘I should shut this mouth for good.’ But, still not long since I had fallen into another world, I found myself more intrigued by talks of His Majesty and princesses than by the immediate peril facing Lady Edita.
“Princess Lena is the daughter of His Majesty’s eldest son, Crown Prince Fabio Ludenbach.”
“Oh, even the Crown Prince’s daughter is a princess?”
“My Lady, you’ll need a proper education later.”
Madame Marie said with a worried tone. I, too, nodded in a reflective manner.
“In any case, Sir Stefano, be cautious of him. And Princess Lena, you must also be wary.”
“Why on earth are those people treating me like this?”
“They are displeased by the fact that you, a lady born of a common mother, were received at the palace by His Majesty.”
“That’s laughable. After all, isn’t my other half also of His Majesty’s blood?”
Madame Marie’s face showed a look of shock. Had I misspoken again? Just as I hurried to apologize, a wrinkled smile spread across her face.
“My Lady, you spoke exactly right! You used to be so timid, but after losing your memory you’ve become remarkably bold. Perhaps that’s why you even managed to escape from your room…”
“Uh-huh, enough! Please continue your story.”
“Yes. And once His Majesty officially crowns you as princess, the ranks of many royal figures, including Princess Lena, will shift. In short, there will be a seismic change in the structure of the royal power. Of course, by tradition in the Ludenbach that does not allow a woman to inherit the throne, you will still not be able to ascend to the imperial seat. However, the power struggles within the royal family are far from simple. Above all, His Majesty…”
At that moment, the door burst open with a loud thud. Both Madame Marie and I fell silent and turned our gaze toward the door where a cold gust of wind swept in.
A man was standing there majestically, pushing the large door with both hands. His ashen-blonde hair mixed with streaks of gray and his luxuriant golden beard fluttered in the wind. His enormous, burning eyes looked as though they might burst into tears at any moment. In that moment, he looked as if…
‘Like a calf, so tender!’
Right then, Madame Marie leapt to her feet. As she bent toward the man, he suddenly pushed past her and sprinted toward me.
“Edita!”
He embraced me so tightly that it felt as if my breath was being completely squeezed out.
“Uh, uh…?”
So shocked, I could only cling helplessly to the vastness of his arms. From behind, Madame Marie quickly clamped her hand over my mouth. Was she trying to tell me not to mention my lost memory? If that was the case, was this man also my enemy?
But then, Madame Marie’s next words shattered all those wild thoughts.
“A lowly servant greets the glorious sun of Ludenbach, His Majesty Emperor Paul!”
His Majesty? His Majesty, she said! Could it really be?
The man, without even replying to Madame Marie’s greeting, brushed his hairy cheek against mine as I sank deeper into a swirling chaos.
“Oh, Edita! My daughter, your father has arrived! I’m sorry for being late!”
My daughter? Father? Dad? Father? Does that mean this man is Lady Edita’s father?
By now, my eyes must have been as wide as a cat’s!
“Now that your father has arrived, you can rest assured!”
The Emperor kissed my cheek as he spoke. But contrary to his words, I was drawn further into a state of utter confusion.
Once more, the Emperor pressed a kiss to my cheek. Never before had I experienced a middle-aged man, whom I had never seen, kissing my cheek in such a manner, yet it felt far from disagreeable. It wasn’t that he was simply being overly affectionate (I was well aware of that by now). I was so stunned that I nearly lost all sensation. Could it really be that the ruler of an entire nation had suddenly barged in, embraced me, and even kissed me?
Perhaps sensing the same, Madame Marie tried to intervene with a soft admonition from beside me.
“Your Majesty, you shouldn’t do this.”
“What’s there not to do! Why shouldn’t a father kiss his daughter’s cheek?”
“But still, according to protocol and custom…”
“Nobody’s watching! If you don’t like it, you can leave. I have brought along only my personal guard, setting aside all other retainers. And that fellow is waiting outside too. It would be splendid if you could stand by his side.”
With a tone of mockery, the Emperor’s comment made Madame Marie lower her head in defeat. Finally, with no one to stop him, Emperor Paul reluctantly released me from his arms. Just when I thought things would calm down, the Emperor began casting burdensome, apologetic glances in my direction. Standing before the forge, it felt as if he was radiating heat akin to molten metal.
“Edita, look upon your father.”
His voice was so earnest that I instinctively turned my head. His large, calf-like eyes were still brimming with teary admiration, and a flush of joy had tinted his cheeks.
Yes. This was the face of a father who loved his daughter dearly. Even if he wasn’t my own real father, I couldn’t help but feel a pang of warmth.
“Edita, can you imagine how heartbroken I was when misfortune befell you? I wept bitterly, convinced I would never see you again.”
“Forgive me, Your Majesty.”
The Emperor’s voice was so soaked in sorrow that I unconsciously apologized on behalf of Lady Edita.
“Why do you address me as Your Majesty again? Did I not tell you to call me ‘Father’?”
“Yes. Ah, Father.”
When I called him Father, a look of pure happiness lit up his face.
“Falling into the pond was not your fault. Wasn’t it simply a misstep? It’s the fault of the craftsmen who built the pond in this palace.”
“Pardon?”
Something, something about what he was saying seemed off. Seeing my unease, the Emperor flashed a warm smile as if to say ‘don’t worry.’
“I shall order their heads to be cut off immediately!”
“What?!”
When I cried out, the Emperor tilted his head with a smiling face.
“Is there a problem?”
The Emperor asked with an expression that was almost childlike, unbefitting his age. I was dumbfounded.
“Of course there is! You’re talking about killing the craftsmen.”
“Now that I hear it, you’re right.”
Unlike someone who had just made such a psychopathic statement with a straight face, the Emperor conceded easily.
But this was my misunderstanding.
“Simply killing them would be too wasteful. Let’s send them to the frozen Northern lands for 10 years of exile, and then boil them alive in a hot cauldron!”
A chill ran down my spine at the Emperor’s cheerful voice.
This man, isn’t he a tyrant? With those innocent calf-like eyes!
“Your Maj… I mean, Father! It was entirely my mistake that I slipped into the pond. Please spare the craftsmen!”
“What’s that?”
The Emperor tilted his head askew, as if he couldn’t understand. With deeply contemplative eyes, he examined me from various angles. He genuinely seemed unable to comprehend why I was reacting this way.
Wait, could it be that the original Edita always meekly agreed whenever the Emperor did this?
Behind the Emperor, Madame Marie frantically made an X-sign with her arms toward me. Seeing her desperate gestures, I realized I must have said something I shouldn’t have to the Emperor, but I couldn’t take it back.
I couldn’t allow innocent craftsmen to die because of me (or more precisely, because ‘Lady Edita’ fell into the pond). If they were to die, even if I returned to my original world, I would have to live with that guilt until my dying day. I didn’t want that.
“Why do you suddenly say such things? It’s not as if killing a few craftsmen would leave no one to tend to your garden. If you admire their landscaping skills, I can find you even more skilled craftsmen.”
“No, that’s not it. I’m simply asking you not to kill the craftsmen. There’s no other reason.”
“My Lady.”
Unable to bear it any longer, Madame Marie called to me in a low voice. The Emperor closed his eyes momentarily and then opened them. The perplexed questioning in his eyes disappeared, replaced by the solemn light of an Emperor.
“Madame Marie, do not interfere.”
He raised his hand and commanded Madame Marie. She was startled and bowed her head deeply. The heavy atmosphere that formed between them made my body tense up as well.
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