After sending Sylvia back to her room, Alice got up again and changed her clothes.
She still had her bunny girl outfit underneath her school uniform.
Taking off the school uniform and putting on the bunny costume… which was embarrassingly ridiculous, Alice blushed as she looked at herself in the mirror.
Even upon a second glance, it was an awkward outfit.
It was hard to believe that Alice actually thought to wear this outfit herself.
However…
At the same time, she felt somewhat relieved.
It was as if she had finally spit out something that had been crammed deep down in her chest. Perhaps it was because she wasn’t alone in this—maybe it was because Sylvia and other friends had somehow gotten wrapped up in this together that she could think this way.
“……”
Just as if she already knew Alice would wear that outfit, Sylvia casually visited Alice’s room.
Alice hadn’t even told her deliberately.
But she had thought Sylvia would show up. After all, Alice figured Sylvia had somehow grasped the future.
That thought solidified when Sylvia returned victorious from the battlefield last time.
How many soldiers could return from the battlefield uninjured all by themselves?
Simply infiltrating the enemy ranks was an impressive feat. The reason the area between the front lines was called a “no man’s land” was that anyone who entered it ended up dead. Even if they survived, they were quickly discovered and shot. Sylvia crossed that desolate, dead land alone and laid waste to the enemy.
And remarkably, she didn’t even have a single scratch.
It was an impossible feat unless one was fully aware of the enemy’s base layout, troop placements, types of weapons, and trajectories of incoming bullets. Even Jennifer Winterfield would surely struggle with such combat. If she could do it, she would have done so long ago.
Alice could have easily guessed what Sylvia was thinking about what she planned to do.
In fact, she felt a sense of ease just because Sylvia had come to her directly.
Just like all the times Alice had acted stubbornly, Sylvia stood by her side. This time, she didn’t say a word as if to let Alice do as she pleased. She stayed beside her silently, merely setting the mood so that Alice could take charge to the very end.
Of course, if Verity had tried to jump in, Sylvia would have stepped up…
“This is just disqualifying for you as a sister.”
A deep sigh escaped Alice’s lips.
Isn’t it obvious that Sylvia doesn’t look like a sister at all?
“But…”
However, a smile quickly spread across Alice’s face.
She saw Sylvia smiling.
For a moment, she was taken aback, and although it vanished quickly, Sylvia was indeed smiling softly.
Alice, who usually could sense Sylvia’s feelings, knew she wasn’t a soulless monster, but it was the first time Sylvia openly smiled at her like that.
It was so natural, so unforced, that for an instant, she almost overlooked it.
Seeing that smile, Alice thought for a moment.
Perhaps Sylvia thought of Alice as the next emperor not for practical reasons.
Maybe it was simply because she was ‘Alice Fanggriffon.’
Perhaps it was because she believed in her.
“It’s neither foresight nor calculation.”
Alice mulled over something Sylvia had said.
Then again, had Sylvia already experienced something of the future?
But that would be impossible.
Time travel is scientifically impossible. Even followers of the Goddess or mystics would likely react similarly.
If it were possible, one could erase past transgressions, and that would imply that a proper judgment from the divine cannot be rendered upon the sins committed by humans.
Just suggesting that would cause the believers of the Goddess to rise up in protest, claiming it sacrilegious.
“No, wait.”
Alice chuckled to herself, thinking.
On the contrary, maybe they don’t treat Sylvia like a goddess in order to endure their own contradiction.
How would Verity react if she heard something like that?
Feeling unexpectedly cheerful, Alice giggled while changing her clothes.
*
“What do you think of my little sisters?”
Is this place some kind of safe house?
The place Verity had brought her to, blindfolded, was a basement with no windows. As she was jostled around in the carriage, she tried to memorize the route, but it seemed that the path to this place was anything but ordinary.
Even if it were a typical route, they must have jostled her to disorient her sense of direction.
However, if it’s the Northwood territory, she could find her way back.
The past few months hadn’t been a waste. She had established her presence in the surroundings, rummaged through the forest, and even entered the Northwood Duke’s residence without being caught.
However, she still hadn’t pinpointed the exact location of the treasure. She had gathered some rough coordinates through various equipment brought from the Papal State, but she couldn’t search all of them.
And just thinking of that ‘equipment’ made Verity’s spine tingle.
The best way to find the treasure was to search with another piece that had been similarly crafted. Since they were all fragments that had broken off from one piece, if they matched, it would be possible to identify their locations based on their responsiveness.
…I wonder if the collaborators can retrieve them in time?
“You seem to be deep in thought.”
A high-pitched and annoying voice interrupted her musings. The tone felt mocking, prompting Verity to glare at her opponent.
Her face was completely hidden behind a mask. She likely wasn’t even wearing her own hair. Her ears were hidden by her hair, and even the skin on her neck was obscured by her clothes.
She was dressed from head to toe, quite fitting for this region in a way.
“…Well, that’s true.”
In truth, the moment she laid eyes on the crown princess, she realized the operation had failed. If reports had reached the two princesses, it meant the imperial leadership was already aware.
But to think that this ostensibly empty crown princess was the one orchestrating all the princesses.
Could the emperor really ignore blood ties?
“I don’t know what kind of misunderstanding you have,” the bizarre entity, hearing the words ‘another princess,’ interrupted Verity’s continuous thoughts.
“The emperor’s successor has not yet been decided. It could be Sylvia as the empress, or it could be me. Or traditionally, one of the princes might take the seat, right?”
“……”
“I’m just here to help today. It’s a cute little sister’s request, you know? As someone who has to act like a sister, it’s hard to ignore.”
“Such a great person, Crown Princess.”
Verity bit back.
“Well, aside from that, just wanting the emperor’s seat is just from some people. But whether our father would think of placing that person on the throne is something we don’t know.”
“Would you expect him to put someone who doesn’t want to be on the throne there for the empire to function properly?”
“The empire has a council, does it not?”
“Rubbish.”
Verity scoffed.
“There’s no way a bunch of puppets of the emperor could ever act against his will.”
“It’s only because the imperial authority is strong that they are like this. If the imperial authority weakens in the future, the council might breathe easier.”
“Is the emperor? Well, if it’s the daughter claiming to be the emperor, I’m sure you know better what he thinks, but…”
Verity shrugged her shoulders nonchalantly as she spoke.
“At least, the emperor as we see it from our Papal State is certainly not that kind of person.”
“Do you believe in the Papal State’s information?”
“More than your lot’s.”
“Impressive. I thought you became a cathedral knight just to kill people, but it seems your faith is quite strong as well?”
“……”
Verity fell silent.
And she stared quietly at the kitsune-masked figure before her.
“Well, it doesn’t matter if you don’t want to speak. You’ll want to soon enough.”
“Ha.”
For the first time since entering here, Verity relaxed.
“Planning to torture me or something?”
If it’s torture, she wouldn’t mind. In fact, she had a body that could enjoy pain to some extent.
As long as she didn’t die, the Papal State could somehow fix Verity. They had the treasure.
As long as they had evidence of betrayal.
“No. We are quite gentlemanly. Or rather, should I say ‘ladylike’?”
After a boring joke, the kitsune-masked figure shrugged playfully.
“I hear a lot of speculation about the royal family; how about you just ask the one at the top of the royal family if you’re curious?”
“What—”
But before Verity could respond, the basement door swung open, and dazzling light flooded in.
Squinting her eyes upwards, she saw a figure standing in the light.
Although she couldn’t see the face clearly, she had seen that stature a few times before.
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