Chapter 3: The Labyrinthine Workings of the Church

The clamor of the people echoed throughout the room and resonated in her ears.

A series of long tables spanned the spacious dining hall as far as the eye could see. The sheer number of people sitting at them was enough to startle and slightly disturb Rosemarie, causing her to gulp.

Once it was dinnertime, Ilse came and ushered them into the dining hall, which was packed with the various attendees of the Sacred Relic Worship. The fact that she hadn’t seen any of them up until that point made her that much more nervous.

There might be even more people arriving before the ceremony five days from now.

“There sure are a lot of people here, aren’t there? Princess, will you be okay?” Heidi, who stood by Rosemarie’s side to act as her server, whispered in concern as the princess took her seat.

“I’m okay, Heidi. Yes, I’m just fine.” Rosemarie managed to smooth her expression over and nod in reply.

(Yes, I am fine, but...)

She glanced over at Claudio sitting in the seat beside her.

When they all showed up in the dining hall, the once calm atmosphere froze over in an instant. The heads of the people morphed into beasts so quickly that there was practically an audible whoosh, like a receding wave. Rosemarie, upon seeing this, clenched her chest less in fear and more in frustration.

Since they disregarded status and everyone was being treated equally, there were no designated seats. Once Ilse told Claudio that, he stationed himself all the way in the back of the dining hall, possibly out of consideration for the people around him. The dining hall as a whole was brightly lit, but the light didn’t really travel to the corner of the room. The shadows were helping out Claudio by making him look less conspicuous.

Nevertheless, impolite stares came sticking at them from all over the hall—astonishment, fear, contempt, all of it. She felt like it was puncturing a hole in her stomach.

(This might be even worse than Baltzar...) Even though Claudio’s appearance was known to the aristocrats of Baltzar and the people around the royal capital, that wasn’t how it worked in other countries. Although there was a collection of guests from different nations, there were naturally people who had never seen Claudio’s appearance before.

“Well, this is quite a fresh change of pace.”

She couldn’t tell what expression he was making, but Claudio seemed to be amused by the people staring at him and not worried about them at all, which put Rosemarie’s mind at ease.

“You being so confident and upright is helping me settle my own nerves, Prince Claudio.”

“Is that so? Don’t overwhelm yourself. You’re going pale in the face.” Claudio stroked Rosemarie’s cheek, perhaps in an attempt to help warm it up. The moment his finger brushed past her lips, she remembered that they were about to kiss before the squirrel attack. Her face flushed almost instantly.

(Huh? Wait a moment. Was everyone else in the other room?)

Heidi was most definitely there, at the very least. If Claudio had come back to the room then, then the other three had naturally followed him back; that was why things turned out to be utter pandemonium back there.

(God, I cannot show my face to the others! I need my bucket over my head—now...!)

Even if none of them saw the actual scene, the atmosphere alone probably gave them enough information. Just thinking about it was unbelievably embarrassing. With that simmering inside her, she couldn’t bring herself to turn and face Heidi, who stood right behind her.

“What’s wrong? Now your face is as red as a beet. Are you coming down with a fever?”

“It is your fault, Prince Claudio.” And, since it was, she really wished that he would take his hand off of her forehead. Everyone else’s dumbfounded stares pained her. Claudio’s gesture was so surprising that beast-headed people reverted back to human form in droves.

She looked up reproachfully at Claudio to see the corner of his mouth moving up. She could see a tiny bit of his sharp fangs, and while it seemed like a sign of intimidation, it looked more like a grin to Rosemarie. This was definitely premeditated. He knew this would happen.

She softly brushed away his hand and said, vexed, “Please, don’t poke fun at me.”

“But, I’m not poking fun at you. I’m just gauging the crowd reactions. There are people whose heads reverted to human, yes?”

“Well, yes, there are, but...”

“There are also some people who’ve changed their perception of me due to your reaction. Meaning that the unchanged have an intense sense of hostility. I want to be able to tell the two apart. So don’t get all stiff and formal; just act as you normally would.”

His idea was deeper than she had expected. It seemed that he wasn’t simply doing this for his own amusement. Knowing that to be the case, she felt obliged to cooperate.

(The way I normally would...)

How would she normally act around Claudio, anyway? After racking her brain, Rosemarie placed her hand atop of Claudio’s pair locked together atop the table.

Claudio’s shoulders jolted in surprise. He glanced at her awkwardly before hurrying to pull his hands away.

“I’m sorry. It’s something I would normally do, so...” It was something she did on the regular to stabilize his health, so what warranted the reaction he was giving? It almost seemed as if Claudio went on the defensive if Rosemarie took initiative. She didn’t think it was a sign of distaste for her, but it had her concerned, nonetheless.

“You—” As soon as Claudio hesitantly started to open his mouth, he sensed someone standing in front of the table.

“Is this seat taken?” asked a girl with an airy voice.

Rosemarie didn’t question why someone was coming over to strike up conversation; instead, she looked over to the girl with relief. Across from where they were sitting stood a girl with strawberry blonde hair, accompanied by a girl with what appeared to be the uniform of a maid and the head of a raccoon dog.

Even though they weren’t at a dinner party, she was dressed to the nines in a blue dress with an open neckline, of a sort better suited to a gala event. However, the most shocking thing about her was that her head remained human, displaying a positively confident smile, despite the fact that she was face to face with Claudio.

Rosemarie thought that maybe her eyes had cured themselves for a second before realizing that the majority of their onlookers were still beast-headed.

“Feel free,” Claudio said warily, nodding with an air of composure. In response, the girl curtsied elegantly and took a seat.

“His Royal Highness, Prince Claudio of Baltzar, I presume? It is an honor to meet you, sir. My name is Suzette, the First Princess of Kavan.”

Suzette didn’t avert her eyes from the deformed prince for a second. On the contrary, she struck up a friendly conversation, her eyes alight. Rosemarie was even more surprised by that fact, followed by a rather unsettling sense of gloom from within herself.

While someone not showing Claudio the typical disdain should have been a more joyous occasion, Rosemarie noticed that she somehow couldn’t bring herself to rejoice over this. She squeezed her hands in her lap.

(But why can’t I? I mean, there is someone else here beside me who doesn’t care about his beast head...)

Fritz and Alto, his aides, didn’t mind it at all. And while Heidi might be startled on occasion, she didn’t look at him with a sense of fear. Nonetheless, she never gave it any thought when it came to any of them.

She managed to curl her lips into a smile, albeit still bewildered. A bowl of soup was placed in front of Claudio as he continued the conversation.

“Kavan is the iron-ore producing country, if not mistaken. Oh, yes, this is my wife, the Crown Princess of—”

“I am so honored that you know of our country. Oh, please, partake in your meal before it gets cold.” Cutting off Claudio mid-introduction, Suzette urged him to get started on his dinner. That was when Rosemarie finally realized that this girl had not made eye contact with her even once.

(Is she ignoring me...? Have I done something to offend her? I certainly don’t remember ever being acquainted.)

Unlikely, considering she was always shut away in her villa back in Volland. Also, she’d been present at only two galas in Baltzar with visiting royalty—one following her wedding, and one when the Crown Prince and Princess of Rivera made their visit.

“I was not able to attend the evening gala for your birthday celebration, Prince Claudio, so I have been looking forward to having a chance to meet you at long last. I found myself so impatient, in fact, that I ended up rushing to arrive here...” Suzette’s cheeks flushed a shade of red. She was referring to the evening gala for Claudio’s birthday ceremony—or rather, his bride-selection ceremony. It was also where Rosemarie reunited with Claudio. Considering that gala targeted unengaged daughters of noblemen and princesses, Suzette’s absence from it most likely meant she herself was engaged.

(Though, the majority of people at that gala had beast heads on their shoulders...)

They all hated the idea of Claudio falling in love with them at first sight that much. However, when Suzette mentioned wanting to attend the evening gala and meet Claudio, her face was quite human. It was strange for her to show fondness for a man who had a deformed head, let alone a man who was a stranger to her. But she was clearly being honest. If that were the case here, then it was no surprise that she would be jealous of Rosemarie. Rosemarie also couldn’t blame the girl for ignoring her with disinterest, given the facts.

That was when it hit her.

Disinterest.

That was the exact emotion that Rosemarie had been holding toward Suzette just a second ago. It wasn’t a matter of her not being able to rejoice, it was a matter of her being disinterested in a girl other than herself getting friendly with Claudio.

(Huh? Am I being jealous?)

The thought of Claudio opening himself up to this princess, who addressed him with a smile in spite of his beast face, put her on pins and needles.

Her eyes suddenly stopped at Claudio’s hand holding his spoon. Imagining that large hand that she touched not even a moment ago touching the cheek of another girl, bringing her close and exchanging a kiss—that mental image was absolutely agonizing, to say the least.

(Is this jealousy? I love Claudio, so I don’t want him taken away—)

Feeling stifled, she grabbed at her chest.

“Rosemarie? Are you under the weather?” Claudio’s concerned question rang through Rosemarie’s ears.

“Eek! No, it isn’t right!” She rose to her feet—and, in the process, slammed against the table. A goblet of wine toppled and spilled over, staining Rosemarie’s skirt.

“Oh... I-I’m so sorry. Actually, I’m not feeling so well, so I am going to take my leave early.” Completely flustered and talking a mile a minute, Rosemarie tried to leave the hall, but Claudio grabbed her arm before she could.

“Wait, I’ll leave with you. I’m worried about you collapsing halfway there.”

“No, um...! Thank you very much... for that.” She tried to shake off his hand and make her escape, but she remembered where she was and constrained herself to a simple reply.

“Princess Suzette, I hate to interrupt our conversation, but my wife has come down with something and we will have to take our leave. Please, enjoy the rest of your meal.” Claudio held on to Rosemarie’s shoulders for support and turned around, not even waiting for Suzette to reply.

Being practically pushed along, Rosemarie felt an intense glare focused on her and slowly turned her head around. Upon which, she was met with Suzette, her head now that of a long-haired dirty blonde dog, and her killer glare. Rosemarie quickly faced front in a panic.

(S-Scary... I’m sorry. It wasn’t on purpose!)

As she left the dining hall while mentally apologizing, Ilse quickly came up to them out of nowhere.

“Was the rabbit soup not to your liking?”

“No, my wife is simply under the weather. I hate to ask, but could you bring our meal to our room?” Ilse responded to the request with an emotionless nod, and Claudio sped past and out of the dining hall. Although Alto, who was waiting near the door, was surprised at the pair taking such an early leave, he silently followed them.

Fritz had yet to return from his given task. As for Edeltraud, they simply said they were doing some “investigation” before heading off to parts unknown.

Claudio remained silent for some time, but once the coast was clear, he clicked his tongue loudly.

“I swear, what was that woman’s problem? She didn’t even properly introduce herself.”

“Huh? I believe she did, though...”

“To me, she did. However, not only did she not say a word to you, she effectively tried to pretend you weren’t even there. No matter how much of a distaste she has for you, that is no way to behave, given the setting,” Claudio complained, clearly displeased, while Rosemarie covered her face with both hands.

Apparently, the reason why Claudio followed Rosemarie and excused himself early was because he disliked the way that girl was treating her.

While a part of her thought that she couldn’t blame Suzette for her attitude, another part of her couldn’t help but be pleased with the turn of events, which made her feel a bit guilty.

“—By the way, you said something ‘wasn’t right’ back there. What wasn’t?” Claudio’s hands on her shoulders tightened ever so slightly, meaning he probably felt it when she tensed them with a slight start.

“N-N-Nothing at all!”

“If it were nothing, you wouldn’t be stuttering so badly—nor would you be blushing right now.” Naturally, Claudio figured out that she was perturbed. Rosemarie spun her gears, trying to find something she could say to smooth things over. There was no way that she could be forthright and say what she meant. In fact, she knew she shouldn’t.

“Um, well, what was wrong was wrong, which was wrong of me to say!”

“...You know, when you panic, you tend to blurt out the most incomprehensible yet comprehensible things.”

She shut her mouth with a gulp. Now that he mentioned it, he probably had a point. She took a tiny breath, regaining her composure after having that unknown facet of herself pointed out to her.

“It is nothing, honestly. I was just thinking to myself and startled myself...” She wasn’t telling a lie; she just wasn’t telling the whole story.

Claudio looked down at her with doubtful eyes, but he sighed and let go of her shoulders, perhaps knowing that he wasn’t going to get her to talk.

A chill ran down her shoulders the second he let go.

(Prince Claudio simply made me the crown princess in order to return his mana, which I stole from him. And I only married him because he had a human face in a sea of beast heads. I’m sure that Prince Claudio knows that, as well. Even if I am in love with him—)

She wasn’t even qualified to utter those words.

Rosemarie softly touched her shoulder, looking at Claudio walking a small distance in front of her.

***

“Hey... I thought I told you to put that bucket away in the storage trunk. Why have you pulled it back out?” Claudio asked, sighing deeply with arms folded. Rosemarie, bucket in hand, awkwardly turned her eyes away.

“I’m sorry. I just needed something to even out my nerves a bit. After all, I gave my Kaola pendant to that squirrel.” Heidi was taking the critter to the servants’ quarters right now, so she felt insecure.

“It will only be for a second, so please let me put it o—”

“No, don’t put it on. I can only think that something terrible will happen.” He tried to pull the bucket from Rosemarie’s arms, but she clung to it for dear life.

(No, sleeping in the same bedroom is too much for me to handle!)

After she excused herself from the dining hall and returned to her room, Adelina brought her dinner upon Ilse’s request. She ate and took a bath after—all of which was perfectly fine.

However, since there was so much occupying her focus over the course of the day, she failed to realize something—there was only one bedroom prepared. Whatever the truth may have been, they were officially a married couple, so it should have been no surprise that they would be put up in the same bedroom.

As soon as Rosemarie realized that she had romantic feelings for Claudio, she was hit with this. It made her so nervous she doubted she could get to sleep.

“Why are you so against sleeping in the same room now? We’ve done this a few times by now, haven’t we? And you were fine back then, weren’t you?”

“I-I’m not particularly against it, per se... Also, one of those times, I was wearing my bucket in bed.”

“—I’m really starting to loathe inanimate objects,” Claudio murmured, running a hand through his mane. He proceeded to grab a pillow and turn toward the exit.

“Fine. I’ll sleep in the lounge.”

“No, you mustn’t. You are bound to catch a cold at this time of the year. I will sleep in the lounge. If I sleep with Momo, then I will not be cold.”

“Momo...? Did you name the flying squirrel, the momonga, Momo? Wait a blasted second. I’m warmer than some small woodland creature,” exclaimed Claudio, igniting an unexpected rivalry against the squirrel. Even so, Rosemarie kept her head still, not nodding in confirmation. Was Claudio telling her to go to sleep holding on to him? That would be simply outrageous.

“—Okay, fine. I get it. You can hug your bucket, but don’t wear it. That’s how far I’m willing to compromise.” Claudio reluctantly gave in, so Rosemarie had no other choice but to nod in confirmation.

She climbed into bed, clutching her bucket. Claudio dimmed the lights before he also got into bed from the opposite side.

Almost as if the squabble they were just having never happened, the room fell completely silent, a fact that was causing Rosemarie to get more and more nervous. Even with her back facing Claudio, she was oddly conscious of even the tiniest rustle that he would make.

“F-Father Fritz still hasn’t made his return, has he? I wonder if something has happened.” The silence was proving unbearable, so Rosemarie attempted to start a conversation.

“Don’t worry.” Claudio’s response was calm. “He is highly resourceful, so he’ll likely make do even if a problem does arise.”

“I also wonder when the previous guardsman will show themselves.”

“Who really knows? But they will appear at the Worship ceremony. Master Edel said they would search until then.”

“If there’s anything I could do, then—”

“Rosemarie.”

“Yes?”

“Go to sleep.” His voice was firm as he told her that, causing Rosemarie’s shoulders to jump.

She might have been getting a little annoying.

Pursing her lips, she clutched her bucket. As she tried to calm her nerve-stricken pulse to a manageable level, she shut her eyes tight.

Maybe it was because she was tired, but just before the sandman whisked her away into slumberland, she could have sworn she heard that same sound—the howl of the wind which sounded more like the howl of a beast.

***

Ka-shunk went the sound of metal hitting on the floor, causing Claudio’s eyes to spring open from his rather light sleep.

(What was that sound?)

He kept his ears peeled, but suddenly noticed that Rosemarie was no longer lying down behind him.

“Rosemarie?”

She seemed to be quite nervous right before going to bed, so he figured that she would have some trouble sleeping. As it turned out, she really was quite tired. Rosemarie went to sleep surprisingly easily. He was at a loss. Not only was he underwhelmed by that, but he was also sulky that he couldn’t even get her to notice him.

Thinking that she went to the washroom, Claudio turned around only to be met with surprise.

There was Rosemarie, out of bed and approaching the door with staggering, unsteady steps. He also pieced together that the metallic sound he’d heard a second ago was the sound of her bucket, her so-called extension of herself, dropping to the floor. So far, so good. He was able to follow that much.

However, even though the air was held by autumn’s icy grip even while indoors, she went without a robe, and he could see the nape of her white neck from the collar of her thin nightgown. Her head was pointed up toward the ceiling and her eyes were still shut tight behind her thin eyelids. She was clearly asleep, yet her legs were carrying her out the door.

(Is she sleepwalking?)

There was that time when she woke up from her carriage nap and called him a human-faced lion, so he wouldn’t put it past her to do something like this.

Claudio reluctantly got up, grabbed a robe, and walked over to Rosemarie’s side.

“Where are you going?” He went to put the robe around her slender shoulders and stop her. Unfortunately, she didn’t awaken. She shook off Claudio’s hand and grabbed the doorknob.

“Hey, open your eyes and wake up.” He shook her shoulders with a little force as if trying to shake off his raised suspicions. However, all it did was cause her head to rock limply back and forth; her eyes weren’t opening. Not only that, but she was trying to slip free from Claudio’s arms.

(What is this? This is bizarre.)

As he tried to hold her down while she writhed around with unladylike strength, he contemplated calling Edeltraud—that was when it happened.

“...lling. It’s calling. I have to go. I have to go. It’s calling, I have to go, I have to go, I have to go, it’s crying, I have to go.”

Rosemarie deliriously repeated the same few words strung together in a faint voice. Claudio was gripped with horror, but kept a tight hold on her, regardless.

Rosemarie scratched at him in her frenzy as if demanding he let her go. He was bleeding, but he couldn’t let himself be concerned with that now.

“No one is calling you. It’s your imagination. You’re right here. You’re by my side.”

“It’s crying, it’s calling, I have to go, it’s crying, return what’s important, it’s calling—”

“Rosemarie!” He yelled her name in her ear, causing her body to twitch and shiver violently until she eventually went limp and sank into his arms.

Without a moment’s repose, there was a noise from the lounge followed by Alto rushing inside, almost busting the bedroom door down.

“Intruders, sir?!” Alto scanned the room with a grim expression, but Claudio spoke up with an immense sense of displeasure.

“No. I wish it were an intruder. Rosemarie is acting crazy.”

“Whatever has happened to the princess?!” Heidi, who came from behind Alto wielding a candelabra, ran into the bedroom, not even caring that the shawl she was wearing over her sleepwear dropped to the floor. The squirrel sat atop her shoulder the whole time.

“I thought she was just sleepwalking, but she started going berserk, saying, ‘It’s calling me. I have to go.’”

Claudio laid Rosemarie, who was now in a state that could be considered less asleep and more legitimately unconscious, on the bed and brushed aside the strands of hair over her forehead. Her expression gave no sign that she was in anguish, which was a relief.

“What in blazes would cause the princess to act like a character out of a horror novel like that...?” Despite Heidi’s stiffened expression, she dutifully placed the blanket over her mistress. Claudio saw that the squirrel that had come with her was worriedly pacing around Rosemarie’s face, but he turned his attention back to Alto.

“Have Fritz and Master Edel come back?”

“Sir. Father Fritz returned not too long ago. He said that he would give you his report tomorrow since you were resting. Mage Edeltraud, on the other hand, has yet to—”

“I’m right here.” Slipping past Alto’s side, Edeltraud entered the room. Their normally drowsy eyes seemed to be somewhat alight for some reason.

Edeltraud walked over to the recumbent Rosemarie’s side without needing the situation explained.

“In that case, Alto, call for Fritz.”

Alto exited the bedroom per Claudio’s order. He quickly fetched Fritz and brought him back, upon which Claudio furrowed his brow.

“You rotten rector, where have you been off drinking?”

“Oh, thass jus’ cruel. I’ve been out, workin’ my tail off to draw out some information, and thass my thanks? Well, anyway, Her Royal Wifeness acting crazy what now?”

Claudio pushed the smiling, rosy-cheeked Fritz into the lounge. He glanced at Edel, who was checking on Rosemarie with a hand on her forehead; then at Heidi, who sat by her bed in concern. With an order to Alto to let him know if anything happened, he left the room.

Despite receiving no direction to sit down, Fritz sank down onto the couch carelessly. Claudio glanced at the priest, then took a rough seat on the small, single-person sofa. As he did, he threw a palm-sized leather sack down onto the table. Something hard behind the material hit the table with a thud.

“Is this the real thing?”

In her deranged state, the words “return what’s important” left Rosemarie’s mouth. The only thing in the room that might have required returning was the jewel, suspected of being the Sacred Relic.

How did Rosemarie end up like that? He could only imagine that this thing, which Edeltraud said was tinged in mana, was to blame.

Fritz took a nearby pitcher, poured some water for himself into a goblet, and took a drink from it. After which, he shut one eye and raised his hand.

“Yessiree, the real deal. We’ve hit the jackpot. Boy, this is kind of a mess, eh? I mean, the real Sacred Relic in our midst? Yikes.” He seemed jovial on the surface, but there was no smile on his face. Claudio turned over the leather sack silently, as if annoyed, and let the contents drop onto the table. The jewel seemed almost luminescent, with its vibrant deep red hue and gold shavings.

“Even getting ‘im drunk, I had a hard time gettin’ ‘im to spill it; I gotta work on my technique, y’know. ...So, anyway, as for that Sacred Relic we’ve got here...” Fritz combed back his hair, fixed his drunken tone, and gave Claudio a sharp, keen look.

“It was apparently stolen in the commotion of that rat carcass incident yesterday morning.”

“Where is it normally enshrined?”

“Directly below the saint’s chapel. You saw that Hippocampus statue there, right? It’s enshrined underneath the pedestal, under lock and key. Incidentally, the only person with said key is His Eminence the Cardinal.”

He recalled the Chapel of Saint Kamil. Just as Fritz said, there was a Hippocampus statue kneeling at the feet of the statue of the saint. As far as pedestals went, it was quite thick and heavy. It made him wonder how the bottom of something like that would even open.

“As for the key? Well, I was told it never went missing even once. Apparently, His Eminence the Cardinal is always carrying it on his person, and he has never lent it out to anyone.”

“And in spite of all that, the Sacred Relic goes missing, eh? And it ends up here, for seemingly no reason.”

“It all sounds pretty funny, doesn’t it?”

Yes, it was pretty funny—and not in the laugh-out-loud way.

Claudio folded his arms and spun his gears in thought. Fritz clanked his goblet on the table after finishing his drink of water. Seeing that, something sprang to Claudio’s mind.

“Speaking of which, it seems that, earlier in the day, the chambermaid brought some water purified by the Sacred Relic called ‘lustral holy water’... But was that just normal water? The Sacred Relic was stolen yesterday, wasn’t it?”

“No, I think that’s holy water. They purify it every day, but they add it to water jugs so that it doesn’t run out. Actually... are you saying that the holy water is the cause behind Her Royal Wifeness’s strange behavior?”

“Perhaps. If there are traces of mana in the holy water, then there’s a chance of that holy water might’ve been altered... At the very least, I haven’t drunk it. Mostly because it was spilt when that squirrel ran amok. Although, I’m not sure about Rosemarie. She did say that she was going to wait for me to come back before she drank of it, but...” It would have been a hassle getting a second serving, nor did it seem to be essential, so he ended up not drinking a drop.

“There’s a chance she might’ve tasted it... is what you mean? Hmm, not too sure if there’s any correlation, though. After all, I never drank the holy water back when I was in the Holy Land.”

Those words caught Claudio’s ears, and he stopped his hand just as it was going to pick up the Sacred Relic from the table.

“You didn’t drink it?”

“Nope, not a drop. I just sprinkled it on the foreheads of the people who came for the Worship. Apparently, they only started letting you drink it in the past year.”

“The past year...? That makes me wonder what happened a year ago.” There must have been something that sparked the idea of drinking something they’d never drunk before. Claudio contemplated this for a bit, but the extreme lack of information made it hard to figure anything out.

“At any rate, it’s hard to say what is actually correlated. But, just to be sure, would you mind looking into what might’ve happened a year prior?”

“Yessir, yessir. Your wish is my command. So, what’s the plan for the Sacred Relic? Do you still plan on keeping it on your person, Your Highness? Or maybe you’re going to return it right away? Personally, I do think that, even if you can’t return it to its original spot, someone will find it if you just leave it somewhere around the altar when nobody’s looking.” As Fritz circled his finger around the rim of the empty goblet, Claudio slowly picked up the Sacred Relic.

“I’ll keep it on me. If Rosemarie has another fit and this proves to be essential, getting it back into our possession won’t be an easy task.” If he were to return it, it would undoubtedly be kept under strict security this time around. And if that happened, it would be an arduous process to take it back out.

“That leaves us with ‘what’ was calling Rosemarie and ‘what’ was telling her to return this. I wouldn’t like to think that it’s the statue of the saint, but...” He gripped the Sacred Relic and looked at the door to the bedroom. Unless they pinpointed the cause, the same situation was likely to happen again in the near future. They still had four days until the Sacred Relic Worship, and chances were that this might take a physical toll on Rosemarie.

“That would be Master Edel’s area of expertise. The mystic arts seem to be heavily afoot here.”

“Yes, quite right. I appreciate you getting all this information for me. I’m not what you’d call ‘inconspicuous,’ by any means. Puts a damper on any investigation I can do, too. As for you, go and get some rest. Get a fresh start for tomorrow.”

“As you command. After all, as long as you come through when it really matters, it’s fine. Well, then, since you insist, I’ll be excusing myself. Poor Royal Wifeness. It’s really tough being constantly mired by misfortune.”

Fritz seemed jovial as he rose from his seat; but then he glanced a Rosemarie’s bedroom, gave a melancholy sigh, and turned himself around.

Claudio then questioned him with his back turned. “Do you think the perpetrator who hid the Sacred Relic knew that this would happen?”

“Maybe. Though, I think the Sacred Relic being found in your room would be enough on its own to deal you a sufficient blow. If they were to have that much figured out, they might be holding a sizable grudge,” Fritz said, shrugging his shoulders before making his exit. Claudio then went to open the bedroom door.

The sight of Rosemarie sleeping atop the bed as though dead, surrounded by Edeltraud and Heidi, made Claudio draw in his lips.

“A grudge, huh?” If that were indeed the case, who was it meant for?

Himself? The nation of Baltzar as a whole? Or, perhaps...

(I wouldn’t think that someone would begrudge Rosemarie that much, but...) The Princess of Kavan whom he met in the dining hall? He knew that she was jealous of Rosemarie, but it seemed very unlikely that she would know that much and set something like this up.

(Well, if she is the one behind this, she is not getting off lightly, that is for sure.)

Claudio stepped into the bedroom, realizing that the corner of his mouth had curled into a ferocious grin.

***

Whatever was rustling on her forehead tickled, causing Rosemarie to faintly open her eyes. Her surroundings were cast in a thin darkness.

The question of where she was came to mind, but she soon remembered that she was staying in the underground church in the Holy Land. Since there was little sunlight in the room, she couldn’t tell if it was morning or night.

Her eyes wandered around listlessly until a palm-sized bundle of fur jumped into view.

“Momo...?”

Huddled up fast asleep next to Rosemarie’s face, instead of in Heidi’s care where she thought she’d left it, was the squirrel. What was it doing here?

“Awake?”

Claudio’s voice sounded suddenly from behind her. Her shoulders jumped at the unexpected proximity of the voice. A moment later, she realized that Claudio had his arms wrapped around her from behind.

“...Erm, um, i-if you don’t mind me asking, how did we end up like this? Oh, maybe I was half-asleep and danced around with my bucket—”

“If something that humorous had happened, I would be having a hearty chuckle over it, but... I assume you don’t remember what happened yesterday?”

“Huh?” She gave a confused set of blinks as she tried thinking back on yesterday’s events.

Yesterday, after arguing over sleeping in the same room with Claudio, they ended up sleeping next to one another. She was nervous, but she remembered that her overall fatigue assisted her in falling straight to sleep. Was there something else that happened aside from all that?

“You don’t remember, do you? Well, what to do now...”

Not only was she bewildered by his hesitant tone, but she was also getting concerned that she might have accidentally done something at the same time.

“Um, could you possibly tell me what happened? I don’t like being kept uninformed.” Sure enough, she was afraid of having caused a critical error and being kept in the dark about it.

The arms wrapped around her stomach pulled her even closer, causing Rosemarie to tense up.

“It’s not a pleasant tale.” His tone was serious, with a hint of concern in the mix. On one hand, that pleased her; on the other, it made her afraid to listen.

“Yesterday, you started sleepwalking. What’s worse, you were having a fit, saying that someone was calling.”

A lump formed in her throat. She didn’t have any recollection of that. Being told that she did something that she has no memory of physically doing made her go pale almost instantly.

“—I don’t remember. I was in such a deep sleep I don’t even recollect dreaming. I can’t believe that I...”

She knew that Claudio wasn’t lying to her, but it was hard to believe right away. She lowered her eyes contemplatively, as she suddenly noticed the several red marks lining Claudio’s arms, wrapped around her waist.

“These are... scratch marks, aren’t they? Did... I do this?” She ran trembling fingers over the scratches. When she did, Claudio clicked his tongue and grabbed her hand to stop her.

“They’re not serious injuries. Don’t worry; they’ll heal in no time. Anyway, are you okay?”

A sense of guilt was crushing her heart. She really did have a deranged fit. That was why he was holding onto her: so she wouldn’t lash out again.

The information suddenly thrust upon her—that she’d done something she had no memory of—summoned a sense of uneasiness that made her weak in the knees.

(I’m scared... but... Now isn’t the time to be saying that I am. If we don’t act wisely, Prince Claudio will be put in danger with me as the cause once again. I need to ask for details.)

Putting a lid on her desire to weep openly, she forced a smile and squeezed Claudio’s hand in return.

“I’m fine! But... do you know what the cause of my episode was? You are so special to me that I do not wish to cause you any more injury, Prince Claudio.” She desperately tried to keep her composure—making sure she wasn’t choked by tears, making sure that she didn’t tremble.

There was silence. Afterward, she felt a gentle warmth on the top of her head.

Rosemarie looked up, clueless as to what Claudio was doing, to find her vision buried in a field of silvery-white. Her eyes widened.

Those soft beastlike hairs touched her lips.

Once she realized that Claudio had leaned over from behind and was covering her lips with his, Rosemarie found herself pushing Claudio’s chin away with both hands.

“Wait a... h-hold on just a minute...!” Her face was immediately flushed, her fear from before suddenly gone by the wayside. A kiss out of nowhere was bad for her heart—extremely bad—and she wished he had given her a little bit more time to mentally prepare herself.

(He never goes for a sudden approach normally. Did I say something that touched a nerve? Oh, maybe this is payback for causing him harm?)

Her agonizingly bashful thoughts led her to that conclusion, and she tried hard to convince herself that that was the case. But once she did, she noticed Claudio’s chin had become unexpectedly smooth in her hands.

Suspicious, Rosemarie looked at him. Her mouth went agape.

“Rosemarie... let me go,” Claudio said in a struggling voice, snapping the girl back to her senses. Rosemarie let go of his chin, got up, and took a look at Claudio from the front for confirmation—what she saw shocked her.

“...Your face looks human,” she murmured under her breath, unable to process what was going on. Claudio’s eyes widened in response.

“Are you certain? Don’t tell me... that last kiss helped revert it...?” Claudio rose and tried to reach out for her, but Rosemarie bent backward to dodge his hand out of reflex. Much to her dismay, however, she bent back too far, causing her arms on the bed to slip from under her.

“—Ah!”

“Watch out!” Claudio yanked her arm and pulled her to him. She avoided falling to the cold floor below, but—almost as a trade-off—her pulse went wild.

“For God’s sake, what are you doing?” Claudio’s relieved voice rang in her ears. She knew that this giddiness she felt was causing her head to spin.

“...Please, let me go.” Her voice was so unexpectedly feeble that even she thought it was pathetic. Claudio slowly backed himself away from her, but he kept ahold of her arms.

“Why are you trying to avoid me? Did you hate kissing just now? I’m sorry for being so abrupt with it. I apologize, so please improve your mood.”

“No, that isn’t it. It wasn’t that I hated it... In any case, please, just give me a little space to myself.”

Rosemarie found herself unable to look at Claudio’s face more so than usual. Before she realized her romantic feelings for him, this bashfulness wouldn’t drag out for so long, either. And now that his face was back to human form and his expressions were easier to comprehend, it made it even worse.

He squeezed her arm for a second, but silently released it before long.

“—Okay.” As soon as Claudio said that, she could feel him getting out of the bed.

“I still haven’t finished talking about what happened yesterday. Once you get yourself dressed, come to the lounge,” Claudio informed her indifferently and exited the bedroom.

As soon as he was gone, Rosemarie buried her face in her pillow. Perhaps the squirrel curled up right next to her finally woke up from the impact, but it snuggled itself up against her head. She didn’t know when she had it returned to her, but the Kaola pendant was around her neck and its sweet aroma wafted through the air, bringing her to the brink of tears.

“...I’ve upset him.”

Although she couldn’t help but feel embarrassed, she probably could have been a little bit more couth with her phrasing. She wouldn’t be surprised if Claudio was fed up with her because of what just happened.

Finding herself in a self-deprecating rut, she got up to search for her bucket to stabilize her mood. Just as she did, the door opened.

“Good morning, princess! How are we feeling?” Heidi entered the room with a chipper greeting, but as Rosemarie looked at her, her lips trembled.

“...I feel like I want to wear my bucket.”

“Very well, milady. I’m just going to go wring Prince Claudio’s neck; be back in a jiffy!” Heidi said, her head suddenly changing into that of a black cat along with her dreadful threat. The maid turned on her heel toward the exit, but Rosemarie scrambled to cling to her arm before she could go.

***

The girl’s crimson lips flapped like the wings of a butterfly.

“Oh my, is that so? So, what happened then? Tee hee hee, surely you jest, good sir. Oh, that reminds me, Prince Claudio—”

Sitting next to Claudio and chatting while exchanging casual laughs was the Princess of Kavan, Suzette.

(She sure can work a conversation... How can she manage speaking like that?)

Rosemarie thought, putting aside her jealousy to be impressed as she sat in the seat across from Claudio. She wasn’t able to get a word in edgewise.

And she couldn’t turn around as she felt the anger brimming from Heidi behind her.

Perhaps as a result of people oversleeping, the dining hall that morning was less populated than it was during last night’s dinner. Nevertheless, it was still quite boisterous.

Suzette came along later than Claudio’s party. Upon seeing that Rosemarie wasn’t sitting next to Claudio, she took a spot next to him and started gleefully chatting away with him.

She had since regained her composure and heard the story from the obviously displeased Claudio and Edeltraud. As he had warned her beforehand, the details were not pleasant, indeed.

The jewel hidden inside the chest of drawers was the Sacred Relic, the practice of drinking holy water had only begun within the last year, and she had tried to go somewhere while sleepwalking. All the while having a fit about someone calling for her, to boot.

(Though, Master Edel said that I wasn’t under any kind of spell... And I didn’t even drink any of the holy water, either.)

Rosemarie looked at Edeltraud, who stood behind Claudio wearing their usual sleepy countenance, and let out a small sigh.

From the time Adelina the chambermaid brought the pitcher to the time the squirrel flipped it over, she hadn’t had a single drop. She was told that it might very well be the root cause of the issue, so if it wasn’t, what was actually the cause of this, as Heidi put it, “horror novel”-esque situation she found herself in?

Rosemarie pictured herself in a deranged fit and shuddered.

“Are you cold?” Claudio suddenly asked in the midst of his happy little conversation with Suzette.

“Huh?” Rosemarie blinked, dumbfounded.

“I’m asking if you’re cold because you appeared to be shivering.” Claudio was probably displeased that she answered his question with a question. She looked at his pensive face, then shook her head by way of a proper reply. Now that she no longer saw his Silver Lion head and could make out his expression clearly, she was at a loss as to whether she preferred being able to read his mood.

“No, um...”

“If you’re cold, you should head back.”

She had already finished eating her breakfast—a stewed riced porridge made with goat’s milk. Dinner was in a similar vein: the meals here were simple and fairly plain, almost like something common people would eat. This was probably a part of their rhetoric of equality and lack of a hierarchy. Just like yesterday’s rabbit soup, the porridge had a gentle and inviting taste which she was fond of.

Rosemarie, having basically been told to go away, kept herself from feeling down long enough to stand up from her seat.

“—Right, if you’ll excuse me, then.”

“Yes, be careful on the way back. Take Alto along with you.” In a display unlike last night, Claudio didn’t stand up along with Rosemarie and continued his conversation with Suzette. Edeltraud squinted a bit and nodded slightly.

She could see Suzette throwing a glance her way, her eyes narrowed ever so slightly by her triumphant smile. Suzette’s head morphed into that of a dirty blonde dog, a sight which made Rosemarie briskly leave the dining hall—less out of fear and more from just being overwhelmed.

“—Princess, are you positive you don’t want me to wring Prince Claudio’s neck?” Heidi asked once they had exited the dining hall, her voice trembling with rage as her anger turned her head into that of a black cat.

“Good maid, please. Calm yourself. While I don’t blame you for being upset over what His Highness has done... This must be some part of a deeper plan.” Alto, probably discerning Claudio’s motives based on the scene in the room, had convened with the pair at the entryway, trying—albeit awkwardly—to defuse the situation.

Nonetheless, Heidi laid the heat on Alto. “Oh, then, would you mind explaining what deep plan involves sending away the princess, his wife, because she’s interrupting his chat with the princess of another nation?”

“Uh, well, I can’t quite say that myself...” Alto stammered back, befuddled.

Heidi was brimming with anger, so Rosemarie tried to quell her rage the best she could. “Heidi, I really don’t mind, so let us return.” While thankful for Heidi being angry on her behalf, Rosemarie urged her trusted maid to come along. Reluctantly, Heidi started walking.

Just then the caretaker, Ilse, came up to them. Today, his head was that of a gray bird, a sight that made her flinch a bit. “Are you returning to your room? Will you be all right navigating your way there?”

Rosemarie turned to Heidi and Alto, who both nodded in response.

“—Yes. Yes, I will. I think we will be able to manage.” Once she had conveyed that to Ilse, the bishop gave a short bow and prepared to walk away. That was, however, until a thought sprung to mind and she called out to the back of his head.

“—Um, pardon, Bishop Lancel? Are you busy at the moment?”

“No, taking care of my guests takes priority over my daily duties. How can I be of service?” His bird eyes were darting around in his head. Although she was secretly freaked out by that, Rosemarie opened her mouth.

“I was hoping that you’d escort me to the saint’s chapel. I’d like to say a prayer, you see...” She wanted to clear her mind and get herself out of this slump. Even if Claudio did hate her, at worst he’d just go back to being crabby like he was when they first got to know each other. It wouldn’t end up hurting her. That was what she wanted to tell herself.

“Very well, then. Allow me to show you the way.” His tone was cool and indifferent, but Ilse acquiesced to her request. She then followed him to the chapel.

Another day of the chapel being positively barren. According to Ilse, once the morning worship concluded, everyone was usually too preoccupied with preparing breakfast and other such random matters, so almost no one ever came around this time. Also, apparently, the chapel was open for the public at noon.

In similar fashion to yesterday, she proceeded to the altar with Heidi, clasped her hands, and offered a prayer. As she did, the aroma of Kaola wafted through the air. Her chest tightened.

(This is no time to be depressed. If he hates me, I can return to Volland after returning his mana. I should be happy.)

That seemed extremely idealistic. Claudio would probably have no qualms about letting her go back to Volland.

Feeling a tiny bit better, she slowly rose to her feet.

Rosemarie looked up at the altar once more and admired the brilliant sculptures—that was when it happened.

It was the statue of the Hippocampus kneeling below the statue of the saint. Between the crack of the folded limbs and the pedestal, she could see what appeared to be brown animal hair. Had that been there yesterday?

“Um, Bishop Lancel?” Rosemarie turned to Ilse. “Is there supposed to be a rug of animal fur spread below the Hippocampus?”

“Animal fur? No, there shouldn’t be,” the bishop replied, his tone unusually perplexed. Ilse approached it, cocking his avian head.

“Who would shove this into here...?” Ilse said, but cut himself off as he went around the altar and pulled out the fur.

“Is something the matte—”

“Don’t look!”

Rosemarie curiously tried peeking at what Ilse was holding, but he pushed her shoulders away with a sharp command.

“Princess!” Her body staggered in surprise, but Heidi, standing behind her, hurried to catch her. Alto, who was standing at the entry as on the first day, quickly rushed over.

“Bishop Lancel! What in blazes are you... grk?!” Alto questioned, standing as if to shield Rosemarie, but it wasn’t long before she saw his back trembling. That same back blocked her view of whatever was in Ilse’s hands.

“Squire, return Princess Rosemarie to her room. I shall inform Prince Claudio about this matter.”

“Yes, of course. Your Highness, let us go.”

It must had been something they didn’t want to show her. Alto utilized his height to keep Ilse, still behind them, from view. It was only serving to contribute to her fear. Rosemarie went to hold Heidi’s hand after the maid helped her regain her balance. This all gave off an odious vibe.

If memory served, this was the same chapel where that rat had been left—the one killed in that horribly sadistic manner.

“Um, Squire Clausen, what was...” Rosemarie started to timidly ask, squeezing her clammy hands. Alto, who had urged them to walk along, hesitantly looked behind him before facing them.

“—A rabbit. The same as that rat.” His phrasing was vague but had enough information to infer from.

“P-Princess...” Heidi was taken aback, and Rosemarie was also at a loss for words.

The same as the rat. Did that mean that rabbit was missing both its eyes as well?

She felt herself shivering from her very core. It was no wonder why Ilse hurried to push her out of the way.

“Staying here might be dangerous. Let us return to the room.” Alto pressed the possibility of someone planning an ambush, and Rosemarie complied. She started to move her legs, but turned around.

“Um, the rabbit will need to be buried...”

“We shall give it a proper burial. Put your mind at ease, Princess Rosemarie.” Ilse reassured her. His head had returned to human form, his expression still the picture of tranquility as he held the thing bundled in his shawl. Knowing he would give it a proper burial filled her with a sense of relief.

Nodding in reply, Rosemarie started walking with Heidi leading her by the hand.

Once they made the hurried trek back to the room they were staying in, Alto tried opening the door, but suddenly stopped moving with a grim face.

“Squire Clausen? Is there something the—” Rosemarie questioned, but Alto put his index finger in front of his lips to silence her.

Just as she pursed her lips and swallowed her words, the sound of something knocking echoed from inside the room.

(Is someone inside?)

There was no possible way that Claudio could have returned faster than they did. She hadn’t spotted Fritz since morning, but he was on assignment from Claudio to do some investigation, so he wouldn’t be back so soon.

Alto signaled for them to fall back. She and Heidi slowly moved themselves away from the door.

One he saw that they were clear, Alto carefully opened the door a crack and—

“Eeeeeek!!” A female shriek rang out from inside.

Alto swung the door open. —Then, after a pause, a massive amount of white furballs came spilling out from inside like an avalanche. Alto’s legs were caught up in it, and he was swallowed up in the blink of an eye.

“Squire Clausen!”

Upon closer inspection, the furballs had round eyes, soft fur lining their backs, and a membrane stretching from their front paws to their back—all of which was indicative of flying squirrels.

“—! Is this Mage Edeltraud’s idea of a joke?!” Alto’s head turned into that of a deer in a rare display of anger as he waded his way out of the sea of flying squirrels.

“Um, well, it’s a consideration so that no one gets hurt... I believe.”

“But don’t you think this is too many squirrels, Princess? An unsettling number of squirrels?” Rosemarie’s face tensed up along with Heidi’s as she suddenly caught sight of a young girl within the room entangled by dozens of flying squirrels. She stared, bewildered, finding it hard to believe.

“Why, you! What is going on?! Don’t climb up me! Stay away from me!”

“Adelina...!”

The young chambermaid was brushing off the squirrels that were scurrying up her like mad. Her shoulders jumped at Rosemarie’s call and she looked her way. Her head was that of a short-haired weasel.

“Oh, milady! I apologize! I came in to clean and this happened...” Adelina had mentioned coming in to clean when they first met, so her presence was unsurprising. In fact, she was probably trying to finish things up while Rosemarie and her party weren’t around.

However...

Once Rosemarie stepped foot inside the room, the massive wave of squirrels instantly diminished until only one remained. The flying squirrel with the flower emblem darted across the floor, ran up Rosemarie’s body, and perched on her shoulder.

“I appreciate you saving me, milady.” Probably out of relief, Adelina’s head reverted to human form. Rosemarie approached her, noticing that the elegant chest of drawers was slightly damaged.

“Adelina.”

“Yes, what is it?” The young chambermaid replied promptly, almost as soon as she was addressed. She was holding a cleaning bucket, its bottom slightly dented, in one hand.

“We have something very important in the chest of drawers, so Prince Claudio cast a spell on it so that it won’t open. Also, if you try to force it open, it will make it so that the traces are evident.”

Accurately speaking, Edeltraud was the one who cast the spell, but that wasn’t pertinent. She didn’t know in what manner it would manifest, but she’d never have guessed it would be an illusory flood of flying squirrels. It was hard to tell what the intention was behind it—were they meant to attack the interloper, or melt their heart?

The drawer didn’t have a lock, so anyone could open it if they tried. But since it was set up to keep it from opening, the greater the value of the item within, the more desperate the person trying to open the drawer would become. However, the drawer was empty because the Sacred Relic was on Claudio’s person.

Alto caught on to the situation, quickly shutting the door and standing guard in front of it.

“—Why did you try to open it?”

“I did not try to open it. I was cleaning and knocked the chest over, and I worried that the drawer might be broken, so I panicked... I am very sorry for the misunderstanding!” Adelina said with a wry smile, her head morphing back into the weasel head with the short orange fur.

(She’s... lying.)

The fact that Rosemarie saw similarities between her own younger sister and the maid made the sight of the animal head all the more disappointing. Rosemarie approached her, still disappointed, and took the cleaning bucket from her hand.

“Milady! What are you doing...?”

“The scratches on the chest of drawers and the dents on the bottom of this bucket line up. Were you whacking at it, by any chance? Why would you do that?”

They had heard the sound of something getting hit before they entered the room. This might have been the source of that.

Adelina stepped back in fear.

“You tried to open it, didn’t you? You knew what was inside of it.”

“I just... I wouldn’t... No, that isn’t what I...”

“Adelina, I’m asking you nicely, so answer me. Why did you hide the Sacred Relic in this chest of drawers...?” Rosemarie practically pleaded with her for an answer, prompting the girl to tremble all over.

The chambermaid dropped limply to her knees and hung her head. Her tiny back was trembling in minute waves. Worried that she had pushed her too far, Rosemarie placed her hand on it.

“Adelina, let me...”

Her shoulders went from slight shivering to huge shakes. Her weasel head snapped up, facing the ceiling.

“Ahahaha! This is all that deformed prince’s fault. He stole our home away from us!” Adelina shouted with a deranged laugh. The sight made Rosemarie pull her hand back and look on in shock.

“Prince Claudio... stole your home...?”

“That’s right. If that deformed prince hadn’t arrested the Archbishop, our orphanage wouldn’t have been shut down. None of us would have gone missing, either. All of this, absolutely all of this, is that beast’s fault...!” She looked at Rosemarie with her bloodshot and dilated eyes, making the princess take a step back. The squirrel upon her shoulder gave off a protective growl.

“I hope he gets executed for stealing the Sacred Relic. Yes, I hope the cretin dies. Die and repent, die, die, die—” Clearly having lost her sanity, she mumbled a string of resentful words from her weasel mouth as she rocked her head back and forth. Even so, despite that, there was a sense of bitter pathos from her voice that broke Rosemarie’s heart.

“Princess!”

“Your Highness!”

“Rosemarie!”

She heard both Heidi and Alto cry out in panic. And she wasn’t sure if she was hearing things, but she felt like she heard Claudio’s voice in the mix as well. Before she realized, she had Adelina’s slender body in a full-bodied embrace.

Adelina’s body was shaking tremendously. She twisted her body as if writhing in pain.

“Let me go, let me go, let me gooo!!” She kept her desperate embrace tight despite the girl’s crazed fit and was met with a mysterious sensation—it was like something had dropped off the young girl’s body.

No sooner had her suspicions been raised than Adelina’s neck arched backward. Then, the chambermaid crumpled limply onto Rosemarie.

“...Adelina?” For a brief, terrifying moment, Rosemarie wondered if she had accidentally strangled the girl. The thought sent shivers down her spine. She rubbed the back of the now-human-headed Adelina, who regained consciousness in the bat of an eyelid.

“—Milady? What am I...” Adelina blinked, as if a dark spirit had left her body, and quickly separated herself from Rosemarie. Her face took weasel form again, and she looked behind Rosemarie fearfully.

“Asking what you’ve done is quite the question, all things considered. How much of this was of your own accord, chambermaid?” Claudio’s voice, resonating with a silent anger, made Rosemarie suddenly turn around. She didn’t know when he got back, but Claudio was there near the door, scowling and glaring at Adelina.

“You mentioned the Archbishop, no? If you mean the same Archbishop I had arrested, then you must mean the same helpless scumbag with an endless list of crimes to his name. I don’t know what misguided concept fuels your grudge, but end it now.”

“...My grudge is not misguided. You closed down the orphanage, and now all the orphans are missing. Who knows what’s happening to them now...”

In spite of the girl’s stare of contempt, Claudio returned her stare, nonchalantly and with arms folded. “By ‘closed-down orphanage,’ I assume you mean that place, the one I had investigated... If memory serves, the director of that orphanage had been funneling the state-funded operating budget and aristocratic donations to Archbishop Kastner.”

The weasel-headed Adelina stared at him, eyes widened. Her trembling hand balled itself into a fist.

“No, that can’t be. I mean, the director was a kind soul. He was always apologizing to us and blaming himself for not being able to provide us with a better life... Which is why, ever since I came to work in the Holy Land with help from the Archbishop, I had been taking my wages from serving here and...”

“And sending them back to him? I don’t know whether or not those funds made it back to the orphans. What I do know is that, according to the reports I received upon our securing the facility, all the children there were malnourished and emaciated.”

Adelina dropped to the floor, covering her mouth. Tears streamed from her brown eyes as her head remained in weasel form.

“The children of the orphanage were indeed split up, but they were placed in several orphanages run by the state or trustworthy people. That was the best I was able to do.”

“...You’re lying. That can’t be true. You’re trying to deceive me into believing you.”

“If you wish to think that, feel free to do so. However, facts are facts.” Claudio spoke his truth in an indifferent, almost cold and uncaring tone, causing even more tears to run from Adelina’s eyes.

“Adelina, if you find it hard to believe, then why don’t you try sending a letter to the new orphanages?” Rosemarie got to her knees and went to touch Adelina’s shoulder, but she shook it off.

“Don’t touch me! I can’t stand princesses like you, drunk off being ‘kind and compassionate.’ You don’t know the first thing about hardships, so keep your self-serving tripe to yourself!” Adelina suddenly stood up and tried to make a break for the door, but Claudio intercepted her.

“Let me go, you filthy beast!”

“Okay, you. How did you steal the Sacred Relic?” Claudio pressed her in a low tone. Adelina turned her cheek and committed to silence.

“Not planning on answering, huh? In that case, did you hide it knowing that it would have effects on the human body?”

“Effects on the human body...?” Adelina repeated, dubious. Figuring that she had no idea what he meant, Claudio let go of her hand. Backing up little by little, Adelina turned on her heels and started to run away.

“Don’t chase her, Alto. She isn’t going to be causing us any more problems—unless she’s foolish enough to dare.” After halting his aide from taking chase, Claudio sighed with his gaze falling upon Rosemarie.

“You’re not hurt, I take it?” he asked Rosemarie, who awkwardly nodded in reply. She then chuckled feebly.

“She... ended up hating me.”

“Don’t worry about it. She told me to die.”

She frowned at the unamusing joke, making Claudio retract his smile.

“I swear, I never would have guessed that the Archbishop’s evil influence had spread all the way out here. Just how far do the roots even go?” Claudio tensed his brow, vexed, and gestured for Rosemarie to sit down.

She parked herself on the couch. Perhaps she was more nervous than she’d thought, because she suddenly found herself hit with a dizzy spell so bad, she had to quickly put one hand on the seat to stay upright. The squirrel riding on her shoulder slid near her cheek as a result.

Heidi said that she would bring her some water and scrambled to the corner of the room.

“If you are not feeling well, then lie down. Master Edel, have a look at her, if you would.” Claudio, sitting on the single-seat sofa, turned his attention behind him. They must had come back with Claudio.

After poking their head out from the entrance, Edeltraud practically slid over to her and touched her forehead with their gloved hand. They cocked their head, bewildered, yet still expressionless.

“Very small amount, but you have traces of another mana, not Claudio’s, on you. Where did you absorb it?”

The unexpected question caught Rosemarie off guard. She stared, eyes wide. “Where...? Huh? I have no clue. I haven’t run into any sorcerers...”

“There are people with mana who aren’t sorcerers. Weren’t like this earlier this morning. Touch anyone after breakfast?”

Rosemarie, starting to feel like she was being interrogated, tried her very best to recall. It didn’t help matters that she had Claudio’s silent and painful stare on her the whole time.

(After breakfast, I ran into Bishop Lancel, but I didn’t touch him... It can’t be Heidi, nor Squire Clausen... Oh.)

There was someone. The only other person it could have been.

“Adelina...”

“Adelina? The chambermaid a second ago?” Edeltraud asked, perplexed. Rosemarie awkwardly obliged with a nod.

“Yes. When I held her in the midst of her fit, I felt something strange... It was like, I’m not entirely sure how to explain it, but it felt like her outer layer was peeling—like something covering her had come off.” Coincidentally enough, after she felt that, Adelina suddenly regained a grip on herself. She was still angry, but she, at least, wasn’t out of her senses.

“That’s the sign a spell was broken. I see now. That’s what happened.”

She timidly looked up at Edeltraud, who seemed to have already made sense of the situation... The Archmagus removed their hand from Rosemarie’s forehead and turned to face Claudio.

“Chambermaid was under a spell. Probably what made her steal Sacred Relic. Under spell that amplified grudge in her.”

“—I figured as much.” Claudio, his face sullen, put his hand to his chin contemplatively. His face looked grim; he didn’t even look Rosemarie’s way.

“Amplified her grudge...” She most likely perpetrated something so outrageous because she was under the influence of a spell. Which meant...

“So, there is a person who cast a spell on Adelina?”

“Correct. Here, in the underground cathedral where sorcerers are banned,” Claudio affirmed in a rigid tone, bringing his hands together atop his folded legs.

“Bishop Lancel informed me that they found a rabbit carcass in the saint’s chapel this time. This series of incidents might also be correlated in some way.” There was an unknown sorcerer in their midst, and the fact that they didn’t known what their agenda was in doing all of this made Rosemarie that much more unsettled by it.

“Master Edel, I’d like to ask you something...” Claudio started, unusually hesitant, after sitting in deep thought about something. “Do you think that there’s any possibility that Mage Lene, the former guard of the Forbidden Forest, has a hand in this situation?”

Rosemarie raised her head with a gasp. It was true that the only other sorcerer that came to mind other than Edeltraud was the person said to show up at the Sacred Relic Worship ceremony and the former guard of the Forbidden Forest—the sorcerer, Lene.

“I don’t know how Mage Lene is as a person. Are they the type of dangerous individual that would play with the lives of others if given a reason?” Claudio questioned Edeltraud, who blinked once, squinted their eyes, and took a sullen expression. For someone like Edeltraud, who didn’t emote, it was quite odd.

“When Master Lene passed on position of guard to me, they said, ‘Woo-hoo, baby! Out of the joint after decades! Aah, the air is sweet! The water’s even sweeter! And treasure’s out there callin’ my name!’ ...doing little jig as they exited.” Heidi, who had just brought the water, started laughing, almost unexpectedly. In front of the door, Alto cleared his throat as if to cover up a laugh.

“The joint?” Rosemarie looked confused upon hearing the unfamiliar word. Heidi stepped in and explained it to her.

“The ‘joint’ is common vernacular, among those who frequent them, for a ‘prison.’” Given that definition, Lene must have felt as though they were being freed from prison when they said that.

Not sure how she should discern that, she slowly looked over at Claudio, who had a rather complicated expression on his face.

“—Mage Lene was fond of treasure?” After all that pondering, it was almost like he had ignored hearing the previous part of Edeltraud’s statement. That made sense, though. He didn’t want to believe that a person who had held one of the most important jobs in his country had such a lackluster personality.

“Yes. Treasure was his ruling passion. As well as things with checkered pasts regarding mystic arts.” Edeltraud uttered invaluable information, once again without an expression gracing their face.

“And we so happen to have ‘something with a checkered past regarding mystic arts’ right here, right now,” said Claudio with a dauntless smile, touching the breast pocket that most likely held the Sacred Relic.

“Now it’s all clear. Their reason for showing up at the Sacred Relic Worship ceremony every time was to plot a way to steal it...”

“Don’t think so. Never did it to collect. Master Lene liked decrypting mysteries behind items with checkered pasts. Hated being put in control of them. ‘A treasure’s worth is right where it is;’ ‘Breaking spells without discretion is bound for trouble;’ ‘Magic is to be used rationally’—all pet theories of Lene’s. That’s why never stays in one place.”

Upon hearing that the former guard had thoroughly betrayed his expectations, Claudio glared through half-lidded eyes. “Okay, fine. I get it. I get that Mage Lene isn’t the type to do something like this.” It was indeed established that Lene wasn’t the type to do that, but it raised doubts of whether they’d be fine seeing the Kaola and their situation. However, Rosemarie kept her mouth shut.

“If Mage Lene isn’t who we’re looking for, then we should consider there being another sorcerer here...”

“Um, could there possibly be other people under a spell like Adelina was?” If there were, there was a possibility of those people taking drastic actions that they normally wouldn’t, just like with Adelina.

“—Well, yes. There could be.” Claudio glanced at Edeltraud and nodded slightly.

“In any case, it’s safe to assume that we have an unidentified sorcerer hiding among the crowd. As I mentioned earlier, if we assume that the animal carcass matter is correlated, then I can only imagine that sorcerer wants to stop the Sacred Relic Worship from happening. Hypothetically speaking, of course.”

Rosemarie squeezed her hands as they sat on her lap. “Will there still be incidents leading up to the day of the Sacred Relic Worship?”

“All I can say is that I wouldn’t be surprised if there were... Then again, I have no intention of delving into this to crack a mystery.”

Rosemarie looked at Claudio sigh in annoyance, blinking at those unexpected words. “You’ve been analyzing so many facets of this, I just assumed you were trying to get to the bottom of this...”

“One can’t cope with a situation once it occurs without a little forethought. If it means causing me any harm, I don’t plan on doing anything unnecessary. Our agenda is to meet and ask questions of the former guard of the Forbidden Forest. Worst case scenario, we settle for meeting Mage Lene without there being a Sacred Relic Worship.”

That was a sound argument. He was right; it wasn’t their place to intrude into affairs. This was for the people of the Holy Land to resolve. After all, they were nothing more than visitors here. Regardless, she still pondered whether that sat all right with her.

“Um, does this mean that you won’t be reporting Adelina to the Cardinal and the others?”

“No, I’ll be making a report, all right. I can’t just overlook what she has done.”

“...Yes, you’re right.”

“What? You look dissatisfied,” Claudio questioned, sounding dubious. Rosemarie hesitated for a second before opening her mouth to speak.

“Considering that she did that because she was being controlled by magic, I just thought, well...”

“That I’d have mercy? Well, also consider that she would have never ended up like that if she didn’t have an iota of desire to bring me down in the first place.”

“Yes, I am aware of that. As I am also aware that it’s not a matter that can be casually brushed aside. However, it would bug me to let her go on with the misconception that you are to blame, Prince Claudio.”

At this rate, she would probably resent Claudio, thinking it was his fault that she was charged for her crimes. That was why Rosemarie wanted to, at least, clear this misconception up.

Claudio’s serious-looking stare was making Rosemarie uneasy; she dropped her gaze.

“—You needn’t worry about that. Also, I’m not going to report her right away. If I did, I would be forced to return the Sacred Relic.”

“Returning it would be a... bad thing?” If he didn’t want to get involved, then he would probably return it right away—that was her thought process.

However, in response to Rosemarie’s question, Claudio squinted.

“We just might need it if you have another sleepwalking episode tonight. I plan on keeping it until the day of the Sacred Relic Worship ceremony.”

Rosemarie’s shoulders jumped. She had almost forgotten. That was still an issue yet to be resolved. The memory of that was making her a little afraid to go to sleep.

“Well, maybe I should just stay awake all night long, then.” She tried making a humorous little quip to shake off her sense of fear, but Claudio grimaced in response. He then stood up without giving the comment a reply.

“You have no plans for today, right? Spend the day however it is you like.”

“Prince Claudio, where are you going, if you don’t mind me asking?” Rosemarie haphazardly inquired, feeling that he was about to go somewhere. Claudio glanced at her and quickly turned his eyes away.

“Princess Suzette is having a few of the guests over for a tea party and invited me.”

“Huh...?”

“Not diplomatic by any means, but it will be a good chance to hear about the climates of other nations firsthand. I’m planning on attending. You don’t need to come.”

She felt a little ache in her heart, as it seemed he was basically telling her to stay away. But Claudio had had consideration in the past for her—knowing that she was afraid of seeing people’s animosity as beast heads and setting it up so that she didn’t need to attend banquets or parties. Remembering that, she raised her head. There would be many a husband and wife attending an event like that together.

“Um, I will be just fine. An event like that should—”

“Did you not hear me when I said ‘You don’t need to come?’ The only one invited here was me.” Claudio sighed in a slightly irritated manner. Rosemarie hushed up, unable to push the matter any further.

“—Yes... I understand. Take care. I will be here when you return.”

“Yes, I’ll be back.” Claudio turned around to exit the room without so much as a smile, but Rosemarie called out to stop him.

“Prince Claudio, will you be okay without your morning resupply?” She still hadn’t gone through her daily routine of holding his hand to maintain his health. If he didn’t make sure to do this, then it might have repercussions on Claudio’s well-being. Even if she’d fallen into disfavor with him, that was the one thing she had to do.

“I’ll pass for today.”

Rosemarie had stood up with her hand extended, but Claudio only gave it a passing glance before opening the door. He then exited the room without turning back around for a second.

Rosemarie stood there, dumbfounded, as Edeltraud came up to her vacant hand, held it tight, and shook it up and down.

“Ass needs kicking. Gonna do that.” A slight grin formed on Edeltraud’s usually unsmiling lips as they left the room, chasing down Claudio.

The door had completely shut, but Rosemarie still stood in the exact place she had been, unmoving. Heidi then called out to her in a concerned tone.

“Princess?”

“—Heidi, may I ask you for a hammer?”

“Huh?” Heidi’s face froze in shock.

“Your Highness, no matter how cruel His Highness may be, you mustn’t resort to that!” Alto, standing at the entry, rebuked while turning pale in the face.

“He’s right, princess. You mustn’t stoop to being a criminal because of a deplorable man that’s smitten with a woman other than his own wife. It’s downright—”

“Calm down, Heidi. I’m not going to hit Claudio with it. I was thinking of busting up my bucket...”

“You, princess? Busting up the bucket you call an extension of yourself? Are you all right? Please, come back to your senses!”

Her attempts to settle her nerves had ended up racking them instead. Rosemarie held Heidi’s hand, as her shoulders shook, and smiled.

“As long as the bucket is around, I’ll want to run to it, so I was just thinking of busting it up. After all, if I just put it in the storage trunk, then I’ll end up pulling it out right away.” She was going to quit putting on the bucket when a problem arose. After all the times that Claudio told her not to wear it, she never thought that it would be after she fell out of favor with him that she would finally see it through.

“Though, it may have been a little too late...”

“No, you’re perfectly fine just the way you are; don’t you worry about it!” Heidi exclaimed with tears in her eyes, so Rosemarie gave the bucket over to her, which managed to put her own mind at ease for the time being.

***

Thwack! went the sound of a foot suddenly kicking Claudio in his derriere from behind. After a slight stagger, he angrily turned around to face who it was.

“Master Edel, what do you think you’re doing?!”

“Even if don’t want Volland Princess to follow you, went too far.” It wasn’t showing on their face, but Edeltraud’s critical eyes were focused squarely on Claudio, which made him turn his head.

“I couldn’t bring her with me. Not in front of that princess glaring at Rosemarie like she practically killed her parents. She wouldn’t have understood unless I gave that spiel.”

“Even if it hurts her?”

Claudio momentarily bit down on his lip as Edeltraud made an all-too accurate point.

“Sacrifices have to be made. There is a possibility that the Princess of Kavan is under a spell as well. She has been breathing down my neck an awful lot, after all. If I were in front of her with Rosemarie with me, she might amplify her animosity and do something unwarranted.” Regardless of the merit of his actions, in the end, there was a precedent for them—especially considering what had happened with Adelina.

“If she’s by my side, her grudge toward me will also be directed toward Rosemarie. It’s for the best that I keep her at a distance.” Even so, that didn’t stop him from regretting taking his comments too far, just as Edeltraud had pointed out.

“And truthfully speaking?”

“I can’t stand not having Rosemarie.” Not even half a day had passed since she refused his kiss this morning, yet he wanted to touch her so badly that he couldn’t contain it. Getting turned down by her had sent his thoughts that way to an unnecessary degree.

“She was the one who said that she didn’t want me coming near her, yet she tells me she wants to go through our morning resupply. What is she trying to pull? Is she toying with me?” Perhaps it was because she considered it part of her job, but it still stung a little.

With a deep sigh, he put his hand on his forehead.

“Volland Princess not capable of such sophisticated act. Both of you should talk little more. I can set up another illusion, if you want.” There was a hint of amusement in Edeltraud’s otherwise indifferent tone, which made Claudio furrow his brow.

Back when things were still rough around the edges, Edeltraud took Rosemarie into town and set up an illusion of bandits robbing them, hiding the carriage temporarily. He remembered the whole thing well. Upon hearing that Rosemarie hadn’t returned to the castle, he deeply regretted not apologizing to her and leaving her feelings hurt.

“Oh, here are my hands. They shook Volland Princess’s hand.” Edeltraud showed both of his hands to Claudio. He was about to take one without even thinking, but he snapped to his senses. Edeltraud chuckled.

“Must be terminal.”

“You shut up. Just leave me alone.” His face turned red from the mage’s teasing as he proceeded to stomp his way down the passageway.