Chapter 7: One Light, Two Voices

It had been nearly two weeks since we’d returned to school. I wasn’t sure whether to say it was late summer or early autumn. As the swelteringly hot noons and pleasantly cool nights passed, one fear took shape in my mind: Lieselotte was acting strange.

First, she was unhealthily pale. Further, I often noticed her staring blankly into space, and she seemed a bit emotionally unstable.

I’d tried to ask her cousin and newly adopted sister if they knew anything, but they wrote my worries off as my imagination. When Lord Endoh and Lady Kobayashee also dodged my question, the anxiety I’d felt over the summer break began to swell exponentially. It had come to the point that I found myself eavesdropping like this.

To explain, I’d been looking for Lieselotte after classes ended. I’d spotted her in the courtyard being interrogated by Fiene with Baldur in tow, and immediately hid to try and hear what they were saying.

“Lieselotte,” Fiene said, “you’ve been staying up as of late, haven’t you?”

Fiene’s absolute confidence and piercing stare put Lieselotte on the back foot. Still, my fiancée smiled elegantly and merely tilted her head.

“Ah, did the candlelight perhaps leak into your room? My apologies. I’ve been so utterly swamped with fascinating reading and important work. I can’t help but sleep at a later—”

“You aren’t staying up on purpose, are you?” Fiene’s voice was harsh and curt; she was evidently upset that her sister was straining herself. “I know you’re having nightmares terrible enough for you to jump out of bed and weep. And I know that it’s taking its toll to scramble yourself together by morning, and I even know that you’re coming to school with your head held high so no one else will notice.”

“Wha— How...do you know that?” Lieselotte asked in shock.

My face must have been just as devoid of life as hers. She’d been going through something so awful, so why? Why had the gods said nothing to me?

“Give it up, Liese,” Baldur said with a sigh. I felt as though he was an actor on a faraway stage. “Marschner blood flows through Fiene’s veins, and she’s awoken to the Royal Ear. Your strong front means nothing when faced with the Voices of the Gods.”

“...It isn’t anything worthy of note. Truly, all it amounts to are unpleasant dreams.”

Lieselotte pushed through Baldur’s startling revelation by stiffening up. In response, her cousin spat back at her in a gruff tone.

“Don’t be stupid. You exposed my feelings without my knowing and hurried to pair me with Miss Fiene—but suddenly, you started crying over the thought of His Highness falling in love with someone else. What part of this sounds unnoteworthy to you? Now that I think of it, you haven’t been acting like yourself at all.”

Lieselotte looked pained but said nothing, simply turning to the ground. Wet tears bubbled up in her amethyst eyes. My first instinct was to rush forward and wipe them away, but I froze in place when I heard Fiene mention me.

“Lieselotte, we’re just worried about you. That goes for His Highness Prince Siegwald as well. He’s been asking why you’ve been so down ever since we came back to school.”

“In fact, Sieg’s been questioning us so much that I’m getting a bit scared of that smile of his.”

I have no idea what you’re talking about.

Regardless of what Lord Endoh claimed, all I’d done was check in with Baldur and the gods accompanying him a handful of times.

“That can’t be!” Lieselotte’s agony was given form by a single tear sliding down her face. “His Highness thinks absolutely nothing of me!”

“His Highness truly cares, Lieselotte!” Fiene said. “The gods said they have...circumstances? So they haven’t been able to tell him about your troubles, but still...”

“How did you manage to get the idea that he doesn’t care about you in the first place?” Baldur asked, confused with every fiber of his being.

Honestly. Why was Lieselotte putting words in my mouth and crying over something that wasn’t remotely true? What’s happening to her?

“Because!” Lieselotte’s expression turned melancholy as she quietly explained. “We may have been engaged for years, but we hardly ever met until I entered the academy. All this time, he’s been a faraway figure.”

“Hrm, well, I agree that used to be the case before you enrolled,” Baldur said.

“I’ve had more opportunities to speak with him recently, but unlike Fiene, I’m too prideful to be cute.”

Huh? I thought that pride—or her stubbornness, I suppose—made her supremely adorable.

“Doesn’t Sieg find that part of her cute, though?” Lady Kobayashee said.

Yes. Yes, I do.

I could see Fiene nod along to the goddess’s question. I don’t know how else to phrase this, but I personally thought that I was being rather obvious with my affection. Yet Lieselotte’s tone had nonetheless transitioned from sad to downright depressed.

“We still don’t call one another by pet names; we still don’t converse casually, even behind closed doors. I’d love to believe that he doesn’t hate me, but it’s clear he isn’t explicitly fond of me either. That is our relationship. Don’t you agree?” The end of Lieselotte’s pessimistic soliloquy was marked by another tear streaming down her cheek.

Baldur stared at her aghast, as if to ask, what in the world are you on about? Fiene fidgeted in a panic as she handed her sister a handkerchief.

“That was true in the game, but Sieg now is sweeter on Liese-tan than pure sugar...”

“Yeah, which is why we figured Lieselotte would be fine. Is this some kind of destiny, or is the witch’s power that strong?”

Lady Kobayashee and Lord Endoh’s divine discussion was rife with concern. The word “witch” sent a terrible shiver down my spine.

“But that all changed this past spring,” Baldur said, annoyed. “There isn’t a single person in this academy that doesn’t know how well you two get along, like a... What was it? Like a kitten and lion?”

“That’s right!” Fiene instantly jumped in with great enthusiasm. “His Highness is the spitting image of a lion tenderly watching over an adorable little kitten baring her fangs! He’s confident, majestic, horrifying, and overflowing with love, just like any big carnivore!”

Listening to Fiene’s attempt at describing me I could understand confidence, majesty, and love—but what part of me was horrifying? Of course, she was completely right about Lieselotte being very much like a kitten.

The girl in question could not bear hearing Fiene’s words. Lieselotte covered her ears with both hands and weakly shook her head with a flood of tears. This time, I didn’t stop as I ran toward her.

“What happened here?! Lieselotte, why are you crying?”

“It doesn’t matter!” she screamed. She glared at me through damp eyes.

“I think my sister’s just overthinking things,” Fiene said from behind me. “You two only got to meet for a short while during the summer, so she must have gotten lonely and confused... Right, Lieselotte?”

“Really?” I asked. “I’m sorry for making you feel that way, I really am.”

I rubbed my hand against Lieselotte’s haggard cheek. What was I to say? I held her so dear; how could I convey these emotions to her? I could only pray that my touch and gaze would reveal my love for her.

“...Auh...”

Perhaps my affection had finally gotten through. Lieselotte bashfully whimpered, looking as embarrassed as could be.

“What the heck? That was so cute,” I said with a straight face. Seeing her act so timidly, such a departure from her usual demeanor, hit me straight in the heart. I didn’t even think before speaking.

“...Huh?” Lieselotte said, stupefied.

While I couldn’t be happier that she’d stopped crying, the look of total perplexity on her face was unbearably embarrassing. I decided to clear my throat and speak.

“Mm, ahem. Um, well, you are my fiancée, after all. Naturally, I worry when you cry, and I’d like to cheer you up if I can. I’ll apologize if I made you feel lonely, and I’d like for you to tell me about anything else that concerns you.”

I wanted to keep the fact that I’d listened in on their conversation hidden. Still, the misunderstanding that I didn’t care about her needed to be resolved. My attempt to do so was met with a troubled expression, and Lieselotte looked down at her feet.

“...I won’t force you, though,” I added. For a brief moment, Lieselotte glanced up and our eyes met; she shyly averted her gaze immediately after. Her gestures were the pinnacle of kitten-like behavior. “So cute.”

Again, my mouth moved before my brain. Lieselotte’s cheeks turned warmed up and she blushed red.

Ah, it’s just like that first day. I leaned closer toward her.

“Y-Your Highness?” Lieselotte was petrified, looking up at me in distress.

I want my feelings to reach you. I let my emotions recreate a moment we’d shared once before—but this time, of my own will.

“Wh-What are you—”

Ignoring her as she panicked, I felt as if I were being drawn in and placed my lips...on her cheek.

Lieselotte gasped and twitched once. Suddenly, she went limp, and I rushed to support her weight.

“Lieselotte!” I shouted. The only response I received was a faint flutter of her eyelids before she blacked out. Her face was as pale as death; I could feel my veins run cold. The ruinous fate I’d heard of in the spring, the mysterious anxiety of summer, and the witch that had been mentioned earlier today raced through my mind.

Are these the things behind her suffering?

Fiene and Baldur were frantically speaking as they sprinted over. The gods were shouting. Yet all I could do was call her name, over and over again.

————

Recreating a bygone scene, Siegwald placed a kiss on Lieselotte’s cheeks. And in that moment, something inside the girl reached its limit. Various things, in fact: shame, joy, confusion, discomposure, love... A swirl of emotions that she herself did not fully comprehend exploded within her.

An evil spirit known as the Witch of Yore had plagued Lieselotte with nightmares, chipping away at her sanity and rattling her very ego. Unable to rest properly, she had been exhausted—more so than her fiancé, sister, or even she had realized. The aforementioned emotional shock had pushed her over the edge.

“Lieselotte!”

Yet just as Lieselotte’s consciousness faded, she heard her beloved call her name. The last thing she saw was platinum blond hair and eyes that twinkled gold; to her, this was the color of light itself. In the sentimental stew that was her psyche, her love for Siegwald alone shone brilliantly. That was all she knew as she plunged into the depths of unconsciousness.

From then on, Lieselotte dreamed. She dreamed of a nostalgic, heartwarming memory. It was the memory of when she had first felt love: the day she’d met Siegwald. Her father had brought her to the royal palace to meet her future fiancé.

“Prince...” The five-year-old Lieselotte said this and only this the instant she laid eyes on him. She’d spent hours and hours and hours practicing a formal greeting the day prior, only for her to forget so much as to bow her head. She was breathless, as if he’d snatched away her soul.

“Liese. Liese...Lieselotte!”

Only when the panicked marquis called her name did Lieselotte remember to curtsy. However, she blanked on what she was supposed to do next, freezing in place with her head bowed. Her father was apologizing to someone, and someone else was telling her to raise her head. Neither of their voices reached Lieselotte’s ear.

“Don’t be so stiff. Come on, let’s go play!”

And yet, Siegwald’s soft whispers rang out loud and clear. Lieselotte instantly looked up and nodded as hard as she could. The boy smiled at her eagerness; just like that, she had fallen for him. It was love at first sight.

On this fateful day, Lieselotte did not call him “Prince” because she knew him to be one. She simply felt that Siegwald was the same as the princes that appeared in fairy tales. Her choice of words followed, as did her love.

The boy was beautiful, noble, and had a heart-stopping smile. Furthermore, a young boy and girl two years apart were sure to have trouble finding games to suit them both, but he was so kind that she didn’t even notice.

Thus, Lieselotte fell in love in just one day.

The little girl was over the moon when she found out she would grow up to marry her Prince Charming. She celebrated with a pure heart.

Excited, Lieselotte went to tell her father. She told him how wonderful His Highness was, how much she loved him, and how she wished he’d love her too. To that end, she was ready for anything: the difficult training to be a future queen consort; her duty to the blade and magic as the eldest-born Riefenstahl; and the etiquette lessons that bored children to tears. It would all be worth it.

Her father’s smile was tinged with heartbreak as he patted her on the head.

“You can tell me this all you want, Lieselotte, but keep this a secret from His Highness. Prince Siegwald is in no position to say whether he likes or does not like anyone or anything.”

“Why?”

“That boy is going to become king one day. One word from him on what he favors can cause massive ripples of hysteria. What’s more, he’s well aware of that. Of course, I think it’d be wonderful for you to get along with him as the future queen. But to ask for his love—or for any kind of special treatment—will only hurt him.”

At the time, little Lieselotte had not been able to comprehend her father’s complicated explanation.

However, as the years went by, she came to realize that love was too much to hope for from a political marriage. She finally understood that, even if she were to ask for Siegwald’s affection, he would not be able to give it freely.

The prince’s ever present smile was proof enough. In contrast to his grinning mouth, Siegwald’s eyes had an unreadable blankness to them. They conveyed neither good nor bad. Who could say how much emotion he’d suppressed to achieve such tranquility? When Lieselotte had first asked herself this, she’d wept.

“Father, I wish to support him. I wish to forever love he who can love no one. I wish to be his truest ally.”

Lieselotte had made this declaration to her father one year ago. Prior to enrolling in the academy, she’d happened to see Siegwald on a trip to visit the campus. Without the presence of his closest friend, Artur, he’d treated everyone in the sizable crowd following him with equal courtesy.

To choose someone is to forsake another. As such, Siegwald was forced to keep others at an arm’s distance. Of the only two exceptions, one involved a special sociopolitical position between the Church and state, and the other was his fiancée. Even as a student—nay, because he was still a student—he could not afford to form concrete relationships.

At long last, Lieselotte understood his burden. Her epiphany twisted years of pent-up adoration. The crown prince was loved by all yet utterly alone; and she loved him and loved him and loved him so much that it hurt.

When it came time for her to attend classes in the springtime, the morsels of communication they shared had filled Lieselotte with unfathomable joy. Nothing could have made her happier.

Still, there was something that cast a shadow on that bliss. The ghastly darkness had appeared around the same time Fiene had. By the time Lieselotte noticed this disquieting, unknowable entity, it had already soaked deep into her heart.

It was evil incarnate: by planting the seed of doubt, it cast suspicion on Siegwald. Just as Lieselotte’s infatuation warped, so too did her spirit waver.

no. don’t hate me.

i love you. don’t look at anyone else.

i hate her. don’t steal my light.

love. mine. hate.

i love you.

so.

i won’t forgive you. i won’t forgive you. i won’t forgive you. i won’t forgive you. ————.

no, ————, don’t throw me away.

The personified malice oozed jealousy, resentment, and fury straight into Lieselotte’s heart. She scowled with envy, her tongue a poisoned dagger to cut deep with equally toxic words. One terrible crime followed another, until she realized that she’d morphed into a hideous monster.

The monstrosity once known as Lieselotte then attacked Fiene, Baldur, and Siegwald—everyone she held dear. And as she moved in for the kill...

Lieselotte would wake up. Such was the dream she’d been tormented by every night as of late. Upon losing grip of her consciousness in the courtyard, she had a terrible feeling that she’d see it once more.

Yet at the last moment, a ray of light shot through the darkness. The voice calling her name and the image of her beloved coalesced into her love for Siegwald—and it protected her. The light bestowed upon her a nostalgic dream that resurrected her feelings for him.

As Lieselotte wielded her pure love to combat the evil shadow, she heard voices that she was never meant to hear.

“The Witch of Yore’s curse really has started to eat away at her!”

“Liese-tan, stay strong! I swear we’ll protect you! We’ll never, ever, ever let you die! We’ll work with Sieg to give you a happy ending!”

A man and woman shouted. Their hope enveloped Lieselotte’s very being.

“That being said, our voices unfortunately can’t reach Lieselotte!”

“Yeah... It sucks to admit, but we’ll just have to count on Sieg. All we’re good for is play-by-play and color commentary... No, actually, there’s one more thing: we can pray.”

“Pray?”

“Yup. Let’s pray from the bottom of our hearts that she’ll live to be showered with love like we know she can be. Let’s pray that she’ll stay strong and win out against the witch! It has to work... We’re gods, aren’t we?”

The words of a faraway boy and girl transformed into a gentle warmth. It chipped away at the incomprehensible horror they called the “Witch of Yore.”

Lieselotte’s breathing returned to normal with a short puff of air. Ahh, she thought, I have a peculiar feeling that I’ll sleep well tonight. The tension in her body washed away. She felt a gentle sway. Something warm that soothed her heart by its presence alone had lifted her up.

“Urgh!” the woman said in pain. “A p-princess carry is downright destructive!”

“Chill, Kobayashi! Ow!” The man’s voice seemed to suggest he was trying to ease her suffering, but it didn’t seem to be going very well.

“But this never would’ve happened in the game, and it’s making me squeal like nuts! Ahhhhh! I can’t! They’re too precious!”

Hearing them go back and forth had put Lieselotte in a spectacular mood.

“I get it, I get—hm? Lieselotte’s...smiling? And then she leans into Sieg?! Her adorable maneuver has Sieg stunned in place!”

“Liese-tan can literally pull off power moves like that in her sleep! I expect nothing less from her!”

It appeared that today’s dream was not the usual nightmare; still, Lieselotte found it all very curious. As she mused on the oddity of it all, the two voices slowly drifted away. The girl sank into a deep slumber beyond the reach of dreams.

One light, two voices—surrounded by these, she had nothing more to fear.

————

“Liese-tan can literally pull off power moves like that in her sleep! I expect nothing less from her!”

Hearing Lady Kobayashee reclaim her usual energy and seeing Lieselotte’s expression shift into a blissful smile, I was finally able to relax.

The past few minutes had been chaotic. Fiene had instantly begun casting restorative magic, and Baldur rushed to find the best healer in the school—my best friend, Art.

Art and Fiene had both come to the diagnosis that Lieselotte was merely catching up on much-needed sleep. At some point, Lieselotte mellowed out, possibly thanks to Lady Kobayashee’s prayer. Ever since, her complexion had been steadily improving.

However, the fact that she remained unconscious worried me. Still carrying her, I rose up and decided to take her home.

Once the marquis’s carriage arrived to pick her up, I hoisted her inside. The Riefenstahl guards offered to hold her in my stead, but I refused. I didn’t have the slightest intention of letting go of Lieselotte when she was snuggling up against me so happily, and especially not to another man. To be honest, my arms were starting to get sore, but this was something I wasn’t willing to cede.

At long last, the doors of the carriage were shut and the carriage bumped along the road. Inside, I was alone with the slumbering Lieselotte. While I admit that I was a bit flustered, I had no mind to do anything ungentlemanly.

“...So, are you certain the Witch of Yore is the same as the Great Calamity and Malevolent Black written about in legends?”

I whispered so that the driver wouldn’t hear my question to the gods. As private as this carriage was, the watchful eyes of the divine were ever present. We couldn’t do anything scandalous if we tried—though of course, I wouldn’t try even in their absence.

“That’s right. Liese-tan is sorta on the same frequency as the witch, which is why she’s after her body. Right now, the witch is grinding down Liese-tan’s psyche so she can weaken her and swoop in to take over.”

The atrocious possibility Lady Kobayashee outlined caused me to tighten my grip around Lieselotte instinctively.

“If the witch manages to break Liese-tan’s heart, she’ll turn her body into an unspeakable monster and try to kill Fiene. Once she kills Fiene, she’ll destroy the kingdom. Once she destroys the kingdom, she’ll lay waste to the world. The tragedy is that the only way to stop her is to kill Liese-tan, and that’s the ‘fate of ruin’ in the game we keep mentioning. Sieg, you are the key to preventing this tragedy.”

I’m...the key? When Lady Kobayashee saw me tilt my head, she snickered.

“Liese-tan really loves you. To the point where whether her heart holds firm or shatters all depends on you.”

I was at a loss for what to say in the face of the goddess’s teasing. I stared at the floor, but Lady Kobayashee ignored my confusion and continued on.

“In the game, Liese-tan falls into the depths of darkness because you cast her away, Sieg. She’ll fearlessly carry on like the villainess she is no matter who denounces her—that is, except for you. On the other hand, as long as you don’t hate her, Liese-tan will be okay.”

She loves me that much? According to the goddess, Lieselotte held me so dear that her heart would break if I broke away from her. I could feel a faint heat rise in my cheeks.

“Sorry,” Lord Endoh said. “We know we should’ve told you, of all people, sooner.”

“But then we’d practically be forcing you,” Lady Kobayashee said. “It’d be like saying, ‘Fall in love with her for the sake of the world!’ And we just kept putting it off until things ended up like this... We’re sorry.”

I shook my head at the gods’ apologies. I couldn’t be more grateful for their decision. The fact that I had been able to enjoy my time with Lieselotte without responsibilities to bind me was something to be thankful for. My duty as a royal and the key to combating the witch hadn’t gotten a chance to cloud my memories with her.

“But you’ll be fine now, won’t you?” Lady Kobayashee said, confident. “Knowing that now won’t change anything, right?”

I knew that my face must have been bright red. The fact that she was so sure of herself was a bit frustrating: she was saying there wouldn’t be an issue...so long as I was already in love with Lieselotte.

“...Well, you’re correct. Once I figured out what made Lieselotte tick, she turned out to be shockingly cute, after all.”

Putting it into words was embarrassing, but I admitted it—I had no other choice. Lieselotte was cute, and I loved her. Changing my mind and casting her away now was impossible.

“Glad to hear it!” Lady Kobayashee said. “In that case, we’ll leave Liese-tan to you. We’ll still be watching carefully, of course, but if she ever seems restless or exhausted, pamper her right away. Make sure her heart never falters, so that the witch can’t lay her dirty hands on Liese-tan.”

“Understood,” I said, glancing at Lieselotte’s face. Quietly, I muttered to myself, “The Witch of Yore...”

She was a terrible witch who had been wreaking havoc throughout the land for eons. Time and time again, she was brought down, only to return in the body of another innocent victim like Lieselotte. Casting a shadow over the whole planet with her presence, the witch was evil incarnate.

————

When we arrived at Lieselotte’s residence, her father was already there.

“Y-Your Highness?! Liese?! E-Excuse me!” The marquis stammered in shock when he saw me, but quickly bowed his head.

As we exchanged greetings, I wondered why he was here. He quickly informed me that he’d received news that his daughter had passed out and that the crown prince was bringing her home. After that, he’d rushed here to receive me.

“Lieselotte fainted at the academy and is currently sleeping,” I explained. “Miss Fiene and Artur of the Richter Countship have tended to her. They said that she’s experiencing some mild mental and physical fatigue. She may be deep asleep, but there isn’t any need to worry about her safety.”

“Ah, I beg your pardon for all the trouble.”

“Lieselotte is my fiancée—pay it no mind. More importantly, I plan to carry her to her room... Is it on the second floor?”

The marquis shook his head furiously. “No, you mustn’t! Your Highness, I cannot possibly burden you any further. Someone, come carry Liese!”

I stopped Marquis Riefenstahl from summoning a servant. “I won’t hand my lover to anyone else. Show me to her room.”

The marquis watched me shake my head with a blank stare. I must have said something truly outrageous, to confound our nation’s top general like this.

He continued staring in silence for a few more moments. Suddenly, without a word, the violet eyes that he shared with his daughter glistened with tears.

“Hm?! M-Marquis Riefenstahl? What’s wrong?” I asked in a panic.

“No, it’s...” He wiped away his tears. “It’s just a great deal of emotion is surging within me.”

“Oh, I see. I suppose it would be difficult to entrust your daughter to me...”

Lieselotte and I may have been engaged, but it was only natural for a father to disapprove of a man trying to take his unwed daughter into her private bedroom. In which case, I had to respect his wishes. I was best off handing her to a maid or the very father who had reproached me.

“No, not at all! I’m simply overwhelmed with joy—a deep-seated happiness to know that...my daughter’s wish has finally been fulfilled.”

Much to my surprise, he refuted my presumption and gave an incomprehensible explanation instead.

“Her dream?” I asked.

“Yes, the dream she’s carried since she was five years old. She had a wish that she never shared with anyone but me. Even when she realized she could not hope for it—that it was unattainable, even—my daughter could never let go of it.”

I wonder what kind of dream it was? Seeing my curiosity, the marquis merely smiled warmly. He didn’t seem like he was going to tell me.

“I’m so happy for you, Liese,” he said.

The man gently ran his hand over his beloved daughter’s head. He was altogether different from the general I saw in the palace and the marquis I saw at social gatherings: right now, he was just another father.

“Oh, my sincerest apologies for keeping you! Please, Your Highness, this way.”

The marquis deftly reset the atmosphere and began walking off. With how much the mood had shifted, I couldn’t bring myself to ask about her dream now.

“What was that five-year-old child dream stuff about?” Lord Endoh asked.

And apparently, I wasn’t alone.

“It’s the one that pops up in her journal. You know, the one from when they first meet? But it wouldn’t be very classy of us to say it here,” Lady Kobayashee said.

It was a tad vexing to be led on like this...

“Oh, that dream. Yeah, Sieg’s gonna have to hear that one from the source.”

But when Lord Endoh merrily joined in, my impatience turned to heart-fluttering excitement. I had a feeling that this would be yet another of Lieselotte’s adorable hidden sides.