The fastest and most dangerous way
At the same time, Francia and the two men also turned to me. They looked surprised, as if they had promised.
“Sister, you can’t. What do you mean!”
It seems that the word ‘You can’t do that!’ was stuck in her eyes. Ricdorian also had a similar appearance. Even Lenag.
“Repeat after me, Sister. No.”
“Huh?”
…… Isn’t that what I taught you when you were young?
“You can’t.”
“No, Iana.”
“That’s right! I can’t tolerate it. No. For Sister’s safety, you can’t!”
And at Francia’s continuous urging, I nodded bewildered. How awesome was this teamwork? I understand that they don’t want to hang out with Domulit anymore, but……. I scratched my cheek.
“I understand the meaning…….”
There was still a major story left to tell them. Everyone, I’m sorry to say this while you’re excited.
“You will have no choice but to deal with Domulit at least once.”
Francia rolled her eyes.
“Why, why?”
“Well, the tiara that Her Majesty the Empress was talking about.”
After that, I exhaled.
“Because it’s in the bas.e.m.e.nt of Domulit’s mansion.”
Why did I remember this? This was one of those days when Chaser gathered the best things in the world for me and showed them before my eyes.
When I saw it at that time, I didn’t have many feelings. Because, even if that was the main part of the story, I didn’t think it had anything to do with me. Of course, there was a time when I didn’t know Chaser was going to bring Francia, and then I didn’t even know how I would turn the original story upside down by letting her run away. Like I said, it happened before Francia came.
What’s more, I couldn’t remember this even after making Francia run away, because I thought that even if I had changed the content, it wouldn’t have anything to do with that.
That’s right, I didn’t know at the time that I’d need it, and I didn’t know that the Empress would ask me to come to her!
…… So, in a word, the Empress’ tiara in Domulit’s mansion is mine.
“… huh.”
The faces of the three people who learned all the circ.u.mstances were similar.
Ricdorian had a firm expression on his face, and Francia was no different. No, an expression close to hatred pa.s.sed by Francia’s face. Although he was sharp, Lenag was the most normal among them.
“I have to plant people.”
Surprisingly, the first person to speak up was Lenag, surprisingly. His heavy, subdued gaze turned to me.
“Miss Iana, if you feel responsible in this matter, I will cooperate with the Grand Duke until his lifespan is restored.”
I paused for a moment and then continued.
“I think you’d better stop getting involved with Domulit. However, if you are forced to get involved, I hope that it will be resolved as quickly and safely as possible. May I help?”
I asked as if it was a suggestion, but it seemed that he had made up his mind. Lenag seemed to believe that when this was over, I would no longer be a.s.sociated with Domulit.
He was holding hands with Chaser, but he didn’t really like Chaser that much, and I already knew that it was because of ‘Iana’.
“Please don’t feel uncomfortable.”
“… Of course.”
“Because I swore I would do anything for you.”
I nodded slowly.
“Of course, it is not an inconvenience. But I feel uncomfortable because I feel like I am being taken care of every time.”
If Lenag cooperated, I would be grateful. Ricdorian may not like it, but……. Even if he accepted this, the first thing to do was to return the lifespan to its original state.
Even at this moment, time was pa.s.sing.
Lenag was eager to say more. But then nothing, he shook his head.
“… Good. It may sound weird but! Let’s do it somehow.”
Thus, a union was born between the three roses except for Chaser, no, not even the Empress was formed. Although I don’t know it well, it was by no means a formidable alliance in terms of appearance and power.
***
“This must be the first time in history.”
That night. Francia said as she lay on the bed. She turned towards me with her arms wide open lying on the huge bed. There were no signs of the elegant and straight saint of the day.
When Lenag was there, it seemed like she was trying her best to show her mature appearance. When it’s just me and the two of us, she quickly returns to the way she was a few years ago.
‘Her sleeping habits were probably bad back then, maybe.’
I remember that Chaser secretly punished her several times while she was trying to stick together. Even when I tried to question him, he did not leave a clue at all, leaving only suspicion. Francia must have remembered everything.
Seeing this, I wondered if the roses of the present age have no choice but to get along with each other.
‘No. But how did the love triangle come about in the original story?’
The more I looked at it, the more Francia and Ricdorian’s personalities did not match well. In the book I read, Francia appeared as a beautiful and kind girl, so that actually made me wonder.
“Looking back on history, there is hardly any precedent for roses to cooperate with each other.”
I tilted my head.
“Is it that bad?”
It’s strange to hear that. Even if they were roses, they were a rose and a family. For a long time, wasn’t there a time when the families cooperated or did not b.u.mp into each other once? Having said this, Francia shook her head.
“Sister, the roses have been competing with each other since the beginning. That is, to be the Blue Rose’s favorite.”
Francia’s finger poked against my forearm.
“I said you were our king.”
She laughed bashfully. She then said, ‘Like how I took a spot next to Sister today.’. I smiled as I recalled the situation a while ago. The situation a while ago when Ricdorian and Lenag were arguing over me.
To be precise, it was a fight of who would be guarding in front of my room.
It lasted about two hours, so I ended up kicking them both out. It was the best for me.
Whether it’s Ricdorian who has a history of staying up all night while guarding my door, or Lenag who just ran to the Imperial Palace.
Either way, I wanted them to go back to their room without staying up all night.
“It has been a long time since you disappeared. Our thirst is getting worse, and in this state, we would only see blood when we b.u.mp into each other, so we tried to avoid it.”
After Francia said that, she buried her head in my forearm.
“So this was normal for us. There was no rose festival.”
“How is that festival held?”
“The roses go to the imperial palace to ask for a wish.”
“…… Was it to get permission from the imperial family?”
“No. There is a wishing place there.”
Francia said that there is a place in the Imperial Palace that honors the power of roses, the origin of the ancient power.
“If all the roses agree to the festival, then the heavens will be opened.”
“Yes. And?”
“And. It is war.”
A festival. This could mean a ritual or festival, but in reality it was not easy to imagine that it was actually a war. Hearing this reminded me of the war in history where the Trojan Horse appeared. Wasn’t that war caused by just one person, the most beautiful woman? Anyway, I just thought it would be better not to happen.
“…… How is it that I am treated like the most beautiful woman in the world?”
“Beautiful woman?”
Helen, the protagonist of the Trojan War, was said to be beautiful enough to lead the world to war. Well, wasn’t that called a beauty who tilts the castle?
“No way. How could you compare yourself to that?”
“That’s right.”
Because I wasn’t ‘a beauty who tilts the castle’. As I nodded in that sense, Francia laughed.
“Sister is the best even if you look back on history.”
“…… my beauty?”
“Yes.”
“That’s a bit silly…….”
“No!”
Francia jumped up and her eyes twinkled. Her eyes of different colors revealed a dazzling light with different colors.
“As long as you are the prettiest in my eyes! Sister is the prettiest.”
Thank you for liking me so much……. I tilted my head indifferently. I pondered what else to say, and then I smiled and patted Francia’s head.
“Yes. Thank you.”
The night with Francia, who occupied the spot next to me like a fish in troubled water, came to an end.
***
Since then, several days have pa.s.sed.
In the capital, there were many mansions owned by n.o.bles as there were many people who lived in the estates’ land as well. Ricdorian and Lenag also owned a mansion in the capital, and even Francia had a branch of the temple in the capital. When asked where I wanted to go, I chose Ricdorian’s mansion, and although the other two did not like it, they quickly agreed.
For some reason, I felt like I was carrying a dog that was cute and listened to me at every moment, but was very ferocious to others.
There were three ferocious dogs that would bite if they were not satisfied.
‘Gang of dogs.’
– Gang? What is a gang, human?
‘That. Gangster-like kids.’
I stroked Pudding’s hair and lifted my head.
I was in the conference room. To be precise, it used to be the office used by Ricdorian, but now it has become a conference room. On the sofa, three roses each sat or leaned their backs, and a beast stood next to each other. Ironically, when I took out Pudding, as if everyone was waiting, they took out their guardian deity too.
It was as if they wanted me to see it.
“It failed?”
It was Francia who spoke up. Next to her in a white robe, the guardian deity Callisto in the shape of a small bear was licking its front paws eagerly. There was a small honey bucket in front of the guardian deity. I gave it as a gift.
“Yes.”
Ricdorian nodded. He picked up the rolled up parchment from the desk and threw it at the two of them each. Lenag, who lightly grabbed one of them, wrinkled his brow slightly and unfolded the parchment. A small snake rested its head on his thigh, and it slept soundly. It was Azul, Lenag’s guardian deity.
I didn’t have to take or open the parchment. Because it was already in my hands and it was something I knew beforehand.
“It looks like it failed again.”
“Yes.”
The spy who infiltrated Domulit died. It was already the seventh death. I grabbed the parchment stiffly.
Even if it’s the death of someone I don’t know at all, no matter who you are, you don’t get used to death. Moreover, I expected from the beginning that it would not be easy to infiltrate. And this would have been expected by Ricdorian and the others as well.
The Empress’ tiara is in the bas.e.m.e.nt of the Domulit.
A warehouse in the bas.e.m.e.nt to be exact. I didn’t think I could get in there from the beginning, but we started by letting people in to find out about the current situation.
“It was expected, but…… The boundaries are getting stronger. But I didn’t expect it would be blocked from entering.”
Far from entering, they took a detour, but Chaser was utterly rejecting outside contacts, such as those delivering groceries. Even attempts to get him out were thwarted. Ricdorian dismissed it in one word.
“It used to be that kind of place. However, it has only become more and more ferocious.”
Ricdorian’s expression didn’t look good when he said that.
In fact, with the human resources of the three roses, they would have been able to do most things. The problem, however, was that infiltrating the Domulit mansion wasn’t the ‘most’ thing. I asked a question that I had been procrastinating all along.
‘Pudding.’
– Yes?
‘Ricdorian’s time-limit, no, lifespan, how much time do we have left?’
Pudding separated with Ricdorian and signed a contract with me, but was originally part of him. The frowning Pudding said in a low voice.
– …… Very little, nyang.
‘Tell me.’
It was already expected. So I didn’t ask them. Because I knew it was urgent even if I didn’t have to listen. After finally hearing the date from Pudding, I came to a conclusion.
“Will everyone listen to me?”
There was only one way. There was only one way from the beginning. It was the fastest and most dangerous way.
“I will go.”
Chaser listens to only one person in the world. He blindly trusted and obeyed the person’s command.
The one whom he cherished as if he would give her everything in the world.
…… That it was me, I knew best than anyone.