Please Return
We decided to have our meal in the dining hall attached to the inn.
Once we finished eating, I called everyone to the room to share our plans going forward.
Mary, Sarasa, and I sat on a pair of sofas placed in the room, while Kevin and Luke sat opposite us.
Lilia had been stopped by one of the inn’s staff and was currently not present.
I decided I would explain the details to her later—and so, I spoke to the others.
“If Count Belnett has been submitting false reports, we can’t overlook it.”
To my words, Sarasa nodded and replied.
“Then, may I take it that you will be cooperating with Lord Runken?”
“Yes. That said, there’s only so much we can do here. If we finish the interviews with the townspeople and gain nothing from them, I’ll have no choice but to end my long vacation…”
Return to the royal castle? Or speak with the acting lord currently managing the region?
If Count Belnett is guilty, there’s a strong chance the acting lord is an accomplice too.
(I’ve decided to step down as queen, but for now, I still hold that position…)
Besides, I hadn’t expected to get caught up in something like this in a town I only stopped by. But I decided to accept it as fate.
(Alright. I’ll treat this as my final duty—and do my best!)
As I thought that and touched my chin while considering the next steps, there was a knock at the door.
The one who entered was Lilia.
Wearing a slightly troubled expression, she said to me:
“Lady Clementina. Do you have a moment?”
“What’s the matter?”
I asked her gently, and Lilia lowered her eyebrows and spoke.
“A moment ago, I received a report from the castle. According to it… um…”
She hesitantly held out what looked like a letter to me.
It appeared to be a report from the castle. The seal had already been broken.
Wondering why she was hesitating so much, I pulled the letter from the envelope.
My eyes scanned the contents—and an astonished exclamation slipped out.
“Huh!?”
That was really all I could say.
Because the letter said:
“His Majesty the King has departed. He will be stopping by the town of Nympée shortly.”
“What… what does that mean?”
“Lady Clementina. What does the report say?”
Sarasa asked.
Looking around, I saw Kevin, Luke, and Mary also staring at me, waiting for an answer.
I placed the letter on the table and answered plainly.
“His Majesty is apparently coming here.”
(Seriously, whyyyyy??)
Could it be that he’s chasing after me…? No…
(No way, absolutely not～～～～!!)
The King hates me. There’s no way he would go out of his way to follow me… right…!?
Ugh, no.
This is really bad. What does he even plan to do here?
Please. Just go home.
The room fell into heavy silence.
“…………”
Everyone was silent for a while, until Mary was the one to break it.
“Shall we return to the castle?”
Looking at her, I saw that she wasn’t joking.
She had a serious expression as she looked me in the eye.
“If you return now, you can avoid meeting with His Majesty.”
“... Mary is right. Couldn’t we conduct the investigation from the castle instead? Or perhaps return to the Clausenitzer family estate?”
Sarasa followed up with her suggestion.
(If we stay here in Nympée, we won’t be able to avoid facing His Majesty...)
But I couldn’t ignore what Lord Runken said.
I didn’t feel right about walking away from it now.
So I asked Lilia, who had received the report.
“Did it say why His Majesty is coming here?”
“No… it didn’t. Just that he is coming.”
“Surely, he’s chasing after Lady Clementina.”
Sarasa voiced an unpleasant theory.
I frowned instinctively, and she asked again.
“What will you do, Your Majesty? We will obey your orders, as always.”
She called me “Your Majesty” instead of Clementina—no doubt because the King was now on his way here.
Once he arrives, I’ll inevitably have to put on the mask of the queen again.
That’s why Sarasa was asking:
Should I return to being the queen, or remain just Clementina and go back to the Clausenitzer estate?
“…………”
After a brief pause, I gave a wry smile.
I shrugged and sighed.
“Well… I suppose it can’t be helped.”
Now that things have turned out like this, there’s no avoiding it.
Answering Sarasa’s question clearly, I declared:
“Before His Majesty arrives, we’ll resolve the issue swiftly. Then we’ll send him right back to the castle.”
At my words, Sarasa, Mary, and Lilia all nodded in agreement.
Kevin and Luke also seemed to agree.
(… I still don’t know why His Majesty is coming here. But there’s no way a king should leave the castle so easily.)
I didn’t know what reason he gave when he departed, but I figured I’d contact the Prime Minister or someone and have them come pick him up.
(… Which means, time is limited…)
We need to solve the problem as quickly as possible—so we’ll need to move fast.
Thinking that, I gave a long stretch, bracing myself for the busy days ahead.
After all, my long vacation has only just begun.
I won’t let anyone ruin it.
Especially since I haven’t even had the chance to snuggle a cat yet.
What do you think about this chapter?
