A Certain Doll, Held in Royal Custody
It seemed he’d been quite preoccupied with it—perhaps even throughout my exchange with His Majesty earlier.
That thought made me chuckle. It appeared I’d caused him more worry than I realized.
Lord Runken sighed, lowered his head, and pressed his fingers to his brow before casting me a tired look.
At that moment, a question I’d been meaning to ask resurfaced in my mind. I kept my fingers lightly resting against my lips and asked him.
“Lord Runken, what exactly were you doing at that lake?”
“… I was attempting to purify the area. Since many humans had begun entering, it was no longer a restricted zone, and its mystique had faded. The spirits there were suffering because of it.”
“I see… I’ve never seen a spirit myself, so I wouldn’t know. Did they recover?”
If they were called spirits, I imagined they must be transparent and floaty, like balls of light perhaps? Or maybe they looked like cute, chibi characters with little humanoid forms.
My curiosity was boundless, but I figured this wasn’t the time to press further. While I considered that, Lord Runken responded.
“To some extent. However, it’s not a fundamental solution—more like a temporary fix.”
“And what would a fundamental solution be?”
“To make that lake a restricted area again. When it’s disturbed, the spirits weaken.”
“… Let’s confirm the matter with Veronica and have a word with Count Belnett as well.”
The situation with Veronica had caught me completely off guard, but it was convenient in a way. I’d gotten my hands on a receipt as undeniable evidence, making any excuses on her part futile.
As I thought about this, my mind drifted to Lord Runken’s sister, my friend, Lady Lucia of House Runken.
If Lord Runken—if House Runken—was a lineage of dragons…
“… Is Lucia a dragon too?”
At my question, Lord Runken gave a wry smile, looking slightly troubled, before hesitantly answering.
“Yes, she’s part of House Runken, after all. Though… she’s still not fully matured and can’t assume a complete dragon form.”
“Not complete… meaning?”
“She grows horns and a tail in her human form.”
Lord Runken stated it quite simply.
“…………”
I fell silent for a brief moment.
Then—
(I’d actually like to see that…)
Horns and a tail—that sounded kind of adorable. It might be disrespectful to call it “cute” if it indicated immaturity, but I couldn’t help it. That was my honest impression.
Still, even if we were friends, it wasn’t as though I’d have the chance to see her like that. Dragons only revealed their true forms to their mates, apparently.
That left me feeling just a little lonely.
At that moment, Lord Runken spoke softly.
“… I thought you might be feeling down after everything, but it seems you’re not too troubled.”
His words had a slightly confirming tone. I looked up and met his gaze.
In his honey-colored eyes, I caught a glimpse of concern. I shrugged and smiled.
By “everything,” he was probably referring to the exchange with His Majesty.
I had been surprised, but… I wasn’t hurt. I wasn’t feeling down.
With a faint smile, I answered him.
“Yes. Thank you for your concern. Right now… well, I think we should hurry back to the castle and deal with the aftermath.”
At my words, Lord Runken let out a sigh, then ran a hand through his bangs in frustration.
“Veronica Belnett certainly caused quite a mess.”
“But… she’s missing now, isn’t she?”
Missing—where could she possibly be?
If she escaped from the castle, where would she go? She apparently took national treasures from the treasury—this was practically theft.
As I pondered, Lord Runken fell into an odd silence.
“Lord Runken?”
“… Veronica Belnett…”
He seemed to be carefully choosing his words, his expression uneasy.
“… she might already be dead.”
That took a grim turn rather abruptly.
I glanced at him, startled, and he continued, struggling with his words.
“It’s just superstition, mind you… but among the national treasures she allegedly stole, there was one… a doll… which was held in royal custody under very particular circumstances…”
☆
While my maids were packing up, I sat on the sofa working out a strategy for when we returned to the castle. Watching them bustle about, I reached for the parchment and fountain pen on the writing desk, my mind running over plans.
Suddenly, I noticed someone standing in front of me. I looked up to find my maid, Lilia.
“… Lilia?”
Her anxious expression prompted me to call her name, and her slim shoulders trembled. Sensing she was distressed, I called out again.
“Lilia, what’s wrong?”
“Um… Your Majesty… I…”
Pale-faced, she spoke haltingly.
It was about how His Majesty came to have my hair—she might have been the cause.
Come to think of it… she was the one who collected the cut hair and said she’d dispose of it. I remembered how she’d seemed troubled after returning.
(Lilia? What’s wrong?)
When I asked, she had hurriedly denied it.
(No, the carriage is ready. We can depart anytime.)
“──”
The memory grew clearer as I replayed it in my mind. Lilia clutched at her apron skirt and confessed.
“On my way to dispose of it… I ran into His Majesty’s chamberlain. He told me to leave it to him… I hesitated, but he just took it from me.”
“… I see.”
I hadn’t known how His Majesty came to possess my hair, but now it made sense. Lilia must have blamed herself for it. She bowed deeply, her face ashen.
“I’m terribly sorry… If I had just thrown it away properly…”
“Even if you had, he probably would have gone rummaging through the trash to get it.”
Honestly, I couldn’t imagine someone of His Majesty’s chamberlain’s standing doing something so crude… but still. I smiled wryly and told her,
“You’re not at fault. Besides, it would have been hard to refuse someone of his rank. Don’t worry about it.”
“Your Majesty…”
Her eyebrows drooped, and she bowed her head even lower.
“I’ll be more careful from now on so this doesn’t happen again.”
What do you think about this chapter?
