Episode 96: Come to think of it, I haven’t done any brainwashing lately…
After being seen off by a Cicely-san who bowed apologetically, we left the Grand Cathedral and headed back to the academy.
It was still early in the morning, but I wasn’t in the mood to go anywhere for fun. With this gloomy feeling, neither Rouge nor I would be able to enjoy ourselves.
“I wonder if Rosalie is okay… She was pushing herself, wasn’t she…?”
“……Yeah.”
Rosalie is being forced to treat people afflicted with a disease that she shouldn’t be able to cure. She’s being made to bear the burden of their deaths, and she’s convinced that it’s all because her faith isn’t strong enough.
It’s like brainwashing.
Cardinal Malicious seems to be trying to use Rosalie up.
Rosalie’s body was already starting to show abnormalities. Taste disorders and tremors in her hands. Her mind and body are screaming from stress and overwork. She’ll probably reach her limit before long.
…I want to do something about it before that happens. That’s what I think, but…
“I wonder if there’s anything we can do…”
“For now, it’s about listening to Cicely-san’s request…”
However, even if we were to inform Prince Lucas of Rosalie’s situation, it’s unlikely that the situation surrounding Rosalie would improve. Unlike with Lily, it wouldn’t benefit Prince Lucas.
Currently, the Church faction is close to Prince Slay. The internal strife of the Church and the ruin of the Holy Maiden are actually welcome developments for Prince Lucas. If this were to cause Prince Slay and the Church to distance themselves, there might even be a chance to knock Prince Slay out of the Succession War.
If Prince Lucas chooses to ignore it, then I…
We returned to the academy and immediately looked for Alissa-san. Fortunately, we found Alissa-san at the faculty dormitory, explained what had just happened, and asked her to arrange a meeting with Prince Lucas.
“Since the Night Soiree, His Highness has been actively strengthening his ties with the nobility. There’s no guarantee that you’ll be able to see him right away, you know? …Also, it’s not good for the Royal Family to intervene in the Church’s troubles, so it’s best not to get your hopes up.”
“…Even so, please.”
“Understood. Just make sure you don’t do anything reckless, okay?”
Alissa-san firmly warned us before heading to the Royal Castle to inform Prince Lucas of the situation. The reply would probably come in the evening at the earliest.
We had lunch at the School Cafeteria and decided to spend the afternoon in our room. The only thing to do in the room was study, but I couldn’t concentrate because I kept thinking about Rosalie. Rouge was also lying on my bed, hugging Nokoko, and seemed to be lost in thought.
In the end, time passed without much studying.
It was when the outside of the window began to turn vermilion that we received a reply from Prince Lucas. The dormitory manager came to deliver a simple letter from Alissa-san that read, “Meet at the usual time and place tonight.”
It seems that Prince Lucas will meet with us right away. Alissa-san had said that he seemed busy, but either way, I’m grateful. After consulting with Rouge, we decided that only I would go to the meeting.
After dinner, I waited in my room until the appointed time, when someone knocked on the door. It was past 7 PM. Who could it be at this hour…?
When I opened the door, it was Idiot standing there.
“This is unusual, at this hour.”
“…I apologize for the late hour. Could I have a little of your time? …If possible, I’d like to talk to you alone.”
Idiot glanced at Rouge, who was peeking out from behind me, and suggested that he wanted to talk to me alone. Idiot’s expression seemed troubled. It seemed like something was going on…
“Okay. Sorry, Rouge. I’m going to talk to Idiot for a bit. Can you stay here?”
“Okay, see you later.”
Seeing Rouge off with a wave, I left the room with Idiot. We headed to Idiot’s private room on the third floor. Idiot, who was treated as a Marquis House, lived alone in a large room that was probably twice the size of the room Rouge and I lived in.
The bed, decorations, and even the carpet were incomparably more luxurious than our room. …However, it must be lonely to live alone in such a large room.
“You can wait on the sofa. I’ll prepare some tea right away.”
“No, I get scared when you’re that considerate… I have plans later, so it would be helpful if you could get to the point quickly.”
“I see… I’m sorry for taking up your time.”
Idiot apologized and sat down on the sofa opposite me. …This is kind of throwing me off. I don’t remember ever seeing Idiot in such a humble state.
“What happened?”
It was something that he wanted to talk about alone. Something that couldn’t be made public, and something that was related to me.
If possible, I’d prefer it to be some trivial problem…
“…Today, I was summoned by my father. There, I was ordered to help with the kidnapping of Lady Lecty.”
“……Huh?”
My voice came out colder than I expected. Idiot averted his eyes from me in a flustered manner and bowed his head, saying, “I’m sorry.”
“It’s only natural that you, Lady Lecty’s lover, would be angry. Let me apologize on my father’s behalf.”
“I don’t need that. More importantly, did you accept that order?”
“Of course not…!”
Idiot’s tone grew stronger at my question.
“There’s no way I would do anything that would harm Lady Lecty! Of course, I refused on the spot. The reason I’m telling you this is because I’ve determined that I need your help to stop my father’s plans…!”
“…That’s right. Sorry.”
I apologized to Idiot and took a deep breath to calm my emotions. Let’s calm down. If I thought about it for a moment, I would have realized that there was no way Idiot would participate in a plan to harm Lecty.
Idiot also poured water from a pitcher on the table into a glass and drank it in one gulp.
For now, let’s hear what he has to say. Everything starts from there.