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Chapter 52
“Oh, that? The hunting competition originally started to reduce the number of harmful beasts that attack people.”
“That was the original purpose, yes.”
“Right? Small birds actually eat insects and help spread seeds by eating fruit. There’s no need to hunt such good birds. Don’t you think?”
“That’s true.”
Eunice nodded, then carefully spoke.
“I thought… perhaps Your Highness the Second Prince said that because of the bluebird he raised when he was young.”
“The bluebird? …Ah, Lili?”
“Pardon? Lili?”
“Didn’t Uni tell you? The bluebird Rio raised as a child. Its name was Lili. What a strange coincidence, right?”
I giggled, but Eunice didn’t look amused at all.
In fact, her face turned pale, as if she were sick.
“Uni?”
“My lady… if it’s not rude to ask… do you know how that bluebird Lili died?”
“Huh? I’m not sure.”
The novel never described Lili’s death in detail.
All I remembered was—
“Either the First Prince killed it himself, or he left it in a situation where it would die. Anyway, he was the cause. He took Lili away.”
“Took… it away?”
“That man is awful. Seriously cruel. Remember how he took the fountain pen I gave to Rio not long ago?”
It would have been hard to excuse that behavior even as a child, but he was eighteen now. In this world, that meant he was already an adult.
“But my lady, when you collapsed at the imperial palace before… you didn’t go to the First Prince’s palace that day, did you?”
“Huh?”
What did my collapse have to do with the First Prince’s palace?
I didn’t understand why Eunice was asking, but she looked so serious that I thought carefully.
“I didn’t go to his palace. But I did go to the Empress’s palace for bride lessons.”
And the First Prince’s palace was right next to the Empress’s palace.
Eunice must have realized that too. Her face, which had been pale, now turned red and blue with agitation.
“But why?”
“No, it’s just… that…”
She opened her mouth as if to explain something, then closed it tightly. After a moment, she smiled.
“I’m just very glad that your fiancé is the Second Prince, not the First Prince.”
“Oh, right. I feel the same way.”
What would I have done if a man who could cruelly kill a harmless bluebird had become my fiancé?
Just the fact that my parents chose Lionel instead of the First Prince as my fiancé proved how much they loved me.
* * *
That night, for the first time in a while, I picked up the communication device first.
“Ahem. Rio? Can you hear me?”
“Yes, I can hear you.”
Lionel appeared in the crystal ball, sitting calmly at his desk as usual, without a hint of surprise.
One day, I really wanted to see him shocked.
“I heard something from my maid today. When attending the hunting competition, it’s customary for a fiancée to tie a handkerchief to her fiancé’s bow. Do you know about that?”
“Yes, I do.”
“You do?”
Since this was his first time attending the hunting competition, I thought maybe he didn’t know about the handkerchief either. But I was wrong.
He nodded calmly.
“My aide told me.”
“Then you must have heard that if your fiancée doesn’t tie one for you, it’s embarrassing?”
“Yes.”
“…And even knowing that, you said it’s fine if I don’t come?”
“Yes.”
Ha. I think I know what he’s going to say.
“Because it doesn’t matter?”
“Yes.”
Wow. Incredible.
I’ve never met someone so upright in my life.
“But I think it does matter.”
The rumors about me clinging to Lionel had only just started to fade. If I didn’t tie the handkerchief, new rumors might spread.
For example, that the duke’s daughter had already changed her heart and lost interest in her fiancé.
“I’ll go before the hunting competition starts and tie the handkerchief to your bow. If anyone asks, you have to say—really!—that I came and tied it myself. Got it?”
“Didn’t you say you didn’t want to go?”
“Even if I don’t want to, I should.”
Of course, if I had to stay until the end of the event, I wouldn’t go.
“I’ll just tie the handkerchief before it starts and come back. It’s fine.”
“Understood.”
At least he was good at answering.
“By the way, have you decided on a name for the bluebird?”
“A name? No, I’m still thinking.”
Honestly, it wasn’t even a real bird—just a magical tool. It felt like naming a robot vacuum cleaner.
I could just give it any name, but strangely, I kept thinking about it.
“Speaking of which, do you have any good ideas for a name?”
“No.”
“…You’ve thought about it, right?”
“I haven’t.”
“Why not?”
“Because the one who should name this child is Lili.”
A faint smile appeared on Lionel’s lips. The view in the crystal ball moved slightly up and down. He was probably petting the bluebird’s head.
For some reason, it reminded me of when he touched my hair, and my mood felt strange.
“He’s such a peculiar person.”
“By the way, why did you suddenly start calling me Lili?”
“Because you are Lili.”
“No, I mean—why did you suddenly decide to call me by my childhood nickname? I’m curious what changed.”
“There wasn’t any particular change. I simply realized that you are Lili.”
“…Never mind.”
The longer I talked to him, the more I felt like I was the only one getting tired.
“It’s late, so go to sleep! By the way, why were you still awake today? Did your schedule change?”
“Yes. It was adjusted.”
“Really? Then send me the new one.”
“I’ll have it ready for you to take when you come next time.”
“Okay!”
Technically, the Second Prince’s schedule should be confidential.
Well, if he’s giving it to me himself, it should be fine.
After saying good night and ending the communication, I lay down in bed.
I tried to think of a name for the bluebird, but before I could catch any of the floating ideas in my head, I fell asleep.
* * *
Eunice immediately shared what she had learned.
“The bluebird the Second Prince raised as a child was named Lili, and the First Prince took it away and killed it.”
“What?!”
“Based on the circumstances, it seems my lady’s spirit familiar is indeed a bluebird. Also… during the discussion about the hunting competition, my lady showed strong resistance toward killing small birds.”
At Eunice’s hesitant words, everyone bearing the Rohheim family name became furious.
“That First Prince bastard! Even chewing him up wouldn’t be enough! That scoundrel shot my daughter with a bow and killed her!”
It wasn’t confirmed. But they were already certain something like that had happened in the past.
“Shall we kill him? I’ll secretly infiltrate the First Prince’s palace.”
“Calm down. That would never succeed.”
“Are you underestimating me?”
“No. Think about the prophecy.”
At Albert’s reminder, Bellows let out a low groan.
[He will take his own life by his own will.]
No one else could kill him.
Even if a hundred assassins attacked at once, it would fail. If Bellows tried to sneak into the First Prince’s palace, it would only cost him his life.
“If we leave him alone, the First Prince will eventually kill himself.”
“Right. For now, retrieving Cecilia’s soul fragment is more important.”
Until now, they had believed Cecilia’s soul fragment was in the Second Prince’s palace.
But if Cecilia’s spirit familiar had been killed in the First Prince’s palace…
