Unraveling the Riddle
"Clana, wait a sec..."
"Hurry up and follow me. They're closing soon."
Clana's voice dripped with irritation as she urged me on, foiling my attempt to pause for a moment. I was trying to humor her as best I could, but I never imagined a dessert cafe could have such a lovely atmosphere.
"Clana, how about somewhere I know instead...?"
"So we're already here, and now you want to go there? I have no intention of wasting more time on you."
I expressed my reluctance and tried to block the entrance somehow, but Clana was relentless. How could recalling a single oath change a person so drastically?
"Hello, welc—"
As I mulled over that thought while holding Clana's hand and stepping inside, the server who had been greeting us brightly froze solid. No wonder—she was understandably flustered. After all, it was the middle of the night, and the empire's third princess had barged in with the duke family's firstborn son.
"The most expensive seat in the house, with the most expensive course."
"Y-yes, right away!"
The server, who had been gawking at our faces from every angle with her mouth agape, snapped to attention at Clana's order and scurried off to prepare.
"Judging by how the server panicked at the sight of you, it doesn't seem like you've been here before."
"You wouldn't know."
I glanced at the retreating server and turned to Clana with a curious look, only to receive her curt reply. Of course, her usual mumble followed right after.
"...I've been here a few times before."
Before... does she mean from a previous loop?
Reading the unmistakable bitterness in her words, I glanced at her expression and quietly entered the room.
"You, come here for a moment."
"Pardon? Ah... yes."
As I stared blankly at the room's design—enough to make anyone's face heat up—Clana called over a distant staff member and whispered something to them.
"Understood. Then we'll go with that design..."
"Thank you."
After cutting off the staff with a polite thanks, Clana turned and glared at me.
"Is this incident connected to you somehow?"
"Hmm..."
I pondered her sudden question for a moment before smirking and replying.
"What if it is?"
"Haa..."
Testing her reaction with that question, Clana sighed and began to speak.
"Are you going to keep being this uncooperative? Even after the oath we made?"
"The oath, huh..."
"Yes. If you keep betraying me like this... it'll just give me justification to betray you."
Scolding me with a stern expression, Clana continued in a deeply annoyed tone.
"And you made that oath too, didn't you? If you can't make me emperor..."
"I'll give you everything I have?"
"Exactly."
Reciting the line I'd heard in her subconscious alongside Kania, Clana nodded and said,
"If you keep getting in the way of me becoming emperor..."
"I'll have to give you everything I have, huh?"
I flashed her a playful smile, and Clana's face flushed red.
"Enough with the jokes."
"Jokes?"
"As if you'd ever give me everything. You wouldn't even cooperate if it weren't for that oath."
As she averted her gaze while saying that, I asked in a low voice,
"What if it's not a joke?"
"...Stop it."
Clana's expression turned icy as she began emanating solar mana. It seemed teasing her had reached its limit.
"How much of today's events do you remember?"
"Huh? Well, obviously..."
Shifting my thoughts, I cautiously asked Clana, but she trailed off mid-reply and flinched.
"Wh-what? Umm..."
"Ah, dessert's here."
"...Yes."
Guessing the situation from her reaction, I quickly pointed to the arriving dessert. Clana, who had been looking uneasy, accepted the cake.
"Huh...?"
But the cake looked familiar somehow.
"Silver cat decoration?"
It was the exact same design as the one from my old dream—and the special order Kania had made. Come to think of it, in the dream, Clana had been the one preparing the cake. What a uncanny coincidence.
"My, what are you all doing here?"
"...You?"
As I pondered that, a familiar voice sounded from behind Clana.
"Why are you here?"
"Princess, why did you bring Frey along?"
Peeking out with a dubious expression, I saw Serena stroking the white owl on her shoulder.
"His birthday party was ruined, so I have to make it up to him somehow. It's my duty."
"So this is a makeshift birthday party?"
Clana nodded quietly at the question, and Serena smiled as she sat right next to me.
"Then there's no reason his fiancée can't join, is there?"
"Serena, I didn't realize you were so rude."
"But Princess, you took Frey away without consulting me."
"I have both the power and authority to do so."
"I'm not so sure... I think I still hold more power and authority."
Dazed as I listened to the escalating exchange between Clana and Serena, I whispered to Serena, who was sharply retorting right beside me.
"Serena, what about cleanup?"
"The circumstances were so clear-cut that even the incompetent imperial investigators can handle it. With the culprit already fled, there's nothing more to do. Of course, we'll have to look into that suspicious person."
"Kania?"
"...She says there's something to investigate."
Asking about Kania's whereabouts, I shrank back under Serena's sharp gaze—then jolted to my feet at the sight of someone bursting into the shop.
"Clana! Are you okay?!"
"Per... loché?"
It was none other than Perloché.
"What evil thing has bad Frey done this time?!"
Panting heavily as if she'd sprinted all the way, Perloché glared at me and spoke up.
"You! Because of you, Clana's been..."
"Sit down first, Perloché."
"...Ugh."
Quickly urging her to sit before she could prod at Clana's overlaid trial memories, she plopped down in her chair with a pout.
".........."
And silence fell.
...I already had a birthday party with Kania and Irina ahead of time, so this must be with these girls.
Recalling the prophecy book's account of the birthday party, I quietly asked Perloché,
"How'd you find this place?"
"Well, I was invited to the ball tonight too, but I got lost..."
According to Perloché's explanation, despite her strained relations with the imperial family, she'd received an invitation as the once-in-a-millennium saintess. But while stepping out of her carriage to buy fireworks, she lost her way, arriving late to the ballroom only to find it in ruins. Somehow tracking down where Clana and I had gone amid the chaos—and worried I'd done something to Clana amid the bad rumors—she'd rushed over to this scene.
"So why'd you buy fireworks?"
"Because... it's your birthday..."
As she answered my question, Perloché suddenly aimed the fireworks at me and pulled the fuse with gusto.
"...Perloché, such behavior is rude."
"S-sorry."
It seemed intentional, but thankfully Serena blocked my face with her fan in time, averting any real issue.
"So, what exactly is going on here?"
"...A birthday party."
"Pardon?"
"We're having Frey's birthday party."
As Perloché shrank back from Serena's scolding and asked, Clana averted her eyes and mumbled. Serena smiled and answered for her.
"So Perloché doesn't need to stay. You must be tired—please head back."
Serena pressed on to send her away, but
"I'll stay too!"
"Pardon?"
"I'll watch so Frey can't do anything bad to Clana!"
With a resolute expression and clenched fists, Perloché declared. Serena sighed, then clung tightly to my side.
"...Then sit over there."
"Yes!"
As Perloché headed to a chair a bit away from me, Clana—still looking displeased—pulled out a candle and muttered,
"Anyway, happy birthday..."
And so our modest birthday party began. Among all the ones I'd experienced so far, this was one of the best.
......
"Clana."
"Yes?"
Whether she'd been looking forward to the party or the cake was just that good, Perloché had been devouring several times her usual amount. As she finally headed to the restroom, Serena quietly asked Clana,
"What do you plan to do with Frey from now on?"
"Hmm..."
Clana, who had been quietly eating her cake, sighed and replied,
"I still despise him utterly, but I suppose I have to try reforming him."
"What made you change your stance so suddenly?"
Serena, who clearly remembered Clana consulting her about assassinating Frey, pressed further. Clana closed her eyes wearily and answered,
"...You wouldn't know."
"Hmm..."
Of course, Serena—having heard the truth from Kania earlier—gave Clana an enigmatic look before turning to Perloché.
"Perloché, you..."
"This is too sweet...!"
"...I see."
Finding Perloché stuffing her cheeks like a hamster, Serena sighed and looked away.
"Serena, what have you been staring at so intently?"
Clana, who had been glancing at Serena, tilted her head curiously. Serena, who adored sweets but ignored the cake entirely while peering at something, prompted the question.
"I'm solving a riddle."
"Even you can't solve one?"
As Serena answered gravely, Clana followed up with genuine curiosity. Ignoring how punchable Serena looked lately, it was surprising that she had an unsolvable riddle.
"The info's too sparse... or maybe I'm overthinking it. I still have a long way to go."
Serena gave a wry smile, and Perloché—still munching cake—spoke up.
"That riddle! I'll solve it!"
"Pardon?"
"I'm confident in riddles!"
Serena blinked at Perloché's sparkling eyes, then smiled and began.
"Well, as they say in the East Continent, even a blank sheet helps when lifted together... Maybe I need a fresh, unique perspective."
"Wh-what does that mean?"
"...I'll share the riddle, so think hard. Clana, your help would be appreciated too."
Perloché beamed expectantly at Serena, while Clana nodded skeptically.
One coincidence, five realizations.
And... a boomerang passing between the half-moon and the new moon.
"......?"
Clana and Perloché wore puzzled expressions as Serena revealed the riddle.
"I get the first two roughly... but the last one doesn't click."
"What does that even..."
"Even applying total eclipse feels off... No legends match... Maybe it's metaphorical? No, I think I'm complicating it..."
"Serena?"
"I even lied to Frey about not seeing the letters to check if it was a Starlight-exclusive magical mark, but what we read matched exactly. So why..."
As Serena delved into her thoughts mid-explanation, Clana frowned and asked,
"Wait, you need to explain where this came from. Just dropping a riddle like that..."
"We need to uncover the hidden meaning. That's how the new path opens."
"...Hmm."
Silence stretched through the room after Serena's reply.
"Half-moon and new moon... Maybe related to lunar phases? Or a total eclipse..."
"I've already considered both fully."
"Then perhaps a metaphor."
"...Possibly."
Clana broke the silence instead of the overconfident Perloché, engaging Serena with budding interest.
"A boomerang... comes back, right? But passing between half-moon and new moon..."
"Hmm..."
"Is there a term for the phase transitioning from half to new moon? If such a name and meaning exist..."
"...No such thing."
Clana furrowed her brow as Serena shook her head.
"I still hate full moons."
"........."
As Serena shot Clana a glance at that remark,
"Paper and pen, please!"
"Pardon!?"
Perloché declared confidently.
"If words fail, draw it!"
......
Meanwhile, at that moment.
"...Good, this should do it."
The Demon King, clutching the fake Hero's Armament, came to a halt after sprinting far.
"Now, the real show begins."
Reaching a bustling street, she stopped, curling her lips as she muttered.
"Begins...?"
And trailing behind her was a girl in a black robe, just as someone might.
"...What begins?"
The girl's left ring finger still glowed faintly.