Chapter 101. The Prince and the Princess
Following the maid's guidance, I entered the empty guest room assigned to me, and Walter and the witches all gathered in my room.
"Glad to see nothing happened to you, Director."
"Nothing much, aside from some annoyances."
"Annoyances?"
"What did you discuss with His Majesty the Emperor?"
In response to Walter and Rebecca's questions in turn, I relayed to them the conversation I'd had with the emperor.
"...So when I asked the maid who showed me to the guest room if the portrait showed the prince and any siblings, she said no and left."
Even the micro-expressions on her face, which I'd read, indicated she was telling the truth, making the emperor's intentions even harder to grasp.
"Hmm... The imperial family's affairs are all top secret, so even if it were true, it wouldn't have leaked out. And even if that maid lied, it might not have been detectable."
"Not detectable? What do you mean?"
When I questioned Rebecca's cryptic remark, she turned her gaze toward Hazel.
"For example, something like this."
"Hey, you...!"
Rebecca wiggled her fingers in the air toward Hazel a few times, and a sparkling light struck Hazel's face.
"Huh? What was I saying?"
And Hazel looked utterly bewildered.
"What was that?"
"Forgetfulness magic. It made her forget kissing Walter."
"Wh-what?! I kissed Walter? Why erase that memory! Walter, get over here! This is unfair! I don't remember it!"
"Don't do that. You'll get hurt."
Thanks to Rebecca's seamless lie without batting an eye, Walter had to endure Hazel's torment for a short while.
"So you're saying she could have cast forgetfulness magic on the maid like that?"
"Yes, if a mage is capable, they can selectively erase specific memories. They can even make someone forget they ever met them."
That certainly made sense. But it could just be my imagination, or maybe the emperor was simply a chimera enthusiast.
"More importantly, doesn't the imperial family have any mages? Or do they?"
"What are you talking about, Director? If even you—a mere baron—have several mages at your side right now, how could the imperial family have none?"
I knew I was only a baron, but hearing it put so bluntly as "mere baron" felt oddly off-putting.
"No need to worry, though. Forgetfulness magic can easily be undone with memory restoration magic. Like this."
"Oh! The kiss memory is back... Huh? What? It was nothing after all!"
Rebecca flicked her finger, casting memory restoration magic on Hazel, who had been under the forgetfulness spell. Hazel seemed deeply disappointed that the memory truly hadn't returned.
"But memory restoration only works if cast within a day of the forgetfulness magic. After that, even the greatest mage on the continent can't recover it."
A day, huh. No matter what happened, I'd reunite with my group within a day, so it wasn't worth fretting over.
"Anyway, since nothing's confirmed yet, let's stay quiet until the countship ceremony. Everyone, get some rest in your rooms."
With that, we dispersed to our rooms, and nothing else noteworthy occurred. Lunch, a tour of the palace guided by maids—that was it.
The first day in the palace seemed to pass without incident.
Until just before dinner time.
"Baron Gold, His Majesty the Emperor has prepared a private dinner for you."
"I'll go right away."
No need to ask—it was an invitation for me alone, excluding my retainers. Strangely, it put my mind at ease. I'd thought the lack of contact was suspicious.
Following the maid, I moved from the annex guest quarters back to the main palace. After a long walk, I arrived at the banquet hall.
"Your Majesty, Baron Minor Gold has arrived."
"Let him enter."
"Please go in."
The doors to the banquet hall opened, and the savory aroma of food wafting up grew even stronger, teasing my nose.
"Minor Gold pays respects to the great sun of the empire."
"This seat is prepared for you. Sit."
"It is an honor, Your Majesty."
The long table was laden with delicacies from land and sea, but only the emperor and I sat there. Standing rigidly beside the emperor was the captain of the imperial guard, Theodor Holman.
"Have you recovered from your journey?"
"Yes, Your Majesty."
The clinking of cutlery and the sound of chewing echoed in the solemn silence.
I couldn't fathom why he'd summoned me—the emperor said nothing beyond the initial greeting, and neither did I. Rather than risk small talk breaking the tension, it felt better to eat in respectful silence.
"Is the food to your liking?"
"A meal so exquisite it astonishes the tongue."
"Good to hear."
Our dinner in silence concluded, and as if on cue, the servants who'd loomed uncomfortably in the corners throughout the meal filed out of the banquet hall at a nod from Theodor beside the emperor.
"Do you know why I called you here alone?"
"......"
Now the real game begins.
I had two choices in responding to the emperor's question: play along diplomatically, or cut to the chase.
"Are there no ears listening in this room besides Theodor's?"
I decided to go straight to the point. The countship ceremony was two days away. Better to resolve whatever this was now than endure endless unexplained summons.
"No one but Theodor. Speak freely."
The emperor flashed a sly smile, as if reading my intent.
"If I may presume, Your Majesty granting a mere baron like me two audiences in one day must mean you have a request regarding conjoined twin surgery—or something related."
"Haha, me begging a favor from a mere baron?"
Despite his light laugh and sharp gaze at my bold words, I didn't avert my eyes.
"Indeed, you're perceptive—no need to beat around the bush. I want you to perform surgery on the conjoined twins."
"......"
At the emperor's gesture, Theodor strode toward me and placed a crystal orb before me from his pocket. He glanced back at the emperor for confirmation.
"Show him."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
Tick—tick tick—tick—
Theodor manipulated the crystal orb, and a bright light projected into the air like a beam projector. The 3D hologram that appeared matched the portrait I'd seen that morning during my audience and return to the guest room.
"No explanation needed—you know who this is."
"......Yes, Your Majesty."
My hunch was right. The screen, like a three-dimensional painting, showed not just the prince, but also a young girl emerging from the back of his head.
"I don't know why, but my child was born in that horrific state. As if cursed."
"Your Majesty, forgive me, but this is no curse. Merely a rare disability."
Conjoined twins occur in about one in 150,000 to 200,000 births—a very rare condition, not some curse.
The exact cause of conjoined twins wasn't fully understood even before I transferred to this world.
Identical twins split from a single fertilized egg between days 13 and 15 post-fertilization into two separate embryos. Conjoined twins happen when the split is incomplete, leaving parts fused as they develop—that's all that was known.
"Curse or not, it matters not. I simply want to save my son."
"......?"
But contrary to my expectations, the emperor spoke calmly.
"You said it yourself—sometimes one must be sacrificed due to organ constraints. I want only my son made whole."
"......?"
What the hell is this madman saying? What about your daughter?
For a moment, I nearly cursed aloud, forgetting the man before me was the emperor, but reason barely restrained me.
"Your Majesty, as I explained, conjoined twin separation is an extremely complex surgery. We must first conduct thorough exams to see if it's feasible. But before that... you want only the prince made whole?"
"Yes. The thing attached to the prince's body is a burden that should not exist."
"Your Majesty? What do you...?"
My unmanaged expression surfaced—bordering on irreverence—and the emperor didn't miss it.
"No need for concern. The thing attached to the prince is not my child."
"Your Majesty, I humbly submit... No, Your Majesty!"
"......?"
Damn it, I can't hold back anymore.
"Conjoined twins are identical twins. All of them are Your Majesty's precious children."
"Seems you've misunderstood. Did you look closely at the crystal orb?"
"......?"
The emperor flicked his hand, and Theodor, grasping his intent, approached and manipulated the projected screen. He rotated it to show the princess facing front, not the throne.
"You've heard that my beloved Sharon was once my brother's fiancée. Do you know?"
"......"
Hearing such an imperial scandal straight from the emperor's mouth left my expression uncontrolled once more.
But the emperor continued indifferently.
"The world might paint me as the shameless tyrant who coveted my brother's fiancée. But Sharon was originally my lover and betrothed—from our first meeting until she bore the children and died."
"......"
A sudden tale of love and war. Regardless of my distaste for melodrama, hearing this felt like it endangered my safety and life.
But I couldn't just bolt from the banquet hall. My only option was to shut up and listen.
"Believe it or not, I never coveted the throne. I had no interest. But when the late emperor fell ill and my brother was named crown prince, he coveted what he shouldn't."
"......"
"My one and only gift, Sharon—he took her by force."
The emperor's face, read via micro-expressions, held no lie, leaving me speechless.
"And on the day my brother forcibly took Sharon, I severed his head."
"......May I ask why you tell me this?"
To my cautious question, the emperor fixed me with a cold, chilling gaze.
"Of those children you call conjoined twins, only the crown prince is mine. The thing attached to him is my brother's bloodline."