Unresolved Doubts
Even after waking up, I remained in bed for a long time. To the maids, it must have looked like Princess Sera, always so diligent, was being uncharacteristically lazy. In reality, I was busy organizing the events of yesterday in my head. Just reminiscing about those few hours last night sent a thrilling shiver down my spine; it had been an incredibly fulfilling time. I had feasted my eyes on Carmel's naked body to my heart's content and tasted every inch of her in various ways. In just a single night, the archives of my memory had received a massive update. The absolute highlight among them was the memory of pressing our naked bodies together as I sucked her pussy. It would undoubtedly become the best memory to recall whenever I felt aroused in the future. Of course, it was also a memory that made me feel a bit embarrassed when I thought about it. To think I didn't command Carmel to serve me, but actually asked her. I felt a slight sense of self-deprecation.
...Damn it, I actually went and pictured it...
Speaking of embarrassing memories, I ended up remembering how things stood when we wrapped up our game. The situation when I asked her that final question in such a heavy, loaded atmosphere. Thinking about it now made my face burn with embarrassment. When asked if she would still consider me special even if Mistylia were to activate again, Carmel had answered that she naturally would. Since we both had our masks on, we managed to gloss over it smoothly, but it was by no means a light question.
I recalled the moment Mistylia had activated while I was staying in Carmel's room. The effect of the curse was so powerful that her attitude had turned ice-cold in an instant. A curse that instilled pure hatred. I could never forget the look in Carmel's eyes back then. Yet, that didn't mean Carmel had immediately reverted to her very first state. Although her hatred was reset, her memories remained intact. And those memories influenced her behavior. Compared to when I first met and began training her, the Carmel of last night—even with her hatred reset by Mistylia—adapted remarkably fast to the training we called a 'game.' It was only during the very early stages of the game that I felt any extreme reluctance from her. After that, both her body and mind rapidly accepted my degradation.
Most of all, there was the second question. 'Do you still hate all of Luistie?' Through that impulsive question, I had caught a brief glimpse of Carmel's true feelings. Recalling that moment, I brought a hand to my lips. The kiss Carmel had given me as proof—the sensation of it still lingered vividly on my lips.
Carmel...
Truth be told, I still hadn't made up my mind on how to define my relationship with her. I loved Carmel. Everything from her physical appearance to the very nature of her soul. I loved her so much that I wanted to bind her tightly with chains of affection and make her entirely mine. But that was strictly a one-sided emotion. Even if Carmel rejected me, even if she loathed me to the extreme, I wouldn't have cared at all. In fact, it would have only fueled my fire. Yet, last night, I confirmed that Carmel also harbored affection for me—even if I didn't know if it was of the same nature or intensity as mine. The moment I realized that, a weakness formed within me. I had begun to care about Carmel's feelings. It was a massive vulnerability that could prove fatal in the future.
To be honest, I still didn't know. Should I try my best to erase this weakness? Or was it fine to leave things as they had become? To maintain my position and power here, the Luistie Kingdom had to remain intact. Therefore, Princess Sera and Carmel's hatred were bound to clash. Was it really alright for me to head into the upcoming battles carrying such a weakness? By losing my weapon of ruthlessness, had I handed Carmel a new weapon to use against me? I couldn't shake these thoughts.
Sigh...
The correct answer, of course, was to remain ruthless. I had to be cold-blooded. Especially in a situation where survival required constant struggle. Even so, what kept shaking my heart were the expressions Carmel had shown me last night. Ironically, a doubt had arisen in the middle of a game meant to give me certainty. I had failed to obtain a reassuring answer on the most crucial part of all.
No matter how much I agonized over it, it wasn't a problem that would yield an easy answer. I decided to focus on matters with clearer solutions. I still had plenty of tasks left before me: finding a way to lift the Mistylia curse, and uncovering the conspiracy that Lorencia and Carmel were plotting. These two required immediate information gathering. If I had to prioritize one over the other, it would be the Lorencia side. While Mistylia would certainly pose a major obstacle in the long run, it didn't present an immediate crisis in the upcoming struggle. On the other hand, the exact nature of the plot involving Lorencia remained unclear. However, since Carmel's ultimate goal was the destruction of this kingdom, it was obvious that it could not be left unchecked. Furthermore, it was still unknown how the ancient witch Enekra was entangled with Carmel. Though, perhaps I could take my time gathering information on that front.
"Mmmph...!" I stretched, extending my arms and legs. Perhaps because I had done quite a bit of physical labor last night, it felt incredibly refreshing. Just then, a maid approached the bedside and spoke softly.
"Princess, it is about time you prepare for the day."
"Ah, is it already that time? Understood." I climbed out of bed and let the maids attend to me.
"-With that, we shall conclude today's regular meeting."
The regular meeting ended with Pehart's solemn voice. Today's meeting consisted almost entirely of dry reports, making it rather dull. This was the end of my official schedule as the princess for the day. Of course, my unofficial to-do list was piled high. I headed straight for the Knight Order. Following the integration of the Royal Guard and the Direct Unit, the headquarters had been established in the former Guard's building. My destination, in particular, was Masker's office. As I was about to head up the stairs, a noisy commotion echoed from the landing above.
"W-Wait... I really don't know anything...!"
"Don't play dumb! People definitely saw you!"
It appeared that two men had cornered a maid against the wall and were badgering her. Had I witnessed this in a marketplace, I would have taken them for common thugs, but this was the Knight Order barracks located right inside the royal palace. Such behavior should have been impossible here. I quietly hid myself and listened to the conversation. Wait, that maid... haven't I seen her somewhere before?
"Sophia, just spit it out already. Did you really not come here the day before the Festival of the Sword?"
"I-I did come here... because that's my job... But I have absolutely no memory of being caught and interrogated!"
"Then let's cross-reference the timeline. Tell us your movements that day, step by step."
"D-Do I look like someone with that kind of memory? I told you, I don't remember..."
Ah, I see. That maid was another one of Carmel's victims. To the knights, the person who had her bottom spanked by me that day was supposed to be none other than that maid. Furthermore, from the perspective of the Royal Guard knights, it could look like she had infiltrated the barracks to sabotage the Festival of the Sword. Of course, on that day, under the supervision of myself and Filgret, Sophia (who was actually Carmel in disguise) had been released. Under those circumstances, an official investigation was no longer possible. However, it seemed those knights hadn't been able to resolve their personal suspicions. Well, all I had to do was make my presence known to resolve this. They wouldn't be able to continue acting like thugs once the princess appeared. Just as I was about to step out, another man's voice echoed from the top of the stairs.
"You there, what do you think you are doing?"
It was Masker. The two knights saluted in flustered voices. I quickly hid myself again.
"So, what were you doing with the maid?"
"Ah, well..."
"We were just asking her a few questions. It is nothing important..."
Judging by how they had been interrogating Sophia, the two were undoubtedly from the Royal Guard. The first person they would suspect, of course, was Wilter, who had been their opponent in the duel. With the man himself standing right there, they could hardly answer, 'We were asking her what kind of dirty trick you had this maid pull.' Masker didn't press them any further either.
"If it is nothing important, return to your duties. It is hardly proper for a knight and a maid to be whispering in corners."
"Yes, sir!"
The two men saluted once more and headed down the stairs. I clearly heard one of them mutter under his breath.
"Cowardly bastard..."
I couldn't tell if Masker had heard it, but the man's tone suggested he didn't care if he did. On their way down, the men locked eyes with me. Startled, they hurriedly paid their respects and fled as if running for their lives.
It seemed Masker had yet to win the full support of the knights. Perhaps it was different for the Direct Unit, who had been his subordinates from the start, but it was especially true for the knights of the Royal Guard. After fleeing like that during the Festival of the Sword, and now wearing a mask to hide his identity, it was only natural they felt this way. Calling him a coward wasn't entirely wrong, after all. Now, the misunderstanding might even deepen. Although his appearance just now was likely a coincidence, it ended up looking like Masker was shielding Sophia.
"Um, thank you, Commander Wilter..."
"Wilter... I know of no such name. My name is Masker. I am Masker, Commander of the Obsidian Knights."
"Huh? Uh... but you're Sir Wilter, aren't you?"
"I am not."
"Eh? But you look exactly the same..."
"Such coincidences do happen."
"There's no way. Wearing that weird mask... why are you hiding such a handsome face anyway?"
This maid had quite a strong will. Usually, one would just play along and call him Masker at this point. I couldn't see Masker's expression from where I stood. Given how the conversation had stalled, he seemed a bit flustered...
"Well then, I just remembered I have some business to attend to. If anything like this happens again, let me know."
He gave up. Or rather, was he running away? Even though he clearly had a reason to head down the stairs, Wilter walked away in the opposite direction. Sophia stared up the stairs with a bewildered look, then tidied her clothes and began walking down.
"Ah... P-Princess Sera?"
I waved with a smile to Sophia, who was flustered to run into the princess in such an unexpected place, and then began climbing the stairs.