Invitation (4)

By the time we arrived, the sun was already sinking low, so we entered the main residence without delay. We were planning to stay for several days anyway; touring the estate could wait until tomorrow.

Leo and Baron Grace apparently had matters to discuss separately from the rest of us.

Judging by the expression on Leo's face when he glanced back at us while following the baron, their conversation wasn't going to be limited to words alone. Knowing the Grace family's traditions from the original story, it was probably going to involve a sparring match with his father.

And Baron Grace's combat ability ranked among the highest even within the game.

He also wasn't the type to go easy on his own son.

......I could understand why Leo had worn that expression. If you came home for the break only to find training waiting for you that was even more grueling than what you endured at the academy, I would have made the same face.

At the same time, it left me feeling a little grim.

Wasn't I going to have to meet with the Emperor once I returned to the imperial palace?

Honestly, even if Leo hadn't been pulled aside for separate training, his presence among us would have posed a different problem. At the academy, men and women mixed together, so there was no helping it, but in noble society...... a man who lingered among women like that was unlikely to make a favorable impression.

If women flocked around a man who radiated a thoroughly macho aura in an effort to court him, that would be something to boast about. But when a character with a pretty-boy look like Leo laughed and chatted among a group of women...... well.

I pitied Leo once again. As long as Alice and I were here, he was bound to be seen in that light by other people more than once.

"When I heard that the 'older sister' Claire always spoke of was Her Highness, I will admit, I rather doubted Claire's memories."

The baroness, who had guided us to the reception room as the lady of the house, spoke as she sipped her tea with an elegant air.

Seeing her forgo adding even a single sugar cube to her cup, I briefly considered doing the same, but I suspected that would only lead to me leaving my tea unfinished. I had no choice but to drop in a sugar cube. Just one.

Fortunately, no one seemed to pay any mind to that.

"......."

Unsure how to respond to the baroness's remark, I stalled for a moment by taking a sip of tea, then said,

"I think ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠that was only natural of you."

"Sis."

At my words, Claire replied as if hurt, then quickly closed her mouth.

And stole a glance at the baroness.

The baron and baroness would never have discriminated against Claire simply because she wasn't related to them by blood. Claire was probably more concerned that she had called me 'sister.'

The baron and baroness were comparatively progressive people, but nobles were still nobles. And among the nobility, the term 'sister' was considered inappropriate for addressing someone who was not your actual sister.

Especially when that someone was a princess of the imperial family.

Ironically, it was precisely because the Grace household did not discriminate against those unrelated by blood that, in their eyes, I was unambiguously a member of the imperial family.

"It's all right."

I spoke before the baroness could say anything.

"When we were young, we relied on each other that ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠way."

Claire's face flushed slightly at my words. Alice looked back and forth between Claire and me. Her eyes were alight with interest.

After all, Alice had never asked me about my past. We hadn't explicitly promised not to, but it was an unspoken rule. Not just for me, but for the other imperial children as well.

That was the reason why, in the original story, Alice had been unaware of Claire's past.

But now that someone who openly knew about my past was sitting right in front of her, it was only natural that her curiosity had been piqued.

She didn't press for details, though.

"Is that so......."

The baroness spoke, studying me at her leisure.

Having the princess herself confirm that her daughter's memories were accurate must have felt a little delicate.

"Claire and I came from the same orphanage. I was also the one who brought Claire here."

"And you brought the other children along with her, Your Highness."

"...... That is correct."

I didn't detect any reproach in the lady's voice, but now that I was speaking of it face-to-face, I felt a little as though I had done something shameful.

In a sense, I had simply handed off those children. Knowing the Grace family's character in advance.

And originally, I had planned to seek shelter here alongside them.

I used to wonder, from time to time, what kind of person I would have become if I had sought refuge here. Would I have grown up bickering with Leo and Claire, arguing over who was the older brother or older sister? Or would I have been raised as the eldest among them?

Then again, since I possessed no skill with a sword, perhaps I would not have been adopted into the Grace family. In truth, among the children entrusted here at that time, only Claire had been adopted.

I would still have taken the academy entrance exam, but I might well have ended up in a different class.

And if that had happened, my relationship with Alice would not be one of ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠equals. I might have ended up in a relationship where I looked up to her instead.

Every single choice could change the future so completely.

"You needn't worry overmuch."

The baroness, however she had interpreted my expressionless face and reaction, spoke to me with a gentle smile.

"All of those children have grown up splendidly. Some have already begun working as retainers of our house."

"Is that so?"

Well.......

The truth was, I wasn't sure how those children remembered me. I seemed to have left an intensely vivid impression on Claire, but for the others.......

To be honest, their faces and names were growing hazy in my memory.

I had diligently rehearsed everything about the game. I had copied it onto paper multiple times so I wouldn't forget, and I had visited and walked through as many locations that served as the game's background within the imperial capital as I was able.

But I had not put the same effort into preserving my other memories in such detail. Just living day to day had been a little overwhelming for me.

Still, I was relieved to hear that those children hadn't ended up in trouble.

"In truth,"

The baroness set her teacup down and spoke in a slightly graver tone.

"We have not disclosed Your Highness's identity to those children. It is a sensitive matter on many levels."

"Thank you."

I answered candidly.

It didn't matter if the fact that I was not related by blood spread, but it would be better if the facts about my true identity did not. The less information that was known, the better.

By that logic, Claire calling me 'sister' was also something of a risk...... well, Claire was regarded as a bit of an oddball even within the Noble Class.

Besides, the other Noble Class students all assumed there was something behind me, so hardly any of them tried to openly get involved. So even if the form of address a single person like Claire used for me was a little unusual, no one paid it much mind.

"However, if Your Highness wishes, we can arrange for you to meet the other children as well."

"......."

I glanced toward Alice and Claire.

Alice appeared somewhat interested. Since someone like Claire had emerged from among the children I had supposedly rescued, she evidently wanted to see what the others were like as well.

As for Claire, she seemed a little expectant.

Even though she had been adopted into the Grace family, she had been close to those children before that. I had only been with them for a brief period, but Claire had clearly spent her early childhood alongside them. They would have been like childhood friends, so to speak.

And so, I found myself a little curious as well.

There was a strong possibility those children wouldn't recognize me, but I wanted to know what kind of relationship Claire had built with them.

The Grace household maintained an atmosphere where the family and their retainers interacted openly, so wasn't it possible that Claire spoke freely and comfortably with them in daily life?

And, more than anything.

I was curious to know how much that thing I had done back then had really meant.

However.

"But it is rather late in the evening."

We hadn't had dinner yet, but conversely, that meant it was nearly time to do so.

Commoners might survive on so little sleep you could count the hours on one hand, but nobles were different. And the Grace family would never work their retainers like factory-laboring commoners.

Wouldn't it have been somewhat awkward to announce that we were going to walk through the household at this hour? Besides, if the princess started walking around, everyone would be obliged ‍‍‌‌⁠​​⁠‌​​‍​​‍​‌​⁠‍‌‍⁠⁠‌⁠‌‍‌‍‌‌‌‍⁠​‌​‌​‌‍‌‌‌⁠‍​​‌‍⁠‌‌⁠⁠to come out and pay their respects.

"You needn't worry on that account."

The baroness spoke with confidence.

"There is a child currently learning her duties within this very mansion. She was scheduled to learn the afternoon's work today, so there should be no great trouble in seeking her out."

At the lady's words, Alice and Claire both looked at me at the same time.

"...... Very well. In that case, I shall accept your kindness."

In the end, I gave that answer.