Interlude
Interlude
It was the evening of the following day when Alice and Sylvia returned to the Imperial Palace.
It had been a mere three days, but to Alice's eyes, Sylvia's face looked more at ease than she had ever seen it. An expression as though her mind was completely at rest, as if she had not a single worry in the world.
That relaxed expression had vanished entirely, however, the moment she changed back into her school uniform before returning to the palace.
And Alice thought that this Imperial Palace, which she herself considered home, might not feel that way at all to Sylvia.
That thought felt, to Alice...... rather alien. It was a thought she had never once entertained before, never once doubted.
Ever since she was born, Alice had taken it utterly for granted that this Imperial Palace was home, and so she had assumed that Sylvia, too, must naturally feel the same.
But that was not the case.
Sylvia seemed to regard the Grace estate, which she had visited for the first time, as a more comfortable place.
And what was more, Alice herself felt as if she understood exactly why Sylvia felt that way.
"Did you enjoy your time at the academy?"
Both Sylvia and Alice had entered the chamber to meet the Emperor, yet now the conversation was taking place only between Alice and the Emperor.
Was it because Alice was the Emperor's blood descendant?
Perhaps so.
Alice knew that Sylvia possessed abilities superior to her own, and that the Emperor therefore regarded Sylvia as one of the candidates to succeed the throne. If the Emperor considered Alice the next ruler, it would not be because Alice was more capable than Sylvia, but because Sylvia had no intention of ascending the throne.
It must have been because of the words and conduct Alice had displayed before the Emperor prior to entering the academy. At least, that was the direct cause.
But even so, the way the Emperor presented himself before Alice and Sylvia was different.
Though he said they were 'both imperial princesses' and indeed acted as though that were true...... if one had to choose whom the Emperor treated like a real daughter, it would be Alice.
"Yes, I enjoyed it."
As she answered, Alice thought of the Grace household. The Baroness had treated Leo and Claire equally. Perhaps that was because Claire was a woman and thus had no prospect of inheriting the Grace barony. They had adopted her based on her abilities, but in the end, she was a woman.
Even if she could carry on the baronial name as it was, the best future Claire could hope for was ultimately to marry into a good family. In any case, even if Claire and Leo were regarded as siblings, no harm would come to House Grace.
Yet even taking such reasons into account, the Baroness's conclusion was that she behaved as though Claire were her own daughter. Except when discussing the orphans Claire had lived with, she never deliberately drew attention to the fact that Claire was adopted.
...... Taking on assassination missions at a young age, nearly being dispatched to the battlefield before even entering the academy—
If he truly considered her his 'child,' would the Emperor have given Sylvia such tasks? Had he truly assigned her those missions simply because he trusted her?
Did Sylvia...... know that fact? Did she feel it?
"It seems the time spent with your sister was quite enjoyable."
It had been enjoyable. Truly. Even more so because she had not needed to dwell on the obsession with the throne she had harbored as a child.
"In your eyes, how did Sylvia seem? Did she appear to be enjoying the academy?"
"......I believe so."
"I see."
As he spoke, the Emperor studied Alice intently.
"Since Sylvia even went to the trouble of dressing the part for the plan you devised, I suppose she must be enjoying her academy life with you in her own way."
Alice silently looked up at the Emperor.
She had a feeling she knew what words would follow.
"That time, the figure we saw."
The Emperor brought up the subject slowly, as if drawing it out. His tone was less hesitant and more one of deliberate emphasis.
"Has Sylvia said anything about that robed figure?"
"She has not."
If Sylvia had spoken about that person's identity...... no matter who it turned out to be, Alice would have fallen into a panic. Wrestling with a worry alone, and confirming that the worry was real, were two entirely different matters.
"Since then, has Sylvia...... appeared to make use of her particular talent?"
"......I do not know."
Even if she had.
Sylvia had not spoken of it. And Alice had not deliberately asked.
The same unhurried smile was always fixed on the Emperor's lips. To avoid revealing her own expression, Alice simply stared straight up at him. She probably had not succeeded. If Alice could read Sylvia's expressions, the Emperor would possess an even keener ability to do so. And Alice did not think she was better at concealing her expression than Sylvia was.
"Hm."
The Emperor looked down at Alice silently.
"At that time, in that room."
The Emperor continued speaking at a measured pace.
"The figure who was presumed to possess the Divine Treasure vanished in an instant. It did not seem as though magic had been triggered, nor did it appear that any other mechanism was employed. We searched again thoroughly afterward but found no alternate escape route."
When the Emperor leaned his upper body slightly towards Alice, it created the impression of a man seated on high peering down to scrutinize her.
Maintaining that posture, he spoke with a faint note of pressure.
"At that instant, Sylvia collapsed. Or rather, 'had collapsed' would be more accurate. We never witnessed the process of Sylvia falling. We can only infer, from the bruises on Sylvia's body and the torn collar of her clothing, that something occurred 'in the meantime.'"
The Emperor spoke as if deliberately laying out, one by one before Alice, facts that everyone present that day already knew.
"Has Sylvia truly told you nothing at all about that day?"
She had not.
Nor had Alice deliberately asked.
But—
"She has not."
Alice remembered.
For some reason, by some inexplicable cause, Alice remembered that battle which everyone else present had been unable to recall.
It was not clear.
The process leading up to confronting that figure in the chamber was vividly remembered. Even the battle that took place afterward.
But each moment of the combat was disjointed. She would think she had swung her sword and cut him, only to find she had not. Whenever it seemed he had been hit by a bullet, it was once again not so. As though past and future were layered upon each other, as though it were preordained that he could not die.
Yet Alice distinctly remembered a situation that absolutely could not have occurred within that reality.
Up until the moment that figure seized Sylvia's collar.
Up until the moment space fractured and warped, and he at last shed blood—
And then that memory cut off abruptly, and the very moment the Emperor had described became the present.
So what had happened?
She did not know. In the end, the figure had vanished, and the Divine Treasure that should have been there had also disappeared.
Why did Alice alone remember that figure?
She did not know that either.
"Sylvia has still said nothing."
And neither had Alice.
"......."
Beyond her lowered head, Alice could feel the Emperor's gaze resting quietly upon her. But she said nothing and simply waited in silence.
"I see."
At last, the Emperor spoke. The atmosphere that had seemed to press down on Alice softened in an instant.
"Still, there is one thing we know for certain."
A hint of amusement played at the Emperor's lips, as though he found it entertaining.
"At the very least, Sylvia cannot return to a point in time before that moment. Had it been possible, she would have erased the entire situation from existence. Whatever that robed being's identity may be, he has unquestionably brought us one benefit."
"Even if he took the Divine Treasure with him?"
"And so, what can be done with that Divine Treasure?"
"......."
At least, possessing a few fragments of the Divine Treasure did not enable one to accomplish anything of consequence. Conjectures and legends remained scattered all across the world, but that was all. No one had ever gathered all of the Divine Treasures.
"But if he reappears and attempts to seize more of the Divine Treasures—"
"He will not be able to reappear so easily."
The Emperor spoke with a smile.
"Because if he could easily appear, he would have collected all of the Divine Treasures long ago. If, however, a future in which he gathers them all has already been determined, well."
The Emperor gave a slight shrug as he spoke.
"Then I suppose we must simply accept it as our fate."
But Alice, his daughter, knew all too well that the Emperor would not settle for that alone.
"In any case, you have done well."
Even after such a conversation, the Emperor spoke as though the exchange just moments before had been a matter of trivial, everyday talk.
"You must wish to talk with your sister, but this father of yours has taken up far too much of your time. You may go now."
"......."
Alice bowed her head lightly to the Emperor, then turned and left the Audience Chamber.
Unable to quiet the unease rooted deep within her chest.