Chapter 32
After reading the letter, I couldn’t hide my bewilderment.
“…The Grand Temple has decided not to accept written applications for guardianship for the time being?”
“That’s right.”
“What is this…?”
Until now, registering a guardian had always been done by submitting paperwork to the Grand Temple for approval.
Of course, with the Grand Temple already buried under mountains of work, there was no way they could carefully review every application.
In reality, it was practically just a reporting system.
But the contents of this letter were strange.
It stated that, due to administrative issues, they were temporarily unable to process applications sent by mail. Anyone wishing to apply would have to visit the Temple in person.
It was absurd.
Nothing like this had ever happened since the founding of the Empire.
Isn’t this a little too obvious?
What’s more, I hadn’t even sent the guardianship documents yet.
And yet they’d sent this letter specifically to the Grand Duke’s estate…
They’re openly saying they have no intention of accepting our application.
When I stood there speechless, Carlos asked,
“Has the Emperor discovered you?”
“…I ran into the First Prince on the way. I think he was tracking me with the Imperial Knights.”
Carlos tilted his head.
Only then did he seem to understand.
“In that case, the Emperor almost certainly knows by now.”
“Yes. To be honest, from the moment I met that bastard Vincent—”
“…I mean, the First Prince.”
“I figured the Emperor would hear about it.”
I trailed off.
“I just didn’t expect him to move against the guardianship system this quickly.”
Without a doubt, Vincent had rushed straight to the Emperor the moment he returned to the Imperial Palace, probably before the swelling on his face had even gone down.
Judging from his past behavior, he was almost certainly the one who first brought up the guardianship system.
Whenever it came to finding a way to sabotage me, his brain worked with astonishing speed.
The rest of the time, he wasn’t nearly that clever.
“If the Imperial Princess leaves the capital and seeks refuge in the Grand Duchy…”
“The conclusion is obvious.”
“It hardly takes a genius to predict.”
Unlike me, who was grinding my teeth in frustration, Carlos sounded completely unconcerned.
Well… it doesn’t really hurt him personally.
Folding the letter, I let out a quiet groan.
“Hmm…”
“So what do we do now?”
There was one Temple in each of the five regions of the continent—east, west, south, north, and center.
The closest one to the Grand Duchy was the Central Temple, located just outside the eastern border of the Temple’s territory.
Which meant…
To reach it, I would inevitably have to leave the Grand Duchy’s extraterritorial land and step back into territory controlled by the Empire.
That was almost certainly what the Emperor wanted.
The Imperial Family had no authority to trespass into the Grand Duchy without justification.
But the moment I took a single step outside its borders…
I would be completely at their mercy.
Until Carlos’s guardianship papers were approved by the Temple, they could use any excuse they pleased to detain me.
Unless I planned to spend the next four years without setting foot outside the Grand Duchy, this confrontation was inevitable.
I just hadn’t expected it to happen this soon.
I sighed deeply.
Carlos seemed just as lacking in alternatives.
Pressing his fingers against his tired eyes, he spoke.
“We’ll find another way.”
“We don’t necessarily have to go to the Central Temple.”
“But isn’t the next closest Temple all the way in the east?”
“It would still take at least three days by carriage from here.”
The eastern region was the area most heavily contaminated by demonic miasma.
With the Grand Duke’s current condition, forcing himself through that journey wasn’t realistic.
Unless…
His health somehow doubled overnight.
At this rate, the Emperor would capture me long before we ever got there.
Thinking once again about Carlos’s terrible physical condition, I shook my head.
Carlos lowered his hand from his forehead and looked at me.
“Do you have a better idea?”
“Not at the moment…”
“Then refrain from making pointless objections.”
I’m only saying this because I’m worried about you.
His blunt response left me with nothing to say.
I closed my mouth.
Looking at them now…
Father and son really were alike when it came to making other people feel awkward.
Damien was the same.
Carlos too.
“Anyway.”
“I called you here to tell you this.”
“I intended to deal with the guardianship paperwork as soon as you returned.”
“But it seems the plan will have to change.”
“It can’t be helped.”
I answered calmly.
As Carlos himself had said, there was no point arguing.
If we waited, perhaps another solution would present itself.
Besides…
It wasn’t really my responsibility to solve.
“Why are you making that face?”
“What face?”
“You look dissatisfied.”
“Not at all.”
My curt answer made Carlos look faintly puzzled.
Avoiding his gaze, I quietly reached into my pocket and held something out.
“Here.”
It was the artifact Damien had returned to me just before we reached the Grand Duke’s estate.
I hadn’t used it even once.
Carlos’s mana still pulsed gently within it.
He tilted his head.
“What’s this?”
“I didn’t use any of its magic.”
“You can take it back.”
One of Carlos’s eyebrows twitched.
He didn’t look offended.
More like…
“What strange thing is she doing now?”
“I told you before.”
“I want you to stay as healthy as possible.”
“At the very least…”
“You absolutely cannot collapse before I become an adult.”
I spoke each word clearly.
“So from now on…”
“Unless it’s absolutely necessary, I’d like you to conserve your magic.”
“I’m bringing you purified mana stones every week.”
“I’m allowed to worry this much, aren’t I?”
“What are you…”
Carlos blinked at me in disbelief.
Ignoring him, I firmly placed the artifact into his hand.
“And before worrying about where other people sleep…”
“Please take better care of yourself.”
“The dark circles under your eyes look like they’re about to reach your chin.”
Maybe surviving so many dangerous situations had made me bolder.
For some reason, after meeting the Master of the Mage Tower, I suddenly felt confident enough to say even this much to Carlos.
I poured out everything that would normally earn me one of his icy stares…
Then deliberately took a step backward.
“As for the guardianship problem…”
“If you think of a good solution, let me know.”
“See you later.”
Turning on my heel, I left the office.
Whew…
This time I stayed awake and actually said everything I wanted to.
It felt surprisingly refreshing.
As I was heading back to my room, I ran into Mia in the hallway carrying a tray.
“Oh, Your Highness!”
“Perfect timing.”
“Mia?”
“What’s that?”
“Some warm milk and snacks.”
“You’ve just come back from such a long trip, so I thought you might be hungry.”
“I was bringing them to you.”
Looking more closely, I saw a steaming mug of milk and several small cookies on the tray.
“This is the perfect time to have them.”
“Come on.”
Gently urging me forward, Mia led me toward my room.
Before I knew it, she’d sat me down at the table in the guest room.
Even then, I sat there blinking blankly.
I’d never been treated like this before.
I had no idea how to respond.
No one had ever done something like this for me in the Imperial Palace.
The maids there only brought me what was required for their duties.
I’d always thought that was normal.
After a long silence, I finally managed to murmur,
“…Thank you.”
“Oh my.”
“It’s nothing worth thanking me for.”
Mia smiled brightly.
For some reason…
That smile made my chest feel strangely warm.
“But, Your Highness…”
“You don’t look very well.”
“Did something happen?”
“…No.”
“I’m just a little tired.”
I couldn’t exactly tell her my mind was occupied by the Temple problem.
“Oh, of course.”
“You’ve just returned from traveling.”
“You must be exhausted.”
“This old woman really shouldn’t keep bothering you with questions.”
Making a fuss over me, Mia straightened my bedding.
“Then get to bed early.”
“I’ll prepare something especially delicious for breakfast tomorrow.”
“You like fruit, don’t you?”
“I heard some fresh fruit is arriving in the morning.”
“Okay.”
“And make sure you eat those cookies.”
“Get plenty of rest.”
“All right?”
Only after reminding me several more times did she quietly leave the room.
I watched her retreating figure.
…This feels strange.
I tightened my grip around one of the cookies.
Before my regression, I’d never realized how precious these small acts of kindness were.
Back then…
Whenever someone treated me kindly, I’d assumed they wanted something in return.
That was simply how things worked in the Imperial Palace.
If someone gave me something…
I was expected to repay them.
But this place was different.
Carlos and Damien still regarded me with suspicion.
Even so…
Unlike the Emperor, neither of them ever used their kindness to demand obligations or repayment from me.
After fidgeting with the cookie for a while, I finally took a bite.
The butter and cocoa blended together perfectly.
It was crisp and fragrant.
Next, I wrapped both hands around the mug and took a sip of warm milk.
The sweet warmth slid gently down my throat.
…It’s delicious.
It somehow tasted even better than the luxurious desserts I’d eaten in the Imperial Palace.
I didn’t know why.
It simply did.
I found myself looking out the window.
The sun had completely set.
The moon shone brightly overhead.
The Temple.
The guardianship.
Both problems were waiting for me.
And yet…
For some reason, everything around me felt peaceful.
I stared quietly at the night sky for a long time.
Then I slipped into bed.
The moment I closed my eyes…
Sleep claimed me almost instantly.
