Chapter 29 · A Real Papa (3)

Yuditium, the capital’s underground prison, was more terrifying than I had imagined. The whole way to the entrance, flocks of crows cawed and circled overhead, and from somewhere drifted the awful stench of burning corpses. Screams that scraped at the eardrums rang out ceaselessly, as if someone were being tortured. Even Ark and Rizen, who always acted so brave, were tense and stuck close to Paeon, treading cautiously.

The thought of the girl locked up in such a dreadful place made me anxious and frantic. I had begged and begged Paeon for nearly half a day before I could come here. And after all that effort, we were blocked right at the entrance!

“No one may enter without His Majesty the King’s permission, except the Commander…”

A grim-looking guard said, eyeing me—held in Paeon’s arms—along with Ark and Rizen, with an indifferent gaze.

“I’m the princess!”

I glared at him and shouted.

“…Excuse me?”

“The pwincess, I said, the pwincess! His Majesty the King is my gwandfathow! Open the gate wight now!”

“I-is that really true?”

Only after Paeon nodded with a rigid expression did he, though bewildered, hastily open the door leading to the tower. Apart from the people of the Great Temple and the nobles who had attended the grand prayer meeting, most Santrans didn’t know I existed, so his reaction was only natural.

“Princess, we really did everything we could. We testified for that girl and pleaded on her behalf…”

“But as the princess knows, we’re… only apprentice knights.”

Rizen and Ark said, watching my face as I kept my brow furrowed the whole time. I didn’t blame them, knowing they’d had no choice.

The one I resented most was myself, for having been completely unaware of this for ten days! Of course, the number one target of my resentment was that damned commander of Dinitas.

“Am I… going to be arrested? Then please, just don’t take my mother. My mother did nothing wrong.”

“I won’t take both of you! What do you take Asha fow!”

And yet I’d gone and promised her so firmly. Won’t take her, my foot!

I gritted my teeth at my own foolishness.

“This way.”

The guard leading us said. Only after descending the stairs for a long while did we reach where the girl was confined.

“Sister!”

The small girl, sitting blankly in a tiny cell with no window, looked up with a start.

“P-Princess?”

She was far thinner and paler than when I had first seen her. Even then she had looked so gaunt and pitiful. She looked as if she might shatter at any moment. When she tried to come toward me, the heavy iron ball chained to her foot dragged across the floor with a clanking sound.

‘These bastards… How is a little child supposed to escape from here, to put something like that on her!’

I was so furious that tears stung my eyes.

“Si…ster. I’m sowwy! I’m sowwy…”

“Princess, are you all right?! When I came to my senses and you weren’t there, I was so terrified that something had happened to you. Thank goodness, truly thank goodness.”

Did these people not even tell her that I was safe?

“Papa, this sister hewped Asha escape! It makes no sense fow her to be in a pwace wike this! Get her out wight now!”

I cried out, choking back tears.

“…I apologize, Princess. All criminal matters concerning magic fall under Dinitas’s jurisdiction, so if I were to step in, it would be an overreach of authority.”

“But… but Papa is the commander of Vewitas. The commander can’t even do that?!”

“…”

I knew perfectly well how unreasonable I was being. Criminal matters concerning divine power and heresy trials fall under Veritas. Criminal matters concerning magic and royal security fall under Dinitas. Each other’s domains were absolutely inviolable. But if I didn’t plead with someone like this, I felt I couldn’t bear the frustration.

I jumped down from his arms and pressed close to her through the iron bars.

“Sister, I still don’t even know youw name. Teww Asha youw name.”

“M-my name is… Freesia. Freesia Ishtar.”

“What a pwetty name, Fwee sister.”

Tears welled in Freesia’s eyes as well.

“I… I’m just glad the princess is safe. Princess, I have a favor to ask… Could you find out if my mother is all right? She has nothing at all, so I’m worried.”

“Of couwse. And I’m going to get you out of hewe, Fwee sister.”

I asked Sierra to help, and busily handed all sorts of sweets, chocolates, and preserved foods I had packed in my pockets through the bars.

“Just you wait. I’ll show them what happens when they touch Asha’s people.”

“…!”

“So just howd on a wittle wongew, okay?”

Freesia nodded, shedding tears. She was crying and smiling at the same time. The moment I saw that, an emotion I had never felt before blazed up inside me.

‘I’m going to save her.’

Not being saved—but wanting to save someone.

◇ ◆ ◇

It was long, long ago, yet I remember it so vividly: my first life.

The day I was sentenced to exile from the royal family on the false charge of coveting Kalisa’s magic, I was only ten years old.

“Aunt, please, please don’t cast me out.”

“There is nothing I can do about a decision made by the royal family and the temple.”

“Please. Just use me as your maid. I’ll live as if I were dead while working in the palace. I’ll work hard. I know how to do laundry, how to fetch water, how to clean. Please, please!”

“At least you’ve avoided the death penalty, haven’t you? You’re not even going to Yuditium. Isn’t that generous enough?”

Aquila didn’t even look at me; she was having her hair done by her maids.

“I-I did nothing wrong! I truly don’t know Kalisa’s magic!”

“Oh my, niece. Nothing wrong?”

Only then did she turn and look at me.

“Niece, being born is your sin.”

“…!”

“You were born in sin, and you are bringing misfortune upon our Santra. All these calamities are because of you.”

“That can’t be… That can’t be true. I…”

“Don’t tell me you still believe you’re ‘the one who will bring light to Santra’?”

She walked toward me with a cold smile.

“That oracle was clearly an error. It never made sense to begin with. For you, with that filthy Kalisan bloodline, to bring light to Santra.”

Tears streamed endlessly down my face. I couldn’t offer any rebuttal.

“Don’t be too upset. You’re simply returning to where you belong.”

“…”

“A bastard must live in a bastard’s place.”

And then she slammed the door shut in my face.

Cast out of the royal family, I was confined to a remote cabin on the frontier. Not being thrown in prison could be called a lenient punishment, but the problem was that every Santran bore deep hostility toward me.

“Ugh, how did my lot get so twisted that I have to live in this backwater watching over a brat like that?”

The day the low-ranking knight assigned to watch and escort me dumped me and went off to drink.

“Over there. That’s where that bitch lives.”

“That witch! Because of her, this is what our lives have become!”

“That witch killed my son!”

Murmur, murmur—the villagers were approaching the cabin where I was, carrying torches.

Bang!

“Wh-who are you? Why, why are you doing this!”

They bound me tightly as I wailed and struggled, and dragged me off somewhere. The place they brought me to was a pyre.

“You’re the one who brought calamity to Santra.”

“With Kalisan blood, and you even coveted wicked magic!”

“That’s why Lord Lux is angry!”

“N-no… That’s a misunderstanding!”

“If we offer you to Lord Lux, He’ll forgive us.”

“Bind her!”

They tied me to the pyre and poured oil over the wood.

“Please save me, please! I did nothing wrong!”

“Light it!”

“Die!”

The flames that leaped up in an instant, the searing fire that closed in to devour me—I still remember them vividly.

Even as I screamed and thrashed, no one came to save me…

◇ ◆ ◇

“Princess, you must focus. You’re still far from finishing your adaptation.”

As I was blankly recalling that day, I heard Paeon’s voice. Suddenly I felt a surge of resentment and irritation toward him.

“…Stupid, idiot, bwockhead Papa.”

He flinched at my resentful eyes.

“Asha doesn’t have time to be doing this! I have to save Fwee sister!”

Freesia selling flowers, being unjustly locked up—it all looked so much like my past self that it ached.

“…I understand the princess’s feelings, but you must realize that you yourself are not in a safe state right now—”

“Oh my, you can’t do this! I told you she can’t see anyone today!”

Outside, Yuz was arguing with someone.

“I’ll just deliver this and go. Ha, really. How cold of you.”

That drawling voice is…!

The door opened with a clatter, and there stood the commander of Dinitas, Alter, holding a huge bouquet of flowers.

“Princess! I’ve come to visit the sick. Are you feeling a little better today?”

He handed me a bouquet as big as my whole body.

“…Asha never said you could come, Commanda.”

“Oh, so Sir Parsiel is here as well. Good timing. There’s something I need to deliver to you.”

He breezily ignored what I said and handed Paeon a white envelope.

“…?”

“It’s an invitation to my betrothal ceremony.”

Betrothal?! To whom?

“I’d be grateful if you would give a congratulatory address, if possible. If you were to bless the future of Princess Aquila and me, I don’t think there could be anything more joyous.”

What? He’s getting betrothed to Aquila?

Both Paeon and I stared at him with shaken eyes, yet he just went on saying whatever he pleased.

“I wonder if the princess has a dress for the banquet. I could gift you one.”

“…Were you not betrothed to Princess Beatrice?”

Paeon’s voice was trembling with rage.

“Yes, but she passed away long ago, and I have the right to a new love.”

He paused suddenly and raised an eyebrow.

“But Sir Parsiel, you speak as if I failed to show Princess Beatrice proper respect. I was the one she stabbed in the back, you know.”

Paeon was glaring at him as if he truly meant to kill him, so I hurriedly cut in—if only to stop him from killing Alter.

“Commanda, my fwiend is in Yuditium because of you! Wet her out wight now!”

“A friend? …Ahh, you mean the little girl who can use that mental binding spell?”

“Yes! That sister was caught by the viwwains and had no choice!”

“That’s not a matter I can do anything about, Princess. The mere fact that she can use that spell makes her a great threat to the nation.”

“That’s not fair! So she’s supposed to stay wocked up hew whole wife fow something she didn’t do?!”

“Even so, we can’t just release a time bomb like that to wander around, can we? Well,”

He suddenly smiled. I had a bad feeling about this.

“If the princess would grant my request, I could at least try.”

“Wh… what is it?”

“Ah, it’s something truly wonderful for the princess as well! Would you be willing to become my daughter?”

“…What did you say?”