Fake Cinderella

The sudden injection of light blinks, inadvertently narrowing his eyes.

Soft silhouette...... no matter who you don't know in the backlight, I was convinced it was a woman.

"... that it's a strange outfit to wear"

A flat voice echoes the cold night air.

Totally different than usual, a voice with little discouragement.

But I knew the Lord of that voice, of course.

"... Your Highness..."

Neighbor Zion is breathtaking with his eyes on him.

That wasn't stunning, it was wearing something similar to giving up somewhere.

Her Royal Highness leaves the door somewhere faceless and closes with her back hand.

The world of silence and darkness returned again, making a less dull noise.

When it comes to darkness, it doesn't mean darkness at all because of the constant night lights on the altar. But beyond the door...... it is still dark here compared to the hallways of the palace where the light is brilliantly lit at regular intervals.

(Comfortable darkness...)

For the first time in this world, I have learned that there are many kinds of darkness as well.

"Mother..."

His Majesty the Queen is staring at him with a harsh expression.

(You mean rude...)

Eyes as if they had encountered an enemy...... it is clearly hostile, and as an expression directed at my real mother, it seems inappropriate.

(Probably, you knew under...)

As you yourself said, I suppose you knew under Zion.

(the face that exists behind Her Highness's mercy)

That my own mother is involved.

And even seemed to expect His Royal Highness to come here this way.

"Well, I can't tell you about people either."

Her Royal Highness was wearing thin makeup, but her hair was grated, and the thin objects that she could see under the coat of the snow leopard, known as Gashuk, were probably dressed at night.

Though they were inside, it would be a serious matter for you as a lady to go out in public dressed like this, and it was unthinkable from the usual without a minute's gap.

Nevertheless, that is the end of the story.

"Did you want it alone?

There are certainly surprises.

But in a way, it was also within my predictions.

It was absolute that Her Highness the Queen was involved. Unless that is the premise, everything so far will not be established.

So it's not strange for you to come here.

(Although it was unexpected that one of you...)

"It would be a fuss if the queen were to leave the rear palace at this hour. We'll have to sneak in alone."

That's true, I think.

The posterior palace...... that's what the royal private living space portion of the main palace is collectively called. The public space of the main palace was formerly called the front palace or the surface palace, and that's what it was called for by the fact that it was located behind it. Now there are some slightly subtle parts behind it, but in the first place it's just a designation that shows the place... so it takes a cumbersome procedure for a royal woman to get out.

I wouldn't have had the time to be doing them, and in the first place, this is something I don't want people to know about.

"Didn't you even bring your escort?

Her Royal Highness did not even have an escort or a maid for you.

I'm a little surprised by that, even if it sneaks up on me.

"Like you're alone."

"I'm not alone"

"... Theon won't help protect you."

Unlike the children above, she has no talent at all for martial arts, Her Royal Highness laughed sarcastically.

Xiong Xiao showed no emotion about it, but the dangers of his eyes remained the same.

I guess there's something deeply rooted inside you, I guess.

(It's something I don't really understand...)

I can imagine, but I don't understand.

Something like having strong feelings that far was not for me, and before that, there was no such thing as a close flesh parent to me anymore.

(Oh, I have a thin relationship with my flesh parents either way...)

Asae had been separated from her parents for some time, and Altirier had lost her mother at birth, and her father didn't really recognize her even if she existed, so there was no room for some emotion to arise there.

I tell Her Royal Highness that I think you've discovered something strange in common.

"You don't have to protect me under Scion. I'm fast on the run."

"You say funny things"

Her Royal Highness looks closely at me from the top of her head to the tip of her leg, as if she could see even a rare creature.

That was a gaze of value. Like when a woman identifies a rival woman.

"... you've really lost your memory, Thie"

It doesn't sound as snug and sweet as usual to that voice.

I just felt a little nasty when they called me by my first name.

I am also disgusted by what I call a tee.

(Probably, it...)

I guess it involves memories I've forgotten about who I call that.

Even if you don't remember with your head, your body is reacting... maybe that kind of thing.

And I realize who that opponent is.

"... I don't know if I'm happy or unhappy"

The people around me are accepting me now.

I'm certainly happy about that, and I think it's a happy thing.

However, I am here because of the loss of my young Altirier with my memory, and I cannot say that I am happy at will.

I will never forget that.

"... fortunately, it must be. For Prince Wang."

Her Royal Highness lowered her eyes gently.

The side containing the sorrow is so beautiful, I see I still feel like I can see that His Majesty the King's love is said not to fade.

"Give Lilia back, Your Highness."

In silence, a voice can't be said to be as loud as mine.

Her Royal Highness didn't know where Lilia was or say she had nothing to do with it.

Silent affirmation.

... that I was involved in Lilia not returning.

So I repeat it again.

"Please return Lilia"

Look straight up, without ridiculing your voice.

Her Majesty's eyes were vain.

Then he shook his head gently to the side and told us.

"She... will be back in the West Palace by now"

I exhaled under Zion's throat. I sigh small and relieved too.

"You're safe."

"I didn't do anything, and I didn't let you"

Voices like tired.

Me and Minami look at each other and rejoice in that fact.

And I pushed my hesitant back softly as I wanted to rush to Lilia's place.

"Sister-in-law..."

Go on, make it sound like it.

Theon looked worried, but he rushed out.

"It's okay. Lilia's back on her own feet...... but you haven't heard, that girl"

I find the tone of Her Majesty the Queen to be as weird as a mother, and find it strange in itself to think it's weird.

('Cause, truth be told, Your Highness is Zion's mother)

But no matter how much like my mother, I don't think this man in front of me is a 'mother' in the true sense of the word.

I didn't spend so much time, but I felt that way.

Second, I notice His Highness staring at me.

……

"Hey, why, you came here? Thie."

His Highness Euria, who hasn't had that usual smile of mercy, looks more puppeted than me and others.

"To get Lilia back."

"Just for one woman?

Her Royal Highness Lady Euria warped the edge of her lips.

"But not"

To me, Lilia is not a woman.

"Oh, you believe that girl? That would be very surprising. Some of what happened around you was what that kid did. Lilia may also have killed your maid."

"It doesn't,"

"Oh, how can you say that? You don't even remember."

With a challenging look, Her Royal Highness said.

I shake my head to the side.

"... Indeed, Lilia may be involved in some of the things I have kept around me. But it's not like this."

Lilia is too competent and knows too much.

But at the same time, I know Lilia is honest with me.

There's something I won't tell you, and there's certainly something I can't. Because that doesn't explain why I don't believe her.

I know it's only blurry, but maybe Lilia's looking for something... something to hide or not tell.

"You have a lot of trust."

I'm pretty sure I believe in Lilia. But as far as El Lucia is concerned, I know Lilia wouldn't be involved.

I take one deep breath.

(In good faith...)

"Your Highness, do you know the name of my dead maid?

"... right. 'Cause I'm your mother's replacement."

That's not all.

"Because El Lucia was the daughter of a martial artist with His Royal Highness Nadir, I thought she had become my maid on that edge. Certainly not wrong with that. Her father is a samurai officer of His Royal Highness Nadir, and it is true that he had that accent."

What's wrong with that? Thus, Her Highness's gaze nodded ahead of the conversation.

"But my mother was once your woman."

Her Royal Highness smiled softly.

"Yes, it is."

Lightly she affirms it.

So I kept going.

"On the surface, she is supposed to have followed her father's edge to work for this West Palace. But the truth is, before that, I was raised to the royal palace on the edge of my mother... and I worked for this west palace. By your command."

"Is that a problem?

A serene expression. Yet that's what scares me.

"Looks like El Lucia did a lot of things on your orders."

"... with evidence?

"Your Highness, I'm asking you the same thing that you say is true in the dark."

I make you smile slightly. Make sure your cheeks look as spare as possible so you don't get cramped.

I'm really scared. But you can't leave here.

('Cause this is my fight)

I cannot take the sword in my hand.

Without those abilities, I don't have a mind, and I'm not ready.

But right now, I'm not trying to get away from this.

"Hey, don't you think Lilia killed Erucia to protect you? If it's that girl, that's how it goes, right?

She laughs because she grew up in the palace.

"It doesn't matter how many times you say the same thing. No matter how many times I'm told, my answer remains the same."

Are you inviting upset, or is there another intention?

"If Lilia did it for me, it would be for me, the Lord. But it's not Lilia."

"So much so that I can clearly say enough evidence?

"... do you need so much evidence?

Unfortunately, there is not so much clear evidence.

And where I worked so hard, I could hardly find any physical evidence.

What is there is circumstantial evidence and reasoning, assembled on the basis of it, full of holes.

"Alas, you don't have any evidence to disprove people?

"I'm not arguing, and I'm not going to"

Yes. This is not bulletproof or anything. I don't have enough to fight.

"I'm just checking. … I just want to know"

"What?

"... why 'I' am here"

Her Royal Highness would not have known the true meaning of what I said.

"I" was Altilier and also Asae Wazumi.

Perhaps no one can define what the consciousness of 'me' is like.

I believe that the rebirth of Maya was Altirier, and that the memory of Maya, its past life, was restored because the consciousness of Altirier was killed, but no one knows if it is true.

But it is true that 'I' exists here because of the loss of consciousness on the part of the young Altilier.

That's why I want to know.

"The truth is, I wanted to catch the killer. I wanted to catch you and put you on trial.... but... it turns out that's impossible. Because even if there are laws in this country that judge nobility, there are no laws that judge royalty"

"Yes, it is."

Her Royal Highness gave a surprised look and laughed with a bitter expression somewhere.

"So I just want to know"

"Even though it's not what happens when you know it?

"If you know, you can try not to repeat the same mistake"

It's weird.

"… so I say hard work"

I make you laugh.

I can't say enough about not repeating the same mistake. Because that might be something that can't be helped. I know now that there is nothing wrong with anyone and there is nothing I can do about it in the world.

But it's better to know than not to know, and there's a better chance of being avoided.

Her Royal Highness sees me with a surprised look.

"Thie, you... the hell..."

I am no longer a young child who can neither say no nor accuse me, but has closed my heart and lost my voice.

Instead of answering, I'll start talking.

"My parents' house in El Lucia is in the north, and whoever was made the culprit who tried to poison me in the castle of Elzeveld was also born in the north"

Northern...... now trying to be a battlefield...... or an area that is.

"A case is more or less the result of the weaving of several events of the past… so I don't know how I could have done without El Lucia dying. When I heard that El Lucia was dead, I became angry, self-loathing, and ran out with that emotion, but it was actually very off-target…"

But that's how it connects to the present, so I don't think it's futile, I add.

"El Lucia is the perpetrator in one case… and in that poisoning case it was the victim. There are a number of distant events that are complicated… to be honest, we haven't figured them all out"

Probably can't figure it all out.

Although we know some of the central events, there are a lot of events that have been chained so that they originally spread ripples. There will be a lot that even the parties do not know.

"But in the end, it's based on just one thing."

I leak a small exhale.

Her Royal Highness looked at me with such expressions as wondering how to judge.

"But that's why I don't know what your motive is"

"My motive?

Chewing the meaning I asked, Her Royal Highness returns the words to Oomu.

I look straight into those eyes and ask.

"Why are you trying to break this country...... and protect it again?

Double transgression.

Conflicting factors and consequences.

That applies to almost every case.

To my inquiry, the expression completely disappeared from Her Highness's face.