“To insult the prince. By kingdom law, this is a crime punishable by execution.”

“Indeed, you know something. Hey. I’ll let you watch specially when I cut that guy’s throat.”

“Are you going to execute him directly? Your precious hands will be dirtied. Rather, here, use these dirty hands instead. If it’s the prince’s order, I would gratefully serve at any time.”

“…You, you’re really something. How do you come up with such ideas? The heir of Fondo’s head flying off at the hands of a mere servant…”

Just hearing it was good, Alonso whispered gloomily, giggling for a while holding his stomach.

“…Ah, right. We were talking about that royal girl.”

Removing the cigarette from his mouth for a moment, pale smoke hazily puffed out between his lifeless colored lips.

His throat must hurt, but the servant maintained his smiling face without a single cough.

“That girl, what’s her name?”

His densely lowered eyelashes curved beautifully, and a pair of green eyes that had been quietly lowered sparkled kindly.

As if singing an epic poem, or as if containing a pleasant melody.

The servant, Magnus, recited the woman’s name in the most beautiful tone.

“Merche Benevum, Your Highness.”

For just saying a name, his eyes were strangely gleaming.

Not noticing this, Alonso sneered spitefully and looked at the window.

Beyond the window, a vast sea spread out.

The domain of Fondo and owned by Fondo, and soon where the gathering of six families would be held.

“If she’s really royalty, we could treat her as a pitiful illegitimate child and tuck her away in a corner of the palace, but if she’s pretending to be royalty. We should catch such a vicious con artist and teach her a lesson, right?”

There’s such a thing as royal honor, you know. We can’t let that be damaged.

He spread his arms wide like a mischievous child.

“How about it? Me testing that foolish girl on behalf of the royal family.”

“But Your Highness… what if, heaven forbid, she passes the test? Only someone as noble as you deserves to bear the burden of royalty, but if she luckily just passes the test, an unqualified person would receive the same treatment as you… I fear that.”

“…You’re right. We can’t let someone who rolled in from who knows where get the same treatment as me. What would such a thing know about bearing the burden of royalty?”

Alonso’s murky eyes twitched and laughed.

Like dark clouds covering the sky, like a hazy smoke settling on the clear sea, just looking at it made one feel stuffy as the darkening emotion gradually sank deeper and deeper.

“We’ll give a test, but one that’s absolutely impossible to pass. It’s not difficult to play a little trick, right?”

“Your Highness is truly royalty. Who else cares for and protects the royal family like you do?”

Eyes intoxicated by the praise became even hazier, enveloped in cigarette smoke.

The eyes of a verdant forest watching this flashed blindingly for a moment before blinking out.

Thwack!

Something neither too hard nor too soft hit her cheek and fell.

Merche blankly looked down at the little girl who had thrown the doll at her.

“Go away! Don’t come near me!”

“Christine. You shouldn’t throw things carelessly like that. The person hit could get hurt.”

“I said go away! Go, you monster!”

This time a piece of wood grazed her chin and fell. The corner must have been quite sharp, as she felt a stinging pain.

Feeling something flow, she raised her hand to wipe where the wood had grazed. As expected. Red liquid was smeared on her fingertips like paint.

“…W-What! What are you looking at! That’s why I told you to go away!”

“Christine.”

She called her name with a sigh. Just in a slightly tired voice, that’s all she did to call her sister.

But her sister, who had been glaring at her with narrowed eyes, started whimpering, then completely crumpled her face and began wailing loudly.

Why is she crying? What is she so scared of?

It was Christine who had thrown the doll, and thrown the wood piece that drew blood.

Unlike Merche, the young sister was fine without even a small scratch. Yet it was the sister who was crying until her voice went hoarse.

Having no choice, she approached to comfort the child.

After bending down to meet her gaze, she wiped the warm water from her eyes with the hand not stained with blood.

“It’s okay. Don’t cry, Christine.”

“…Hic, uh. …Don’t come, monster.”

“Huh?”

“You’re a monster! Waaah…”

“No, Christine. I’m not a monster. I’m your older sister.”

Christine shook her head violently. Her hand, as small as a seashell, pushed Merche away with all her might.

“Liar! …If you’re not a monster, then why don’t you grow?”

“…What do you mean, Christine?”

“I keep growing taller but you stay the same!”

The child pointed her finger.

The sharply extended index finger accusingly pointed at Merche’s chest.

Merche tilted her head without saying anything. Her blinking eyes clearly showed only puzzlement.

“No. I’m growing just like you. I’m just growing a bit slower than other children, but I’m growing little by little.”

It’s not very common, but they say there are occasionally children like her who grow more slowly among children. So don’t worry too much.

−That’s how children are. You think they’re not growing at all when you watch closely, but if you look away for a moment, they become adults in that time, Mel.

−I’m looking forward to it. What kind of adult our Mel will become when she grows up.

The voice from some day lodged in her memory erased Merche’s anxiety as if washing it away.

Mom said that, didn’t she? So it’s okay. A fortress-like belief swelled up in her clear eyes.

“Liar! Everyone said there’s no kid who doesn’t grow like you, that Mom lied!”

Monster. Shameless monster! Christine shouted vehemently.

“Dad said so too, that you’re scary. That he wishes you would disappear from home. Mom is a liar!”

“…Did Dad really say that…?”

The color drained from her face that had been calm all this time. Her hardened eyes also danced, not knowing what to do.

Rather excited by that agitation, Christine’s voice grew even louder.

Her excited voice cracked and rose here and there.

“Dad called you a monster too…! It’s not just me calling you a monster! So you are a monster!”

“…Christine!”

With a thud, the door opened. The woman with a thin figure who came running in with a shrill cry was the sisters’ mother, Claudia.

She ran over with wide strides and grasped Christine’s shoulders with both arms as if embracing her.

“How can you say that to your sister? You shouldn’t do that!”

“B-But Dad…”

“Dad needs to be scolded too. Come with me right now, hurry!”

Startled by the agitated voice, Christine swallowed a gasp.

“Mrs. Bishan. Take Christine to the second floor room. I need to give her a good scolding just for today.”

“Mom, Mom…! No… Waaah!”

The middle-aged maid quickly subdued the struggling Christine and dragged her out.

Even though her daughter was crying and calling for her, Claudia didn’t flinch even once.

Claudia, standing with her back turned, took a deep breath. Her back and shoulders heaved so visibly that it was intense.

After a moment, Claudia turned around.

The fierce anger was gone, her face wiped clean of all anger. Her thin arms embraced Merche, who was standing frozen.

“Mel. My baby… Forget what Christine said. She made a mistake, Mel.”

“…Did Mom lie? Is it really strange that I’m not growing?”

“Of course not. Why would our daughter be strange? You’re not strange at all. Mom told you, didn’t she, that there are other children like Mel who grow slowly.”

Shh. The whispering sound burrowed into her ear.

Merche closed her eyes and buried her face in Claudia’s embrace.

“It’s okay, Mel. Everything will be alright.”

The patting touch erased her jumbled thoughts. The noise also faded away.

Everything scattered hazily, beyond consciousness.

“…Merche? Did you doze off?”

Clatter, the carriage bounced. With that movement, Merche’s head that had been facing down also bounced slightly.

“Why do you look like that? What, did you have a bad dream?”

“……”

“Why isn’t she answering. …Are you sick somewhere?”

“…No, Karla. I’m fine.”

Why had she forgotten that?

While shaking her head at the worried Karla, she recalled the memory from long ago she had seen in her dream.

It was a day from her childhood that she had erased from her mind as if it never happened.

For her usual self, it would have been quite a shocking memory worth remembering.

Karla opened the window in the carriage, asking if she was getting motion sickness.

Thanks to that, she saw the scenery outside for the first time since they had been traveling for hours.

“…Is that the main house of Fondo over there?”

“Yeah. That’s it. Doesn’t it rival some kind of temple in appearance? So grand and majestic, they say it’s even more magnificent than the royal palace.”

The shape of the huge building built with white stone was clearly visible even from a distance.

Karla clicked her tongue. She still seemed displeased that they had deliberately set the meeting place at their main house.

“…Ah. How annoying.”

Bang! Suddenly Karla closed the window.

“Why?”

“I don’t know. Our eyes met.”

“Eyes? With whom?”

“There’s this really irritating woman. Why did we have to run into her here of all places…”

Before she could finish speaking. The carriage that had been moving smoothly suddenly stopped.

The atmosphere became awkward at the sudden situation. And just as Karla was about to get out of the carriage.

…Knock knock.

“Hello. May I intrude?”

It was a somehow sticky voice. At the same time, the carriage door opened.

The woman had fiery red hair. But her eyes were ash-colored.

Because of that, the atmosphere became even more peculiar.