I expected the captain to immediately agree.

I had already told the captain earlier that I wanted to meet with Ernant alone.

However, what actually came out of the captain’s mouth was an answer that blatantly shattered that expectation.

“My adjutant is not an object. I cannot lend her out.”

At the captain’s sharp refusal, Ernant’s eyes twitched.

He was visibly displeased.

If the captain continued to refuse here, it would surely lead to discord.

However—

“Nevertheless, since Yulia says she has something to tell Your Majesty, I will use my authority to allow her a brief outing.”

Perhaps because I had already asked the captain yesterday for permission to meet with Ernant alone, the captain ultimately gave permission willingly.

Ernant still seemed a bit upset, but he didn’t show his anger outwardly.

Of course, he didn’t forget to leave a sarcastic comment.

“How gracious of you to give permission, little brother.”

After that sarcasm, Ernant politely extended his hand to me as if to escort me.

“Let’s go, Yulia.”

“……”

I wanted to stay by the captain’s side.

Still, I had to settle things with Ernant.

I awkwardly took his outstretched hand, but let go as soon as we exited the tent.

Ernant chuckled lightly at my behavior and muttered:

“In the old days, you used to get so shy and flustered when I offered my hand.”

“…That’s right.”

I quietly added:

“In the old days.”

Ernant looked at me silently for a moment, then started walking ahead to where the carriage was.

After that, we boarded the carriage and soon departed.

To the place where that small thank-you gift Ernant had prepared was.

Of course, I had no intention of accepting whatever this gift was that Ernant had prepared.

I was only following him to seize the opportunity to talk with him alone.

I planned to use this chance to persuade Ernant to stop his madness.

I couldn’t just stand by and let him continue synthesizing chimeras to attack Brausenberg.

Moreover, I intended to make it clear that I would no longer be his puppet.

“……”

As I was quietly organizing these plans in my head and glanced at Ernant, our eyes happened to meet.

He smiled with his eyes and asked:

“Are you excited?”

When I silently stared at him, Ernant spoke again.

“About the gift I prepared.”

“…No, I’m worried. About what dangerous thing you might have prepared.”

“You must have been really surprised when I suddenly revealed the lab during the Founding Day event. Don’t worry, it’s nothing like that this time.”

“……”

Suddenly feeling uncomfortable meeting his gaze, I turned back towards the window.

Then I voiced the one request that had been lingering in my mouth.

“Won’t you stop?”

“Stop what?”

“You know what I’m talking about.”

As I said this while still fixing my gaze out the window, he replied:

“I’m sorry, but I can’t stop.”

“Even if Your Majesty’s reckless actions endanger everyone, including yourself?”

Unable to hold back any longer, I turned my gaze back to Ernant.

He was looking at me too.

His green eyes, sharper than usual, were focused entirely on me.

“Have you ever thought that you were blessed?”

“…Blessed?”

“Have you ever thought that you luckily obtained something others couldn’t grasp even if they tried their whole lives? That you enjoy privileges thanks to being chosen by God?”

“I’ve never particularly thought that way.”

I continued:

“What I’ve achieved is not given by God, but the fruit of my own efforts.”

“……”

“To gain better skills than others, to earn respect from my unit members, I never slacked off in training from dawn till night. I woke up earlier than anyone else in the knighthood and went to sleep later than anyone else.”

Hearing my words, Ernant nodded as if he expected that.

“As I thought, that’s how you think. Then you won’t be able to understand me.”

“…?”

“Those chosen by God cannot understand those who weren’t. They don’t even try to understand how much deprivation the unchosen feel.”

He leaned his upper body towards me a little more and continued:

“You don’t know my deprivation, so you have no right to stop me, Yulia.”

I carefully pondered his difficult-to-understand words.

Privileges bestowed by God’s choice… It seemed he was talking about abilities.

That was the only thing Emperor Ernant didn’t have.

But what did his strange experiments with monsters have to do with abilities?

Could it be that he found a way to awaken abilities in non-awakened people through chimeras?

As soon as I thought that far, I erased the thought from my mind.

That was impossible.

I had never heard of a way to artificially awaken innate non-awakened people.

There must be another reason why Ernant was obsessed with chimeras.

As my thoughts grew complicated, the carriage stopped.

“Ah, looks like we’ve arrived. At the place with the gift.”

Ernant said in a slightly excited voice as he opened the carriage door.

As I saw the scenery unfolding beyond the open door, I suddenly felt a sense of familiarity.

What is this…?

With that puzzlement, I got out of the carriage and took another good look at the scene before me.

A quaint mansion built of brown bricks.

A beautiful garden with white roses in bloom.

After examining the vaguely familiar place for a while, I finally realized where this was.

“This is the ‘White Rose’ villa. The place where Your Majesty and I first met.”

“You remember after all.”

Ernant nodded and smiled.

“That’s right. It’s the place where we first met.”

“……”

As I stood frozen, weighed down by some indescribable heavy emotion, Ernant led me to the garden.

As he headed towards the center of the garden, he reminisced about the distant past.

“The late emperor often visited this place. And occasionally, when he felt lonely, he would invite his retainers.”

“……”

“One of them was the previous Duke Schnesthern. He received the late emperor’s invitation and came here. Bringing his family with him.”

Hearing that far, everything vividly came back to me.

Yes, I had definitely come here with my father.

And I met the late emperor.

I remember him as a kind person.

He patted my young head and asked me to become an excellent knight, to serve his sons well.

“I remember everything. The late emperor introduced Your Majesty to me then.”

Captain Martin couldn’t come to this villa at that time due to some business.

So there were only two children at the villa.

Ernant and me.

Those children, who hadn’t even properly learned what status meant, ran around and played together in this rose garden.

Was it from that time? When I started feeling affection for Ernant?

I don’t remember well anymore.

But because I don’t remember well, memories tend to be beautified and appear lovely.

“The late emperor, and my parents too, were all healthy back then……”

Hearing my wistful murmur, Ernant nodded beside me.

“Cruel time. They’ve all left us now.”

“……”

“But they didn’t just leave. They left us with many things. Memories are one of them.”

He then plucked a rose from the garden.

The white rose shimmered softly in the sunlight.

Ernant tucked the cream-like rose behind my ear.

“I’ll give you the memory the late emperor gave me as a gift.”

“…The memory?”

“To be precise, this mansion containing the memories.”

Unable to hide my surprise, I asked him:

“The gift you mentioned was this mansion?”

“Yes. You don’t really like things like jewelry or dresses, right? So I chose a gift with more meaning.”

“……”

After that, Ernant slowly started walking towards the villa.

I followed behind him.

As we entered the villa, the hazy memories became clearer.

The interior hadn’t changed at all from the past.

Ernant, who had been walking continuously, suddenly stopped.

In front of the fireplace set up in one corner of a small hall.

“Remember? We read books together here. You were too young then to read well. I read fairy tales to you instead.”

“…I remember. I especially liked the story of the cursed prince and princess. So I kept pestering Your Majesty to read it again and again.”

“You really do remember everything. I read it more than ten times. I still vaguely remember the content. Was it the story where the princess saves the cursed prince with a kiss of true love?”