𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟔𝟔: 𝐂𝐫𝐨𝐬𝐬𝐢𝐧𝐠 𝐚 𝐝𝐚𝐧𝐠𝐞𝐫𝐨𝐮𝐬 𝐛𝐫𝐢𝐝𝐠𝐞
“W, What does it mean to become a different person?”
“I will return to Vulcano once and get your passports. After that, I will guide you, so that you can abandon your identities and live as different people. That’s what I mean.”
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It might be safer to live as a different person in Vulcano than to live in Binemöer. That’s what I thought when I made the suggestion.
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“Living as a different person. . . . . .”
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The royal concubine seemed to be deep in thought, but the Marchioness stopped her.
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“I can’t just stand by and let even Lara cross such a dangerous bridge!”
“But if the royal concubine Karina and Prince Leonardo are to survive, I can’t think of any other way.”
“There is another way.”
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Everyone’s eyes were on the Marchioness.
The Marchioness cleared her throat and made a suggestion.
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“How about this setting? The royal concubine Karina is a noblewoman who lost her husband from Vulcano, and Prince Leonardo is her daughter. . . . . .That noblewoman is Lara-san’s close friend, who came here for a heartbroken journey and is taking shelter in our house?”
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In other words, the Marchioness wants to say that she will shelter the royal concubine here.
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“Marchioness, is it alright?”
“It’s not good, but there’s no choice.”
“Thank you.”
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I couldn’t help but hug the Marchioness.
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“Oh, Lara! You’re really a troublemaker.”
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The warmth of her voice, as if she were speaking to her own family, warmed my heart.
Of course, I thanked the Marchioness.
For the time being, I decided to keep the necklace.
She offered to keep it at the Marquis’ house, but she was already sheltering the royal concubine, and I couldn’t put any more risk on her.
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For now, it seems the royal concubine and Prince Leonardo will live in the guest room.
She says she will even keep their true identities hidden from the servants.
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I was on the verge of sleep, so I slipped into the futon where Florenci was sleeping and slept soundly until morning.
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🔸🔸🔸🔸🔸🔸
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The royal concubine and her child have been urged to refrain from leaving their room as much as possible, it seems.
They even have disguises prepared, with the royal concubine clad in mourning attire. Her face is concealed with a black veil, so it’s unlikely that anyone would recognize her.
Prince Leonardo also accepted the guise of a young girl.
Florenci, having seen him like this, joyously proclaimed, “There’s a princess here!” But, in truth, it’s a prince.
Florenci, who had never had the opportunity to interact with children of the same age, seemed delighted to chat with Prince Leonardo.
Florenci has been told that the royal concubine is my friend, and Prince Leonardo is her daughter. He seemed to accept it without delving further.
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And so, a new resident joined, and a life that can hardly be called peaceful began.
Every day, the newspapers reported on the disappearance of the royal concubine and Prince Leonardo. They wrote about the possibility of a connection between the loss of the queen’s necklace and a case of poisoning.
A large number of knights have been dispatched to the city, apparently searching for the royal concubine.
Knights also came to the Marquis’ house to ask if they knew anything about the concubine.
The Marchioness was the one to respond, feigning ignorance, “I know nothing at all about the concubine.”
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The concubine seems to be quietly passing her time in the guest room. She appeared to be enjoying quiet activities such as reading romance novels and embroidering.
It seems that Prince Leonardo has become friendly with Florenci, and they have started studying together.
Prince Leonardo is two years older than Florenci, so he seems to be helping with the parts Florenci doesn’t understand.
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I have been thinking about what to do with the queen’s necklace.
One idea came to mind, but it’s a strategy that could be called a “risky bridge,” as the Marchioness put it.
However, it can’t be executed alone.
Lord Montyver, who had been in Vulcano with Prince Ghodrove, seemed to have returned to the country, so I sent him a letter expressing my wish to meet him.
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Three days later――Lord Montyver comes to visit me.
For some reason, Lord Montyver was holding a bouquet of roses. I wonder how many there are. It looks like counting them would be quite a task.
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“Hello, Lara. I got your letter saying you wanted to meet, and I finally made it.”
“Yes, that’s right.”
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Seeing me run towards him with joy, Lord Montyver opens his eyes wide.
“Wait, isn’t this the kind of scenario where you say you want to see me, but you actually have errands for me?”
“I really did want to see you.”
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Holding Lord Montyver’s hand, I invited him to the garden table.
There was plenty of delicious tea and baked sweets prepared.
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“Lord Montyver, is that bouquet of roses perhaps for me?”
“Oh, yes, it is. Here you go.”
“Oh, how beautiful. Thank you. I’m so pleased!”
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The roses I received were entrusted to a maid standing nearby. I asked her to arrange them in a vase at home.
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“I wonder if I’m dreaming. I can’t believe Lara is greeting me this kindly.”
“It’s not a dream. It’s reality.”
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Saying so, I gently placed the queen’s necklace in the palm of Lord Montyver’s hand.
“W, What is this?!”
“It’s the stolen necklace of the queen.”
“How. . . . . .why do you have it?”
“There’s a deep story behind it.”
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As I disclose what happened, the color drains gradually from Lord Montyver’s face.
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“This is the worst. And you were nice because of this, weren’t you!”
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With that, he was holding his head.
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“To tell you the truth, I’ve been thinking about secretly returning this necklace to the queen.”
“Well, that’s going to be difficult.”
“But if it’s you, Leon-sama, you can do it, right?”
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Grasping Lord Montyver’s hand, I smile brightly.
He seems about to nod, but stops himself midway.
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“Ah, that was close! I almost said I could do it! No matter what Lara wishes for, I can’t break into the queen’s sleeping quarters, open her safe, and return the necklace. I can’t pull off such a stunt!”
“You don’t need to go that far.”
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The plan I thought of is much simpler than that.
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“Do you remember seeing a woman’s figure in the pavilion before?”
“Ah, yeah. I did see her now that you mention it.”
“That woman is most likely the queen.”
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And now, with a concubine in our house, the only female royalty who can access the garden where the royalty come and go is the queen.
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“So, I thought if I left this necklace in the pavilion, the queen who comes might retrieve it.”
“I see, it makes sense.”
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Again, together with Lord Montyver, I head to the garden to place the queen’s necklace.
If the queen who arrives notices it, we might be able to sweep the incident under the rug.
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“But, it would be problematic if someone saw us leaving it, wouldn’t it?”
“That won’t be an issue.”
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The key to the plan is――.
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[Nyaah!]
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Ga-chan raises a hand and lifts the necklace that was on the table.
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“Oh, Ga-chan is going to deliver it?”
“Yes, that’s the plan.”
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To be precise, she’s going to use spiderwork to manipulate the thread and carry it to the pavilion.
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“I see. It might work.”
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With Lord Montyver offering his help, I breathed a sigh of relief.
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