𝐂𝐡𝐚𝐩𝐭𝐞𝐫 𝟐𝟓: 𝐓𝐡𝐞 𝐂𝐫𝐨𝐰𝐧 𝐏𝐫𝐢𝐧𝐜𝐞 𝐢𝐬 𝐢𝐥𝐥
“What a revelation! It was as if Charlene herself had descended. . . You know the truth about Charlene that I’ve been hiding, and your tone, your gestures are just like Charlene’s! Oh, dear God. . . Charte, you’re amazing, the real deal. You are truly [Charlene’s Envoy].”
“Huh, um. . .?”
ㅤ
Is this person really listening to me? I wondered.
I tried once again, as simply and concisely as possible, to convey the essence of my message.
ㅤ
“Your Highness, I am Charlene herself.”
“Yeah.”
“I was almost killed by an unidentified group of strangers disguised as the Saint’s Guard Knights, but I am alive.”
“Ah, I see.”
“The reason my body is young is a side effect of the miraculous healing by God.”
“I understand. You were told to say that by Charlene, right?”
“. . . . . .”
ㅤ
He’s deeply in his own thoughts. It’s giving me a headache.
No, my body shrank miraculously after being healed by God’s power! . . .That sounds even more like a lie, though.
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“You are indeed good at imitating Charlene. But I can tell. . .I’ve known Charlene since she was eight years old. Charte, you’re nothing like the Charlene from those days.”
“Huh.”
“Charte, you’re lovely, but Charlene had a sharper, piercing gaze.”
“T, That. . . when I met you before, it was right after I was separated from my parents.”
“So you’ve been told all sorts of things? . . . I’m glad. Truly.”
ㅤ
His Highness wipes away tears and lets out a small laugh. The fluctuations in his emotions are, to put it bluntly, scary. Isn’t he a bit too ill?
At that moment, the snake of Kami-sama inside my clothes began to move menacingly.
I could hear a voice from my collar. The snake was asking in Kami-sama’s voice.
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“Do you want to erase his memory?”
“. . .Let’s not for now. It’s risky, but. . .let me try a little longer with my own abilities.”
ㅤ
I looked again at His Highness. He is probably maintaining his sanity by turning the traumatic departure of Charlene into a source of faith and consolation, embellishing her in his memory.
Although he seems fine now, it would be better for us if he remained well.
His Highness, ignoring our whispering, offers a prayer to the heavens.
ㅤ
“Even after death, Charlene is still serving the nation.”
“. . . . . .That’s not exactly how it is.”
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It’s a tough joke. Caught off guard, I couldn’t help but retort.
I am merely acting out of my own convictions. I couldn’t possibly say that I am serving the country.
Feeling a creeping unease at the Crown Prince’s attitude, he seemed to be looking at me without seeing me.
As expected, His Highness ignored my words and unleashed his thoughts at me one-sidedly.
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“I realized when I lost Charlene. That she bore her anguish and served tirelessly as the Saint. . .That she mended the church’s loose ends and tried to get it back on track. . .That she had the support of many people.”
“. . . . . .Your praise is an honor.”
ㅤ
The Crown Prince straightened his back. Then, once again, he turned to face me.
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“I apologize for becoming emotional. I must have surprised you. Charte, let’s sit down and talk at length. Tell me what you know, what you were told by Charlene. And I’ll tell you why I came to see my mother.”
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Setting aside his extreme idealization of Charlene.
To understand the current situation in the royal capital, to share the information I have and the crisis of the country, the Crown Prince will be an invaluable collaborator.
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🔸🔸🔸🔸🔸🔸
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Afterwards, the Prince and I dismissed the others at the gazebo and shared information with each other. He knew both my identity and the case of the murder. There was no worry of the intervention of other gods as he is a staunch believer of Kami-sama, which is certified by Kami-sama himself.
Except for not believing me to be Charlene and not noticing Kami-sama, he was a helpful partner with whom I could comfortably share my stories. In that regard alone.
“. . . . . .I see. The power of other countries infiltrated the church and assassinated Charlene. And by killing Charlene, who is the wife of a god, the country lost the protection of the god, and the spiritual spring dried up. It even led to the destruction of the barrier . . . . . .”
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Talking a lot made my throat, appropriate for an 8-year-old, dry. I sip on my tea while nodding.
ㅤ
“Your Highness. Firstly, I believe we should urgently investigate Duke Horsewood’s connections.”
“I’ll immediately send a magical pigeon to someone trustworthy. We can start by tomorrow. Anything else?”
“Yes. Regarding the church. . . . . .please take me to the cathedral of the church’s head office. If I dedicate Charlene’s power to the sacred relic of the first saint in the spiritual spring of the cathedral, where only the leading saint can enter, the god will regain power, and the spiritual spring will revive.”
“So you mean that you can do in the capital city, like the miracle you brought in the Margrave’s territory?”
“Yes.”
“I see.”
ㅤ
The Prince, with a serious face, stared at me. Sitting around a tea set in the gazebo in the garden, it reminded me of our engagement period. The Prince mumbled to himself like he was talking to himself.
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“. . . . . .So you are the [replacement for Charlene] that Charlene brought us.”
“Your understanding of me as such for now is acceptable. Anyways, if we do not act urgently, the chaos will expand.”
“I understand. The disease of the father may have been caused by the poison of another country, I will investigate it right away. . . . . .but.”
“But?”
“. . . . . .How did the hand of a foreign god come into play? As for foreigners, the only one that comes to mind who has connections with the Strelitica United Kingdom is my brother Keizen.”
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I turned my gaze to the Prince as if I was bounced back.
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“Was the study abroad destination of the Second Prince Keizen the Strelitica United Kingdom?”
“Did you not know?”
ㅤ
The Prince widens his eyes in surprise at my surprise.
As he immediately rests his hand on his chin, he resolves himself by saying, “Ah, I see.”
ㅤ
“Because of safety concerns, only a part of the aristocrats knew about that. Since he only interacts within a limited circle, I had completely forgotten that it was a secret . . . . . . It probably didn’t reach Charlene, who lived strictly following the rules of the church, unlike Lulumia.”
“I see, that’s how it is . . . . . .”
ㅤ
Stunned, I stared at the teafuds coloring the table.
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(. . . . . .From the position of the second prince even from a distance, he can interfere with the core of the country. Especially if the prince is a beloved son of the king)
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The second prince is suspicious. However, I can’t verbalize my suspicion.
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(The second prince is a genuine son born between the king and the queen. He wasn’t born in that land, so he can’t be brainwashed with the power of a land god)
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That’s what Kami-sama said.
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(In other words, the god of the Strelitica United Kingdom can’t brainwash the second prince. . . . . .without brainwashing, he can’t make his own country a mess, right. . . . . .? Suspicious, but. . . . . .um, there are still many nobles with foreign ties other than the second prince. I can’t voice my suspicion)
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After that, the conversation also ended, and we only engaged in harmless chatter.
The teafuds were also beautifully emptied, and when my 8-year-old body started to feel sleepy, the prince stood up, seemingly satisfied.
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“Thank you, it was a good time. I’ll talk to my mother about what’s next.”
“Me too, I was glad to be able to talk. Thank you, Your Highness.”
“. . . . . .See you, Charte.”
ㅤ
The crown prince looked down at me for a while, but he turned his back with a smile on his lips.
Although I thought “Hmm?” at his meaningful expression, my mind was full with concerns about the second prince.
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ーーAt that time, I had no idea what the prince was thinking.
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🔸🔸🔸🔸🔸🔸
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That evening.
After finishing dinner and taking a bath, I was in the room with Kami-sama.
Lying on top of Kami-sama, who was lying on his back on the bed, we talked about our conversation with the prince during the day. Since Kami-sama hears all the stories through the snake, the conversation is fast.
ㅤ
“Even if we express our suspicions about the second prince at this distance, there would be no cards to play.”
“Yeah, that’s right. I can’t go around saying things that would suspiciously doubt his younger brother and risk getting on His Highness’s bad side. . .”
ㅤ
I rested my cheek on Kami-sama’s chest and relaxed my mentally drained body. Kami-sama’s cool chest began to feel warm, and his heartbeat echoed softly. I couldn’t help but laugh.
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“Kami-sama, your heart is in your stomach there.”
“Hmm. . .here?”
“More or less. . . But you don’t need to force yourself to be human-like, Kami-sama.”
“I want to maintain the appearance of a man that Charlene finds comfortable.”
“I don’t really care about that. But I’m happy you’re considerate, thank you.”
“. . .Charlene.”
ㅤ
Kami-sama spoke as he ran his fingers through my worried hair.
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“Be careful with that man.”
“The prince?”
“Yes.”
“It’s okay because he’s a follower of Kami-sama, right? Is the story different from the day?”
“. . .As a follower, it’s safe. But. . .”
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Kami-sama frowned as if he had seen something unpleasant and muttered lowly.
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“He smells like a man. Like a man in his sexual prime. . .Be careful.”
“Hah, in heat.”
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Although I was used to Kami-sama’s blunt words, I couldn’t help but repeat them out of surprise.
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“You’re kidding, Kami-sama. Look at me, I’m just an eight-year-old kid. You can adore me for being cute, but it’s impossible to see me as a woman.”
“You should know that there are people who don’t find it impossible, Charlene.”
“. . .Well, it’s not like I don’t know.”
ㅤ
I closed my eyes as Kami-sama stroked me.
Indeed, when I was living in the red-light district, I saw those types of guys (in my case, because my dad was a thug-turned-pharmacist, nobody dared to lay a hand on me).
ㅤ
“But the other party is the crown prince, right? Does he have such a perverted hobby? With that beautiful face of his?”
“. . .You don’t understand, Charlene. He is dangerous.”
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Kami-sama is jealous, but he doesn’t lie. If he says something, it means there is a basis for concern.
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“I understand, I’ll be careful. . . However, for a while, I need to maintain a good relationship with the prince, so I can’t blatantly display my caution. Please understand that.”
“I guess it can’t be helped.”
“. . .I’ll try not to worry you, Kami-sama.”
ㅤ
I raised my head and grinned while still lying on Kami-sama.
Kami-sama softened his expression a little, narrowed his eyes, and kissed my forehead.
ㅤ
🔸🔸🔸🔸🔸🔸🔸🔸🔸🔸🔸🔸
ㅤ
And then. Suddenly, the next day.
The concerns of Kami-sama became a reality.
ㅤ
The crown prince, taking advantage of breakfast time, dragged me into a private room.
It must be a hidden room for the royal family. I was pulled in while walking down the hallway, so I’m alone.
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He locks the door behind him with a click. The crown prince narrows his clouded turquoise eyes through his silver bangs and smiles.
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“Charte. . . . . .”
“Your Highness! Wha, what is this. . . . . .!”
“Can you not live as Charlene?. . . . . . As my fiancee.”
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I tense up my stomach. Of course, there is a snake there connected to Kami-sama’s consciousness—I am technically not alone. However, I must be cautious.
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Iiiiiii are you crazy, crazy? 🤨