Chapter 15

At the same time, both the Emperor and Bertolt looked at me in surprise.

But me, Cece.

I’m the bold little girl personally recognized by the Emperor.

“My dads told me that if you fight with a friend, you shouldn’t keep it bottled up. You should make up right away.”

“I already said too much time has pass—”

“Even if you don’t make up right away, you’re still supposed to talk it out someday.”

“…”

“Otherwise you’ll kick your blankets around in your sleep like this and this. It’ll even show up in your dreams.”

“…”

“And you’ll get a huge rock right here, and your heart will feel stuffy forever.”

For the record, that’s what my dads told me after I got into a fight with one of my friends.

And I really did spend several days feeling miserable before finally making up with them.

Just like my dads said, it even showed up in my dreams.

“Haha. Well, that’s true enough.”

Instead of the Emperor, Bertolt spoke first.

“But adults have adult concerns too.”

I shot him a sideways glare.

If Daddy Kyle were here, he would’ve said this.

Who are you?

If it doesn’t concern you, butt out!

“Sometimes a child’s perspective is necessary too.”

Ignoring all that, the Emperor seemed lost in thought as he muttered to himself.

“A conversation…”

Gasp. Is this a sign of reconciliation?

“I’m not sure that boy would be willing to have a conversation with me.”

Gasp. That’s an alarmingly accurate level of self-awareness.

I pursed my lips.

Well.

There was no way Daddy Harzen would happily agree to sit down and talk with the Emperor.

Just as the Emperor said, too much time had passed for that.

‘But what if I get involved?’

Maybe if I stepped in, they’d at least try talking once.

Of course, for that to happen…

“I’ll try talking to him later.”

That troublemaker would need to be out of the way first.

I pouted while looking at Bertolt’s smiling face.

Could it really be true that Bertolt had absolutely nothing to do with the relationship between the Emperor and Harzen becoming this broken?

‘No way.’

That man wants Daddy Harzen to be unhappy.

Maybe the reason Daddy Harzen grew up lonely in the imperial palace was because Bertolt had pulled some strings behind the scenes.

‘If I want to save Mom, I have to stop that guy.’

The only way is to expose everything Bertolt has done and shatter Daddy’s illusion of him.

And to do that…

“Talk to me later! Together!”

I flashed a bright smile at Bertolt as though nothing had happened.

‘You’ll have a hard time getting rid of me.’

I’m Cecilia, whose persistence has already been acknowledged by my dads.

Anyway!

Operation Constant Bertolt Surveillance, ON.

* * *

After the surprise tea party with the Emperor ended and Mom and Dad returned.

“Would you be willing to speak with His Majesty, Harzen?”

At Bertolt’s question, Daddy Harzen immediately responded with a thoroughly disgusted expression.

“…Is there really any need for that?”

Yep.

That look says he’s already exhausted and doesn’t need more stress piled on top.

I glanced at Mom, who stood awkwardly between the brothers with a forced smile, and rolled my eyes.

As though he’d expected that answer all along, Bertolt continued smiling.

“I apologize for bringing this up the moment you’ve returned. I simply thought it might be worthwhile for you two to have a conversation at least once.”

“…”

“You never know. So much time has passed. Perhaps His Majesty has softened considerably compared to before—”

“I’m not so sure.”

Daddy Harzen cut him off firmly.

“I have no desire to waste my emotions on something so unnecessary.”

Cold!

That’s way too cold!

“B-But, Daddy. You always said that if friends fight, they should make up—”

Unable to hold back any longer, I timidly spoke up.

Daddy Harzen looked at me and gave me his usual gentle smile.

“Sometimes there are relationships that can’t be mended through words alone. Well… perhaps you’ll understand once you’re a little older.”

Hmm.

In summary, that meant.

“This is an adult matter, so stay out of it.”

I stuck my lips out.

Daddy Harzen looked at me and smiled again.

As always.

The smile he showed other people.

“At least it seems His Majesty treated you well. That much is truly a relief.”

That somehow sounds like it has hidden meaning behind it.

“Perhaps time really has softened him, if only a little.”

“Then—”

“Even so, it changes nothing.”

Seriously!

Feeling frustrated, I rolled my eyes and looked at Bertolt.

The moment our eyes met, Bertolt smiled with his eyes and shrugged.

It was a relaxed reaction that seemed to say there was nothing more he could do.

At the same time, it felt like he’d expected all of this from the start.

Are you deliberately provoking me right now?

“Since that matter appears to be settled, let’s leave it there.”

Then he shifted his attention away from me and continued naturally.

“How was Mother’s condition when you examined her personally?”

While asking the question, Bertolt was looking at Daddy Harzen rather than Mom.

That made me even more dumbfounded.

If you’re asking about the Empress’s condition, shouldn’t you be talking to Mom?

Is Mom some kind of decoration?

My mom is the heroine, thank you very much!

“The situation isn’t very good.”

Mom began speaking politely as though nothing seemed strange.

Only then did Bertolt turn his gaze toward her.

“Perhaps Your Highness already suspected this, but Her Majesty the Empress did not suddenly fall ill because of an ordinary disease.”

“Of course I suspected as much. Otherwise, the renowned physicians throughout the imperial capital wouldn’t have been completely helpless.”

“Then this will be easy to explain. It seems that Her Majesty the Empress…”

Mom stopped speaking midway and bit her lower lip.

Seeing that, Bertolt tilted his head slightly and asked again.

“Are you suggesting she was poisoned?”

As expected of brothers.

Even the way they act is surprisingly similar.

Though what’s inside is completely different.

“If you want to call it poison, then yes.”

Meanwhile, Mom continued.

“I don’t know how Her Majesty was exposed to it, but…”

A small crease formed between her brows as though she were deep in thought.

“I believe a lethal amount of demonic energy was injected into Her Majesty’s body.”

“Demonic energy?”

The moment Mom finished speaking, Bertolt repeated the words in confusion.

I also widened my eyes and thought over what she’d just said.

The Empress was sick because of demonic energy?

The same demonic energy that was said to pour out of the demon king’s castle?

“The demonic energy within Her Majesty’s body is so concentrated that it could only be encountered in the deepest regions of the demon king’s castle.”

The main story had explained the demonic energy found in the depths of the demon king’s castle.

It had accumulated layer upon layer for hundreds, even thousands of years, making ordinary people collapse before they could endure it for long.

The reason that explanation had existed was…

“But didn’t you purify all of the demonic energy in that region?”

Exactly that.

It was there to highlight the heroine’s accomplishments.

Even the terrifying demonic energy of the demon king’s castle had merely been another tool to showcase how amazing Mom and the dads were.

Still, just as the story described, it would be fatal poison to ordinary people.

“That’s right.”

Mom nodded while still frowning.

“Even if there had been some flaw in my purification process, Her Majesty would’ve had no reason to go anywhere near that area. Am I correct?”

“As far as I know, yes.”

“Demonic energy exists throughout this world to a certain degree, much like mana. But an amount this concentrated can’t accumulate in someone’s body unless they enter the demon king’s castle before it was purified.”

“That would be correct.”

“And considering we’re in the imperial capital, the likelihood becomes even smaller.”

“So in the end, you’re saying someone deliberately injected demonic energy into Mother.”