A Day In The Grand Duchess’ Life (8)

Leaning back against the bed, Alicia opened her eyes and burst into laughter.

In her arms was a shabby-looking club.

Alicia decided that next time she went to White West Alik, she would go with a splendid spear instead.

“Good—if I’m holding it, I can bring it with me.”

By actually using it, Alicia was figuring out how to operate the astronomical clock.

It was dangerous, but there was no other way.

She could not ask anyone, and she could not turn to books for help.

In just a few days, Alicia had learned a great deal.

She could set a destination and move using the gold dot at the center of the dial.

The places she could travel to were the four locations Alicia had sealed.

She did not know the principle, but when she moved there, she returned to the past—ten minutes earlier.

She had not confirmed it yet, but the ten minutes Alicia spent right before using the clock seemed to continue existing as well.

When the time she could spend in the hell fortress ran out, Alicia returned to the exact moment she had used the astronomical clock.

Alicia set the club beside the bed, placed the astronomical clock and mana stones into the jewelry box in the drawer,

then went to the window and watched Reichardt, who had just left the villa.

“Bye, Rei.”

When Alicia greeted him, Reichardt—walking toward Roderick—looked up at the window.

Alicia waved her hand gently without even thinking whether he could see her or not.

These days, every day felt happy.

After several days of serious observation, Reichardt grasped the substance of a certain suspicion.

The mana stones Alicia had collected had increased.

The dull, raw-stone forms of mana stones were steadily growing in number—little by little, but constantly.

He was startled to realize he had noticed the change so late.

There were many reasons why.

Alicia had collected enough mana stones.

Mana stones could only be harvested from monsters.

Alicia had gathered an enormous amount of mana stones only because she had slain every monster she could see.

There were no more monsters left to hunt in this land.

So the mana stones could not increase.

Reichardt had never expected Alicia to keep collecting mana stones.

After discovering this, Reichardt even went as far as Adelaide House to confirm the count of Alicia’s collected mana stones.

When he checked again two days later, they had definitely increased.

The rate of increase was accelerating.

“……”

Reichardt felt a crushing sense of guilt, yet for three days he tracked Alicia’s location all day long.

He could not understand it, but Alicia never left her place.

Then what was this?

While Alicia went to wash, Reichardt opened the bedside drawer and looked inside.

It was so full of raw mana stones that the drawer felt heavy.

Monsters…

Hearing Alicia returning, Reichardt shut the drawer and went back to his place.

“Rei, you’re not asleep?”

Alicia had recently increased her audience schedule for a time.

She should have been busy with no room to breathe, yet her freshly washed face was sparkling.

Reichardt reached a hand out to her as she climbed into bed.

Alicia gladly took it.

As Reichardt pulled her into his arms, his expression suddenly clouded.

There had been a monster in this land.

Jet-black, large, fast—Lusa.

Alicia, lying with her head on Reichardt’s arm, blinked.

“Rei?”

All at once, his face looked too grim.

“It’s nothing.”

Reichardt shook his head firmly.

“……”

Alicia wanted to ask what he meant by “nothing.”

Was he saying his sudden change of expression was not a big deal?

But she could not ask.

Reichardt held Alicia tight in his arms and did not let go.

Alicia let out a small laugh and went to sleep.

It was deep night.

The next day, Reichardt left the villa early.

He headed not to the imperial palace, but to the quarters of the Tessen Knights who rode Lusa.

After South Penz appeared at the Great Temple, part of the Blackstone Knights had ended up staying in Baden.

At the Lusa ranch, Reichardt even forgot his dignity, counting the number of Lusa with his finger.

The number was unchanged.

“What is this?”

It was truly an incomprehensible situation.

That day, Reichardt handled state affairs only until noon, then returned home of his own accord.

Roderick howled, but Reichardt ignored him.

Back at the Grand Ducal residence, he barged into Adelaide House and spirited Alicia away.

Daisy and Henrik begged him not to do this, but he ignored them as well.

Reichardt told Alicia that she had not had a single day of rest since returning to Baden, and he led her out of the residence.

“How have you been lately?”

“Busy, but it’s fun.”

Reichardt took Alicia to a salon famous for its pipe organ.

“Nothing’s happened?”

Reichardt spoke seriously as he inspected Alicia openly.

Whether she had been hurt anywhere, whether any wounds remained.

The hands checking her were strict and meticulous.

“Nothing.”

Alicia answered in a lowered voice.

The pipe organ’s sound, filling the space richly, was pleasant.

Reichardt stared at Alicia.

He looked like he had something to say.

There was no unpleasantness or ill intent in his gaze.

Alicia had a few things on her mind.

The club she had left by the bedside had disappeared, and she did not know where it had gone.

The raw mana stones she had brought back so happily now filled the drawer.

She could feel the bedside table straining under the weight.

The astronomical clock could not visit the same place consecutively.

But after going somewhere else, she could return to the place she had visited before.

For the past few days, she had been alternating between White West Alik and South Penz under the Great Temple.

The Great Temple scribes were stubborn.

Even after several threats, they did not stop exploring the underground labyrinth of South Penz.

So yesterday she had written, in Lin Text, a big “Get lost” on the wall.

Surely the Great Temple scribes would take a rubbing, collect the word, and make a fuss about finding out what it meant.

They would also raise an uproar about the phenomenon of sudden text appearing.

Had those people said something to Reichardt?

Alicia faced him with a faint smile.

Reichardt’s face, seen while listening to the lush organ music, made Alicia happier than any masterpiece painting.

“Don’t you have something to tell me?”

Reichardt asked, his face full of worry.

“I love you.”

Alicia confessed with a bright smile.

At the sudden confession, Reichardt paused briefly, then burst into laughter.

“I love you too.”

Reichardt whispered to Alicia and lightly kissed her across the table.

It was a happy newlywed life.

That night, just before falling asleep,

Alicia, held in Reichardt’s arms, confessed cautiously.

“Rei. I think I kind of caused trouble.”

“Kind of… trouble?”

“Yes. It’s not big—just a little. It’s… have you heard if anything strange is going on at the Great Temple?”

Reichardt focused all his attention on Alicia’s voice.

The situation was flowing in a completely different direction from what he had expected.

“Since last night, Banie—the High Priest—has been strongly requesting an audience with me. When I refused, she left a letter behind. Just a moment.”

Reichardt gently set Alicia down and went to the dressing room.

Because the Great Temple and High Priest Banie had been causing constant trouble, Reichardt had thoroughly excluded them.

So he had not taken the strong audience requests or the letters seriously—it was not the first time.

When he returned from the dressing room, a single letter was in his hand.

The moment Alicia saw the paper unfolding, she understood.

Of course—the Great Temple.

The Great Temple scribes had faithfully and solemnly copied the warning that had appeared out of nowhere.

It seemed they had even reported it to the High Priest.

“It seems it’s about Lin Text.”

Reichardt said, showing her the letter.

When the paper unfolded, he saw Alicia’s face shift into a mischievous expression.

Reichardt did not rush her, waiting patiently.

“Do you want to know what it means?”

Alicia flicked her gaze toward the letter.

Her mouth twitched as she looked at the Lin Text.

“You know?”

Reichardt unfolded the letter fully in front of Alicia.

Alicia lowered her voice and giggled.

It was a prankster’s laugh.

“I do.”

Her voice brimmed with pride.

“What does it mean?”

Reichardt asked as he put the letter away.

If he left it out, it seemed Alicia would not be able to stop laughing.

“Get lost.”

Alicia spoke aloud the meaning contained in the dignified, elegant Lin Text.

Reichardt froze.

“…You didn’t say that to me, right?”

“Of course not. I’m saying that’s what the writing there means. Come here.”

Alicia answered with intense conviction and pulled Reichardt in.

Reichardt let himself be tugged along.

As he gathered Alicia into his arms, his face suddenly hardened.

From what he had vaguely heard about the Great Temple making a commotion since yesterday evening, the new Lin Text had appeared on Great Temple land.

They were forcing the issue, claiming it was an auspicious movement and that decoding Lin Text was essential, so Tessen must cooperate.

Which meant the Lin Text saying “Get lost” had appeared on Great Temple land.

Alicia could read Lin Text to begin with, but from her manner just now, it seemed Alicia had written that “Get lost.”

The distance from Baden to the Great Temple was considerable.

Alicia had never left her place.

Yet “Get lost” looked, no matter how you saw it, like Alicia’s handiwork.

So there really was something going on.

A storm of confusion raged in Reichardt’s mind.

With a tentative hope, he murmured softly.

“Was that… written by you, Alicia?”

Leaning into Reichardt’s arms, Alicia answered without the slightest hesitation.

“Yes.”

Alicia did not hide the small trouble she had caused.

But she did not look like she would explain the realistically impossible situation right away.

How?

Reichardt had questions, but he did not ask.

From what he heard, it truly did not sound like a big problem, just as Alicia had said.

How it was possible—Alicia would likely explain gradually.

“Why did you do it?”

“The Great Temple scribes keep breaking their promise and coming into someone else’s land. So I wrote ‘Get lost.’ I did well, right?”

Alicia knew what Reichardt would be curious about, but she deliberately did not speak about that part.

Instead, like a childish girl, she pouted and asked him to take her side.

“You did well.”

Reichardt said, patting Alicia’s back.

Alicia wriggled and burrowed deeper into his arms.

They wrapped their arms around each other’s backs and held tightly.

It was a happy—very happy—newlywed life.

Winter came to Baden.

With winter, the sun rose late and disappeared early, making the day shorter.

The Forest Prayer House began its day at 4 a.m., regardless of season.

At 4 a.m. in winter, it was pitch-dark.

Reina woke early and moved diligently.

No one forced her, but by the rules of the Forest Prayer House, Reina also began her day at 4 a.m.

Even if no one acknowledged her, Reina too was a member of the prayer house that resided in the Forest Prayer House.