Once the heavy door emblazoned with the Silver Lion was opened, they were met with the smell of ink.
In the office, there was a sturdy-looking desk that had years of usage behind it. The walls were lined with bookshelves. There was also a desk and sofa for visitors. They weren’t much different from the ones that were in her father’s royal office in Volland, but they reminded Rosemarie of home. As she was stuck in nostalgia, Claudio abruptly let out a deep sigh.
“God, you’re heavy.” As soon as she heard those words come from his mouth, Claudio suddenly let his arms go loose.
“Huh?!”
“Your Majesty?!”
While her body froze from the unexpected act, Alto, who had opened the door, rushed to catch her.
“Are you safe, milady?!”
Rosemarie awkwardly nodded in reply as her pulse beat viciously. In response, Alto let out a huge sigh of what seemed to be relief. Alto’s beast head had returned just after the fall, and he shot a critical glare at Claudio with a pair of deer eyes.
“Your Highness! What is it that you think you’re doing?!”
“Don’t shout like that, Alto. You’re making my ears ring.”
“Yes, a thousand apologies, but, sir—” Alto carefully put Rosemarie down. She sank to the floor, watching Alto from the corner of her eye as he fussed at Claudio.
(T-That made my heart jump... I never would have guessed he would just let me go like that...)
She was at least somewhat prepared when Edeltraud had dropped her from the third-floor window, because that came with the obvious expectation of falling. But getting the same treatment here, with no forewarning, was especially bad for her heart.
“All that aside, Master Edel. Why did you bring that with you? I am right in the middle of regulation and preparation work for the Imperial Bout. Experimentation to retrieve my magic will have to wait until after.” Having half-listened Alto’s complaints, Claudio sat at his desk, his lack of enthusiasm evident.
(“That”...? He really is treating me as a mana vault.)
As she convinced herself there was nothing really she could do about that, she saw the sorcerer’s gaze glide lazily from the books on the bookshelves to her.
“Seem to be in bad condition, so keep Volland princess by side. Sure it will heal you.”
“Heal me? This princess will only steal mana, not heal.”
“True, but not true. You must have noticed. Volland princess came, you weren’t bedridden once leading up to day of wedding. Body felt better, didn’t it?”
Edeltraud’s statements caused Claudio’s expression to turn bitter. Rosemarie took a good look and noticed that not only was it exuding fatigue, but that slight bags had formed under his eyes.
—That very Seed of Mana-Sealing is why His Highness’s life is in danger.
Fritz’s words from the night of the wedding popped into her head. Although the details were left fuzzy, it was more than likely that this was a matter of grave importance.
Rosemarie sat there and pondered until Alto, who had given up remonstrating Claudio, extended his hand toward her. His head had reverted back into human form, but his hand coming into view still caused her to jump slightly.
“You must excuse the crass remarks and behavior of His Highness. He has not always been like this.”
“N-No, I can understand his frustration, so... Oh, I’ll be fine. I can stand on my own. That aside, if that, um, Seed of Mana-Sealing is harming the prince’s body, should we not just have it removed?” She meekly refused the helping hand up and rose to her feet, looking over to Claudio with a look of consideration. Her husband and the sorcerer were still exchanging words. Alto dropped his brows, looking slightly helpless.
“Yes, about that, you see—”
“Seed of Mana-Sealing. A punishment for serious criminals. Once drunk, can’t remove it until you die.” The troubling words spoken in the sorcerer’s sleepy voice cut into their conversation, startling Rosemarie.
“Long ago, used on sorcerers that committed crimes. With no mana, sorcerers can’t do anything.” Even though the sorcerer wasn’t that physically tall, they held an oddly intimidating aura, which made Rosemarie shrink back without even noticing. Their expression was a mystery, as the hood of their cloak covered half their face. It may have been no worse than the times Rosemarie saw people with beast heads, but the lack of emotion in the sorcerer’s voice made them seem that much more enigmatic.
“You’re wondering why they’d use something so dangerous. Right?”
“—Y-Yes,” she said, nodding her head timidly in response. Claudio put a hand to his forehead, furrowing his brow.
“I think I made mention of it before, but it was because my mana was far too great and couldn’t be contained. And it would be impossible for that mana to be expended conventionally. Mana, like blood, circulates perpetually through one’s body.” It has been said that the mana that pours from one’s heart is linked to your lifeforce as well. This was also apparently why sorcerers were believed to live longer than normal humans.
“Yes, nevertheless? I had my mana stolen. Now that the Seed of Mana-Sealing has had its mana supply cut off, it’s morphed my head into a lion, and it’s stealing my vitality—both things that no one could have foreseen.”
Rosemarie chewed on her lip as intense guilt constricted her chest. It was no small wonder why he called her the “main culprit” behind all this.
“My body is gradually withering away, and I don’t know what will happen hereafter. —Aah, right. If I die soon, then you can return to Volland, huh?”
“I... would never...”
As Claudio delivered a mean-spirited grin with his arm on the desk propping his head up, Rosemarie could see how pale he looked... and it wasn’t just because of the backlighting from the window. She was pensive, thinking that he might collapse at any moment. He must not have known how woeful his weak smile was. It made her want to cry.
“Mm-hmm, that’s why I brought Volland princess. Princess is bundle of mana. Source. Certain that her being by side was why condition improved. You realize that as well. That’s why...” The sorcerer spoke with amusement, their words resembling song lyrics more than sentences, as they took a seat atop the desk. Then they pointed their gloved finger at Rosemarie. At the sight of that motion, she put up her guard, remembering that this same sorcerer had held her in a glass prison not long ago.
“Just always keep Volland princess in arms. Headache you have now will go away quick.”
The wild remark caused Rosemarie’s eyes to bulge in shock. Alto, who had stepped back to the side of the door, could be heard choking on his breath.
“Mage Edeltraud, that would be a little... problematic...”
“Why? Claudio’s condition improves, mana probably returns little by little, Volland princess never gets lonely, I’ll be glad that disciple gets healthy. See? Everyone’s happy.” The hooded head tilted slowly. Rosemarie grasped onto her skirt in a flustered panic.
(Well, I’m not happy, at the very least! In his arms? Always? Even during official work?)
Not only would she be exposed to the gazes of scores of people, but the odds of her having to watch people morph into beasts before her eyes would be greatly increased. That was no laughing matter.
Her thoughts were spinning so much it was making her dizzy. She stared pleadingly at Claudio. He pursed his lips, seemingly at conflict with himself, before eventually and reluctantly opening his mouth.
“—Fine.”
“Pardon?!” Rosemarie and Alto’s exclamations both perfectly overlapped one another. While somewhat relieved she had someone backing her corner in all this, Rosemarie desperately leaned forward toward the office desk.
“I am not lonely at all. And, um, it would be better if you were to neglect me. If you told me not to leave my room, I would happily stay locked in there forever. I am perfectly fine with not having free rein to leave. In fact, that way puts my heart at ease. I welcome it with open arms. I beseech you. Please reconsider.”
“That is right, Your Highness! If rumor spreads that you’ve lost your will because of being wed to Her Highness, then it will tarnish your valiant and courageous name as Captain of the Imperial Guard. I implore you to reconsider!”
With both Rosemarie and Alto pressing near, Claudio put his hand across his face, covering one eye, before letting out a very languid sigh.
“I thought I told you not to shout, Alto. I will admit that I had been improving for a while, but I have no intention of implementing Master Edel’s plan so easily. —I’m just saying it might have merit to try it out.”
Under the sharp gaze of Claudio’s unobscured eye, Rosemarie started to sink back from the desk she had lurched over in dismay. Claudio then grabbed one of her arms.
“You’re going to stay right by my side for a few hours until it’s time for dinner. If my headache improves before then, I’m going to have you follow me around starting tomorrow.” That news coupled with that haughty smile sent Rosemarie’s body into a shivering fit.
“But many people come in and out of this office, correct? I’m afraid I cannot. I feel that I will not be able to bear it...”
“You were fine during the wedding, weren’t you?”
“I was only fine because I was preoccupied with you, Prince. Oh, if I could possibly stay hidden underneath your desk, then... May we go with that option instead?” She looked at Claudio, clearly pleased with her idea, but his expression only grew sterner.
“That obviously fails as an option. Do you even know what you’re saying? As a matter of fact, you were saying some crazy things a second ago as well. All this being ‘perfectly fine to not have free rein’ and whatnot.”
Rosemarie’s pleas were flat-out denied, finally putting her in a corner. There was no way out of this. She pleadingly stared at Claudio as a last-ditch effort.
“Um, in that case, may I wear a bucket on my head...?”
“May you what?”
Claudio stared at her as if he were looking at something bizarre. Back to her senses, all Rosemarie could hope to accomplish was awkwardly turning her eyes away.