“Why is it that it is so cool in this hothouse even though it’s so very hot outside? That is extremely perplexing to me.”
Rosemarie, who was replanting roses into fresh pots, heard Heidi’s genuinely befuddled sigh and turned around with a smile. She took the watering can that Heidi was holding out for her and said her thanks.
“Thank you. I’ve heard the reason it’s cool in here is because magic is regulating the temperature. Otherwise, the plants would wither away.”
Apparently, building these sort of greenhouses was commonplace.
Thanks to her daily maintenance of the greenhouse Claudio had gifted her, it had improved considerably from the wild mess it had been on her first day.
Three days had passed since the evening gala attended by the Crown Prince and Princess of Rivera. The assailants had been identified as a group of assassins who specialized in hits on aristocrats and affluent individuals, and were known to take any job they were offered provided they were paid for it. Claudio had told Rosemarie that they were in the middle of tracking down the assassins’ employer.
After the Crown Prince and Princess of Rivera made their premature return back to their country, guard detail was bumped up. Even today, she passed by several knights in order to walk to the greenhouse. Incidentally, there were two bodyguards posted in front of the greenhouse door as they spoke.
(Still, I wonder if now is the time to be doing this, as though I don’t have a care in the world...)
She had thought of stopping her trips to the greenhouse. Claudio, amused by the idea, would have none of it, noting that she would likely pass out if she gave up her visits. So, despite feeling uneasy about it, Rosemarie took him up on his offer.
Heidi glanced at the knights and once again sighed.
“Even so, aren’t those knights outside feeling the heat?”
“Well, the entrance has the yew tree’s shade to shield them from the heat, so I would like to assume they’re okay.”
“They refuse to come inside even if you offer, too. Quite the stuffy individuals, I’d say...”
“I also feel overwhelmed with all these people around. For whatever reason, I feel like everyone is watching me like mad until I come here.” Whether because of there being so many knights on edge or the general tension in the air, Rosemarie didn’t fancy how high her odds of seeing a beast head had become.
“Princess, what you are wearing is to blame. Your appearance is unbecoming of a crown princess.”
“You may very well be right, but...”
Heidi smiled wryly at her, and Rosemarie looked down at what she was wearing. It was a plain olive-green dress with a full collar. There was hardly any trim on it, so it was safe for her to get dirty in. In fact, it was already covered with soil around the cuffs and front of the skirt.
“Even so, you have made it all the way here, so I would say you have made considerable progress.”
“Is it... progress? This greenhouse in disarray has just been calling me, that’s all. Isn’t that right, friend?” She addressed the rose she was in the middle of repotting. After being shown the greenhouse in such a deplorable state, she felt obligated to help it out in any way she could.
“You haven’t talked to flowers in such a long time, I’d almost forgotten you had that bad habit.” Heidi squinted in distaste, but Rosemarie continued to water the repotted plant in spite of that. Just then, she noticed a commotion from the entrance.
“What could that be...?”
The Imperial Guards that were standing on guard duty were having some sort of verbal dispute. Just as she stood up and locked eyes with Heidi, the greenhouse door swung open violently.
The people loudly marching in en masse weren’t the black-uniformed Imperial Guards, but another set of knights clad in white uniforms. They bumped into the potted plants on the shelves, knocking several to the ground and breaking them.
“Knights from The Second Order...?” These knights primarily stood guard outside the castle and upheld general order. For some reason, all of them had different beast heads and were glaring straight at Rosemarie.
She looked back at them, speechless, trying to contain her wildly-beating heart. A wolf-headed knight who seemed to be their captain then suddenly came to the forefront.
“Your Royal Highness Rosemarie. We are taking you into custody for the suspected assassination plot on His Royal Highness Claudio.”
“...Huh?” For a second, she didn’t comprehend what she was just told. The gears in Rosemarie’s mind stopped turning, and she stood there, still and silent. Heidi lashed out in outrage.
“What in blazes is the meaning of this?! The princess wouldn’t kill a fly, much less His Highness!”
“Be that as it may, we have received a tip that Her Royal Highness Rosemarie may have tried to poison His Royal Highness Claudio. After investigating, we have witnesses who say they were on the scene when His Highness collapsed, and we have come here for questioning. Would you mind coming with us now?”
Rosemarie went pale in the face immediately. She put her shivering hand over her mouth.
(Do they mean... when Claudio drank the Kaola and passed out...?)
Yes, it was true that Kaola was poisonous to Claudio. However, no one, including herself, had any idea that would happen.
Nevertheless, that was an incident that no one outside of Alto, Edeltraud and Heidi should even know about, so how did this come to light?
“By witness, who do you...”
“An on-duty doctor and maid. They have recounted that they saw His Highness collapsed on the floor of your room when they were summoned by Imperial Guard Vice Captain Clausen after being informed that His Highness had fallen. They also recounted a half-drunk cup of tea on a nearby table.” Basically, the doctor Alto brought and the caddy maid told what happened from that point.
Rosemarie took a step back, furiously shaking her head.
“You have it wrong. I wasn’t trying to poison him!”
“We will listen to your account later.” On the signal to take her away, a pair of knights—one with the head of a bear, the other with a light brown dog’s head—grabbed Rosemarie by both arms. She saw the sharp teeth and long tongues from their partially-opened mouths. Even though her mind was going blank, terror still remained.
“...Eek. N-No. Let me go. Please. Don’t touch me!”
“What are you doing?!” Claudio’s enraged voice rang from behind the knights. The knights encircling Rosemarie all instantly parted. Rosemarie fell to her knees as the hands seizing her loosened their grip. Without a moment’s delay, Heidi, who was being kept at bay, rushed over to her side and hugged the girl’s shoulders.
“What is the meaning of this?” Claudio stormed up with anger in each step, standing in front of Rosemarie as she knelt on the ground in order to shield her. She looked up at that broad and reliable back with tears in her eyes.
“Her Highness the Crown Princess has been suspected of an assassination plot against you, Prince Claudio.”
Claudio scoffed at the wolf-headed knight standing at attention in front of him.
“Where did this information come from?”
“We are not certain where it came from, but witnesses have said—”
“Not certain? And you’re still trying to make an arrest? I will have you know that if these charges are false, then it doesn’t matter how small of a nation compared to ours she hails from, it will mean an international incident. Are you prepared to take responsibility for that?”
“Sir, I...” The knight was lost for words. His men weren’t budging an inch, either, perhaps too flustered to do so.
“I have no recollection of being poisoned. However, you lot would probably believe your witness over the victim himself. Is that what you call working in my best interests?”
“Well, then...” The knight dropped his shoulders, relieved. Claudio’s men started to approach Rosemarie, but he stared them down, stopping them.
“Is simply keeping lookout on my wife’s room not good enough for you?”
“Charges are charges, sir, so...”
As he looked the distressed knight in the face, Claudio hesitated for a bit, but finally let out a huge sigh.
“—Fine. Go ahead and arrest the princess. However, you will treat her with care. Under no circumstances do you exert violence. When she comes back to me, if I see one bruise on her body—one scratch on her skin—consider yourself gristle between my teeth.” Claudio’s lips curled into a ferocious and savage smile. She could see a few of the robust knights backing up a few steps. They were undoubtedly seeing the prince with his lion head glaring right at them.
“Yes, we will make sure to abide by that.” The humbled captain saluted, and the pair of knights who had grabbed Rosemarie before reached out for her once again. Claudio stood in their way and obstructed them.
“You don’t touch her. I’ll take her in. You just show me where.”
The girl rose to her feet with Claudio’s help, and they followed the captain out of the greenhouse. The knight who had grabbed her before brought up the rear. Her eyes were blinded by the strong light tanning the top of her head. Claudio helped prop her up by the arms because of her staggering. As he did, he stuffed something into her hand. (Huh? What is this...? A piece of paper?)
She tried to confirm what it was, but Claudio closed her hand around it. She looked at him doubtfully, and he smiled faintly back at her.
“Listen, whatever happens, don’t admit to the crime. I’ll have you free in no time. So, just believe in me and be patient.”
Upon hearing Claudio’s whispered yet reassuring voice, Rosemarie silently nodded in reply.