Back to the academy.
I walked out of the dormitory building with Charles following behind me. I decided to go somewhere within the academy to discuss something.
"Where are we going, Rid?" Charles asked.
"Just come along, we're just going somewhere within the academy. Don't worry, Charles. I didn't tell you to follow me to trap or kidnap you," I said.
"I know you wouldn't do that, I was just curious about where we were going," Charles said.
"You'll find out later," I said.
Charles and I continued walking toward our destination. We walked through the academy garden and then into the academy forest. We continued walking along the path through the academy forest.
"This way, are you going to take me to the academy lake?" Charles asked.
After Charles said that, we, who had been walking, finally reached the end of the path in the academy forest. At the end of the path, the academy lake was deserted. That's understandable, since it's already nighttime, and no one would go to the lake unless it was a holiday or during a celebration at the academy lake, like New Year's Eve. Since today and the next day were still school days at the academy, no one would go to the lake at night. Even if there were, they would be few.
"Yes, you're right, Charles. I invited you to the lake because I knew it was quiet right now. So we could talk about things without anyone else knowing," I said.
"I didn't expect you to take me to the lake at this time of night. So, what did you want to talk about, Rid?" Charles asked.
"It's about you and Chloe. You and Chloe's behavior today is unusual. It has to do with the plot to kill your mother and your father, who were also involved in the plot, right?" I asked.
Charles fell silent for a moment after hearing that. A few moments later, he began to speak.
"Yes, you're right, Rid," Charles said.
"Regarding your father's involvement in the plan, I only found out about it from the newspaper that was published this morning. It seems it only came to light after I left the courthouse because I didn't hear any news about it while I was there. How did you find out about it, Charles?" I asked.
"I found out last night when Chloe and I contacted our mother to confirm the assassination plot against our mother that Miss Karina had mentioned. Our mother said the assassination plot was true and that our father was also involved in the plot. After hearing that, Chloe and I were very shocked. We both couldn't believe that our father, who had always been so kind to us and our mother, was involved in the assassination plot. We both immediately denied our mother's statements and told her it was impossible. However, she said the evidence of our father's involvement was very strong, as his name was listed in the document detailing the assassination plot."
"Furthermore, when our mother had just returned from the courthouse, she immediately searched for our father throughout the royal palace to confirm the documents. However, she couldn't find him anywhere in the palace. Even with the help of knights and palace personnel, he remained nowhere to be found. Therefore, our father was declared to have disappeared or fled the royal palace and his whereabouts are unknown. This further confirms that our father was indeed involved in the assassination plot. If he wasn't involved, he wouldn't have had to flee the palace. He could have explained to his mother that the documents he found could have been a lie designed to frame him. But since he didn't do that, it means he was indeed involved in the plot to assassinate her."
"We were speechless after hearing Mother's explanation. We were shocked that Father was truly involved in the plot to assassinate Mother. We were so shocked that we didn't even ask about Carol's condition. She must have been as shocked as we were, or even worse. Carol is only 11 years old, and she must have been shocked to learn that Father was involved in the plot to assassinate Mother. She's probably in a worse state than Chloe," Charles said.
"Chloe has been silent all day and hasn't spoken to me or the others. Is she the same to you, Charles?" I asked.
"No. Chloe still talks to me, though she only speaks a little and is mostly silent. I know why she's like that, because she's still thinking about her father being involved in the plot to kill her mother. She's still confused about whether to believe it or not. That thought has been a problem for Chloe all day. Not only has it made her more silent today, it's also made it difficult for her to focus all day. Chloe even lost in today's daily match," Charles said.
"Chloe lost?! Who was she competing against in today's daily match?" I asked.
"Chloe played against a second-year student from Class B. Chloe should have won against that student, but because she wasn't focused, she lost. She must have been distracted because she kept thinking about her father being involved in the plot to kill her mother. If Chloe continues like this, it will be very detrimental for Chloe in the future. What should I do, Rid?" Charles asked.
After hearing Charles's words, I smiled.
"I guessed you wanted to talk about this, Charles. But you didn't know who to talk to, and you didn't want anyone else to hear about it. It seems I made the right decision in bringing you here," I said.
"Yes, you're right, Rid. I did want to talk about this, but I didn't know who to talk to. When you came to talk to me earlier, I thought you might be the right person to talk to."
"Besides, Chloe isn't the only one constantly thinking about her father; I am constantly thinking about him too. But I can't appear weak in the eyes of Chloe and everyone else. I have to appear okay, but it seems difficult. Moreover, all day, I've been openly avoiding you, which means you must know I'm not okay. You must be worried about me and Chloe, and for that, I apologize, Rid," Charles said.
"There's no need to apologize, because you're not at all wrong, Charles. I think it's natural that you two have been avoiding us all day because you've been thinking a lot, especially about your own father. You're avoiding us so you don't do or say anything undesirable when you're with us that might sour our relationship. Because you're thinking a lot, you might lose focus on what you say and do when you're with us," I said.
"Yes, you're right. So what should I do, Rid? Chloe and I need to stop, or at least minimize, our thoughts about our father. We're still confused about whether to believe him or not, which keeps us thinking about him," Charles said.
After hearing Charles's words, I fell silent, thinking. Not long after, I began to speak.
"If you're constantly thinking about your father because you're still confused about whether or not to believe him for being involved in your mother's murder, I might have a suggestion. But I don't know if it will work for you," I said.
"What suggestion is it, Rid?" Charles asked.
"Actually, this advice is very simple. You just have to choose and accept whether you want to believe it or not, so you won't be confused and constantly thinking about it," I said.
"I've tried to choose whether to believe it or not, but I couldn't. It was so hard," Charles said.
"You're not trying to choose whether to believe it or not, Charles. You just want to choose not to believe it, but it's hard. Chloe is the same. Am I wrong?" I asked.
Charles, hearing my words, was immediately shocked.
"The reason you and Chloe keep thinking about your father is because you don't want to believe that your father was involved in the plan. However, the reason to believe your father's involvement is very strong because of the documents containing evidence of your father's involvement in the plan. Even so, you still reject that fact and still want to disbelieve it. That's why you keep thinking about it. You keep trying to find a good reason not to believe it. But the reasons you find are not as strong as the reasons to believe your father's involvement," I said.
"Everything you said earlier is true, Rid. I didn't expect you to know what we were really thinking. How did you know that?" said Charles.
"I was just guessing. So it turns out you guys keep thinking about a compelling reason not to believe your father," I said.
"Yes, that's right, Rid. That's why we haven't been focused on our activities all day. We've even been avoiding you," Charles said.
"I see. If you're looking for a compelling reason, maybe I can help by giving you my thoughts," I said.
"Help with your thoughts? Have you found a compelling reason for us not to believe our father's involvement?" Charles asked.
"Yes, I have a compelling reason. I'll tell you two," I said.
"Please tell me, Rid. But... wait a minute, did you say ' you two'? It's just the two of us here now, so you should have said 'to you', not 'you two'. Does that mean you'll tell me when we get back to my dorm where Chloe is too?" Charles asked.
"No, I'll tell you here. The reason I said 'you two' is because Chloe is here too. You can come out now, Chloe," I said.
Upon hearing my words, Charles was shocked.
"What?! Chloe is here?!" Charles exclaimed, shocked.
Charles immediately looked around for Chloe. As he looked toward the path connecting the academy lake to the academy garden, he spotted Chloe, who had just finished hiding behind a tree.
"Chloe?! So you're really here. Have you been following us all this time?" Charles asked.
"Y-yeah, that's right. I didn't think Rid would notice," Chloe said.
Then Chloe walked over to us.
"I apologize for following you two," Chloe said.
"No need to apologize, Chloe. I wanted to talk to you all along," I said.
"Why did you follow us, Chloe? In your current condition, you'd be better off staying in the dorm," Charles said.
"You're the same, you're covering up your true condition. I overheard your conversation with Rid earlier," Chloe said.
Charles fell silent upon hearing Chloe's words.
"Rid, you said you'd give us a compelling reason not to believe our father's involvement. Please tell us that reason, Rid. We both don't want to dwell on it. As you said, if we want to stop thinking about it, we have to choose whether or not to believe it. We choose not to believe it, but we don't have a compelling reason not to. So please tell us that reason, Rid," Chloe said.
"Ok, I'll tell you two," I said.
-
Meanwhile, at the Duke of San Quentine's residence, Duke Remy was seen in a room within his residence. The room contained a multitude of books. Duke Remy was seen placing the books in his hands on one of the bookshelves. Duke Remy didn't just place the books in his hands; he arranged them in a pattern. When he had only one book left, he immediately placed it on the shelf. As he placed the book, the bookshelf suddenly shifted, revealing a door leading underground. Duke Remy then entered the door.
Duke Remy continued down the stairs, which led him underground. After a while, he arrived at a place underground. The room was very spacious, and there were many people there. The people there appeared to be knights and nobles, judging by their attire. However, these people had pitch-black eyes and tattoos in various parts of their bodies.
Furthermore, there were numerous beds, each with a bare-chested person tied together by rope. Some of the bound people had jet-black tattoos, while others lacked them. Those without tattoos struggled to free themselves from the beds. However, those who struggled were immediately restrained by the knights present. They were then injected with something by a man dressed as a noble. After the injection, the struggling person immediately calmed down.
There were also numerous rooms resembling prison cells. Each cell held a variety of people, including infants, children, teenagers, adult men and women, and even the elderly. Most of them wore clothing that looked unfamiliar to the San Fulgen kingdom. They wore kinagashi and kimonos, the same attire worn by Commander Ivana. Judging by their clothing, it was clear that most of those in the detention cell were from the Kaminari Country.
Everyone in the detention cell continued to scream and beg for release. However, the knights, hearing their cries, immediately shouted and ordered them to be quiet. Some of those who screamed were even immediately beaten or tortured. After this, they were immediately taken to an empty bed in the cell. They were then tied to the bed and injected with something, just like the people before them. Those who had just been injected calmed down immediately, but not long after, they vomited copious amounts of blood from their mouths. A few minutes after vomiting blood, black tattoos appeared on various parts of their bodies. Their eyes also turned pitch black.
Judging by the events taking place in the cell, it was clear that this was a production facility for Duke Remy's .subjects'.
Duke Remy, who had just arrived, was immediately greeted by several knights and people dressed in noble attire. However, Duke Remy ignored the greeting and continued walking toward one of the prison cells. Upon arriving, he immediately entered.
"I apologize for keeping you waiting. Many guests have been visiting my residence since this afternoon. Therefore, I have only just arrived to meet you now," said Duke Remy with a smile.
In front of Duke Remy were King Albert, Duchess Harriet, and Duchess Claret. All three were bound hand and foot. Furthermore, they all had wounds on various parts of their bodies.
"Remy! You damn traitor!" said Duchess Claret, looking furious.
-To be continued