[8]

Noel and I got into a carriage and headed to the Royal Opera House.

The Royal Opera House is located on the main street of the royal capital.

(Being able to go on a date with Noel is the best! Truly, I’m glad to have been born in this world.)

Even though I should be delighted from the bottom of my heart, there is a coldness in my chest, as if a hole has opened somewhere.

Trying not to focus on that coldness, I smiled at Noel.

“Noel, today’s opera house is the finest in the country, where even the nobility come to watch. Creating opportunities for contracted artists to experience the best art is also a patron’s role. Noel, do you prefer painting or singing? If you like singing more, I think it would be wonderful to aim to be a singer instead of a painter! Of course, any other profession is fine too, and I’ll support whatever you want to do.”

‘…………’

Noel doesn’t respond. He stares at me, her lips tightly pressed, seeming dissatisfied.

(…Noel seems to be in a bad mood. Maybe she’s still upset because she got scolded by brother yesterday.)

‘Not that.’

‘Huh?’

Puffing up her cheeks, she turned away unhappily.

The royal castle comes into view from the carriage window.

I tried to cheer up Noel.

“Look, Noel. Can you see the castle in the distance? It’s very beautiful.”

“…Castle.”

“Yes, where the king and queen live. It’s also the center of politics.”

“I know. It’s where Mireld always goes for work.”

For some reason, Noel always brings up brother’s topic.

“…Um, Noel? What happened with brother yesterday?”

“Nothing. Mireld didn’t say anything, so it annoyed me.”

Annoyed, she says…

“Noel, you shouldn’t say rude things about brother. He’s an important person. He’s the most important person in the Gasstrak family, holding a crucial position in the royal palace and supporting the country. What if he gets upset and kicks you out? I would be devastated.”

“Mmm.”

“…Hey, what did you say to brother yesterday?”

“I told Mireld, ‘Say you like Mireille properly.’ Then he got mad.”

What?

“Noel, I told you, “Tell me you’ll do your best, and you can do whatever you want!” Why are you making me unable to sleep!? You’re bad!”

“Wait a minute, Noel.”

“Because Mireille is not Mireld’s real sister. They can get married. Mireille likes Mireld, and Mireld likes Mireille, so they should get married. Noel doesn’t want Mireille to be sad!’

Whaaat!?”

Forget the etiquette of a noble lady. I let out an exasperated voice.

‘Wait, Noel! You’re jumping around so much, I can’t keep up with your understanding! First of all, wha- I’m not Mireld’s sister?’

‘That’s right. Mireille is actually not a Gasstrak. Mireld just doesn’t say it.’

Whaaat!?”

“Mireille is the child of ‘Princess of Jorn’ and ‘General Theodore Rubel.'”

Unbelievable information flew out of Noel’s mouth.

I was in a complete panic.

(Princess of a neighboring country? General Theodore Rubel, the name of the king’s missing younger brother during the war… Their children? Me!? I have no idea about such a backstory!!)

I have neither seen nor heard of such a backstory.

I was supposed to be just a villainess in a romance game.

There was no mention of Mireille’s origin in the game, and neither the official website nor the strategy wiki had such a hidden setting!?

“Wait, Noel. Where did you hear such a thing!? It’s not like brother told you.”

“Yeah. Mireld doesn’t say anything, so I read his heart.”

“Read his heart!?”

Noel told me.

He claimed to have the ability to read people’s hearts.

This information was also news to me.

“Is it a lie…?”

“It’s true. When I stare at someone, I can faintly hear the voice of their heart. I even heard Mireille thinking, ‘It was not written in the book or the wiki…'”

“!!”

Official and wiki. Noel accurately mentioned words I had never spoken in this world. Does that mean she truly read my mind?

Does Noel possess such a special ability?

“Yeah. Noel can use a lot of cheats. I got them from the goddess.”

“Goddess…? The Flower Goddess Floren from the national founding myth?”

“Exactly. Noel is a flower spirit. Not human, so full of cheats.”

“Not human…!?”

I thought she was like a mascot character, a [Commoner Mob Girl] in mini-games!

This is an absurd setting!

…What should I do? My head is getting confused.

The world view overflowing here is not depicted in the game.

I try desperately to organize what Noel has told me so far, holding my head.

(I am not a child of the Gasstrak family… but the child of the princess of a neighboring country and the king’s younger brother? And… my brother likes me…)

“Yeah. Mireld has liked Mireille for a long time and wants to get married. I can tell by reading his heart. He’s constantly saying things like ‘I love you’ and ‘you’re dear’ in his mind, so it’s pretty noisy.”

…………

My face is getting hot.

While understanding that the importance of the story lies in being the ‘princess and the king’s younger brother’s child,’ for some reason, I’m more concerned about my brother.

By the way, right after graduating, there was a time when I casually asked, “By the way, brother, are you not considering marriage?”

“Let’s think about it after Mireille is settled,” my brother said, but his eyes at that time seemed somehow lonely.

Even during my student days, my brother often had an expression as if he wanted to say something.

During the commotion of the broken engagement in my student days, he even said something like, “If the Crown Prince doesn’t want you, shall I take you?” “You seem like you would make a good partner”… It was a joke that wasn’t funny. That’s what I thought.

I never expected that my brother might really…?

A deafening roar echoed, and it happened then.

“――――Ahh!!”

The carriage came to a sudden stop, and I held onto Noel, enduring the impact.

“What happened!?”

I opened the window and shouted to the knight escorting the carriage.

“Fire from the cathedral!”

“!?”

I directed my gaze, along with the knights and coachmen, toward the same direction.

Black smoke was billowing vigorously from the cathedral.

Immediately afterward, another deafening roar echoed a few dozen meters ahead.

The clock tower on Main Street was damaged, erupting in flames.

People on the street were falling into a state of panic.

(What’s going on? What is happening!?)

I stood frozen, still holding onto Noel.

Noel also seemed confused in my arms.

The moment a male scream resounded from the coachman’s platform, I snapped back to reality.

Black-clad men surrounded the carriage.

The escort knights fought back, but they were overwhelmed and cut down.

The men in black forcefully opened the carriage door.

Staring at Noel and me,

“You’re ‘Mireille Gasstark’ and ‘Noel,’ right?”

they asked.

Without waiting for an answer, the men dragged us out of the carriage.

“What… what are you doing!? Stop—”

The moment I tried to resist, a blow struck the back of my neck.

The scene in front of me distorted and went dark.

thud, the taste of soil. It seems I have collapsed—

“Mireille!? Mireille!”

Noel’s voice became distant.

“Carry these two. We’re told by Miss Isla to ‘bring them alive’ and we won’t kill them yet.”

I heard the voice of a man from a distance, and I let go of consciousness.