Chapter 29: April Fools Edition! ~Was I Kidnapped by ○○○?~

[Note: An April Fools edition even though it’s not April 1st!]
[It’s still April, so don’t worry about it!]
[If you were kidnapped by ○○○…]

On that day, at Faustina’s request, a carriage had been running since morning toward a botanical garden located about three kilometers from the royal capital.
Seated inside the carriage, Faustina rested her hand against the window and gazed at the scenery outside.
Her personal maid, Rinsy, had received word from her family and was away on leave for a while, so she was absent.
Instead, the maid Shampoo, who often helped Faustina change clothes, accompanied her.
In addition, Cain’s attendant, Lune, was also with them.
Because Rinsy was accustomed to Faustina’s outrageous behavior and could respond calmly even when surprised, it had been decided that bringing someone less experienced would be unkind.

Faustina shot a sidelong glare back at her brother Cain, who had seen them off.

“Won’t we arrive soon?”

“We’ve only just left the capital, so it will take a while yet.”

“I’m really looking forward to it.”

“What kinds of plants would you like to see?”

“There was a plant in a book that eats insects, so I want to see that!”

“Do you mean carnivorous plants?
But those aren’t the sort of plants that would delight you, my lady.”

Carnivorous plants did not suit Faustina’s taste for beautiful flowers.
Lune was worried she might scream in surprise at their appearance.
The book Faustina mentioned was an adventure story, in which the protagonist found a plant that captured insects and used them as nourishment.

Concerned whether Faustina might cry out upon seeing the real thing, Lune watched her.
Faustina, eagerly waiting for their arrival, was—

Suddenly, the carriage shook violently.

Losing her balance, Faustina flew toward Shampoo, who was seated beside her.
Thanking her for catching her, Faustina felt uneasy at the carriage’s sudden stop.

“W-what?
What happened?”

“I will check outside.
Please remain here, my lady.”

Just as Lune reached for the door—

The door was thrown open roughly.

A man stood there, blocking the sunlight.
He had smooth, undamaged black hair and wore black clothes tailored from expensive fabric.
From his appearance, he looked like a noble, but his face was hidden behind a stark white mask, making his features impossible to discern.
Only his ruby-red eyes were visible.
After quietly scanning the inside of the carriage—those eyes locked onto Faustina.

“……”

Held tightly as if shielded by Shampoo, Faustina could not tear her gaze away from the man’s eyes.

They were the same color as her mother’s, her brother’s, and her sister’s.
There were other people with the same eye color, unlike Faustina herself.
It was only the same color.
And yet—

“Come here.”

“…!!”

The man reached out his hand toward Faustina.
Lune stepped forward to protect her, but the man pressed a white cloth he held in his other hand against Lune’s mouth.
Lune inhaled a large breath by mistake.

“Kh…”

His vision spun.
Unable to remain standing, Lune collapsed into a sitting fall.

The only exit was the door blocked by the man.
Even as her body trembled violently with fear, Shampoo held Faustina tightly, determined not to let her go.

“M-my l-lady…
He won’t lay a finger—”

“You, too, sleep for a while like him.”

The cloth used on Lune was pressed against Shampoo as well.
She tried to hold her breath, but it was too late.
Even though she inhaled less than Lune, the drug soaked into the cloth weakened the strength of the arms protecting precious Faustina.

The man pulled Faustina away from Shampoo, who neither screamed nor could move, and stepped outside, closing the door behind him.

“Come with me.”

From beneath the mask, ruby-red eyes looked down at her.

There were others besides her family with the same eye color.
…And yet, why did they look exactly like someone she knew?

She wanted to speak, but she did not know what to say.

“You don’t have to force yourself to talk.
And you don’t need to worry about those two.
They’ll be able to move again in about an hour.
Ah, but Ryu-n will take a bit longer.”

No one had said Lune’s name, yet the man knew it was him.
Even so, Faustina still could not bring herself to speak.

The man placed his index finger against Faustina’s lips.

“Just come with me quietly.
At your age, Fana, you should know who I am, right?”