Chapter 22: Things Rarely Go Smoothly

The first thing Faustina saw when she woke up was blackness.
Still not fully conscious, she stared into a world wrapped in darkness and silence.
Her throat was unbearably dry.
She wanted water, cold water coursing through her entire body.
When she tried to raise her upper body, she realized how heavy it felt, as if weights had been attached to her.
She got out of bed and walked forward with her hands extended.
She sharpened her awareness around her feet and moved carefully.
Her hand touched something cold and hard.
She brushed her fingers over it, recognized it as a doorknob, and turned it downward.
She opened the door without making a sound.
Thanks to the wall-mounted lights, she could make out the hallway even in the dimness.

“Fwaaah… I wonder what day it is now.”

From the dryness in her throat and the heaviness in her body, she could guess she had been asleep for several days.
Stretching her body with a groan, Faustina pulled at both her cheeks to wake herself up, closed the door, and headed toward the kitchen.
Judging from outside, it was probably the middle of the night.
No one was awake.

She walked straight down the hallway, reached the entrance, kept going straight, entered another corridor, and opened the fourth large door.
The kitchen was pitch-black.
Leaving the door open let in a faint light, and since Faustina had good night vision, she could see well enough.
She took a polished glass, turned on the tap, and filled it with water.
She stopped the flow and downed the water in one gulp.

“Fuuh.
Haaah, I’m alive again.”

Having replenished the water her body desperately needed, Faustina washed the glass she had used and returned it to its place.
Leaving it in the sink would only increase the maids’ workload.

She closed the kitchen door and retraced her steps.
Suddenly, she looked down.
What she was wearing now was a nightgown.
There was no way she was still in her tea party dress, so she lifted her gaze again.

“So there really was a tea party before this, too.”

She had seen it in a dream.
At the tea party hosted by the Queen, she had grown jealous of Elvira being spoken to so familiarly by Bernhard, and had poured all of the cassis juice carried by a castle maid over her.
At Bernhard’s birthday party, it had been grape juice.
Only now did she realize she must have liked pouring juice on people.
She felt apologetic toward the orchard workers who had grown the fruit used for those juices.

After that, as expected, Bernhard disliked her even more.
Elvira, drenched in juice, cried.
Ludmila arrived and scolded her severely.
Faustina insisted she had done nothing wrong, blamed Elvira for approaching Bernhard, and turned away defiantly.
Neige stepped in between them with a troubled expression, but… Faustina could not remember anything after that.
Even in her dream, she could not see beyond that point.

As she neared her private room, she noticed the door was open.
She felt a sense of unease.

“!
Right, it’s because the door is open.”

She had definitely closed it before going to the kitchen.
She peeked inside cautiously, but there was no one there.
She had not encountered anyone on the way back either.

“Maybe I just thought I closed it and actually left it open.”

She went inside and closed the door.
Returning to her bed, she closed her eyes.
Even if she was not sleepy, lying there with her eyes closed would eventually put her to sleep.

“I’ll ask my brother about the details in the morning.”

Having rehydrated, Faustina fell asleep again in less than ten minutes.
She did not dream.

—She’s not here…
—Why, after sleeping all this time…
—Where did she go…

Carrying a candle stand, Ludmila wandered through the mansion in the middle of the night, searching for Faustina, who had collapsed suddenly four days earlier.

At the Queen-hosted tea party, Faustina had suddenly developed a mysterious high fever and collapsed.
Several months ago, she had also collapsed on the very day she was formally introduced as Bernhard’s fiancée.
Even the kingdom’s foremost physician could not identify the cause.
This time as well, he shook his head and said he did not know.

Collapsing twice from an unexplained high fever.
Even though it was due to an ancient covenant between the royal family and the Sister Goddess, it was becoming difficult to keep Faustina as the Crown Prince’s fiancée.
For the past four days, her husband Citrin had held secret discussions with King Sirius and Queen Sierra.
If a woman with sky-blue hair and pale yellow eyes was born into the Wittgenstein family, she must marry into the royal family.
That was the law of the kingdom.
There were no exceptions.

Faustina had always been healthy, but after meeting Bernhard, she began collapsing.
Not frequently.
Only twice.
But both times were life-threatening.
Not as the head of the Wittgenstein family, but as a father, Citrin wished to nullify Faustina’s engagement to Bernhard for his daughter’s sake.

However—

The result was continuation of the engagement.

There were other young ladies besides Faustina suitable to become the next Crown Princess.
Aeria of the Laris marquisate was the next most suitable after Faustina.
If Faustina had not possessed the factor tied to the covenant, her engagement to Bernhard would have been annulled and Aeria would have been chosen next.

Regardless of circumstances, Faustina’s engagement to Bernhard would continue.
That was the judgment King Sirius delivered.
Sitting beside him, Sierra apologized to Citrin with a pained and sorrowful expression.

“I’m sorry,” she said.

When Citrin returned that evening, exhausted to the bone, Ludmila was at a loss for words.
Still, she quickly pulled herself together and tended to him.
One could not oppose a decision made by the King.

Even knowing that… she could not extinguish her anger.

The Wittgenstein family had more than one daughter.
There was also Elvira.
Ludmila suggested to Citrin that perhaps Elvira could be recommended as the Crown Prince’s fiancée instead of Faustina.
But what the royal family wanted was Faustina.
No one else would be accepted.

“She’s not here either…!”

Ludmila searched every place Faustina might go.
Even at midnight, with her good night vision and the candlelight, she could continue searching.
Faustina loved gazing at flowers, so she was often in the garden.

But she was not there either.

Returning to the mansion, Ludmila took a deep breath to calm herself.

When Faustina collapsed the first time, Ludmila neither nursed her nor visited her.
She was aware that she was far stricter with Faustina than with Cain or Elvira.
From the moment she was born, Faustina was destined to become a future Queen.
As her mother, Ludmila believed her role was to shape her into someone worthy of that position.
Just like Cain, the future duke, Faustina had been subjected from an early age to refined lady training and harsh, grueling education to endure Queenly instruction.
Ludmila had seen Faustina crying in secret countless times.
She wanted to rush to her side and comfort her.
But her desire for Faustina to overcome that hardship always won out, and she had never once comforted or praised her.
Instead, Citrin had taken on that role, comforting and praising Faustina in her stead.

Citrin had admonished her many times.

“Not like Elvira, but please be a little kinder to Fauna.
She’s already working hard enough.”

Cain was mature for his age and handled everything competently, leaving little reason to scold him.

As for Elvira… Ludmila had spoiled her to compensate for not being able to dote on Faustina.
Because Cain and Faustina were so capable for their ages, Elvira stood out as the incompetent one.

That was wrong.
Elvira was an ordinary child.
Because she was ordinary, her pace was different from the other two.
Ludmila had believed that letting her grow at her own pace was fine.

“…”

Reality proved otherwise.

Whenever Ludmila said something to her, Faustina snapped back fiercely.
But that stopped after she collapsed on the day she met Bernhard.
Instead, she became indifferent toward her mother.
She greeted her when they met, responded when spoken to, but beyond that, she showed no interest.
Whenever Ludmila thought of speaking to her, she remembered Faustina’s indifferent eyes and found herself unable to think of what to say.

Ludmila had wanted to prepare Faustina’s tea party dress herself.
But Faustina had asked the Queen to design it instead.

The blue-silver dress, like a clear winter sky, suited Faustina’s hair beautifully.
Ludmila had wanted to incorporate spring colors instead.
Because Faustina loved spring.

Faustina had also become strangely indifferent toward Elvira.
Thinking Elvira often cried because of Faustina, Ludmila scolded her, not wanting her future Queen to become someone who bullied her own sister.
The Faustina who once glared back, insisting she was not at fault, was gone.
Instead, Faustina had pushed her away, telling her not to interfere anymore.
She had even said there were other adult women she could rely on besides her mother.
Someone came to mind.
While it could refer to the Wittgenstein household staff, Ludmila could not shake the feeling that she meant Sierra.
Since Queenly instruction began, Ludmila had heard daily at dinner about Faustina’s exchanges with Sierra.

On the day of the tea party, when Elvira came to her in tears, Ludmila questioned Rinsy, who had witnessed the scene.
But Elvira cried so loudly, screaming “Sister, Sister,” that Ludmila concluded Faustina must have done something.

That judgment… only deepened the rift between mother and daughter.

Would there ever be a chance to bridge it?

Ludmila retraced her steps once more, hoping she might run into Faustina.
When she reached the area near Faustina’s room, the door was closed.

She had continuously cared for Faustina this time, making up for the nursing she could not do the first time.
No excuse could justify it, but when Faustina first collapsed, Elvira’s condition had worsened.
She was plagued by terrifying dreams, day and night, crying every day for her mother’s help.

Faustina worried her, but so did Elvira.

Faustina had her dedicated maid Rinsy and other maids taking turns watching over her.
Elvira depended on her mother alone.
Unable to leave her by herself, Ludmila stayed constantly with Elvira while only receiving reports about Faustina’s condition.

Citrin later criticized her for this, but she simply could not abandon Elvira.

“Ah…”

She reached Faustina’s room again.
The door was closed.
She felt something was off.

When Ludmila had awakened earlier, she had gone to secretly check on Faustina.
But Faustina, who should have been asleep, was gone from her bed.
In a panic, Ludmila had rushed out of the room without closing the door.

She opened it quietly and stepped inside.
The candlelight illuminated the room.
Faustina, who had been missing earlier, was now asleep in her bed.
Ludmila rushed over and placed a hand on her forehead.
The fever was gone.
There was no clammy sweat.
Her breathing was steady.
Her complexion looked good.

Letting out a sigh of relief, Ludmila noticed Faustina’s lips were moist.
The doctor had said she would not wake yet, so no water pitcher had been left.
She surmised Faustina must have woken briefly, sought water, and gone to the kitchen.

“…”

By morning, she would surely wake again.
Ludmila needed to discuss what came next while monitoring Faustina’s condition.
Before going to sleep, Citrin had told her this.

“I’ll speak with His Majesty again tomorrow about Fauna’s engagement to Prince Bernhard.”

“But if the King has already made his decision, no matter how much you persuade him—”

“You know His Majesty and I are childhood friends, right?
I think I understand him well.
I don’t want to use it, but if I say I’ll call back that person he’s bad at dealing with, I think he’ll listen.”

“Th-that person?”

“Yeah.
You weren’t fond of them either, Rumi.
I’m used to them since they’re family, but everyone else tends to struggle.”

Was there anyone who did not struggle with that person Citrin mentioned?
Everyone knew Citrin and Sirius were childhood friends.
Knowing that only made Ludmila sympathize with Sirius, who would have that person used as a bargaining chip against him.

They were not a bad person.
They really were not.
But their personality and manner of speaking were so problematic that only family members like Citrin or the previous duke and duchess could deal with them properly.

“I just hope His Majesty agrees to talk things over.”

After stroking Faustina’s cheek several times, Ludmila quietly left the room.

—The next day, when Faustina awoke, the first thing that happened was Rinsy bursting into tears and hugging her while crying, “My lady!”
Startled, Faustina apologized for worrying everyone.
She learned she had slept for four days.
Shorter than last time, but still the second occurrence, and everyone had been deeply concerned.

“Ah!
I’ll go tell the master right away that you’re awake!”

“Before that, could I have some wat—she’s gone.”

She wanted water, but Rinsy rushed out before she could finish.
Soon after, the head maid entered, her face filled with genuine relief at seeing Faustina awake.

“My lady, do you feel unwell in any way?”

“My body feels a little heavy, but that’s all.
And I want some water.”

“You’ve been asleep for so long.
I’ll bring it right away.”

Watching the head maid bow politely and leave, Faustina leaned back against the bed.

“I wonder if I could talk with Lady Aeria…”

Aeria had addressed her like an old acquaintance despite it being their first meeting.
She was the same kind of person Faustina was searching for—someone with memories of the past.
Faustina did not know what happened to Aeria after she was disowned from the ducal house.
Perhaps Aeria knew the reason Faustina had died.

She had collapsed twice and slept for days.
No matter how good the Queen’s evaluation was, an unstable young lady would not remain the Crown Prince’s fiancée forever.

Soon, her father Citrin would arrive, summoned by Rinsy.
She would ask him then.
What would happen to her engagement with Bernhard.
And if, by some chance, she was told the engagement would continue, she would state clearly that she had no confidence in serving as the future Crown Princess in this condition.

“…That’s it.
Way more effective than crying and begging in person.
Alright, I’ll go with this plan.”

Faustina waited eagerly in bed for her father to arrive.
Needless to say, when Citrin later told her that the King had decided to continue the engagement and would never dissolve it, she froze solid for quite some time.