Chapter 52: I Finally Feel It

“Whoa…”

Just riding in the same carriage with people I normally wouldn’t be with made the scenery I had seen for a total of twenty-six years, counting the previous eighteen, feel strangely fresh.
Faustina knelt on the seat, resting her hand against the window as she watched the scenery pass by, and Bernhard beside her found himself looking out as well.

He rarely left the castle either, so it must have felt fresh to him too.
Unlike Faustina, he didn’t voice it aloud, but curiosity was clearly written on his young face.

The carriage passed from the commoner district into the noble district.
The higher the rank of the nobles, the farther up one went.
Compared to the commoner district, the roads here were neatly maintained, and the carriage shook far less.
All that remained was to wait.
Why was it that looking at the commoner district was fun, but once they entered the noble district, the enjoyment vanished?

Faustina properly took her seat again, and Bernhard followed suit, sitting upright as well.

“We can finally go back to the mansion.”
“Yes, but… I still don’t really feel like I was kidnapped.”

“You were lucky, Faustina.”
“If you’d woken up much earlier, you probably wouldn’t be this calm right now.”

Faustina agreed with that herself.
If so, then the reason she hadn’t woken up must have been thanks to that cold duck from her dream.
Cute on the outside, but violent on the inside—who did it take after, she wondered.

Suddenly, Faustina spoke to Vered, who was seated diagonally in front of her.

“By the way, while I was asleep, how did you carry me?”

“I disguised myself as a deliveryman.”
“I put you, still asleep, into a box and transported you that way.”

“Well, I’m surprised you didn’t get stopped at the guard checkpoints,” Ciel said dryly.
Vered let out a yawn and replied lazily.

“I’d already loaded actual delivery cargo as well.”
“The box you were in wasn’t treated any differently, but since it was scheduled to be delivered last, I kept it in the back.”

“Also, I’ll teach you this for the prince’s future,” Vered continued.
“Human traffickers who deal in small children transport them by packing them into boxes like that young lady was, mixing them in with other cargo.”
“The drawback is that it’s not suited for transporting large numbers.”
“For one or two children, you can just say those boxes are delivered last and bluff your way through.”
“Normally, manifests are checked, and cargo is only inspected in emergencies.”
“With secret searches like this one, checking too thoroughly would actually raise suspicion, so everything doesn’t get inspected.”

“……”

Bernhard lowered his head, unable to say anything.

Setting aside his fondness for women, the former king had been praised as a wise ruler, and the current king Sirius, who inherited his talents, had made the kingdom’s security the most stable on the continent.
Still, there were always places where oversight couldn’t reach.
Even if crime had greatly decreased, it was never zero.
Criminals would always reach for the gaps.
The commoner district was a prime example.
It was better than in ancient times, but there were still countless unresolved issues.
It was unexpected that kidnappers capable of abducting a ducal daughter existed, but still.

Ciel shot Vered a reproachful look.
It clearly said that this wasn’t a story to tell an eight-year-old.

“The rest, think it through yourself.”

“……”

Bernhard slowly raised his face.
Unlike before, when he had been at a loss for words, his expression now showed that he was deep in serious thought.

“……”

Seeing Bernhard like that, Faustina quietly turned her gaze back toward the window, careful not to draw attention.

Even as a child, the traces of his former self were there.
Of course they were—he was the same person.
What Vered wanted was probably to teach him the methods of child traffickers and make him think about countermeasures.
She wanted to say it was too much to expect from an eight-year-old, but Bernhard was the crown prince.
Barring extraordinary circumstances, his ascension as the next king was practically assured.

The look on Bernhard’s face as he raised his head was the same as it had been before.
He had proposed policy after policy to help the impoverished, and though it took time, reforms in the commoner district steadily moved in a positive direction.
What he had told Vered at Piccolino—that the commoner district would improve in the not-so-distant future—had referred to exactly this.
Because Faustina knew the future, she could be certain of it.

But—

What about me?
While His Highness was working tirelessly to reform the commoner district, what was I doing?

At that time, she should have already been enrolled in the noble academy.
Yet she had no memory of what she herself had been doing.

What she remembered clearly was only how she had tormented Elvira, who was always at Bernhard’s side.

She couldn’t remember.

“Then I’ll help you.”
“You and—”

“Huh?”

For just a moment, she heard someone’s voice.
It was so brief that she couldn’t tell who it was.

As she tilted her head in confusion, Ciel spoke.

“We’re here.”

Startled, Faustina looked out the window.
The Vitkenstein Ducal Mansion, which she saw every day, stood there.

“…I still don’t really feel like I’m back.”

It felt no different from having gone on a short trip and returned the same day.

As Faustina hummed in thought, Ciel smiled wryly and gently stroked her sky-colored hair.
For some reason, more than anyone else’s touch, his made her feel the safest.
She looked up at Ciel and broke into a beaming smile.
Ciel returned it with a soft smile of his own.
Rather, the smile he wore now was on a different level altogether.

If a young lady who adored Ciel had seen it, she would have fainted.

The coachman opened the carriage door.
The familiar mansion stood before them.
Ciel descended first and offered his hand to Faustina.
Taking it, she stepped down from the carriage.

Even from outside, the tense atmosphere was palpable.
Faustina swallowed hard.

“S-Something feels different from usual.”
“Of course it does.”
“Fana was kidnapped, so everything was in an uproar.”
“Right… yeah.”
“…Huh?”

Wait, who was she talking to?

Faustina turned to the side.
Her older brother Cain, whom she hadn’t seen for three days, was standing there as if nothing were amiss.

“Welcome back, Fana.”
“Yes, I’m home.”
“…Huh?”

She added a question mark to the end again.
Faustina had spent twenty-six years with Cain and knew he had always been a mature, level-headed boy.
Still, his completely normal reaction to her return after being kidnapped felt strange enough to raise questions.

After taking Bernhard from Vered and setting him down, Ciel stepped closer to where Faustina and Cain stood.
Bernhard looked disgruntled, clearly thinking he could have gotten down on his own, but that was ignored.

“Hello, young master of Vitkenstein.”
“…Why is the priest here?”
“And why is the crown prince here too?”
“Um, well, how should I put this…”

Cain briefly glanced at the sleepy-looking man as well, though only for an instant, so no one noticed.

Faustina told Cain everything she could.
Cain responded with a curt but understanding tone, saying “I see,” and Faustina finally let out a breath of relief.

After learning from Ciel where their father was, Cain volunteered to guide them—

“A-A-A-A-AH!?
M-M-MY LADY!?”

Lyun burst outside.

“Oh, it’s Lyun.”
“I’m back.”
“Welcome home—no, that’s not the point!”
“Why is Lord Cain just standing here like it’s normal!?”
“This is the part where you announce my lady’s return!”
“And you too, my lady, you should be more—!”
“I don’t like loud voices.”
“At times like this, please make a big fuss!”
“I’ll go fetch the master and mistress right away!”

With that, Lyun ran back inside.

Looking around, Faustina noticed that the servants who normally worked outside were nowhere to be seen.
According to Cain, ever since the day Faustina had been kidnapped, hardly anyone had slept, and they had all reached their limit and collapsed.
The servants who had been outside rotated shifts, and it just so happened that now was the handover period.

Having slept for two days, Faustina had felt almost no sense of having been kidnapped.
But now, the reality of it came crashing down on her like a heavy weight.
Her face turned pale at once, and Cain looked at her in concern.

“Ah—”

Faustina darted behind Ciel as if to flee.

“Fana?”

Even when Cain called to her, she didn’t come out from behind Ciel.
Ciel gave a wry smile.

“Young master.”
“I will explain the circumstances later.”
“For now, please let her be.”

“But—”

Still worried by Faustina’s deathly pale face, Cain feared she might have been harmed by the kidnappers.

“Hey.”

Vered shattered Cain’s worries in an instant.

“That girl was asleep right up until just before she was rescued.”
“So there’s nothing to worry about.”

“What?”
“Ugh—!”

Faustina’s pale face flushed bright red.
Her eyes darted around in panic.
Understanding at once, Cain let out a deep sigh.

“Don’t scare me like that.”
“I thought you were reacting like that because you’d been terrified.”

“I-I’m sorry.”
“I was worried what you’d think if you knew I slept through everything while everyone else was in such a panic…”

“Honestly, that actually puts me at ease.”
“It’s very like you, Fana.”

He stepped closer and patted her head.

“Let’s go reassure Father and Mother as soon as possible.”
“Yes…!”

She still didn’t feel it.
The feeling of having been kidnapped and then returning home.

But having Cain pat her head like this made her feel, from the bottom of her heart, that she was home.

Watching Cain and Faustina, Bernhard felt relieved as well.
Even if Cain was composed, he must have been deeply worried inside.
It felt like the first time Bernhard had ever seen him smile.

The doors burst open with a loud sound.
Looking over, Faustina saw Citrine and Ludmila rushing out in a panic after being informed by Lyun.
Cain whispered to Faustina that Rinsu had forced herself awake and collapsed again, so she should visit her later.
Faustina nodded.
She desperately wanted to go right away, but she held herself back for now.

Other servants, though not stepping out, had also gathered nearby, wanting to confirm Faustina’s safety.
When Faustina waved at them, they broke down in tears, relieved she was unharmed.

“Fana!”
“Faustina!”

“Father, Mother.”
“I’m back.”

Just as she ran toward Citrine and Ludmila, who were now right in front of her, both of them froze.
Their eyes were fixed on Ciel.

Ludmila in particular had gone deathly pale.

Confused, Faustina looked up at Ciel, but he seemed no different than usual.

“W-Why is the prince here…?”

“…Now then.”
“Duke, surely you already know?”

Instead of answering Ludmila, Ciel addressed Citrine, who should have already received word from Sirius.

Seeing her parents’ strange reactions, Faustina looked between them and Ciel in confusion.

Citrine met her gaze, then crouched down and gently touched her cheek.

“Welcome home, Fana.”
“I’m truly glad you’re safe.”

“Yes, Father.”

“I’m sorry to do this right after you’ve returned, but I have something important to discuss with Prince Ciel.”
“Could you wait in your room for now?”

“I-I don’t mind, but…”

“Good.”
“Cain, stay with Fana.”
“And please look after the crown prince as well.”

“Yes.”

“Come on.”

Cain took Faustina’s hand and led her away.

“Your Highness, this way.”
“O-okay.”

Bernhard, too, found the ducal couple’s unnatural attitude toward Ciel strange.
Still, he followed Cain’s guidance.

“Oh.”

Faustina stopped and looked up at Vered.

“Are you coming with us?”

“…I won’t.”
“Just look at Ciel’s face.”

“Huh?”

Even when she looked as told, Faustina couldn’t tell.
It just looked like his usual pasted-on smile.

“Go on.”
“You need to show your face to the people who were worried about you.”

“Yeah.”
“You’re right.”
“I’ll go.”

“Sure, sure.”

She waved goodbye to Vered and went inside with Cain and Bernhard.

Once he had watched her disappear—

“Vered.”

Ciel called out in a voice that sounded like he was holding back laughter.

“That’s a funny joke.”
“Almost so bad it’s not funny.”

“…Who cares.”

“You’re right.”
“Now then, Duke.”
“Shall we talk in the carriage?”

“…No.”
“Let us speak in the reception room.”
“I’ll show you the way.”

“Very well.”

Keeping a stiff expression, Citrine put an arm around Ludmila’s shoulders and started walking.
Ciel followed, and Vered trailed behind a little later.

“…Bad taste.”

Vered muttered quietly.