“Um… It seems that His Majesty is not feeling well.”
What?
Upon hearing the unexpected news, Precipe's eyes widened in surprise.
What do you mean? sick?
“It is said that he has been complaining of a headache since early morning, and he took some medicine and is now at rest...”
Dietrich had never been sick before, not once.
Only one thing came to mind: this wrong dialogue choice.
“Grand Duke Fenric was visiting at the time, so the matter was passed on to him instead. So...”
Ella's words stopped, leaving behind a heavy silence.
Both Precipe and the Archbishop, who was sitting, wore gloomy expressions.
“…Grand Duke Fenric?”
At that moment, the Duke himself entered, and coldly focused his gaze on the Archbishop, his expression a mixture of annoyance and dissatisfaction.
“I heard about it from the maid. Do you have evidence linking Mrs. Precipe to this incident?”
“What do you mean...”
“If that's not the case, you can't hold Ms. Presippi like this for long, can you?”
“…Your Highness, I was just receiving an explanation of the situation from Mrs. Precipe.”
The Archbishop's face hardened in response to Fenric's harsh tone.
“Although you may be His Majesty’s closest confidant, this is a matter you cannot interfere with. Do you understand what I am saying?”
Fenric replied, his voice steady, not a flash of emotion appearing on his face.
"But was there anything really worth explaining? According to the maid, the archbishop arrived at the church shortly after Mrs. Presippi entered, and it was at this moment that the broken statue was discovered. This means that Mrs. Presippe probably knew nothing about the incident."
The archbishop remained silent.
“If there was someone to question, it would be the guards who were on duty or perhaps the maid who was stationed at the entrance.”
To be fair, Fenrick's argument was flawless. In fact, it was subtle enough to be quite annoying.
“Shouldn't you prioritize checking whether Ms. Prescipe is infected rather than questioning her?”
...and that was true too.
If she were still a member of the imperial family and not an outcast and disgrace, the Archbishop would not have dared to question her in this way.
Fenric, who seemed to be of the same opinion, continued to press the archbishop.
"No matter how much authority you have over the church, that authority does not extend to Mrs. Presby. Surely you understand that, don't you?"
The Archbishop was visibly annoyed, and stared at Fenric, while Precipe looked at him with a surprised expression.
Ever since she found herself stuck in this game and facing countless bad endings, this was the first time anyone had stood by her side.
Let us consider here that it was not one of the male characters who sided with her, but rather there was a non-player character like Fenric.
“I have informed His Majesty's guards, and His Majesty will hear about this soon enough,” Fenric said brusquely.
“Maybe you should ask the maid further. She mentioned that she saw a suspicious person leaving the building.”
“Oh, but I only saw him briefly in passing,” Ella whispered hesitantly, shrinking under the sudden attention. “He disappeared so quickly...”
Fenric didn't seem at all concerned about her excuses.
"I will accompany Mrs. Presby home. Stay and tell us what you saw. That is enough."
He extended his hand towards Presippi, a gesture of respect, to help her stand.
Prisippi hesitated briefly before taking Fenric's hand and rising to her feet.
“Let's go, Mrs. Presby.”
Prisippi nodded, left Ella behind, and walked out of the Archbishop's room with Fenric.
—
“…That's all I really saw,” Presippi explained as they returned to the tower after leaving the church.
“I don't know what exactly happened, but for something like this to happen today of all days...”
“…”
“The Duke may not know this, but today was my first visit to this church. This made it even more confusing.”
“…”
“…Duke Fenric?”
Despite receiving no response despite her babbling, Prisippi turned to look at Fenric with a puzzled expression.
He seemed to be deep in thought, and his expression was unusually serious.
But the look did not last long, as he quickly adjusted his facial expression and replied in a worried tone.
“Are you sure you're not hurt?”
“Yes, I'm fine.”
“Well, that's all that matters.”
It was a little strange. Looking at the Archbishop's reaction earlier, it was clear that something important had happened. However, Fenric only seemed to care about her well-being, as if nothing else mattered.
“Do you think this is really that guy?”
“This guy?”
“Which Ella and I saw.”
“…”
“But could he really destroy such a huge statue by himself...?”
“This is something we will find out through the investigation,” Fenric said casually, shaking his head as if it was no big deal.
Prisippi stared at him for a moment before speaking cautiously.
“Thank you, Duke Fenric.”
“Why?”
“To defend me.”
Fenric paused.
“There is no one in this palace who stands by me like you did. It was… the first time I felt that way.”
“…”
“I'm really grateful. Thank you.”
...Did she say too much? Especially for someone as close to Dietrich as Fenrik.
But gratitude was gratitude. Moreover, Fenric, with his own eyes and ears, must have been aware of how badly Preseppe was being treated in the palace.
After all, he was just an NPC. He couldn't interfere much in the game's larger plot, so sharing such thoughts wouldn't change anything important.
“You seem to be feeling much more comfortable than when we last met,” Fenric commented.
"…pardon?"
“Last time, you were so nervous, you only answered the questions I asked.”
“Oh, this...”
“But I like it just like that.”
Fenric commented with a slight laugh.
“This must mean that I have become someone Mrs. Prescipe feels comfortable talking to.”
[After all, you don't seem to have many people to talk to frankly, do you?]
Prisippi suddenly remembered Fenric's words from their previous meeting. At that time, she wondered if he really meant it, but now… perhaps her suspicions were unjustified.
But had she strayed from the topic? Prisippi looked away from him, feeling a kind of belated embarrassment.
“Anyway, since you have nothing to do with this incident, even if His Majesty knew about it, there should be no serious consequences.”
Hmm, would that really be the case?
Given Dietrich's usual behavior, it was hard to imagine that he would let this matter go so easily. Although he may not have cared much about the incident in the church itself, the problem lay elsewhere – Dietrich was an incorrigible skeptic.
He might ignore the smashed statue, but he would certainly suspect Presibe of collusion with someone else. He would accuse her of planning to abandon him, as he did during that event where she ended up imprisoned in the ice cell.
“You look unconvinced,” Fenric remarked, his lips curling into a faint smile.
Prisippi remained silent, causing Fenric to laugh softly.
“How about we bet then?”
"A bet? On what?"
"If this incident causes you any trouble, I am the loser. If it is resolved as quietly as I expect, then you are the loser."
“…”
“The loser must grant the winner one wish. What do you think?”
“But I have no power to grant any wish you may have, Lord Fenric.”
“You can decide that after hearing my wish, right?”
“And if I win?”
“I will grant you any wish you have, Mrs. Presby. Anything at all.”
Even if that desire is to leave this game and return to the real world?
She laughed dryly before she could stop herself.
“Mrs. Presby?”
"No, nothing. Okay, let's do this."
"shall we?"
“Of course, even if I win, I doubt that I will have enough time to fulfill your wish.”
No matter how this incident unfolded, the game's second major event was inevitable. That cursed event where she will be imprisoned in the ice prison because of an anonymous letter sent to Dietrich.
Since the operation was inevitable, and the prison itself lasted days, who knew when she might see Fenric again?
So, really, it didn't matter what happened. Fenric wouldn't be able to grant her wish anyway.
“Okay,” Fenric replied with a smile that didn't quite match Prisippi's thoughts.
“Remember this – you made a bet with me.”
Before they knew it, they had reached the West Tower. Fenric bowed politely to Prisippi, who looked at him with an embarrassed expression.
After all, there were few people in the palace who treated her with such kindness.
"Please, get some rest. I imagine this day has been stressful for you."
"And you, Lord Fenric? Are you leaving?"
“No, I will stay at the palace. They said His Majesty should be up by dawn at the latest.”
“Because of the incident that happened in the church?”
“That, and I still have other matters to take care of.”
...other things?
“You mean the maid, Ella?”
"Yes."
“I heard that she and some other maids moved into their residence after being assigned to serve me.”
“That's right. Originally, Ella was staying in the rooms used by palace maids, but after His Majesty locked you in the tower, she and a few others were moved to a closer place to rest.”
“It would likely make monitoring easier... but why bring this up now?”
“They said it was behind the West Tower. That must be the place over there.” Fenric's crimson eyes shifted to the spot behind them.
“Master Fenric, why…?”
“Okay, I'll be leaving now. Rest in peace, Mrs. Presby.”
Without answering her question, Fenric walked away with steady steps, leaving Presibe alone. Worry crept into her soul as she looked toward the church, but there was no sign of Ella.
***
He was dreaming.
A dream completely filled with precipitate.
In that dream, Dietrich spent countless days with her—days that he misunderstood or ignored. Through her words, he learned the truth behind those moments and conveyed his sincerity to her.
However, throughout the dream, he never smiled sincerely.
Even when he whispered words of love, looking at Precipe's bright, sunny smile, he couldn't help it.
And the only moments Dietrich ever smiled at her sincerely… were always the same.
[No matter how sweetly you whisper your love to me… I can't believe any of this. It's all over the moment you leave my hand.]
When he urged her to die with him, she complied, only then did he smile happily.
[Now, finally, I can believe you.]
But the dream did not end there.
Scene after scene repeats endlessly - Preseppe's lifeless body having chosen to die alongside him.
Precipe was beheaded by order of the Emperor – his order.
Preseppe was wounded by an arrow shot at her as she was escaping.
Presibe coughs up blood, cries under a sharp blade...
“No, I don't remember that.”
“I didn't do this.”
'I didn't-!'
“Huh...!”
Dietrich suddenly woke up, gasping for air, his chest rising and falling as he sat up on the bed.