The accompanying knight led Preseppe to a garden that was not very far from the concert hall.
This garden was a place that Precipe knew well, but at the same time she never wanted to return to.
And for good reason...
This particular park was the site where the end of Dietrich’s path ended.
In other words, this was the place where, despite Dietrich's love for Precipe, he was ultimately unable to trust her, so he ended up committing suicide with her.
“Oh…”
So, it was no surprise that Prisippi's face frowned as soon as she set foot on the garden floor.
“Why, of all places, did he choose this place to meet me?”
It was never possible to get attached to someone like that...
Despite all this, this garden had a special meaning for Dietrich.
It was the favorite and beloved place of his late mother, the former Empress, during her life in the Imperial Palace.
But…to think that he had chosen this particular place to end his life was the most absurd and strange thing.
“He's waiting for you there.”
Presibe nodded in understanding, and the accompanying knight bowed respectfully and turned away in silence.
“Huh...”
Prisippi took a deep breath, trying to calm herself.
No matter what, it had been a long time since he had last met Dietrich, and more importantly, this was the first time she had seen him after the glitch.
So, she had no idea how Dietrich would act now.
“If the collapse of the game caused his personality to collapse due to the glitch...is he still the Dietrich I know?”
If Prince Atari had not died so suddenly, he could have monitored the situation for a little longer.
As she walked quietly through the garden, Presibe lost herself in her thoughts.
‘Hmm… No, I don’t think Dietrich himself collapsed, but rather it was more likely that the defining values of his personality were disrupted.’
And if you think about it, that day I left the Imperial Palace.
Dietrich had asked me if I had anything to say to him, and he looked something unusual.
His face reflected something of deep sadness, a face full of sorrow.
“So, since his setup collapsed, and he regained his memory and identity from the previous rounds... who is Dietrich now?”
I couldn't answer this question.
While I was thinking, I had reached the middle of the garden.
After a while, a familiar figure appeared in front of me.
Dietrich was standing, with his back to me.
'The ribbon of appreciation is still there above his head.'
When I looked at Dietrich, the bar of appreciation was still floating above his head, full of question marks.
Of course, there weren't any visible dialogue options, but that was to be expected since the current events aren't part of the game's normal progression.
What should I say? Should I ask him if he's okay after being away for so long? Or I heard he was sick, is he better now?
I thought for a while, then said quietly:
“I heard that His Majesty asked me to attend.”
I had gone through a lot of difficult times because of Dietrich, so I had no desire to ask him traditional questions.
Maybe I might look a little mean, but there was no other choice.
“Do you have anything to tell me?”
Dietrich paused before responding, and did not even look at me.
He stood silent, looking the other way.
Why did he summon me then?
As I was preparing to ignore it, he said:
“You seem fine.”
“……”
“Just from your voice I can guess your condition.”
“Oh... as you say... yes, I'm fine. Duke Fenric has been very kind to me.”
Even though he was the one who called me, I also had questions, so I decided to answer him with the utmost interaction.
“Well, since you left the palace, maybe you would be better off somewhere else.”
"……What?"
“This place is full of bad memories for you.”
“……”
“Isn't it?”
True, what he said was not wrong.
“While I was thinking about that, I started thinking too.”
Dietrich continued talking.
“Was it like that in the past?”
“Excuse me, what do you mean by ‘in the past’?”
“Before I became emperor.”
“……”
“When my mother and your mother were alive, there was no animosity between you and me.”
Was it when we were kids?
So…
During the training period?
When he asked that, I noticed a twinkle in Precipe's eyes, her eyes shining with surprise.
“Was that period just full of sadness?”
“Oh, no, not like that.”
I couldn't remember everything that happened in training, so I tried to test it.
But I remembered the general idea, because that was one of the high points of Dietrich's path.
“It was fun...apparently.”
Before our relationship became strained, I always followed Dietrich. He also cared deeply about me. Although it was only at that time, the truth was true.
"……Thank God."
said Dietrich, his voice strangely broken.
“Of all the moments I remember about you, it was only your smile at that time.”
Dietrich kept reminiscing with Preseppe, focusing only on the same idea.
Is this just an illusion of mine?
“I had fun too.”
At that moment, in the dream I don't know if it was from the past or the future, where you were ravaging me and killing me, was the only time we laughed together.
The words Dietrich wanted to say were heavy for him.
He was still unsure if those events had actually happened.
“You did something incredible. You left the Imperial Palace, hiding, among the crowd, lost.”
...What? Did Dietrich and I do that? Presibe paused for a moment, stunned.
“If you look back, it was crazy, but it was fun.”
"What?"
“Can you tell me more? I want to hear it from Your Majesty’s mouth, the old stories... I mean, the memories...”
It was a hastily concocted excuse, but it was somewhat convincing.
“There was a festival.”
“……”
“A simple festival, where the poor and citizens have fun, compared to the festivals held at the Imperial Palace. I was lucky. I didn’t know that festival would be held.”
Dietrich laughed softly.
“While I was in the crowd, you lost me for a moment, but I found you again. Then we held hands tightly and returned to the palace.”
I suddenly remembered the picture I saw in the training interface.
Whatever it was, our little hands were holding together.
Was that Dietrich?
“You and I, we used to do crazy things sometimes. Skip classes, hide in the corners of the palace, and torment the boring history teacher.”
“…….”
"Even before you left me, it was always like this. Always."
“Even before my mother was executed, and even before I was sent away, right?”
"Yes."
So far, this has not raised any questions. How did Presibe manage to survive when her mother was executed, and she was not punished? Everything was supposed to go the way it did in the course of the game. Pricipe could not have died with her mother, because she was a major character in the story. But now, things look different.
“In fact, I thought I was going to die at that time. The late Emperor executed my mother in front of my eyes. But I survived and was expelled. From that moment on, we started to drift apart from each other. You started to distort your view of me.”
Dietrich did not answer, but Precipe continued cautiously.
“In fact, if I had died with my mother then, we probably would have still gotten along well. I had a feeling of guilt all the time... I wondered why I wasn’t executed.”
“……”
"Do you have an answer to my question? Do you know why I survived?"
Although Precipe's speech made sense, the worry was clearly visible on her face. Fortunately, Dietrich was standing with his back to her, so he did not notice the worried look on her face.
"no."
Oh, really! It would not have brought any benefit. Precipi exploded his face in anger, but things did not stop there.
“……But, before things turned around, she went to my father. I beg him for your life.”
Dietrich recalled those memories clearly in his mind. He remembered well the cold corridors that led to the drawing room. And the scene he saw when he arrived at the door.
“Before all this, I had a question.”
"What?"
Before she could reply, Dietrich looked at her quickly, and in an instant, confusion flashed across Presippi's face.
As the bodyguard said, Dietrich was not the same as before. He looked much weaker than he did when seen from afar.
“If I told you what I wanted to know, would you accept my request?”
“My order?”
“Yes, my request.”
Presibe was astonished by his sudden modesty, but quickly composed herself. Then, the next words came out of his mouth.
“Now return to the palace.”
“…….”
“By my side.”