Why had the wyvern come to the base camp tents of the hunting grounds instead of flying toward the foot of the mountain like it had before?
Why...?
Was it really just a coincidence?
There were far too many suspicious details to dismiss it so easily, and too many things that differed from the past.
Just then, someone stopped outside my door.
"Your Highness! It's Jeanne."
The head maid.
"What is it?"
"I've investigated what you asked me to look into the other day..."
"Come in."
The door opened, and Jeanne stepped inside.
The vast office was silent.
Only three people occupied the room: the Emperor, Count Maron—the Chief Chamberlain—and a single imperial knight.
The Emperor let out a weary sigh as he looked at the knight standing across from him.
Unable to hide his unease beneath the Emperor's gaze, the knight lowered his head.
Finally, the Emperor asked bluntly,
"So you're saying you suspect the Empress?"
"I cannot say with certainty that it was Her Majesty. However... if someone left before the wyvern appeared and only returned after everything was over, that person ought to be investigated."
"That's the same thing."
The Emperor frowned openly.
"The only people who left the camp that day were the Empress, her ladies-in-waiting, and her personal guards."
The knight looked even more uncomfortable than before.
The Emperor clicked his tongue.
"You're a giant of a man, yet you're shrinking like a frightened rabbit. Why can't you simply say, 'The Empress is suspicious'?"
"W-Well..."
The knight wanted to cry.
How could an ordinary knight dare tell the Emperor,
"The culprit behind this enormous incident may be Her Majesty the Empress."
Especially when he possessed no hard evidence—only circumstances that seemed suspicious.
The Emperor folded his arms.
"My life was placed in danger."
His voice grew noticeably heavier.
"And your opinion is that this wasn't an accident, but a carefully planned crime. Isn't that what you're saying?"
"...Yes, Your Majesty."
"And identifying the likely suspect is also part of your job."
"...Yes."
The knight had a sinking feeling he knew what was coming next.
As expected, the Emperor inhaled deeply—
Then exploded.
"You useless salary thief! Give me back last month's pay!"
Unable to watch any longer, Count Maron hurried over with a glass of cold water.
"Your Majesty, please calm yourself first! Have a drink and—"
"Calm myself?"
The Emperor shot to his feet.
He jabbed a finger furiously at the knight.
"You said it looks like a planned crime! You investigated who arrived when, who left the venue, why they left, when they came back—you checked everything!"
"You concluded that the only suspicious person was the Empress!"
"So why can't you clearly say, 'The Empress's movements are suspicious and should be investigated'? Why?!"
In a fit of rage, he grabbed the nearest object and hurled it.
Only after it left his hand did he realize it was a paper knife.
Well, he's an imperial knight. Surely he can dodge something like that.
The blade whistled through the air.
The knight twisted aside just in time.
The paper knife grazed where his shoulder had been, struck the sofa behind him, and clattered onto the floor.
"Y-Your Majesty! Please calm yourself! This humble servant was at fault—"
"If you're at fault, then I'll establish a special investigation team."
The Emperor's expression turned icy.
"Before anyone has the chance to destroy evidence, summon the Empress and everyone serving in the Empress's Palace for questioning."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
The knight bowed hastily before fleeing the office before the Emperor could call him back.
"...Haa."
The Emperor released his grip on the desk and collapsed into his chair.
Covering his face with both hands, he leaned back before grabbing the glass of cold water Maron had prepared.
He drained it in one gulp.
"Count."
"Yes, Your Majesty."
"This is an imperial decree."
"We'll form a special investigative unit using personnel from the Fourteenth Imperial Knight Order. Prepare the appointment documents."
He paused.
"And appoint Marquis Serphis as chief investigator. Bring him to me."
"Yes... Your Majesty?"
Count Maron answered automatically before blinking in surprise.
"Is there a problem?"
"I beg your pardon for speaking out of turn, but... why not Duke Kroyzen?"
The Emperor twirled his quill between his fingers.
"Kroyzen's influence is too great."
"If I appoint him, it would practically be the same as publicly declaring that I'm targeting the Empress while protecting House Cherrier."
"So he's out."
"And the Papiran Ducal House—the former Empress's family—is also out."
He stroked his beard thoughtfully before continuing.
"I need someone whose rank is high enough that House Cherrier cannot ignore him..."
"...but not someone powerful enough to force Marquis Cherrier to kneel outright."
"In that case, another marquis is perfect."
"The Serphis Marquisate."
"The family of the former Crown Princess."
Count Maron hesitated.
"House Cherrier may claim that House Serphis itself is responsible."
The Emperor snorted.
"Would Marquis Cherrier really say something that idiotic?"
"Melly nearly died that day."
"The only imperial blood connected to House Serphis is Melly."
"They'd never be the culprits."
"Especially after I created the precedent of making Eonel the Crown Princess."
He gave a dry laugh.
"House Serphis is undoubtedly obsessed with placing Melly on the throne after her."
"And you think they'd deliberately throw the very girl they're hoping will become the next-next Emperor into mortal danger?"
"No one—not even a dog—would believe such nonsense."
"If Cherrier made that accusation, the neutral nobles would only become even more suspicious of them."
"I see."
Count Maron bowed respectfully.
"I'll prepare the documents immediately."
Once the chamberlain left, silence returned.
The Emperor looked back and forth between the mountain of paperwork on his desk, the imperial seal resting beside it, and the brilliantly clear blue sky visible beyond the office window.
He sighed deeply.
"...I'm jealous of the retired Duke Kroyzen."
"I'd love nothing more than to hand the throne over to Eonel already and spend days like this traveling instead."
"Ah..."
A knock sounded.
Jeanne entered.
"Would you leave us for a moment, Nurse?"
After confirming my nurse had left, I closed the book I had been reading.
The door shut behind her.
Shhhk.
Click.
The thick velvet-bound storybook resting on my lap was placed onto the table.
I looked at Jeanne.
"Report."
"First, His Majesty has ordered the investigation to begin immediately."
"The special investigation team will be formed from the Fourteenth Imperial Knight Order."
"And Marquis Serphis has been appointed chief investigator."
"My grandfather?"
"Yes, Your Highness."
What exactly are you thinking, Grandpa?
If Grandfather believed this had merely been an accident, he could have simply assigned the Knight Commander to investigate and end the matter there.
Fortunately, although many people had been injured...
No one had died.
Yet instead, he'd appointed my grandfather.
That alone meant one thing.
Grandfather had no intention of letting this incident pass quietly.
"So... he doesn't believe it was an accident."
"...!"
Jeanne stared at me in shock.
"What?"
"N-Nothing, Your Highness."
Right.
I'm supposed to be eight years old.
Ever since I was around five, I'd accidentally startled the adults around me.
Sometimes I'd reveal thoughts far too mature for my age.
Or expose my distrust of people without meaning to.
My nurse and maids spent twenty-four hours a day beside me.
There was no way they hadn't noticed that I already distinguished political allies from enemies.
Well... it doesn't matter.
I'll just pretend to be a child genius.
It's not as though being intelligent would somehow endanger me.
I'm the Emperor's eldest grandchild through the direct line.
If everyone believes I'm a prodigy, that's only to my advantage.
"So the investigation is under Grandfather, and the Fourteenth Knight Order will handle it?"
"Yes."
This is going to become interesting.
In my previous life...
Around this time...
Grandfather had been lying unconscious from severe blood loss.
He'd been hovering between life and death.
Because of that, Empress Kiyen had stepped in and taken charge of the investigation herself.
She appointed one of her own loyal counts as chief investigator.
She also assigned the Twelfth Knight Order, commanded by her younger brother.
In the end...
The official conclusion had been that a pack of wyverns, frightened by the hunting event, had fled down the mountain while avoiding the hunting knights and nobles...
...and had simply attacked the Emperor's party by chance.
"Hmm..."
"I wonder how things will turn out this time."
"What do you mean, Your Highness?" Jeanne asked.
Three years ago, she would have pretended not to hear my strange remarks.
Now, even if my words sounded far too mature, she merely looked surprised instead of ignoring them.
"I'm wondering what the adults will do."
If Grandfather himself had stepped forward to investigate...
Then he'd smelled something suspicious.
Besides...
The wyvern attack itself had already unfolded differently from my previous life.
That alone made me suspect someone had manipulated events.
But while my suspicions came from memories of my previous life...
What evidence had led Grandfather to the very same conclusion?
Though I said nothing more, Jeanne seemed to understand.
She gave a tiny nod.
"Jeanne."
"What about the other matter I asked you to investigate?"
"Ah, yes."
"I looked into that as well."
"His name is Ar."
"He has no family name."
"He's a squire serving in the Fourteenth Imperial Knight Order."
"He'll officially receive his knighthood the year after next."
The year after next...
So he'd become a knight at fifteen.
The same year I first met him in my previous life.
"Anything else?"
"I thought it rather strange that a commoner without even a family name managed to enter the Imperial Knight Order, so I tried investigating further..."
She hesitated.
"...But even the knight responsible for his training doesn't know how he was accepted into the Order."
"Is that possible?"
"Only the Knight Commander has permission to access personnel records."
"And according to everyone, Ar never speaks about his past."
"Shall I request a more thorough investigation through the Knight Commander?"
A commoner without a surname...
Yet a squire in the Imperial Fourteenth Knight Order.
"Find out how he entered the Imperial Palace."
"Yes."
She hesitated before asking,
"But, Your Highness... why are you searching for him?"
"If you simply wish to reward him for what happened that day, you could summon him and grant him a reward."
"Is there something else you intend to entrust to him?"
"I want to nurture his talent."
I smiled faintly.
"As a member of the imperial family, I should repay those who have helped me."
This time...
May you be able to display your talent to the fullest... without being dragged into my fate.
"Do you intend to make him one of your personal guards?"
"For now, just investigate what I asked."
"As you command."
"I'll prioritize discovering his true origins and the identity of whoever is backing him."
"Please rest well, Your Highness."
Jeanne bowed politely before leaving.
Once she was gone, I extinguished the magical lamp on the table.
With the light disappearing beneath the crack of the door, everyone would assume I'd gone straight to bed.
I remained perfectly still for a while.
Then quietly climbed out of bed.
Using several pillows, I shaped the blanket to resemble a sleeping body.
Again and again...
My eyes drifted toward the door Jeanne had exited through.
My palms were damp with sweat.
Keeping the magic lamp unlit, I picked it up and hurried into the dressing room.
From the wardrobe, I pulled out the leather trousers and soft cotton blouse I wore during etiquette swordsmanship lessons.
Tonight...
I'll finally confirm what has been troubling me all this time.
My heart pounded so violently it felt ready to burst.
Why was I sent back into the past?
Why does that dagger appear in every single dream?
If I can find that dagger tonight...
Will I finally uncover the truth behind my regression... and the true nature of those dreams?
