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The next morning, as soon as I woke up, I started preparing to leave the hospital. Since I still had a lot to do, I changed my clothes to head straight to school instead of the mansion.

Bella and Blanshe had left yesterday around sunset. They had confirmed I was healthy, and it was clear that Duke Fred would worry if they stayed away from home any longer.

And Helga returned to the mansion late at night. I had given her some tasks, and she also needed to inform Aslan that I had woken up, so she couldn’t stay any longer.

Everyone was quickly returning to their daily routines. The girl in front of me was no exception.

“Count! L-Let me help you!”

As I reached for my tie, Wendy quickly intercepted me. She was already in her school uniform, planning to go to school with me. She, too, had to return to her duties as a student starting today.

“Ugh…”

Wendy tried to tie my tie, but she was too short. Standing on her tiptoes, she struggled to reach my neck. It was quite cute, but I couldn’t keep watching.

“Alright, I’ll do it myself.”

“No, no! I can do it!”

Wendy looked around, grabbed a nearby chair, and used it as a stepping stool. Now, she was slightly taller than me. Seemingly fascinated by the situation, she hesitated before speaking.

“Count, you’re really tall…”

“…Am I?”

“Y-Yes. D-Doesn’t it scare you to always look down from such a height…? I-I get scared even at this height…”

I almost laughed at her question. It was such an innocent, childlike inquiry.

I looked into Wendy’s eyes. Through her untainted gaze, I saw Tristan’s face. A young man who seemed arrogant enough to make others cower, yet his eyes were chillingly cold. Wendy, perhaps scared by my expression, averted her gaze and started tying the tie.

I slowly spoke.

“It’s not scary. I’ve grown step by step.”

“Huh?”

“Wendy, do you remember when we climbed the Stairs of Truth together?”

“Ah, yes. I remember.”

“You reached the top without even realizing it, didn’t you? If you take one step at a time, you’ll eventually get there.”

“One step at a time…”

I spoke to her in the gentlest voice I could muster.

“It might feel high now, but when you grow taller, you’ll naturally get used to the higher perspective. If you wait, someday you’ll—”

“But I… I…”

“…?”

Wendy, having finished tying the tie, hesitated and then spoke.

“I… I want to grow up quickly…”

“You want to grow taller?”

“Not just taller… everything… I… I want to become an adult quickly…!”

Hmm?

Wendy’s cheeks were flushed as she spoke.

“Why is that?”

“B-Because…! I want to be able to tie your tie without a chair…! And when we walk together, I want to match your stride…! Ah! And… and I want to wear high heels…! And…!”

Wendy rambled on, her face bright red. I hadn’t realized she’d been worrying about such things. Perhaps the image she had of being the exclusive maid of the Count’s family was weighing heavily on her. She had risen to a high position at a young age, and the pressure must have been immense.

I felt a pang of sympathy for her anxiety.

“Wendy.”

“Yes?”

“Don’t rush it.”

“H-Huh?!”

I grabbed Wendy’s waist and lifted her up. If I had a daughter, I might have done the same. Wendy, startled, made a strange noise and froze stiff.

“Even if you became an adult overnight, it wouldn’t be a good thing. As long as you act as my exclusive maid, even as a child, that’s enough.”

“……”

I placed her feet into the shoes she had taken off and spoke.

“You’re doing well now. So… you don’t need to worry about that.”

“…Yes.”

Wendy seemed to want to say more but quietly nodded instead.

After finishing our preparations, we left the hospital to board the carriage. We found the luxurious carriage of the Ruelberta Family parked at the hospital entrance. However… next to it was another equally extravagant carriage. When I saw the golden and silver two-faced deer emblem among its lavish decorations, I realized whose carriage it was.

An Imperial Guard Knight guarding the carriage recognized me and approached.

“Count Ruelberta. I’m glad to see you’ve recovered.”

“Hmm.”

“Today, His Majesty has personally ordered the Imperial carriage to take you to school. Please board.”

It seemed the Emperor had heard of my condition and come early in the morning. What an impatient fellow. Through the carriage window, I could see the Emperor wearing a golden deer mask, waiting for me. However, I had no intention of accompanying him.

“No need.”

“…Huh? What do you mean…?”

The Imperial Guard Knight looked bewildered. He probably hadn’t expected me to refuse when the Emperor himself had come to meet me. But I am Tristan. The Emperor or anyone else can’t order me around. Besides…

“I’d rather ride my own carriage than that shabby one.”

“Sh-Shabby?! Count! That’s going too far!”

To be fair, calling it shabby was a bit of an exaggeration. Compared to ordinary carriages, the Emperor’s carriage was indeed superior. But it couldn’t compare to the high-class carriage of the Ruelberta Family.

“That carriage is the finest in the Imperial family! Moreover, His Majesty himself—”

“I’ve heard enough. I’ll ride my own carriage.”

“Count?!”

Ignoring the Imperial Guard and the Emperor, I boarded the Ruelberta Family’s carriage. Wendy hesitated for a moment but quickly followed and climbed in after me.

But then… something unexpected happened.

“Wait.”

Following Wendy, the person who boarded the carriage was the girl wearing the golden deer mask—the Emperor.

“If you don’t want to ride in my carriage, then I’ll ride in yours. Is that alright?”

“Your Majesty?!”

I hadn’t expected the Emperor to be so persistent. If she was going this far, I had no choice. I finally nodded.

“…Do as you please.”

“Then excuse me. You all, return to the Imperial Palace.”

“B-But Your Majesty!”

“I won’t hear any objections.”

The Emperor closed the carriage door and sat across from me. Leaving the bewildered Imperial Guard Knight behind, our carriage set off for the university.

For a while, an awkward silence hung between the three of us. Wendy, suddenly faced with the Emperor, was at a loss for what to do. Meeting the highest person in the country up close, it was a miracle she didn’t faint.

Meanwhile, the Emperor was staring out the window. There was a strange unease about her. The confident demeanor she had earlier was gone, and she seemed quite anxious. And I thought I knew why.

“Your acting is quite impressive.”

“……!”

At my words, the Emperor flinched. That reaction confirmed it.

“But there’s no need to force yourself to act as ‘Luna’ in my carriage.”

“Luna…? You mean…?”

Wendy tilted her head at the familiar name. Come to think of it, Wendy didn’t know yet.

“Phew……”

The Emperor removed the deer mask from her head. The familiar face revealed beneath it made Wendy’s eyes widen.

“Eh… Luna…?”

“No. I’m not ‘Luna.’”

The Emperor, now wearing glasses she had pulled from her pocket, looked at Wendy with a somewhat bitter expression.

“Let me reintroduce myself. I am ‘Lucy’ Meikhael. The Emperor who rules the ‘day’ of this country.”

“Y-You’re not Luna?!”

“That name is my alias, my nighttime persona. I’m sorry for deceiving you.”

“G-Good heavens……”

Wendy was utterly shocked to learn that her classmate was the Emperor of the country. Seeing her reaction, Lucy bowed her head.

“Now that it’s come to this, I’ll be honest. Wendy, all my approaches to you were intentional. So it’s okay if you resent me. You have every right to blame me.”

“T-That’s… I… I…”

The Emperor had disguised herself as a student to investigate the person who carried the blood of the Hero. The Hero, whether in a good or bad sense, is always at the center of chaos. Especially since the Ruelberta Family, which is at odds with the Imperial family, had the Hero under their wing, the Emperor must have been anxious. Was the Hero someone who would save the world from chaos, or just a puppet of the Ruelberta Family?

By now, the Emperor must have realized how harmless Wendy was. And her disguise and dual identity had been exposed to me long ago. She must have decided there was no need to hide it from Wendy anymore.

Leaving Wendy, who was pale with shock, the Emperor, Lucy Meikhael, spoke to me.

“Listen carefully, Count. The reason I came today was not only to check on your well-being but also to deliver a message from ‘Luna.’”

Lucy exhaled softly and announced.

“The Empire is planning to conquer the Northern Garden in the Northern Region from now on.”

 

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