Episode 8 Bell of Requiem
―And then the prince and the princess lived happily ever after. Wonderful, really wonderful.
wonderful
wonderful
The bell of requiem chimed in the royal capital of Caldia.
Each person, young and old, hung their head down immersed in sadness. Once in a while, they faced towards the royal palace, earnestly hoping for the soul they respected to be safely guided to heaven.
Also, at the altar in front of the royal palace, many visitors here to offer their condolences from inside and outside of the country gathered, making a long line. Each one carried a bouquet of flower and presented it.
There are people who shed tears, people who silently closed their eyes, and people who sincerely prayed to their G.o.ds. They perform various kinds of actions, but they all carried the same feeling, sadness.
“Seems it didn’t end like a fairy tale. ―What a pity.
Nevertheless, I hate this irritating situation. My point is, what the h.e.l.l is he doing? Next to the person who silently closed their eyes, that man recited various jumbled prayers such as, ‘O G.o.d Eon, I hope you accept this unclean soul to your side.’ In the first place if there really was a graceful G.o.d in this world, this kind of tragedy wouldn’t have happened.”
“Who knows? The only G.o.d that we have faith in is you, princess―solely Hiyuki-sama.”
“…Uuh. Come to think of it, in a sense, there are the same kinds of cults on our side too.”
The girl seems finished with her flower offering. She wore a black mourning dress which utilized a white crepe along the neckline. Other than her, an older woman wearing a thin colored dress is accompanying her―Or rather, they have a master-attendant relations.h.i.+p since the girl took the lead and the woman followed her thereafter.
Both wore veiled hats which made it so that their faces couldn’t be seen through it. However, their whiteness and freshness, were entirely emitted from their majestic appearance, their atmosphere radiated hidden elegance and beauty completely unlike an ordinary person.
“Nonetheless, now that the present situation has turned out like this, the clock of revolution that the foolish prince talked about will be moved back by a lot. Perhaps we also need to change a few points in our plan.”
“Shall we overthrow this country?”
The attendant expressed it trivially like choosing a midnight snack. The girl lightly shrugs her shoulders and replied. “Overthrowing will be an easy task. But our policy is basically to reign not govern, isn’t it? When it comes down to it, in the distant future it would be very likely that this country would be s.n.a.t.c.hed up by a neighboring country and I don’t really like things that are mine being stolen from me. If I can, I want to entrust this country to a useful and capable person.”
“Was it a person like that prince?”
“Ah, that prince is no good. If you want talk about capable people, then Guild Leader Collard is a hundred-times better. At least the guild leader carried himself like a leader and always paid attention his surroundings. That prince didn’t notice that his own abilities didn’t match with the scale of his surroundings.”
‘That’s why I told him to watch his feet,’ the girl adds, then she suddenly stopped.
In front of the pair, Sir Carlos, a black haired young man who quietly concealed himself at the roadside tree knelt down on his knee and greeted them.
“My! How surprisingly energetic you are.”
Being told with that kind of speech first, the third prince of Amitia Kingdom, Ashyl Cloud Amitia felt good that he could now smile after such a long time.
“…The only one who gave me those words is you, Princess Hiyuki. Everyone else just gave comforting words, worrying about my mood so much.”
“That’s because of your awful face―Well, it’s not quite different from your original―but that worn out face like you were at the point of death will make people want to say at least one comforting word to you.”
“…Oh dear, was my original face that awful?”
“There’s nothing in my memories other than your foolish smile or that dirty look, like you were licking peoples’ bodies. ―Ah sorry, for my discourtesy.”
While shrugging her shoulders, Hiyuki sat down on the sofa opposite from Prince Ashyl. To each person’s back, as a matter of course there was Mikoto and Sir Carlos standing accordingly.
Her words make Prince Ashyl’s smile wryer, but he suddenly realizes the costume which Hiyuki is wearing, and perplexedly asked,
“That mourning dress is for…?”
Usually, a mourning dress is a dress that’s worn by close relatives at a funeral service.
“Ah, sorry if I did it arbitrarily. However it’s my condolences for my ‘little sister’ since I was called ‘Onee-sama’ even if only for an instant; therefore excuse me for having worn it. Is it bothering you?”
Slowly loading with a flood of emotions, Prince Ashyl shook his head.
“Absolutely not of course. If Angelica heard that, I wonder how much she would be delighted.”
It was the first time Angelica’s name appeared, Hiyuki’s smile disappeared from her face.
“That time was very unfortunate.”
Simply no more than that. It was your usual condolence words, but here dwelt her deep sympathetic expression for which many words isn’t sufficient.
At her back, Mikoto deeply lowered her head, subst.i.tuting for her lord.
“No…It was all my responsibility. It could have been prevented if I verified the guards…In any case, it’s because the criminals were the guys from the youth party that I dispatched as the resting villa guards!”
On his words which was like him vomiting blood, Hiyuki knitted her eyebrows.
“Was it an underhanded attack by the n.o.bles behind the scenes?”
“…If that’s really true, then my anger would rise up even more you see. But they were chosen by us, 4 youths between ages 15-18 belonging to the youth party that supports our political movement. There was n.o.body of behind it, it’s simply the motive of money.”
“That’s really sad…”
“Even though they were in charge of guarding the inside of the villa, they said things like ‘You are royalty, aristocrats indulging themselves in luxury!’,‘Feel our suffering!’,‘This is justified retribution!’, and pillaging the villa’s belongings, and even more they a.s.saulted Angelica…At the time when the guards outside noticed the uproar and arrested those guys, my sister already drank the poison to protect herself.”
Hiyuki with a grave expression swung her head and remained silent.
“Since for the royal family that kind of scandal can’t be opened to public, perhaps I had to say it was fortunate. It was officially announced that…Angelica had gone to the resting villa at Fulvia Lake to perform medical treatment for her named illness, and at the villa her condition became critical.”
“Hmm, well that’s good. As for those bad guys who attacked Angelica, they got what they deserved, right?”
“…Well, they were judged informally and it seems like they’re going to be executed in a few days…”
Those words made Hiyuki’s eyes express a dangerous look.
“…that was surprisingly slow eh. Why don’t you do the punishment instead?”
Hearing her words, Prince Ashyl silently hung his head down, bearing something, and soon rose his face with a mixture of sadness and anger.
“To be honest, I wouldn’t be satisfied even if I tore their limbs off!! So many times I wanted to hold my sword and settle it with my own hands! ….But, even if I kill them Angelica won’t come back. Besides, the one who said to their colleagues that blood isn’t washed by blood is me. Revenge won’t produce anything―”
“It’s fine even if revenge won’t produce anything. At least your feelings will become a bit better.”
Hearing that, Prince Ashyl bit his lips tight.
“Well, in the end it’s your own feelings, so I won’t say any more than this, but do you still want to continue your democracy movement? There’s no more of your sister to show a better world to though.”
“…I will continue. Angelica is going to see it from heaven.”
Hearing those words, Hiyuki shrugged her shoulders.
“You’ll hear nothing from me if you’re that stubborn. But, although I’ve said this before, I hope that you watch your feet.”
“…Yes. This time I will engrave it in my heart for sure.”
Seeing that Prince Ashyl agreed with her, Hiyuki gets up from the sofa.
“You will return soon? Come to think of it, I had promised that the next of our meetings would be our rematch, is that fine with you?”
“I’ll pa.s.s. I am not in the mood for sword play. And foremost, you are at the perfect point of someone who would take part in suicide anyway.”
On the word ‘suicide’, Prince Ashyl’s face expressed his surprise.
Although he pretended to not understand it, his surprise showed that he was. .h.i.t with a bullseye.
“Which reminds me, I wonder if I could see Angelica’s remains?”
“No, she’s already being transferred to the royal family graveyard. Therefore no one except royalty can visit her, but her face is really pretty.”
Recalling his little sister, the princess’ remains which were being prettied, Prince Ashyl expressed his sad smile.
“Is that so? I had come since Sir Carlos thought that perhaps I could give a final farewell to her but that’s too bad.”
As she continued her speech, she presented a s.h.i.+ning red flower from her chest.
“If it doesn’t bother you, next time when you go to meet Angelica, would you give this too?”
The moment Hiyuki said that, it felt like a red light emitted from her eyes.
“―I understand. Surely.”
Prince Ashyl nodded and accepted it.
After Prince Ashyl showed the two people out by ordering the maid to lead them outside from here ―in his own room at a separate building in the royal palace― he spun the rose flower he got from Hiyuki in his hand. While doing so, he noticed that his closed heart become surprisingly better.
―It appears his heart was really charmed by that eccentric princess.
He believed that his heart was frozen as he lost his dear one, but it appears there remains someone in his heart that he could love.
That honestly made him happy.
“―Well then, Carlos. We will busy again from tomorrow onward!”
Prince Ashyl said it towards Sir Carlos who stood behind him, but then as the prince stood, a thick stabbing sound rang from the pointed end of a sword that grew from his chest.
“…Ca-Carlos…?”
Rather than surprise, as Prince Ashyl turned his face around, he instead had a look of disbelief on his face. There reflected on his eyes was a young man face with a look like a kid who had lost his way somewhere. He remained standing piercing Ashyl with the sword, the young man who is his foster brother, his most trusted retainer, and his close friend.
“…why…?”
“…why is the question I would like to ask your highness. Why would you still continue your political movement even though Angelica is dead!? I had made all of my efforts in order to make you abandon your plan so this kind of thing wouldn’t happen!”
“…Do-don’t tell me…Angelica…by you…too…”
Replying to the question he made in despair, Carlos nodded.
“I wasn’t directly involved in it; however I was the one who arranged the plan.”
“…Why? You’re…with the n.o.ble faction….”
As for that question, he shook his head.
“No, ever since I was born I had sworn my allegiance to the royal family.”
“……” Prince Ashyl made a puzzled face, but then suddenly he opened his eyes wide, surprised. “…is that so, then father is..”
“……”
Carlos did not respond to the question, but his silence gave the answer.
It seems Ashyl’s father, the king who shouldn’t have done neither harm nor good, was wagging his tail for the House of n.o.bles and decided to kill his hindrance of a son.
Perhaps Carlos was also troubled, being ordered like that. So as to not attack Ashyl directly, he prepared the attack on Angelica, hoping that Ashyl would withdraw from his political movement after taking the blow.
But, contrary to his belief, Ashyl declared that he was going to continue the movement.
That’s why; he can’t do anything but this.
‘I hope that you watch your feet.’
Hiyuki’s words that she said not long ago resounded in Ashyl’s mind.
Aah. I didn’t really take her word seriously…
While his view gradually went hazy, Prince Ashyl made a speech toward the red rose within his hand.
“….I am sorry princess. I can’t keep…both…of the promises…”
The prince heard the requiem bell chime in the distance just as his consciousness melted into darkness.
The third prince of Amitia Kingdom, Ashyl Cloud Amitia had been a.s.sa.s.sinated.
From the items left on the scene, a magic sword and a rose flower, it was concluded that the offender was not human but a demon.
―On the same day, Amitia Kingdom performed the declaration of war toward the demon kingdom, the Imperial Crimson.
Yet, there were none who noticed that 3 days later, the corpse of Prince Ashyl which was enshrined at the tomb of the royal family was suddenly gone.
Ch 2 Episode 8 End