Chapter 40
Ah, when did this begin?
As she watched Laura gently hold her hand, Vieta sank into thought.
Once, when she fell from her homeland into the continent of Rodina.
And once more, after defeating the Demon King.
After that, the same fate befell anyone who formed even the slightest bond with her.
Everyone forgot her. So Vieta had no choice but to get used to it.
That was the only way it would hurt a little less, and the only way she could go on living, forcing out even shallow breaths through fear and loneliness that felt as though they were choking her.
Why she was forgotten did not matter. Falling into this world in the first place had gone against her will.
That did not mean being forgotten stopped hurting.
Whenever someone who had once eaten with her and shared stories with her passed by with a cold expression,
whenever she still smiled at the sight of someone's face but had to force herself to hide that smile, Vieta had broken down time and again.
Erasing Laura’s memories was no different.
What was more, Laura was both proof that Vieta could live an ordinary life in this world and a bond she had formed. Severing that bond with her own hands was akin to strangling herself.
“If I forget Vieta, will Vieta stop hurting? If I forget everything, will Vieta be happy? If that’s not the case, then Vieta will be sad and hurt, so how could I forget everything just to make things easier for myself?”
Not wanting Laura to see her ruined face, Vieta lowered her head. She couldn’t bring herself to tell Laura, not even as a hollow platitude, that she was happy.
“I won’t ask where you came from or what kind of past you had. I like the Vieta you are now. So won’t you accept me again, too? It hurts when you’re alone.”
Could I really leave her alone? Her identity had not yet been exposed, but there was no telling what dangers might await Laura in the future.
Even so, even so, if Vieta were allowed to be selfish just this once, she wanted to be with Laura.
Laura pulled Vieta into a tight embrace and gently stroked her head. Vieta buried her face in Laura’s embrace and cried her heart out like a child for the first time in ages.
*
“Try this, too.”
With her eyes swollen from crying, Vieta accepted the bacon Laura had cut off and held out to her without complaint.
“…Aren’t you eating, Laura?”
Perhaps because she had been sobbing so hard until a moment ago, Vieta’s voice had dropped low.
“I have to work hard to lose weight before the wedding.”
She was beautiful already.
Still, Vieta couldn’t simply disregard Laura’s wish to look her prettiest that day. She cut a roasted tomato, placed it on bread spread with basil pesto, and gave it to Laura. This seemed light enough for her to eat without feeling too guilty.
“Thank you.”
As Vieta had expected, Laura accepted the bread with a radiant smile.
“What are you going to do once you return, Laura?”
“I’m not sure. It’s such a rural place, and it’s the busiest time of year, so I’ll probably pick up a sickle first. Our house is way out in the countryside, deep in Ahan Territory.”
“Come visit my house someday. It’s far away, but I think I’d be so happy if Vieta came.”
“I’ll definitely come. I won’t forget.”
Even if Laura’s house had been in the deepest part of the Demon Realm rather than the Empire, Vieta intended to find her.
It would be nice if she could attend Laura’s wedding a month from now, but their schedule kept being delayed for reasons beyond their control.
“You’re welcome anytime.”
Laura watched Vieta chew.
If merely being together felt this wonderful, how could she possibly forget?
Laura, too, had hesitated for a long time before coming to find Vieta.
‘Now that I think about it, I really was crazy.’
She had pleaded and raged at an elf she had never even met, begging to be allowed to meet Vieta. When the elf continued to refuse her request, Laura ran off like a madwoman.
It was an unfamiliar place, but she wasn’t afraid. If she didn’t do that, she would lose Vieta forever.
She was caught by a man in priestly robes before long, but her efforts had paid off.
The elf who introduced herself as Iseria had stared at Laura for quite some time before making her an offer.
She, too, wanted Vieta to be happy and would give Laura exactly one chance. In return, if Vieta refused, she would have no choice but to erase Laura’s memories.
The priest beside her tried to stop her, but the elf was stubborn as well.
She silenced him, saying that she would be the one getting scolded, so he should stop arguing.
“Oh, right!”
Laura rummaged through her pocket and pulled out a small bracelet.
She personally fastened it around Vieta’s wrist as Vieta tilted her head in confusion.
“It’s a gift.”
Vieta’s gaze fell on the bracelet. A rough brown leather cord held a single transparent glass bead, and inside the bead was a tiny flower with yellow stamens and purple petals.
“It’s a forget-me-not. Isn’t it pretty?”
Laura said with a small smile. It was a gift she had wanted to give Vieta even if she ended up forgetting Vieta.
***
Only after staying in Bingsho for two more days did the march resume. For the three days following that, Blanc, Fulcare, and the officials of Bingsho spent a frantically busy time dealing with the aftermath of the fire.
Thanks to the unexpected respite, Vieta was able to have fun with Laura for three whole days. She visited the open-air theater she had never had the chance to see and wandered through the night market.
It was truly a dreamlike time.
“We’re finally leaving.”
Vieta’s gaze was fixed on Bingsho’s flag fluttering in the wind.
“Why? Do you want to play a little longer?”
“No, I really had plenty of fun.”
Vieta smiled brightly at Blanc.
“So what did you decide to do about the empress?”
There were four people captured in the goddess’s subspace. Three of them had binding magic placed on them, but thanks to the capture of Tuang, the head of Kardu, the investigation proceeded quickly.
As a result, it was confirmed within a day that the empress had commissioned Blanc’s assassination.
Blanc sought considerable advice from Vieta’s companions, including Fulcare, on how to deal with the empress and what steps to take going forward.
“Provided the Duchy of Sijak makes no unusual moves, we’ve decided to keep it buried for now.”
Blanc pushed his glasses up with one finger.
“Instead, we’ve decided to give the empress a discreet warning. It would be troublesome if something like this kept happening.”
They could eliminate the empress immediately, but if they did, there would be no one in the palace to keep the Noble Consort in check.
Yet they could not simply leave her alone, since there was no telling what the empress might do next. Instead of killing her, Blanc decided to put a leash on her.
“More importantly, when are we going to the sea?”
According to the plan revised that morning, they would be staying in Ahan for a full seven days.
Since they had been delayed by three days in Bingsho, they needed to cut as many unnecessary parts of the itinerary as possible, but they also had to consider the marquis’s pride after he had gone so far as to hold a festival for them.
“I’m available any day but two.”
“Then may I choose the date?”
When Vieta nodded, Blanc grinned and returned his attention to the documents.
It seemed some work had piled up. Even so, Vieta felt strangely sorry, as though he had gone out of his way to keep her company.
Feeling bad about interrupting Blanc any further, Vieta quietly stared out the window, and a memory suddenly surfaced in her mind.
“You seem close to His Highness. Do you happen to know what he likes?”
One day, a lady-in-waiting leaving Blanc’s room had stopped Vieta. She was one of the young ladies who always kept company with Countess Berthe, the capital’s matchmaker.
“I’m not sure.”
Though Vieta didn’t know what Blanc liked, one thing was certain.
Like Fulcare, he didn’t care for sweet things either.
Besides, there was nothing to gain by casually mentioning the prince’s personal preferences.
“I see. Understood.”
The woman nodded several times before turning away.
It was unexpected. She had been waiting with equal parts curiosity and irritation, wondering what kind of fault the woman would find this time…. Yet the woman withdrew far too readily.
Since Vieta had become Blanc’s personal maid, many maids had approached her. They were women trying to form some kind of connection with Blanc.
If Vieta did not give them the answers they wanted, they would sometimes even resort to verbal abuse.
“What are you thinking about?”
After hurriedly clearing his backlog, Blanc grew curious.
She had been staring so intently out the window that she seemed lost in thought.
“Blanc, do you know Lady Marlene?”
“Yes, I do.”
Her father was a viscount without a fief, so he had little influence, but his daughter Marlene had been a well-known figure in high society since childhood. Besides, she was one of the young ladies who had recently been showing Blanc an excessive amount of interest.
“What do you think of Lady Marlene, Blanc? Isn’t she quite a decent person?”
At Vieta’s matter-of-fact question, Blanc’s heart lurched.