Shortly after that, we left the Count's residence.
It was clear that Estelle had completely misunderstood, but I didn't think she could correct me in a moment, and she promised not to tell anyone about me, so I thought, well, okay.
In addition, the Count also promised not to tell anyone, so the purpose for the time being should have been accomplished.
I was free to think what I thought in my heart, so as long as the Count and Estelle promised me, "I understand that you're a saint with seeds and tricks, and I'll keep quiet about it," no matter what I thought in my heart, there's nothing I can do.
In Estelle's case, with the preface, "This is just a soliloquy," it felt like her thoughts were being spoken out loud, but let's pretend I didn't listen.
Thinking of this, I said goodbye to the Count, who bowed like a grasshopper, and Estelle, who looked like she had just received an important mission she got into.
Cerulean and Dory kept saying "Let's go out to eat" for a long time, but when it came time to leave, they started saying "I'm too tired to go out to eat," so they decided to go straight back to the castle.
Well, I hope they learn from Captain Zachary and Captain Desmond, who have inexhaustible physical strength!
That's what I thought as my stomach was flat, but when I saw the two of them slumped over from exhaustion, I started to worry.
They were exhibiting symptoms of a disease I'd never heard of called pathophobia, and I thought they might be extremely tired.
Therefore, I timidly called out to the two of them, who were resting their backs on the backrest of the carriage and keeping their eyes closed.
"Are you both okay? I don't want you to collapse on the way, so should I follow you to your room?" (Fia)
Then, they both opened their eyes, exchanged glances, and then replied with expressions as if they had agreed on something.
"I'd appreciate it if you could do that. It looks like I'm weaker than I thought, so like you said, I might collapse on the way." (Cerulean)
Faced with a Cerulean that rarely showed weakness, I started to worry that he seemed to be really weak.
However, after a while, both of them lifted their bodies from the backrest of the carriage, opened their eyes properly, and seemed to be thinking about something, so I felt relieved that they seemed to be getting a little better.
Both of them were unusually quiet, and Captain Curtis was the type who didn't talk unless it's necessary, so the carriage was filled with silence.
As I was thinking about how quiet it was, I seemed to fall asleep before I knew it, and when I woke up, I had arrived at the royal castle.
As I was about to take Cerulean and Dory back to their rooms as promised, I was led to a section that I usually didn't go to, with Captain Curtis following me with a natural look on his face.
Apparently there was a private room exclusively for clowns in the royal castle, and they were heading there.
Well, as expected, since they were a court jester, they were given their own room. As I was admiring them, they led me to a room with flashy wallpaper.
It was a room with a design that I didn't normally see, so as I looked around with interest, a shelf displaying props I didn't understand slid to the side, and a hidden door appeared behind it.
"Huh?" (Fia)
I was surprised to find out what this door was, but Dory opened it without hesitation, so I followed.
Then, there was pitch darkness.
"Mm?" (Fia)
As I was wondering what was inside this dark space, I heard the sound of the door opening again, and a large room spread out beyond it.
"This is Duke Alcott's private room. Since he holds an important position in the royal castle, he has been given a room to sleep in separate from his office."
"Well, I guess so." (Fia)
It's an interesting mechanism that the clown's room and the duke's room were connected by a hidden door, I thought to myself as I looked back at the door we came out of, only to find that it was a closet.
"I see, the hidden door in the clown's room leads to the closet in the duke's room. That's why it was so dark." (Fia)
Normally, it would be impossible for a clown's private room and a duke's private room to be next to each other, but since the king liked clowns, he prepared a "very nice room" for them, and the duke happened to be next door. I wondered if that's the setting.
While I was thinking this, Dory asked me to sit on the couch.
"Fia, we're going to take off our clown costumes, but do you want to change too? I have some clothes that Cerulean wore when he was your height." (Dory)
I thought it was a kind offer, but since I hadn't eaten dinner, I was thinking of going to the knight's dining room immediately after this, so I declined.
"No, it's not particularly dirty, so I don't need to change clothes. I'm just taking both of you to your room, so I'll be home soon. Oh, you mean, should I return this saint's costume right now?" (Fia)
Come to think of it, the costume I was currently wearing was borrowed from Dory, so I thought maybe I should return it quickly. When I asked him about it, he shook his head slowly.
"No, that costume is already yours, so you can do as you like. Besides, since you missed your meal, why don't you grab a snack? I'll have you take it to this room now. Also, if you don't mind, I'd like you to tell me a story." (Dory)
"I understand!" (Fia)
I thought I'd appreciate it if he could give me something to eat, so I sat down on the couch with Captain Curtis, and Cerulean and Dory went into the dressing room to change.
It'd been a while since I'd owned it, so I was looking around the room and noticed the glittering interior and furniture.
Unlike the clown's room I saw earlier, which was full of incomprehensible toys and props, this room had a bookshelf lined with a lot of complicated books and an office desk.
As I was smiling and thinking that it was funny to think that both rooms belonged to the same person, Captain Curtis, who was sitting next to me, called my name.
"Lady Fi, I know this is an over-the-top imitation, but would you mind if I interjected one thing?" (Curtis)
"Of course." (Fia)
It's rare for Captain Curtis to talk to me like this, I thought as I turned to face him.
Then, a serious look met my gaze.
As I waited for Captain Curtis to say something, wondering what was going on, he spoke gravely.
"I would like to advise you not to get too deep into Cerulean and Dory. What they are dealing with is dark and heavy. If we do something half-hearted, we will never be able to make their wishes come true. However... It's something you can do no matter what." (Curtis)
"What?" (Fia)
My eyes widened in surprise as I was suddenly told something I had never expected, but Captain Curtis continued speaking with a serious expression on his face.
"If you sympathize with them and lend your strength... in return, the secret you've been hiding will be exposed to the light of day." (Curtis)
"Whaat!?" (Fia)
As I marveled at the nitty-gritty details, Captain Curtis moved from the couch he was sitting on and faced me with one knee on the floor.
Then, he stared at me from a close distance.
"Lady Fi, please don’t forget the most important thing! And even if your heart hurts or the desire to save arises, please prioritize what is important! You should get rid of them before it hurts!!" (Curtis)
I had previously received a similar request from Sutherland, so what Captain Curtis was trying to say made sense to me.
I was sure the most important thing Captain Curtis is hinting at was my life.
The ever-loyal former escort knight was always worried about me.
"Curtis, you always worry about me. But it's okay. I don't put myself in unnecessary danger." (Fia)
Captain Curtis shook his head sharply, even though he had said the words from the heart to reassure him.
"Those are the words you can say because you don't know what Cerulean and Dory are dealing with. If you continue to get deeper into them, I'm sure you will eventually call upon the spirits!" (Curtis)
When Captain Curtis said this clearly, he was so fierce that he fell silent, unable to say another word.
And as I saw them in their usual selves, I became convinced that Captain Curtis knew something I didn't know.
My heart was pounding and I was feeling a bad premonition, when Captain Curtis, perhaps irritated by my lack of response, spoke even more.
"If I may say more, the same goes for Commander Savis and Cyril! Those two are also dealing with something dark and heavy! I sincerely ask you not to get into it any further." (Curtis)
The expression on Captain Curtis's face was frighteningly serious when he said that, but I couldn't honestly answer "yes" and all I could do was stare at him in silence.