I had come to visit a slightly weathered mansion in Central, bringing Novem and Monica along.
The time they had specified was around three o'clock.
Having arrived a little early, we sipped tea while we waited.
In the drawing room, the stares boring into me and Novem were painful.
After all—
(When I checked with my Skills, the knights, soldiers, and even the servants all showed up red... this is bad.)
Monica had confirmed that there were no poisons in the tea or pastries.
She was puffing her chest out with pride — just a little more than usual, which only served to emphasize her ample bust.
Other than the knight stationed in the room watching us briefly shifting from red to yellow on my display, there were no particular changes.
(It's a relief that Monica can check for poisons, but bringing a maid along to a visit... when I've already got them angry enough as it is.)
I thought back to the day after I had sent the letter requesting a meeting with Rianne Fanbayu.
That had been a few days ago.
Inside the Jewel.
Sitting around the Round Table with my ancestors, I was grimacing.
"Could you have told me about something like this a little sooner?"
Rather than feeling exasperated — House Walt, particularly the Sixth Generation and the Seventh Generation, had deep ties with the Fanbayus.
To make things worse, my engagement had already been dissolved by Ceres.
As someone from the same House Walt, I also felt genuinely sorry and wanted to offer my apologies.
I was no longer connected to my birth family. But I had hoped to use that as a pretext to hear what they had to say.
But when it came down to it, what the Sixth Generation recounted went beyond just Ceres—it was the full story of the relationship between House Walt and the Fonbeau royal family.
"Well, that time couldn't be helped, really... When I got involved, they'd already pushed right into our territory."
The Seventh Generation stepped in to back up the Sixth Generation's excuse-making.
"In my time, they unilaterally tore up the treaty and attacked. But well... I suppose there was reason to be furious at the corrupt Banseim's tyrannical behavior. Mm."
He had underestimated the whole thing.
I'd only ever thought of it as "our ancestors once crossed paths with the Fonbeau royal family on the battlefield"—nothing more than that.
In the Sixth Generation's era, House Walt had subjugated the surrounding territories by force, despite being merely a viscount house.
Through the many political marriages the Fifth Generation had arranged, the house's retainers were firmly consolidated, and so they launched attacks on the surrounding lands that had tormented them for so long.
Their territory expanded.
And the Bais territory flourished.
The royal court at the time was thoroughly corrupt, and when other houses attacked House Walt, they simply looked the other way.
It seemed they had been silenced with bribes.
And so, the Sixth Generation apparently did the same—silencing them and crushing the surrounding houses one after another.
It was practically the Warring States period.
The chaos wasn't confined to their own country alone.
Such turmoil was erupting everywhere, and Banseim's nobles had even invaded the neighboring Kingdom of Fonbeau.
No wonder they'd be angry. Actually, wasn't the Kingdom of Banseim the problem here? It was even worse than I'd heard.
In every book I'd read, Banseim was portrayed as the righteous party through and through.
But when you actually looked into it, there was no justice to be found anywhere.
"So the Sixth Generation was the one who, while House Walt controlled the surrounding territories, was dispatched to the border as reinforcements and fought against the Kingdom of Fonbeau's army. And several decades later, it was the Seventh Generation who repelled the Kingdom of Fonbeau when they invaded to reclaim their territory."
The Seventh Generation said with a smile.
"We seized their territory and expanded our own too!"
"Nobody told me that! What are we supposed to do?! Are you going to go over there and say, 'Sorry, my little sister caused you trouble this time, my bad!'? They'd be within their rights to kill us!"
To House Fanbayu, House Walt must have been a hated enemy.
After all...
"No, I only participated in the war against Fanbayu on the royal palace's orders. I did secure key positions, but I left the subsequent negotiations to the palace. Crushing those neighboring lords who had been doing as they pleased—I traded that for clearing our slate."
Hearing the Sixth Generation's excuse, the Fifth Generation spoke.
"...You went too far, you idiot."
And the Fifth Generation wasn't the only one exasperated.
The Fourth Generation was shaking their head too.
"Even if you gained territory, you then have an obligation to manage it, you know? Why did you go and expand it so recklessly?"
The Sixth Generation...
"I helped elevate House Foxes and turned them into a baron house. They also fought hard for us in the war against Fanbayu. Besides, these were people who kept trying to raid us... I figured it would be better for us to manage them than to leave them to their own devices."
The Seventh Generation...
"House Foxes continued in a vassal-like relationship after that. They fought hard for me during my war as well."
I took a breath to steady myself, then asked.
"Do they even remember the Sixth and Seventh Generations? They probably only know us as just one of the lords of Banseim, right? Tell me that's the case!"
As I desperately hoped that would be so, the Sixth Generation spoke apologetically.
"Sorry... House Walt led the charge and beat them soundly. It was a pretty decisive victory, so it's probably recorded somewhere."
The Seventh Generation...
"We stormed into Fonbeau while they were still celebrating getting their territory back, with House Walt leading the charge, and beat them black and blue. It happened during the Sixth Generation too, so when they heard it was House Walt, they made some pretty ugly faces."
"You should've said that sooner! Ceres snatches my fiancée, and now I find out our ancestors beat these people to a pulp in the past... What the hell am I supposed to do?!"
The Fourth Generation stepped in to restore order.
"Well, you'll get to hear the Crown Prince's side of things, and if a meeting can be arranged, why not take it? If they really don't want to, they'll just turn us down."
The Third Generation said, carefree as ever.
"Yeah, right! Like a princess of an entire kingdom is going to meet some expelled son of House Walt at this point!"
They were cackling, and the rest seemed to share the same sentiment.
"Damn it... What do you mean I can't meet her. My stomach's killing me."
All around me, hostile gazes bore down, and my stomach churned painfully.
After I sent my letter, a reply arrived from the other side specifying a date and time.
From that day on, I'd been racking my brain over what I could possibly say to make amends.
"Are you alright, Master Lyle?"
As Novem looked at me with concern, Monica leaned over to inspect the tea I'd been drinking.
"There's no poison in it, is there?"
I was about to tell Monica to at least think about where she was saying that, when a woman walked in.
She wore a smile, but her purple eyes held no warmth.
It was as though the light behind them had been extinguished.
Her deep pink hair was pulled into a ponytail that cascaded all the way down to her waist.
She appeared to be about my age, or possibly a year or two younger.
"We would never use poison. Not even... if it was served to House Walt, the sworn enemy of the Fonbeau Kingdom, or their dogs in House Foxes."
On top of that, House Foxes is quietly drawing their anger too.
I glanced at Novem, but her expression hadn't changed. She was even more composed than I was.
The Jewel spoke from within.
Third Generation first, in order.
"You've made yourselves quite unpopular."
"The grudge runs pretty deep, it seems."
"Well, at the very least, they probably think we owe them three major debts."
"...Even though it was the Banseim royal family that gave the orders."
"Indeed."
The Sixth and Seventh Generations were making excuses, but I stood up and bowed.
Novem and Monica did the same.
"I'm terribly sorry. Please accept my deepest apologies."
Just as my stomach was twisting with unease, Princess Rianne sat down across from us.
After taking a single sip of the tea the maid had set out, she told us to sit.
"I believe you said you wanted to talk? Someone who's been cast out of his own family—have you come to laugh at me, a woman whose engagement was broken off? How very... House Walt truly is a curse upon the Kingdom of Fonbeau."
The princess was giggling, but her complexion was terrible.
She hadn't been sleeping much, I supposed. Faint dark circles showed beneath her eyes. She'd tried to cover them with makeup, but it was still noticeable.
"I... may have been cast out of my family, but I would like to apologize for what my sister did."
"And if you apologize, what are you going to do about it? What reason could someone with absolutely no power have for reaching out to me?"
The princess dismissed my apology as meaningless. And she was right—it truly meant nothing.
I stated my purpose.
"Then I would like to ask. I've heard that Central has been acting strangely lately. Has Your Highness the Princess noticed anything of the sort?"
"What an awfully vague way to put it."
The princess sipped her tea, let out a sigh, and looked up at the ceiling.
"Five years... perhaps six? Around that time, I felt that Banseim was gradually becoming strange."
Hearing that, I recalled that it coincided with when Ceres had become abnormal.
(Soon it will be the sixth year. Could it be that the kingdom started going wrong around that time?)
The First Generation had called Ceres a monster.
One who could alter even the surrounding environment.
"It started in Central, you know. That hateful woman made her social debut in Central, and before I knew it, she was being dragged to parties everywhere. Come to think of it, you've never seen her, have you? You were the eldest son of House Walt, the family that represents Banseim, weren't you?"
The princess looked at me with a smirk, as if trying to provoke me.
My hand was trembling.
Hearing Ceres's name, and learning that she had been moving about while I was confined... fear crept in.
The memory of being shunned by my parents, despised by the retainers, living under house arrest flashed through my mind.
Novem gently placed her hand on my trembling one, and the shaking subsided.
I looked at Novem, and she gave me a soft, smiling nod.
I let out a breath of relief and turned to look at the princess.
She had been watching my exchange with Novem and, perhaps losing interest, was sipping her tea.
"...Is it strange outside of Central as well?"
At Novem's question, the princess nodded.
"That's right. When I moved from my family home to Central, there were places to stay along the way. I wonder if it felt strange at first? It's true that I gradually felt myself being alienated, but beyond that, there was also something else... an unease I couldn't put into words. Rufus changed gradually too."
When I thought about how she, too, had been tormented by a gradually shifting environment, I couldn't help but feel sympathy.
"...The same goes for me. Starting nearly six years ago, I was no longer seen as the heir."
The princess lowered her gaze, but the hand holding her cup trembled slightly.
"Yes."
With just that single word, she drained her tea and looked at me with a serious expression.
In those eyes that had seemed to lose all their light, a faint glimmer had returned.
"I'm not saying this out of spite just because I was cast out of the royal palace, but I'm glad I don't have to stay at the palace anymore."
Monica stood motionless near me.
Novem was listening to the princess's words with a serious expression as well.
"Even if I ask the reason?"
"Don't you already know? That girl Ceres... she's an absolute monster. The monsters lurking in the Fonbeau royal palace would look adorable by comparison. You can find people you'd call monsters all over the palace if you look. But that girl is different. Even the knights and servants I brought along fell under her spell."
The princess continued.
"The knights, soldiers, and servants I have with me now are a complete overhaul from the group that stayed at the palace. Besides, I've met that girl several times myself. I can understand why someone would fall under her spell."
It turned out there were Fonbeau knights who had fallen under Ceres's spell.
And they had known she was the daughter of House Walt.
The knights who harbored hostility toward me had surely directed that same hostility toward Ceres at first.
But the result was the same as it had been with me.
"The annulment of the engagement has been formally accepted. I will never set foot in this land again. I'm telling you this out of sympathy, but... the sooner you escape, the better. That girl is going to do something. Something on the scale of a nation."
"Just the ramblings of a pitiful, foolish princess who had her engagement annulled," the princess said, and with that, she rose to her feet.
Novem and I stood up as well.
"......This country is probably going to be thrown into chaos."
With those words, Her Highness the Princess left the room.
On the way back, I talked with Novem and Monica.
In Central, which was beginning to grow dark, cheerful voices drifted out from the taverns.
It was getting colder, and I could feel my breath growing whiter.
Monica.
"A monster? I can't quite comprehend that. Then again, my enemy is you, Novem!"
Monica jabbed her finger at Novem sharply, but the latter turned to me.
"Lord Rael, have you finished talking with Her Highness? What exactly were you trying to find out?"
I looked up at the sky and spoke.
"No, I just wanted to remind myself of what kind of monster Ceres really is."
The truth was, neither I nor my ancestors truly understood what a "monster" was.
Even though I had been right there beside her, I hadn't properly grasped the threat Ceres posed.
I had simply thought of her as an unbeatable little sister.
But as the First Generation had said, Ceres was a monster capable of moving even nations.
Novem looked down slightly.
"A monster, huh..."
Hearing that, Monica.
"Rather than a 'creature,' a 'monster'... If that's what the Chicken says, then I'll call her that from now on too."
I said to Monica with an exasperated look.
"Before that, drop the 'Chicken' thing!"
Monica was firm.
"No. If you absolutely insist, I'll rename you 'the Chicken who flies through the sky' instead!"
"Don't say that! I've been trying so hard to forget about it!"
Bringing up a past I'd rather forget, I got into a quarrel with Monica.
But Monica actually enjoyed bickering with me.
She was happy when she won the argument. She was happy when I won, too.
Absolutely the worst.
When I looked at Novem, she seemed slightly troubled.
"What's wrong, Novem?"
"Oh, it's nothing, Lyle-sama."
I noticed her smile was a little different from usual, but I decided it was just my imagination.
—The gates of Central.
Even though it should have been past operating hours, the gates were open.
Around the entrance, soldiers were turning away people who wanted to go inside.
"Please, I'll freeze to death out here on a day this cold!"
"No! Dignitaries are arriving soon! It's past hours—hurry to the designated area!"
More than twice the usual number of soldiers had been mobilized, and among them were knights who had rushed over as reinforcements.
That was how eagerly Central was awaiting these guests…
Knights and soldiers stood arranged in formation, positioned as if guarding the lavish carriages.
The group approaching the gate with dignified bearing passed straight through without so much as slowing down.
A man watching them studied the crest on the carriage.
"House Walt… even an earl's house should have to stop at the gate."
The man turned his gaze to the group following behind House Walt.
"Travelers and merchants? They trailed after House Walt, did they? Well then, so will I."
He slipped in among them, keeping an eye on the soldiers.
"Now I can get inside. Still, this is a weird bunch. Smiling faintly… they're injured, yet they look like they're having fun. What's up with that?"
That was what the man thought.
Once House Walt's group had passed through, the gate was shut.
The soldiers clearly had no intention of letting the group that had tagged along behind House Walt inside.
"The gates are closed. Come back tomorrow morning."
That was how the ragged group was turned away.
The man spoke up.
"Dammit! You could've at least let us in! You let House Walt through just fine… this is exactly why I can't stand nobles."
Then a voice called out to him.
"Hey. What did you just say?"
"Huh?"
When he turned around, everyone—from the elderly to the children—was staring at him.
Their eyes held hostility.
There was even a man among them, wrapped in bandages from an injury, holding a stick.
"No, look, the point is that nobles shouldn't be allowed through at non-standard hours—normally, even nobles can't pass through Central's gates outside of regular hours!"
Then a stone was thrown at the man.
It appeared to be a child who threw it.
"What the hell are you—! ...?!"
The man sensed something was wrong with the people around him and tried to run.
But he was surrounded, with nowhere to escape.
"P-Please, stop. I'm sorry. I'll apologize!"
The man's voice was on the verge of tears.
But those around him—
"He insulted Lady Ceres..."
"He lumped House Walt together with the other nobles..."
"She's our savior, and he said that..."
By the time the man realized the madness surrounding him, it was already too late.
"Sh-Somebody, help meee!!"
No soldiers stationed nearby rushed toward the man's screams—.