Zinon sighed and walked towards me.
“Zinon! What are you doing? I’m Richeli, not her!”
Zinon looked exasperated. He seemed to be more exasperated with me, who was silent and dumbfounded, than with Eloise.
Zinon stood in front of me, pulled me close by my waist, and kissed me.
“!”
At that moment, the entire venue erupted in cheers. It was as if they had seen the best part of a play.
“Zi, Zinon.”
Looking down at me, who was blushing from being kissed in public, his azure eyes stared at me as if looking at a treasure.
“I can tell, no matter what you look like. Because I love what’s inside.”
The cheers drowned out his words, which reached only my ears.
He let go of my waist, turned his back on me, and confronted the fake Richeli.
“Eloise, slandering the fiancée of the crown prince, me, is the same as slandering me. Do you want me to order your immediate execution?”
“!”
A chill ran through the ballroom, and again, everything was quiet. The colour drained from Eloise’s face, and she began to tremble.
“Your Highness! Please, anything but that. My daughter is only twelve, and I will take responsibility for raising her this way.”
The Grand Duke, Eloise’s father, knelt on the floor, begging for forgiveness in front of Zinon and me, his head bowed.
“Your Highness, raise your head.”
Zinon signalled, and the palace guards helped the Grand Duke to stand and step back.
“Eloise.”
Zinon’s voice was as cold and low as if it was crawling up from the depths of the earth, and even his back was emanating such a murderous aura that it sent shivers down my spine.
I couldn’t see Zinon’s face from where I was standing, but I could see the faces of Richeli and the spectators on the other side, frozen in fear.
“I must have warned you many times. Do not make me angry.”
“…”
“Have you lost your tongue?”
“Y-Yes…”
“Your life is no longer in your hands. If you want your head cut off right now, stay in Richeli’s.”
“Eeh…”
Richeli, who had turned as pale as a sheet, quickly recited a short incantation while biting her tangled tongue, and Eloise, a small girl with bright red curly hair, appeared amidst red smoke.
Now, just a twelve-year-old girl exposed to a large crowd of adults, Eloise trembled as if she was about to wet herself.
“Zinon.”
The king, who had been silently watching, spoke to Zinon for the first time.
Zinon raised his eyes and looked at the king, who was seated high. It seemed they were having a conversation with their eyes. After a while, Zinon spoke.
“I have exposed Eloise’s crimes and secured my wife’s safety. It is the king’s prerogative to decide how to deal with her. But Eloise…”
“Y-Yes.”
“Even if you escape the death penalty, I will exile you. I will never let you set foot on Elrand’s land again. Of course, I will also strip you of your right to inherit the title. Understood?”
“Y-Yes.”
“If you value your life, kneel before Richeli and beg for forgiveness for what you’ve done.”
Eh? I was surprised by Zinon’s words. Certainly, I’m the victim, and certainly, I want an apology, but is there really a death penalty? Even for a child?
“It’s the wish of my childhood friend who has been insulted. Kneel.”
At Zinon’s repeated command, Eloise bent her shaky knees, put her trembling hands on the floor, and bowed her head to me.
“I…I’m…so…sorry…”
In the middle of her apology, her voice choked with tears.
At that moment, I felt an irresistible urge to cry, and my eyes filled with tears.
(Richeli…)
I thought of Richeli, whom I had met in the clouds.
And of Richeli, who had once lived in this world as Richeli.
***
After Eloise was taken away by the palace guards and her worried father, she left the ballroom…
As if nothing had happened, the orchestra started playing their string instruments elegantly, and against this backdrop, the gentlemen and ladies indulged in drinks, light meals, laughter, and dance. I watched in disbelief.
“That’s how it is. Ellie’s arrogance was infamous among the nobility, and she was a lone offender. Most people were probably relieved that such a troublesome lady, the daughter of the Grand Duke, was gone. They must be relieved.”
“I think so too. I hate Ellie. I can’t forgive her for what she did to my sister. I’m glad she’s gone from Elrand.”
Axel and Julian were nodding and sharing their dry opinions.
“Julian, you’re saying scary things.”
“Zinon said that, but she probably won’t be executed. She’s still a child, so she’ll probably be exiled.”
“Well, that’s true. She’ll be sent to a weak, remote country as a commoner so she can’t take revenge. If the Grand Duke gives her a dowry, she might be able to become the wife of a low-ranking noble,” Patrick said, joining our conversation.