Volume 5 - CH 2.12

Valeria and Almudena were sitting side by side in the carriage and reading the decree, which the king had entrusted to Dimitar.

The force of the rain had weakened considerably, a sign that it’d seem to stop by sunset, but instead of the sound of rainfall, the sound of pen running on paper was dominating the surroundings now. Since a short while ago, Dimitar had been writing some kind of letter without saying anything.

「……」

Raising her face from the decree, Valeria broke the heavy silence.

「…If the mastermind of this matter is Countess Dryton, promptly inform the Seal Chivalric Order waiting in Taroma so, it says—what does it mean?」

「It means just like that. That’s why I’m writing a letter to the chivalric order like this」

「That means that… the mastermind of the matter this time is her, right?」

Almudena asked Dimitar with an expression that was unusually gloomy.

「That’s right, Your Highness the Queen」

Dimitar stopped the pen for a short while and nodded.

「The thief has confessed. He said that Countess Purna Dryton hired them with money」

「I see…」

Fidgeting with her hands which were joined together in front of her chest, Almudena continued.

「…Is there anything that can be done? In any case, I’m safe and sound like this, after all—」

「This is the order of His Majesty」

Dimitar shook his head slowly.

「If people who committed high treason are acquitted, we won’t be able to get people from the lower classes to observe the law. Moreover, the people around Your Highness the Queen also had a dangerous experience because of the matter this time. Though it consequently ended without claiming a single victim, if we had make one wrong move, harm might even befall the attendants outside. Shouldn’t the criminal be judged for the sake of them as well?」

「That’s—yes, yes, that’s right. It’s as you say」

Almudena put her hand on her chest and breathed deeply over again. She was probably trying to suppress the shock, which wasn’t small, somehow.

Dimitar put the letter he had just finished writing in an envelope and got off the carriage.

「—Deliver this as well while you’re at it. You can get the people of the garrison to dispatch an express messenger to Taroma. They’ll understand the details if they read this」

Dimitar entrusted the letter to the attendant who was about to head for the next town and then looked back at Almudena, who was inside the carriage.

「Please wait like this for a while. The soldiers for receiving you will arrive shortly, and the rain will probably stop as well」

「Yes」

Almudena nodded slightly and closed the door of the carriage, seemingly despondent in some way.

「—Hey」

Pulling the hood over her head, Valeria stood beside Dimitar.

「Who’s that countess?」

「N?」

「Like I said, who’s Countess Dryton? That person is the mastermind of the assassination plot this time, right?」

「…Well, she’s a woman who is much more flamboyant than you, who rose from a poor noble to a Dominas, and has achieved success in a life full of ups and downs」

“However—,” added Dimitar with a sigh.

「She overdid it」