CH 35

“Have you ever thought of yourself as a devil, Your Highness?”

“N-no… It surely wouldn’t be good if I thought of myself as a devil.”

Vivienne and I take a small run through the dimly lit tunnels.

After that time—

Vivienne pulled a small knife from her pocket and quickly cut the rope that bound me. She said, “This way,” and led me out to a narrow path at the back of the storage.

I didn’t think there was a way out of that place. Despite my confused look, she kept chanting right and left as if it was a spell. She chose the branched path smoothly as if she was walking in her own yard.

And then, after running for a while, she asked me that question.

It’s true, in my first life, five years later, I was being told things that weren’t true. Rumors from mouth to mouth said that I was a seductive devil, but I don’t remember doing that at all.

I don’t know why Vivienne asked me that. But when I imagine myself one day suddenly saying, “Hahaha, how could you see through that? That’s right, I’m a devil!” I concluded that, unless I was born and raised as a devil, it’s just embarrassing to say that.

I wasn’t born and raised like a devil.

But then I remember that Vivienne called me ‘evil prince’ the other day. She seemed to have accidentally let it slip out of her mouth and was terribly panicked, but I wonder if it had anything to do with this…

Just as I heard Vivienne mutter a small “I knew it,” another branched path appeared before us.

Then, the right-left spell of hers was recited again.

“Right, right, left, right, left, right, and right. Right, right, left, right, left, right, and right.”

“…U-umm. Miss Vivienne. Have you visited these tunnels before, by any chance?”

“No! This is my first time! But in my mind, I’ve visited it a hundred times. Right, right, left, right, left, right, and right.”

Feeling her brisk and clear madness, I thought.

Please, someone, get me a translator.

Of course, I was aware of my poor communication skills, but I had a feeling that it would be somewhat easier to have a dialogue with a plubear than with her.

I had thought that she was behaving very strangely, but this was still too strange.

The tunnels here are as intricate as a labyrinth. If we make a wrong turn, it will be fatal. I felt as if we were going deeper and deeper inside instead, and I knew I had to do something to stop her, but her steps were so confident that it was very difficult to talk to her.

However, it also seemed like we were moving toward the direction where the wind came from.

At that moment, Vivienne opened her mouth while still walking fast.

“Your Highness Nagi, I have something to say.”

“Y-Yes… What is it?”

I thought I would no longer be surprised by anything that came out of her mouth.

Wandering around in the dark with a single candle lantern, I honestly felt hopeless. I don’t know. But if I were allowed to whine about my distress, my weakened heart would have carelessly whispered, “I want to see Mika.”

Walking with steady steps, she looked to the darkness that lay ahead and said,

“Your Highness probably wouldn’t believe me, but please listen to me until the end.”

“Yes.”

“To put it simply, Your Highness Nagi… From now on, you will be called the seductive evil prince and get executed.”

“Huh?!”

I froze.

I was already in a desperate state of emergency when I was kidnapped and wandered in the tunnels, and I thought that I wouldn’t be surprised anymore, but then unimaginable further distress befell me.

What’s going on, what’s going on? I thought to myself while blinking my eyes. I thought about how she could know about that, but then my thinking stopped there.

It’s unlikely, but it could only be a figment of her imagination. Or perhaps she just doesn’t like something about me and says something like that.

However, while still looking ahead, Vivienne continued.

“I will be executed next year for attempting to murder Baroness Emilia Tessier, the fiancée of His Highness Prince Vincent. I know that you’ll think I’m crazy for saying things like this. But I want you to listen.”

There was no doubt that she had said something that was completely ‘crazy’. If Tillois had been here, he would have crouched down with his head in his hands, and a deep crease between his eyebrows.

However, I understand what she means.

She didn’t talk about an assassination plan. She was referring to a future in which she would be executed after an assassination attempt.

A sickening shiver ran through my entire body.

“I know what will happen in the future.”

I gasped at her words.

I was so confused about what she meant that I just stopped in my tracks. Could it be that she returned from death, just like me? I thought, and tried to open my mouth.

My heart was beating so fast. Cold sweat was running down my back, whether it was because I was running or feeling nervous.

But then, she continued before I could say anything.

“I don’t expect Your Highness to believe me. But while we were on the way here, I was observing you and you didn’t seem like someone ruthless and evil. So, in order to make you believe me, I’m going to reveal one of your secrets. Are you ready?”

“Huh, m-my? My secret?”

The future of being called the evil prince and executed was already a crucial secret for me.

Many thoughts went through my mind, wondering what I should do, and whether I should believe her or not.

What kind of secret would she confront me with? What if it’s a big secret that concerns the kingdom of Pluvia?

What if it’s about the political purge that I did in the future?

The blood flow in my body stirred with a low, sickening sound.

“Your Highness Nagi will be called by the dishonorable nickname of the ruthless and lecherous evil prince, and will be executed as the seductive devil. There was only one reason why Your Highness Nagi indulges in debauchery. It was because the person you’re fond of wouldn’t look your way. The one that you like is— that red-haired man, isn’t it?”

Time stopped.

It was indeed a crucial secret. It wasn’t a terrifying secret that involved the country, or a secret about the political purge I did in the future, or anything like that.

To be honest, what she said couldn’t even be said as correct.

But it was a secret that no one was supposed to know. Because it was only something that existed in my mind.

I don’t understand. I don’t know what this means. In any case, for now, I hope she’ll at least forgive me for the turbulence in my mind. I took a deep breath and screamed loudly in my head so that Vivienne wouldn’t find out.

(W-what did she say…?!!)