Chapter 6: The Imperial Family

My grandfather, Margrave Zalbag On Einsatz, who had arrived suddenly, dropped to his knees in a deep prostration the moment he laid eyes on me and began apologizing.

The direct cause of my kidnapping three years ago was a crime committed by a maid employed at Grandfather’s estate. The maid had woken me up while I was napping alone and tricked me into going to the garden by claiming that Mother was calling for me. She then guided her lover, a man, into the garden to abduct me. Apparently, my disappearance caused a panic within the mansion. Eventually, other servants noticed the suspicious behavior of the maid attempting to flee. When questioned, she confessed everything.

The rest is just as I heard from Tanya Celesta before. The male perpetrator was already dead, and my trail had gone completely cold. Using only my name, hair color—though hair color like mine is apparently somewhat common in this world—and the bruise on my arm as clues, Grandfather searched the entire domain, but could not find me. Well, I was already in a foreign country by that time, so…

“It must have been painful, it must have been agonizing…! If you must bear a grudge, then hate me. I am truly sorry I could not come to save you for so long…!”

“Um, fortunately or unfortunately, I had no memories from before I was three, so it wasn’t particularly painful or agonizing. I apologize, but I do not remember you at all, Grandfather, so I cannot really hold a grudge, or rather…”

Half of that is a lie. I really have no memory of Grandfather, and since the maid was the one at fault, hating him would be misplaced. That part is true. However, saying it wasn’t painful or agonizing is a lie. For me, having regained my memories of modern Japan, the environment in the slums was quite harsh. Although, I did get used to it after a year.

“In any case, if you feel guilty, please stand up. Seeing you do such a thing makes me sad instead, Grandfather.”

“Hmph… I-is that so…”

Grandfather finally raised his head and stood up. He had white hair, along with a white mustache and beard. He looked to be in his early fifties. If anything, he had a rather intimidating face. For his age, his body was quite muscular. He was tall, too. Taller than Father. He exuded the atmosphere of a “Warrior,” but his face, messy with tears and snot, completely ruined the image.

“Father, take this.”

“Ah, sorry.”

Mother handed a towel to Grandfather. He wiped his face with it, but his eyes remained bright red.

“I do not bear any grudge against you, Grandfather, and your apologies actually put me in a difficult spot. Therefore, I will not accept any further discussion on this matter.”

“Hmph… If you put it that way…”

“Father-in-law. Sakuraile says so as well. Please stop blaming yourself.”

Father spoke to Grandfather, who was still hesitating, in a persuasive tone. He seemed to feel quite indebted to me, but as Father said, I wanted him to stop blaming himself. It was exhausting for me.

“I-is that so… You are right. Ah, you have informed His Majesty about Sakuraile, of course?”

“Of course. We have both been busy, so we haven’t gone to the castle yet, but I plan to take my daughter to pay our respects as early as tomorrow.”

Geh!? We’re going to see the King!? I was on the verge of internal panic at Father’s words. Meeting the King was fine. The problem was his son. Elliott Le Sinfonia, the Crown Prince of the Sinfonia Empire where we live, and a capture target in “Starlight Symphony.”

In the game, he was my fiancé. Elliott had no interest in me and accepted the engagement out of inertia simply because it was decided for him. Then the heroine appears, they deepen their bond, and eventually, he awakens to true love… that is roughly how the story flows. His personality isn’t bad. He is kind to everyone regardless of gender, and his grades in school were top-class in both literary and military arts. However, he feels suffocated by his position as Crown Prince. He is a hard worker who prioritizes his position as Crown Prince even though he wants to be more like himself. That is likely why he didn’t readily break off the engagement with Sakuraile. If you play normally, you usually proceed to the Elliott route. There are True, Good, and Bad endings, but in every single one of them, Sakuraile faces ruin… Is exile the best option? Either way, even if the heroine enters the Elliott route, if I am not his fiancé, a conflict with the heroine shouldn’t occur… hopefully. Once I become his fiancé, it becomes difficult for a vassal Duke’s family to break the engagement. It would bring shame to the other party. In that case, the only option is to refuse from the beginning. Even for them, forcing an engagement through power would be bad for their reputation. Therefore, I must avoid becoming his fiancé at all costs.

“His Majesty’s son, Crown Prince Elliott, is the same age as you, Sakura, so I’m sure you will get along well.” “Ah… Mother? I am not very interested in boys my own age. Don’t you think older men who are reliable are more attractive?”

“Oh my. That is quite a strict opinion. But you won’t know until you meet him, will you?”

I do know, Mother. The Crown Prince is not my type. It is true that I prefer older men. It’s not that he’s completely hopeless, but as long as there is a doom flag, I do not want to get close to him.

“Hmph. Actually, I am also going to the castle tomorrow. I must have a man who is to be ennobled as a Baron granted an audience with His Majesty.”

“Ah, for that territory where the post became vacant due to that corruption case…”

Since Grandfather and Father started discussing difficult matters, I decided to have some cheap sweets as a snack with Mother. Recently, Mother had become completely accustomed to the products from [Store Summoning], and her likes and dislikes had become clear. She seemed to like ice cream, chocolate, and castella cakes quite a bit. Conversely, she didn’t seem to like gum, vinegar squid, or savory snacks very much.

“Come to think of it, should I bring some to His Majesty as well? These cheap sweets…” “Well, putting His Majesty aside, I think the Empress and the Empress Dowager would be pleased. They can serve them at tea parties. You should be the one to present them to the Empress Dowager, okay? She is your Grandmother, after all.”

I forgot. Right, so it is. If Father is the Emperor’s younger brother, then the Empress Dowager is my Grandmother. Anastasia Le Sinfonia, the Empress Dowager. She is the grandmother of both me and Crown Prince Elliott. She is a character who never appeared in the game, but she is apparently a friendly and kind person. I heard she was terribly worried during my kidnapping incident. I feel kind of bad… If I hadn’t run away from the kidnappers back then, the culprit might have been caught easily, and Sakuraile might have been rescued in a day or two. Come to think of it, the Sakuraile in the game was a character with elitist thoughts who looked down on commoners. Did her personality become twisted because of that kidnapping incident? I doubt it, but looking at these parents, it’s a mystery why she grew up to be such a mean villainess. There is a theory that she was spoiled rotten and became selfish. Maybe after the kidnapping, they couldn’t bring themselves to be strict with their daughter? As I was munching on cheap sweets and thinking about pointless things, Father offered some cider to Grandfather. Ah, Grandfather looked extremely surprised after taking one sip. Father really does have a bit of a mischievous side. I wonder if I should bring carbonated drinks too. Cider might be fine, but cola is black, so it might be shunned. While thinking about the souvenirs to take to the castle, I drank the cola poured into my cup.

It was huge. I thought it was big looking at it from afar, but seeing it up close, it was even huger. After passing through the castle gates in the carriage and stepping out, I looked up at the ridiculously large chalk-white castle. Well, it was shorter than a skyscraper, but it still had an impressive impact. Led by Father and Mother, I walked along the fluffy red carpet. Tanya Celesta and Yuan Polka, the knight duo, accompanied us as guards. Is a guard necessary inside the castle? I thought so, but apparently, it was just a precaution. Well, I do have a prior record of being kidnapped from Grandfather’s mansion… Still, there were expensive-looking vases and paintings decorated here and there. I better not touch and break them…

“His Majesty and the others are waiting in the garden. Please, this way.”

We followed the well-dressed elderly man who came to guide us. I had assumed we would meet in a place like the “Audience Hall.” When I whispered that thought, Father answered with a laugh.

“This isn’t an official visit. It’s just a family gathering. So you don’t have to be stiff.”

Family. I see, family. Indeed. We stepped out from the hallway into a courtyard-like area, and as we proceeded through the lush greenery, we soon came out into an open space. In the center of the garden, where various flowers were in full bloom, there was a large gazebo. Three adults and one boy were sitting there having tea. I recognized two of them. The Sinfonia Empire‘s Emperor, Windham Le Sinfonia, and although he was just a child, his son, the Crown Prince Elliott Le Sinfonia. Not only the capture target Elliott, but this King also appears briefly in the game depending on the route. He shows up at the perfect moment during the engagement annulment scene and orders my exile. How could he do that to his niece? Or perhaps, it was precisely because I was his niece that he couldn’t forgive me. The remaining two were likely the Empress Dowager and the Empress. The Empress Dowager is my Grandmother, yet she looked to be in her late thirties. I don’t know her actual age, but she looks awfully young.

“It has been a long time, Brother. Sister-in-law, Mother, you look as well as ever. I am glad to see Crown Prince Elliott looks healthy too.” “Oh, I have been waiting. Is that child… Sakuraile? You have grown.”

Cutting his greetings to Father short, His Majesty the Emperor immediately turned his gaze toward me. He had the same blond hair and emerald eyes as Father. Was he over thirty? Maybe younger? The mustache might be making him look a bit older. Except for Crown Prince Elliott, His Majesty and the others had been informed of the circumstances. Officially, it was stated that I had returned from recovering from an illness. I returned a curtsy to His Majesty, just as I had recently learned.

“It has been a long time (though I have absolutely no memory of it), Your Majesty. I, Sakuraile le Philharmonie, have returned to the Imperial Capital. I am pleased to make your acquaintance.”

“Ah, it’s fine, it’s fine. No need for formalities. You can be more casual.”

His Majesty smiled and waved his hand. He seemed to be a very friendly King. I couldn’t really tell what his personality was like in the game. When I raised my head, the Empress Dowager… my Grandmother, who had slowly stood up, approached me and hugged me tightly right then and there. Ooh?

“You have done well to return, Sakuraile… Ah, praise the Gods…”

Grandmother was trembling slightly. Was she crying? I suppose this is what happens when a granddaughter who was kidnapped and missing returns. I put on a nonchalant face, as if to say “it was nothing,” and smiled at Grandmother.

“Grandmother. I brought a souvenir. Shall we eat it together?”

“Yes, yes. I look forward to it.”

Grandmother smiled back at me with eyes wet with tears.