Chapter 20

A Fallen Kingdom

“…The sealed door?”

I couldn’t help but repeat his words. Only then did he seem to notice my presence.

“Whoa, who’s that!? Your Highness, this woman is…?”

(…Your Highness?)

The man addressed as “Your Highness” didn’t answer the blue-haired man and quietly ascended the stairs.

(…There should only be one person in Tsaobera called ‘Your Highness.’)

Who could he be—

And where is this place…?

While I stood bewildered, the two men reached the top of the stairs.
The blue-haired man stared intently at my room’s door, exclaiming in awe.

“The sealed door… The door Your Highness studied for years and couldn’t open… I thought you’d dedicate your entire life’s passion to this unyielding door…”

“And if I did, would that be a problem?”

“Of course it would!! Your Highness has other duties, doesn’t he? You don’t have to pour your heart into a door said to house a ‘cursed witch’—”

At that point, they finally seemed to remember I was there.
First, the blond man called “Your Highness” knelt before me.

“Young lady, why are you here?”

(…Huh? That voice, I’ve heard it somewhere—)

It felt familiar, somehow.

But where had I heard it?
Before I could search my memory, he continued.

“This place is under the jurisdiction of the Ministry of Magic. Who gave you permission to be here?”

“Uh, permission, you say…”

I just stepped out of my room…

Finally, finally, I revealed my identity.

“My apologies for the delayed introduction. I am Felicia Frenzel, daughter of the Frenzel ducal house. I don’t know why I’m here. Could you please tell me where this is—”

My words were cut off by the blue-haired man.
He spoke, looking utterly perplexed.

“Frenzel…?”

His reaction made me tilt my head.
In Tsaobera, there’s no one who doesn’t know the name.
The Frenzel ducal house is an ancient lineage, dating back to the kingdom’s founding.

The blond man, who had been watching our exchange closely, lowered his eyelashes and said quietly,

“…I don’t know it.”

“Don’t know…?”

That’s absurd.

Why I’m here—
Or rather, why my room is connected to some unknown place—can be set aside for now.
First, I need to grasp the situation.

(Could this be some remote backwater where even the Frenzel name is unknown…?!)

No, this man was called “Your Highness.”
In this kingdom, only Felix-sama should be addressed with that title…

Which means—
The conclusion dawns on me.

(This… isn’t Tsaobera?)

I thought for a moment, then looked up again.

And I asked him.

“Could it be… this isn’t Tsaobera?”

At my question, the blond man—called “Your Highness”—widened his eyes.

Golden eyes, rare in Tsaobera.
A single mole beneath his left eye.

He seemed to catch his breath, then spoke to me with a puzzled expression.

“…Tsaobera was the name of the dynasty two eras ago… What are you talking about?”