Emperor Arnold Hein would probably burned down that Grand Shrine in the future after Rishe died.

Rishe took a deep breath as she watched the still scenery of the beautiful temple.

I can only stay in the Grand Shrine for a few days at most. I have to explore as much as I can before I finish the engagement annulment procedures.

――About an hour later, the carriage arrived at the Grand Shrine.

Arnold took her by the hand again and she descended from the carriage.

The priests guided them to the anteroom, where they would prepare themselves and then meet with the high priest.

It was at that moment that something strange happened.

“Stop! Hey, what the heck is wrong with you?!

The knights behind them shouted, and she could hear the whinnying of a horse.

She looked back and saw a boy of about ten years old rolling off the horse he was riding and landed on the ground.

The boy was wildly gasping for breath, as if he was considerably exhausted. Arnold’s knight guards vigilantly surrounded the boy to take care of him.

Rishe would have liked to approach him, but Arnold had a firm grip on her wrist. However, it was obvious that this was an abnormal situation.

The crest on the horse’s saddle is that of the Duke of Jornal. What on earth…

Rishe gasped there as she tried to observe the boy.

That boy is…

In her knight life, Rishe had one boy she was worried about.

He was four years younger than Rishe and would be eleven years old now. He had light brown hair and an innocent-looking face, but he had a habit of staring at adults with dark, stagnant eyes.

And a black eye-patch covered one of his eyes.

No way…The child in front of Rishe resembled that boy very much.

She wondered if she had mistaken him, but he looked too much like him for that. He seemed a little shorter than she remembered, but it was only natural considering that they should meet six months later.

But I’ve never heard of his story.

Whether in her life as a maidservant or as a knight.

The boy then struggled to squeeze his voice out of his ragged breathing and told the knights.

“P-Please…H-Help me…”

“Calm down before you talk, okay? Take your time.”

“H..Huh…B-”

“Wait… Hey, somebody get me some water!”

“Oh, Your Highness, I also…”

Before Rishe could finish pleading, Arnold release his grip.

Just as she thought, Arnold started to walk ahead of Rishe and knelt in front of the boy. Seeing this, the knights hurriedly raised their voices.

“Your Highness! Please step back, even if he’s a child, there might be danger…”

“If you can’t speak, then answer my question with a shake of your head. — Did something happen to Lord Jonal?”

“…”

The boy nodded desperately, and Rishe’s heart made a jarring throb.

“Is the Duke already dead?”

The boy shook his head.

“If so, is something life-threatening happening?”

The boy shook his head again in denial.Although relieved for the moment, Rishe paled at Arnold’s next question.

“And the same goes to his daughter?”

“…”

Although out of breath, the boy nodded amply.

Thank God…

Arnold narrowed his eyes and stood up. For the time being, he probably decided that it was not so urgent that he had to fight for a second to hear more of it.

A cup of water was brought, and a knight gave the boy a drink while supporting him.

“Huh, that…”

“If you’re able to speak now, explain the situation.”

“T-The carriage…”

The voice that managed to string some words was that of a boy named Leo, whom Rishe knew.

The boy, who seemed on the verge of tears, continued to speak.

“The wheels on the carriage suddenly came off.”

…Huh?

“Master jumped out of the carriage with the young lady in his arms. The carriage and horses slid down the ravine, and the master injured his arm…”

Myria’s voice flashed through Rishe’s mind.

[I don’t want to take this childish carriage to the Grand Shrine. And yet Papa doesn’t understand.]

[I cursed Papa…He still doesn’t believe that everyone I cursed…died.]

After Myria’s waywardness, the carriage she hated plunged down.

And the Duke she blamed for it was injured. It was as if the “curse” that Myria mentioned has become a reality.

…W-What the hell is this all about…?

Rishe unconsciously clutched the hem of her dress.