In the king's office, the guard captain Bergl reported with a bow, the king wore a grim expression, and the third princess Morena was present.
It had been nearly a month since the young viscountess, now the head of the Ascam viscount family, Adele von Ascam, went missing.
"I thought that with a half-day's head start, we could catch up to a young girl, but the search parties sent out on all the roads found nothing, neither on the roads nor in the villages and towns along the way.
We also had a few men search in reverse from points that a girl or a carriage could not possibly reach, but they found nothing. She must have entered the forest or mountains without using the roads, or perhaps she is traveling alone, or has already fallen into the hands of bandits or unscrupulous travelers..."
"That's unlikely. If she's in danger, She will appear."
"Ah..."
To refer to the goddess as 'She'—the king has quite a nerve.
"After that, based on the line in her letter to her friends, 'I'm living happily in a rural town, so don't worry about me,' we searched every rural town and village, but found nothing.
She might be living alone in some forest or mountain, or she might have already left the country."
If she left the country, using soldiers to search would be problematic, and even knowing that one's own people are searching in another country could cause issues. Moreover, if they were to forcibly bring the girl back, it could lead to diplomatic problems with that country.
Kidnapping her secretly is out of the question. If the goddess appears, the country will be destroyed.
"Perhaps she fled because she didn't know that the problems at her family's estate had been resolved? Shouldn't we inform her of the facts?
We could issue a proclamation throughout the country, saying that the culprit has been caught and she can return safely."
When the princess said this, the king and Bergl looked troubled.
"That won't do... This incident is a disgrace to the country. While rumors will spread, we cannot officially acknowledge them."
Following the king's words, Bergl continued.
"In fact, I spoke with her classmates at the academy, hoping to find clues to her whereabouts, but the results were..."
"What were they?"
"Here, these are the records of the interviews..."
The princess took the stack of papers Bergl pulled from his bag and read through them.
"That girl can survive anywhere."
"What's she good at? Breaking boys' hearts, maybe?"
"Where might she go? As a guest, heaven; as a manager, hell, perhaps..."
"I want to know!"
"I was planning to take care of her!"
"She's finally free. A bird that has escaped its cage won't return on its own."
"She'll keep running. Probably, she'll never be caught."
"A girl who can blend in completely with the common people. Is she really a noble...?"
"What is this...?"
"What kind of girl is she...?"
The princess and the king were both stunned.
After a while, the princess suddenly exclaimed.
"I want to meet the people who were her close friends! I want to hear about what kind of person she is!"
"Hmm, that might be a good idea... We might get some clues for the search, and Morena might learn something too."
After a moment's thought, the king's words were met with a silent nod from Bergl.
Three days later, in a small room in the palace, 11 people sat around a table.
Though small, it was a luxurious meeting room in the palace, with fine furnishings, ornate chairs, and decorations. The table was laden with pastries, fruits, and teacups.
On the palace side were the king, the 16-year-old first prince Adalbert, the 15-year-old third princess Morena, and her 13-year-old brother, the second prince Vince, making four members of the royal family. Also present were the prime minister, the guard captain Bergl, and the specially invited Bonham count and countess, making a total of eight people. The Bonham count and countess were present because of the count's role during the audience and their familiarity with the Ascam family, especially the countess, and the king's consideration that they would want to know about Adele, the daughter of their friend.
The ones called were the ones who knew Adele best: the three magical girls, known for their wonder and miracles.
"Um, thank you for inviting us..."
"Ah, it's fine. This is an informal tea party, so don't worry about formalities. I'm just a father who's curious about the friends my daughter invited for the first time. Treat it like that."
"Y-Yes..."
Even Marcella, the third daughter of a minor noble family, was stiff with nervousness, let alone Monica and Oriana, who were commoners and hadn't spoken a word yet.
And the reason Monica and Oriana hadn't spoken wasn't just because they were nervous.
Three days ago.
After the palace messenger delivered the princess's invitation to the three at the academy and left.
"Got it? This is probably to gather information about her. Absolutely don't reveal any secrets!"
Monica and Oriana nodded vigorously at Marcella's words.
"Always remember, she's just a girl with a bit of talent. She doesn't use strange magic or tell far-fetched stories like 'what if there was a world like this.' She's just an ordinary, plain girl, as she always said.
Though a truly ordinary girl wouldn't go around saying that every day, let's put that aside."
Nod, nod.
"From now on, we'll thoroughly memorize her background and what we can and can't say. I'll answer most of the questions to avoid contradictions or accidental slips. Got it?"
Monica and Oriana nodded vigorously.
And so, three days later.
Marcella would take the lead in responding, while Monica and Oriana would only nod or make carefully considered comments.
The adults sat together, a bit away from the children, creating a setup where the children could talk among themselves. The princes were there to make it easier for the princess to talk, but of course, the adults had other plans. They wanted the princes to understand Adele's character and, if she were found, to arrange a casual meeting. The presence of both princes was a bit too obvious.
"I am the third princess, Morena..."
"I am the first prince, Adalbert."
"I am the second prince, Vince."
Next, Marcella and the others introduced themselves.
"I am Marcella, a second-year student at Eklund Academy."
Though she was from a noble family, she was invited as a student, so she only gave her name, like the others.
"I am Monica."
"I am Oriana..."
Silence followed. The adults, being mere observers, did not introduce themselves or interrupt unless necessary.
"I invited you all today because I want to learn more about Adele..."
((Of course, here it comes!))
It wasn't surprising, as this was the only reason they could think of for being invited to the palace.
A classmate who suddenly disappeared, persistent questioning by palace officials, rumors of a secret search, and the scandal involving a viscount family...
Eklund Academy had many students from noble families, even minor ones, so rumors about noble families, especially scandals, often circulated. The three had also heard some details from Bergl when they returned the letter, as they had included a condition to explain the situation later.
Without mentioning the goddess, they had a good grasp of the situation, combining what Adele had told them and the rumors Marcella had heard.
One of those rumors was that the third princess had met the messenger of the gods, or that the goddess had descended upon the capital. Though it seemed far-fetched, the same story came from multiple sources. The day and time matched when Adele was on her way back from the bakery.
(Ah, it was her doing...)
Marcella thought this the moment she heard the story, and that such a day might come.
"Can you tell me about Adele? What kind of person is she, and what does she usually talk about?"
Morena, who had received a thorough education as a princess and was raised straightforwardly, seemed simple but was not foolish. She spoke politely and equally to the younger girls, showing no sign of looking down on them. This might also be because she saw Marcella and the others as 'her close friends.'
Looking at Morena's serious expression and sparkling eyes, Marcella thought:
(I will protect Adele's secrets! And I will do my best to make the princess a beneficial presence for Adele!)
Marcella realized that her body had stopped trembling and she had regained her composure.