Chapter 56 (1/2)

Chapter 56 – Afterwards

「Sakura-sama! You’ve woken up!? Thank goodness…」

When I looked around the room with my head in a daze, Chiffon-san, who just entered the room, opened her eyes in surprise for an instant, then immediately rushed over to my side.

「Chiffon-san…? Huh? I…?」

I wonder why Chiffon-san is here? If Chiffon-san is here, that means, this place is the castle?

Why am I here…?

If I remember correctly, I went jogging, then got abducted by some weird men…

「tsu tsu tsu」(note: sound of sucking in air(?), not sure)

My body trembled after I remembered.

Right, that ojou-sama made me drink that drug…

「Sakura-sama? Are you feeling unwell?」

I got startled by Chiffon-san’s concerned voice and looked up.

That’s not good, I’ve made them worry.

I’m okay. Nothing… should’ve been done.

Even when I try to recall the events of that time, as if a haze appeared after I drank that drug, I couldn’t remember it clearly.

However, I believe the worst case scenario didn’t happen.

「No, I’m okay. Leaving that aside, why am I in the castle?」

Although I feel nauseated when I try to remember, I somehow held it back and tried asking.

「Sakura-sama…… do you not remember? Sakura-sama hasn’t woken up in two days you know?」

Two days…? Was I sleeping for two days?

「Sakura-sama, are you not hungry? Since you were sleeping this entire time, it would be better to eat something ne. Let me bring something, even if it’s soup.」

Without saying anything further, Chiffon-san left the room.

I somewhat understand that I’m being immensely looked after.

After my head cleared a little, I looked around the room once again.

……I’ve seen this several times, the castle’s guestroom.

As for my clothing…… it’s a thin nightgown1. I wonder if Chiffon-san changed my clothes?

While I was somewhat thinking of such things, Chiffon-san returned.

「Sakura-sama, please drink this slowly.」

I sat down by the edge of the bed and was handed a bowl filled with soup and a spoon.

The bowl had no garnishes, a potage.

Did she take into consideration to give me something to eat that wouldn’t surprise my stomach after not eating for two days?2

I slowly put the spoon in my mouth while thinking about that.

「Thank you for the meal.」

After I slowly finis.h.i.+ng the potage, Chiffon-san took the bowl from me and smiled as if she was relieved.

「And so, um, Chiffon-san. Iー「SAKURA!」」

The moment I tried asking why I was here, the door vigorously opened and Prince Sedrim entered.

「Prince…?」

When the Prince saw that I was awake, he expressed a relieved expression and walked towards me.

「Thank goodness you’re safe…!」

And then he tightly embraced me.

Although it seemed the Prince said also something else, my mind was filled with something else.

Being touched by a man.

As soon my mind was filled with that, the next thing that came to mind was…… fear.

I remembered those men’s hands and that I couldn’t move.

My body started trembling and tears swelled up in my eyes.

「Sakura…?」

Whether he noticed my trembling, the Prince unwrapped his arms that were embracing me, then looked into my face.

「No…… stay away…. No…」

Those words leaked out from

my trembling lips, furthermore, my tears started flowing.

「Your Highness! Please separate from Sakura-sama!」

Chiffon-san’s, voice.

And at the same time, I was gently wrapped up in something soft.

「Sakura-sama, you’re safe now. Because I’m here for you!3」

Together with her voice, my hair was gently stroked.

Although my trembling body gradually calmed down, my tears didn’t stop.

While I buried my face in Chiffon-san’s chest, I somehow held back my tears.

「Sakura…」

When I somewhat calmed down, the Prince’s voice and his stretched out hand was reflected in my eyes.

I clung onto Chiffon-san as my body trembled in surprise.

The Prince seemed uneasy after losing the place he was extending his hand to.

「Your Highness. Please do not touch Sakura-sama.」

As if Chiffon-san was protecting me, she hugged me tightly.

「Sorry…」

I heard a muttered voice from the Prince.

「I apologize , I was busy with something. Once you’ve calmed down, could I ask for your story?」

When I raised my head towards a new voice, the King and Len-san, as well as the Prime Minister and the Squad Captain was here.

「But, Sakura-sama is…. She’s still terribly frightened right now. And yet, to have that talk, isn’t that too harsh?4」

Chiffon-san objected while she increased the power in her arms that were hugging me.

「I understand that, but it’s also necessary for us to investigate immediately. According to Len-san’s story, it seems Sakura’s sorcery went on a rampage. It was on a considerably large scale as well. We need to find a way to deal with that. Besides that, it’s also regarding the person who abducted Sakura.」

「……I understand.」

Chiffon-san nodded her head with an unwilling feeling from the King’s instructions.

「Well then, can you tell us what you encountered?」

Urged by the King, I spoke of the events of when I was abducted bit by bit while tightly hugging onto Chiffon-san.

About being surrounded by men when I was returning from my jog and fainting, about meeting that ojou-sama when I woke up in that dim room, and then the words of the ojou-sama. After that, drinking that drug…

I spoke about what I remembered with a detached tone.

Maybe it was it thanks to me doing my best to state only the truth so I wasn’t thinking about anything else, my heart wasn’t too disturbed.5

Should I say it was fortunate? Chiffon-san testified that the worse didn’t happen.6

……Chiffon-san, how did you check?

「So it’s that woman…!」

The Prince tightly grasped his hands when he finished hearing my story, and spitted out those words.

「I’ve heard about that suspicious rumour so far but… Interrogate her immediately no matter what!」7

「Sedrim! Calm down. Our talk still hasn’t ended yet.」

The King chided the Prince who seemed to want to immediately fly out.

Although the Prince appeared dissatisfied, he didn’t seem to disobey.

「And so, Sakura-san. At the time we rushed to that room, Sakura-san’s sorcery was running wild, but…. Do you not remember it?」

Taking the place of the King, Len-san asked a question this time.

「No, I don’t remember…. The events after I drank the drug, is only vague…」

「Is that so. Perhaps that can’t be helped. Judging from appearance, that drug they made you drink at that time, they gave you several times more than you’d normally have. That drug…… normally, around several drops of it dripped in a drink will have plenty of effects.」

There’s also a possibility of it disabling a person for life if it’s handled poorly, that terrifying thing was told to me.

I became frightened after feeling that ojou-sama’s malice once again8

「Which means…… if you think about it, falling unconscious was expected.」

「Please wait a moment. Sakura-sama hasn’t used sorcery up until now right? But despite that, can sorcery be used unconsciously?」9

That was Chiffon-san. A most reasonable question ne.

「Normally, it’s not possible. However, I believe it’s possible if it’s Sakura-san. As for the reason, it concerns the basis of sorcery, in order to use sorcery, the energy within your own body, which could be called the source of mana, needs to be recognized before you can begin. Although that energy converts into mana to use sorcery, what Sakura-san calls『ki』, can also be used to do that. Mana and ki, I’ve heard they both trace back to the same energy. And Sakura’s previous existence was Lyle-s.h.i.+. In other words, it’s theoretically possible to use sorcery.」

Len-san calmly spoke his a.n.a.lysis.

However, what interrupted that was Chiffon-san’s voice.

「Please wait a moment! Sakura-sama’s previous existence you say…. This is the first time I’ve heard such a thing!」

Aah, every person here knows other than Chiffon-san…