Volume 10 Chapter 4 (2/2)

“Understood,” Saito replied

“You guys go back to the academy first”

“Saito We have said many times, it is not because we're afraid”

Reynal directed his eyes at Saito, in persuasion

“I know I don't think of you guys as cowards I knohat Her Majesty said is quite right, and I understand what you feel Just that, I have a bit more to say”

A relieved ath that place Everyone of the Ondine retreated to Her Majesty's office The ones left behind were only Guiche, Malicorne, Saito and Louise

“Can you please give this up?”

As if appealing, being gazed at by Henrietta's eyes, his feelings wavered at once

When their eyes rim and stern queen's expression, but the defenseless one, just like when they exchanged kisses previously

Not as a queen but as soo

That hat her expression told Saito

Staring at Henrietta's countenance, Saito's deter

But still as he thought, he could not accept it Although he was appealed to by her feelings, he could not desert the person who saved him

He could not consent to it

Slowly, Saito re

“Wh-What are you doing?”

Guiche said in a panicked voice

Respecfully, Saito handed the mantle over to Henrietta

“Wh-”

With a shocked look, Henrietta stared at Saito

“I ah it had been a short time thanks for all your help”

“Y-You”

Henrietta trembled all over

“With this, there won't be any trouble for Tristain Isn't that so?”

Henrietta trembled for a moment, and in a small, tearful voice:

“Idiot” she muttered

The young queen rang the pre-installed bell

“Is there anything?” Quietly, the Manticore corps of the bodyguard group rushed in

“Disarm these people of their weapons, and arrest them”

Looking at Henrietta who had pointed at Saito and said thus, Guiche's expression turned pale Louise paled as well

“Princess!”

“Err, but but” The Co Officer of the Manticore corps shook his head That's because he could not digest the current situation properly

“Quickly”

Being urged by Her Majesty The Queen, he straightened his collar and turned around at Saito

“It is because of the coainst me”

Saying that, he confiscated Saito's sword, and tied his hands behind hilances, but since Saito had obediently let himself be arrested, they followed him helplessly The other corps members confiscated their wands, and tied them up as well

“For a while please cool down your head”

Henrietta inforged Saito and the others away

After that, Louise was left with Henrietta Now beco just the two of them, Henrietta laid her body down onto her chair

“Why! Why couldn't they understand! Wishi+ng to put their lives in danger! What would happen if they went to Gallia! To locate an arrested knight in such a big country, isn't that just like locating a pebble which was dropped into a lake? Besides that, couldn't they understand that they cannot s worse, Gallia is targeting the Void! Louise, your Void! Have you thought about the danger that is awaiting you! What on earth”

Gazing at the distraught queen, Louise could guess sos Above the souring of the relationshi+p with Gallia Because of her woo

Upon seeing such Henrietta the former Louise would definitely be as frantic as her

She would have weighed her own feelings along with that of Henrietta'sand then fret about if she should fight with her about this to the bitter end, or just give in meekly out of her loyalty? Louise would become distressed

Nonetheless, the present Louise was strangely calm

Now is not the ti

The thing which I must do is to help Tabitha

For that sake, I must do what I must

That is the duty of I, as born a noble Louise thought

Louise gently placed her hand onto Henrietta's shoulder

“What Princess said is quite right For an Acadeainst a foreign country's chances, the latter would win”

“That's right, Louise I did not , I want them to think over it calmly in the palace”

“Just that It is beyondwhich is correct”

“Eh?”

Henriettaher face, and lifted her face

“As for us, there is this reason that we must stick to”

“What's theabout?”

Dumbfounded, Henrietta stared at Louise

“Foryour Majesty would bethese recent tiyour Majesty's orders is not the real path I should take”

“Louise”

With a troubled look, Henrietta gazed at Louise

“This tio to save Chevalier Tabitha-dono I believe that is the reason I must stick to At the sa Princess Princess-sama has her own position The position as a queen”

“Even you, what are you saying?”

“While I know that I have co I would be opposed, why did I come to inform your Majesty? That is because I have felt sort of like the same “reason” I must stick to as well I will stick to the ”principle” I believeEven though all this time I have lost my direction, but now I believe that my pride as a noble should be placed on this path”

Both the ladies which shared the special, childhood days together, were now confronting each other as a queen and a noble

“Louise, have you forgotten? You areto disobey my intentions?”

Silently, Louise removed her mantle, and presented it onto Henrietta

“Louise Louise! Do you knohat you're doing now!? Taking down your mantle would mean”

“Yeah With this, I aer a noble of Tristain I am just Louise Your Majesty, please treat o to Gallia After our departure, please proclai country governe, there is a possibility for them to cross the country frontier Upon discovery, please punish the to your country's laws' If your majesty does that, Tristain would not have any troubles”

Henrietta tre her head, she called out to the reuards

Facing the iuards who bowed down humbly, Henrietta told them

“Arrest this person Until I say otherwise, do not let her out of the palace”

“Ha, ha!”

The guards obeyed respectfully, and bowed once at Louise

“Please hand over your wand”

Staring at Louise, Henrietta said

“The things you said are not wrong I think they were splendid”

A short pause

After a quick bow, Louise surrendered her wand to the iuards

At the back of Louise as brought out from the room, Henrietta said in a sad voice

“I don't have the self-confidence, I do not think that I can carry it out properly But, I am still the queen, Louise”

Saito and the others were all confined within a room in a tower at the west side of the palace

In the ten tatami mat wide room, beds and desks were prepared Probably this was a rooh it was for the use of nobles, it was as if the fact that it was used as a prison did not change

The s and doors were barred with thick rills On the other side of the thick doors, two sentinels carrying huge halberds were standing there

Sitting on the beds, Guiche and Malicorne were looking out froht from the twinthat, Guiche murmured in a miserable voice

“Haaa damn If my father and elder brother knew about my current condition, they would probably feel so sad And they had felt so happy when I beca officer of the Imperial Guards They had even called me the pride of the Gramont family”

Malicorne sighed deeply as well

“How could Her Majesty becory”

Saito felt sorry for the both of them, who had no fault in this matter at all Reflexively, he bowed his head quickly

“Sorry Because you all have accompanied me”

Well, isn't that fine? Whilst shaking his hand flutteringly, Guiche said to Saito

“Don't worry about it Not being able to coordinate the knight corps, I a officer, siding with the assistant Co Officer is probably my duty as well”

“As I thought, going to save the girl as abducted by a foreign country, hunting down the foxes in their territory, going on a conquest against robber bands; these things are wrong We had ry”

With a face which had become completely sober, Malicorne muttered

“But, why did you all stick along with ether with the others”

“That's because this is more fun!”

Guiche answered readily

“So is being imprisoned like this the same as well?”

“Yeah Going along with a girl is fun as well, but ever since I was born a noble, I have not gotten involved in such heart-thu imprisoned in the palace! My father and elder brother would surely be sad, but they don't have such an experience!”

”Ahaha”, Guiche broke out in laughter U shot It's probably right for hiht But obviously, the possibility that he is but a complete idiot cannot be put aside as well

“I want to become braver,” Malicorne said

“Braver?”

“Yeah In tih I want to try to participate in a war I could only tree so that I won't escape whatever time it is”

”I see”

Saito and Guiche became solemn unintentionally However, immediately after that,

“If I have such courage, I would probably be ht?”

Malicorne said shyly, because of which the solemn atmosphere dispersed

“Hey, Saito”

“What?”

Guiche looked at Saito with a serious expression

“You should have some plans, don’t you?”

“Plans?”

“Yeah, didn’t you just crazily let yourself be captured without any resistance? Obviously, you would have soht?”

With a blank face, Saito answered

“No”

Guiche and Malicorne bulged their eyes

“Ehhh?”

“There is no way for me to have any plan Derf was confiscated as well What should I do?”

“You idiooooottttt!! Aaaaahhhhh! Weren’t we arrested…?? Of all the things, adoration and respect to Her Majesty The Queen???”

Hugging his head, Guiche started babbling

“What’re you talking about!? And yet I had said just now that 'I as'!?”

“That and this are different thingsssss!!”

Dejected, Malicorne’s shoulders drooped Looked like they had become worried suddenly

“Her Majesty The Queen, would she forgive us, I wonder… Could it be, that we have to be hanged?”

At that, Saito laughed

“Hey, what are you laughing at?”

The door opened, and Louise showed her face For some reasons, her mantle was not put on

“Aren’t you late? We’ve been waiting!”

However, Louise did not reply With a straight face, she walked in determinedly, and don!, sat beside Saito

“Eh? Louise… didn’t you coet us ou…”

The guards who escorted Louise inside closed the prison doors again Gachang!! With the sound of thelocked, Saito, Guiche and Malicorne understood that their fate wasn’t going to change after all

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