Chapter 14
On the Side of Remembering
“Princess… hello—.”
While I was talking with Cedric and Rachel, someone spoke to us. It was a noblewoman who elongated the last syllables of her words. She wore so many ornate accessories that she seemed even more dazzling than Princess Rachel, yet somehow the extravagant display suited her perfectly.
“Miss Mary Grace. I didn’t expect to see you here.”
Rachel greeted her. Then she introduced her to Cedric and me.
“This is Princess Daisy Lund of Lundra, and this is Duke Dayerton.”
The woman called Mary Grace seemed a bit surprised when introduced to Duke Dayerton, as if she hadn’t recognized him immediately. She quickly composed herself and greeted us warmly.
“Duke Dayerton—pleased to meet you. I’m Mary Grace. And—”
“Pleased to meet you.”
After greeting Cedric, Mary Grace quickly turned her head toward me. The shimmer of her eye makeup made her already striking features seem even more radiant.
“Your Highness, Princess of the Most Beautiful Land, it is an—immense honor to meet you. I am Mary of the Grace family, Count Grace’s daughter.”
“Good afternoon. I’m Daisy Lund.”
“I had heard—prior to this—that the princess had visited the Owen Empire.”
Even indoors without sunlight, Mary’s eyes sparkled. Though she was an Owen noble, she seemed more focused on me than on the princess or the duke.
“Heheh. May I take this opportunity to invite you to a tea party, Your Highness? In four days! I’ll have a few friends over, just a small gathering in our garden. If you attend, I would be—so very—delighted.”
Mary seemed to have a habit of elongating her words, but when saying “in four days,” she pronounced it very clearly. I wasn’t particularly interested in the Empire’s social scene, but a small tea party seemed like a good opportunity to experience the imperial tea culture.
“I’ll have to check my schedule, but thank you for the invitation.”
“It would also delight me if Princess Rachel could attend. Duke, this tea party is for ladies only, so please forgive me for not being able to invite you.”
“I’ll check my schedule as well. Thank you for the invitation.”
“Please, don’t mention it.”
Rachel and Cedric responded politely.
“Very well—then I’ll send the invitations. Please confirm them. Your Highness, I will send yours to the royal household. And for the princess, where shall I send the invitation?”
“To the Dayerton family, please.”
“To the Dayerton family, you say?”
Mary Grace widened her already round eyes slightly at Cedric. He sipped his tea with an indifferent expression, as if unsure whether he had even been listening to our conversation.
It seemed that while the Owen social circles had heard I was visiting, they didn’t yet know my residence. Since I hadn’t come officially as a diplomatic envoy, it was entirely plausible.
Mary seemed somewhat surprised by where I stayed. She hadn’t paid attention to Cedric at all, but after hearing about my residence, she kept glancing at him.
“Then I’ll send the invitation to the Dayerton household. I hope I haven’t taken up too much of your precious time. Princess, I apologize for the intrusion. Princess Rachel, Duke, I shall take my leave now—ah.”
Mary bowed slightly and departed.
Rachel and Cedric didn’t comment on her after she left. I didn’t want to speak of someone absent either, so I changed the topic.
“The cookies here are really sweet and delicious.”
“Delicious? This shop supplies the royal palace. I’m glad you like them. Try this one too—you’ll like it.”
I picked up the cookie Rachel indicated. It was sharply shaped at the edges. Inside, nuts crunched—it seemed to be macadamia.
“Delicious, isn’t it, Daisy?”
Rachel smiled. All day she had been bright and lively. She treated me as she had before, as if she had completely forgotten the kingdom’s treasures. It was hard to sense any hidden motives through our conversation.
Anyway, I planned to meet Rachel frequently to arrange her meeting with Cedric. There would be plenty of opportunities to discern her true feelings.
“Princess Rachel.”
One of the attendants at another table leaned over and whispered something in her ear. Rachel nodded. At that moment, I noticed Cedric, who had seemed indifferent all day, slightly squint one eye.
“I need to go in now. Something has come up.”
“Is it urgent?”
Rachel nodded and smiled. She rose from her seat, waved goodbye, and left the café.
“Getting up immediately after the attendant spoke—it must be important.”
“She didn’t seem particularly busy, though.”
“Duke, do you feel disappointed that the princess left first?”
I laughed. As just moments ago, Cedric’s one eye corner twitched slightly again. The usually composed and impassive Cedric had shown expression twice in connection to Rachel.
Hoho, watching someone else’s romance is truly entertaining. Now I understand why the maids of Lundra palace read romance novels.
“You’ve been silent all along, yet you showed interest when it came to the princess.”
“I’m not disappointed. She simply didn’t seem busy at all.”
She—he called her “she.”
“Duke, are you and the princess quite close?”
“In one sense, yes. But not in the usual sense of friendship.”
Well, if there’s some affection involved, it might differ from a typical friendship.
“When I arrived in Owen, from what I overheard, it seemed you two had been close for a long time.”
“I don’t recall what conversation you are referring to, but yes, we have known each other for a long time.”
“How did you meet? Did you meet the princess as children at a banquet?”
I imagined little Cedric and little Rachel being introduced at a banquet. From an adult perspective, considering age and status, it would have seemed appropriate to introduce them as friends. Perhaps they stayed friends as children, and feelings naturally grew into romance.
“It was so long ago that I don’t remember clearly. We just happened to meet.”
“I see.”
I felt slightly deflated. Without his added commentary to season my imagination, I gradually erased the image of little Cedric and little Rachel from my mind.
With Rachel gone, the table felt quiet. The lively presence that had spoken energetically was gone. Still, I found enjoyment in talking with Cedric. He didn’t show curiosity first, nor answer my questions directly, yet his replies were precise enough that the conversation flowed.
“How was the exhibition for you today, Duke?”
“Not bad.”
“According to the princess, Room 5 was the most impressive for you too?”
“That’s probably correct.”
“In what way?”
Cedric paused, as if recounting every work in Room 5.
“I was struck by how truth and falsehood were intertwined.”
“Weren’t the contents of the history books almost directly reflected in the artworks?”
“If we go strictly by the historical records, then yes, Princess, you are correct.”
Cedric tried to gloss over it. I continued, hoping to hear something more interesting.
“You speak as if you know the story behind the history books, Duke.”
“I merely meant that what is visible from the perspective of record-keepers may not be everything.”
“Oh, that’s a very interesting perspective.”
“It is not an opinion, but I am glad it added some interest for you, Princess.”
Perhaps he didn’t claim it as his own opinion—maybe he heard it somewhere. People of Lundra believed that even the same event could be seen from multiple angles. Maybe Cedric meant the same.
“Duke, a question.”
“Yes, please.”
“No, no. About the question in the last room of the museum—do you remember it?”
“Yes, I remember.”
“I don’t think it’s a matter of choosing between forgetting or remembering.”
— Will you forget, or will you remember? —
I reminded him of the question from the final room. I wanted to discuss it because I found it intriguing.
“Even if you think you’ve forgotten, memories can resurface. And even if you think you remember, they can fade from conscious thought.”
“Is that so?”
“Memory isn’t thought in the head—it’s buried in the heart. What about you, Duke?”
Cedric gazed at me quietly. His face remained impassive, yet I felt something in him settle downward, quietly.
“I am on the side of remembering.”
Though his face appeared as usual, for some reason I thought Cedric sounded emotional.
After a brief silence, I asked.
“Duke, have you ever been in love?”
I asked impulsively, guided by a premonition that Cedric’s memories of love were somehow related to me.
“Yes.”
And that premonition proved true.
