"Honestly, even I didn't expect Barkin to do something like that. It makes no sense."
In the top-floor suite of the Bratia Grand Hotel, Vichy sat on a single armchair beside the coffee table, raising a delicate porcelain cup and sniffing the tea inside. The rising steam, laced with the subtle fragrance of tea leaves, drifted into his nose. He took a tentative sip, then set the cup down again. After getting used to all kinds of alcoholic drinks, he really couldn't see the appeal of something so bland and bitter.
"He came from a farming background, always mild-mannered, and rarely had conflicts with anyone at the factory. His coworkers all spoke highly of him. What's more, his wife was pregnant at the time of the incident. I really don't understand why he'd do something like that. Even the investigator couldn't make any sense of it."
Seated gracefully on the long sofa to the left of the coffee table, Hielaina listened attentively as Vichy spoke. Standing behind the sofa with her hands clasped behind her back, close to Vichy's side, was Shatiel.
In contrast to Vichy's slightly uneasy demeanor, Hielaina sat with perfect posture, delicately savoring the rare northern tea. Her every gesture was elegant and natural, free of any hint of affectation.
"And what did the investigator conclude in the end?"
She gently set her teacup back on the table and waited for him to continue.
Vichy's accounts of Arcia's past had revealed to her the background of that quiet, reserved girl—and how war had altered the entire course of her life. But surprisingly, his stories were beginning to take on an air of mystery.
"They investigated for nearly a month and found nothing. Barkin lived a simple life, had no suspicious connections, and no dealings with any strange groups. But many people did say that about a week before the incident, he started to seem... off. He would sometimes ignore people even when they called his name. In the end, the police closed the case citing mental derangement. Arcia and Alice were ruled to have acted in self-defense and weren't held responsible for anything."
"Mental derangement..."
Hielaina let out a dry laugh.
For a man to suddenly lose his mind and try to throw a child he didn't even know into a furnace, only to fall in himself due to a misstep—no matter how you looked at it, there was something off about it. But that was nearly a decade ago. Perhaps even the people involved barely remembered it now.
"It was just a minor factory accident, after all. Nothing that caused public outcry. In the end, we processed it as a workplace incident and compensated Barkin's widow accordingly."
Vichy merely shrugged in response to the princess's subtle skepticism. It helped that the political climate had shifted at the time and the government had started paying attention to workers' rights—otherwise, even saying this much would have been hard for him.
"Have there been other incidents like this since?"
Hielaina was aware that some small underground religious groups had been known to carry out extreme acts. There had even been major cases that involved nobles.
"No, not that I've heard of."
Vichy paused for a moment before giving his reply. Hielaina didn't press further—perhaps this would just remain a cold, forgotten case.
Bang—
The door to the suite burst open. All three of them instinctively turned toward the sound.
"Arcia?"
Hielaina looked slightly confused. Wasn't Arcia supposed to be meeting Alice in the room next door? Why had she barged in here like a storm, radiating fury?
"Calm down, Her Highness is here!"
Just after Arcia stormed in, Nordhausen and Edwin rushed in behind her.
"Your Highness..."
Nordhausen looked troubled.
He glanced at Hielaina, bowed along with Edwin, then moved to try and block Arcia's advance. But Hielaina raised her hand, signaling them to stand down.
"Your Highness, what is—"
Though Arcia's face was blank, the aura she gave off screamed confrontation—and it was clearly aimed at Vichy.
He shot a nervous glance at Hielaina, then another at Shatiel, but neither responded to his pleading look.
Thud—
Arcia kicked the edge of the couch Vichy was sitting on, spinning him around to face her. She stepped up onto the armrest, and in one fluid motion, drew her dagger and stabbed it right beside his face—burying the blade into the couch's backrest. The whole sequence took less than two seconds. Vichy had no time to react.
"..."
Her chest heaved with each breath, and the fury in her eyes looked ready to burn Vichy to ashes.
"L-Let's talk. Let's just talk..."
Only when death was literally inches away did Vichy lose all his composure. He curled up, trying to slide off the sofa and away from the dagger, not even noticing the shallow cut now bleeding across his cheek.
"What happened to Arcia? Did the meeting go badly?"
Hielaina finally spoke, looking to Nordhausen. At the same time, she shot a glance at Shatiel. The latter gave a subtle nod, her pupils gradually shifting to a golden hue.
"The meeting went alright... but when she saw the scars on Alice, she got really upset."
Seeing that Nordhausen was struggling with how to explain, Edwin took over.
"Scars?"
Hielaina frowned slightly. Edwin continued:
"That bastard Vichy sold Alice to a brothel. She became their star performer or something. The scars are from her... work."
"I see."
Hielaina had already heard from Vichy bits and pieces of Arcia's past. She knew her parents had died in an air raid, that she and Alice had met in the same orphanage, and that they'd both ended up working at Vichy's glass factory. But clearly, Vichy hadn't told her everything.
"Arcia, listen to me..."
Hielaina finally rose and approached the furious little lion cub.
"Vichy will pay for what he's done. That, I promise you."
She placed a gentle hand on Arcia's shoulder. Then she said no more, waiting quietly for Arcia's reaction.
The girl's hand still gripped the dagger's hilt. Her golden hair spilled down both sides of her face, hiding it from view. But Hielaina could feel her breathing slowly start to settle.
"..."
Without a word, Arcia let go of the dagger, leaving it buried in the couch, and turned to leave. Edwin followed her out. Nordhausen stepped up to Hielaina.
"Arcia has always been like this. I hope Your Highness won't hold it against her..."
He bowed again as he finished.
"It's alright. I understand."
With a past like hers, Hielaina didn't believe anyone could come through it completely untouched. But now she was truly curious—just what kind of person was Alice, to occupy such an important place in Arcia's heart?
"I'll go see Alice myself."
That curiosity even made her willing to set aside her usual need for secrecy regarding her whereabouts. Predictably, Nordhausen tried to stop her.
"It's fine. Just tell Alice I'm a friend of yours."
"Ah... Understood."
Nordhausen hesitated, but since Hielaina had already made up her mind, he couldn't stop her.
"Then please keep an eye on Mr. Vichy for the time being. He seems... rather shaken."
Although it sounded like a polite request, Hielaina's eyes were fixed firmly on Vichy. Feeling her gaze, he gave an awkward smile. He knew—there was no escaping this now.
"Yes, ma'am."
Once Hielaina and Shatiel had left, Nordhausen closed the door behind them. In the silence that followed, only the ticking of the clock echoed through the room.