As evening approached, I was assigned to clean the palace courtyard.
Lately, many trees had begun to shed their leaves, making the courtyard look dirty.
It seemed that winter would soon arrive.
Of course, I wouldn't be around to feel winter in this world, because everything would end tomorrow.
——
Because the courtyard was so large, I didn't clean it alone. Several maids helped me.
Thankfully, I didn't have to work too hard.
From a distance, I saw a guard at the post talking to someone.
It wasn't very clear since the distance between here and the guard post was quite far.
But I could still see a bit of what was going on there.
Well, who cares.
It's probably just some minor report or request. I don't need to find out about it.
——
After my section was completely tidy and clean, I leaned my back against the trunk of a tree.
I sat down and rested my back against it.
I thought the texture of the tree would feel hard or something like that.
But surprisingly, it didn't. It felt quite soft for a tree—perhaps a different kind than usual.
Even my back felt really comfortable when pressed against it.
I looked at the maids who had been cleaning with me earlier.
Almost all of them had finished their parts and went back inside the palace.
Of course, once they were inside, they would get back to work again.
Since I still felt tired and lazy, I decided to stay under this tree for a little longer.
Well, to be honest, I was just too lazy to start working again… but I really was a bit tired.
—
My gaze turned toward the large and magnificent building known as the palace in this world.
For some reason, every time I looked at its structure, it felt familiar, like I had seen it before.
But that was impossible.
This was my first time entering this world, and I had never seen this palace before.
Ugh, why is it getting confusing like this?
—
In the center of the palace stood a tower taller than the rest of the structure.
It was as if the tower declared itself the focal point of the entire palace.
From what I could see, the tower was quite small. Its interior space was probably only twice the size of my body.
Because of that, you could say the tower was small.
But since it stood at the center, people regarded it as a symbol of power.
The tallest building in the kingdom—one that inspired awe with its beauty.
Not for me, though.
I once asked several people who worked in the palace about that tower.
Of course, I was curious why it had been built.
After all, the palace itself already stood at the heart of the kingdom, so why add a tower?
Was it just decoration? Or was there a deeper meaning hidden by its creator?
I had asked them about it, probably back when I first arrived in this world.
Since then, I had always been very curious about that tower.
——
(Person #1: A maid who waters the plants)
"The tower? Why are you so interested in it?"
"Ehmm… I don't know, ever since I started working here, it's already been there… so I'm not sure when it was built."
"From what I've heard from other maids, they say the tower was just built as decoration."
"To make it look grander? I don't think so, maybe just to make the palace look more detailed."
"Are you leaving already? Help me water the plants first~"
"How many? There are still about forty-seven trees left to water."
——
(Person #2: One of the guards at the post)
"What brings you here? You want to go out?"
"Oh, about that…"
"No particular reason, but I was once told by my father when he still worked here."
"He said the tower was built by the former king because his wife had died from illness."
"But I don't have any proof whether what my father said was true or not…"
"Me? Maybe… I believe my father's story?"
"I'm not really into looking into things like this, but my father loved them."
"Unfortunately, he's not here anymore."
"Dead? Oh, no, my father's still alive. He just works at a bakery in town now."
——
(Person #3: The palace cook)
"Got a problem? Ask Papa~"
"The central tower? Oh, that tall one, you mean?"
"From what I've heard, it was just built for decoration~"
"There's no special meaning behind its construction."
"Anyway, why are you suddenly asking about this? Did something make you curious?"
——
Well, to sum up what they told me, the tower was built merely for decoration.
Some said it had a deeper meaning, but that seemed unlikely.
Besides, ordinary towers are usually built to make a structure look more majestic anyway.
As for the sense of familiarity I felt, maybe it reminded me of the palace in Necvalion.
I'd already forgotten what that building looked like, but somehow it felt similar to the one before me now.
Why am I even thinking about this tower, anyway?
——
As the afternoon deepened, I lazily got up from my comfortable spot.
If only I could relax like that every day.
I turned toward the guard post just to make sure nothing was happening. But then, a guard started running toward me.
Well, well, what kind of problem is it this time?
It wasn't normal for someone to run in my direction like that.
I turned my head to see what was behind me, but there was no one there.
That meant the guard really was heading straight for me. Oh great, I'm in trouble again.
I sighed and looked back at the guard.
When he finally reached me, he bent over, out of breath from running.
Honestly, the distance between the post and where I stood wasn't that far. How could he be this exhausted?
"What's wrong? Why are you suddenly—" I asked the guard.
But he cut me off and handed me a rolled-up piece of paper.
The scroll was, once again, tied with a thin red string.
It seemed I had received a scroll like this before...
"Just now, a man gave me that letter... hah... hah..." said the guard, still panting.
"R-relax," I replied.
Well, if he was that out of breath, he should just take it easy. It's not like I'm going anywhere.
Yeah… where would I even go, anyway?
—
"That man claimed he was sent by Luis Van Milhert, and that the letter was addressed to Lady Rosalia," the guard continued.
"Please deliver it to Rosalia-sama—"
I immediately turned around and dashed toward Rosa-chan's room.
Another letter from Luis, and honestly, I had a bad feeling about it.
I thought everything was already fine, so why is another letter coming now?
Tomorrow's their wedding day, isn't it? Does he want to say something else?
Seriously, why doesn't he just come to see Rosa-chan in person? Talking face-to-face would be so much better.
Maybe he's just shy?
—
"Tell her to read that letter immediately!!" the guard shouted after me.
I raised my thumb to him, meaning I'd get it done.