Royal Castle Library. It is also an establishment partially open to those who have been allowed to enter the castle, where literature that spells out the history of the kingdom, or of other countries in which the kingdom has also become involved, is stored.
In such a room, Sophie and Tio stack several books on the table, intrigue their contents, and wrap them in their homework notebooks.
It's the finishing touches of free research. It is a particularly uninteresting story from their children, but it is compiled about the founding book from the royal family, the contents of which are private schools aside, full of detailed historical facts that are normally untouched in life, and full of new discoveries.
"Okay, I guess this is it"
"……… It's finally over."
Tio had his forehead on his desk without concealing his mental fatigue against Sophie, who had finished his homework immediately.
This time, they were invited to the royal castle for work, although it was an experience. Even if it is only as a real Hilda player.
That doesn't mean I'm with Hilda all the time. Especially now that Hilda is in talks with her national dignitaries, the children cannot be left to the boulders to serve in important places that can also lead to such national traffic. In that case, the royal castle maid entertains Hilda and her guests instead.
In order to make the most of the extra time, I decided to carry out a free study, which was the last worry of the summer vacation, and I was able to rent the library at Alicia's expense, but I couldn't put it on at all times, so this time I ended it at quite a pace.
"I'm tired of boulders...... I can still afford it, take a break and then go back?
"Well, that helps."
Looking at the clock, the two of us decided to take a short break before returning because we still have time to finish the talks. Then the way they kill their time is not a book, but inevitably a bickering.
"The castle is quite different than I thought it would be. Everyone seems pretty busy."
"Right. I mean, where you live, it feels like you've wasted your guild office."
"Waste..."
The Royal Castle is a royal place to live, as well as a central facility of government. Civilians naturally get the impression that they are busy because of the fact that many people work, such as, of course, the maid who manages the castle itself and the butler of the entertainer.
Until now, Sophie and Tio only had the impression that "a place where great people live gracefully," but they came here and another view of life was nourished.
"Your mother seemed busy, too."
"Yeah… I don't have a choice. Because that's a really decent job over there."
And this is also an extremely natural story, but those in charge of security, including soldiers, are not always busy either. The Shirleys, who were incorporated into one of them and were to take on Hilda's escort, will always take the form of following Hilda's schedule.
That's why my mother is so busy. I fully understand that. I understand... I'm a little lonely.
Because this is a valuable opportunity to work in the same place, I guess what I would like to be with a little more is proof that my parents have not been able to leave me.
"Speaking of which, didn't you look slightly subtle before you went to your mother's library?
"Yeah. I don't know what to say...... like this, I chewed bitter things in my mouth"
The perception, in fact, is not as if it were wrong. It was Shirley who was intent on helping Sophie and Tio with the challenge of free research, but he was deprived of it by an element of uncertainty and feathered to feel like he had chewed up the truth bitter bug.
If Kyle and I hadn't stopped him, we could have abandoned the escort and followed him to the library together. Unsurprisingly, Shirley's uncluttered gaze, which could hide from Sophie and Tio that she was a parent idiot, appeared unusual to both eyes.
"Oh? Are you…………………"
When the two of them tilt their necks in retrospect of their mother's figure, the library door opens. Philia and Lumigliana were the ones who came inside from the hallway.
"Ah... I know your mother..."
"Hello,"
"... Yep, hello. I've never greeted you like this before."
Unexpected, my blood-borne aunt and niece met each other in the face. But Philia, unwilling to tell me that, is now a nobleman of former imperial territory and goes by in a warrant with Shirley.
You can't find out about that...... Feeling Lumigliana's gaze from behind, which makes her seem a little worried, Filia mixed a masked grin that takes care of her completely accustomed identity and heart with an unmixed genuine grin.
"Is that…… a study note? No, if you're a kid in the kingdom, is that school homework?
"Uh... actually."
When Sophie told him how she was in the library, Philia nodded softly.
"Oh, I see. You know in the kingdom you also give civilians a certain level of academic achievement, but you also give them more advanced knowledge than you thought. In the Empire, even though they're just civilians who don't even remember reading and writing calculations."
"…… Really?
"Yep. At least, even if you know history in general, there's hardly anyone who knows more about events, ages, etc.? Thanks to the Empire, civilian positions are limited… and the Adventurer Alliance is only available along the border."
Philia was a little jealous of that. In empires, knowledge is monopolized by all nobles, and few learned from the civilian population emerge. On the contrary, there are still a large number of children among aristocrats whose discrimination against women is deeply rooted and who close their academic paths.
Give wisdom to the civilian population and it will be a bud of rebellion. Work is a man's share, and a woman's share is about the house. In fact, the old idea of mold growing is at the root of the empire.
I honestly envy you, as one of the family of exchangers, for educating your children about it and laying a reign where even women can carry it out without pride.
If the country had flourished by then and the people had been free, they would not have had to cut off the empire to another country with Filia.
"But after all, do you miss your mother when she's not at work?
However, the freedom of the position made me a little worried. I know it's worrying because I'm talking about Shirley, but have you raised two children with one woman and left them lonely? Similar feelings bud to that kind of mediation.
"Hmmm...... I do miss you a little bit because sometimes you don't come home for a whole day, but because I know your mom is fighting hard"
"Yes... that's great."
And good boys. Driven by the urge to caress my head accidentally.
"…… that? Speaking of which……………."
"What's going on?
"I wondered why your mother knew the aristocrats who were in Imperial Territory. When you think about your mother, you never seem to set foot in an empire or anything."
(Yes, surprisingly sharp............!?
Philia accidentally almost had her heart pop out of her mouth. I wasn't licking the other guy, but I didn't even think that a 10-year-old would poke me into the inconsistency of the story, so her tongue, which I can peruse with a normal lie, just doesn't work this time.
Should I still call the area Shirley's daughter... I thought it seemed easy to hear as a child, but I didn't hide the grim spot.
"Lord Shirley and the lady knew each other when Lord Shirley was still living in the Empire."
Lumigliana gently puts support in the filia, whose head was blankly blanched by surprises. If you look back, your dependable best friend and knight winked.
"Because your daughter's father and mother, Countess Aigner, were close to Her Majesty the former Emperor and Her Royal Highness the former Queen. Even though I had that edge and I was young...... I'm still young, but I had Lord Shirley do better at the time, didn't I?
"Oh, yeah! Until the death of the former emperor and his wife, I also frequently went to the castle."
By the way, it is true that the Earl Aigner family was cordial with the former Emperor and his wife, who were assassinated. Because of its edge, the Eigner family acted as a bridge for Philia to the kingdom that was the enemy.
"Your mother when you were younger?
"Wah............! I might be a little interested in that!
And Sophie and Tio heard about Shirley when she was younger, and she was interested there.
Philia and Lumigliana leave the kingdom a few days before the Summer Solstice Festival. Then this could be the last interaction between my aunt and my niece.
Thought so, Filia arrives at the same table and smiles gently as if to make the picture book speak and be heard by the child. Somewhere in that look, it made me feel a similar face to Shirley's smile.
"Right. Then if you have time, why don't I sneak in and tell you what old Shirley was like?
"Really?"
"Yep. … well, what shall we start with?"
Shirley won't look good in her old story where she's not in person either, but you can tell her if her precious daughters want to know. That's what Filia thought.
"... eheh"
"What's wrong, Sophie?"
"Yeah, something. We're twins, but I'm a better sister (...) So I didn't really know how my sister felt."
Sophie, emphasizing once she had done the "sister" part, pointed a slightly reluctant and modest smile at Philia.
"If we had a little old away sister, I wonder if she was like this."
"Ugh!?
Sister. In those words, Filia feels pierced through her chest with a difficult emotion.
Without realizing that the identity of the feeling was close to the emotions usually felt by Shirley to her daughters, and then something of a different kind, Philia shuddered her mouth when she realized it, standing one finger up and asking the two of them to do a favor.
"Oh, I'm sorry............! Can you both call me" sister "one more time......?
"Princess...... not, lady!? Mind you!
And the date is past and on the eve of the Summer Solstice Festival. Summer festivals deserve and a full night sky with no sign of drifting one rain cloud illuminates the kingdom with stars and moon lights.
Until the other day, as predicted, we don't see any activity of "Thieves". But if this evening is the deciding date for the offense, it won't be funny no matter what time there's a move.
Shirley stands in the courtyard where no one is anymore, grips the pattern of her waist liturgical sword, and softly regains her temper. That's when I heard a mild footsteps from behind her.
"Mom? What's going on here?
The identity of the footsteps was Sophie. Shirley slowly looks back and looks her daughter in the eye.
"Take a look around. From this position, you can see the room where Her Royal Highness is, and even if something happens, it's in my time."
"Oh well. But it's time to go back? I, the maid from the castle, taught me how to brew tea! I want my mom to drink it too...... no?
"No, that's not true. If Sophie brewed me some tea, I'd appreciate it."
Shirley had a calm look on her daughters at all times...... the next moment.
But before that,
With the spirit's killing spirit in his two-colored eyes, he pulled out his liturgical sword at divine speed and poked his cutting-edge into the face of his daughter, who was no one else, who he himself would not love.