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With a troubled expression, Princess Leshimiiya replied, 「It’s a calculated move.」 It must be tough being in her position.

「Regarding this corridor, you won’t need anything to exit this floor or the ones below once you’re already inside. However, to enter this room or access the hidden corridor system from other floors, a key is required.
This is the required key, so please be careful not to lose it.」

With that, she handed me a small silver key. Using my previous world for comparison, it’s as small as a locker key. I thanked her before receiving the key.
Putting aside the confirmation check for later, since it seemed like we’ll be parting soon, I tried posing a certain question for Princess Leshimiiya.

「This will be a different topic, but may I ask one last question?」
「Of course, as long as I’m fit to answer it.」
「What are your thoughts on taboos?」
「Well… they are things that should not be done?」

Perhaps not expecting such a question, Princess Leshimiiya was dumbfounded but didn’t appear particularly perplexed by my words.
Does this mean that the taboo isn’t state-sanctioned? Or perhaps Princess Leshimiiya at least is not informed about it? It might be best to ask for Mia’s opinion on this later.
For now, I left her a slight warning,「I’ll trust those words,」as we decided to exit this floor.
Princess Leshimiiya saw us off at the entrance of the room, and once we reached the elevator, our previously confiscated belongings were returned.

Descending apparently doesn’t require the use of the sorceric tool, so we returned to our room without any trouble.
Switching places with Ciel, she sat down on the bed and began sorting through the events that had just taken place.

「First, about the taboo question. Mia, did it seem like Princess Leshimiiya was lying back then?」
「It didn’t appear that way to me. It felt more like someone trying to come up with an answer to a question they had never considered before.」
「In that case, I guess the princess isn’t connected to the taboo, at least.」
「I believe the chances of that are quite high.」

Mia isn’t a mind reader, of course, so it wouldn’t be wise to take her word as absolute—but her insight is far more reliable than mine.

「In any case, that means we still don’t have any leads on that front for now.」
「Classes haven’t even started yet, so there’s no need to rush.」
「I’m not rushing, you know? Ain was the one who asked about it in the first place.」
『I just figured we might as well, since the opportunity was there. After all, it is one of our goals, so we can’t exactly ignore it.』

If the royal family had been involved in the taboo, things could’ve gotten quite troublesome.
I’m really glad that doesn’t seem to be the case.

「Come to think of it, Ain—didn’t you have some doubts about why the princess called us in the first place?」
『Not exactly doubts… but I do think Princess Leshimiiya has another reason, besides the one she mentioned outright.』
「And what would that be?」
『Regarding Ausente’s destruction, I think they’re considering the possibility that we might end up being the cause of it.
She said that non-interference has become difficult. That is likely because they’ve deemed it necessary to keep an eye on Ailneige.』

If they’ve heard the rumors about Cielmer, then it’s possible they suspect Fiiyanamia’s daughter could be the one to bring ruin to their country. And frankly, if we wanted to, we probably could.
With the cause of destruction still unknown, they can’t risk ignoring someone who might get involved—but at the same time, they can’t afford to offend Ailneige either.
As a result, the princess decided to secure the right to stay close to Ailneige through such indirect means, I suppose. Though really, I don’t think anyone needs a right to be close to someone.

「You realized that but chose not to ask, didn’t you?」
『If I had brought it up, it would’ve just stressed the princess out, you see?』
「So Ain was worried about her? I’m a little jealous.」
『You’re the one I worry about most, Ciel.』

Hearing that, Ciel let out a small chuckle.

「Sorry. I never doubted that, you know?」

Ciel answered with a soft smile. It made me feel unexpectedly embarrassed; I couldn’t help but turn away. And in response, she said,「You’re always so adorable, Ain,」making it even worse.
I honestly wanted to curl up in a corner, but then I heard a faint giggle.

「Oh, Mia. Why are you laughing?」
「Forgive me. I just found myself feeling a bit envious of how close the two of you are.」
「Too bad. Ain’s mine, you know?」
「Naturally.」

I was left completely behind in their conversation—not that Mia could hear me anyway.
Still, seeing Ciel chatting so casually with someone like this is a good thing. Just… not in my case right now.
Fortunately, it didn’t last long before Ciel turned her attention back to me.

「That aside, Ain, you’re always kind to people like Princess Leshimiiya.
I remember you being that way with Viviana, Chasse, and even that guild master, too.」
『It’s kind of hard to explain, but I just can’t help sympathizing with people who seem like they’re dealing with a lot.』
「Is that so?」
『That said, if they ever pose a threat to you, I won’t show them any mercy.』

No matter how I feel about others, that’s one thing I won’t compromise on.
Ciel comes before all else. As long as that stays true, I might show others some consideration—but only then.

『Besides, Princess Leshimiiya’s got that troublesome brother to deal with. Honestly, I feel bad for her.』
「Ahh… that’s true. And being royalty probably makes it impossible for her to just run away, too.」

The princess certainly has my sympathy—but setting that aside, we decided to stick to our original goal: study at the academy while keeping an eye out for whoever is attempting to commit a taboo.

And that ends this chapter! It seems like we might see finally see their first day at school soon!

I do like how Ciel as recognized the pattern of Ain feeling bad for certain types of people, lol. You could say that they caught Ciel’s curiosity to a certain extent. Though it was funny that she only remembered “that one guildmaster” and not even which guild of what place he was a guildmaster of.

Now then, I hope you enjoyed this chapter. Please feel free to comment. Stay healthy, stay safe, and have a nice day~!

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