“I felt this when I first met Her Highness the Lady.”
As everyone was lost in confusion and at a loss for words, Linke continued to explain.
“The flow of wavelengths surrounding Her Highness the Lady was somewhat different from others.”
“Different in what way…?”
“Every person has their own unique wavelength, but the surrounding flow that envelops that wavelength tends to resemble others from the same era. In other words, the wavelengths of people living in the same time are different internally, but the external flow of energy shares a similar texture.”
“I see.”
“However, the flow surrounding Her Highness the Lady was slightly different.”
The more I listened, the more confused I became. Terms like wavelength and flow of time were all unfamiliar to me.
“So if I summarize what Minister Linke said, does that mean Valerie’s wavelength is surrounded by a flow of energy belonging to a different time?”
“Yes, that’s correct.”
“Is that even possible?”
“Theoretically, it is impossible. I have never seen such a case.”
“Then how do we explain Valerie?”
“It is theoretically impossible, but it might be possible as an exception.”
“I’d appreciate it if you could explain it a bit more simply, Minister.”
“Have you ever heard of space-time travel?”
“Space-time travel?”
I recalled when Karl used a magic stone to fly from LaHart to the Otaka Grand Principality to see me.
“I have heard of using a magic stone to move through space.”
“Yes. That’s exactly it. You can move through time using the same principle.”
I was well aware of this. After all, I experienced moving to the past myself. When I arrived at the Grand Principality, I accidentally encountered Karl from two years ago.
“If Her Highness the Lady has traveled to the present from a different time, then the current wavelength and flow of energy can be explained.”
“But…”
Is that even possible? My mind was now in a storm of confusion.
“Isn’t the distance you can travel inversely proportional to the amount of magic stones used?”
They said that moving through space requires an immense amount of magic stones.
Karl, being the Grand Duke and the most powerful figure in the palace, could probably use enough magic stones for his own body, but even he hadn’t lasted for more than a few hours without returning.
As time passes, the magic stones are considerably consumed, as I was explained by Hannah.
“That’s generally the case. Moreover, the time period you wish to travel to and the duration of magic maintenance are proportional to the amount of magic stones.”
“If what you say is true, then Valerie is not the same person now… that she might have come from the future. I’m having a hard time accepting that.”
“I agree that there are aspects difficult to explain realistically. However, without that explanation, this situation cannot be clarified. How else could I have known whether the Grand Duchess was expecting a child?”
“You mentioned feeling a resonance. Perhaps you sensed a different resonance from mine, specifically the same type as Valerie’s, leading you to guess that a new life has been conceived.”
“Exactly. The resonance of the new life that you carry and that of the Young Lady here seem identical. However, the flow of time surrounding these resonances is different. The same person, but from different times. The future Young Lady seems to have flown here for reasons unknown.”
“I can’t recall how many months it’s been since I first met Valerie. Is it really possible to maintain time-spatial magic for such an extended period and across distances?”
“It is possible. However…”
“However?”
“It requires an enormous quantity of magic stones.”
While waiting for Minister Linke’s arrival, I had wondered what it would be like if he could transcend space and come here using magic stones. The answer I received was that an astronomical amount of magic stones would have to be used, making it impossible. It’s possible, but unfeasible.
“It can be done, but to cover that would require magic stones, meaning costs…”
“An astronomical figure indeed.”
“Who would pay such a cost to send the future Valerie here?”
“I cannot say. What I can confirm right now is why the Young Lady has changed like this.”
“Oh, right. Why has Valerie’s body changed?”
The initial reason for Minister Linke’s visit was to ascertain Valerie’s condition.
“To explain that, I detailed the flow of resonance, time, and energy. A singular soul should belong to only one time period. It’s an unbreakable, forbidden rule.”
“Forbidden rule?”
“Yes. However, the Young Lady is currently outside her designated time period, having transcended to the past—effectively our present. As long as the magic stones are intact, she could have endured in the present. But then a variable emerged.”
Unconsciously, my hand moved towards my belly. I cautiously brushed over it, beginning to grasp the implication of Minister Linke’s words.
“…The current Valerie has come into being.”
“Yes, that’s correct.”
For some reason, though I don’t know who did it, Valerie, who flew from the future to the present, meeting the present Valerie is the cause of this entire situation.
“The number of souls that can exist in one time frame is one. It seems that the future Princess Valerie has lost the power to stay here by encountering the current Princess Valerie in her womb.”
Even while hearing such a serious explanation, Valerie played joyfully with Cecilia. Her translucent hand shaking a toy was adorable, but an indescribable emotion also bubbled up.
To think that Valerie was someone who should not belong here. She was a child from the future.
According to the minister’s words, all the inexplicable events until now were explained. Celeste, before I possessed her, had never given birth, yet there was a one-year-old child who clearly bore the blood of her and Karl. This fact explains everything.
Goosebumps surged up my arms. I suspected there was something hidden, but I never imagined there was such a tremendous backstory!
“So what do we do now?”
Following my gaze, Linke turned to look at Valerie too. She regarded the increasingly translucent child with a sympathetic expression.
“If this continues, she will either be absorbed by the current Princess or completely disappear.”
“Disappear?”
“To prevent that, we must send the Princess back to her original time.”
“Sending her back to her original time…”
That meant sending Valerie to the future, where she was meant to be.
“How is that even possible? Who would use such magic to send a child?”
“Right now, there’s no way to confirm that. For now, we need to return to the capital, report this to the Grand Duke, and summon all the officials from the Ministry of Magic to find a solution.”
“Understood.”
Valerie’s secret. With that immense backstory, I, Hannah, and Cecilia all stiffened in fear. It stemmed from the vague but undeniable dread that we would soon not see this beloved child again.
It’s not that we would never see her again; even if we meet her from the future, what we must do now is prepare for this farewell.
***
Before long, I was racing down the darkened night road, running and running. Stilikov, who was leading the way, paused briefly and raised his fist. After confirming his signal, the followers halted in unison.
Stilikov was diligently searching for the path taken by the Ministry of Magic officials. The remnants left by the officials’ enchanted stones appeared as dark liquid, scattered along the road. To avoid mistaking it for gravel or sand, Stilikov carefully examined the path.
Fortunately, the remnants left by the enchanted stones contained a trace of energy. Sensing this energy, Stilikov moved forward cautiously, tracing the remnants step by step. He then stood still, closed his eyes, and began to chant an incantation.
“… Light of darkness, reveal yourself to me.”
No sooner had he finished the incantation than black droplets falling onto the ground glimmered and emitted light. The scattered remnants unmistakably pointed toward one direction.
“This way, Your Majesty.”
Franz, who had followed closely, stopped and caught his breath.
“How much farther do we have to go?”
“It seems we’re about halfway there.”
“We need to hurry.”
“Yes. If luck isn’t on our side, we might run into those returning.”
“Then we mustn’t let that happen.”
Stilikov confirmed that Franz was ready to ride again, prompting him to kick his horse into motion. With his direct involvement, this covert mission could not end in failure. Just wait, Celeste.
Franz gripped the reins tighter. The face of Celeste, whom he would soon encounter, came to mind. He wanted to see her noble face twisted in distress, to witness her shedding tears and pleading for forgiveness from him.
Franz urged his horse on, harder and harder.
