Leticia was convinced that there was a real culprit behind the great fire at the Borba Troupe 10 years ago.
Sensing her implication, Chester questioned her.
“Don’t you think it was an accident?”
“The Borba Troupe was a place with thorough fire prevention. If it had been a simple accident rather than someone’s deliberate act, such a large fire couldn’t have occurred.”
The Borba Troupe often featured circus performances on stage.
Since fire shows were frequently performed on stage, they couldn’t have been negligent about fire prevention.
“Besides, if it had been an accident, so many troupe members wouldn’t have failed to escape.”
“Did you come to find the real culprit?”
At Chester’s question, Leticia shook her head.
For her, family had always been more important than truth.
“I came to ask about news of the surviving Borba Troupe members. You were well acquainted with the older brothers and sisters of the troupe.”
She didn’t think Chester would have any clues about the real culprit anyway.
Not being a nobleman, what would a mere commoner actor know?
What Leticia needed was the network of connections he had built during his more than 30 years as an actor. Connections to the Borba Troupe members.
“….”
“If you just tell me that, you’ll never have to see me again. Grandfather Chester wouldn’t want to get further involved with an ex-death row inmate either, so it’s beneficial for both of us.”
Chester remained silent, then, seeming to realize her words were sincere, he spoke.
“It was a massive fire, so most of them died. Even those who survived didn’t last long. You probably guessed that much.”
“But if they had received proper treatment, surely…”
“None of them were in a condition where treatment could save them. Even though a generous donation suddenly came in and they received all possible treatments…”
Silence fell between the two sitting face to face.
Leticia recalled the Emperor’s proposal from 10 years ago.
He had said there were Borba Troupe members still alive, and Leticia had become the fake prince to save them.
‘They received all possible treatments.’
At least it meant the Emperor hadn’t broken his promise.
She had thought the Emperor she knew in the past would never have done that, but it was hard to know for sure.
Although Leticia had half expected it, hearing directly about her family members’ deaths made her heart sink.
“Is there no one alive?”
“Only Luka remains.”
Leticia’s eyes widened at the sudden mention of a family member’s name.
“… Brother Luka is alive?”
Chester frowned, his eyes clouding with distant memory. His words continued slowly.
“When I went to Eiri’s funeral five years ago, Luka said that he was the only one left. He said he couldn’t bear it anymore and was returning to his hometown.”
“….”
“The burn scars on his face were too severe for him to ever perform on stage again anyway…”
Chester pointed to his own left cheek down to his neck, adding something like ‘this entire area was burned,’ and after a brief silence, he finally said.
“Still, he was a man who could walk properly on his two feet.”
Leticia recalled Luka after a very long time.
He had been a handsome young man who was rising as a new talent in the Borba Troupe at that time.
She remembered his cheeks that dimpled when he smiled, his gentle green eyes, and his black hair that he would complain hurt whenever it was dyed.
All these memories came back immediately, making her previous efforts to bury them seem futile.
“Brother Luka, to his hometown?”
She pondered Chester’s words.
Luka Borba.
He was an orphan who carried the Borba surname, just like Leticia.
He was as attached to the Borba Troupe as Leticia was, yet he rarely revealed his circumstances to the troupe members.
The fact that Luka Borba was an orphan who couldn’t even remember his hometown was intimate knowledge known only to fellow orphans in similar situations.
Leticia had been able to hear his story because she was in a similar situation to Luka.
“Did you hear where he went?”
“I didn’t hear that far, but he did leave something to pass on if anyone asked about his whereabouts. Wait a moment. I’ll bring it from inside.”
Leticia stared blankly at Chester’s retreating back, then lowered her gaze to the teacup she was holding. The clear tea water that she hadn’t yet taken a sip of rippled.
Luka Borba has no hometown to return to. And he is not the type of person who would leave something with Chester.
“Grandfather Chester.”
At her call, his footsteps stopped just as he was about to go up to the second floor through the living room.
“How much of what you said is true?”
Before she could finish speaking, Chester quickly fled up the stairs.
Leticia didn’t bother to chase after him. She merely turned her teacup upside down.
There was no splash of water hitting the floor.
The tea had completely transformed into a hazy mist that filled the living room.
Seated on the sofa, Leticia spread the mist throughout the house, past the living room.
Water had always been her ally, regardless of its form.
For Leticia, who didn’t possess beast-like senses like the Basilinte people, it was easier to detect humans by spreading mist like this.
In the mist that filled the house, she detected Chester trying to escape through a second-floor window.
He had gone in earlier, saying he would put his wife to sleep, but there was no sign of the elderly lady—perhaps he had sent her out.
Rather, she sensed young humans stealthily infiltrating the house.
‘Information guild? Assassination guild? Or the imperial family?’
Their movements were light and they were heavily armed.
Leticia briefly speculated before deciding to capture and question them.
She lightly raised her hand.
The wine, flower vases, and even the teapot in the living room—all the water they contained rose into the air.
The water droplets soon merged into one mass, forming a giant snake shape that began to swallow the people in the house one by one.
It didn’t take long for the giant water snake to spit out Chester and the other intruders in front of Leticia.
“Gack!”
“Cough, hack, kugh…”
Leticia looked down at them while still seated on the sofa.
In Basilinte, they made a fuss about Leticia being too kind and gentle, but that didn’t mean she was naive enough to be kind to people who lied about her family.
“Grandfather Chester. Let’s continue our conversation from earlier. Is it true? The story about Brother Luka .”
“You, you… this, cough, this…”
Soaking wet, Chester stared at her with surprised eyes and stammered.
Leticia spoke with cold eyes.
“You need to answer.”
“….”
“Or should we start with a different question to ease the tension? Grandfather Chester, who sent these people?”
When he still didn’t answer, the giant snake-shaped water engulfed Chester’s head.
Of course, a mass of water without teeth or a stomach couldn’t actually chew his head; it just made him feel like he was momentarily submerged underwater.
“Hngh!”
Leticia watched the bubbles flowing from Chester’s mouth, then released him again.
“Grandfather Chester.”
“Cough, hack, th-that, th-they were sent by the Borba Troupe!”
What nonsense. Leticia frowned.
Apparently, Grandfather Chester hadn’t fully assessed the situation. Then she needed to help him improve his judgment.
Swish. The giant snake-shaped water tapped Chester’s crown.
Water always knows the answer.
Astrid had always taught her kind, upright, pretty, and lovable disciple, worrying about her tender heart.
Leticia, being her teacher’s adorable student, had faithfully learned those teachings.
“I-I’m telling the truth! Sir Borba, Sir Borba must have sent them!”
“….”
“F-from the beginning, if you came, he asked to be informed, Sir Borba…”
Teacher. Is it really true that water always knows the answer?
“… Sir Borba is alive?”