The changing future

 
 After telling Otou-sama my complaints about his comments in the newspaper and allowing them to sketch my portrait, I decided to put the matter to rest for the time being.
 
 What’s done is done, and it’s too late to do anything about it.
 
 And after all, it was His Majesty the King’s plan to disclose the information, so I guess there were aspects that were unavoidable.
 
 There’s no doubt though, they did way too much!
 
 Incidentally, the published illustration that was beautified, was apparently so because Otou-sama kept criticising it over and over.
 
 
 … I have no words. Otou-sama.
 
 
 
 When I took a short break from my sermon, Graham-nii-sama followed up for Otou-sama.
 
 ”W-, well, Letty has reason to be angry. But, that time———when you fell from mid-air, the very first one to dash out to catch you was Chichi-ue^[1].”
 
 ”Huh, really?”
 
 When I asked that, Otou-sama gave a small nod, saying [ye-, yeah].
 
 ”Chichi-ue had been checking your situation, and when you stumbled, he’d already began running while chanting. Just know that, that’s just how dearly he thinks of you.”
 
 I see.
 That time, the one to catch me was Otou-sama.
 
 
 ——— I remember it.
 
 As my consciousness became distant, falling into the deep darkness.
 I got firmly caught, by what I felt were reassuringly strong arms.
 And then, that warmth.
 
 
 I stood up from my seat, walked over to where Otou-sama was.
 
 ”Letty?”
 
 Otou-sama looked at me while being confused, and I———
 
 ”Thank you, Papa.”
 
 I hugged him with all my might.
 My tears wouldn’t stop flowing.
 
 
 ☆
 
 
 After that.
 
 Having waited for me to calm down, my father and brothers told me of the events which occurred over the couple of days I’d been in bed.
 
 ”Let me tell you the gist of things.”
 
 Brother Graham raised his hand.
 
 ”The biggest change, is that the head of the Royalist Faction, the Duke of Oswell, has been replaced as prime minister.”
 
 Onii-sama, saying some absurd things all of a sudden.
 
 ”R-, replaced?”
 
 ”Yeah, replaced.”
 
 ”And, why?”
 
 ”Due to the matter of that surprise attack, the duke has earned suspicion of treason for inviting in foreign threats.”
 
 ”-!!”
 
 Actually, that day, there was something I curiously thought while fighting that day.
 
 The Dragon Riders who’d been hiding in the principality up till the invasion three years later, before my do-over, why had they shown up with that timing.
 
 And then, why that enemy, with pinpoint accuracy, targeted His Majesty and His Highness Gerald, who had been at the Second Knights Order’s training ground.
 
 ”So someone guided them in, is what you’re saying.”
 
 ”Exactly.”
 
 Otou-sama nodded.
 
 ”After that, we brought you straight back to the mansion, and Graham came back home.——— carrying a letter from His Majesty, saying he’d [like to meet privately].”
 
 My brother nodded to my father’s words.
 
 ”When Graham and I went to the appointed place in the royal castle, there His Majesty and His Highness Gerald were already waiting for us.”
 
 ”!!”
 
 The remaining story’s development truly surprised me.
 
 
 
 My father and brother’s story could be summarised as follows:
 
 ① The attack on the royal castle has already been witnessed by many residents, and can’t be covered up. His Majesty must actively disclose information and emphasise that [the enemy has been repulsed], and relieve the citizens of any worry.
 
 ② In order to realise [①], I would have no choice but to become a [hero]. My fight there was witnessed by everyone who had been there, and if it seemed like the royal family was concealing it, it could lead others to distrust the royal family.
 
 ③ As for the enemy’s formation of Dragon Riders, they had launched an exceedingly systematic and polished attack. Based on that coordination and tactics, they think they might be regular soldiers of some country. But they don’t know which country that is. At the very least, on this continent, they hadn’t heard of anyone having tamed dragons.
 
 ④ Again, regarding the enemy, they seemed to have come to attack at a time and place where the king and first prince would’ve been present. From this, we can guess that there was someone who leaked the enemy information, regarding the details of the audience.
 
 ⑤ For the dragons to be gathered for the planned attack, and for preparations to be done, then, including the enemy’s movement time, they think it should’ve taken them at least about a week. This suggests that the informant got hold of the time and place of the audience at an exceedingly early stage.
 
 … roughly, the above-mentioned is what the story was about.
 
 
 
 ”As for the time and place of this time’s audience, only a certain number of people could have known the exact details from early on.”
 
 Graham-nii-sama squinted his eyes as he said so.
 From there, Otou-sama took over.
 
 ”His Majesty and us, and then those who coordinated things and prepared the place, the prime minister and his subordinates.”
 
 ”For His Majesty, His Highness Gerald and the Second Knight Order to be present, while Prince Alvin and the First Knight Order wasn’t, was convenient… For the Royalist Faction, that is.”
 
 The story, which my father and brother told, was horrifying.
 
 I then noticed my hands on my knees, trembling.
 
 ”And then… after that, what happened?”
 
 To my question, Brother Graham replied.
 
 ”The mansion of the Oswell Dukedom and their subordinates were searched by the Second Knight Order the day after the incident. The Duke and his subordinates are being investigated at their homes. Just in case, our house has also been searched, and Chichi-ue and I have been investigated. As for the enemy that escaped, they should be chasing in the direction he escaped.”
 
 Thereupon, Hubert-nii-sama, who had silently been listening to the conversation up till now, opened his mouth.
 
 ”As they’re going ahead with usual procedure, the investigation will end up finishing in about two weeks, and the Judicial Ministry should start a trial within a month. However, because of these things being what they are, a special court might be instituted by the senate.”
 
 ”… most likely, that’s what’ll happen.”
 
 My father nodded at Brother Hubert’s words.
 
 ”In any case, it’s fine, so Letty shouldn’t worry. My colleagues are all excellent, so I’m sure they’ll find evidence.”
 
 Right at the end, Brother Graham^[2] said that and patted me on the head.
 
 
 ☆
 
 
 A few days afterward.
 
 While doing my best to get my physical condition back, in order to have Coco and Mel possess even more power, I did their magic circuit designs and such.
 
 Then one day.
 
 Brother Graham and several people from the Second Knights Order, in addition to a person from the Judicial Ministry, came to our house.
 
 My brother spoke.
 
 ”Actually, at the Duke’s mansion, we found a magic tool that we don’t really understand. There’s no doubt it’s some kind of magic tool, but its purpose is uncertain. I couldn’t figure it out on my own, so I thought I’d bring it here for Chichi-ue and Letty to take a look at… Ah, I properly got permission to take it out, so don’t worry.”
 
 My father and I stared on blankly at the sudden talk.
 
 Still, we wanted to try having a look at it, so with that said, we brought a table into the entrance hall, and with everyone watching over us, had the magic tool in question spread out before us.
 
 
 
 ”…what is this?”
 
 My father tilted his head.
 
 That magic tool had been separated into several parts.
 
 A wooden box smaller than a cardboard box from the grocer’s^[3].
 Within that box, there were several dial-like things.
 This was most likely the main part.
 
 Long Mistreel wires were stretched from the box seemingly at random, while also being coiled inside.
 
 The moment I saw that, I gasped in surprise.
 
 ———that, why is something like this in the Duke’s mansion?!
 

TL Notes:

[1]a reminder, Chichi-ue is a respectable way of referring to one’s father ↩

[2]I’m thinking of switching this to something else, maybe making it “my brother, Graham”, or changing it to “Graham-nii-sama” completely. The problem with the former, is that it would feel repetitive or redundant in many cases, and the problem with the latter is the nuance and feeling that using either would bring to the sentence. I’ll think it over, but it just doesn’t sit right with me. ↩

[3]specifically, it said “box of mikan oranges”, but that seems specific to JP culture ↩