The House of Adonias, the most authoritative dukes in the country, the great nobles close to the royal family, and almost every duke was deeply trusted by every king - so that in many cases, the House of Adonia was endowed with almost magical power and arbitrariness by the king.

And the relationship with the Holy See is very strange, it seems that the relationship is very bad and there seems to be communication at some high level. It is said that the House of Adonia is an ancient noble family name that can be traced back to the Holy See scriptures.

Of course, these are not their greatest reputations.

The reason why they are household names in the kingdom is not because of these powerful backgrounds - in fact, the House of Adonia has always kept a low profile, and many people barely hear their reputation as great nobles compared to other great nobles. Even within the aristocracy, the surname of Adonia is understated and mysterious. Few people know what the Adonias were up to, why the king relied on them, and why they had strange power but were barely used......

"House Adonia?ohohoh, you mean the number one horse family in the kingdom?"

That's the first reaction people have when they hear the surname.

The men of the family are all known for their breeding horses, and they are all over the place.

It is said that the women of Adonia also began to marry and have children very early.

Although it is rude to say this, it is said that there was a time when incest was rife in the family – although such corruption did not seem to be uncommon in aristocratic circles – and the children were even in their early teens......

But in fact, the information of this family is too deliberately secret, and everything is just rumors at the level of "supposedly".

As mentioned earlier, even the future king, the little prince, did not know.

In fact, the princess didn't know anything about it.

But the shadow on the back of the kingdom seems to ......

Is it a feeling to unveil a corner of the curtain in front of yourself today?

However, when I went to investigate the anomaly because of Mr. Zero, I didn't find out that the family he came from had this aspect at all......

The princess couldn't help but take a step back.

"Because you've been exposed to it too, and I'm probably going to have to do something about it next...... So there's nothing to hide. ”

"What was your first impression of the House of Adonia?" said the Duke, expressionlessly.

"Stallion...... Yes. ”

Subconsciously said what he had just thought.

"No, I mean, mysterious, something......" The princess quickly changed her words.

"There's nothing embarrassing about that...... Because it is. ”

That's why I've been so worried that Mr. Zero will get into trouble everywhere!

Not knowing what was going on in the princess's mind, the Duke of Adonia continued.

"So,

"Since it's a breed all over the place, the family must be so big that it can't be done, maybe there are a lot of branch families hidden in various places."

That's what everyone thinks. ”

"Your Highness, do you want to guess how many of our Adonia family there are now?" said the duke, smiling.

"Why do you suddenly say such a ......," muttered the princess, "that...... Hundreds, thousands?" she said casually.

I don't have a clue anyway.

“...... Five people, Your Highness. Duke Adonia smiled and bowed, "Strictly speaking, plus myself, there are still five people left in the Adonia family. We have no collateral remnants, and no branches are still alive. ”

“...... What?" she looked at the other in shock.

She clearly remembered that Mr. Zero said that she had four brothers and sisters.

In this way......

"You've handled a lot of pandemic-related things for you these days. Ah, after all, this is the most important event in the country right now. The Duke was still smiling.

I don't know why, the princess looked at each other's smiles, but suddenly found that it was only now that she felt that this Duke was really so similar to Mr. Zero for the first time.

"So do you know the Mill family, who have been plagued for generations, although they are not noble, they are still a little famous, not to mention that it is the time of the pandemic. ”

The man abruptly changed the subject...... What did he want to say, the princess thought.

"I've heard of it, I think I've seen it in some document. ”

"There is only one dead seed left in the Mir family, and I wonder if the young man named Hans, who is still the plague doctor, can survive this plague?" said the duke lightly.

"Obviously, there was a time of prosperity before, but everyone is a plague doctor, always facing the plague, and those who hover on the border of life and death to protect everyone will eventually be infected by death. ”

"I heard that there are almost no natural deaths in their family. All of them would have died of a plague infection in the last practice of medicine in their lives. ”

"So what exactly do you want to say?" the princess was already a little impatient.

"We are the Mirs facing anomalies, Your Highness the Princess. The Duke said.

Ah, though, it's too far away to calculate the length of history, and it should be said that they were the Adonians facing the plague. He added.

"I can't remember how many siblings I have. Half-fathers, half-mothers, illegitimate children, distant relatives who are not known how many generations apart...... There are all, dozens or hundreds, who knows. ”

"But all I know is that when I was thirteen years old, and my grandfather died suddenly and took over the reins of the family, there were three more people. The other two are my newborn siblings – although I don't know where they came from. But anyway, my father brought them into the house. I had to reluctantly raise them. ”

"As for now, I am the only one left alive in my generation. ”

Ah yes, the reason why I inherited the family business by one generation is because my father's generation also died in that accident, so I can't help it. The Duke said with a smile as if he remembered something.

Isn't this person telling an extremely heavy story in a very relaxed tone...... The princess felt an inexplicable headache.

"This man is talking about the fact that he is too light-hearted, so it sounds fake, Your Highness, you must be thinking so, right?" the Duke's smile was as inexplicable as Mr. Zero's.

"No, no, no. The princess denied, "Yes...... How can I say it, it's a normal person's words, but I always feel as if I've heard something beyond the scope of ordinary people's understanding...... This. ”

“...... Looks like you haven't really been directly exposed to any anomalies, which is great. Maybe you're sensitive to abnormal sensations. Duke Adonia said.

What the hell is this man talking about? What exactly did he want to say?

The princess thought for the third time.

"You're getting impatient. Okay, so let me speed up the conversation a bit. ”

Because this kind of catastrophe has been experienced more than once in the history of the Adonia family, and we who often look at the family history are used to it. Only one or the other of the clan died. ”

"Actually, we often think, why didn't we all die all at once, and maybe it would be better for us to let this surname disappear completely into the long river of history. ”

"But in the end, it still did not perish, no matter what calamity and terrible anomalies were encountered—in the end, at least one person would inherit the family name. ”

"Probably fate, fate requires us to live, not die. Because fate has other arrangements, arrangements that we must complete. ”

"We must fulfill the fate that will come at no time in order to sleep. ”

"So we're still alive for that. ”

"I really don't know, is it more painful to die than to live and not to live. ”

The Duke's emotions seemed to be a little excited, but then he quickly calmed down.

I just sighed so emotionally, but I heard the princess suddenly laugh.

"No...... Sorry, not funny or anything...... It's just that I finally feel that I deserve to be a father and son. The princess wiped her eyes, "I seem to have heard Mr. Zero sigh many times." It's just that he didn't tell me what the family was like. ”

"Is that so? Oh, I was talking about speeding up the process, and I ended up talking about it for some reason. ”

"I just wanted to show you how terrifying and dangerous anomalies really are for us ordinary people who are powerless. I hope you never touch it lightly again. ”

The Duke sighed, "Maybe when people get old, they will unconsciously always feel something about what they don't have, so they will be hated by young people...... I guess I'm really getting old, and it's time for the kids to take over gradually. ”

"No, Lord Duke, you're still young. This was not a compliment, after all, the duke, with his flowing black curls, looked much younger than his father, who had short blond hair but was actually about to die.

And even the father doesn't look old at all. The princess thought.

However, the gradual baldness of men seems to be inherited in families...... Ah, won't his cute brother become his father when he grows up to be a middle-aged uncle?

It's scary...... Why don't you ask Mr. Zero the next time I see him......?

"Well, to put it bluntly, our duty in the kingdom is to handle anomalous matters for your royal family. The Duke finally brought the conversation back on track, "At the same time, he is trying to keep the royal family away from the anomaly. Because of the impact of the royal family's rash death...... It's too big. It's hard for a kingdom to bear. ”

"I know what you mean, and Mr. Zero told me not to come into contact with the so-called anomaly - I really haven't been 'directly' exposed to it. ”

The princess had already noticed that the other party didn't seem to have any malicious tendencies, and just said these words as if chatting, and gradually relaxed.

She asked rhetorically, "But, as you said before, since I'm going to marry Mr. Zero, I'm bound to come into contact with it, right? So, what's the matter if it's a little sooner or later?"

"No, no, no, Your Highness. Whether or not you will be involved in the anomaly in your dealings with him is a matter between you and him, not the Adonia. But now that you are still in the royal family, we have to do our duty. ”

The duke replied without any wave: "After all, he is not Adonia. ”

“...... What the hell are you talking about?" the princess looked blankly at the duke in front of her, "isn't he your son? even if he is the second son, isn't he also a member of the Adonian family who also bears this surname...... Yes. ”

Lola suddenly came to her senses.

"Mr. Zero", as everyone called him, even his father. No one found it strange or unusual.

He did not have the surname "Adonia".

"Your Highness. If you're as smart as you, you should understand. This is also one of the risks of exposure to anomalies, as I said before. There was no emotion on the Duke's face, "I don't know when I suddenly kept calling him Mr. Zero." It's ridiculous enough to call one's heir like that. But even then, it didn't feel weird—no one remembered the name he was supposed to have. We've even tried to find and retrieve his name...... But there is nothing to be traced.

Such an unreasonable anomaly that changes everyone's cognition...... It's scary. So I couldn't pursue it any longer. ”

"When I just said 'siblings,' I didn't mean anything in general. Originally, I also had many, many children - no way, in order to ensure that the offspring would always be lucky enough to survive the abnormal death, the stallion was a last resort - but this generation is still alive...... Mr. Zero has an older brother and one sister, one younger brother and one sister. It's a coincidence, right? But this coincidence, who knows if it's a coincidence?"

"So with me, there are five more dead people in the Adonia family...... Mr. Zero doesn't count. ”

"Of course, we still know about his kinship, and everyone can know about it. ”

"But something higher...... On some anomalous level, he has nothing to do with us. All connections have been erased and disappeared. "It's hard to describe," said the Duke, with some distress, but you can roughly understand it, right?"

No. But it can be guessed.

The princess pressed down on the chaotic thoughts in her heart when she heard the news, and said, "So, what are you going to do?"

"Eliminate the anomalies around you, and erase your memories - that's it. Because you don't seem to be going to compete for the throne - of course, if you want to defeat your brother and inherit your father's power, you're entitled to keep everything and get the royal family's secrets about it...... And out of Mr. Zero's relationship, we will support you as well. Now during the pandemic, chaos and action are difficult, but it is also a good time to meet again. The Duke said happily.

"So, in fact, after you found the traces of my work, you want to persuade me to rebel?" Wang Nu sneered suddenly, "Then don't move out of so many high-sounding words before." And it's so sensational. ”

"I can't say that, that's how the nobility plays—I'm here to fulfill my duty and keep my promise to the royal family? ”

"I just want to grab my own interests. And do you really think that supporting me to ascend the throne can easily control me?" the princess sighed in her heart as she thought about the way to break the siege with an indifferent expression......

Not long ago, I had told my maid Anna that she was worried that someone would try to use herself as a pretext to ill-intentioned the throne, but I didn't expect it to happen so soon.

Moreover, he is still Mr. Zero's father.

"Never like that. As for profiteering...... Isn't it normal to do things that are beneficial to the family? Isn't it the same with the royal family. ”

"No, I won't say yes. The princess shook her head.

"Then, you accept the ...... of losing your memory"

"I will never accept that. The princess said coldly, "Do you really want to do something to the royal family?

"Whether or not to accept it is up to you, Your Highness. And as I said a long time ago, Mr. Zero is not a member of the Adonia family. ”

The Duke still had that calm smile, but he approached in an instant.

"Now, I can only hope that Sister Anna will find out this ......"

She had just turned around and tried to run away or delay for a moment, but the Duke had already pressed her forehead at the thought of her.

"Why, ...... so fast"

"We're still human, but we're walking in an anomalous world. The black ink gradually extended over the duke's right arm.

"Ah...... Wait, Mr. Duke. What the hell are you trying to do with my little fiancée? A voice without any nervousness sounded.

The Duke and the princess turned their heads to look in the direction of the sound at the same time, and found Zero sitting on the windowsill of the princess's room, with their chins crossed and their hands crossed, looking at the two of them.

"Mr. Zero!"

"Mr. Zero. ”

Although the words spoken are the same, the emotions contained are never the same.

After a surprise sound, the princess almost instantly ignored the duke's existence, broke away from the other party, and rushed towards Zero.

"Ah...... Don't get so excited. And there's someone else watching you, as a princess, Lola. Zero subconsciously stretched out his hand to resist the princess who rushed over and wanted to hug him, and whispered with a wry smile, "And you're still wearing the long skirt of the royal family, aren't you afraid of tripping?"

"Woo......" The moment she saw zero, Wang Nu seemed to have collapsed a little. plotting to usurp power, give up, be exposed, and then threaten by the duke, the psychological pressure is still too heavy for this child.

In fact, it's the same burden for any adult to break down.

She stopped whimpering, and stared at him with teary, rabbit-red eyes, staring at him, staring at him......

He'll be soft-hearted, and Lola knows it all out.

Sure enough, he soon turned his head to look at the duke, his theoretical father. And the arm also hung down slightly.

Just as she was about to pick it up again with a little tears and laughter, she heard the duke's voice sound:

"In that case, then you'll be up to you to handle the affairs on her side?"

"Well, I'll educate her well...... No, that sounds strange. I'll tell her to remember not to touch it again...... It still doesn't seem right...... "After hearing this, Zero looked at the princess with a smile on her face: "Someone seems to have broken his promise to me?"

"Oh, no, no, no, I didn't touch those things directly!" the princess stopped her attempts and defended herself in a panic.

"Isn't there a 'direct'. What a good girl who can play with words. Zero didn't know whether it was sincere or sarcastic praise.

"No, it's not like that, it's just that I'm worried about ......" The princess seemed to be even more frightened than before, as she began to shed tears before.

"A promise is a promise. Zero shook his head, "Still, I'll have to deal with the marks she left behind...... The royal family, which can stand side by side with the Holy See and even sometimes have the upper hand, must have the corresponding power. ”

"It's just that the king hasn't reacted yet, if ......"

"No, I've already sent someone to clean up and destroy it. The Duke touched his chin and sighed, "I suspect that the King is doing the same thing as me now." ”

"Y-You mean father, he-"

"I don't know if it's or not......

However, it was too hasty, Your Highness. Although I can understand your anxiety for your lover...... I want to chase ...... back then."

"Okay, old man of the stallion, you don't have to show off your glorious history. Zero said with a look of annoyance.

"Okay...... Remember to tell me everything about the Great Sanctuary as soon as possible, and we're very troubled by this......"

The Duke shook his head and left.

“...... It's impossible to say. ”

After being silent for a while, "......" faced with Zero, who still had a poker face, the princess's expression gradually turned from pity to anger.

"What's wrong?"

"I always felt like I was being played around with all of you, and you all know what was going on, and I was the only one performing like a monkey. ”

"This ...... Not really. "Zero spread his hands.

"There's really no such thing. He rubbed the hair of the girl, who was still red-eyed, and began to fool around...... Maybe it's true, but who knows?

How much of their words are true, and how many are false?

Like a drowning man struggling at sea but not even a piece of driftwood, he can't know the slightest bit of truth.

The princess suddenly thought so.

In their eyes, including Zero, are they just such poor people?

She suddenly calmed down, feeling the temperature from Zero's palm peacefully.