Standard disclaimer applies. You are warned that the characters might not be in their usual selves (in other words, possible OOCness).
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Of course, without many people knowing, it wasn't just Mari who couldn't sleep that night. Would that be a good thing? Well, if their beloved young Maoh was having a good rest and not feeling worried about the kingdom's current affairs just yet, then it would be.
At the moment, that was the thought running in Conrad's mind as soon as he saw Mari leave her room and headed outside the castle almost inconspicuously. But considering her ability, it wasn't a surprise. At least, that was what he assumed. Or it could be that Mari was just a light walker — like a cat.
That was why no one seemed to know that she went straight to the fountain where Lady Cherie's flower bed was. Without a doubt, this was a surprise since this was the first time that Mari had even set foot on the Blood Pledge Castle, let alone in Shin Makoku.
But something… There could be something that pulled her to go there without even a hint of hesitation. It was strange, if one would ask him. Did she have an idea about that place from the start?
"You're out here again."
Conrad almost jumped at the sound of his mother's voice behind him. Was he so preoccupied in watching Mari by the flowerbed that he didn't even notice Lady Cherie approaching?
"Doing my usual rounds, Mother." He tried saying that as casually as he could. But he doubted if it would make his mother believe him.
"And it seems you noticed something while doing that, huh?"
The soldier didn't say anything, though. He just remained staring at the flowerbed from where he was standing from the castle, hidden from Mari's sight as much as he could.
"She went straight there, for some reason," Conrad uttered after a few more moments of silence between them. "It was like... her feet just led her there."
"But that's impossible. She just got here."
"That's why it was strange for me to see her here." He wanted to blurt out his slight frustration over an issue that shouldn't even be an issue to begin with. And yet, why?
Why was he feeling as if something was off about everything related to Mari? The familiar feeling was already confusing enough, and now this.
"But... could it be that you've felt it, as well, Mother?" he asked once he was able to calm himself down from his frustration.
"Felt what? Felt like she was... Lyall?"
His eyes widened as soon as he heard that and almost immediately faced Lady Cherie. To his confusion, though, he saw her looking at Mari by the flowerbed, as well.
"Yes, I did feel that way as soon as I saw her with you. It felt so confusing that I even thought I was dreaming. But I knew the truth about what happened to her, and so I tried my best to dismiss it. And yet, I still called her Lyall at that time." The blonde woman sighed and looked at the night sky with sad eyes. "How foolish of me to think that she would still come back to us..."
Conrad could only look at his mother. It seemed that he wasn't the only one who was still wishing for something impossible.
"But there could be traces of Princess Lyall in Mari-san, you know."
Mother and son were startled upon hearing that, only to be surprised to see Murata standing beside them. The Daikenja was also eyeing the female Beast Knight still admiring the flowers on the flowerbed. But his expression seemed... confused. And also conflicted?
"Your Grace... Why are you out here?" Conrad couldn't help asking when he couldn't take the silence, for some strange reason. The young man was supposed to be in Shinou Temple at the moment.
And yet...
But the somber expression on the young man's face disappeared and was replaced with a smile that, in Conrad's opinion, could be a little unnerving and he didn't know why.
"I was just curious about something. And based on what I heard, you two felt something from Mari-san that seemed so familiar that it even made you think she was Princess Lyall. Did anyone from Esovia feel the same way as you two?"
The question did come from out of nowhere, to be honest. But if it was from someone who was as insightful as the Daikenja, then it wasn't anything surprising.
It took a while for Conrad to say anything as he looked at Mari by the flowerbed once again. He sighed before facing Murata.
"The two people related to Princess Lyall... Prince Klaus and Lady Sofia. Knight Mari said that they said the same thing to her. That they felt Princess Lyall in her. Even Knight Hanz said the same thing before he brushed it off and trained her, she said."
"So even they sensed it, huh...?" They heard Murata muttering as he looked at the night sky this time.
"What do you mean, Your Grace?" Lady Cherie couldn't help asking with a worried expression on her face.
For a moment, they both thought that he wouldn't answer the question. The serious and ever thinking expression he had said it all. It wasn't until the young man took a deep breath and faced the mother and son that made them think otherwise.
"This could be a little absurd to think about, but even Ulrike said that she could feel that one of the Beast Knights that have arrived here strongly possesses traits and even has the complete soul of the one of the previous Beast Knights who were killed during the war."
"Has the complete soul... of one of the killed Beast Knights?" Wait... Was that even possible? From what they knew, reincarnation could also work that way. Transferring from one body to another, one lifetime to another...
Just like the Daikenja.
And yet, why does that reasoning felt so... off? He didn't know why it felt that way to him. Was it possible that Mari was Princess Lyall's reincarnation? Could that explain the familiarity that they were feeling from her?
That is... until he recalled a conversation he had with Klaus before they left Esovia. He once mentioned that he, too, thought that maybe Mari was Lyall's reincarnation. But the idea became a little bit far fetched for the former princess when Klaus mentioned that Mari couldn't recall anything about the memories related to the dead princess.
If she was indeed Lyall's reincarnation, there should be traces of memories in Mari's mind that belonged to the princess. And yet, nothing like that occured, according to Klaus. So it could be possible that only some important aspects of Lyall were passed on to Mari when she became the new Wind Tiger Knight when she was 16 years old.
"I still don't know why Ulrike said that. But even Shinou mentioned the same thing. I was thinking of asking Lord Weller about anything that he and Lord Klaus talked about that's related to Mari-san. But I don't think we'll find an answer to that soon."
Even Conrad had thought of the same thing when Klaus mentioned the similarity of those two women to him back in Esovia.
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